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Video of Tiger Woods Arrest Released; Interview With Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY); Interview With Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA); Gas Prices Rising; Support For Iran War Falling. Aired 11-11:30a ET

Aired April 02, 2026 - 11:00   ET

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

[11:00:00]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Hey, Paul, as we say, go, Nats.

PAUL TOBONI, PRESIDENT OF BASEBALL OPERATIONS, WASHINGTON NATIONALS: Yes, go, Nats.

BLITZER: All right, thanks very much.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: Excited about those cheaper tickets for kids.

BLITZER: That's right.

BROWN: We will look into that.

All right, the next hour of THE SITUATION ROOM starts right now.

Happening now: new messaging. President Trump now working to reshape how his administration is communicating about the war with Iran.

BLITZER: Plus: new Tiger Woods arrest footage. We're going to show you the entire video. That's coming up this hour.

Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer with Pamela Brown, and you're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

New today, President Trump is offering new details on an exit strategy on the war with Iran, and that's rattling oil markets right now. Last night, the president addressed the nation, saying the war with Iran is close to ending, but only after delivering a final devastating blow.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are going to finish the job, and we're going to finish it very fast. We're getting very close. Everyone is talking about it. And, tonight, I'm pleased to say that these core strategic objectives are nearing completion.

We're going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks. We're going to bring them back to the Stone Ages, where they belong.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BROWN: And the administration appears to be losing more public support for the war. A new CNN poll taken before the president's address is showing just 34 percent of Americans say they approve, at least somewhat, of the military action. That's down 7 percentage points from a CNN poll conducted just after the start of the war.

Disapproval has climbed from 59 percent to 66 percent.

I want to bring in CNN's Alayna Treene at the White House for us.

So, how does the administration view last night's address by the president? Because, Alayna, it really was the first time that the president has held a formal address speaking to the American public.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, it was kind of an address, I'd argue, Pamela and Wolf, that you might have expected to hear when the war first broke out.

But I can tell you, I caught up with some White House officials last night following this address, and they were pleased with it, they said. They believed that the president did what he needed to do, and part of that was really, they wanted to design this as kind of a pitch to the American public of the war.

And that's part of why I think they framed it as a national address, hoping that many Americans would tune in to hear what the president had to say. You showed that polling of only -- of 34 percent, only 34 percent of Americans approving of this war.

The White House is looking at these same poll numbers. They know that a lot of Americans, their patience is wearing thin with this war, and that many of them are concerned about its impacts.

And so really what this speech set out to do was to try and justify the war and the reasons for the U.S. being involved in Iran to try to lay out, which we heard the president do, several of the military successes that they have had thus far, and also assure the public that this is not going to be a forever war.

And you heard the president say specifically that it should be nearing its completion, that he expects it to go on for another two to three weeks, even as, though, of course, we also heard him say that they're going to only further escalate some of the attacks that we have seen.

But there were some things that I was looking for that we just didn't hear of. Most of all, we didn't really get anything new out of the president, particularly for viewers who have been listening to his comments on the war for several weeks now. He did not talk about potential ground troops, something we know that the military is heavily considering. He did not really go into detail or any depth about any potential peace talks with Iran.

And he also kept the same line kind of when it came to the Strait of Hormuz, confirming reporting that we have that essentially the Trump administration might end this war without reopening that key waterway, something I think is responsible for some of those higher oil prices that we're seeing today, and, of course, a key concern for Republicans as gas prices continue to tick up here in the United States.

BROWN: Yes. And it's worth noting the administration had been saying that they are ahead of schedule with their military operation.

But the timeline that the president set out from the beginning with the four to six weeks, and then when he said last night that there could be two to three more weeks of bombing, that shows that they are behind the schedule from what was laid out in the very beginning.

Alayna Treene, thank you so much -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Happening now: gas prices ticking up again.

According to AAA, the national average price for a gallon of gas is now $4.08. That's up more than a dollar from a month ago. Some states like California are actually seeing gas prices near $6 per gallon.

Let's go live right now to our business and politics correspondent, Vanessa Yurkevich.

Vanessa, what are you -- what are we seeing with oil prices this morning?

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, investors have been looking for reassurance and resolution, but it appears that they did not get that last night from the president's address on the state of the war with Iran.

