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Isa Soares Tonight
U.N. Warns of "Massive Food Crisis"; Thousands of European Flights Canceled Over Jet Fuel Shortage; Mass Trial in El Salvador; Financial Times: U.S. Envoy Suggested Replacing Iran with Italy at World Cup. President Trump Orders the U.S. Navy to Shoot and Kill Iranian Boats Mining the Strait of Hormuz; Europe Continues to Pay High Price for U.S.-Iran War, as the Two Countries Show No Signs of Breaking their Standoff; Pope Leo Touches Down in Italy After His 11-Day Trip Across Africa. Aired 2:00-3p ET
Aired April 23, 2026 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00]
ISA SOARES, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: A very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Isa Soares. Tonight, President Trump orders the U.S. Navy to
shoot and kill Iranian boats mining the Strait of Hormuz. We'll bring you the very latest for you from Washington.
Then the high price that Europe is already paying for this war, as the U.S. and Iran show no signs of breaking their standoff. Spanish Foreign Minister
Jose Manuel Albares joins me this hour. Plus, Pope Leo touches down in Italy after his 11-day trip across Africa.
He's been speaking to reporters on the plane about the war in Iran. We'll have those comments for you in just a moment. But we begin this hour with a
stalemate between the United States and Iran. The impasse is dragging on without a clear end in sight while largely sidelined, world leaders brace
for what could spiral into an economic gut punch.
U.S. President Donald Trump says there's no deadline for ending the war, and right now, there doesn't appear to be any direct communication between
the two countries. The President is ordering the Navy to shoot any Iranian boats placing mines along the Strait of Hormuz.
And this video I'm about to show you, released by Iran, shows troops as you can see there, boarding and seizing container ships. Well, given the glossy
production values, it is not clear whether these images were re-enacted for the camera after the event occurred.
In the midst, of course, of the standoff, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired Navy Secretary John Phelan. Multiple sources tell CNN,
his dismissal had more to do with tensions between him and Hegseth than job performance.
And just a couple of hours from now, Israeli and Lebanese negotiators will hold direct talks in Washington in an effort to extend what's been a very
fragile ceasefire. Both sides have traded accusations of violating the truce.
The IDF is vowing to remain in southern Lebanon to counter those attacks by Hezbollah. We'll have more on that in just a moment. Let's start, though,
with the very latest from senior White House reporter Kevin Liptak.
And I do want to start, Kevin -- good to see you. I do want to start with what we heard from the President and this order from him to shoot and kill
any boats laying mines. What more can you tell us about this order, and whether this suggests that the White House perhaps, is taking a new
approach to this conflict?
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: I think it potentially could. It's always a little difficult to tell just from a single pronouncement on Truth
Social. But if the Navy actually follows through with what the President is asking them to do here, it could signal a new wave of this war.
The President saying that he has ordered the Navy ships to go after small boats that may be putting mines in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz. He's
talking here about the mosquito fleet, as it's sometimes known. You know, those very fast, almost recreational boats that are moored in caves off the
coast of Iran.
They travel very quickly, 100 knots. They have been used to harass shipping vessels. Now, the President saying that the Navy will go and shoot and kill
any of these boats. I think that's important to note because as of right now, the Navy, the American Navy is not actually operating in the Strait of
Hormuz.
It's enforcing the President's blockade from outside the Strait in the Gulf of Oman or in international waters. If they are to do what the President is
telling them to do here, they would have to come in much closer contact with the Iranian coast, with these vessels themselves.
And you can easily see how this could potentially spiral, escalate out of - - out of control in a way. And that's something I think the President will want to avoid.
SOARES: And of course, what you need right now, what you need during any sort of war is stability. It is continuity, especially for the Navy, as you
were just outlining who is imposing. Of course, they are imposing this blockade.
Yet, we have seen the departure, I'm not sure if he was pushed, if he resigned of the U.S. Navy Secretary.
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What do we know about John Phelan's departure and his relationship with Secretary Hegseth? Because I have seen just in the last few minutes,
President Trump praising him. I know he said John Phelan is a long-time friend and very successful businessman. What do we know about what happened
here?
LIPTAK: Right, and it is that long-time friendship that was part of the issue here. John Phelan is a donor of President Trump's. He lives down the
street from him in Palm Beach, Florida. And he had a very close relationship with the President.
They were texting. They communicated outside of the Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, who found that to be annoying essentially, it caused an enormous
amount of tension between the two men. That is part of what contributed to the decision to push him out. And it was a firing.
We've heard that from officials John Phelan was not leaving of his own volition. In fact, yesterday, when he got the word from Hegseth that he
either needed to resign or be fired, he wasn't necessarily sure that it was true, and he asked for a meeting with President Trump.
