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The Situation Room

Masters Golf Tournament Begins; Estrogen Patch Shortage; Interview With Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ). Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired April 09, 2026 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:30:40]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Happening now: The status of the Strait of Hormuz is very unclear this morning. Only a handful of vessels have actually gotten through since the fragile cease-fire with Iran was announced, even though reopening the strait was a condition of the deal.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: Joining us now is Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari of Arizona. She is the first Iranian-American Democrat elected to Congress and serves on the Oversight Committee in the House.

Thanks for coming on.

So, you're calling for both President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to be removed from office for their actions during the war. What specific impeachable offenses do you believe they committed?

REP. YASSAMIN ANSARI (D-AZ): Well, first, starting with Donald Trump, I want to really emphasize the fact that I think the messaging and his rhetoric over the last couple of days, and specifically on the morning of April 7, when he took to TRUTH Social and essentially threatened a genocide against 90 million Iranians by saying -- quote -- "A whole civilization will die" following days where he said he will blow Iran back to the Stone Ages.

That demonstrates that he is mentally unstable and unfit for office. The fact that there is this now fragile cease-fire doesn't change the fact that he said those things and the fact that he put the entirety of the world at risk with this war.

We have seen that this is not a partisan issue anymore. There are many Republicans who were once avid supporters of President Trump, from Tucker Carlson, to Marjorie Taylor Greene, to Candace Owens, Nick Fuentes, and many on the far right, in addition to Democrats, who have called for the invocation of the 25th Amendment, who have called for his impeachment.

And look at where we are now after 40-some days of this illegal war. America is not safer. American service members have died. Thousands of innocent civilians have died. There is over a million people displaced in Lebanon, and we just saw the deadliest day of the war in Lebanon, with 200 civilians killed and more than 1,000 wounded.

This is a man who is a clear and present danger to this country and I think needs to be impeached or removed from office. And I'm very glad that so many of my colleagues have supported that assessment as well.

BLITZER: There's no indication, at least at this point, that any Republicans in Congress -- and they control the House and the Senate, as you well know -- or President Trump's Cabinet share your view.

So how is pursuing impeachment or the 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution productive and feasible at this point?

ANSARI: I think it's a matter of talking about it and making sure the American public knows what is going on here.

The vast -- the majority of the American public in recent data that I saw also supports impeachment of Donald Trump. I'm sure you saw the "New York Times" piece that came out that that elaborates upon how this war began and the conversations in the Situation Room with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that led to Trump starting this war.

I thought it was very interesting that J.D. Vance, in particular, was clearly opposed to the war. And I think that he has a very serious responsibility here. I think -- I think he should have done more to stop President Trump from embarking upon this if he felt so strongly.

He clearly indicated that he was opposed and did not think that this would make America safer before the war began. But that is what the 25th Amendment is there for. It exists so that members of the Cabinet, including the vice president, can take -- make use of this measure when there is clearly a president who is unfit for office.

I cannot tell you how many constituents I have heard from who have been terrified about their sons and daughters going to war, Iranians, 90 million people, who thought maybe a nuclear bomb was going to drop on them on Tuesday night.

I mean, this is the actions of an absolute madman, and we are only in month 16 of this presidency.

BROWN: I'm wondering if you have been in touch with anyone inside Iran and how your family is doing. I know that they fled during the 1979 revolution. How are you and your family reflecting on this moment?

[11:35:07]

ANSARI: I had a very heartbreaking conversation a couple of days ago with a 25-year-old doctor who reached out to me through different channels.

He used a VPN to connect and made very clear that 99 percent of the country does not have access to Internet because the regime continues to shut down the Internet. And this is a doctor who had actually helped hundreds of protesters in January who had gunshot wounds and were really almost killed by the regime during the protest.

But he -- his message to me was that, while the beginning of this war felt hopeful for Iranian people because the ayatollah was killed and potentially there could be a change, as the days went on, the attacks on civilian infrastructure, the impacts on the economy -- things have doubled in price in Iran, and the economy was already struggling significantly.

