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Sources Say Trump to Give Iran a Time Limit for a Unified Proposal; Defiant GOP Rep. Cory Mills Says He Has No Plans to Resign; Xavier Becerra Gets Bump in California Governor Race After Swalwell Exit; California Governor's Race Wide Open 13 Days Before Voting Starts. Aired 12:30-1p ET

Aired April 22, 2026 - 12:30   ET

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

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[12:32:43]

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT AND ANCHOR OF 'INSIDE POLITICS': Now to new CNN reporting on President Trump's push to restart negotiations with Iran. After extending the ceasefire last night, sources tell our colleague, Alayna Treene, that the president will give Iran a limited timeframe to come up with a unified proposal. But it is unclear if that message has made it to the appropriate people in Tehran.

It comes as Iran's Revolutionary Guard says it seized two ships in the Strait of Hormuz today, while Iran's state media claims a third vessel is now disabled. My panel is back now. Kristen, you have also been doing excellent reporting along with our colleagues at the White House about what is going on now behind the scenes as they try to figure this out at the White House and what led us to the point where the president pulled J.D. Vance from going to Pakistan and said, I'm going to extend the ceasefire.

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, it was really quite a shocking day. I mean, the White House was incredibly tight lipped about the entire situation. We know the plane was sitting on the tarmac ready to go to Islamabad. There was another DHS plane on a tarmac in Miami that was slated for Witkoff and Kushner to get on to go to Islamabad. They ended up coming to D.C.

There was a huge sit down with his top advisers talking about Iran this afternoon meeting, and there was one thing that was noticeable. Iran had been completely silent. They had not heard anything from Iran.

BASH: So Iran is ghosting the U.S.?

HOLMES: It is unclear in terms of whether or not they are ghosting the U.S. or as the administration believes, that a lot of why they're not hearing from them is because there is internal turmoil and fracture --

BASH: I see. HOLMES: -- over coming together with a unified approach or proposal to start the negotiating. But one thing, we were discussing this and you mentioned Alayna, she's been doing great reporting on this. So is Kevin Liptak. And we're talking about this morning because we wrote that story together, is why was President Trump continuing to say that these negotiations were a hundred percent happening. At the same time, they were not hearing from Iran and they had no ceasefire proposal?

(CROSSTALK)

BASH: Don't you think it's because he's President Trump and he just tries to will things to happen. And he says it publicly to put (ph) pressure?

(CROSSTALK)

HOLMES: I think that might be part of it, but it certainly seems out of step if you then stop having the negotiations because Iran was not talking to you.

BASH: Yeah. I want to play some of what the president has said many times about extending the ceasefire.

[12:35:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If the deal is not reached by the end of the ceasefire, does your threat from before still stand?

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Yeah, I don't want to comment on that, but it won't be pleasant for them, let me put it that way.

If there's no deal, fight will resume.

Well, 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)

SEUNG MIN KIM, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST AND WHITE HOUSE REPORTER, ASSOCIATED PRESS: Right, I mean, this is something that he has done several times throughout the start of the war, where he makes these incredible threats about bombing Iran, bombing their infrastructure. And then when that deadline gets close, he extends it.

And I think it's important to note that yesterday in his Truth Social post, he didn't actually say how long it was extended for. There's reporting that indicates that it's perhaps a matter of days, but we don't technically know from the president's mouth how long the ceasefire is going to go on.

BASH: Which is probably intentional.

(CROSSTALK)

KIM: Exactly, exactly. And I think it's just really, I thought your point about him perhaps trying to will things into happening was really interesting, because we've heard so much from him over the last several days about how these negotiations were going. He said in one of the many phone interviews that he has with reporters that Iran has basically agreed to everything.

Clearly, that was not the case if we are in the situation that we are in right now.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Always a reminder, talking to many audiences, often the markets.

KIM: Right.

ZELENY: But the question is, is he talking to Iran? So I think the ghosting question may be the biggest one of all.

BASH: Right. Everybody stand by. Up next, scandal-plagued Congressman, Republican Cory Mills, says he isn't resigning. The Speaker apparently told him to stay. Some of their fellow Republicans don't think that's good.

