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U.S. Delegation Heads to Pakistan for Talks With Iran; Final Day of Artemis II Mission, Reentry This Evening; Melania Trump's Rare Address Returns Epstein Case to Spotlight. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired April 10, 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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[10:00:00]

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, the breaking news, crucial talks. Vice President J.D. Vance on his way to Pakistan for negotiations with Iran as he warns Tehran not try to play the U.S.

Plus, humanitarian crisis, Israel and Hezbollah ramping up attacks, more than a million people in Lebanon now displaced, many of them desperately waiting for food.

And ahead here, the countdown to splashdown. In a few short hours, Artemis II and its crew will begin their reentry to Earth traveling 35,000 feet per second. The temperature on the outside of that, about 5,000 degrees.

Welcome so much. Good to have you to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. Wolf Blitzer is off. Pamela Brown is on assignment. I'm Erica Hill. Thanks for joining us in The Situation Room.

HILL: We begin this hour with the breaking news, Vice President J.D. Vance at this hour on his way to Pakistan for tomorrow's all-important peace talks. He's leading the U.S. delegation. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner also joining. Here's what Vance said just a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: We're looking forward to the negotiation. I think it's going to be positive. We'll, of course, see. As the president of the United States said, if the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we're certainly willing to extend the open hand. If they're going to try to play us, then they're going to find that the negotiating team is not that receptive.

So, we're going to try to have a positive negotiation. The president has gave us some pretty clear guidelines, and we're going to see.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: This morning, the brittle ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran facing additional strain, Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah exchanging more attacks in Lebanon. Israel says it has agreed to direct peace talks with Lebanon as soon as possible. The Israeli airstrikes though threatening to derail the ceasefire.

Take a look at some of these images as well. So, what you're looking at here, of course, the Strait of Hormuz. That oil shipping remains stalled on both sides of the strait. Reopening that vital route is a condition, of course, of the ceasefire. Analysts say, though, it's just too risky at this point for ships to make the journey.

The Situation Room is covering all of the developments in this very important story. Our correspondents are in place across the region. We want to begin with CNN Senior International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robertson, who joins us from Islamabad.

So, Nic, a lot of preparations ahead of tomorrow's talks and very high expectations. The question is, what will be met?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, look, a lot of secrecy around these talks, no surprise, it's high stakes. If the two sides can get into Islamabad and get into, and I think we're expecting not for them to be at the same table, but proximity talks in the same building, separate rooms as we saw in negotiations before the war started that were hosted by Oman. That's the format that we're expecting here.

But the hope is that at least being able to lock in the ceasefire, get the compliance that President Trump is looking for on the Strait of Hormuz, and perhaps begin to lay out a vision of how that can be managed so it remains open, what other international actors and players can be involved there. And on the Iranian side, they have still been demanding that absolutely a ceasefire in Lebanon, that is Israel stopping its attacks on Iran's proxy, Hezbollah, in Lebanon, that that is tied into and part of this U.S.-Iran ceasefire.

Iran is insisting that was what was agreed. President Trump has been clear that that wasn't agreed explicitly. But if the sides get into the talks here, perhaps, as J.D. Vance, as the vice president, has indicated that misunderstanding can be dealt with, but critical will be, as you say, opening the Strait of Hormuz.

HILL: Yes, absolutely. Nic, thank you.

This morning, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer shedding some new light on his call with President Trump yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: We spent most of the time on the call talking about the practical plan that's going to be needed to get navigation through the strait.

We've been pulling together a coalition of countries, now over 30 countries, working on a political and diplomatic plan, but also looking at military capabilities and actually the logistics of actually moving vessels through the strait. (END VIDEO CLIP)

[10:05:09]

HILL: So much at stake here, so many moving parts at this point. Also this morning, Saudi Arabia confirming its crucial East-West pipeline has been struck. So, what you're looking at here is a satellite image that shows the aftermath of the attacks. The pipeline is considered one of the main energy lines in the world. That gives you just a sense, right, looking at that map there, it has become even more essential, of course, because it bypasses the Strait of Hormuz.

