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U.S.-Iran Talks Uncertain; Labor Secretary Resigns; Virginia Votes on Redistricting; Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT) is Interviewed about Congress. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired April 21, 2026 - 06:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:32:26]

AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody. I'm Audie Cornish. Thank you for joining me on CNN THIS MORNING.

It's half past the hour. And here's what's happening right now.

So, the man President Trump wants to replace Fed Chair Jerome Powell will finally have his confirmation hearing today. Kevin Warsh is set to appear before the Senate Banking Committee. It's going to give him a chance to address the committee's concerns about his ability to operate in the role without political influence. And this is despite his staunch support from President Trump.

And today, the House Ethics Committee will hold an Ethics Committee sanctions hearing regarding Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick. Now, she was found guilty of violating several campaign finance laws, and they could decide today to expel her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MICHAEL GUEST (R-MS): I mean, I think the accusations are extremely serious.

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Do you think that she could continue to serve in this body?

GUEST: That will ultimately be up to the members of Congress. We will make a recommendation, and then the body will have a chance to weigh in at that point.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: The Florida Democrat was indicted in November, accused of stealing $5 million in federal disaster funds and using some of the money to fund her 2021 campaign.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And it's a little frustrating with the gas prices. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's going to come down. It's going to get better

for us. But right now we have to pay for it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Rising fuel costs are creating surcharges for ferry passengers in Long Island and Connecticut. One-way tickets up by $3 for passengers riding with their cars. Officials say the surcharge will be reviewed on a weekly basis. President Trump signed executive orders aiming to boost U.S. energy and oil production amid the war with Iran.

And the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran expires tomorrow. Vice President J.D. Vance is supposed to leave today for talks with Iran. It's unclear if Iran will be there for those talks. The ceasefire was supposed to keep the Strait of Hormuz open. That hasn't really happened. Iran is saying some ships are getting through. Many are anchored, stuck on one side or the other.

So, the question this morning, how long before that tanker bottleneck cripples global energy supplies?

Well, for that answer, we're going to talk to CNN business correspondent Eleni Giokos in Dubai.

Good morning, Eleni.

And first I want to talk about jet fuel prices, gas prices, right, like airline tickets, fertilizer and food prices. All of this, right, as we're starting to see an impact on those numbers.

[06:35:01]

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, huge impacts. And if you look at messaging from the Trump administration, Audie, they don't even know when we'll see a normalization in gas prices and oil prices and all related products. In fact, Energy Secretary Chris Wright was saying we're not going to see $3 a gallon on gas by 2027. President Trump comes out and says, actually that's not true. I mean there's a lot of to and fro. And basically shows that, you know, either they've miscalculated this, they don't know how long it's going to last, or no one's actually done the number crunch on this.

But one thing is for sure, when we look at the Strait of Hormuz and just the kind of energy crisis it's caused globally, everyone is feeling it. The longer than it stays closed, the bigger the problem. And the International Energy Agency says it's going to take around two years to unwind.

If you want to see $3 a gallon in the United States for gas, then you have to see WTI prices sitting at around $60 a barrel. We're very far away from that. But if I look at what happened on Friday, when Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz open, even with a caveat around using the Tehran toll route, what was interesting is that you had a huge selloff in oil prices. And I think that's really indicative that when you send the right messaging, or when we see any movement on the Straits, then this means we're going to see, you know, a drop in oil prices, even though it's going to take some time to unwind. There's a lot of other issues at play here. But you've got Brent Crude and WTI softer this morning, down over one percent, in anticipation and hope there's going to be some kind of 11th hour miracle where both sides sit around a table and, you know, talk this out.

And the Strait of Hormuz is going to be center of this. And, of course, whatever happens on the nuclear front.

Also just want to mention this important news around the executive order that President Trump signed. It squares up with his drill, baby, drill narrative that we've been hearing. It includes coal supply chains for baseload energy, as well as investment in other oil production. And we need to take this seriously. It's not going to happen today or tomorrow, but this is a long-term plan for the United States to further entrench its energy independence.

