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U.S. & Iran Set for Talks Amid Confusion Over Ceasefire Deal; Vance Departs for Pakistan Ahead of Saturday Talks; Pakistan Ramps Up Security Ahead of U.S.-Iran Talks; Lebanese PM to Visit Washington After Israeli PM Requests Talks; Riskiest Moments of Artemis II Mission May Still Be Ahead. Aired 9-10a ET

Aired April 10, 2026 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: Well security is tight in Islamabad, as U.S. Vice President JD Vance makes his way there to meet

Iranian representatives face to face. It is 06:00 p.m. in Pakistan. It is 05:00 p.m. here in Abu Dhabi in the UAE.

From our Middle East programming headquarters, I'm Becky Anderson. This is "Connect the World". Stock market in New York opens about 30 minutes from

now, 09:30 local time there. U.S. futures flat amid Iranian uncertainties. Just after nine in the morning there.

So, as I said back there at the bottom of the hour. We begin with the countdown to the first talks between the U.S. and Iran since the war began

more than 40 days ago. The U.S. Vice President, who is leading the American delegation, set off for Pakistan a short time ago.

He'll be joined by U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and President Donald Trump's son in law, Jared Kushner.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JD VANCE, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We're looking forward to the negotiation. I think it's going to be positive. We'll foresee, as

the President of United States said, if the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we're certainly willing to extend the open hand.

If they're going to try to play us, then they're going to find that the negotiating team is not that receptive. So, we're going to try to have a

positive negotiation. The president has given us some pretty clear guidelines, and we're going to see.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, security tight ahead of Saturday's discussions in Islamabad. Iran has not officially announced the makeup of its delegation,

but the key issues in these talks are clear, the situation in the Strait of Hormuz urgently needs to be resolved. President Trump accuses Iran of doing

a poor job in allowing oil through, and is warning Tehran against charging tolls.

Add to that, new fears over the global energy supply after Saudi Arabia confirmed a recent attack on a crucial pipeline. And concerns over whether

attacks in Lebanon could derail the peace process. After heavy Israeli bombardment this week, Hezbollah says it launched new attacks on Israeli

soldiers and on an Israeli border town earlier today.

Nic Robertson is in Islamabad ahead of these talks. Kevin Liptak has got perspective from the White House. To you first in Pakistan, Nic, where it

is Friday evening, is the Iranian delegation in town? And what can we expect from these talks at this point?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: They're expected to be in town. U.S. delegation, JD Vance, expected early Saturday. That's what we

have at the moment. You just heard from him there, laying out how he sees these talks going and the opportunities that exist.

It's fair to say there is a lot of other diplomacy going on here. This is a big diplomatic lift for Pakistan. Officials here say they're honored to

take this role. We know the Prime Minister of Pakistan has been meeting with the Saudi Finance Minister and a lot of other diplomatic phone calls

going on across the region.

So, this is a big lift. It is going to take more than the U.S. and Iran coming into the same building in separate rooms. We would anticipate as

they were in the Oman hosted talks before this war began, trust offers obviously at a deficit. And we got a sense of that from the U.S. Vice

President speaking there.

But in terms of what to expect here, it is hard to know, because although there is tight security on top of that, you have layered tight secrecy, if

you will, and that's something you've witnessed. We've all witnessed across the region that this is such a sensitive issue, no one wants to put a foot

wrong, and at the core of it for the United States getting the Straits of Hormuz opened.

And for the Iranians, it appears the big-ticket issue is tying in a ceasefire that will protect their proxy Hezbollah in Lebanon from Israeli

bombardment. And they've said, and this perhaps hints at why we don't know who's in their delegation that this is a sensitive issue.

The president, the foreign minister, the speaker of parliament, Ghalibaf, who is expected to lead their delegation of all, said their finger is on

the trigger that there's a lot at stake, the U.S. economy essentially at stake if Israel continues with that bombardment of Lebanon.