CNN's Chief International Correspondent Clarissa Ward is in Saudi Arabia joining us now from Riyadh. So, Clarissa, what more do we know about these attacks on this critical pipeline?

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is interesting, Erica, that Saudi authorities have decided to kind of lift the veil a little bit and give a sense of what some of the impact of Iran's attacks on its infrastructure have been like, because there's been quite a lot of secrecy throughout the Gulf region as to the full scale of the damage. We've seen now this satellite imagery, which I believe you just showed of that pumping station, the ACO pumping station that was hit on Wednesday.

We're now learning that in several incidents around that time, over the course of the last week, at least one Saudi citizen was killed, at least seven were injured. And the impact that those strikes had was significant, according to the latest information. We're getting one incident, the East-West pipeline that you mentioned, that limited or took off, let's say, 700,000 barrels of oil a day, in another incident, 600,000 barrels of oil a day.

And you can see the impact that these strikes, particularly those hitting the oil infrastructure have had on global markets. And that is why you are seeing such a strong tone coming from Gulf countries who very much want to be sure, as Nic was describing, with both sides getting to the table, that the Strait of Hormuz will be at the center of it.

We just heard yesterday or last night, I should say, from Iran's new supreme leader. He was essentially bragging that the Strait of Hormuz is now under new management and it's a new phase. Well, people in the Gulf region want to make sure that Iran will not be in charge of this new phase, that they will not be the ones who decide who gets access and who does not.

And I think there's been quite a bit of alarm, Erica, that even after President Trump made it clear that this ceasefire and these negotiations were predicated on Iran opening up that strait, that it still has not happened. By the count of one watchdog that monitors marine traffic, nine vessels yesterday managed to cross in both directions through the Strait of Hormuz. And nearly 200 are still stranded there. Erica?

HILL: And that really does help to put in to perspective, right, the moment that we're at.

Clarissa, I really appreciate it. Thank you.

We also want to turn now to CNN's Jeremy Diamond joining us from Tel Aviv.

So, so much has been made here too, that, as Clarissa was noting, the Strait of Hormuz has to be at the center. The other major issue here is Lebanon and the continued trading of strikes between Israel and Hezbollah. Where do things stand this morning, Jeremy?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Well, today, we have seen Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon, and we have seen Hezbollah rocket attacks on Northern Israel. So, there certainly is no ceasefire on this front of the war. And the question, of course, is whether or not that will ultimately put in jeopardy the entirety of this broader U.S.-Iran ceasefire agreements. We've already seen Iranian officials say that they're not going to fully open the Strait of Hormuz because of the fact that Israel is continuing to carry out strikes in Lebanon.

But what we are seeing is a new effort at diplomacy, one that was prompted by President Trump who urged the Israeli prime minister to, on the one hand, scale back his strikes in Lebanon, and on the other hand, to engage in direct negotiations with Lebanon over disarming Hezbollah and also ultimately establishing peaceful relations between Israel and Lebanon. The Israeli prime minister following his calls with President Trump made that message, that request publicly. We could see talks between Israel and Lebanon as early as next week.

But what the Israeli prime minister has also done is he has resisted a full-on ceasefire in Lebanon. We've heard from sources that Israel intends to scale back some of its strikes in Lebanon, and we certainly haven't seen the level of carnage that we saw on Wednesday when Israeli strikes killed more than 300 people, including 33 children, according to UNICEF, in the span of about ten minutes.

But, you know, we are continuing to see Israeli strikes.

[10:10:00]

We're still seeing Hezbollah strikes as well. And Hezbollah's General Secretary Naim Qassem today expressing more defiance, saying that Hezbollah will continue to fight Israel until the last breath. Erica?

HILL: Jeremy, I appreciate the reporting. Thank you.

We are also following this breaking news domestically, inflation hitting its highest level in nearly two years. The latest numbers from the Trump administration show inflation rose more than 3 percent last month -- rose too, I should say, more than 3 percent last month, as you can see there at 3.3 percent, up 0.9 from February, the oil shock from the war with Iran driving that increase. And after more than a month of rising prices, the national average for a gallon of gas, it's now $4.15 cents. That's actually down to pennies from yesterday, but, of course, still incredibly high and much higher than that for folks in a lot of areas around the country. Still to come here, almost home, the Artemis crew is now just hours away from splashdown. We'll take a closer look at how they're preparing for what is considered the riskiest, the most precarious part of this mission.