Audie.

CORNISH: All right, Eleni Giokos, thank you for that update. As you said, as we're waiting for that ceasefire deadline.

I want to turn to this here in the U.S. The Labor secretary, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, is out. She says she's stepping down to take a job in the private sector. Keith Sonderling will serve as acting Labor secretary.

Now, Chavez-DeRemer is leaving at the same time that an internal investigation is underway into possible misconduct. A Department of Labor source tells CNN that a complaint is under investigation that alleges that the labor secretary was having a sexual relationship with a member of her security team. This complaint also claimed that she would send staff to pick up liquor and use business trips for personal travel. She's the third cabinet secretary to leave in just under two months.

And the group chat is back.

We want to show who's in and who's out right now with Chavez-DeRemer gone. She follows Pam Bondi, who followed Kristi Noem. And "NOTUS" raised this question in their headline, "Another Woman in Trump's Cabinet is Out."

Does three make a trend?

CHUCK ROCHA, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Seems like it. Also somebody should tell Marco Rubio he's going to have to go to Toledo and settle the teamsters strike now it seems like. That's a joke because Marco Rubio has many jobs.

CORNISH: He has many jobs. He has many jobs. Got it.

ROCHA: Look, the -- as a guy who worked in labor for a long time, this is not an easy job. Folks always think, well, the labor job can just go to random congressman b or c. But it's a real job. And at a time when -- this is really getting in the weeds for our nerds in the morning -- but the NLRB right now does not really have a quorum. And they have -- they can't settle what's happening --

CORNISH: This is the labor relations board.

ROCHA: Right. So, that's why this matters.

CORNISH: Yes, and, you know, and one other thing. If you drive Uber, if you do DoorDash, if you do any of those gig worker jobs, some of the policies --

ROCHA: Exactly.

CORNISH: That she has supported has benefited the industry in keeping you an independent contractor versus an employer.

Can you talk about this exit? Because this administration, term two, has not been marked by a revolving door, has not been revolved by a lot of exits.

EDWARD-ISAAC DOVERE, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: I mean we're 15, 16 months in and these are three major cabinet jobs that have departed, right?

CORNISH: Yes. In Trump time, though, that's --

DOVERE: That's true.

CORNISH: Yes.

DOVERE: But in -- for this kind of turnover is notable for an administration that has -- that came in. It's the second try, right, for Trump. He came in with a clear idea of what he wanted to do. And a lot of it is flowing directly out of the Oval Office what this (ph) is, right?

CORNISH: I know.

Ashley, you were shaking your head when I brought up the woman thing. Look at your face. You're even making it now.

ASHLEY DAVIS, FORMER WHITE HOUSE OFFICIAL UNDER PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: No.

CORNISH: But here's the reason. Kash Patel is in the middle of suing "The Atlantic" over very similar allegations.

DAVIS: Right.

CORNISH: Around alcohol, around misuse of travel, right? And it feels like, why is one on the exit and one digging in?

DAVIS: Well, I think she has a lot of different accusations. I mean, there's a lot more than what you just said.

CORNISH: Yes.

DAVIS: And I also think that she hasn't really been that effective.

DOVERE: Right.

DAVIS: I mean she's been like the one cabinet secretary no one has seen it all.

DOVERE: No, we know much more about what all of these scandals and accusations than any of the work she's done (ph).

[06:40:01]

DAVIS: Than what she has done. Absolutely.

And then on the Kristi Noem front, like, everyone wanted Kristi Noem -- Republicans, Democrats, wanted Kristi Noem gone. She's gone.

The only one that I -- that I always scratch my head about, because they're still very close, is Pam Bondi.

CORNISH: Yes.

DAVIS: Whether you like her politics or not, she's very smart. Obviously, she was caught up in the Epstein issues and was that -- was that one of the major issues because of --

CORNISH: Right. So was Patel. So was a lot of other people.

