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Suspect Charged After Two Jewish Men Stabbed in London; Trump Faces 60-day War Powers Deadline on Iran Today; Defense Secretary Hegseth: "60-Day Clock Pauses" for Ceasefire; 152nd Running of the Kentucky Derby. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired May 01, 2026 - 10:30   ET

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

[10:30:00]

DAVID GOLDMAN, CNN BUSINESS SENIOR REPORTER: -- we're seeing is how this is creating a lot of job cuts in America. Look at this. 25 percent, Wolf, of companies that were saying that job cuts are coming blamed A.I. That's up from 15 percent in February.

Now, one of the things that we're looking at is all of those headlines that we were talking about. This is something that I think is on a lot of people's minds. Meta saying that it's going to cut 10 percent of its staff block. That's the company that makes square all those payment terminals. Forty percent of its staff. Amazon over the past two years, 30,000 jobs because of A.I. and Microsoft just this past week saying that 7 percent of its staff would be offered buyouts. All of this because of A.I.

Now, is A.I. actually good enough to replace us. Is that what's happening. Not yet. 50 percent of A.I. tasks that we've asked it to do that could actually be done by a human being in three to four hours. Only 50 percent of those could actually be done by A.I. It's like flipping a coin. That was in 2024.

But look how good it's getting just in the past few months. This is in the third quarter of 2025. We got to two out of three flips of a coin. That means that A.I. is certainly getting a lot better at these tasks. Wolf.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: So, we've seen A.I. improve dramatically in just a few short years as you Well, know. How could A.I. reshape our work 10 years from now. What's the potential?

GOLDMAN: Yes, it's a great question, because we all know that we can see how it's getting better. So, in just a few short years look at the same number, right? So now, we're looking at 95 percent of the tasks that we are asking A.I. to do that would take a human being three to four hours. It can do that. 95 percent of the time.

So, what jobs are going to be at risk and what jobs aren't. OK. These are the jobs that you're probably pretty safe. Construction, doctor. We all see this toilet here. That's the plumbing job. All of this means that you are probably going to be OK because A.I. is not able to do the manual labor. But if you are in one of these jobs, like software, this is the one that I really think is a big problem because of all of the coding that A.I. is already doing, other jobs like translators, this was one that we were talking about in Davos in January with all of the translators with all the CEOs, this was a big concern. These are jobs that A.I. is already starting to get really good at.

But here's the thing, Wolf. This is the amount of money that A.I. companies are spending on the technology. It is measured in the trillions of dollars. Look at all those zeros, $6.3 trillion in A.I. spend. Here's the number that I really want to take a look at, this number right here, of that $6.3 trillion, $788 billion on data centers. That is up 56 percent since the past year. That means all of the money that they're spending that is going to A.I. data centers. There's a lot that we have to watch out for, for sure.

BLITZER: Certainly true. David Goldman, thank you very, very much. And to our viewers if you need David to make it make sense for you, email or send a selfie video of your question to makeitmakesense@cnn.com.

Coming up a Situation Room special report, how London's Jewish community right now is responding after yet another string of antisemitic attacks.

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[10:35:00]

BLITZER: New this morning, in the United Kingdom a suspect is now charged with attempted murder after two Jewish men were stabbed in London. Police are branding it an act of terror and authorities have raised serious questions about Britain's domestic terror threat level. In this Situation Room special report CNN's Salma Abdelaziz visits a community on edge after a string of attacks.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Golders Green, north London, known as this city's Jewish heartland. Here, a community is under threat, targeted by a recent spat of antisemitic attacks.

The latest declared a terrorist incident, a stabbing in broad daylight on this street that left two Jewish men injured.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Drop the knife.

ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): Leon, who grew up here, says he feels it's no longer safe to be visibly Jewish.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our feeling of freedom to walk around as visibly as a Jew, that has been robbed of us as of yesterday. And this is the consequences of the government failing its population and not doing enough when all the warning signs were there.

ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): The morning after the attack, Prime Minister Keir Starmer met with criminal justice agencies to demand a swift and visible response. KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: There's no getting away from the fact that this was not a one-off. This has been a series of attacks on our Jewish community. And there is a very deep sense of anxiety, of concern.

ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): While the PM scrambled his government, his political rival and right-wing populist Nigel Farage spoke to community leaders at the scene.

NIGEL FARAGE, REFORM U.K. LEADER: Every single time it happens, there are kind words that come from No. 10 Downing Street. Soft words aren't enough, and the government needs to be seen to be very, very robust.

ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): When the PM did arrive a couple of hours later, he received a much less welcoming response.

[10:40:00]

ABDELAZIZ: Prime Minister Keir Starmer has just arrived here to reassure the Jewish community that he is doing everything he can to keep them safe. But he has been met by an angry and frustrated crowd. They've been chanting, Starmer, do harmer. They've been calling him a traitor. There is a real sense of anger with the government here in London.

ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): Even with Starmer within earshot, Ruth told us she feels the authorities are deaf to her fears.

ABDELAZIZ: Why was it important for you to come here?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because he needs to hear us. He needs to hear this is the first demonstration I've been on, and I go on many, where we're actually angry because we've had enough. And we want him to start doing something positive.

ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): In the last few weeks alone, arsonists have set fire to ambulances belonging to a Jewish charity, and two synagogues were attacked in separate incidences that were just days apart. Arrests have been made, legislation is being fast-tracked, and $80 million has been pledged to help fund increased security for Jewish communities. But many here worry that's simply not enough to stop the next act of violent antisemitism.

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BLITZER: Salma, I've got a quick question for you. What's it like in the broader Jewish community not just in certain parts of London but throughout the U.K.?

ABDELAZIZ (on camera): There's absolutely a sense of anxiety, Wolf. There have been a series of attacks that have happened in recent weeks. Now, the government is taking steps it says to tackle this violent antisemitism. Yesterday, the prime minister addressed the nation. He described this as an attack on British values. He said an attack on the Jewish community is an attack on Britain as a whole. He's promised to fast track legislation to put tougher consequences and tougher punishments in place. He's put more funding for policing Jewish communities but many in Jewish communities across the country as you mentioned are concerned that it's simply not enough and that it's not safe, as you heard, from those witnesses there to walk the streets visibly Jewish across the U.K.

BLITZER: All right. Salma Abdelaziz, thank you very much for that report. Good reporting. And coming up in the next hour here in the Situation Room, I'll speak live with Britain's chief rabbi about the wave of antisemitic attacks and why he says people who are, quote, "visibly Jewish" aren't safe in the U.K. anymore. We'll have more news right after a short break.

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[10:45:00]

BLITZER: Breaking news, a milestone and a new test of presidential powers. 60 days ago, the U.S. and Israel launched the war with Iran. That's significant because a law from the Vietnam War era requires Congress to approve military action by the United States that lasts beyond 60 days. That War Powers law says if lawmakers don't sign off the president must wind down military operations immediately. But the U.S. defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, says the current ceasefire gives the White House a loophole.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETE HEGSETH, DEFENSE SECRETARY: We are in a ceasefire right now, which our understanding means the 60-day clock pauses or stops in a ceasefire. So, they're not it. That's -- it's our understanding.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Joining us now CNN political and global affairs analyst Barak Ravid is also the global affairs correspondent for Axios. Barak do you agree with Secretary Hegseth. Is the clock paused now because of -- the clock paused on the 60-day threshold because of the ceasefire?

BARAK RAVID, CNN POLITICAL AND GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST AND GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT, AXIOS: Well, I'm not sure I'm the expert on the legal parts of this. And is this compatible to the law or not. But I think that definitely the war has been paused. And right now, the U.S. is not conducting any major combat operations against Iran for quite some time. And at least at the moment, I think from what I know, the president hasn't made any decision to resume those major combat operations.

BLITZER: Two of the president's most staunch allies as you know agree with Secretary Hegseth's argument that the 60-day count is on pause. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. RICK SCOTT (R-FL): I think the president has the power to use our military to defend Americans. And I don't think he has to come to Congress for it anyway. But as Secretary Hegseth said you know we're in a ceasefire right now.

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), HOUSE SPEAKER: I don't think we have any active kinetic military bombing firing anything like that right now. We're trying to broker a peace. And it would be I'd be very reluctant to get in front of the administration in the midst of these very sensitive negotiations. So, we'll have to see how that plays out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: What do you think, Barak, does House Speaker Johnson have a point? Could setting limits on U.S. military action actually wind up compromising Washington's negotiating power with the Iranians?

RAVID: I don't know. I mean, at the moment -- I mean, President Trump announced a unilateral ceasefire with no deadline just last week, which basically in the negotiations took a lot of leverage out. And it was his decision, not anybody else's. And the main leverage that the U.S. still has in the negotiations is the blockade. So, I'm not sure I agree with Speaker Johnson about this thing.

