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Erin Burnett Outfront
Iran: Trump's Ceasefire "Means Nothing," Need "Military Response"; Polls Close In Virginia; "Correct Immediately": Frantic Moments As Planes Nearly Collide. Aired 7-8p ET
Aired April 21, 2026 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[19:00:24]
ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: OUTFRONT next:
The breaking news, an Iranian official threatening military action moments after Trump announces an indefinite ceasefire, something he vowed not to do.
And the polls just closing in Virginia special election, huge turnout. Democrats are pushing to dramatically redraw the congressional map before the midterms.
It's a huge question as to whether this move in Virginia tonight will lead to four more Democratic seats in the House, and John King, with the first results this hour.
Plus, collision alarms going off at JFK Airport tonight. A pilot taking emergency action after a plane strayed into the flight path of a landing jet. We have the air traffic control audio. It is chilling.
Let's go OUTFRONT.
(MUSIC)
BURNETT: And good evening. I'm Erin Burnett.
And OUTFRONT tonight, we begin with the breaking news. Iran dismissing Trump's ceasefire. A senior advisor to Iran's chief negotiator, Mohammed Ghalibaf just saying. The ceasefire, quote, "means nothing". And urging again, his words, military response from Tehran, saying, quote, "Trump ceasefire extension is certainly a ploy to buy time for a surprise strike." The time for Iran to take the initiative has come.
Trump announcing the indefinite extension of the ceasefire tonight. Now that's something he had vowed repeatedly he would not do. I mean, here he is. Just this morning, when asked if he would extend the ceasefire.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, I don't want to do that. I expect to be bombing because I think that's a better attitude to go in with. But we're ready to go. I mean, the military is raring to go. (END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Trump has said at least eight times in recent days that he did not want to extend the ceasefire. He told Bloomberg yesterday it was highly unlikely. And he also said this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Maybe I won't extend it. So, you have a blockade. And unfortunately, we'll have to start dropping bombs again.
I would say the fighting -- if there's no deal, fighting resumes.
REPORTER: If the deal is not reached by the end of the ceasefire, does your threat from before still stand?
TRUMP: Yeah, I don't want to comment on that, but it won't be pleasant for them. Let me put it that way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: So after all the bluster, why did Trump then post quote, "We have been asked to hold our attack on the country of Iran until such time as their leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal. I have therefore directed our military to continue the blockade and in all other respects remain ready and able and will therefore extend the ceasefire until such time as their proposal is submitted and discussions are concluded".
Now, to be clear, obviously, a ceasefire is a good thing. There are very few people who want this war. There are a few. That's why we're in it. But most people don't want it and no one wants dropping bombs in the cavalier way that the president threatened.
But why the unexpected about-face? It's important to note that the Iranian delegation never even officially agreed to extend this second round of talks in Pakistan, right? They kept saying they weren't going to go.
The White House kept saying they were going, and then they didn't go. I mean, at one point, Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson, when explaining why Iran didn't show up at the negotiating table, said, and I quote, the reason is not indecision. It is because of contradictory messages, contradictory behaviors and unacceptable actions by the American side."
Now, we do know amidst all of this that the Vice President, J.D. Vance, was ready to go to Pakistan this morning. That was the plan. They were very clear about that. He then, though, was rushing into the White House for meetings. And Trump's diplomatic team, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner -- Kushner, of course, is, you know, not even an appointed government employee.
We're also supposed to be headed to Islamabad. But then they rerouted to Washington at the last moment. The high level U.S. delegation looking much more ready to get in a plane and get a deal done than the Iranians. They were ready to go. That is clear.
But the situation tonight, completely murky. It is foggy, it's tense, it's unpredictable. And no one knows really what's going on. The U.S. blockade of Iranian ports is still in place. The Strait of Hormuz is still closed, and Lufthansa just canceled 20,000 flights coming up.
I mean, there's a problem going on and the clock is ticking.
Kristen Holmes is OUTFRONT live from the White House.
And, Kristen, I know you're just getting some new information. What are you learning?
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. Erin, we're hearing there were varied proposals coming back from the Iranians. And there was a lot of confusion as to who is actually in charge and if the delegation that they were working with had any authority to make a deal.
Now, this has been an ongoing issue. I'll remind you, we reported on this before they even went to the first round of negotiations. And then after the second round of negotiations, Vice President J.D. Vance saying they didn't know that the people they were talking to actually had that authority.
It seems pretty clear now that the White House is saying they're just not sure who is in charge in Iran.
[19:05:00]
But here's the really big question. What exactly is going to happen now? This is an indefinite ceasefire and an indefinite blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, a reminder that the Iranians weren't even going to come to a second round of negotiations unless President Trump lifted the blockade on the Strait of Hormuz.
That was seemingly unlikely, just given the fact that all of the U.S. officials we have talked to have said that this was a big point of leverage for the United States. There's not a lot of leverage out there, and this was something that the U.S. could use as leverage.
So, the idea that he would give that up before a final deal. So now what we're looking at is kind of a blank space. President Trump is saying that because Pakistan asked him to put through the ceasefire to extend the ceasefire, he's going to do it, but there's no real end in sight.