The conversation was devastating. He said this has now further entrenched the regime in Iran. So, any -- we have seen the White House now multiple times between Karoline Leavitt and Hegseth, say that there's a new regime in power.

That is bullshit. There is no new regime in Iran. It is the exact same regime, in fact, younger, more ideological, more extreme, and more vengeful now that they have seen attacks on their country for weeks.

And the people of Iran are terrified now because executions have restarted in the country. So, not only did we harm our own country and make America less safe and have more than a dozen of our service members killed in this process. Iranians are far worse off now after the 40 days of this war.

BROWN: Yes, the president has said that, after killing the first and second lines of leadership, he believes the leadership now in power is more -- smarter and more reasonable, as he put it. Clearly, you disagree with that, and it does raise questions, just given the pervasive ideology there.

Before you go, Congresswoman, I want to pivot to another topic very quickly. You recently introduced new legislation aimed at tackling some of the inequities in women's health care. Tell us about that and whether you have received any Republican buy-in.

ANSARI: Thank you for the question.

Yes. I -- this is an issue that's been important to me for a very long time. Women's health care has been ignored for centuries really. And so my package is called the HER Agenda, Health, Equity and Rights. And it's a series of bills that aim to address longstanding disparities in addressing women's health care, especially when it comes to reproductive health care.

So it includes a first-of-its-kind bill that would provide reproductive leave and applies to women and men, so talking about when you're experiencing severe pain from menstruation, from menopause, from endometriosis, from cancer and related surgeries, if someone's getting a vasectomy.

There's a number of bills that direct the NIH and the Health and Human Services Department to conduct studies related to the barriers for health care for women in particular. This is an issue that every woman can understand in this country. It's not Democrat or Republican or independent.

If you're a woman, you know the severe pain that we experience once a month at least during -- during -- when you get your period. And it's horrific. I have had times where I have passed out. I have endured. I have -- quote, unquote -- "sucked it up" doing my job, because -- to be taken seriously.

But this is very significant, and I think it's important to have these conversations at the national level. It's one of those issues that has long been ignored, but also really stigmatized.

BROWN: Yes, women's health has been underfunded, under-researched for a very long time. We cover it a lot on this show. And, actually, coming up, we're going to talk to Dr. Mary Claire Haver about women's health issues and her new book on perimenopause.

Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari, thank you so much.

We will be right back.

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[11:43:11]

BROWN: As hormone therapies become more common for symptoms of menopause, doctors have watched demand outpace supply for certain treatments.

CNN reported in February on the shortage of estrogen patches, and it's likely related to an increased demand after the FDA removed an outdated black box warning. The patches are recommended for women in menopause or perimenopause as a first-line therapy. And earlier this week, the FDA commissioner told us the supply will eventually catch up with the demand.

Here to discuss the shortage and more for our women's health watch is Dr. Mary Claire Haver. She is a board-certified OB-GYN and author of "The New Perimenopause: An Evidence-Based Guide to Surviving the Zone of Chaos and Feeling Like Yourself Again."

This book is just out, like fresh off the presses here.

DR. MARY CLAIRE HAVER, OB-GYN AND MENOPAUSE SPECIALIST: Yes. Yes.

(LAUGHTER)

BROWN: So, I just want to start first with the shortage. What are you seeing on that front and hearing from women who have started relying on these estrogen patches?

HAVER: So, a lot of frustration, some anxiety on they're being told by their pharmacies, mostly their local pharmacies or, like, the bigger CVS, Walgreens chains, that they are not able to get the patches.

So we're having to do some work-arounds, like consider changing your dose or consider going to a pill or a gel or another form. There are some -- like, I use Express Scripts. So, I have them shipped every three months. They seem to still have a good supply. So we're having to hustle a little bit on the back end to help them find what they need.

BROWN: Because women who are in perimenopause, as you wrote a book about, rely...

HAVER: Right.

BROWN: A lot of them are now relying more on these patches.

