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One World with Zain Asher

U.S.-Iran Talks Uncertain As Ceasefire Deadline Looms; Trump's Nominee For Fed Chair Faces Confirmation Hearing; John Ternus Named New CEO For Apple; CNN Speaks To Group Behind Iranian Lego-Style Videos; Deadly Shooting At Mexico's Historic Teotihuacan Pyramids; British Royals Honor Late Queen Elizabeth's 100th Birthday; Stolen rare Books Worth Millions Found After 37 Years; Aired 12-1p ET

Aired April 21, 2026 - 12:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:00:35]

ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: The world anxiously awaits new negotiations between Tehran and Washington, but right now, there are certainly a lot of question

marks.

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: That's true. The second hour of "One World" starts right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Said he would prefer to go in with the posture that they will bomb and move forward with those military plans

if a deal is not reached.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: J.D. Vance is still in Washington and the time of his departure remains unclear. We'll have new reporting, just ahead.

ASHER: Also ahead, paradise lost. A gunman opens by one of Mexico's top tourist destinations. We are live at the scene.

Plus.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLARE DUFFY, CNN TECH REPORTER: After 15 years, Apple CEO Tim Cook will be handing over the reins.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: A significant shift. Who is Apple's next CEO? And what is on his to do list? We'll discuss.

ASHER: And after decades of searching rare book collection worth millions, has finally been recovered. Where they were found and the billionaire

family they belong to.

All right. Coming to you live from New York, I'm Zain Asher.

GOLODRYGA: And I'm Bianna Golodryga. You are watching the second hour of "One World."

ASHER: By this hour, there is fresh uncertainty over a planned new round of U.S. Iran peace talks. U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance is supposed to lead a

U.S. delegation to Pakistan for those talks, but sources now tell CNN, it's unclear when Vance will leave for Islamabad.

Instead, he's at the White House for meetings. And within the past 30 minutes, Pakistan's information minister said, Iran still has not yet

confirmed if it is going to attend.

According to the Pakistanis, the ceasefire is due to expire in about eight -- eight hours from now.

GOLODRYGA: Earlier on CNBC, President Trump weighed in on the potential talks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What I think is that we're going to end up with a great deal. I think it's got -- I think they have no

choice. And I think we're in a very strong negotiating position to do what other presidents should have done during a 47-year period.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: All right. Let's bring in Alayna Treene live at the White House.

So many unknown variables here, Alayna. The president went on at length this morning with CNBC, saying that time is on his side, essentially, and

that he's ready to bomb. He doesn't want to extend the ceasefire now.

And we still don't know who the players are going to be in these presumed talks in Pakistan. How much should we read into the fact that the vice

president is still in Washington?

TREENE: Yes. Look, I think that that is obviously not a good sign for the state of current negotiations. We know that the vice president was expected

to depart this morning for Islamabad.

And now, according to my conversations with people here at the White House, he is coming to the White House to attend meetings further on some of the

policy discussions and plans for how to move a potential peace deal forward.

Now, a big part of this is from what you both noted, and we just heard this from the Pakistani intermediators here that the Iranians have not yet

committed to sending their high-level officials to Pakistan for these talks.

And I think that's, of course, a contributing factor here of whether or not we would see someone with the statue. You know, the president's number two,

the vice president, heading to the region, if there isn't anyone for him to meet with.

Now, as for your question about the timing of this ceasefire, there are so many uncertainties here. And I do think so much is kind of changing,

depending on what we are learning behind the scenes about the continued negotiations between Washington and Tehran through the Pakistanis.

Now, we did hear the president, as you mentioned. He said this morning that he does not plan to extend this ceasefire. I should note that initially,

when they had imposed this ceasefire two weeks ago, the expected deadline would have been tonight, actually, but the president did say yesterday that

he would have the deadline be tomorrow.

But that was when, of course, we had anticipated that these talks between the U.S. delegation and the Iranian delegation would take place on

Wednesday.