Now without a deadline on that particular ceasefire. That could give the Iranians or put less pressure on the Iranians to actually come to the table to make a deal. However, we also are keeping the blockade in place.
So right now, it is very unclear what the next step is. It does sound as though U.S. officials are still ready to enter a second round of negotiations if they get what they need, which is a unified proposal for negotiations from Iran. But right now, we have no clue when that's coming or if that's coming.
HUNT: All right. Kristen, thank you very much. With that new reporting from the White House and everyone's here with me.
I mean, Karim, okay, so there's incredible uncertainty here. Nobody knows what's what. But people don't want to fight right now on either side. That seems pretty clear as well. But amidst all of this, I mean, there's all kinds of reporting going on about there, about what's happening at the top levels of the Iranian government.
KARIM SADJADPOUR, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: You know, I'm reminded of what Donald Rumsfeld said in the aftermath of the Iraq war about known unknowns. And there are a couple big known unknowns in Iran. One is what is the state of Mojtaba Khamenei's health? To what degree is he really running the country? What does he think about negotiations? Is he advocating for compromise?
The second thing we don't know is how desperate is their economic situation. I spoke to U.S. negotiators who were in Islamabad, and they got the impression that this is a regime which desperately needs cash, and I think that's why President Trump thought a deal could be imminent. But there are reports out there that the Iranian lead negotiators Araghchi, the foreign minister, and Ghalibaf could have been imprisoned. I don't buy that.
But there's a lot of disinformation now, and it's not clear, who is really able to sign off on such a monumental decision in Tehran right now.
HUNT: Right. I mean, even, even, you know, a rumor like that or reporting like that, the fact that that you have to consider it, even though I know you don't believe it to be true, it shows where we are, right? The uncertainty of where we are.
General Schwartz, I mean, you spent a lot of your military career in the Middle East. You dealt with special forces. So, when you have an indefinite ceasefire going on and you have therefore an indefinite blockade being enforced right now by the U.S. Navy, what toll does that take on the U.S.?
LT. GEN. MARK SCHWARTZ, U.S. ARMY (RET.): Well, certainly if it extends over, you know, a significant number of weeks and months, it will have an effect on readiness. But right now, you know, if the president decides that they're going to reinitiate lethal operations, airstrikes and, you know, activity from the, you know, in the Persian Gulf or up in the Gulf of Oman, beyond the blockade, the forces will be ready to do it, most certainly. But, you know, over an extended period of time, readiness does have a tendency to atrophy, but we're not even close to that yet.
BURNETT: You know, it's amazing when you think about it. And I know you and I were together the first weeks of the war in Tel Aviv and in Israel. You know, you just you see Trump in a sense, it seems like he's been searching for a silver bullet.
First, it's just an unbelievable number of military targets that have been hit, right? Then it's this, you know, sort of seems like its seeking for this one silver bullet that's going to bring them to their knees. And that is what happened.
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: He's ultimately running out of choices here. And that's not a place you want to be in a war like this. I mean, he's at a point now. He's essentially ceding the timing to the Iranians saying, well, you take your time, you work out what you're going to do, and then I will decide when I think we run the end of the course of negotiations, all the Iranians have to do is juggle this along a little bit longer.
He's also kind of publicly shaming their disunity, which is probably a reflection of reality. But you certainly do that when you're trying to embarrass your opponent into some kind of cohesion. But he's also washing his hands a little. He's kind of saying, well, these guys aren't -- haven't got their act together.
So, I don't quite know what I'm going to hear a full response from them. And that's the danger of decapitation strategy that we saw at the very beginning. You have to know that what comes afterwards is manageable or perhaps even better. And they've kind of unleashed this moment of chaos now that they're reaping the whirlwind from.
So, it's a perilous moment. And I think probably this is a real sign of his options narrowing rather than expanding.
BURNETT: I mean, you know, to this point, Karim, you know, when you talk about what's the status of President Pezeshkian and the former Tehran mayor, the speaker of the parliament and lead negotiator, Ghalibaf, there's General Ahmad Vahidi, maybe not a name known to many, but a very important leader in the IRGC who now some say is calling the shots.
[19:10:02]
And, you know, not that any of these individuals are not hard line. But when you talk about -- you got to go in knowing what you're going to get, he's to the right of the right.
SADJADPOUR: Indeed. You know, as Nick was alluding to when you decapitate a country's leadership and you introduce a massive power vacuum, it's not the poets and intellectuals who come to power in that environment.
It is ruthless men who know how to mobilize violence. And so, I think the future of Iran is going to be decided within the Revolutionary Guards. It's not Revolutionary Guards, 150,000 men against the civilian government. No, it's these battles within the revolutionary guards between people like Ahmad Vahidi, who see themselves as principalists -- loyal to the principles of the revolution and people like Ghalibaf who say, listen, we were able to prevail in this war because we survived.
Now let's compromise and consolidate our gains.