In fact, he showed up on the White House campus to try and speak with the President himself. Eventually, he did speak with him very briefly, and the
President did tell him that, yes, he was being fired.
The question of what role this is going to have in the ongoing conflict, I think is a little less clear when you talk to former Naval officials,
former national security officials, they make the point that the Navy Secretary isn't someone who is necessarily directly involved in the
operations of the Navy.
They're involved in things like procurement, ship-building. So, they're sort of casting doubt on the idea that this will have an effect on the
actual ongoing war in the Strait of Hormuz at the moment. But still the awkward -- the timing is very awkward, and I think does raise the question
of what is going on in the Pentagon? You know, this is the --
SOARES: Yes --
LIPTAK: I think -- there have been dozens of firings by Pete Hegseth of senior military officials. It is in a state of chaos in the middle of a
war. And I think this only contributes to that.
SOARES: It does indeed. Kevin, good to see you. Kevin Liptak there for us. Well, let's stay with the stalemate that we are seeing between U.S. and
Iran. I want to bring in Spain's Foreign Minister, Jose Manuel Albares, who joins me now.
Foreign Minister, good to have you back on the show. Let me start, really, with the impasse that we've now been seeing between Iran and the United
States in the last few hours. I'm not sure if you heard our correspondent there in Washington saying that President Trump has ordered the Navy to
shoot and kill any boats laying mines.
And it's clear from his lengthy social media posts that the President is showing signs of frustration. How do you assess where we are right now, and
whether you think this is a new approach to the conflict by the United States?
JOSE MANUEL ALBARES, FOREIGN MINISTER, SPAIN: For Spain, there is no military solution to this crisis. That is probably the most important
crisis of this century so far, and the most important in the region since the Gulf War.
What we want is that the ceasefire becomes permanent, and that we go back to the only possible solution, the negotiating table, diplomacy, to back
the Pakistani mediation is through that path, through the diplomatic and negotiating table, that we can achieve results in all files, in the nuclear
file, in the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and putting an end to the war. That must include, of course, also Lebanon.
SOARES: Right, so, I don't think -- I think what -- the sense we have is that neither side really wants to return to war. But it's a question now of
who blinks first. You know, according to a source, lawmakers in the U.S. were informed that the Strait could be closed for six months, Foreign
Minister.
I mean, it's already having a disastrous impact around the world from those surging oil prices, disrupted supply chains. And of course, not to mention
food insecurity. Can you give our viewers a sense, Foreign Minister, how Spain is being affected by this?
ALBARES: Like everyone else in the planet, because this is a war that has economic and social consequences. Everywhere there is the energy prices,
the rising in the energy prices that you can feel already when you go to the gas station.
And on the second layer, there is the problem with the fertilizers that will have, and is starting to have an impact on food stuff. And if that
happens here in Europe, imagine in African countries. So, both energy and foodstuff through the fertilizers are the two big impacts.
And of course, as the time goes by, the economic impact will be even larger. That's why we have to open the Strait of Hormuz.
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For Spain, it's very clear. There must be a free and secure passage of the Strait of Hormuz for any ship without any distinctions, and of course, with
no charge.
SOARES: Right, so, as you look at the current situation status quo, I mean, what can you see unfolding here? Because it doesn't seem like either
side are prepared to give in. So, is it a question then, of who last the longest, who blinks first? How do you see this moment then, Foreign
Minister?
ALBARES: I think that the problem that we are facing right now is that the distrust of all --
SOARES: Yes --
ALBARES: Parties is huge.
SOARES: Yes --
ALBARES: So, we have to build up, first of all, that's trust. We have to make sure -- and the mediation, the Pakistani mediation that has all our
support, our full support, everyone has trust about no new attacks, that this ceasefire will become permanent and then put very clearly on the table
all the issues.
And for Spain, the issues are very clear. This opening of the Strait of Hormuz, free and secure, as I was saying, Iran stopping the unjustified
attacks on all the countries in the Middle East, Lebanon must be included in this peace and in the ceasefire. And finally, the peaceful use of
nuclear power by Iran, the Iranian --
SOARES: Yes --
ALBARES: Nuclear dossier. These issues, all of them, has been negotiated before. They have been on the table or booth, of course, is new, but not so
far ago, the passage of Hormuz was free and secure, so we should be --
SOARES: Yes --
ALBARES: Able to get to that end again. But at the moment, the real problem --
SOARES: Yes --
ALBARES: Is the mistrust. No one is sure that the attacks will not pick up tomorrow. And --
SOARES: Yes --
ALBARES: That's the first thing we have to do to guarantee, to make permanent that ceasefire.
SOARES: Yes, and important to point out to viewers that, of course, the Strait of Hormuz wasn't a problem prior to this war starting. That is for
certain. You did mention there, Foreign Minister, Lebanon. That's another fragile ceasefire that is due to expire from what I remember, I think it's
next week, next Tuesday.