To give you a sense of why the president doesn't want to do this, from the conversations I've been having with people throughout the Trump

administration, they essentially say that, one, they do not want to give particularly a much more lengthy, you know, another two weeks to the

Iranians. They believe that would give them more ample time to try to drag this out. And also more time for them to try and rearm and regroup in the

event that -- that, you know, we could return to full-out war.

[12:05:05]

The president also argued that he'd be ready to bomb. You know, he was asked specifically of whether he would move forward with the plans he had

threatened two weeks ago before the ceasefire about going after a civilian infrastructure and energy plants in Iran.

I mean, he said he was willing to bomb, and that was the posture that he wanted to rely on at this point. But I can also say, you know, that is what

we're hearing publicly from the president behind the scenes of the latest conversations I've been having.

Diplomacy is really still the priority here. And they really do want to deal to avoid any further type of kinetic strikes in the region.

But so much uncertainty today. A lot of questions and a lot of different moving parts that really kind of make this a high-stakes, high-drama moment

for this entire process.

GOLODRYGA: Including the question of when exactly the ceasefire is set to expire. The Pakistanis --

TREENE: Right.

GOLODRYGA: -- are saying one thing, President Trump is saying another.

Alayna Treene at the White House for us. Thank you so much.

ASHER: Thank you, Alayna.

All right. Now to the contentious hearing for President Trump's nominee for chair of the Federal Reserve.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. If he's confirmed Kevin Warsh will take the helm at a crucial time, not just for America, but for the global economy.

Lawmakers want to know if Warsh can keep the central bank independent and not bound to pressure from the White House. President Trump has repeatedly

unleashed bitter personal criticism of the outgoing chair, Jerome Powell, demanding that he lower interest rates.

ASHER: Now, Senate Republican Tom Tillis says he'll block Warsh's nomination until the Justice Department drops a criminal probe into Powell.

The Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren was blunt.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA): The Senate should not be aiding and abetting Donald Trump's illegal takeover of the Fed by installing his chosen sock

puppet as chair. It's an invitation for corruption and for economic catastrophe. We have the power to stop it and we should be using that

power.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: Let's bring in Toluse Olorunnipa to talk about the hearing and other issues. He's a staff writer at "The Atlantic." Tolu, thank you so much for

being with us again.

I want to get your take on that particular exchange that a lot of people are talking about between Senator Warren and, of course, Kevin Warsh where

she asked him a number of basic questions including about his financial disclosures and how he would divest specifically from the Juggernaut Fund.

There's a lot of sort of controversy as to some of where his assets are tied to including Epstein, including the Trump family. And she was asking

him about that.

But on top of that, and I think this is key, she asked him point blank, do you think the 2020 election was won by Donald Trump or not? And he refused

to answer it.

And also, she asked him as well, is there one issue? Just give me one economic issue that you disagree with the president on. Again, he refused

to answer it. Well, he sort of made a joke at the very end.

The fact that he couldn't answer those basic questions, and, of course, the key question for Kevin Warsh is whether or not he is going to be fully

independent from the president, what should we read into that?

TOLUSE OLORUNNIPA, STAFF WRITER, THE ATLANTIC: Yes, Zain. The Fed chair is supposed to be independent. That is the key word that is going to be at

play when we talk about this nomination.

He was nominated by the president, but he's supposed to be an -- an independent actor, someone who sets interest rates and does other forms of

economic and monetary policy based on what's in the best interest of the American public, the U.S. economy, and not what's based on the -- the best

interest of the president or what the president pressures him to do.

And that is something that has really been a very difficult situation for the current Fed chair, Jay Powell, who has clashed with the president. He

was also nominated by Trump and he said he was going to be independent, and Trump tested him and challenged him over that and told him multiple times

that he should be cutting interest rates when he did not feel that that was the right thing to do or that that was not in the best interest of the U.S.

economy.

Now, there's a question about whether Kevin Warsh would be able to withstand that same kind of pressure. And President Trump has made clear

what he wants out of his Fed chair. He wants someone who's going to sort of skew the economy in his political favor and Kevin Warsh is going to be put

to the test on whether or not he should be following the president's instincts or following his own best instincts as an economist.