[09:05:00]

But the details of what to expect here, I think that the sort of expectations are being kept relatively low that whatever happens tomorrow,

tomorrow could be, you know, could be sort of done in a day, rather than pushing the talks forward and extending them. I think the hope here would

be that enough can be locked in to hold the ceasefire in place and then get more longer-term talks about what Iran says are going to be the sort of

basis for these talks, which is their 10-point plan.

But we don't know that this is what Iran is saying, and we know there's a huge difference of opinion between U.S. and Iranian views on this --

ANDERSON: Absolutely. Let's get to Washington then, and to Kevin Liptak. We heard from JD Vance about how he feels about these U.S. Iran talks in

Islamabad this weekend. Meantime, a dispute over whether Israel's conflict with the Lebanon based Iran proxy Hezbollah is actually part of this two-

week ceasefire is sort of ongoing separately.

The Lebanese Prime Minister plans to visit Washington after Israel asked for direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon. Just explain the

significance of this and what we know of those talks?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Right. And this meeting or visit from the Lebanese Prime Minister to Washington, it's not precisely

clear who, in fact, he's meeting while he's here, and it does seem to be setting the stage for these ongoing talks they're set to begin next week at

the ambassador level between Israel and Lebanon, brokered by the United States to try and bring about a resolution to the conflict there.

With the recognition on the part of the Trump Administration that it does have the real chance to undermine and potentially even scuttle this

ceasefire that the president has been so eagerly touting with Iran. You know, all through the last several days, this has been an irritant, to say

the least.

You know, when I asked JD Vance about it, when he was leaving Hungary, he characterized it as a misunderstanding that the U.S. and Israel understood

that Lebanon was part of the ceasefire, but clearly Iran did not, nor did Pakistan, which is of course, the mediator in all of these discussions that

led to President Trump getting on the telephone with the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu several times over the last several days.

And what I've heard described as quite tense conversations, telling him to ease off in Lebanon, so that this diplomacy would have the space and would

have a window to proceed. And the president said yesterday he had asked Netanyahu to be a little lower key in Lebanon as these negotiations are

continuing.

But of course, we have seen that Israel has not stopped entirely its strikes in that country, which leads the question of whether these talks

Saturday morning in Islamabad will proceed. You know, the Iranians have been pretty explicit that they don't think that negotiations will be useful

unless Lebanon is part of all of that's being discussed here.

But clearly JD Vance and President Trump have made clear that they don't believe it to be the case. And so how this all unfolds, I think, remains to

be seen, but it is clear, I think, from the perspective of the White House, that this is an issue that's going to have to be resolved before the

president declares this war is over entirely, which he seems very eager to do, recognizing that it's become very unpopular politically, that he needs

to just move on from it and move on to domestic issues that most Americans care the most about.

If the Lebanon issue proves a challenge to all of that, I think you could easily see his anger and frustration with Netanyahu continuing to mount. I

think when it comes to these talks that the U.S. will broker between Israel and Lebanon next week, it's not entirely clear how exactly that will

unfold, of course, Israel was going after Hezbollah in Lebanon.

They're not necessarily going after the Lebanese government. It's not entirely clear how much the Lebanese representation in those talks will be

able to sort of convey to the Israelis what they can do to limit Hezbollah's actions inside that country, and so how thus those talks

proceed, I think still leaves a lot of questions unanswered.

But I think just the fact that they're sitting down and talking, and the fact that Israel came out and said that it would engage in these direct

negotiations is something that the United States was looking for, and as they enter these critical talks with Iran on Saturday morning is something

that they will be very quick to point to as they look to ease this particular sticking point in those discussions, Becky.

ANDERSON: To be absolutely clear, the Lebanese government has been asking for these talks for some time.

[09:10:00]

It was only yesterday that we heard the Prime Minister of Israel announcing that indeed he was prepared to sit down and discuss what is going on in

Lebanon. Good, all right. Well, Kevin is at the White House. Nic is in Islamabad. You are bang up to date on those two date lines.

