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The Situation Room

Trump Addresses the Nation, Iran Responds; Artemis II Astronauts on Ten-Day Mission Around the Moon; Senate Passes Bill to Reopen DHS, Sends Back to House. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired April 02, 2026 - 10:00   ET

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

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PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, with Trump's messaging on Iran. We are getting reaction to the president's address to the nation, and Iran is now responding as we get a new look at how Americans feel about the war.

Surging gas prices, the average cost is now $4.08 a gallon. Some analysts are warning these high prices are just the beginning.

And later Tiger Woods crash video, police today are expected to release footage from the golfer's rollover crash as he is charged with driving under the influence.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Plus, historic moon mission. Right now, Artemis II is orbiting Earth before heading out to the moon. The very latest on where the four astronauts are now and what they've done since the launch.

Also, ballroom bonanza, President Trump's project is set to get a final up or down vote today. We'll break down all the ways Trump is putting his mark on the nation's capital.

And later, batter up, my Washington National's home openers tomorrow, and I'll be cheering them on in the stands. The team's president of baseball operations will be here in The Situation Room today with me.

Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer with Pamela Brown, and you're in The Situation Room.

New this morning, new reaction to President Trump's address through the nation last night, Iran is now responding with vows to deliver what they call crushing strikes on U.S. and Israeli targets. Here, you see the skies over Tel Aviv right now. Israel says it intercepted Iranian missiles on the first night of Passover last night. President Trump says the U.S. goals of the war are nearly complete. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: So, we've done all of it. Their navy is gone, their air force is gone, their missiles are just about used up or beaten. Taken together, these actions will cripple Iran military, crush their ability to support terrorist proxies and deny them the ability to build a nuclear bomb.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: A new CNN poll shows the administration is losing public support for the war with Iran. Just 34 percent of Americans now say they approve at least somewhat of the military action. That's down seven percentage points from a CNN poll conducted just after the start of the war. Disapproval has climbed from 59 percent to 66 percent.

We're covering all the angles of the unfolding story. CNN's Alayna Treene is over at the White House. CNN's Jeremy Diamond is in Tel Aviv.

Alayna, how does the administration view last night's address by the president?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Wolf. I was here last night when the president was giving and I was catching up with some White House officials as he wrapped.

A couple things of note, they do think that the speech did what it needed to do. I will tell you, you know, in the lead up to that address to the nation, they had some goals in mind. Really, it was meant to be almost a pitch to the American people. And you heard the president attempt to justify why the United States is at war with Iran, laid out some of the successes that the military has had thus far. But one of the key things as well was to try and reassure the public that this is not going to be a prolonged war, that this is not going to be a war that lasts several years, and instead that it was nearing its completion. And that's what he did.

However, there were some things that I was listening for and, you know, we didn't really learn. I'd note that we actually didn't learn much new at all for those who have actually been paying attention to what the president has said. You know, a lot of people were hoping to maybe get a more definitive timeline for when he's expected to pull out of Iran, didn't really give one. He said, hopefully soon. He has been, you know, floating this two to three-week deadline. We'll see if that's actually what ends up happening. He also didn't address one of the things we know his team is closely considering, this idea of putting ground troops into Iran.

But, largely, again, this really was a kind of broader pitch to the American public at a time when the Trump administration recognizes that their patience is wearing thin.

BLITZER: Alayna, stand by. I want to get back to you. But, Jeremy, you're there in Tel Aviv, and I know there were several new strikes on Israel last night, on the first night of Passover. What can you tell us about that?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Wolf. And, you know, really, the last 24 hours have given us the clearest indication yet that this war is nowhere close to ending, between the president's speech, his talk of bombing Iran into the stone ages and going -- continuing to carry out strikes for at least the next two to three weeks, and then on the other hand, Iran continuing to fire ballistic missiles here at Israel, it's quite obvious that this war is not winding down.