[11:05:04]

In fact, many are nervous about an escalation, oil prices today jumping about 10 percent. You can see U.S. crude oil trading right now on your screen about $110. It's been closer to $100 a barrel, and then Brent crude up north of $100 as well.

This, of course, has a direct impact on gas prices, which have continued to rise; $4.08 is the national average. That's up more than 10 cents from just a week ago and up over a dollar from a month ago. And investors on Wall Street, earlier today, the Dow opened sharply lower down 600 points, but has since recovered a little bit, Wolf, as investors just really try to get a hold on, what is the exit strategy here?

You can see the Dow recovering a little bit, but, this morning, nerves still about where this war is headed, Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Vanessa Yurkevich with an update, thank you very, very much.

BROWN: All right, Wolf, we have some breaking news to go to now.

New video showing Tiger Woods' recent arrest has been released by officials. CNN affiliate WPBF obtained the video. You're seeing it right here. And it shows bodycam footage from the arrest. Woods was charged with driving under the influence, but he pleaded not guilty, according to court documents. Following that crash, a local sheriff's deputy described woods as having bloodshot, glassy eyes with extremely dilated pupils.

So let's bring in CNN's Isabel Rosales, who has been following this story from the beginning.

Tell us more about the video here, Isabel.

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, Pam.

And it's important to know that this is just one of the videos that has been released so far by the Martin County Sheriff's Office. There are several videos our CNN team is going through as we speak. This video, we obtained from our CNN affiliate WPBF.

And it shows the moments right after the crash, the moment that first responders arrived to the scene in Jupiter Island, this barrier island. It's a wealthy waterfront community with several large homes in the area. And it shows Tiger Woods in a blue polo on the ground kneeling right next to his Land Rover that's overturned.

And we can see that he's calm. He is coherent. He is speaking with these first responders. Let's watch that interaction.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIGER WOODS, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: Looked down at my phone, and all of a sudden, boom.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to just take a look here. I'm going to just like take -- is this -- is this comfortable for you?

WOODS: Yes, yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You all right?

WOODS: Yes, I'm cool. Totally cool.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't feel anything...

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're still going to have our medic come and check you out, all right?

WOODS: Yes, yes.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, all set. Yes?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's OK, I just checked for anything on his back. I didn't feel anything.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, that's him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm right here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who hit him?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He hit the trailer.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So he kept coming.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. I tried to...

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So you were stopped.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was get ready to turn in. He comes fast. I don't think he was looking. That's the thing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Are you OK?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I'm fine. It hit the trailer, you know? I don't know if I'm going to -- I got to take this tire. I don't even know if I can drive it out of here. All right?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Chris?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes?

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to move my car up here. I have got to block all this.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (OFF-MIKE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're going to have to go back around.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (OFF-MIKE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, everybody. You have to go back around.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (OFF-MIKE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)

(END VIDEO CLIP) ROSALES: And, thankfully, neither Woods, nor the driver whose trailer he clipped were harmed in this crash.

And we do have a sense of what will happen next in these videos that have been released, we're still going through them, because of the arrest affidavit that gives a narrative here as to what happened with these first responders.

We know that, as you mentioned off the top there, Pam, he exhibited behavior that made these first responders suspicious and had them conduct this DUI investigation. He was sweating profusely. He had bloodshot, glassy eyes. His pupils were -- quote -- "extremely dilated."

So we know that they conducted a field sobriety test, which he failed. They also gave him a Breathalyzer, which he ended up blowing triple zeros, meaning he had not been drinking. And then he refused a urine test. So, as they were searching his body, arresting him for DUI with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test, they found in his front pant pocket two white pills.

[11:10:07]

Turned out to be prescription hydrocodone. So that's a painkiller. And, as you mentioned, this is a criminal traffic case. He has entered a plea here, waiving his right to an arraignment, entered a plea here of not guilty. He's also asking for a jury trial.

BROWN: All right, Isabel Rosales, thank you for bringing us the latest there.

And still ahead here in THE SITUATION ROOM: The Senate just approved a new plan to end those painfully long airport lines. Now it's the House's turn, and Republican leaders hope a new promise will be enough to get the deal to the president's desk.

And we're going to speak to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer about this and other news just ahead, so stay with us for that interview.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:15:33]

BROWN: Well, new this morning, the Senate has advanced a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security, minus ICE and Border Patrol, again.