DAVIS: Yes. But I get it. And who knows what happens with Kash. I, you know, I'm a woman's person, but also I think these are very -- three very distinct issues, not because they're women.

I mean I actually think the president's done a pretty good job of putting women in his cabinet.

CORNISH: Yes. OK.

ROCHA: It's funny that Hilda Solis, who served as secretary of labor under Obama, is probably coming back to Congress because she's running for Congress again in California and is coming back to The Hill.

CORNISH: Well, lucky for you.

DOVERE: Left under her own scandal, though.

CORNISH: Hold on --

DAVIS: What did she do?

CORNISH: Because that's the very next segment. OK.

ROCHA: OK. My bad.

CORNISH: We're going to talk about people trying to come back to Congress.

ROCHA: I like it.

CORNISH: And what that means for them, given, frankly, the redistricting fight. So, we're going to look at Virginia, for example. They're in the middle of a ballot question about this that could impact the balance of power in Congress. And I want to show you some live images here outside a polling place in Fairfax County. And then this is the map, a new map, that would deliver ten of 11 congressional seats to Democrats. It would flip four right-leaning seats.

So, here's the thing. These redistricting efforts across the country, they started with Republicans in Texas, where they were able to pick up five seats after redrawing the maps. And then party leaders across the board are kind of changing their tune on support for new maps, depending on what state wants to do it.

And former President Obama is one of them. So, late last week, the Democrats spoke out in support of the effort in Virginia. But then, like Republicans, were using his past comments in a TV ad when he was saying something very different.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Because of things like political gerrymandering, our parties have moved further and further apart, and it's harder and harder to find common ground.

By voting yes, you can push back against the Republicans trying to give themselves an unfair advantage in the midterms. By voting yes, you can take a temporary step to level the playing field. And we're counting on you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DAVIS: OK, who started this? Eric Holder in 2017. Last I looked.

CORNISH: Oh, why are you saying that?

DAVIS: He did. He's the one that raised millions of dollars to redo (ph) redistricting.

CORNISH: Yes.

DOVERE: I mean, but it started before that with Tom DeLay, right? Like, all of the -- you know this --

DAVIS: OK. Fair. I don't believe in it.

CORNISH: Wait, are we going back to Massachusetts in the 1800s, the original term of the gerrymander.

DOVERE: Elbridge Gerry.

CORNISH: I get it. I get it.

DAVIS: I actually, I don't believe in it on either side.

CORNISH: But here's the -- here's my thing. Well, first of all, Obama's been a bit of a reluctant warrior turned real warrior now.

ROCHA: Right.

CORNISH: But in Virginia, is the juice worth the squeeze? Like, they're not flipping seats that Kamala or that somebody won massively. There are seats that, like, it could still go either way.

DOVERE: The 14th (ph).

ROCHA: It's a -- it's a risk. Every time you gerrymander, it's a risk because you have to weaken safe seats to make the other seats more Democratic.

DAVIS: Yes.

ROCHA: In Texas, we're living through that because Republicans thought that because of Trump's overperformance with Latinos, they could pick up these five Latino seats. Well, now, Latinos have swung dramatically back to the left, putting three of those seats in jeopardy. So, it's not always the end to every means.

DOVERE: But we're in the situation where, with the new congresswoman sworn in last night from New Jersey for the -- that open seat, there is a -- Mike Johnson has a one vote margin. The -- there's been a tight margin for the last four or five years and -- one of it is Democratic control and one's Republican control.

It could be that after the November elections we're in that too. And the difference of these four seats in Virginia, or the five seats in Texas, or five in California, could be what makes the difference in the majority here. The question is, is any of this good for democracy? And most people would agree, no, except that most people would agree, but I want my side to have more balance.

DAVIS: Yes.

CORNISH: OK. Well, we have someone who has --

DOVERE: What it is, right?

CORNISH: We have -- we're bringing in an expert, somebody who actually has run elections. Next --

DAVIS: Great.

