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What We Know with Max Foster
Trump Outlines Potential Deal To Retrieve Uranium, Says Iran Has "Agreed To Everything"; Sources: U.S. Considering Unfreezing $20B In Iranian Assets; Oil Drops, Stocks Up After Iran Says Hormuz Strait Is "Open"; Ceasefire In Lebanon Holding But Under Strain; Pope Leo Spreads Message Of Peace In Cameroon; CEO Of Blacklisted Anthropic Meets Top Trump Advisers; Location Of Shakespeares's London Home Finally Revealed. Aired 3- 4p ET
Aired April 17, 2026 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:34]
MAX FOSTER, CNN HOST: Donald Trump says Iran has agreed to everything.
This is WHAT WE KNOW.
U.S. President Donald Trump saying Iran has agreed to everything and that he's outlining a potential deal to retrieve uranium. Pakistan's foreign
minister says he wants to see a permanent end to the war, and not just an extension of the ceasefire.
CNN's international diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson, is tracking the developments in Islamabad.
I mean, there's a lot of excitement. I have to say, Nic, about this. Is that justified?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Peaks and troughs, Max. There was excitement when the Iranian prime minister announced that because
of the ceasefire in Lebanon, Iran was announcing that it was opening the Straits of Hormuz. I think a little bit, President Trump responded saying,
amongst other things, amongst many other things, actually, that the United States was going to maintain its blockade. We started hearing through
Iranian state media, military --
FOSTER: Okay, we're going to come back to Nic because he's got some transmission issues. Let's go to Kristen at the White House on this.
I mean, he's been quite prolific with his content today, hasn't he, the president. How would you bring it all together?
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, he certainly has been. But I would bring it all together by saying the White House is
incredibly optimistic that they could get a deal as early as this weekend, we heard President Trump doing a number of these kind of short phone
interviews where he said that he expected a deal in a day or two. We also heard him saying that Iran has agreed to everything.
Now, it does appear that the U.S. is continuing this maximum pressure campaign up until a deal is signed, just given the fact that the naval
blockade is still in effect, we have heard from a number of sources saying that's going to stay in effect as these negotiations continue. I think what
Nic was alluding to there, I know he had transmission issues, is this idea that Iranian state media has said that they're going to close the strait if
the blockade does not get removed or does not open up.
But it's unclear here because that blockade was in place when Iran decided to open up the Strait of Hormuz, or at least announce that they had
reopened the strait. So, it does seem as though they did that without the blockade being removed.
Now, this whole question about funds, that's one that has a lot of us curious because we're hearing from U.S. officials this idea that they are
considering they being U.S. officials, unfreezing billions of dollars in Iranian funds, giving them back, essentially, or allowing Iran to have
them. The reason why this is so interesting is just given the fact that President Trump has often talked about this idea that Barack Obama gave too
much financing to Iran and that this kind of hold on them was economic.
Now, in another phone interview, President Trump denied this, saying, no frozen funds are going to be released to Iran. But this is what we're
hearing from people who are part of these negotiations and are at least briefed on what is under consideration. So, there's a lot of factors at
play here. He just did another interview where he essentially said that they would be going in Iran, agreed for the U.S. to go in and get the
uranium, but then at the same time said it would not involve U.S. troops, but did not give actual details as to how exactly we, the U.S., would be
able to do that without putting troops on the ground.
So there's still a little bit of a disconnect from what we're hearing behind the scenes from these negotiators, what we're hearing from Iranian
state media and what we're hearing from President Trump directly. And that's kind of what we're trying to piece together now. But again, the one
thing we do know, the White House, President Trump, these U.S. officials, everybody is feeling increasingly optimistic. And there is a hope that they
could be done with the deal by this weekend.
FOSTER: Of course, I don't want to be negative, but there are lots of ways that this agreement could fall apart. We've got the end of the ceasefire,
haven't we, on Tuesday. It's also reliant on Israel sticking to the ceasefire in Lebanon.
HOLMES: Right. And we've been down this path before. There are so many factors that can quickly derail this. And they have in the past, we have
been in a place where U.S. officials are saying that they're optimistic only to have the entire thing fall apart.
However, we are hearing behind the scenes that it feels like they're in a different place now. And what really helped cement this different place was
the negotiation of a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. That was something that was really a critical point for Iran, something they had
been pushing for Lebanon to be part of the ceasefire. And so that went a long way with the Iranian officials.
Again, one of the things that is still unclear, and this is where we really get into kind of the sticky nitty gritty of what a deal would look like is
about that enriched uranium.