And part of history, we're also going to speak this hour with Dr. Kelsey Young. She's the science lead for Artemis and the voice that guided the crew on much of their historic trip to the far side of the moon.

Stay with us. You're in The Situation Room.

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[10:15:00]

HILL: It is almost wake up time for the crew of Artemis II. They'll be getting their final wake up call for the final day of their mission in the next hour or so. They're of course expected to splash down tonight in the Pacific near San Diego.

Today's reentry is considered the riskiest part of this mission. Here's how the crew said they're preparing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VICTOR GLOVER, ARTEMIS II PILOT: I'll be honest and say. I've actually been thinking about entry since April 3rd, 2023 when we got assigned to this mission. And one of the first press conferences we were asked, what are we looking forward to? And I said, splash down. 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've seen already, but all the good stuff is coming back with us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: All the good stuff is coming back with them.

One of the NASA team members who's been speaking with the Artemis II crews, Dr. Kelsey Young, she is the science lead here, a brand new role, and a sign that NASA takes the research aspect of this mission very seriously.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KELSEY YOUNG, ARTEMIS II LUNAR SCIENCE LEAD: It is so great to hear your voice on the loops. I just want to channel everything that you guys are probably feeling right through my eyes at heart. It is awesome to see the side of the moon.

I can't say enough how much science we've already learned and how much inspiration you've provided to our entire team, the lunar science community, and the entire world with what you were able to bring today you really brought the moon closer for us today, and we cannot say thank you enough.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Dr. Kelsey Young joins me now. It's great to have you with us.

That whole idea of them bringing the moon closer, to hear that in your words, I have to say, I have had chills so many times throughout the last ten days watching this massive team behind this Artemis II mission, including yourself. As we enter into these final hours, I know this is a risky portion of it, where are you at in this moment? How are you feeling?

YOUNG: Honestly, you know, our crew, our friends are still in space, right? The (INAUDIBLE), which is where I'm coming to you from, you know, it's definitely business mode, it's execute mode. It's, you know, get our colleagues home safely mode.

I'm definitely a post-processor, you know, it happens. So, I'm sure once they're home and, you know, in a few days, I'll have time to kind of sort through the emotional part of it, but right now, it's business as usual.

HILL: You were speaking with them, right, throughout the mission. We saw some of that earlier. We were talking in the break briefly, and you were talking to me about the data, right? And there's all the science that has been sent back that's coming back with this crew. But so much of this mission is also about setting future missions up for success. This is really step one, or I guess step two since this is Artemis II, right, following that first unmanned journey.

YOUNG: Exactly right. So, Artemis II is the first crew flight, as you point out, of the Orion vehicle. Artemis I flew an uncrewed Orion capsule. But we're hearing more and more, you know, about these future missions. They're just next year. And, ultimately, we're building toward a moon base to establish a sustained presence on the lunar surface. It's a really exciting time, and Artemis II has really (INAUDIBLE) to take these next steps.

HILL: What has been the biggest moment for you thus far as you're watching history unfold? What has had the biggest impact?

YOUNG: Oh my gosh, wow. That's that question this week. It's crazy. I mean, I think the flyby itself, of course, I mean, that was the thing I was looking forward to the most. I think, you know, when I was, you know, sitting there on launch day, what I was most excited for truly was that very first description of the moon to come down from the crew on flyby day. And, honestly, that bore out.

You know, I think hearing (INAUDIBLE) these people who have worked so incredibly hard to understand the science objectives of this mission, and then hearing them actually, I mean, if you go back and listen to what they were communicating with me about real time, they were doing active science, exactly what we asked them to do, which is be members in the field, right, in situ at moon. And hearing them saying that they were scientifically discussing and working multiple (INAUDIBLE) spacecraft near the moon, that's probably what's going to stick with me the most.

[10:20:08]

HILL: There was -- what is remarkable is all the communication that you had, right? I mean, essentially, you're in constant communication. But that's all -- most of it's public, right? We can listen in, we know what's happening.