BURNETT: General, you know, amidst all of this, you've got Trump threatening to bomb every power plant and every bridge in Iran echoing his threat against wiping, you know, annihilating a civilization. You know, Seth Jones said yesterday from CSIS that, you know, the analysis they have is Iran has been digging out their missile launchers in preparation for the end of the ceasefire that they've got, what, 40? They've got 40 percent of the drains and 60 percent of their missile launchers are still intact.
That is pretty incredible. When you consider the force of the air campaign and the daily target lists that we were given, that they could still have 60 percent of their missile launchers.
SCHWARTZ: Absolutely. It gives you the sense of the amount of capability Iran had prior to the 28th of February. And, you know, they're expert at deeply burying and hardening the capabilities that they know that are going to keep the regime in place.
So, I'm not surprised. I'm confident that, you know, given our capabilities, we're monitoring very closely, commander at CENTCOM, and, you know, our national intelligence agencies are looking very closely at what's going on inside of Iran right now.
So, we'll be prepared if directed to, you know, to take the appropriate strikes in order to eliminate if these capabilities end up being unearthed and brought out.
BURNETT: I mean, you know, Nick, obviously, when you look at it, apples to apples, the United States can defeat Iran, right? But obviously a war is more complicated than just a pure military mathematical thing, right? The U.S. has nuclear weapons and Iran does not. Okay? So, let's just say that.
But let's go through this. The U.S. military's used 45 percent of its stockpile of precision strike missiles. The U.S. has used half of its inventory of THAAD missiles. This is just half of the patriot air defense interceptor missiles have been used in this conflict alone. When you think about the United States facing off against its greatest strategic adversary on the planet China. Those are bad numbers.
WALSH: And we're talking about --
BURNETT: And they're being used against Iran.
WALSH: We're talking about them publicly on cable news, right? So, this is something that everybody is acutely aware of, particularly at the Pentagon. So that is another way of Trump's choices being limited, because that will be something he hears about daily, particularly when it comes to other complex issues they're going to face going forward. So how long do we see this go on for?
I mean, I think the pressure that Trump can apply with a blockade, not of Hormuz, but of Iran's ports, that may start to take a toll over time. But it's also limiting traffic in and out the Strait of Hormuz. That's pressure on allies as well.
And so, we're in this kind of bleak moment where the Iranians have in the past shown how extraordinarily well they can protract negotiations. They can take time. They can drag this out. They have a huge incentive to rebuild, recover, and give themselves a bit of breathing space right now.
So, I think there is a danger, really, as we've seen with the president, he chooses another topic. He drifts off his attention span, wanders. We don't see him sticking even to what we just heard today, potentially, and that we may just find this sort of drifts on into the months where he's essentially realizing that he doesn't get a deal that's better than the Obama deal.
BURNETT: And to be able to say that.
And then, General, I was just -- I was just looking up here to look at these headlines from Lufthansa and others. I mean, there is an economic crisis in the offing. Okay? And that includes things like a jet fuel crisis, people all of a sudden being who -- are being prepared to travel for business travel and all of a sudden not being able to travel.
I mean, isn't that going to bring this home in a whole new way?
SCHWARTZ: I don't think that even though we did anticipate that Iran would contest the strait, I would suggest that we didn't anticipate the global impact that it's having. And in a very short period of time, if you think about it, it's only been a couple of weeks since they -- they've, you know, generally come out and shut it down. So yeah, it's something that we have to consider.
And, you know, to Nick's point and to the cis report about the, the ammunitions, you know, clearly, we've expended a lot of very complex and highly, you know, precious munitions in order to achieve the military effects that we have so far. So, it's something that certainly the chairman is advising the president on, but it's something that we should be concerned about.
[19:15:01]
And to your point, you know, our principal adversary is not Iran. It is -- it is for the time now. But it's China. And we've had to reposition a lot of resources in order to maintain the force presence, the force rotation presence for this conflict. And certainly, our adversaries are watching.
BURNETT: All right. Thank you all very much.
And next, the breaking news polls are closing in Virginia, voters are deciding on a major redistricting push. It's a push by Democrats. So, if they get what they want, they could likely net another four House seats. So, it's a big deal. What's at stake tonight? Results are just coming in. John King has the latest.
Plus, at least 10 scientists connected to sensitive nuclear aerospace research dead or mysteriously missing?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JAMES COMER (R-KY): It does appear that there's a high possibility that something sinister is taking place here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: So, what do we actually know tonight? And collision alarm sounding at JFK, a plane landing in the flight path of a jet on another runway.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BURNETT: Breaking news right now. Polls just closing in Virginia. So just a few moments ago, they are closed. So now we are awaiting results. And this matters.
All eyes on this crucial vote because it could decide who controls Congress. CNN is just getting the first results in Virginia. Voters are -- here's what they're deciding on, whether to approve a dramatically redone house map by Democrats on the right. So, you can look at the colors and you can see the difference.
So right now, Virginia Democrats hold six of 11 House seats that redrawn map, if it passes tonight, would likely give Democrats control of 10 of the 11 seats. Okay?