HAVER: Right. Exactly.

BROWN: Tell me about that, why they're so important.

HAVER: So, in perimenopause, it's not just the waiting room for menopause. It's really a distinct biological transition.

And what we used to think was just hot flashes and some cycle, menstrual irregularities actually starts in the brain. So we're seeing as young as 35 to 45 sleep disruptions, mental health changes, brain fog, and that feeling of I just don't feel like myself.

[11:45:05]

And it turns out that the best treatment for this is actually starting them on a low-dose menopause hormone therapy in their perimenopause, rather than waiting -- rather than waiting for full menopause.

BROWN: And we have talked about this. There's no one test you can take, and each patient is different, and it's really a nuanced conversation with your doctor.

I want to talk to you a little bit about what the congresswoman just said. I don't know if you were listening, but we just spoke with Democratic Representative Yassamin Ansari, who is proposing legislation that would offer 12 days of paid reproductive health leave for symptoms related to things like menstrual pain, menopause, an IUD insertion, which can be very painful.

There's currently nothing like that in place, and I'm curious your thoughts on that and how it will land in a workplace like Congress.

HAVER: I'm -- I really feel -- we are seeing it state to state. So, like, on our Web site, we track all the men -- at least the menopause legislation state to state, looking for improvement in education, medical leave for certain conditions.

I just think that 20 -- at least in the U.K., 20 percent of women are leaving the work force during menopause due to menopause symptoms. We could save the economy billions of dollars by keeping women in the work force, by giving them time off to tend to these really medical symptoms that need treatment.

BROWN: And so many women are still, like, holding on the fort at home and taking care of their parents or...

HAVER: Sandwich generation. BROWN: ... career, sandwich generation, going through all of this.

And a lot of them go to the doctor and say, I have got a lot of stress going on, but I'm not feeling myself.

And yet they're misdiagnosed or underdiagnosed.

HAVER: Yes, or dismissed.

BROWN: Tell us more about that and then -- or dismissed -- and then the other side of it, where perhaps they're diagnosed with perimenopause, but it's something else and how you're able to kind of sift through that.

HAVER: So, since we don't have a great one-time blood test -- there's no blood, urine or saliva test that's going to make this diagnosis. Because the hormone fluctuations in perimenopause fluctuate so much, when you do a one-time blood test, it's not really diagnostic.

So you really have to listen to the patient, believe her, look at all her symptoms, her timing, do blood work that's going to rule out things like autoimmune disease, thyroid disease, nutrition deficiencies, low ferritin, low vitamin D, et cetera, and then discuss possible treatment and see what gets better.

BROWN: Yes, and sometimes you can have both, right? I mean...

HAVER: Yes, all at the same time. Both things can be true.

BROWN: So much fun being a middle-aged woman, let me tell you.

All right, so what is the single biggest mind shift women should make when entering perimenopause? Because I think, for some women, it's like, oh, my gosh, it's my midlife now, but actually the best could still be yet to come.

HAVER: OK, I'm a 57-year-old woman.

BROWN: And you are living your best life.

HAVER: And I am living my best life. I am in full menopause. I'm on the other side of perimenopause, for sure.

But I look forward to every single day. And I want that for women.

BROWN: I love that.

HAVER: I don't want them to think of this last 30 years of our lives as just decline, as just getting older, as becoming invisible.

I am working more, harder, serving more women, reaching more people than I ever have. And I think it's possible for all of us.

BROWN: I love that.

I want to ask you about something else. We're talking about estrogen patches. I want to talk about testosterone for women. HAVER: Yes.

BROWN: Earlier this week, I spoke to the FDA commissioner. And I asked about the status of the FDA approving testosterone for women. This is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. MARTY MAKARY, FDA COMMISSIONER: I'd love to see the data for women. It's different for men and women. I think that's emerging.