Take us behind the scenes of what will those conversations be like when the crew is back on Earth? We're not expecting to hear from them. The media's not expecting to hear from them for some time, but I would imagine you'll be talking with them. Other members of the team will be. Without all the cameras around, without all of us listening in, what will you really dive into with them?

YOUNG: You know, for me, my, my corner of this mission, right (INAUDIBLE) the lunar science corner. We certainly will have debriefs with them where we ask them -- again, you know, our responsibility is twofold. You know, (INAUDIBLE) and wish our other science objectives for the mission. And on the other hand, we want to learn lessons so that future missions can accomplish science even better, even more efficient.

So, when we sit down with them, we'll talk about both of those things, right? We will debrief the process, you know, how did it work? Did that communication work? How was the camera hardware? How did you find (INAUDIBLE) to perform your science duties?

But then we'll talk science, this crew is really passionate and interested in the science. We will show them data. We will show (INAUDIBLE) been able to do with the images we've already down linked in flight and have a back and forth with them scientific (INAUDIBLE), the space to build off of the discoveries that our team had (INAUDIBLE) contributing additional, you know, recollections, experiences, data collection moments that they had in life.

HILL: I want to -- we're going to have to leave it there, unfortunately. But I do want to just put up a picture that I think has gotten so much attention. The entire team has done so much to really -- this is such a unifying moment, I think, of joy and pride for this country and frankly around the world. But when we see the images of the team that makes up this mission filled with so many women, so many people of color, you are inspiring truly a next generation. Because if you can't see it, you can't be it. And so I just want to thank you for everything that you and your team are doing.

I know our comms are not great but Dr. Kelsey Young, thank you for your time and we look forward to learning so much more in the days and the weeks and the years to come.

We, of course, are expecting that last crew wake up call, as I mentioned, for the mission. That happens just a little over an hour from now. And lucky you, we're going to bring it to you live. Be sure to stay with us for that.

Also, our continuing coverage of this mission, the return of Artemis II, that coverage begins tonight, 7:00 P.M. Eastern, right here on CNN, and also on the CNN app.

Coming up here, reviving attention to the Epstein files. Spotlight back on the Epstein files now following remarks from the first lady, remarks that may have caught the White House and even the president off guard. We'll take a closer look at the fallout this morning.

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[10:25:00]

HILL: Happening today, there is growing speculation and, frankly, a whole lot of questions after First Lady Melania Trump's surprise announcement on Thursday where she denied having close ties to Jeffrey Epstein and denounced what she called unfounded and baseless lies about her connection to the late convicted sex offender. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELANIA TRUMP, U.S. FIRST LADY: The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today.

I am not Epstein's victim. Epstein did not introduce me to Donald Trump. I met my husband by chance at the New York City party in 1998.

Numerous fake images and statements about Epstein and me have been calculating on social media for years now. Be cautious about what you believe. These images and stories are completely false.

I was never involved in any capacity. I was not a participant, was never on Epstein's plane and never visited his private island.

Now is the time for Congress to act. Epstein was not alone.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HILL: Those remarks, including that call you heard there for Congress to act, also included her call for Congress to hold a public hearing with Epstein survivors, a call that drew a notable reaction from some of those very survivors.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LISA PHILLIPS, EPSTEIN SURVIVOR: But she said that she'd like the opportunity to have the survivors testify under oath. No one's ever given us that. No one's ever said that before.

What she also said was that the testimony would be sworn into Congressional record. I think that's huge because what we're saying has to be taken seriously if it's sworn into Congressional record.

This is the first powerful woman, and she has a lot of power, coming forward and saying, I'm going to do something. This is what should happen. What I say is, okay, let's call your bluff.

(END VIDEO CLIP) HILL: CNN's Betsy Klein is at the White House with more now on how the first lady's rare address may have undercut not only her own advisers but also her husband.

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: None of the reporters in the room knew that this was coming, knew anything about the substance or topic of this statement. I was told ahead of time that it was going to be a statement and not an announcement, and a senior adviser to the first lady had told The New York Post that its substance would, quote, spread internationally, complete.