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[12:41:14]

BASH: And then, there was one, one congressman facing a public ethics investigation of sexual misconduct and campaign finance allegations, facing resignation, intrigue, expulsion threats as well. But if you think Congressman Cory Mills was about to be the fourth lawmaker to exit the House just this month, that Republican from Florida says not so fast.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. CORY MILLS, (R-FL): I can tell you that there's no open criminal or civil case against me, nothing. I've never been arrested and/or charged with anything that's criminal and/or civil. I have no federal indictments or anything for alleged federal fraud. So a vast contrast between or/and I've never had any type of sexual misconduct or inappropriate behavior that involved staff or Hill or anything like this. There's absolutely no reason for resigning.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: I'm going to get straight to Capitol Hill. Lauren Fox is there.

So Lauren, you just heard that he said the Speaker told him not to resign. What are you hearing about that?

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, I mean, Dana, lawmakers are genuinely split over this question of whether or not Cory Mills should be ousted by his colleagues. I mean, this is a question that has come up repeatedly over the last two weeks of whether or not members should be policing their own, especially when there is an ongoing investigation from the Ethics Committee.

Now, Speaker Mike Johnson has defended himself, arguing he's been consistent on this. Take a listen to what he told our colleague, Manu Raju.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE JOHNSON, (R-LA) HOUSE SPEAKER: He has the right to answer to the allegations, and that's what they're doing. And I'm done commenting on it. I can't. The Speaker of the House does not put a thumb on the scale for the Ethics Committee investigation. They do good work, as has been exhibited here in the last few hours. So let's let the committee process play out and see where it goes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOX: But, Dana, we should note that any member can bring a privileged resolution to try to expel a colleague. There are concerns though, on both sides of the aisle, Republicans and Democrats, about what that burden of proof should be. And a lot of Democrats, even though this is a Republican member, are arguing they are a little bit concerned about setting a precedent where, in the middle of an ethics investigation, you're putting forward resolutions to try to expel a colleague, which is a really high bar, Dana.

It takes two-thirds of Congress to do that, and it's only been done six times in the history of the House of Representatives. But still, it is obviously something a lot of members are talking about, in part because they're looking down the road at their own re-elections, and they don't want to be lumped in with other members who are dealing with ethical issues that are continuing to bedevil this Congress. We've seen this over and over again in the last two weeks.

BASH: Yeah, I mean, expulsion is increasingly -- incredibly, I should say, rare. I think the first three times it was because they were aligned with the Confederacy, it wouldn't change that. Lauren, thank you so much. Really appreciate that reporting.

And when we come back, I'm going to speak with a candidate in California's governor's race who appears to be getting a boost from Eric Swalwell's campaign implosion. Xavier Becerra will be here next.

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[12:48:50]

BASH: It's been 10 days since Eric Swalwell dropped out of the California governor's race, and one candidate seems to be getting a second look from his supporters. That candidate is Xavier Becerra. He's a former Congressman, State Attorney General, and Health & Human Services Secretary under President Biden. His surge lately is really just the latest in what is a very unpredictable contest, and it comes just in time for the first debate, which is happening tonight.

A reminder, in California, all candidates compete in one primary and the top two, regardless of their party, advance to the general election. Joining me now is Secretary Becerra. Thank you so much for being here.

As I mentioned, you have seen a bump in the polls going into tonight's debate. You're being vastly outspent, most notably by one of your fellow progressive opponents, Tom Steyer, who is a billionaire, spent so far $127 million in ads. What do you want voters to take away tonight in this debate about why they should support you and not the other Democrats or even Republicans in the race?

[12:50:00]

XAVIER BECERRA, (D) CALIFORNIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: Well, Dana, just like the rest of America that doesn't have $127 million to spend on anything, let alone to campaign in politics, I have had to do this on a fraction, a tiny fraction of that amount of money. I'm not a billionaire, but I sure have a lot of people helping me out, and that's what people should know.

This race will come down to those who've earned it versus those who are trying to buy it.