We know in the next hour or so, the Israeli and Lebanese diplomats are going to meet in Washington. This as I saw that the Lebanese Prime Minister
has accused Israel of war crimes after over the killing of journalist Amal Khalil. Just your reaction.
ALBARES: We have condemned, and we have issued an official communique strongly condemning that killing of this journalist. Journalists must be
protected everywhere. And the killing of a journalist, it's something that poses a real challenge for the conscience of everyone, very special in
democracies.
What is going on in Lebanon, it's a real shame in the conscience of humanity. We cannot accept that in southern Lebanon, we are heading to a
new Gaza, same political and military strategy. I hope that those direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, that I encourage and I support,
get to a point.
Lebanon is a sovereign country, and its territorial integrity must be guaranteed. Hezbollah must be disarmed and stop being a threat for Israel.
But --
SOARES: Yes --
ALBARES: Certainly, Israel has to accept that it's a Middle Eastern country, and the only way it has to relate with their neighbors cannot be
this perpetual war. Security is never achieved only --
SOARES: Yes --
ALBARES: Through military means. In Europe, for centuries, we were making war, waging war with our neighbors until -- and that's European Union
project, a project of peace. We've realized that what really guarantees security cooperation, prosperity is to cooperate with your neighbor, not to
wage war to him.
SOARES: Let me ask you, Foreign Minister, I know you're mentioning Israel, I know that Spain, along with a number of other European countries, have
been pushing to suspend the EU, Israel trade agreement.
I believe you failed to kind of garner enough support from the bloc and from other members. But just explain to our viewers around the world why
Spain was pushing for this suspension, on what grounds, Foreign Minister?
ALBARES: We have some very special relationship between European Union and Israel. We have what we call a Council of Association, which is a very high
level of relations with any country on earth.
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Of course, among democracies, we relate also based on values. And the Article 2 of that Council of Association says that the relationship between
European Union and Israel is based on and on the respect of human rights. And we see that in Gaza, in the West Bank, in Lebanon, very especially in
south Lebanon with this illegal order of one million people to abandon their houses and never again return.
The human rights are not being respected. So, we have to send -- and that's the purpose of the Spanish demarche. We have to send a strong signal to
Israel that --
SOARES: Right --
ALBARES: The war is not the path, that it has to change path to the -- to diplomacy and to behave like every democracy. You respect human rights. And
while this is not done based on Article 2 --
SOARES: Yes --
ALBARES: Based on what we agreed when we first signed that Council of Association, we cannot have a normal, a business-as-usual relationship like
--
SOARES: Well, let me tell --
ALBARES: And many countries in the European --
SOARES: Yes --
ALBARES: Union agree with that.
SOARES: Yes, let me tell you then, Foreign Minister, what Israel's Minister of Foreign Affairs, you probably saw, Gideon Sa'ar has posted. He
tweeted in Spanish, I shall add, which we have translated in part. He said -- he said in part, I'm going to read all of it.
"Israel does not accept hypocritical lectures from someone who keeps ties with totalitarian regimes." Talking about Spain and the Prime Minister, I
mean, he was citing Turkey and Venezuela under former leader Nicolas Maduro. How does Spain respond to this?
ALBARES: With the facts, we never recognize the election of Nicolas Maduro in '24. We have condemned every human rights violation of the Venezuelan
regime during Maduro's time. We have 200,000 Venezuelans under our protection here, among them, the top opposition leaders with an asylum
status here.
And of course, I mean, this is absurd and ridiculous, that type of comment. And it's not going to stop Spain for telling Israel, that is not the way,
that is not the way to behave with your neighbor. And also, that doesn't guarantee your legitimate claims of security that you have.
We, of course, believe and support the existence of the state of Israel. Israel has a right to have a state peacefully and in security, but exactly
the same right that Israel has, has the Lebanon people to have their own state, peaceful and in security.
And the same thing for the Palestinian people. They also have the right to have their own state in peace and security.
SOARES: Foreign Minister, always great to have you on the show. Jose Manuel Albares there for us, appreciate it. Thank you (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN
LANGUAGE). Thank you very much. Well, we're --
ALBARES: Thank you --
SOARES: Going to stay, of course (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE). We're going to stay at the center of course, in negotiations because we were
talking about this with the Foreign Minister. And that is between negotiations we're seeing between Israel and Lebanon tied in, of course, to
what we're seeing with the war in Iran.
And the question is what to do about Hezbollah's continued precedence -- presence in southern Lebanon. For now, Israel says its forces will remain
in the region to protect communities in Israel from Hezbollah attacks.