So, it's a big deal. And the interest in the vote is huge. There were nearly 1.4 million early and mail in ballots cast through yesterday. That's just shy of the early vote total in the Virginia governor's race last year, which at the time was that crucial barometer of what direction the country was going and set a record for a non- presidential election.
So, this is stunning. Virginia, the latest battleground for redistricting efforts across the country by both parties, which they are doing this to try to seek an edge in the midterms. All of this started when Republicans redrew Texas's map to pick up five House seats there, remember? And then it was mutually assured destruction with Gavin Newsom and all of that. Well, this is where it's led us to.
Let's get straight to John King. He's on the road with the mini magic wall.
John, there you are. Results are just coming in. And what can you show us?
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Erin, take a peek. Mini magic wall here. We can project it in a much larger way to our viewers. It's very early in this, but it shows early on. At least early results are that this is going to be close. And we saw that in some of the polling data in the late.
Now, it's only about 12 percent of the vote in. So, this margin could widen quite a bit. No is leading at the moment. No is voters saying no, we don't want Virginia to redraw the congressional map in the middle of the decade. Yes was leading just a moment ago. But you see how close it is.
So, expect this to go back and forth for a little while until we sort it out. But you see, one point I would make is you see this here, the green. This is. Yes. We don't have a lot of it yet.
But Richmond in the suburbs, especially northern Virginia, most of the population lives in northern Virginia and the D.C. suburbs. We don't have a lot of votes in there. The little areas we do have, they are green. Yes. That's what the proponents, mostly Democrats, have redistricting.
They need northern Virginia and Richmond, the suburbs, to fill in green and for the margins to be big. because the other thing you see is you see all this orange out in rural Virginia. A little the exception is Roanoke, a little city there.
You see all that orange, that's Trump country. You know, this from election nights. That's Republican country. And right now, Republicans are saying, no, sorry, Democrats, we don't want to give you extra seats, but it's early. Let's count the votes and see what Virginia does its part now. And as you noted, what has become an unusual mid- decade redistricting drama all across the country.
BURNETT: Right. And the drama where you are, where you are tonight. Obviously, yes. Now, just as you're talking, flipping above. No. So as you point out, it's flipping back and forth as the vote tally goes up.
Okay. You mentioned Richmond. You mentioned Trump country, but what counties most specifically are you looking at, John?
KING: Right. So, I'm going to stretch this out a little bit. Even on the road. I can use my hands and stretch it out. You see the gray here. That's Fairfax County, that is the most populous county in Virginia.
It's about 14 percent of the statewide population. We don't have anything yet. Fairfax City is a little green dot in the middle. Fairfax County is one of the fastest expanding D.C. suburbs. When I moved to Washington, it was swaying back and forth.
Now it is overwhelmingly blue. That's where most of the people are. So, if that should be green and it should be green by a huge margin, that tells you Democrats are turning out and they're voting like they do in governors races or in presidential elections. So we're looking for that to happen.
Let me bring it back down and stretch it -- come back a little bit more and bring the state back to normal. Do this to do it and come out. And then again, as I noted, you're looking for down here. I'm just going to stretch it out with my finger. Richmond, oops, that's see your fingers get a little clumsy on the road sometimes.
Richmond in the suburbs around it are important. And then one last piece down in the corner here. You see this? No. Down here around Norfolk, Erin. That's one of the districts that affected. It's usually blue, but it is competitive, has a military down. There's a Republican congresswoman down that way. That one saying no right now.
So, one of the things that interests me, just as a political junkie is what about the people who actually live in the current districts that would be wiped away? What do they think? So, we'll see at the end of the night how that goes.
BURNETT: Yeah. Right, right. And then there's, you know, people may think one thing and they may, but they may want to respect the sense of the process. Usually is a once in ten-year process, not a once in five. It adds a level of complexity.
All right. So, John, what does all this mean for the big picture? Just looking here literally as its switching right now. Yes. Up again. It flipped and up by 18,000 votes. But bit by bit dripping in here.
[19:25:00]
What does it all mean to the big picture when you talk about what that for net seats add potentially would mean if this goes through as Democrats wish in the midterms?
KING: So, I switched the map and you can see this now state of play as we speak today, 215 for the Democrats, 220 for the Republicans. You need 218.
So, today, the Democrats need only three seats. In a midterm election year with the Republican president, three seats should actually be well within the Democrats reach, especially given the presidents poll numbers right now. Even worse, in the middle of the Iraq war. So that's what the Democrats need now.
But as you noted at the beginning, the president said, hey, Texas, help me out here. We got to change the map in Texas. Did the president say another red state, Missouri, help me out? And Missouri did.
He asked where I am tonight? Ohio, another red state, help me out. And Ohio did. That's when Gavin Newsom is all that was playing out, said, oh, no, you don't, Mr. President, we wouldn't normally do this, but now California is going to counter you.
So, you see, first, before I bring in the Democrats, see Republicans maybe five, one or two of those seats in Texas actually might surprise the Republicans might be competitive. But you see five plus one plus two. So, wow, Republicans picked up maybe eight seats right there.