We, of course, are keeping a close eye on oil prices ahead of the weekends talks between the U.S. and Iran. Brent crude and U.S. crude slightly lower

today, this Friday in trade. Trade is there monitoring the situation of course, in the Strait of Hormuz, despite what is this two-week ceasefire,

announcement made by the U.S.

Of course, on Tuesday, very few oil tankers moving through that key strait, 22.5 kilometer straight there at the top of Oman. This time lapse animation

comes from marine traffic.com when a lot of ships are gathered on both sides of the strait, only a handful have been passing through it.

Meanwhile, the British Foreign Secretary says that the U.S. war with Iran is only part of the problems in the region.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YVETTE COOPER, UK FOREIGN SECRETARY: Instability and volatility are becoming increasingly chronic, and turbulence is now the new normal,

national security and economic prosperity increasingly intertwined. The new reality we face did not begin with the war in Iran, nor will it end with a

reopened strait.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, Eleni Giokos is live in Dubai with more. Let's start with the Strait of Hormuz. And what is the latest? And how are these markets

reacting?

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, firstly, hearing the British Foreign Secretary saying that volatility and instability is becoming a lot more

chronic, its frankly hair raising to hear that, because nothing really has changed in the Strait of Hormuz. In fact, according to Lloyd's list, there

are less tankers and vessels passing through the strait since the announcement of the ceasefire than pre the ceasefire, which, of course,

shows that Iran is trying to formalize its control of the Strait of Hormuz.

Oil prices, slightly softer, but still firmly above $90 a barrel. And look at that graphic, Becky, we've got that up for you, and it just shows the

huge plunge from the moment the war started. And then you can see a slight tick up, and then since the announcement of the ceasefire, again a drop.

And its, basically Iranian linked tankers that are getting through and countries that are friendly to Iran. Iran is eluding insinuating mines that

have been placed in the Strait of Hormuz. And you and I know every time there's any kind of security threat that deter shippers from passing

through the straits.

And I just want to make a note of what Kristalina Georgieva had said from the IMF. She says there's no neat and clean return to previous status quo.

All of the economists out there that are looking at this are very worried about a continuation and closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

In fact, we had Sultan Al-Jaber, the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company CEO, saying the Strait of Hormuz is still closed and pointing out the fact that

access is being restricted. It's conditioned and controlled. And we know that this is really going to be one of the key points in those vital talks

that will be happening in Islamabad. And of course, that's one of the many things that will be on the table tomorrow.

ANDERSON: The UAE Presidential Advisor Anwar Gargash posting a very strong statement on social media today, saying, in part, we will, we being the UAE

will scrutinize the map of our regional and international relations with precision and determine who can be relied upon, including the structuring

of an economy and financial system that bolsters the resilience of our model.

The UAE has been very clear about doubling down on its relationship with the U.S.

GIOKOS: Yeah.

ANDERSON: And very clear about insisting that its regional security and the region will see the entire regional security must be embedded in any deal,

and the Strait of Hormuz must be part of any deal. Separately Iran Supreme Leader, published a message on X saying the period of U.S. dominance in the

region is over, and Gulf States should pick the right side.

So, it does beg the question, what is the likely next move of these Gulf countries?

GIOKOS: Yeah, and that's a really interesting one, because Anwar Gargash also said that the UAE is going to be reassessing its partners that it can

rely on and review national priorities after bearing the brunt of the attacks from Iran and of course, super important here.

[09:15:00]

And I just want to bring up this graphic so that our viewers understand that the UAE has, in fact, borne the brunt of these 537 ballistic misses,

26 cruise missiles, 2256 drone attacks since the start of the war, while we haven't had any missile and drone threats over the past day, and that is

welcome news.

Anwar Gargash has been very public about his frustration not only towards Arab and Gulf states and their reaction and lack of response, but also how

this is could potentially move the Gulf closer to the United States and its allies. And importantly, was talking about, you know, the UAE has been

there during prosperous times, during the good times, and you know, everyone was showing solidarity.

But then he asks the question, where are you today in times of hardship? The UAE has also been very cautious about this ceasefire agreement, saying

they want to see more guarantees from Tehran to unconditionally open up the Strait of Hormuz, something that we not have not seen from Iran.