And so that is why he's been asked these questions about his independence, about his ability to stand up to the -- the president, about his ability to

cut a different approach economically from what the president has done.

And he has not wanted to do that. He is definitely waiting to see if he can be confirmed by these senators, but he's also trying to play to an audience

of, one, the president who nominated him who cares very -- who's watching very closely and cares very much about having a Fed chairman who would do

exactly what he wants him to do.

And so he's in a very difficult position trying to get -- get approved by these senators while also trying to appeal to the one who nominated him,

the president who wants a Fed chair who will do exactly what he wants him to do.

[12:10:01]

GOLODRYGA: Yes. And the majority of these questions, if not all of them, targeting and questioning and criticizing Kevin Warsh's statements and his

pledge to remain independent are Democrats.

But the sticking point, it is actually a Republican senator, and that is Tom Tillis who voiced his support for Kevin Warsh as a candidate, but said

that he will not vote in favor of him because he would like to see what he describes as a frivolous investigation into Jerome Powell dropped.

The president seems to be doubling down on that just this morning on CNBC saying that this investigation will continue and criticize Jay Powell

again.

So, does the White House have a workaround for Tom Tillis who -- who is retiring?

OLORUNNIPA: Well, this is a very important clash. The president decided to take -- take revenge against the current Fed chair, Jay Powell, who, as I

said earlier, did not follow the president's instincts and -- and -- and the president's pressure campaign to force him to lower interest rates. And

as a result, found himself in the crosshairs of the Department of Justice investigating him for something that doesn't really have any evidence.

But basically, the allegation is that he overspent in -- in redesigning and rebuilding the building that houses the Federal Reserve.

And it has become very clear that that has gotten under the skin of some Republicans, especially Tom Tillis, who, as you said, retiring and said

that we can't have this in our republic. We can't have a president sticking his Department of Justice with criminal investigation against a bureaucrat

just because he's doing his job in a way that the president doesn't like.

And so he's using the power of -- of his position to try to block this current nomination. We do have a -- a very closely divided Senate. And Tom

Tillis' vote would be needed to move this nominee through the process into the Senate floor, where, you know, Democrats are pretty much in the

minority and -- and Republicans have a couple of votes to spare.

But typically, you -- you have to get through the committee. And Tom Tillis, who sits on this important committee and is retiring, has said that

he's going to block this nomination. He's not going to allow it to get on a glide path to the floor. And he has the power to hold things up in a

significant way.

And so as long as the president, who has said, even this morning, that he's going to continue these investigations, that he has an instinct that Fed

Chair Jay Powell did something untoward, or maybe even improper or illegal, when it comes to the building of this Federal Reserve building, he said

that he's going to continue to follow through with this investigation and - - and these threats against the current Fed Chair.

And so we are on a collision course. Tom Tillis has no reason to back down, because as you said, he's retiring. And so this does appear to be something

that's going to need to come to some kind of resolution. But at this moment, it's hard to see a pathway to that resolution.

ASHER: All right. Tolu, thank you so much. We appreciate it. Always good to see, my friend.

All right. Pressure continues to build on the British prime minister over his disastrous decision to give a top diplomatic job to a friend of Jeffrey

Epstein.

Lawmakers were told today when security vetting was carried out on Peter Mandelson's suitability, the P.M.'s office was dismissive of the process.

Keir Starmer said on Monday that his officials never told him that Mandelson, his pick to be the U.K.'s ambassador to Washington, had failed

security checks, and that he would have halted the appointment had he been told.

The official who ran the British foreign ministry at the time said, the PM's office leaned on him to speed up Mandelson's approval.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OLLY ROBBINS, FORMER CHIEF OFFICIAL, U.K. FOREIGN OFFICE: I think throughout January, honestly, my -- my office, the foreign secretary's

office, were under constant pressure.

And there was a -- there was an atmosphere of constant chasing. When will this?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Daily phone calls?