BASH: Well, on the Tom Steyer of it all, he was endorsed this week by a progressive group. It's a group that was founded to oppose billionaires by Senator Bernie Sanders. They did so really openly, despite the fact that Steyer is a billionaire himself.

You mentioned you are not a billionaire. But he was also, Steyer, endorsed by the state's largest nursing union. You say that you will be California's health care governor. If that's the case, why didn't those groups endorse you?

BECERRA: Dana, even though Trump would make you think otherwise, this is still a free country and folks get to go wherever they want for whatever reason. All I know is that more and more Californians are coming my way, perhaps because they realize that I'm not trying to buy the office.

Perhaps they know that rather than inflated promises that maybe some are being swayed by, instead of those inflated promises, maybe it's better to have someone who has a record of actually getting things done, and that record of delivery as the Secretary of HHS who lowered prescription drug prices, who actually increased health care coverage for more Americans than ever in the history of the country, or maybe the Attorney General who took on Donald Trump the first time, went toe-to-toe over 120 times in court, beat him in the Supreme Court to save the Affordable Care Act, beat him in the Supreme Court to save the DACA program for Dreamers.

Maybe now they're paying attention to someone who doesn't need millions and millions of dollars to show he's got a record, not just inflated promises.

BASH: There are some reports that you may get some form of backing, maybe even an informal show of support from the sitting governor, Gavin Newsom, the former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Have you spoken to either of them since Swalwell left the race? BECERRA: I've definitely reached out to both the speaker, the governor, and to so many more. Today, I got word that the Latino Legislative Caucus in Sacramento, the largest caucus of legislators in the California legislature, have endorsed me. The Speaker of the State Assembly yesterday endorsed me. I will be announcing the endorsements of a number of big city mayors in California as well.

And we see the movement in this direction, but quite honestly, what has fueled me is not the big endorsements. It's all those people on social media who are saying, hey, it's time, and we like this guy. And that's what has fueled my rise. And so it's that little donor money that has helped me out. We were able to raise more money from small donations, first-time donations, than anyone else in the country in that last week.

BASH: Yeah.

BECERRA: And so that's what is powering this campaign.

BASH: Did you just tip your hand that it's going to be Karen Bass?

BECERRA: No, no, actually, no, no.

BASH: OK.

(LAUGH)

BECERRA: And Karen Bass has already endorsed, but no, it won't have to be Karen Bass. But there is another mayor that I will announce.

BASH: OK, just going back to the original question, you did say that you reached out to Gavin Newsom and to Nancy Pelosi. What was their response?

BECERRA: We had good conversation, and I'll let them let you know at some point if they decide to do anything. But no, just good conversation. Everyone is trying to figure out where the dust is settling as a result of the Swalwell downfall.

People, you know, a lot of people got burned. Everyone wants to make sure they're making the right decision. They want to have something stable ahead of them as governor. They want to know that there's somebody who will be able to be steady, has done this before. You know, the governor's office doesn't come with training wheels. You're going to have to hit that office and start delivering results.

You can't be someone who needs on-the-job training. So I think more and more people are going to recognize that this is a time for real good leadership because we still have the menace in Washington, D.C. We need someone who knows how to take him on, and we've got to deal with the crisis of the cost of living here in California. So people want someone who's ready.

BASH: Last question. You are 68-years-old, been in California politics since George H.W. Bush was president. What do you say to voters who think it's time for somebody new? BECERRA: Yeah, actually, I came in with Bill Clinton at the time, and I am new. I've never served as governor of the state of California. I have been a statewide officeholder as the attorney general. I have served in state office. I have served in federal office. I know people in Washington, D.C. We're going to need a governor who knows people in Washington, D.C. And I know people in state government and local government.

[12:55:00]

And so what I think people want is someone who's ready on day one to lead and manage us through these crises, whether the man-made crises in Washington, D.C., or the ones back home where it's just so tough to make a living in California.

BASH: Secretary Becerra, thank you so much for being here. Really appreciate it. Good luck in your debate tonight.

Also, make sure to tune into CNN on Tuesday, May 5th. Becerra and the other candidates for California governor will face off in a debate right here on CNN.

Thanks so much for joining "Inside Politics." "CNN News Central" starts after a quick break.

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