ROCHA: Thank you so much. I'll be coming up after the break. Oh, not me?

CORNISH: Yes. Next on CNN THIS MORNING, we're going to talk about those shakeups in the halls of Congress. Like we said, redistricting. And then this like record number of lawmakers who are not seeking re- election. Congressman Ryan Zinke is here to talk about the impact of all of this on midterms.

And later on CNN, a deal reached. "The Onion" will take over Alex Jones' "Infowars." And the CEO of "The Onion" will join CNN later.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [06:48:34]

CORNISH: OK, so we were just talking about redistricting and that fight unfolding in Virginia, which could, of course, determine which party wins control of the House in November. But there's another key factor. There are members who are deciding to leave. So far, a total of, this is not a typo, 61 House members are either retiring or seeking a different office. That's according to the House Press Gallery. And the majority of those retirements are Republicans. Thirty-eight so far. And that's already more retirements than what Republicans saw back in 2018. And that was during Trump's first term, when they would go on to lose their majority to Democrats. So, why are they leaving?

Joining us now in the group chat, Congressman Ryan Zinke, Republican of Montana.

During the break you told me, "every battleship has to go to port for repair" and that's why --

REP. RYAN ZINKE (R-MT): And reload.

CORNISH: And reload. So, you're leaving for health reasons. What are you hearing from everyone else who -- they're just leaving?

ZINKE: Theres a lot of different reasons. Some of them are health. Some of them are disappointment. Some of them are time. Some are aged out too. And, you know, when you don't have the fire in the gut, I think it is time to leave.

CORNISH: Are you tired of winning?

ZINKE: Well, you know, it's --

CORNISH: I would think all these Republicans should be like, score, this has been amazing. We've been in charge of all the branches. And yet --

ZINKE: I'd say this, the score is still debatable.

CORNISH: Oh.

ZINKE: But also, you know, I've always thought, when you come to D.C., you should view D.C. as an adversary.

[06:50:04]

And you want to make change. You have fire in the gut. As soon as you make that transition, say, you know what, this is how it should be run. This is OK. That's the time D.C. has you. And that's the time to leave.

CORNISH: Yes.

ZINKE: And so a lot of members that don't have the fire in the gut, don't want to make change, you know what, it's time for them to go. CORNISH: Was the redistricting fight, and I'll just pick this chapter, kicked off by Trump and Texas worth it?

ZINKE: No, because you know who loses? It isn't Republicans or Democrats. It's the people who lose. So, representation should be people that are in a district that, I don't want to say think alike, but have the same experience. You know, they go to the grocery store, the same grocery store. They feel the same on (ph) issues.

CORNISH: It's not a district shaped like a lobster or such thing (ph).

ZINKE: Yes, or having, you know, Newport News be influenced by Old Town or these --

CORNISH: But the president really pushed it. Do you think he pushed it for good faith reasons? Do you think he pushed it because he's that worried about the midterms? And does it matter now if his approval ratings, let me take a look, disapprove, 62 percent. He's not going into the midterms with a strong hand.

ZINKE: Well, and redistricting itself, right, it's a state issue. Not all states bought into it and said, we're going to redistrict. So, Texas was first. California. Then, obviously, Virginia. But the net result, I think, is, it doesn't serve the people. And the House of Representatives is the people's house. And the people's house should have a say on the people. But when it's gerrymandered back and -- back and forth, the loser is the constituent that maybe has a problem in his district that wants it solved. You know, who is he going to -- who's going to advocate for him? Are you going to have a, you know, a district that largely has an office that's 300 miles away? No.

So, I think America should stand up and say, you know, let's make the districts based on common experience. Let's make the districts where it isn't lopsided back and forth. And I think President Obama said it right earlier is that, look, these districts in gerrymandering has caused -- there's only about 40 competitive seats.

CORNISH: Yes, but even he's signed on, right? I mean basically --

ZINKE: A year later.

CORNISH: Yes.

ZINKE: But I think -- I think his initial view was right.