ROBBINS: I -- I -- I couldn't say for certain daily. But I mean, certainly very frequent from private office to private office. Has this been

delivered yet? Never any interest, as far as I recall in whether, but only an interest in when.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Mandelson was forced to resign last year, just a few months into the job. That was after the U.S. Department of Justice released documents

that exposed his close ties to the late sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein.

ASHER: A major shift in leadership now at one of the world's most valuable companies. Apple is getting a new CEO as Tim Cook steps down after more

than a decade, in the job Cook led Apple to become a $4 trillion company.

GOLODRYGA: Come September 1st, Apple veteran, John Ternus, is set to take the reins. Analysts say, he'll have to lay out the tech giant's A.I.

strategy to show it's ready for a future beyond the iPhone.

For more on this, let's bring in CNN Business tech editor Lisa Eadicicco.

[12:15:03]

And, Lisa, there's so much to praise Tim Cook for over his tenure at the company. But when it comes to A.I. over the past few years in particular,

Apple has dragged behind some of its competitors.

What can we expect now from this new CEO on this particular issue?

LISA EADICICCO, CNN BUSINESS TECH EDITOR: So, I think the big question that a lot of people are going to be looking for John Ternus to answer is, what

does A.I. mean for Apple's future products?

How is it going to shape Apple's product strategy? Because when you look at what's happening in the industry right now, and we know that companies like

Meta, Google, Samsung are pursuing smart glasses.

We know OpenAI is working on a new type of hardware device and it's recruited Apple's former design chief to help work on it. And the question

is, what's next for Apple? How is Apple thinking about how A.I. will shape the future of computers?

And I think that's why it's very interesting and -- and telling that Apple has tapped the person that is in charge of hardware engineering to be its

new CEO, someone who's so closely connected to how Apple's products are engineered and developed.

You have to remember, under Tim Cook, Apple has kind of expanded into a lot of different areas. It's now a digital services company. It's an

entertainment company. It's a health company, right? But they did -- they chose somebody who's really closely connected to Apple's core products like

the iPhone, the Mac, the Apple Watch to lead it in this next era. And I do think that is very telling here.

So, I think a lot of the questions that people will have for John Ternus on -- on Wall Street and consumers and everyone who follows Apple is, what

does this mean for what's next after the iPhone?

And we don't know exactly what that answer is yet, but next month, Apple will have its -- sorry, not next month. In June, Apple will have its

Worldwide Developers Conference where it typically talks a little bit about the future of it's A.I. plan for its product.

So, we will learn a little bit more then, but for now, we'll have to see.

ASHER: All right. Lisa Eadicicco, live for us. Thank you so much.

All right. Coming up, CNN speaks to the team behind Iran's viral A.I. propaganda videos. Are they doing it for fun or for government? Details,

ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: All right. Now, to some levity in the middle of the Iran war with Legos. A group of creators has flooded the internet with Iranian Lego-

style videos.

ASHER: CNN producer Leila Gharagozlou spoke with the group behind the viral videos.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[12:20:07]

LEILA GHARAGOZLOU, CNN PRODUCER (voice-over): If you're on the internet, you've likely seen these highly popular Iranian Lego-style videos.

(MUSIC)

GHARAGOZLOU (voice-over): Published almost daily, these detailed videos with American and Western cultural references have taken the world by

storm, the group that makes these publishers across social media platforms, but recently had their YouTube account shut down for showing violent

content.

But who is behind these videos? Is it Iranian government propaganda? Are they in Iran or are they outside Iran?

I spoke to the creators behind the viral Iranian Lego-style videos. I reached out to the team on X, introduced myself and requested an interview.

They promptly responded back and asked where I was from. As an Iranian journalist, I did expect this. And from there, the conversation switched to

Persian.

Before agreeing to interview with me, they asked if I was in support of the U.S. and Israel's war with Iran. This was my response.

As a professional and impartial journalist, my duty is to report events as objectively as possible, without the interference of my personal opinions.

As an Iranian, I would never welcome the destruction of my country.

After another round of questions, these in English, we agreed to the group's first interview with an Iranian journalist and agreed to do the

interview in Persian.