As yet, Iran is still digging in its heels. It is saying that anyone that wants to pass through the Strait needs to coordinate directly with Iran,

Becky. So again, from the UAE perspective, that opening of the straight is very much part of the security guarantees that it's expecting over and

above the assaults that it's been experiencing towards the region.

ANDERSON: Eleni is in Dubai. Eleni, thank you. And a lot more on news from this region as we move through the show of course. I do want to get you up

to date on the astronauts of NASA's Artemis II mission, who are nearing the end of their historic 10-day space flight.

In the coming hours, they will face another dangerous part of that mission, reentry into Earth's atmosphere and splash down. Reentry is the critical

phase when the Orion spacecraft comes roaring into the atmosphere at more than 30 times the speed of sound. Impact with the atmosphere will heat the

capsules exterior to 2700 degrees Celsius.

Testing Orion's heat shield, which has known vulnerabilities. So, for more on this, let's bring in CNN's Ed Lavandera at the Johnson Space Center in

Houston. You've been watching sort of history unfold remarkable stuff over this past near 10 days. What exactly are these issues then, with Iran's

capsule heat shield during reentry into the Earth's atmosphere?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, in the first Artemis mission, this capsule went up and orbited the Earth, but it did not

have a crew inside. When it returned, there was extensive damage to that heat shield. And even you know, there's been a lot of concern about whether

or not this heat shield can withstand the reentry, where you describe these intense conditions.

13 minutes of reentry, 6 minutes where the crew inside the capsule will lose total communications with mission control here at Johnson Space Center

in Houston. But it's the vulnerability of this heat shield and whether or not it can withstand the pressures coming through reentry that is why so

critical.

NASA officials insist that after Artemis one they have gone through extensive testing analysis, figured it all out that they have the sign off

from the astronauts in the capsule that they were deeply involved in the process leading up to the launch of this mission, and that they have full

confidence in their plan, but they know they have to execute it perfectly. And this is a very dangerous situation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFF RADIGAN, ARTEMIS II LEAD FLIGHT DIRECTOR: It's 13 minutes of things that have to go right, is the way I think about it. You know, I have a

whole checklist in my head that we, you know, we're going through, of all the things that have to happen.

AMIT KSHATRIYA, NASA ASSOCIATE ADMINISTRATOR: It's impossible to say you don't have irrational fears left, right. But I would tell you, I don't have

any rational fears about what's going to happen. We've done the work we need to and where we, you know, have full confidence in the team, the

recovery team, the flight control team, analysis and the work we did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: Becky, the Artemis II crew will be waking up here pretty soon. They will begin the final preparations of reconfiguring the cabin, putting

in the seats, getting in their space suits for reentry. And their families will be watching from the viewing area just behind mission control, Becky.

ANDERSON: Remarkable. Good to have you, Ed, thank you so much. Ed Lavandera, in the house for you. Right, CNN will have live coverage of

Artemis return to Earth from the moment those astronauts enter the atmosphere to splash down in the Pacific Ocean.

That begins 03:00 a.m. Abu Dhabi, 07:00 p.m. Eastern, 04:00 p.m. on the West Coast and midnight in London. Right, still to come as the clock ticks

down to what are these high stakes peace talks in Islamabad, Hezbollah claims new rocket attacks on Israeli troops and an Israeli border town.

[09:20:00]

What this means for efforts to contain the wider conflict, is up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Hezbollah says that it has launched fresh attacks on Israeli forces in Southern Lebanon and across the border in Northern Israel. These

attacks are adding to concerns about the fragility of what is this current ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran. Hezbollah says the strikes were in

response to what it calls Israeli violations of the truce.

Remember, there is a dispute as to whether Lebanon, Hezbollah and Lebanon are actually included in this two-week ceasefire, currently going on cross

border attacks, then continuing this week, as we've been reporting, including the largest wave of Israeli strikes yet on Beirut on Wednesday,

it is civilians who bear the brunt of the fighting.