A lot of doctors are prescribing it for women. It's in a law that it is a controlled substance. That law, in my opinion, needs to be changed. It was based on the 1980s and 90s doping scandals. We need to modernize and no longer treat it like a controlled substance.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: So what is your reaction to what he said? And what does the data show in terms of testosterone use for women or supplementation?

HAVER: Right.

We have excellent data for looking at hypoactive sexual desire disorder, HSDD, or what a layperson would call low libido. And so we know that, in women who have had their ovaries removed young, and especially in postmenopausal women, supplementing with testosterone, we see great improvements in their desire, and they're much happier on a sexual basis as well.

BROWN: And in the U.K. and Australia, I believe...

(CROSSTALK)

HAVER: Yes, so we -- they are -- their equivalent of the FDA, they're called different things in both countries. It is absolutely approved for women.

BROWN: But not here in the U.S.?

HAVER: Not yet, but we're very hopeful.

BROWN: You're working on it...

HAVER: Yes.

BROWN: ... is what I hear.

All right, Dr. Mary Claire Haver, thank so much. Great to have you on. And, again, congrats on your book.

HAVER: Thank you.

BROWN: I will hold it up, "The New Perimenopause."

All right, thanks so much. BLITZER: Very important book, indeed.

HAVER: Thank you.

BLITZER: Congratulations.

HAVER: Thank you.

BLITZER: You may be 57, but you look 27.

HAVER: Oh, thank you.

(LAUGHTER)

BLITZER: OK.

Coming up: The Masters tournament is now under way in Augusta, Georgia, but, so far, the pros aren't the ones getting the most attention. We will tell you why.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:54:02]

BLITZER: Happening now: Lawyers for Sean "Diddy" Combs are back in court, pushing for him to be released from prison immediately. They argue the judge -- and I'm quoting now -- "illegally" considered conduct that the hip-hop mogul was acquitted of during sentencing last year.

Combs' defense team is also expected to challenge his conviction on prostitution-related charges. They argue he was just making amateur pornography, saying that's protected by the First Amendment. Combs is serving a 50-month prison sentence.

BROWN: And new this morning, a doctor in Hawaii who was accused of trying to murder his wife last year during a hike has been convicted of attempted manslaughter.

Dr. Gerhardt Konig put his hand over his face as the verdict was read Wednesday. Prosecutors said he planned to kill her after he learned of her relationship with a co-worker. Konig faces up to 20 years in prison. He will be sentenced in August, and his attorney plans to appeal -- Wolf.

[11:55:00]

BLITZER: Also happening now, the Artemis II just woke up to the song "Lonesome Drifter" by Charley Crockett. And they're getting ready for their last full day in space. They're preparing themselves and their Orion capsule for their high-speed reentry tomorrow night.

There will also be a brief engine burn today to fine-tune the path back to Earth. The crew reflected on their incredible and truly historic mission during a news conference last night. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VICTOR GLOVER, ARTEMIS II PILOT, NASA: I will be honest and say I have actually been thinking about entry since April 3, 2023, when we got assigned to this mission. At one of the first press conferences we were asked, what are we looking forward to? And I said splashdown.

And it's kind of humorous, but it's literal as well, that we have to get back. There's so much data that you have seen already, but all the good stuff is coming back with us. There's so many more pictures, so many more stories. And, gosh, I haven't even begun to process what we have been through.

(LAUGHTER)

GLOVER: We have still got two more days. And riding a fireball through the atmosphere is profound as well. So I have to answer that question later. I'm not sure, but I can tell you it's a lot, and lifelong memories.

I'm going to be thinking about and talking about all of these things for the rest of my life, for sure.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: I'm sure they all will.

NASA says Artemis II is a crucial step toward its goal of getting people back on the moon and building a settlement there.

And happening now, the Masters golf tournament is officially under way. But before the pros teed off this morning, players hit the green with their families for the par three contest. It's a tradition dating back more than 60 years.

And, as usual, the kids, how adorable are they, they stole the show.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

QUESTION: What would you describe this experience with?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know. Lots of things. Incredible. Exciting. It's just the Masters is a great tournament. The par three is my favorite. And probably this is my favorite hole. Nearly got it.