Turns out, Explosive Media is a small team of Gen Z creators; 18 to 25 years old. They say they all reside in Iran, and most have never left the

country.

GHARAGOZLOU: Their spokesperson, who requested anonymity, said the initial goal of these videos was to show the outside world what Iranians are like;

educated, culturally relevant, and funny.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We know that the West has a bad perception of us. They don't know us at all. We wanted to break down this

wall of censorship. We wanted to say that we're funny, funnier than you even.

We understand culture and the arts, and we are incredibly educated. We know and understand your American culture well. You don't, unfortunately, know

as much about our culture. We hope that you learn more about ours.

GHARAGOZLOU: While the Explosive Media team is clear that they support the government, they told me that their videos reflect their own independent

political views.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We are committed to the Islamic Republic. That's our belief, our point of view. No one has to tell us that.

Before the war, we made critical videos of the government just like other media companies that criticized their governments. But once there is a war,

internal fights no longer matter.

GHARAGOZLOU: There has been some question as to whether they work for the Iranian government or have them as a client.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We did not say we work with the IRGC. We're like any other media company in the world. When they create

something, the rights for distribution can be bought.

The rights for distribution of some of our videos in Iran have sometimes been bought by state media.

GHARAGOZLOU (voice-over): Since the very first LEGO-style videos came out, there's been a lot of discussion as to whether these videos constitute as

disinformation or propaganda.

Mark Owen Jones, an expert in social media and disinformation, says the answer is a bit more complicated.

MARK OWEN JONES, SOCIAL MEDIA EXPERT: If I was to simplify it, I would say this is political satire, created political satire, and a form of creative

resistance against U.S. imperialism.

The fact that it's leveraged by the Iranian regime, of course, that's just what they're going to do if it's effective and successful.

And I think to try and frame it as either pro-anti-government or government propaganda is a bit complicated.

GHARAGOZLOU: Whether satire or propaganda, these videos speak to a moment in social media and geopolitics, one that the Iranian government has

adapted to.

JONES: And I think the -- the regime has become very savvy about the importance of social media. Certainly domestically.

I think internationally, they've -- they've been savvy about that.

GHARAGOZLOU: And it's not just social media trends that have led pro- government Iranians to making these videos, the two and a half year Gaza war has fundamentally changed the landscape in media and people's

perceptions of the U.S. and Israel.

JONES: But I really do think that the Gaza war has unleashed or has created a level of criticism in Israel and U.S. politics and European politics that

we have not seen before. And I think the creators of these videos and the Iranian regime in general know that. And they are using that to kind of

emphasize that this war is not in the interest of Americans, but the interest of Israel.

I think these are themes that resonates very profoundly amongst not just the left, but also the right with some aspects of the right.

GHARAGOZLOU (voice-over): The rise of Explosive Media and Iran's new social media strategy has coincided with an internet and communications blackout

in Iran.

A blackout that has left millions of Iranians cut off from the rest of the world. So, how do these videos manage to make it out?

[12:25:02]

GHARAGOZLOU: Iran has set up an internal internet system for local companies and banks. And for people who can afford it, they buy VPNs and

even Starlink, but Explosive Media doesn't use any of those.

GHARAGOZLOU (voice-over): The group applied for an internet license as a news media company. The license allows news outlets to connect to the

global internet. The process is long and the criteria, unclear.

GHARAGOZLOU: As we wait for a possible deal to end this war, Explosive Media says, they too hope for peace. And in the meantime, they say they'll

keep making these videos.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GOLODRYGA: All right. Well, Mexican police have identified the man they say opened fire at one of Mexico's most popular tourist sites Monday. A

Canadian woman was killed and 13 people were injured, including six Americans. It happened at the Teotihuacan pyramids outside Mexico City.

ASHER: Yes, This is the scene as crowds fled the area after gunfire was heard around the Pyramid of the Moon. Officials say, the gunman later

killed himself.

CNN's Gabriela Fries has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GABRIELA FRIAS, CNN ANCHOR: A shooting at Mexico's Teotihuacan pyramids has left at least one person dead, according to the Mexican authorities.