But last night -- or last afternoon -- yesterday afternoon, President Trump huddled with his top national security team and got a briefing from CENTCOM commander and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs about new military plans in Iran that could be implemented if the president orders it. So, I think that it is very much on the table and the president is seriously considering resuming the war.

[10:50:00]

And therefore, I think if President Trump wants to resume the war, I think the War Powers issue will come back. It will be front and center.

BLITZER: The Maine senator, Susan Collins, broke ranks with her fellow Republicans and supported a resolution to halt U.S. military action against Iran. Republicans prevailed for the sixth time this year but with a very slim margin of 50 to 47. And it's worth noting, Barak, that this war right now has very low public support. Does the White House have a problem brewing right now up on Capitol Hill?

RAVID: I think that they definitely have a problem because the members of Congress -- and I mean, senators who -- I mean, when they vote they look at their constituents. And I think you see not only among Democrats that's obvious, not only among independents that's also kind of obvious, but among Republicans you've seen the polls that there is slow but ongoing decrease in the support of the war.

And I think the president is aware of it. I think his team is highly aware of it. And I think this is why, by the way, the president is still trying to get a diplomatic deal with Iran. The Iranians came back last night shortly after Trump ended his meeting with the military commanders. The Rangers came back with a response to the U.S. amendments to the draft agreement to end the war.

So, I think what it tells us is that the diplomacy is very much still ongoing. I don't know if they're managing to narrow the gaps. I don't get the sense that the gaps are really being narrowed but the diplomacy is still ongoing. And I think if you ask President Trump right now, and I spoke to him the other day, where he wants to go, my impression was that he's still very much interested in maintaining the blockade, trying to get a deal. And only if that doesn't work resume major combat operations.

BLITZER: All right. Barak Ravid, as usual, thank you very much for joining us.

RAVID: Thank you.

BLITZER: And coming up here in the Situation Room, getting Derby ready. Our Andy Scholes is live at Churchill Downs this morning. We'll update you. That's coming up. Andy.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Hey, Wolf. Yes. Today here in Churchill Downs it's the Kentucky Oaks. Everyone wearing their pink to support breast cancer awareness. Now, tomorrow is going to be the hundred and fifty second running of the Kentucky Derby and it's going to be one special day for one family. We'll have that story coming up for you.

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[10:55:00]

BLITZER: Grab your mint julep and your fanciest hat. It's Derby time. Tomorrow is the first Saturday of May, which means thousands of people will crowd Churchill Downs in Louisville for the 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby. That's where we find CNN Sports Anchor Andy Scholes. Andy, who's the favorite for Saturday?

SCHOLES: Wolf, so, Renegade is a slight favorite, but he did draw the dreaded one position and no horse has won from the rail here at the Derby since 1986. So, we'll have to wait and see if he can end that losing streak for the one position.

But last year's winner here at the Derby was Sovereignty. He was trained by Bill Mott. Mott, he's got a horse in this year's race again. Chief Wallabee, who's one of the favorites. But Bill's got some competition from his own bloodline. His son, Riley, is making his Derby debut training two horses in the race, Albus and Incredible. And this is the first time a father and son have squared off in the Derby since 1964. And we spoke with both dad and son. They told me they want the bragging rights at dinner.

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BILL MOTT, TRAINER WON LAST YEAR'S DERBY WITH SOVEREIGNTY: I want to beat him. That's my job. And, you know, my goal is to do the best we can with the horse that we train. And, you know, I'd love to see his horses run well. Look, if I can't win, I hope he does. RILEY MOTT, TRAINER MAKING DERBY DEBUT TOMORROW: We're both the ultimate competitors, as is everybody in this industry. So, I -- you know, I want what's best for him, but I want to beat him, for sure.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Yes. And Riley also joked with me that he loved the Mott family trifecta, although he wants his two horses to come in first and second, and then his dad can take third.

Now, when it comes to people watching events, the Kentucky Derby and the Kentucky Oaks here today is certainly number one because all of the fun outfits and the hats that you see. And I walked around yesterday at the Thurby, which is called Thursday at the Derby, the Thurby to find out what kind of hat strategies are going on. Take a look.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I always buy the fascinator first. I got told that like the big theme this year was like bright colors and I was like, you know what? I want to look pretty much like a traffic cone. And you know what? Coming in, I pretty much did.

SCHOLES: You were successful.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I bought some foam and made the flower. And I bought this hat and decided bigger the better.

SCHOLES: Are you ever going to touch it again after this?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Probably not. One and done.

SCHOLES: One and done.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One and done.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is just on a headband. I probably should have pinned it, but --

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