And the talks come as Lebanon's Prime Minister, as you heard me discussing with the Foreign Minister, accuses Israel of committing war crimes on
Wednesday by killing a journalist in an airstrike. Our Oren Liebermann joins me now from Jerusalem.
Oren, great to see you. I mean, both sides, I assume this here, are looking for an extension of that ceasefire that is due to expire. I think it's on
Sunday or early next week. How likely is that, given how shaky it has been so far?
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Well, it's clear that Lebanon is looking for an extension of the ceasefire by 30 days or a month.
Lebanese officials have told CNN that that's their goal going into this meeting.
It's less clear that Israel is going into this looking for a ceasefire. Israeli officials have made clear quite publicly that they have plans on
the table to continue the war against Hezbollah in an attempt to destroy the Iranian proxy.
But at the end, Israel has very little choice, but to go with what President Donald Trump and the White House decide will be happening here.
So, Trump's leverage and his pressure will be crucial here. That doesn't mean we're about to get to a permanent ceasefire or a permanent peace
agreement between Israel and Lebanon.
The best-case scenario out of these talks, which are scheduled to start here in just under two hours, is an extension of the ceasefire agreement.
Now, whether it's another ten days like the one we're currently in, which wraps up pretty soon, or if it will be a full 30 days, which will give a
little more breathing room, if you will, for negotiations that we'll see here and we'll learn here in just a couple of hours.
But I think that's the most that can be hoped for from this meeting is just an extension, another, perhaps longer temporary ceasefire. Isa.
[14:20:00]
SOARES: And as you probably heard in my conversation with the Spanish Foreign Minister, this meeting, Oren, is coming, of course, as Lebanon's
Prime Minister, accuses Israel of war crimes after Israeli airstrike killed Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil. What has been the response from the IDF to
this?
LIEBERMANN: And Lebanon's President, by the way, who will not attend the meeting in D.C., has said this will be part of the discussions that will
take place --
SOARES: Right --
LIEBERMANN: Under the auspices of the United States here. So, let's quickly walk through what happened here. This is on Wednesday. Two
journalists were traveling towards southern Lebanon, a town about 7 kilometers or 8 kilometers from the Israel-Lebanon border, to document what
was happening there and see into Israeli occupied territory.
Those journalists, Zeinab Faraj and Amal Khalil, the vehicle next to them in a convoy was hit by an Israeli airstrike, according to Lebanon's
"National News Agency". They then ran for cover to seek refuge and safety from continued Israeli airstrikes, and the building they were in was
struck.
Rescue workers were able to reach Faraj, but according to Lebanon's "National News Agency", rescue workers were prohibited and restricted by
the Israeli military from getting to Amal Khalil. When they finally got to her, they understood that she had been killed in the Israeli airstrike.
Israel says they attacked both with the convoy and with the building. What they viewed as people who were coming from what they described as a
Hezbollah military building towards Israeli forces, and they were viewed as a threat.
Israel has insisted it doesn't -- it doesn't target journalists, and that it didn't prevent rescue workers from getting to the scene. But they do
acknowledge the incident is under review. So, we'll see if at any point, they put out any more information about this.
Let -- we have seen four journalists killed in Lebanon by Israeli strikes since the beginning of the war with Iran. And according to the committee to
protect journalists, Isa, Israel has been responsible for two-thirds of the killings of journalists worldwide in 2024 and 2025.
SOARES: Wow, staggering statistics, Oren, appreciate it. Oren Liebermann there for us. Thank you very much. Well, new developments on a Kuwaiti-
American journalist detained in Kuwait. And we have some good news for once, Ahmed Shihab-Eldin has now been acquitted of all crimes.
This after spending 52 days in Kuwaiti detention. This case was part of a wider crackdown by gulf nations on people filming, if you remember, or
posting war imagery. Shihab Eldin supporters argue what he had shared was in the public domain, and this includes the CNN video of a U.S. fighter jet
crash over Kuwait.
Story, we have continued to stay on for the last several weeks. Well, Pope Leo has condemned the Iranian regimes killing of protesters, but says he
cannot support war between the U.S. and Iran. The Catholic leader made the comments in the last hour on board the papal plane, which has just landed
outside of Rome.
It is the latest in a series of back-and-forth comments, if you remember, with U.S. President Donald Trump, who attacked the pontiff for his stance
on the Middle East conflict. The pope is returning from a 11-day tour which drew large crowds across four African nations.
He focused on promoting messages of social justice and of peace. Before he departed, the pope celebrated the final mass of his trip at a stadium in
Equatorial Guinea. And still to come tonight, terrifying moments at a Palestinian school in the West Bank when an Israeli settler opened fire.