A man fired shots at the popular archaeological site, killing a Canadian woman before taking his own life.

The security cabinet said on X, the Secretary of Security for the State of Mexico, where the pyramids are located, told reporters that the situation

is now under control.

Among the wounded are two Colombian nationals, one Canadian and one Russian, according to the Secretary of Security for the State of Mexico.

He said that the situation is now under control. Authorities say they have seized a firearm, a bladed weapon, and live cartridge at the site.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum says authorities from federal, state, and local agencies are responding to the matter. What happened today in

Teotihuacan deeply hurts us. I express my most sincere solidarity with the people affected and their families. We are in contact with the Canadian

embassy, she wrote on X.

Teotihuacan is one of the most famous ruins in Mexico. It's located some 50 kilometers northeast of Mexico City.

A one-day trip to see the ruins is one of the most classic things to do when traveling to Mexico City. And the shooting comes as President

Sheinbaum and local authorities face scrutiny over its security measures some 50 days before the kickoff of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Gabriela Frias, CNN, Mexico City.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: All right. Turning now to London where police say they've made several arrests in connection with suspected arson attacks.

British counterterrorism police arrested eight people, seven of which were allegedly involved in a full plot to target a site related to the Jewish

community.

GOLODRYGA: Authorities say since last month's arson attacks on ambulances belonging to Jewish volunteers, eight people have been charged while 13 are

still under investigation.

We'll continue to follow this story. We'll be right back with more.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:30:14]

GOLODRYGA: All right. Welcome back to "One World." I'm Bianna Golodryga.

ASHER: And I'm Zain Asher.

Returning now to our top story and growing questions about the U.S.-Iran peace talks. At this hour, sources say that the U.S. Vice President J.D.

Vance has not left Washington. Vance is supposed to lead a U.S. delegation to Pakistan, but CNN is told he is still at the White House for meetings.

GOLODRYGA: And Pakistan's information minister says Iran still has not confirmed that it will attend the talks in Islamabad.

On top of all this conflicting reports over whether the current ceasefire will expire, U.S. President Trump says that it will end Wednesday night,

Eastern Time. Though Pakistan's minister claims the deadline is less than eight hours from now.

All right. Time now for The Exchange and our conversation with CNN national security analyst Alex Plitsas. He's also director of The Atlantic Council's

Counterterrorism Project. Welcome to the program, Alex.

I want to get to these talks and whether they're actually happening and with J.D. Vance representing the U.S. side or not in a second.

But this development now that U.S. forces boarded the Tifani tanker, not in the Gulf of Oman there or the Strait of Hormuz, but rather in the Indian

Ocean.

What does that tell you about the U.S. military strategy here as this blockade remains in place? Is it spreading the U.S. military thin? Or is

this the type of pressure that needs to get the Iranians to come back to the table for a deal?

ALEX PLITSAS, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: So, I certainly think it's a reflection of a policy decision about putting pressure as we can see,

because that's now taken place outside the localized waters around the gulf.

And so there's an impact particularly when it comes to Asia, because where the last oil deliveries are heading right now between Africa and Asia, it

started to really impact the markets there.

And on top of that, you know, we're also hearing that there may have been shipments from China that could have been precursors, potentially for

missile fuel or things along those lines where the U.S. had sort of stepped in and interdicted.

So, it seems to be twofold in terms of the U.S. approach to put pressure, not only on the Iranians, but also prevent any resupply of materials that

would help them rebuilding any of their military capabilities that the U.S. has spent weeks degrading.

ASHER: And just in terms of that interception by U.S. forces, Donald Trump referred to it as a nice gift from China to Iran, you know, we -- we

believe that it was weapon systems as you touch on.

What do you make of Trump's reaction? He sort of shrugged it off and said, well, you know what, this -- this is war. This is what happens in terms of

war.

Obviously, the president, in less than a month from now, is planning on meeting Xi Jinping in Beijing. How will this affect that meeting? And

again, what do you make of how Trump reacted to -- to -- to what China allegedly gave Iran or tried to give Iran?