CORNISH: Yes.

ZINKE: Gerrymandering should stop because it -- one, it doesn't do justice to the people. But also, it makes divisions. And I'll give you an example of success. We talk about DHS. Well, DHS is the only one of 12 appropriation bills that is stuck while the 11 -- you know how we got through 11? Bipartisan. We had the chairs of both houses, both the Senate and Congress on the on the House side, Democrat and Republican get together. That's why we're not in shutdown across the board.

CORNISH: Right. ZINKE: Because it takes both of us, both sides to go, you know what, we're going to serve the country rather than a party.

CORNISH: Let me talk about the power of the purse for a second, because the deadline is coming up for war powers resolution. You also have a big budget that they've asked for to continue for the defense in the midst of this war with Iran. And yet, when I look at the polling, for instance, President Trump's handling of the war, we are seeing large numbers of people who disapprove. And when we look at the question of what action should the U.S. take in Iran, airstrikes, ground troops, the largest number is no further action. So, I think we can firmly say the public is skeptical.

ZINKE: Yes, I think it -- but I think it goes down to the three core issues. Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. Iran cannot have material to make a nuclear weapon, nor an arsenal of destruction.

And, yes, I understand --

CORNISH: But that's not what they hear. What they hear is the Strait of Hormuz is now closed. Something that is not -- that wasn't the case before these strikes. Meaning, they look at it now and there's a possibility they think, are we actually just in a new set of problems?

ZINKE: Right. And let's take the advance too forward. If Iran had a nuclear weapon, we're talking the Strait of Hormuz that's 30 miles and the channel is only two. So, what if they had a nuclear weapon? We would have far less leverage. Do you think Iran, when they say destroy America or destroy Israel is not serious? If they had a nuclear weapon, a likely scenario is that nuclear weapon could be transported in a container, a shipping container, and show up in Houston or New York or pick a port, right? But they could have leverage where we couldn't have options or our options would be very, very limited on the Straits. And you think you have problems now with Straits of Hormuz? What if Iran had a nuclear weapon?

CORNISH: Do you support boots on the ground?

ZINKE: No.

CORNISH: To retrieve --

ZINKE: Ah, to retrieve.

CORNISH: I didn't even get -- oh, I knew there was a catch.

ZINKE: To retrieve.

CORNISH: To retrieve nuclear material or enriched uranium, which we hear is under rubble. But when we talk to people, I know you -- I know you were a Navy SEAL, but like the world of special ops is relevant here. Do you think there should be boots on the ground to do that kind of operation?

[06:55:04] ZINKE: I can tell you, that is a very risky -- it's a lot different than going after a single pilot, by the way. Great job across the board.

But to go after a nuclear weapon facility, you're going to have to control that area for hours. And it's not like they're going to move it around so they know. That's going to take -- that's taking an enormous amount of effort. Probably air cap, probably ground forces, probably, you know, we're talking a thousand people plus, plus, you know, supporting assets on it. It's a very, very difficult task.

Me, personally, I would bomb it into submission, but that's just me. But I don't -- I don't think putting troops on the ground tactically is a -- is a great idea. Whether it's going after a nuclear facility or otherwise.

CORNISH: Do you support the bombing of civilian targets, meaning this idea about bridges and power plants? I raise that because a number of international voices, even some in Congress, I want to say, I think we have Congressman Bacon, let me play that for you, his response to the idea of Trump's threats against Iranian infrastructure.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. DON BACON (R-NE): You can't if it's strictly civilian.

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: He's talking about desalination plants, too.

BACON: Yes, that would -- that would -- to my -- I mean, my instinct would say that would be wrong.

RAJU: It would be a war crime?

BACON: I don't -- it would be probably laws against -- laws against war fighting, laws against armed conflict is the appropriate term. I believe it would be.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZINKE: On the table. Keep it on the table. Does it support the regime? Absolutely. I'd keep it on the table.

CORNISH: Do you think it's a war crime?