UNICEF says at least 600 children in Lebanon have died or been injured since early March. My next guest writes, when it became clear that Iran had

accelerated missile production and was nearing a nuclear threshold, Israel decided not to get pulled back into the old trap.

It did not want to wait until Iran fully restored its missile arsenal, accumulated enough military grade uranium and then be forced to debate

whether Tehran intended to use those capabilities or not. It acted first to deny the capabilities themselves. That is certainly the perspective penned

by Yaakov Katz, who is a journalist and author who argues that this is a decisive shift in Israel's defense doctrine built.

You say, Yaakov, and it's good to have you on the lessons of the October the seventh attacks. Can you just explain what you mean by that, and what

you believe Israel's strategy is here?

YAAKOV KATZ, CO-FOUNDER OF MIDDLE EAST AMERICAL DIALOGUE: Well, I think, Becky, what we're seeing is essentially this change or shift in Israel's

defense doctrine. Up until October 7th, Israel knew that Hamas was there on the border with Gaza. Israel knew that Hezbollah was there on the border

with Lebanon, that they were amassing not just weapons and a terrorist army and tunnels under the border, both in the north and in the south.

But that they had built up all these capabilities for the purpose of one day using them against Israel. But Israel's debate here was a question more

of intent. OK, we know they have the capabilities, but we think they won't use them, and we can find other ways, economic incentives, some sort of

political move or occasional clash here or there to try to stave off and postpone the larger war.

But October 7th taught us is that it doesn't work. You have to stop this before the capabilities grow.

[09:25:00]

And I think that's essentially what we saw during the last 5.5, 6 weeks of this war with Iran were saying we understand Iran is on its way to having

many more thousands of ballistic missiles. Iran is on its way to becoming a nuclear threshold country. And instead of waiting for that to happen, let's

try to take that capability away before we have to get into the question of, OK, will they use it against us, or will they not use it against us.

And that's why, for example, the war in Lebanon continues, because even though Iran now has moved into the diplomatic field, and we'll see what

happens in Islamabad, but what's happening in Lebanon is still this terrorist army on the Israeli northern border.

ANDERSON: An Israeli Channel 12 poll shows that 79 percent of Israelis support continuing strikes on Hezbollah. Netanyahu's personal ratings in

that same poll are relatively weak, just over 5 out of 10 approving. How much domestic political pressure is he under at present, and how does that

reflect do you believe on the decisions that he and his cabinet will make now and going forward?

KATZ: I think it's definitely going to impact the decisions, because the reason that I think he's seen a bit of a drop in his favorable ratings, or

his popularity, is because he promised all these victories, right? If you look at, for example, after the 12-day war in June, Netanyahu said, and I

quote, a victory for generations.

But then eight months later, Israelis found themselves once again, hunkering down inside bomb shelters and getting smashed or blasted with

missiles from Iran over literally more about 40 days. So, Israel is saying one second, where was that victory that Netanyahu had spoken about?

And then he spoke about, we're going to get regime change and we're going to stop the missiles, and we're going to get the nuclear material out.

Well, all of that remains. The nuclear material remains under Isfahan. The missiles were still being launched here until the very last second of the

war before the ceasefire, and the regime is still intact.

So, for that, he's paying a bit of a political price, and that might be just a lesson for politicians don't over promise. But when it comes to

Lebanon, I think it's a combination of, on the one hand, Israelis are fed up with having these terrorist armies on their border. They want to get rid

of them, Hamas in Gaza or Hezbollah in Lebanon.

But also, I think you are right, Becky, that if he's getting hit because of the overreach or the over promise in Iran, maybe he feels he can make up

for it with something of a more aggressive posture when it comes to Hezbollah in Lebanon.

ANDERSON: Bezalel Smotrich, a crucial coalition member for Benjamin Netanyahu, suggested Israel should expand its borders deeper into Lebanese,

Syrian and Palestinian territories. Is Israel, to your mind still acting defensively, or is it now, or certainly, are members of the cabinet like

Smotrich pushing something far more ambitious.