Indeed, as Israelis were preparing to sit down for the first night of Passover for that Passover Seder, Iran fired multiple waves of ballistic missiles in a very short time span. We had at least four or five air raid sirens go off in the Tel Aviv area last night, about ten different ballistic missiles, according to initial reports, that were fired towards is Israeli population centers. We also saw today that Hezbollah joined in on that fire, firing dozens of rockets towards Northern Israel just this morning alone.

Israel, for its part, has carried out hundreds of strikes in Iran over the course of the last few days, and so all sides showing the capacity to continue to keep up this tempo and increase it, if necessary, of strikes in both directions.

Iranian officials meanwhile reacted to President Trump's speech last night by questioning whether this war is truly in America's interest. That was the message from the Iranian President Pezeshkian yesterday. And then after the speech, we also heard from Mohammad Ghalibaf, the speaker of the Parliament, the man rumored to be on the other side of the negotiating table, should those negotiations eventually take place. And his message to President Trump, to the American people was bring it on.

The Iranian military issuing a similarly defiant message, vowing more destruction to come in the weeks ahead should the United States continue to pursue this war. Wolf?

BLITZER: And in general, Jeremy, what was the Israeli reaction to the president's addressed to the nation last night?

DIAMOND: Well, we haven't heard any official Israeli statements yet, Wolf, because we are still in the Passover holiday here. Officials generally will wait until the end of the holiday to issue formal statements. But, certainly, you know, this was a positive note for Israelis. You know, the Israeli governments and the military want to continue pursuing this war in Iran. They don't feel like they've exhausted their targets yet. And so the clear signal from President Trump last night was that this war is going to continue for at least several more weeks.

BLITZER: All right. Jeremy Diamond in Tel Aviv for us, Alayna Treene over at the White House. Thanks to both of you very, very much. Jeremy, stay safe, as I say to you every single day. Pamela?

BROWN: All right, Wolf. Happening now, average gas prices across the nation hit above $4 a gallon. AAA is reporting, the national average is at $4.8 this morning. That's roughly a dollar more per gallon than just a month ago.

Oil prices also spiked this morning following President Trump's remarks on the war with Iran. Moments ago, Brent Crude, the global benchmark, was just above $108 a barrel. During a speech last night, President Trump downplayed the U.S. reliance on the critical Strait of Hormuz but without a clear picture of when the strait reopens and how this war ends. Some analysts are warning those oil prices could jump even more in the coming months.

And still ahead here in The Situation Room.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REID WISEMAN, ARTEMIS II COMMANDER: We forgot how beautiful it's to look down on Earth.

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BROWN: Making history. The four Artemis astronauts are on their way around the moon and they're already successfully marking day one milestones, and the latest on their journey.

Plus, we'll talk to a former astronaut about life after liftoff and the mission ahead.

You're in The Situation Room and we'll be right back.

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BLITZER: Happening now, the Artemis II is officially on its journey to slingshot around the moon. It's a monumental ten-day mission.

Thousands gathered across the country to watch the historic launch. Even the crew on the International Space Station hosted a watch party.

BROWN: The four-person crew got some rest overnight, at least four hours. They woke up to make some orbit adjustments this morning. And a few hours from now, they'll start day two of the mission.

BLITZER: Let's go live right now to CNN National correspondent Randi Kaye. She's over at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Randi, what's in store today for this is day two of this mission?

RANDI KAYE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf and Pamela, we just got the latest update from NASA and the crew right now is asleep and they will be woken up again around 2:00 P.M. Eastern Time.

They have been very, very busy. They are trying to make sure that this Orion spacecraft, the capsule that they're in, which has never been used by humans before, is safe to go to the moon.