ZINKE: No, I keep it on the table.

CORNISH: Is there any limit?

ZINKE: Did so -- does World War II --

CORNISH: So, does desalination, does --

ZINKE: All right, was Dresden a war crime in World War II?

CORNISH: I thought we came out of those wars with a couple of agreements about what was a crime and what was not and what was an international crime and what was not.

ZINKE: Yes, but I would keep -- I would keep it on the table. I would not take things off the table. I'd keep it on the table.

CORNISH: All right. Ashley, you were --

DAVIS: I'm supporting him on this one. I mean, he knows what's going on.

I think -- I -- listen, I think we can say war crime, not war crime, but I think that we can prove that these infrastructure is supporting what the government's trying to do, which is kill us with the nuclear weapon.

CORNISH: I don't know what this means for the Iranian people, who we said we would back up if they rose up against their government. And then we're also like, but, have glass, you know, good luck getting a glass of water if they don't agree. It's like it's a regime that fundamentally they are in power and should you not go after the regime, not do things that would damage the average citizen there?

ZINKE: Well, and a big problem is the regime is distributed. There's no longer one head. Obviously, Khamenei's not in charge. You have different groups. Matter of fact, they've distributed their chain of command as far as their local military commanders have a lot more autonomy. That's very, very difficult to negotiate when you have 20 people you're looking at rather than one make a decision. At least us, we have one. Donald Trump will make the decision. But on their side, you have multiple, multiple facets and strains and stresses.

CORNISH: Yes. Is that why the U.S. Navy can't reopen the Strait of Hormuz?

ZINKE: The U.S. Navy is doing a good job of opening it. I think we probably -- reminder, we need more holes (ph). It would be nice if NATO would actually have come in rather than saying, yes, we'll be there when the -- when the firing stops. It'd be nice if they actually would look at it.

We're far less vulnerable on our energy than NATO or the Asian peninsula. So, it would be in their best interest to make sure that the Strait's open.

But, you know, the opposition is, they'd say, well, Iran has ships. No, they have boats. A ship is 500 tons and 180 feet. They have small boats. They can do damage. They're more or less like cigarette boats.

CORNISH: Yes.

ZINKE: They can do a lot of damage. And so could one mine or two mines. Because, remember, a tanker is a floating flame ball. You know, one round in the side of a tanker, because it's volatile fuels, can make a lot of damage, both environmentally and I think also --

CORNISH: Now, I have to ask, because it's been a busy couple of weeks in Congress with, you know, scandals and a lot of question marks. What is in your group chat?

ZINKE: Well, you know, I look at it as, it's not Republican or Democrat, is in the best interest of the country. You know, does every issue have to be so divisive that we're at odds? One is, let's get the anger out. There's issues in our country that we need to address. And we all rise and fall the same tide.

CORNISH: Is this in the exiting Republicans group chat?

ZINKE: Yes, it is --

CORNISH: It's just you guys being, like, this isn't what I thought it would be.

ZINKE: Yes, it's -- you know, I have friends on both sides -- on both sides of the aisle.

CORNISH: Upside down smiley face. Yes.

ZINKE: When we agree, I think the country wins. But, you know, in -- on opposition should be this, is that complementary when you're right, you should -- you should criticize when you're wrong, but offer better solutions.

[07:00:02]

But don't be angry about every issue because it cause division. And division in this country, ultimately, I don't think, is in our best interest.

DAVIS: See how much we're going to miss him.

ROCHA: One door -- one door closes and one door opens. Congratulations to Analilia Mejia, who was sworn into Congress last night. A fresh new face.

CORNISH: Very nice. Very nice.

DAVIS: Yes, she's not going to be divisive.

CORNISH: Well, we always appreciate having you here. Thank you so much, Congressman.

ZINKE: Always, always a pleasure.

CORNISH: Thank you for being here. There's a lot of places you could choose to spend your time. I'm glad you're here with us. I'm Audie Cornish, and the headlines are next.