But, this time, it appears to have the blessing of House Speaker Mike Johnson. Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune released a joint statement yesterday announcing an ambitious two-track plan to end this partial DHS shutdown.

It includes a public promise for a second Trump-backed megabill to secure extra immigration money through a tricky process known as reconciliation, which does not require Democratic votes. BLITZER: And joining us now are the bipartisan co-chairs of the House Problem Solvers Caucus, Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Democratic Congressman Tom Suozzi of New York state.

I know both of you have your own legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security. But where does your caucus, the Problem Solvers Caucus, as it's called, stand on this new plan from the leaders of the Senate, Leader Thune, and the House speaker, Johnson?

Congressman Suozzi, I will start with you.

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: Go ahead.

REP. TOM SUOZZI (D-NY): Yes, we haven't taken an official position yet, so we can't speak on behalf of the caucus unless we go to them for a vote.

But I think that most people just want to reopen the government and fund the government. Brian and I are working independently to say, hey, listen, we're the only ones proposing actually reforming ICE as part of this.

BROWN: So, Congressman Fitzpatrick, this is effectively the same plan that the Senate proposed last week and that House Republicans rejected on Friday before leaving for a two-week recess.

Real people have been suffering since then, working without pay. And, remember, it's not just the TSA agents that have been impacted by this.

REP. BRIAN FITZPATRICK (R-PA): Right.

BROWN: So, Congressman, help us better understand what changed.

FITZPATRICK: Well, nothing changed for me. I mean, I would have voted for the Senate bill, I said that, had it come over. The House came up with a C.R. I voted for that.

It's a very simple rule for me. I just vote to fund the government every bill that comes before me. I'm completely opposed to government shutdowns. So I'm glad they worked this out and it is coming to the floor. And I think it'll pass. I think it'll pass easily.

BLITZER: And, Congressman Suozzi, as you know, President Trump wants this second Republican megabill with his priorities passed by Congress by June 1.

Given the very tight margins Republicans have in the House, what do you think? Is that realistic?

SUOZZI: I don't think it's realistic, but, more importantly, I think it's the wrong way to go.

I think that we should get the Democrats and Republicans to sit down and work together, the way Brian and I have, and say, listen, we can fund the government, we can fund all these different agencies, and we can reform ICE. We can do things that will require ICE to behave like other federal law enforcement agencies.

And that's not a -- that shouldn't be a heavy lift. We were able to do it. We're trying to get more support for other people to support that. And we think that's what the Congress should be doing overall.

BROWN: Then, why do you think, Congressman Suozzi, it has been such a heavy lift to get Democrats and Republicans on board on some of those reforms that you have laid out?

SUOZZI: Because it's such a toxic environment. I mean, it's just nobody's talking to each other.

I think the public is sick and tired of the Democrats and Republicans in Congress just fighting with each other all the time. And they want us to work together to actually solve problems. And I don't care whether you're a Democrat or a Republican. You would like to see this dysfunction, like we saw at the airports, or not funding Cybersecurity and these important agencies during this difficult time in our nation's history, in the world's history. So dangerous.

We'd like to see these things funded, but we'd also like to reform ICE. We'd like to see ICE behave like other law enforcement agencies. Nobody's complaining about the FBI. Nobody's complaining about the Drug Enforcement Agency. Nobody's complaining about the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms agency.

These are all federal law enforcement agencies. And we should be having ICE live up to those same standards. And I think that Brian, with his experience 15 years in the FBI, and me with my experience overseeing the 12th largest police department in the country in Nassau County, where I was county executive, we can appreciate how to balance the needs of protecting law enforcement, and also rebuilding the social contract with the public.

BROWN: Yes.

And Congressman Suozzi basically teed up this question to Congressman Fitzpatrick on just the American people not being happy with Congress, right?

FITZPATRICK: Yes.

BROWN: CNN polling found that just one-third of the public believes President Trump has a clear plan, for example, with this war to handle the situation in Iran. You're seeing gas prices go up, crude oil prices go up.

[11:20:04]

Does that concern you, especially ahead of this fall's midterm elections?

FITZPATRICK: Well, I think everyone's got to communicate and represent their own people, right?

I mean, I think communication is very important. Number one, you got to represent the public and the people. That's why Tom -- do what we do. That's why we introduced this bill that reforms ICE and funds the Department of Homeland Security.