We'll have details of that shooting that left a school boy among the dead. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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SOARES: There is no ceasefire. No truce. Nothing at all. Those words from a woman in Gaza where the death toll is rising after repeated Israeli
strikes. Palestinian health officials say at least, four people were killed today, including a rescue worker.
An eyewitness says one attack in central Gaza left bodies torn apart. Yesterday, five Palestinians were killed in a strike in northern Gaza,
including three children according to Gaza's civil defense. A ceasefire was declared between Israel and Hamas back in October, if you remember.
But both sides accused the other of violations. The death toll is also rising in the West Bank amid a surge in attacks by Israeli settlers and
continued military operations. Health officials say 16 Palestinians have now been killed by settlers since the beginning of this year.
And those are the statistics. But behind every number is a name, a face, and families left grieving the loss of their loved ones. One Palestinian
community is mourning a boy killed this week at his school when a settler wearing military fatigues opened fire. Jeremy Diamond has this report, but
we must warn you, it is disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(GUNFIRE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Gunshots crackle outside a boys' school in the occupied West Bank.
(GUNFIRE)
Just as the camera pulls away, the fatal shot rings out. Fourteen-year-old Aous Al-Naasan(ph) has been struck. You can see him on the ground,
motionless as his friends shriek and carry him away.
(TWO MUSLIMS CHANTING ALLAHU AKBAR)
(GUNFIRE)
DIAMOND: Aous was killed by an Israeli settler, according to eyewitnesses and the Palestinian Health Ministry. The school's principal says at least
five armed settlers approached the school fence in the village of Al Mughayyir at around midday, including this man dressed in military
fatigues, advancing slowly along the hillside.
The video shows he fired at least, eight rounds toward the school. Activists and residents of the village identified him as a known settler
who has attacked them in the past. The military said it dispatched forces after rocks were thrown at a vehicle carrying Israeli civilians, including
the reservist.
A military official said military police were investigating, and that the reservists had been suspended. Thirty-two-year-old Jihad Abu Naim(ph) was
also shot and killed. He lived next door to the school. His and Aous'(ph) bodies were laid to rest Wednesday as their families mourned.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
DIAMOND: The latest victims of near-daily Israeli settler attacks targeting Palestinians in nearly every corner of the West Bank. A day
later, Aous'(ph) classmates returned to the spot where their friend was killed, where blood now stains the ground and where they won't soon forget
this loss.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: And that was Jeremy Diamond reporting. We're going to take a short break; we'll see you on the other side.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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SOARES: Welcome back, everyone. We want to take a closer look now at the economic impact of the war in Iran. The most obvious place to look at is,
of course, as we've been showing you, the price of war, which is, you know, Brent Crude hovering there, more than $100 a barrel there, WTI in 95, just
short of 100.
The European Commission, given what we've been seeing for several weeks, has reported just today that its members, and Wednesday I should say,
pardon me, that its members had spent an extra $28 billion on energy imports, 28 since the war began. Money that could have been spent on a
myriad of other priorities, of course, instead of sustaining the exact same energy consumption.
European Airlines, as we've shown you yesterday, roughly this time yesterday, are cancelling tens of thousands of flights due to jet fuel
shortages as well as high costs. And there is, of course, and you heard my conversation with the Spanish foreign minister, fertilizer. A third of the
world's fertilizer trade goes through the Strait of Hormuz.
Well, a senior U.N. official warns of a food crisis in the poorest areas of the world if the Strait is not reopened soon. But even if an agreement were
to be reached, to reopen it, resuming normal shipping traffic could take months. And this we're hearing from sources telling CNN that U.S. military
officials believe it could take as long as six months to fully clear the Strait of the mines, of course, laid there by Iran.
So, this doesn't bode very well, does it, Paula? I mean, yesterday you and I, Paula and you two joining us this afternoon, you were talking about how
this is impacting airlines, travel. We've heard dire numbers already from the IEA. But given what we're seeing in this impasse we are seeing, how are
European countries, how is European Commission trying to create some sort of buffer? What are they doing to try and make sure that this is not passed
on to consumers?
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I mean, the problem is, Isa, that no matter what kind of buffer they try to create, the longer this goes on, it
then becomes questionable whether or not their buffer will work or whether they have enough tools at hand. You know, you just put up that figure there
of $28 billion. There's a lot of fiscal stress throughout all of Europe. It doesn't matter which country you go to. And that is money that has to come
from somewhere, not to mention the threat of elevated interest rates, which also make that -- those very high debts in Europe much difficult -- much
more difficult to service.
You mentioned the E.U. energy commissioner telling me yesterday that, look, already he feels that this energy shock is at a point of being from the
1970s and 2022 in the U.K. in crisis combined. We are now at something that is much more grave.