Then Gavin Newsom comes in and says, oh, no, you don't. He does five. And you see the math changing again. There was a court ruling in Utah that likely gives the Democrats a seat. So, you see that happening there. North Carolina, where there was a couple of weeks ago. They also said, no, were going to add a Republican seat.
And so now you see the Democrats need a little more. They needed three when I started. They would need six now. And that's where Virginia comes in. If Virginia can give them four, the Democrats actually, wait, could wake up tomorrow even closer, right, if all this plays out exactly like the people think. So, it's been this chess game back and forth.
And one last note, Florida may do it in the spring. Florida may come in in the spring. But if Florida does not come in right now, tens of millions of dollars have been spent on this across the country. If Virginia votes yes tonight, essentially the status quo.
BURNETT: It's amazing for all of that, but it shows what's at stake if this does not go through, obviously, as you've laid out.
Okay, John, you're there. These numbers are coming in. So we're going to be coming back to you momentarily because we're going to be getting results and we'll see where we are and whether John is able to call this and see where we stand.
So, John will be back with us in a moment. Paul Rieckhoff and Jamal Simmons are here with me in the meantime.
Jamal, when you hear John going through this and laying out that big map, right, of what it means for the midterms, but also tonight, and we watch it flipping back and forth, now we'll see. Fairfax County is crucial, right? That could make the whole thing be really close or not close at all. We'll see.
How confident do you think Democrats are?
JAMAL SIMMONS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Oh I don't think anybody is confident at all about anything here. Here's the thing. These maps suck, Erin. It's really not fun for us to be in the place where were doing this as a country.
But Donald Trump started it so Democrats couldn't lay down. They had to get in the game and try to push back a little bit because God forbid, they're in the middle of an election, they lose by seven seats. Donald Trump got because he got these states to redistrict.
So, you can't really clutch your pearls about this if you're a Democrat. You just got to swallow hard and go ahead and try to make sure that the Democratic Party stays competitive with the president.
BURNETT: So, Paul, Trump last night called into a tele-rally, okay, to get Republicans to get the turnout, right? And we were just talking about the turnout here. The Spanberger race, governor's race was epic. Okay. And this might be even more.
So, we called into a tele-rally to tell Republicans to get out and oppose this. Here's what he said.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This referendum is a blatant partisan power grab that nobody's really ever seen anything like it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Okay, so he said that of course, he was also the one who said something quite different when Texas was up to bat with their net five. Here he is then.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: On Texas, how many more seats do you want the Republicans to draw?
TRUMP: Five. Texas would be the biggest one, and that will be fine.
REPORTER: Are you -- are you calling them for a complete redrawing of the congressional map ahead of next year?
TRUMP: No, just a very simple redrawing. We pick up five seats.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: So, I guess when its benefiting him, it's a simple redrawing. We get five seats, but when it's the other side picking up four, it's a partisan power grab that no one's ever seen before.
PAUL RIECKHOFF, HOST OF INDEPENDENT AMERICANS PODCAST: Yeah. It is a totally broken system.
BURNETT: Yeah, this is hard to argue anything else, yeah.
RIECKHOFF: This is what a rigged political system looks like. And the Republicans tried to rig it first, and now the Democrats are responding. And we've got mutual annihilation for our democracy. And who's really losing here are the voters. What's really losing is democracy.
I talk a lot with and for independents, we're 45 percent of the country and growing because of incidents like this. You've got the Democrats who actually only represent about 27 percent, Republicans, about 27 percent. Most of us are somewhere in between or none of the above.
And this is what all out partisan warfare looks like. And the real solution we need is congressional action to create independent, congressionally redrawn maps that aren't decided by partisans, because what you've got now is the players are also the umpires. And that's why this whole game is broken and not working. And American democracy is ultimately what suffering.
BURNETT: I mean, Jamal, it's amazing just that there's people like to find a good guy. And when Congress is involved right now, it doesn't seem that anybody can find really a good guy.
But, you know, President Obama is out there, and he is one of the loudest voices pushing for the redistricting in Virginia.
[19:30:04]
Okay? Democratic, you know, hero of the left, here's what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: 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.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Who's the guy who does the cigar ads?
SIMMONS: I think he's on vacation in the Bahamas.
BURNETT: I mean, I don't know, the outfit. Okay, okay. Did he strategically with the buttons?
Okay. But obviously, he was against gerrymandering in other situations in the past.
SIMMONS: Again, Erin, nobody likes this. This isn't fun. I don't -- I think we probably agree with you on this question that this is not something that we should be doing. The issue here is Trump started it. And so, the only choice Democrats faced was to let it happen to them, or to get in and try to fight back.
RIECKHOFF: I think there's another choice, which is don't engage in this and actually reform the system to make it fair. And I think especially when you're trying to vie for independent votes, voters will respond to that. They will see that you're doing the right thing for our democracy and not just for your side.
Obama is the guy who used to say, you know, when they go low, we go high. This is we go low, they go low, everybody goes low, and our democracy goes down. And that's what's happening here.
SIMMONS: Yeah, but that wasn't going to work inside of this. You can't get that done inside of this particular election cycle. And so, Democrats are on the verge of being able to win the House back and push back against the president, who, frankly, is just accumulating more power, doing more corruption. And I think a lot of Americans don't want to see that kind of power concentrated in one place.