That's what most Americans want, by the way. They don't want this Hatfield versus McCoy, red versus blue nonsense that seems to be so pervasive in today's politics. They want reasonable people to come together and find common ground.

And that's where our ICE reform bill comes in. That's where our DHS funding bill comes in. That's the perspective we take. So it's incumbent upon every elected official to represent the people that sent you to Washington, to communicate your decisions, your decision- making process with them.

Every one of us have to do that. And every one of us have to answer individually for those decisions.

BLITZER: And a question to you, Congressman Suozzi.

Our new polling shows Democrats nearly unanimous right now in their opposition to this war with Iran, and a broader 74 percent of the public says Democrats in Congress have the wrong priorities. So, what can lawmakers like yourself do to try to satisfy the demands of your voters?

SUOZZI: We've got to start listening to the people. The people are sick and tired. Listen, Democrats -- they're sick of everybody. They're sick of all the finger-pointing.

They want us to actually -- I think people sit at home and they see us all fighting. They're like, hey, what are you doing for my life? How are you affecting my life and my family? This whole affordability question, all these different issues that people are struggling with, and Congress is just busy, like, who's going to win the next election?

And, of course, I want to win and Brian wants to win. But that's not the whole thing. It's not worth doing these jobs just to win elections. You have to also actually get stuff done that will make people's lives better. And that's what we need to focus on.

BLITZER: Yes, good point.

Congressman Fitzpatrick, on the war with Iran, President Trump has said in recent interviews that he's considering pulling the United States out of NATO because he doesn't feel U.S. allies, the NATO allies are doing enough in this conflict. What would the risks of that be, Congressman?

FITZPATRICK: We are not leaving NATO. NATO is an essential alliance to contain Russian aggression.

I think two things can be and are true, Wolf. Number one, we have to support and strengthen NATO, not undermine it. And, number two, we also need our NATO allies to step up to the plate and make sure they're adequately meeting, I think it should be 5 percent.

The 2 percent threshold is the bare minimum of GDP on their defense spending. I think that's very, very important. I think a lot of them maybe let their guard down. I think they would acknowledge that. They never anticipated that Vladimir Putin would do what he in fact did, an illegal invasion of Ukraine.

So they need to step up and do their part. But, at the same time, our message has to be very, very clear. And, Wolf, I'm the -- I'm part of NATO Parliamentary Assembly. I'm congressional representative to NATO. We support our NATO allies. We support the NATO structure.

We want our allies to do more in defense spending. But we also need to make sure, both in tone and in action, that we support that alliance.

BLITZER: Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick and Congressman Tom Suozzi, good to see Democrats and Republicans working together, as both of you are with the Problem Solvers Caucus. Appreciate it very, very much.

BROWN: Thank you both.

FITZPATRICK: Thanks, Wolf.

SUOZZI: Yes, thank you so much.

FITZPATRICK: Yes.

BLITZER: Pamela.

BROWN: And we should note, Wolf, that the DHS funding deal doesn't include some big ICE reforms, some of those big ICE reforms that Democrats were fighting for. We just talked a little bit about that in that segment.

We're going to speak with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer about that up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:28:29]

BROWN: All right, we're getting some brand-new video of the arrest of Tiger Woods.

I want to bring in CNN's Isabel Rosales.

Isabel, we had shown some of the footage earlier in the show, but now we have some new footage to show of this arrest of Tiger Woods, right? What does it show?

ROSALES: Right. So this is the second video we now have in-house, again from our CNN affiliate WPBF.

And, this time, we see in this four minute video part of the actual field sobriety test that Tiger Woods ends up failing. And we see there the arresting deputy, as she has him run through these tests that eventually would lead to his arrest.

So let's take a look at that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (OFF-MIKE)

How much have you had to drink today?

WOODS: None.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: None? Do you take any medication?

WOODS: I take few, yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What's a few?

WOODS: Motrin, ibuprofen and (OFF-MIKE) (AUDIO GAP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. Did you take all of them today?

WOODS: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes? At what time? Morning? Night?

WOODS: (OFF-MIKE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (OFF-MIKE)

WOODS: No, but ibuprofen (INAUDIBLE) and (AUDIO GAP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (OFF-MIKE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)