PLITSAS: So it seems to be consistent with his reactions to these types of events. You know, when we saw Russia allegedly providing intelligence to

the Iranians, potentially for strikes against U.S. bases in the region, you know, he kind of said, hey, this thing happens in war, particularly because

we're providing exquisite intelligence and support to the Ukrainians.

And so it seems to be that he -- that the administration takes a lot of those issues behind closed doors with the, you know, adversaries or folks

that are supporting folks that we happen to be engaged with and not doing that publicly.

And it doesn't seem to want to get into a public spat with President Xi Jinping. And it also becomes a question of how much state knowledge there

is for what's going on.

But it's clear, based on that interdiction, that the U.S. had to have intelligence of what was on board in order for that interdiction to happen.

So, if they had that, you know, the idea that it was being shipped, they'd probably have a good idea of whether or not it was approved and whether or

not how far up the Chinese government that went.

GOLODRYGA: Well, what is being done publicly are varying accounts of where these talks stand regards -- regarding the peace or ceasefire negotiations

between the United States and Iran, said to be held in Islamabad.

As the ceasefire deadline now looms, the president threatening not to extend it and continue bombing again.

[12:35:09]

What are you hearing from your sources as to what's going on internally from the Iranians who publicly are stating a message of defiance? But there

seems to be some disagreements among leadership as to the direction they want to take these talks in.

PLITSAS: That's an entirely accurate characterization of where things are at, from what I'm hearing from sources, as well as from mediators in the

region. And that is that there are still groups within Iran that have to be consultant.

So, well -- there is the Supreme Leader, the Speaker of the Majlis, or the Parliament, Ghalibaf, has been designated as the main negotiator from the

Iranian side.

You have Araghchi, the Foreign Minister, who has also been accompanying him along with their technical experts.

But then you also have another group within Iran that has largely started to seize power and control in the background, and that is the IRGC, which

is the -- the Revolutionary Guard Corps, which the United States intelligence community had predicted, which sort of start to take control

to a certain extent in the event of a massive decapitation strike or an end to the leadership, which is in fact what happened at the beginning of the

war.

And so we're seeing some elements of that, particularly around the intelligence services and those who are within Mojtaba Khamenei, the new

supreme leader's inner circle, sort of start to take power.

And what we're hearing, at least when I'm hearing from sources, is that there are different factions within there who are either supportive or not

completely supportive of a deal and then others who want to really stick to Iran's 10 points demands that they had released in terms of what they're

looking for. And that lack of consensus is what has prevented them from moving forward.

In addition to the U.S. blockade and then finding the third piece that's impacting is the communications coming from Washington. And all of that

ties back to the fact that there's no document for this in-term deal to try to get to a final conclusion to the war.

And as a result of that, and a lot of verbal discussions that have gone on in multiple languages, there's been some misinterpretation and

misunderstanding and, you know, people worried about losing face. And all of that has led to political consternation.

And at the moment, that's why we still haven't gotten confirmation that the Iranians are willing to travel and finally engage in negotiations.

I'm sorry, one final point on that. They've also had two sets of negotiations with, you know, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, both of which

ended in conflict.

And so the -- the reason they wanted the vice president involved is, one, the Iranians have seen him as the most anti-war member of the cabinet,

whether that's true or not, that's at least their perception. And they also felt that they needed a new actor involved since the -- the previous two

engagements has resulted in conflict and didn't actually reach a peaceful settlement.

GOLODRYGA: All right. Alex Plitsas, we will continue to watch as things unfold. As of now, the vice president has not left Washington, D.C. Thank

you so much for the time. We appreciate it.

ASHER: And he has meetings this afternoon. So God knows when he's actually going to leave for Islamabad, if at all.

All right. Britain's royal family is honoring the late Queen Elizabeth today on what would have been her 100th birthday.

They're marking the occasion at various events across London. It also plans for a digital memorial, which will showcase archived material from the

Queen's reign.

GOLODRYGA: How long did her mom live until? 104, 105,?

ASHER: Yes. Yes.

GOLODRYGA: Much older, right? Well, Elizabeth was 96 when she died in 2022. She was Britain's longest serving monarch.