I want to bring up for you some projections from the IMF. They updated this earlier this month. And if we look at the scenarios there. So, the
reference scenario, Isa, is pretty much if this would end in the next week or two, you're looking at GDP globally, already been lowered to 3.1 percent
inflation at 4.4 percent. Already not great.
[14:35:00]
But, Isa, I fear we're actually moving much closer to the adverse scenario, and that is lower growth, 2.5 percent and quite a spike in inflation, 5.4
percent. We don't want to discuss the severe scenario, quite frankly, those might be on the low estimates, but that would mean if we're still here and
that straight does not get under control by the end of the year.
What I also want to say here, though, is that as bad as some of the oil prices that we're talking about are, what is more significant is whether or
not we actually have shortages, which leads to rationing, which could be a tipping point for the entire global economy. And that is a real risk here,
Isa, and that is what everyone is watching out for.
I mean, look, the prices, as you see there, are elevated, but that means you're still buying oil. We're not dealing with huge shortages. We may well
be dealing with shortages of not just oil and natural gas, but let's say some of the things you talked about, fertilizer, helium.
I mean, there's so many things that go through the straight here that we need to discuss if this continues to go on. And demand destruction isn't
also a worry. What is that? That just means that people -- the economy really slows down globally because people cannot afford the elevated prices
or there is a scarcity of resources.
Plenty of economists, Isa, have talked to us about a tipping point. Look, we are not there yet, and I don't want to be all doom and gloom, but the
reason you will see markets globally on a trigger for the next few weeks until we figure out exactly what's going on with the straight is because
they've already priced in that this is going to be resolved within the next month.
SOARES: Right. And then, that's -- this is something that, you know, try to make sense for viewers is that the picture, the diplomatic picture,
doesn't look like it's moving anywhere right now. We're in an impasse. It's not even clear whether that's walking, you know, through intermediaries.
Yet the market's not reflecting, the stock markets are not being -- that's not reflected. Probably it's priced in. But are you surprised from the
conversations you had that it hasn't -- the markets haven't fluctuated more widely?
My second point is we've seen Asia deeply affected by this. What can Europe learn? What are the takeaways from this that, you know, Asia, the biggest
hit is really the most impacted early on?
NEWTON: Yes, you make such a good point that, as I said, at the sharp end of this is Asia. And they've already started to do things. Think about
that, Isa, to deliberately slow their economies in places like Sri Lanka or the Philippines because they do not have the resources or even the supply
of energy that they need.
When you look at Europe and the amount of tools that they put forward yesterday, I mean, look, it is, and I pointed this out to the E.U. Energy
Commissioner, a bit underwhelming. And why? Coordinated action is very difficult. Again, these governments are not exactly teeming with cash.
They're all sitting on the sidelines at this point in time, trying to come up with a solution for things like jet fuel, but not really knowing where
they go next, especially when we have that key winter fuel season coming up, right, Isa?
On top of that, look, the Ukraine and the Russia conflict is far from over here. And that still is also hampering energy resources throughout all of
Europe. It is going to be an interesting few weeks. And again, watch what I say about that market. They -- you know, I'm not so -- they basically have
already priced in that this is going to be over in a month. It doesn't mean the Strait is going to be functioning normally, but that the conflict will
be over. They are on a trigger and will continue to be. And we'll be watching this very closely, especially if we get back to kinetic action.
SOARES: Paula, as always, great to see you, Paula Newton there. Thanks very much, Paula. Now, let's take a deeper dive, really, into one of the
industries taking a major hit from spiraling energy costs. And Paula mentioned that, and that's airlines. Around 75 percent of European jet fuel
comes from the Middle East, and the combination of higher prices and limited supplies has forced European airlines to cut thousands of flights
from their schedules and implement fuel surcharges.
In the U.S., United Airlines says it will raise ticket prices by as much as 20 percent this summer to account for more expensive jet fuel. And then
there is Spirit Airlines. It's a struggle for years and now says it could be forced to completely shut down operations. The U.S. government is
discussing a half-billion-dollar bailout of Spirit, which could result in the government taking a significant ownership stake in the discount
carrier.
I want to bring in Pete Muntean. So, Pete, you know, I don't know if you heard my conversation there with Paula. We are seeing European airlines
really making a clear, real struggle with the cost, of course, of the war in Iran. Paint us a picture for our viewers around the world how this is
impacting U.S. airlines and U.S. consumers.
PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Well, Spirit Airlines, it's an ultra-low-cost carrier. The margins are already very thin, and the rise in
gas prices because of the war in Iran just made things a whole lot worse for Spirit Airlines.
Here's the latest. An attorney for Spirit Airlines just said in a bankruptcy court that the carrier is in advanced discussions with the U.S.
federal government about a bailout package. We could learn more about that at a court hearing next week.