BURNETT: So, okay, Paul, just looking at these numbers here, and this is early, you got 29 percent in. Okay, so we'll see.
Right now, no, no, we do not want to redistrict. That would be the Republican view here is up pretty, pretty substantially. But again, 29 percent, you're waiting for some huge county. So, this could completely flip again.
But I guess just, just use these numbers in this very split second, Paul, to ask the question, what is the impact here? If Democrats fail at this, when every headline has been Democrats win the special election, Democrats win the special election, right? You know, Republicans are going to get killed in the midterms.
Does a Republican victory if one happens here, what does that mean?
RIECKHOFF: It would be a loss for Democrats and a win for Republicans. But I think they're also on the losing side here. I mean, when you push for changing, you know, ahead of schedule, off schedule against the Constitution and in a partisan way, I think no matter who you are, the yes is going to lose here more often than not, especially in a more independent minded state like Virginia. You've got folks who are around the Capitol.
BURNETT: Don't tread on me.
RIECKHOFF: Pretty well-educated, right? Yeah. I mean, try this in New Hampshire, try this in Alaska. And I think you're going to see even higher numbers because people understand that there should be a process and most importantly, that it should be independent.
They see through this. They see this as Democrats and Republicans doing exactly what they do. And this is why 10,000 people are leaving the Democratic and Republican Party every single week. And almost 60 percent of young people are unaffiliated and independent. They don't want any of it. They want total structural reform. That's harder. That takes longer, but that's what's best.
SIMMONS: Yeah, they might be independents, but they still tend to vote one direction or another. They tend to vote Republican.
RIECKHOFF: Because usually they don't have an independent on the ballot because --
SIMMONS: They don't have independent.
RIECKHOFF: -- restricted from ballot access.
SIMMONS: So, they've got to make a choice. And so, a lot of people also recognize in this moment that they are seeing the MAGA Republicans concentrate power and people don't like it. And so even people who wouldn't normally be aligned are building an alliance with each other to try to push back against Trump.
BURNETT: All right. Well, we're watching this again, results coming in. We'll go to John king when he can give some more context on what, 31 percent of the vote means when no, we will not redraw the map in favor of Democrats. Is this far ahead? Because obviously, the majority of votes have not yet been counted.
Thanks very much to both of you. And we've got more on the breaking news out of Virginia. Jeff Zeleny is on the ground with new information, standing by for a call on this crucial vote. And China's censors not stopping the videos mocking Trump amid the Iran war. Why Beijing thinks it's winning this war, a special report.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:38:11]
BURNETT: Breaking news results pouring in, in real time from Virginia. The pivotal vote could give Democrats an edge in the midterms, right? This is about a redistricting effort. It is a dramatic one. And it's still early.
But look at these numbers here. You can see about 36 percent of the vote is coming in. So, it's coming in pretty fast here. We're not able to call it yet right now though. No is ahead significantly. But it all depends on where the votes are
out, right, 54.5 percent to 45.5 percent right now against this redistricting. That's the Republican no versus the Democratic yes.
But we will see crucial counties still outstanding. So, this could completely flip upside down. But right now, with about 36 percent of the vote, no, no redistricting is up. So, we're watching this to see when we can make a call here.
Let's go straight to Jeff Zeleny. He's OUTFRONT in Alexandria. And of course, the most populous part of Virginia where we are still awaiting results, which is why it is so crucial. And this could change still. Jeff, what is the feeling on the ground watching these results come in?
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Erin, the feeling on the ground is the opposition to this, which largely is led by Republican leaders here in Virginia, is that they are counting on and in fact, hoping for a surge in election day turnout. It is unclear in some of these stronger Republican counties if they have gotten that or not, but that is their hope going into election day. And as the day has unfolded.
Now, keep in mind more than 1.4 million voters have voted before today. The early voting period has been on since March 6th. It was slow to get started, but the vote yes side, largely led by Democrats, has been sort of slow moving here.
But the question is, all eyes are on Chesterfield County, just to the south of Richmond. That is a place where Glenn Youngkin, the Republican governor, the last Republican governor here, won, and Kamala Harris did better in 2024 than Joe Biden did.
So, it's places like that that all eyes are watching, but as we talk to voters here, their arguments really made clear why they're voting for it. and also against it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZELENY: President Trump started this with Texas.
LIZ WALKER, VIRGINIA VOTER: Oh, yeah, that was just totally outrageous. I couldn't believe it. And you know, the Dems in Texas really protested. They did everything they could to stop it. They couldn't stop it.
ALICE KRAMP, VIRGINIA VOTER: And anti-gerrymandering and this feels like a place to vote based on principle. I understand that there's an argument to be made about who did what first and who did what worse. But ultimately, I think I am contributing to the problem if I vote yes. So, I voted no.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZELENY: So, you can really boil this all down to how many Alicia Kramps are there in Virginia? People who she was an Obama voter, she told me. But she said she's voting no on this because she does not believe that more gerrymandering is the right thing to do.