And I wonder how you believe statements like that might have any bearing on these talks that have now been announced between Lebanon and Israel.

KATZ: Well, we know, Becky, that Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, they have, for lack of a better term, sometimes messianic ambitions when it comes to

the way that they see the borders of Israel, but they've never really been their policies have not been adopted by the Israeli government or even by

this, this coalition that does lean very much to the right, and they are members of.

But with that said, I think what they are saying. It does represent a feeling in Israel, and this is again, going back to those lessons of

October 7th is that territory matters, right? Israel doesn't have strategic depth. So, when the Hamas terrorists crossed in from Gaza, within seconds,

they were inside those Israeli front line border kibbutzim.

When the Hezbollah could have potentially crossed in from Lebanon, they didn't, because they were stopped. They would have been within seconds with

inside Israeli villages and communities. So, territory has become something of essence. But in Lebanon, we know that there is a different equation

here.

Hezbollah is Hizballah, but there is a government in Lebanon, led by the president, led by a prime minister who are speak openly about peace

negotiations with Israel who want, by themselves to disarm Hezbollah, who speak about doing it on their own. They might not have the capability. They

might not be able to do it.

ANDERSON: Got it.

[09:30:00]

KATZ: They might be afraid of that clash with Hezbollah and civil war in Lebanon, but this is a government that we can talk to, and I think that's

why Netanyahu is doing these negotiations, because he understands, by military means alone, you're not going to get across the finish line.

You're not really going to solve the problem. You need a political arm to whatever is happening in the north.

ANDERSON: Yaakov, it's good to get your perspective. Thank you. That is the bell on Wall Street. I'm going to let you go. It is important for us to

keep an eye on what is going on in these markets. The futures were certainly indicating a pretty flat start. That was British investment

company Natixis Investment ringing in the trading day.

We're going to take a very short break. And get you back after that for a view of how investors see what is going on in this region and around the

world. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Right. Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi just after half past five here. You're watching "Connect the World" just after half

past nine in New York. We'll get to the markets shortly before we do these are the headlines for you. Preparations are underway for talks this weekend

aimed at ending the U.S. and Israel's war with Iran.

Security is tight in Islamabad where negotiations will take place. The Trump Administration sending Vice President JD Vance, Special Envoy Steve

Witkoff and the president's son in law, Jared Kushner. Well despite the two-week ceasefire announcement earlier this week, very few oil tankers and

other ships are moving through the Strait of Hormuz.

This time lapse animation comes from marine traffic, while a lot of ships are gathered on both sides of that narrow strait, only a handful have been

passing through it. Let's get an idea of how stocks are getting on today. What's investor sentiment like out there? Well, I think we can genuinely

say it is mixed.

There is fresh evidence that President Trump's war on Iran is driving up prices in America, with the cost of oil climbing fast, of course, in recent

weeks U.S. inflation has shot up to its highest in nearly two years. Consumer prices were up 3.3 percent in March from a year ago.

The high price of gasoline was to blame for most of that soaring 21 percent in March. CNN's Matt Egan has been looking through what are these key

figures in this morning's report? Joining me now from New York, Economist, Matt had been saying that the war would drive inflation higher. So, are

these numbers actually better or worse than expected?

[09:35:00]

MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well, Becky, they're largely what was anticipated. But there still significant, right? We're talking about a hot

inflation report, and yeah, the fingerprints of the war are all over it, especially when it comes to energy.

So, consumer prices, they spiked by 0.9 percent between February and March. That's triple the inflation rate on a monthly basis before the war started.

This is the highest monthly figure in almost four years. Now, the annual inflation rate was 3.3 percent that is a touch better than the 3.4 percent

that the consensus from economists was, but 3.3 percent.

I mean, this is completely heading in the wrong direction. Look at the trend for annual inflation going almost straight up as soon as the war

started. This is the highest annual inflation rate in nearly two years. And it's the most in any month when President Trump has been in the office in

the White House, either this term or in his first term in the White House.