[14:40:00]
But it's also possible the airline or the White House could announce a deal before then. Here's what we're talking about. The federal government's
considering roughly a half-billion-dollar stake in the carrier, which has been struggling for years.
JetBlue tried to acquire Spirit back in 2022. That deal was blocked in court when the Biden administration argued it would hurt competition.
Spirit later filed for bankruptcy protection, which brings us to now. The spike in fuel costs tied to the war has really put Spirit on the ropes.
And I asked Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy about Spirit in a one-on- one interview on Tuesday. And in that interview, he did not exactly commit to government help for Spirit Airlines. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEAN DUFFY, U.S. SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION: If we do bail out Spirit, well, what's -- what does that future look like, right? What -- is it just
for stalling the inevitable or is there a true pathway for Spirit? And that's a broader conversation. Again, we have a lot of equity in making a
decision, but really, that's the president and the team that's going to come together and figure out, do we want to do something?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MUNTEAN: Senator Ted Cruz of Texas posted on X that the government help of Spirit is an absolutely terrible idea, saying that the government does not
know, quote, "a damn thing" about running a failed budget airline.
Critics on the right say this really opens Pandora's box that if another big company starts to fail here in the U.S., it may look to Washington once
again for a lifeboat. Either way, travelers here should pay attention. If you have travel booked on Spirit, even a credit with the airline, this
really matters to you. It's also could have a major impact on jobs. Spirit employs about 17,000 people. So, whether the airline folds or get federal
help, it's going to be a really significant economic story. Isa.
SOARES: Yes. 17,000 jobs. That is significant indeed. Pete, appreciate it. Thank you very much indeed.
And still to come tonight, a mass trials underway in El Salvador against hundreds of suspected gang members will explain what they're accused of and
why human rights groups are worried. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Well, a mass trial is underway in El Salvador for nearly 500 alleged members of the notorious MS-13 gang. The defendants are accused of
committing more than 47,000 crimes over the span of a decade. The open hearing began on Monday from Keckle Prison in Salvador. Human rights
groups, though, say the trials lack due process and run the risk of convicting innocent people. The trials are part of President Nayib Bukele's
iron fist approach against criminal groups.
[14:45:00]
Let's get more from Washington and CNN Espanol's Juan Carlos Lopez. Juan Carlos, great to see you once more. I mean, this is one of the biggest mass
trials under President Bukele's leadership. Just talk us through how this exactly is going to take place because a huge, not numbers, but also
something like 47,000 crimes committed between them all.
JUAN CARLOS LOPEZ, CNN EN ESPANOL CORRESPONDENT: And it's very difficult to understand how this will proceed and how due process will be guaranteed.
But we have to understand that under Bukele, there was a state of exception declared the constitutional right of knowing what you're accused of or
having access to an attorney that is no longer considered relevant.
So, what we see is that they'll be virtually hearing the process against them. It's not the first mass trial, but it is the largest. There was
another one against a different gang last year. And in that case, they were imposed sentences between 12 and 45 years to members of the Barrio 18 gang.
It was a smaller number. It was 52 members of that gang were tried and convicted. Now, it's MS-13.
And one interesting, Isa, these gangs originated in the United States. They originated in L.A. and then they went over to El Salvador. Now, they say
it's going to be quick, that they're guilty. They're going to be found guilty quickly. And the state attorney or the attorney general of El
Salvador says the process will be efficient.
As you see, they are -- they have 413 that have been arrested and are at that maximum security prison. Another 73 or so are on the lam. So, they
will be tried in absentia. And the idea here is the message that Bukele has been sending is that he's fighting crime and he's doing it his way.
SOARES: Can I ask a kind of obvious question, on the question of due process, is anyone there represented them -- is representing them, is
evidence provided, shown? Do we know any of that?
LOPEZ: We know that due process, as we understand it, is not something that is being applied right now.
SOARES: Right.
LOPEZ: They are being judged by someone they can't see, the evidence. Obviously, there's so many thousands of crimes committed between 2011 and
2022 to have specific people prove their guilt in this crime. But it's what Bukele has said. It's the way he is using the judicial system, using the
Constitution. There have been constitutional reforms to bend to his will. And that's what we're seeing today.
SOARES: And, Juan Carlos, like you said, there are various human rights groups that are raising concerns about these mass trials, but not just
about these mass trials, from what I understand, raising concerns about El Salvador's imprisonment policy. Just speak to that.
LOPEZ: In general, like of these thousands of gang members that have been arrested, over 90,000 people have been arrested without due process.
Hundreds have died while in prison. And according to those same groups, hundreds are not even have any links to the gang. So, it's just an abuse of
the system in a country where Bukele is very popular because criminality went down, but due process went out the door.
So, you have that contradiction where people like the government, they like the security, they like the changes. But there is no due process right now
for these Salvadorans who are being tried and for the people who are under arrest. Over 90,000. Now, the government says they're doing their job.