So, there are voters who are looking at this, not through partisan lenses, of course, most of them that we spoke with are here today and throughout this campaign have been there. And that's why this is so interesting. But again, Republicans were in the vote. No side was looking for a strong election day turnout. They are uncertain in some of these counties if they got it. But there is no doubt so much is riding on this. In fact, control of the House could be because of vote yes wins. That's four more seats likely for Democrats -- Erin.
BURNETT: Yeah, absolutely. Fascinating to see. And just interesting. As you said, most voting on party lines. But that woman there saying she's a Democrat, but she was voting no because she didn't want to be part of the problem. I mean, that that's going to be that could be the crucial vote, right? When you think about this, we'll see how these results go right now. No, against redistricting.
As that Democratic voter voted for the Republican side at 54.8 percent of the votes in versus 45.2 for yes. But still, some of the most populous areas outstanding, only 39 percent in. And this can flip.
So, let's go now to Democratic Congressman James Walkinshaw. He is from Virginia. Congressman, what do you see? When you look at "no" leading right now by about 104 to be exact 104,316 votes ahead of yes. We've got just about 39 percent of the votes in. Are you confident in how this is going to turn out, do you think "yes" will flip to a win?
REP. JAMES WALKINSHAW (D-VA): I'm very confident at this point that yes will prevail tonight. I wouldn't read anything into these numbers. What happens every election night in Virginia is a smaller rural counties report their results much faster than the larger counties and cities. Those in northern Virginia, Richmond area, Hampton Roads.
So, we're still just starting to get results from Loudoun County. Prince William County, Fairfax County. And in the results that we have, we are outrunning Kamala Harris in 2024. And she won Virginia comfortably. So, what we have thus far, the numbers look very strong for yes, tonight.
BURNETT: All right. So, you're saying what you're looking at the early indications from those population centers. Richmond you mentioned Hampton Roads, also Fairfax, that you're confident that yes, we'll have a victory. I mean, okay, in that context, congressman, were just watching these numbers tick around as you and I are talking. So, everyone when you're watching, these are live numbers. You're watching 41 percent of the vote in right now.
I know that you have supported, Congressman, a nationwide ban on gerrymandering. But obviously you support yes in Virginia. And I understand you support that because of what Virginia -- of what Republicans did, I'm sorry, with the redistricting in Texas.
I mean, are you conflicted like that, that Democratic voter there where she said, okay, I'm a Democratic voter, but I don't want to be part of the problem. So, I'm voting no. Or is this a simple for you as an eye for an eye in this case? WALKINSHAW: I have been conflicted. And look, I want to get to a place in this country where both parties can agree to ban partisan gerrymandering. I've come to the conclusion that Republicans are only going to join us in that effort, and they've blocked that legislation in congress that I described. They're only going to come along with us in that effort. When they learn that they're not going to win these gerrymandering battles, that we are going to fight them tooth and nail, fight to a draw or perhaps beat them nationally in terms of redistricting, as were on the verge of doing tonight, only when Republicans realize that will they agree to join us in banning partisan gerrymandering nationally.
BURNETT: While we're watching these results come in and know is still leading 54.7 percent by about 118,000 votes. But I know, as you pointed out, the population centers haven't come in yet. So, this could very well flip, 41 percent of the vote in. You're on the Oversight Committee, Congressman, and the Republican chairman of your committee, James Comer, just announced an investigation into the deaths and mysterious disappearances of at least 10 people.
[19:45:08]
And, you know, it's funny, I know a lot of us have been watching this story for many months. And it was unclear whether there was a "there" there. But now, it's on the national stage. The White House is investigating now, the Oversight Committee say they're investigating. All of these individuals were connected to sensitive nuclear aerospace research in the United States.
So, you've got several affiliated with jet propulsion lab and others who were very central to national security issues with nuclear weapons. James Comer as I said, your, your chief, your chair and your committee says that this is worth investigating. Here's what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COMER: It does appear that there's a high possibility that something sinister is taking place here. It's very unlikely that this is a coincidence.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Do you agree with him?
WALKINSHAW: I agree that it's worthy of investigation. I don't know that. I agree that there's a high possibility of something sinister. The United States has thousands of nuclear scientists and nuclear experts, a robust infrastructure. It's not the kind of nuclear program that potentially a foreign adversary could significantly impact by targeting 10 individuals.
So I'm struggling to understand what the motive would be for something sinister and coordinated. But I do agree its worthy of investigation. I know the Department of Energy and the FBI are investigating as well, and I think its worthy of the oversight committee looking into it. BURNETT: All right, Congressman Walkinshaw, I appreciate your time
very much. As you and I are talking about this crucial vote in your state, and we are watching the Virginia vote. We're watching this tick in. We'll give you those updates, 43 percent of the vote in, no winning by 10 percent. Major population centers, though yet to report. So, we'll see if yes flips to the top.
Chinese citizens also now are declaring they are the winners in the war with Iran. Posting videos like the one you see here saying they don't want Trump coming to China for that summit next month.