[10:15:02]

So, they've been doing some safety checks, including communication systems, the navigation, the life support, the toilets, in fact, they had to fix that overnight, make sure that all is well. They also were able to do what they call a peregy (ph) burn. That raises the orbit of the capsule, puts them one step closer to the moon, going to the moon. And then later today, around 7:00 P.M. Eastern Time or so in the 26th hour of this mission, they will do what's called a TLI, a translunar injection, and that will really put them on the path, this figure eight path, where they can circle the earth and orbit the moon together for this mission.

Now, we did get some video of them in the capsule earlier. They are tinkering about there. You can see there's also Jeremy Hansen there. He's the Canadian. He's never been in space before, the first time a Canadian has been on a NASA lunar mission. And he is 6'2". So, he was going to learn to fly and float, as he said, in hopes that his crew members would be patient with him.

But this really is a mission of first. You have the first woman who will go into deep space. That is Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and also Pilot Victor Glover, the first person of color to go into deep space with NASA.

We did hear a little bit from Commander Reid Wiseman earlier today. Listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WISEMAN: It's an amazing ride uphill, the views. We've got two moon rises that we've had so far and the views of planet Earth. We've circled it completely and we forgot how beautiful it is to look down on Earth.

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KAYE: And, of course, mission control said that they are doing well. They are safe, secure, and in good spirits up there.

And just to give you a little more idea of what to expect day one, that's the orbit of the Earth, day two through day five, that's when they're en route to the moon, and day six, Wolf, is really the big day. That's the historic flyby of the moon. If all goes as planned, they will go further from Earth than any human has before. NASA had said maybe as much as 250,000 miles away from Earth, and for some perspective on that, the International Space Station is 250 miles. We're talking about 250,000 miles. Wolf?

BLITZER: Wow, amazing. All right, Randi Kaye in Florida for us, Randi, thanks very, very much. Pamela?

BROWN: It's amazing to see that lift off last night. It gave me chills. I was also holding my breath. And I'm so glad that it's gone off without a hitch so far.

With us to talk about more of this is retired NASA Astronaut Joan Higginbotham. And good morning to you. Thanks so much for coming on the show.

So, you know, I'm wondering what your perspective is. Look, I'm just a layperson watching this historic launch and it really, really moved me. Talk to me about how you're feeling right now.

JOAN HIGGINBOTHAM, RETIRED NASA ASTRONAUT: Absolutely. Well, I got up yesterday morning and the first thing I did was turn on YouTube and I was watching NASA T.V. and watching the launch countdown. And I just had a really good feeling that everything was going to go well, and it did. It was as clean a countdown as you could possibly think that they had one or two little issues pop up, but they were able to shortly resolve those and couldn't have asked for a better day for a historic lunch show occur.

BROWN: So, you flew aboard the space shuttle, Discovery. Talk to us about what it's like to be launched into space.

HIGGINBOTHAM: Yes. So, you're sitting there for, you know, a couple of hours, for us, it was about three hours, on our backs waiting to -- the very first time we attempted, we actually scrubbed five minutes prior to liftoff. So, that was a disappointment, got back in two days later. And when the engines came on at six seconds and the boosters lit, we knew we were going somewhere. And it was just sheer excitement for several of us. It had been a very long time for our first flight. So, we just kind of grabbed hands and raised them in glory.

And then you just (INAUDIBLE) the ride. It was eight and a half minutes to space. Rocky, a little bit about 3.5 Gs in. And then all of a sudden you just -- you're weightless and you actually feel yourself like lift off of the seat because now you're in a microgravity environment.

BROWN: Wow. So, this is historic, but at the same time, you know, America landed on the moon more than 50 years ago. So, help us better understand why this slingshot around the moon is such a big deal.

HIGGINBOTHAM: So, it's different in a couple of aspects. First of all, they're going much farther than the other crews have before. The second big difference is that they are going to the side of the moon that we've never been to before. So, this is really unchartered territory. And it will give us something vastly different than all the other moon missions have.

So, on that aspect, you know, it's just. It's a totally new and different mission than anything that we've done in the past.

BROWN: Just to follow up on that, why is it important to go around the moon like this in order to go back on the moon?