They're saying that people from outside don't know what's really going on in the country. But Bukele is very popular. And there are a lot of
countries, at least in the Western Hemisphere, that want to replicate what he's doing.
SOARES: Juan Carlos, great to have you on the show, making sense for us. So, important. Thank you very much. Juan Carlos Lopez there.
And still to come tonight, she is being hailed as a football goddess. CNN speaks, the new coach smashing through German's soccer's football's glass
ceiling. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:50:00]
SOARES: Will Italy replace Iran in this summer's World Cup? That proposal was first reported by the Financial Times. The U.S. special envoy says he
made the suggestion to President Donald Trump and FIFA's president. The Financial Times says it's an attempt to repair the strained relationship
between the U.S. president and Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The two had a recent falling out, if you remember, of Mr. Trump's comments on
the Pope. CNN has reached out to all parties for comment. Most experts believe this will not happen since Iran qualified and wants to play. We'll
stay across this.
While dubbed the football goddess, Marie-Louise Eta has made history becoming the first woman to lead a men's team in one of Europe's top five
leagues. The 34-year-old was named interim manager of Union Berlin last week. The move is being hailed at a major milestone, breaking a
longstanding barrier in men's professional football and drawing praise right across the sport. But online, the reaction has exposed a wave of
sexist remarks as well as abuse. Our Sebastian Shukla has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEBASTIAN SHUKLA, CNN PRODUCER (voice-over): The welcome the F.C. Union Berlin fans gave their new interim coach, Marie-Louise Eta. Football
goddess, they found.
The climax of a week where the club and Eta became history makers. The first woman to take charge of a men's football team in any of Europe's top
five leagues, smashing through a glass ceiling.
SHUKLA: What was your feeling when you took charge of the game on Saturday when you walked out onto the pitch?
MARIE-LOUISE ETA, F.C. UNION BERLIN INTERIM HEAD COACH (through translator): I was really looking forward to it because we had a good week
of training. And then it was just about getting it on the pitch right from the start.
A lot of energy, but also the tactics. And that's why I had a good feeling and I was just happy when it started.
PHILIPP KOSTER, FOUDER, 11FREUNDE: Marie-Louise Eta's football expertise is undisputed.
SHUKLA (voice-over): Philipp Koster is the founder of one of Germany's most popular football magazines, 11Freunde or 11 Friends.
KOSTER (voice-over): Much more important is the question of why football needed so long to be confident for a woman to also train a men's team. So,
the questions you have to ask yourself are more embarrassing for football than for Marie-Louise Eta.
SHUKLA: Marie-Louise Eta's appointment has been widely hailed across the football world as a success. But online, there are still haters, abuse and
misogynism.
SHUKLA (voice-over): Since the historic appointment, a torrent of awful abuse has been hurled at her online. The club have been active in calling
out insolent fans and not afraid to issue their own rebukes.
A few days after their loss to Wolfsburg, I asked Louise as her players and staff call her how she's coped with the vitriol.
ETA (through translator): I'm focusing on what I can influence here and that's the work with the guys on the pitch, the daily football routine.
It's about staying focused and focusing on the thing. That's what we do every day.
SHUKLA (voice-over): They didn't win at the weekend and have struggled this season resulting in the sacking of previous manager, Steffen Baumgart,
Eta called on her fans to stick by their side.
ETA (through translator): We will also need it in the next few weeks and it will be important. And, of course, the team have to perform on the pitch
first and then I am convinced that we will have every fan with us.
SHUKLA (voice-over): Support from the Union diehards will be hard to dampen.
SIMON, F.C. UNION BERLIN SUPPORTER: She needs a little bit more time to get to know the guys better and then there will be also better results.
[14:55:00]
SHUKLA (voice-over): Club President Dirk Zingler said Eta will only remain in charge until the end of the season as keeping her on would be a, quote,
""disservice to women's football."
Sebastian Shukla, CNN, Berlin at the Stadion An der Alten Forsterei.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: We wish her all the best of luck. Well, a very determined sea turtle named Nutella had just tasted success, more than 200 people lined in
Florida Beach to cheer on the rescue turtle as she was released back into the ocean. Nutella is back home after undergoing surgery in a turtle
hospital. The release marked the end of an unlikely recovery.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BETTE ZIRKELBACH, TURTLE HOSPITAL MANAGER: She was entangled in fishing line to the point that she almost lost the flipper due to lack of
circulation and had ingested a lot of fishing line. So, it really is a miracle what happened today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Good to see Nutella back in the sea once again. And that does it for us for this hour. Thanks very much for your company. Do stay right
here. "What We Know" with Max Foster is up. I'll see you tomorrow.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:00:00]
END