And more breaking news. A near collision between two planes landing at JFK. One pilot ordered to correct immediately. It triggered alarms on both planes. We've got the latest details on this harrowing story, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:51:32]
BURNETT: Breaking news Iran dismissing Trump's cease fire extension. And what we're going to show you here is one of the sticking points as talks stalled. That is the U.S. seizure of an Iranian ship. So, you're actually looking at this here marines descending from a helicopter by rope. They boarded the vessel. Trump offered few specifics, although, of course, they put out this video.
He did make this claim, though, today.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
TRUMP: We caught a ship yesterday that had some things on it which wasn't very nice. A gift from China, perhaps, I don't know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Now, it's unclear whether Trump's referring specifically to the ship that we just showed you that the U.S. seized. But as the standoff deepens, a question tonight, is China benefiting or how much is China benefiting from Trump's war with Iran?
Will Ripley is OUTFRONT tonight from Taipei.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): China's censors not stopping new A.I. videos like these mocking President Donald Trump and the Iran war.
On Chinese social media, the message is clear. So far, he says, the biggest winner is neither the U.S. nor Iran. It's China.
TRUMP: Good to see you again.
RIPLEY (voice-over): President Trump is set to meet Chinese Leader Xi Jinping in Beijing next month. Online reaction, blunt. "Trump is not welcome to visit. And even if he comes, it's
meaningless."
"No need to come. Without credibility, what are you coming for?"
That word keeps coming up, "credibility", especially when it comes to ceasefire messaging.
"The entire White House's credit score combined wouldn't be enough to even unlock a single shared bike."
"Every day, Trump wakes up and reformats himself into a new Trump. Whatever version he is, that day is the one that counts."
TRUMP: This whole thing -- it was really about no nuclear. They cannot have a nuclear weapon.
RIPLEY (voice-over): In China, political speech is tightly controlled, but criticism of Trump seems to be spreading freely.
MARIA BARTIROMO, FOX NEWS HOST: How does that change the dynamic of this meeting with President Xi?
TRUMP: I don't think it does. I mean, he's somebody that needs oil. We don't.
RIPLEY (voice-over): China is Iran's biggest oil customer. Beijing also dominates green energy and claims to be cutting oil demand by more than a million barrels a day.
"While others are still bashing their heads in over oil, we've already gotten ahead in the next era," he says.
Solar, wind, batteries and electric vehicles. Chinese carmaker BYD now overtaking Tesla in global sales. At the same time, pressure on the U.S. dollar, the backbone of global oil trading.
This Iranian embassy post says, "It's time to add petroyuan to the market."
At one point, Iran considered allowing tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, "only if oil is sold in Chinese yuan," a senior Iranian official said.
Some Chinese influencers say petrodollar is ending.
Beijing's not fighting this war, but on China's social media, many are already declaring victory.
(END VIDEOAPE)
RIPLEY: And right when we started talking about censorship inside China, Erin, the signal inside China went to bars and tone.
While the U.S. is focused on the war, China is focused on what comes after across energy, currency, supply chains and diplomacy. China really is trying to position itself right now to win, not by confronting the United States directly, but by presenting itself as the more stable alternative -- Erin.
[19:55:02]
BURNETT: Yeah, amazing. Just watching all those videos.
All right. Will Ripley, thank you very much, as I said, in Taipei and Taiwan tonight.
And next, two pilots at JFK airport forced to take quick action, their paths began to collide.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONTROLLER: Correct immediately. You have traffic immediate vicinity, 3:00 high, 2,000 feet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: And we've got new results coming in in this crucial election in Virginia. The very latest here, as we are watching these and potentially a big move about to come, 51 percent of the vote in. We'll be right back with a big update.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BURNETT: All right. The breaking news, new results coming in in Virginia, special election on whether they're going to approve redistricting that would dramatically help the map for Democrats get them multiple seats in midterms. Right now, no, no redistricting is ahead by about 88,000 votes. But it is crucial to say right now, some of the most populous parts of Virginia that are very Democratic are still outstanding. So, this very well may flip easily to a yes vote. We will see. Right now, no is ahead, but we are still awaiting crucial votes, even though you've got 56 percent of the vote in what isn't in may tell us more than what is. But we will see.
All right. And we have the breaking news as well here from the FAA investigating a terrifying near collision at JFK International Airport here in New York. Watch as Republic Airways Flight 4464, which was operating as an American Airlines regional jet, was cleared to land on runway 31, left. At the same time, Jazz Aviation flight 554, flying for Air Canada, was approaching the parallel runway 31 right.
Now, air traffic control reacted very quickly
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONTROLLER: Brickyard 4464, you are flying through the approach course of runway 31 left. Correct immediately. You have traffic immediate vicinity, 3:00 high, 2,000 feet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: It is incredible that they can speak so quickly and not mumble their words. You can then hear a second controller.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONTROLLER: Brickyard, you have traffic off your right side immediately, at 2,000 feet, sir? Probably above you now.
PILOT: We are correcting. Brickyard 4464.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Anti-collision alarms went off in both cockpits. Thank God the planes did land safely.
Thanks for joining us.
"AC360" begins now.