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HIGGINBOTHAM: So, it's really important because we've never been to that part. So, you don't want to go somewhere you've never been. You don't know what the craters are like. So, if there's slingshotting around that area, it's a really good chance to capture the topography, what the moon surface is there. And that way they can get a better idea of when we want to land, where are we going to land, basically the pitfalls of where not to land. So, it's basically charting your way before you actually want to get there and land. BROWN: Okay. So, I also am curious just about the day-to-day and how they're able to handle that. They're sleeping in four-hour increments. So, that's not a lot of sleep. How much do these astronauts train for this unusual schedule, and what is the biological difference of sleeping on Earth versus space?

HIGGINBOTHAM: So, the biological difference is that, you know, you have all this in adrenaline after the first day and you know you need to get sleep. Eight hours would be the preferred. But because of the trajectory that they're doing and they have these different burns, they need to be awake to do these. So, they're having a shortened sleep period, which is not the norm.

When you're on orbit, the options to make sure you do get some really great sleep is that you can medicate. So, for me, I actually took Ambien because I wanted to be well rested when I woke up. So, I'm sure there's something going on so that the four hours of sleep that they're getting are going to be very solid.

And if you were listening to the commentary this morning before they went to bed, Christina did ask mission control about the wake up music. And her comment was, we're really trying to maximize the sleep knowing that, you know, we have a very shortened window. So, everyone is very cognizant of how people are being awakened and how much sleep they're getting and the quality of sleep.

BROWN: Yes, because four hours just isn't a lot. So, you wonder what they could take where they wouldn't be drowsy when they woke up after four hours.

And I was also thinking about, you know, when they get in their sleeping bag, you would think you're just so excited, right, to be up in space. It's not like you just go to bed right away. I imagine there's a lot going through their minds as they're up there right now.

Joan Higginbotham, thank you so much. We appreciate you coming on to offer your perspective.

And we also want to note CNN All Access this here to answer your questions about the historic mission to the moon. You can send her questions to askartemis@cnn.com.

And we'll be right back.

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BROWN: Happening now, Congress is one step closer to funding the Department of Homeland Security fully. Legislation aimed at reopening DHS has been sent to the House after the Senate unanimously passed it this morning. Again, House Republican leaders are expected to take up the measure after striking a deal with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, but it's unclear when the House might vote on it.

Joining us now is CNN Congressional Correspondent Lauren Fox. So, Lauren, tell us more about what is in this bill and what is behind the deal that got Senate Majority Leader Thune and House Speaker Johnson on the same page.

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, essentially, Pam, this is the same bill that the Senate already passed in the early morning hours last Friday. What is different about this, I think, is that the reality of what was possible in the Senate really started to set in with both the White House and House Republicans.

If you remember, Speaker Johnson came out to reporters. He held up a copy of what the Senate had passed last week and highlighted that he believed that this proposal was a joke. Now, this is the bill that they are likely to move forward with some caveat. Basically, what they agreed to was some future bill that would fund other portions of the Department of Homeland Security the Democrats wouldn't agree to fund. That's ICE and CBP.

Now, Thune had already suggested last week he was willing to do this, but I think one of the huge question marks right now is how expeditiously is the Senate going to move on a Republican-only bill to make sure that ICE and CBP have funding, and does that make it so that this was able to pass more quickly. I think that that is basically one of the dynamics that was taking place behind the scenes, Pam.

But we don't know when the House is going to come back. We expect they're going to have a conference call in just a short time where I'm expecting that we will get more information on what their schedule looks like and whether or not House conservatives are going to go along with this plan from Johnson.

BROWN: Right, because we know Republicans have a very narrow majority in the House.

Lauren Fox, thank you so much. Wolf?

BLITZER: And just ahead, new video shows what appears to be the kidnapping of an American journalist in Baghdad. The latest on the search now that the FBI is getting involved.

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