From Buckingham Palace, CNN royal correspondent Max Foster has more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: They spent years trying to plan for this, obviously, because how do you remember such an icon, really, of

modern history?

But they come up with a plan. One of them is a digital library of memories, which the public can tag themselves on if they were at those moments of the

Queen and talk about the stories.

But the key one we're getting a sense of today is a memorial in St James's Park just over there by the palace. There will be a statue of the Queen and

Prince Philip, also a bridge, a glass bridge, which will look like the Queen's tiara on her wedding day.

So, they're trying to create, you know, interactive moments, really. So her memory lives on. Today, for everyone, appears to be a celebration rather

than commiseration of this lifelong lived positively, as the King put it.

And the King also put out a brief message last night giving his thoughts on today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KING CHARLES, KING OF THE UNITED KINGDOM: Today, as we mark what would have been my beloved mother's 100th birthday, my family and I pause to reflect

on the life and loss of a sovereign who meant so much to us all and to celebrate anew the many blessings of her memory.

Much about the times we now live in, I suspect, may have troubled her deeply. But I take heart from her belief that goodness will always prevail

and that a brighter dawn is never far from the horizon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Those troubling times, perhaps pointing to the current political crisis in this country. There's lots to worry about the King's saying and

the Queen would have been quite shocked as you look back on right now. But he's the King now and he's taking her memory forward.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[12:40:06]

ASHER: Not just right now in terms of what's happening in the U.K., but I think globally there would be a lot that the Queen would be concerned

about.

GOLODRYGA: It -- it seems like she just died too, like last year or so. So I can't believe it's been several years since.

ASHER: Yes. It's been almost four years.

GOLODRYGA: Wow.

All right. Well, 17 rare books stolen from an art collector's home in the 1980s have finally been redis -- recovered.

ASHER: Yes. Authority say the collection worth millions of dollars includes titles by writers John Keats, Oscar Wilde and James Joyce. Hannah Kliger

has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HANNAH KLIGER, CBS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These rare and valuable books were once part of a famous private collection belonging to the

Whitney family until they vanished decades ago from their historic Long Island estate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were able to trace them down to South Carolina in 2006.

KLIGER (voice-over): But then the trail went cold, until now. Monday, District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced a break in the 40-year-old mystery.

ALVIN BRAGG, DISTRICT ATTORNEY: While the family reported these works missing in 1989, they had not reappeared on the market until quite recently

in 2025 when an individual attempted to sell them.

KLIGER (voice-over): Those rare book dealers recognized them on the Art Loss Register and contacted authorities. It turned out they belonged to

wealthy venture capitalists, John Hay and Betsey Whitney. Recently, a judge authorized them to be returned to the Whitney family.

Grandson, Peter di Bonaventura, says these are pieces of history.

PETER DI BONAVENTURA, GRANDSON: My grandparents were extraordinary collectors. This is one example of their taste and their skill.

KLIGER (voice-over): The books include a bound collection of love letters written by poet John Keats to his fiancee, Fanny Brawne.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Second book, "De Profundis" by Oscar Wilde also captures a tragic love story. The Empress' Josephine's copy of the 1812 "Imperial

Almanac." "Finnegan's Wake" by James Joyce. "Household Stories" by the Brothers Grimm.

KLIGER (voice-over): Investigators say the man who tried to sell the books wasn't even alive at the time they went missing. And he says he inherited

them from his late grandfather. So, that part of the mystery is still unsolved.

The D.A.'s office says, there are also still 11 books that remain unaccounted for.

KLIGER (voice-over): Together, worth around $3 million. The family plans to auction the books and donate the proceeds.

In Lower Manhattan. Hannah Kliger, CBS News, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GOLODRYGA: All right. Well, that does it for "One World." I'm Bianna Golodryga.

ASHER: And I'm Zain Asher. Thanks for watching. She'll be back in a few minutes with more, "Amanpour," but "African Voices" is up next. You're

watching CNN.

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[12:45:00]

(AFRICAN VOICES)

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