So, this is, of course, not what you want to see. Look at the monthly inflation rate again, you can see how it really just exploded higher. Why

did this happen? Well, as you mentioned, a lot of this has to do with energy, right? Gasoline prices between February and March skyrocketed 21

percent that's the most since the BLS started tracking this back in the 1960s wasn't just gas, though, Airfare also went up significantly, 3

percent.

I'm actually surprised that it wasn't up more than that, because jet fuel has surged, but there's also been a lot of strong demand. We could see

airfare go even higher, tomatoes up sharply. The news wasn't all bad. Groceries went down. Eggs went down. But, Becky, got to wonder if those

lower grocery prices are going to last, given what we've seen with fertilizer and the cost of diesel.

And elsewhere, we could see food prices start to creep higher in the U.S. and certainly around the world.

I'm also surprised to see the jet fuel number there. I wonder whether there's a bit of a lag on that, and whether next month, we're going to see

that number shoot up significantly, because we are hearing from the airlines that things are really tough out there. It's good to have you,

Matt.

Thank you very much indeed for joining us.

EGAN: Thanks Becky.

ANDERSON: All right, still to come, the Masters is well underway. We're going to hear from last year's winner, Rory McIlroy, his goals following

his grand slam triumph in 2025. I hooked up with them at the beginning of the year, and we get you some of that. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Defending champion, Rory McIlroy has gotten off to a strong start in this year's Masters. The Northern Irishman shot an opening five under

par round of 67 at the famed Augusta National Golf Club on Thursday. He's one of just six players to win all four major golf tournaments.

Of course, it took him 17 years to try and for the Masters when he did so last year. He is now looking to become just the fourth man to claim back-

to-back Masters titles joining Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods.

[09:40:00]

Well, he's still got a long way to go of course, but his impressive start means that he shares the lead today with Sam Burns, or certainly did ahead

of today's round. Back in January, I had the opportunity to spend some time with Rory here in the UAE, the Masters winner.

Talk me through his goals for 2026 and he showed that despite completing that Career Grand Slam, he is as determined as ever to add more major wins

to his CV.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: When you and I talked back in 2016, you told me that you write on the back of your boarding card every year.

RORY MCILROY, 2025 MASTERS WINNER: Yeah.

ANDERSON: On the way here your goals for the year. So, this is a boarding card from one of the team. Can you just write three goals down on the back

of that for 2026.

MCILROY: Sure. Yes. OK.

ANDERSON: -- find --

MCILROY: Find pleasure in the process. So basically, try to, you know, make the work the important thing, and not the result. Be on my phone less, it's

a big goal, and win a major.

ANDERSON: You still got some fire in your belly for the golf.

MCILROY: Yeah, absolutely.

ANDERSON: I love those first two as well alongside that.

MCILROY: Yeah, yeah.

ANDERSON: Yeah. And I think we've all got work to do on those first two, all of us.

MCILROY: All of us.

ANDERSON: I mean, but those first two are really important to you. Are they?

MCILROY: Yeah, they are, I think so easy to just get so result driven. But the way to get good results is to be driven in other areas, so driven by

your practice and your routine and what you know, the consistency of things. So that's a big thing for me, and then, yeah, I'd say everyone

should be on their phone less, so, that's the number one.

ANDERSON: Good. Bit more present with yourself --

MCILROY: Present with myself, present with my loved ones, present with my daughter.

ANDERSON: Yeah.

MCILROY: Those are big things.

ANDERSON: Yeah --

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Finally, more than 300 items from Queen Elizabeth the Second's wardrobe now on display at Buckingham Palace in an exhibition to mark 100

years since her birth. Queen Elizabeth the Second, her life in style showcases fashion from really a century of her royal life, including

dresses and Tiaras even a wedding necklace.

More than half of the items have never been exhibited before. The curated says the exhibition explores every decade of the Queen's life, from birth

until her death in 2022. "World Sport" with my colleague, Amanda Davies, is up next.

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[09:45:00]

(WORLD SPORT)

[10:00:00]

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