QUESTION: People were cheering so loudly for you. What does that mean to you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It means so much. I would like to thank everyone right now. I don't know their names, but, yes, just like to say thanks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: So cute.

BLITZER: CNN sports anchor Andy Scholes is over at the Augusta National Golf Club this morning.

Andy, how's round one going, at least so far?

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Well, Wolf and Pam, I mean, look at this. The weather is just fantastic. It's 70 degrees and sunny today here in Augusta. It's expected to be like this for the entire weekend.

The defending champion, Rory McIlroy, he is out there on the course right now for round one, hit his first shot left into the trees, but was able to get up and down and save par. He's even right now through four. And Rory has talked about this week just how the weight of the world has been lifted off of his shoulders after winning this tournament last year, because, when he came here last year, all anyone could talk about was, would he ever win again?

And then, after he won, he joked back with us, what are we going to talk about now? Well, the story with Rory this year is, can he go back to back? Only three golfers ever have won the Masters in back-to-back years. It's Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo, and Tiger Woods.

So it's certainly going to be fun to watch Rory this week and see how he performs on this course now as a Masters champion. And speaking of fun, we just showed you some of it, but all of those kids just had a blast out here yesterday at the par three contest.

Brooks Koepka's son, Crew, he decided he was going to get to work. He was going to pick up a rake and try to fix up a bunker. Jon Rahm's son, Kepa, he was out there fixing some divots, but no one probably was having more fun than Nick Taylor, Ryan Fox, and Corey Conners' kids. They were just all over the place having as much fun as they could.

And we just heard from Tommy Fleetwood's son, Frankie. I mean, talk about a day for him. He certainly has won the eye and hair lottery. And look at the form he already has for his swing already. I'm pretty sure he's going to do all right.

Now, Aaron Rai actually ended up winning the par three contest, but that necessarily isn't a good thing, because no one ever has won the par three and then gone on to win the Masters.

Now, the patrons out here, of course, is what they call fans here at the Masters, they cannot actually win this tournament, but if they're able to obtain this guy right here, you can feel like a Masters champion. This is the most coveted item at the golf shop every year.

It is the garden gnomes. Costs 60 bucks, goes for way more than that online. This year's version comes with its own little mini umbrella. Now, to get this, you have got to get in line before the gates even open, way before 7:00 a.m.

And I wanted to see what that hunt was all -- like and how tough it was. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: What time did you get in line?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was 5:00, 5:15 this morning.

SCHOLES: Five-fifteen? What are you trying to do when you get in the gift shop?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gnomes, of course.

SCHOLES: Why did you get here so early?

[12:00:01]

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Shopping for a gnome.

(LAUGHTER)

SCHOLES: You want the gnome, right?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Of course, yes.

SCHOLES: Are you getting nervous now that the line has stopped?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, very.

SCHOLES: You think you're going to get one still? Because the line's getting longer.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't think so.

SCHOLES: You think they're going to be gone?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Yes, I think they're going to be gone.

SCHOLES: What do you think the odds of getting a gnome are at this point?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, I'd say slim to none.

SCHOLES: Do you feel like you have won the Masters with walking out with this guy?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We feel successful.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tired is what we...

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Didn't get here early enough. That's OK, though.

SCHOLES: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean, we got to go to hallowed ground. So how much can you complain, right?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Only 400 bucks on Facebook. We will get one maybe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Everybody wants the gnomes, guys. And the people's faces and the big smiles they have when they get one, it's pretty great.

BROWN: All right, Andy Scholes, thanks so much.

BLITZER: And, as someone who's been taking golf lessons the last few months, I can relate to those little kids.

BROWN: You can, Wolf.

BLITZER: I feel like that.

BROWN: You're becoming quite a pro.

BLITZER: Oh, yes.

Thanks very much for joining us this morning.

BROWN: "INSIDE POLITICS" with our friend and colleague Dana Bash starts right now.