[15:05:05]
It's not just about taking the enriched uranium out of Iran. It's also about this idea of Iran agreeing to never enrich uranium again, which is
what President Trump is essentially saying in these interviews. One of the reasons that we were told that the talks fell apart last time or broke up
last time was over the fact that the U.S. had come forward saying, we don't want Iran to enrich uranium for 20 years. Iran had come forward saying, we
won't enrich uranium for something like five years. And that just wasn't good enough. And they were not going to be able to meet on that.
Now, of course, you have President Trump saying they're agreeing to not enrich uranium at all. And so that's where we have a little bit of a
sticking point, because we're trying to figure out how exactly they got there, got over that hump and what we're hearing from U.S. officials is not
really any details on what President Trump is saying, but just that this ceasefire with Lebanon went a long way and that everyone is feeling pretty
good, that there are going to be a second round of talks and they could come up with a deal as quickly as this weekend.
FOSTER: One of the, you know, very successful parts of this effort is that these were two sides that weren't even talking. The distrust was, you know,
at an all-time low. But they have managed to build that trust by the give- and-take here, right?
So, is this seen as a negotiation or is this seen as the U.S. getting what they want by putting pressure on Iran?
HOLMES: Well, we certainly know behind the scenes they are trying this as a negotiation. Of course, what you're going to hear from President Trump is
always going to be a version of events in which the United States has bullied or strongarmed Iran into getting everything that they want. But
behind the scenes, we know that there is a lot of conversation. And it's not just directly between the U.S. and Iran. Pakistan has been a huge
player in all of this.
And you've actually heard that from the White House directly. Karoline Leavitt said it. President Trump said it, that they have relied heavily on
these Pakistani intermediaries to help with these negotiations. And that has been part of why it has been so successful.
And, in fact, there have been some rumors of some talk about going to another round of negotiations that might be in Geneva, and President Trump
himself shut that down, saying, why are we going to bring in another country that hasn't been involved in this? We should stick to what we have
been doing, which, of course, was an initial round of talks in Islamabad between these three parties, the United States, Iran and Pakistan.
And that is what we do believe would be the same group that would be in a second round of negotiations. And the other belief there is that once they
get to that second round of negotiations, that they are very, very, very close to a deal, almost just meters away from signing an actual deal, if
they actually get to this point of the second round of negotiations.
But yes, as you mentioned, I mean, certainly the U.S. has been working in various ways to try and show that this is a negotiation while increasing
their pressure on Iran. One of the things being they clearly took seriously this idea that they were hearing from both Iran and all of the gulf
countries that this was not going to work if there was no ceasefire that Lebanon was a part of, and they worked to rectify that.
Basically, what I was told in a timeline over a series of three days, nonstop calls in the middle of the night with various leaders trying to get
that across the finish line. So that in itself is a way that the United States is showing that they are willing to give something which was really
working with Netanyahu, in particular, to get the ceasefire.
FOSTER: Kristen Holmes at the White House, thank you so much.
Well, that statement from Iran claiming it was opening the Strait of Hormuz sent oil prices down, stocks surging, oil prices dropped close to 10
percent a barrel with Brent crude, the global benchmark, dropping below $90 a barrel earlier today. Investors buoyed by the news, of course, the Dow up
almost 900 points in the final hour of trade on Wall Street.
Richard's been watching. I mean you could have predicted it couldn't you. But they're relying on this working.
RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR AT LARGE: Yes. I think there's two things they rely. First of all, it's working. But secondly, the longer you
have a cessation, not a ceasefire, but the longer you have a cessation of hostilities, the more difficult it is to get them started again.
FOSTER: Yeah.
QUEST: So the fact that the fighting has stopped or that the U.S. bombing has stopped. Yes. In theory it can start up again, but it becomes a lot
more difficult.
And I think what the market is pricing in is that the worst of this is over from a military point of view, and that whatever fudge is put together, it
will certainly be better than continuing activity. Now, we've still got the U.S. blockade, we've still got Iran claiming certain things that are not
entirely clear, and you've still got 2,000 ships in trapped inside the gulf.
FOSTER: And we've still got an oil crisis that doesn't go away, does it?
QUEST: Well, it doesn't go away. And it continues to get worse until the ships start to leave. Yes, the status quo is worsening, in a sense, yes.
FOSTER: But there's that delay. I mean, I think, you know, one leading economist was saying it could be two years before, you know, the West
catches up with the lack of oil.
[15:10:09]
QUEST: So, let's -- let's pull this apart, assuming it all ends tomorrow and the straits are open and the ships. The first job is to get all those
ships out. Then and disgorge their cargoes. Then you start to get ships back in again and they have to then leave and head out again.
Now that's a timeline of anything from, say, three to two months, three to -- three weeks to two months, maybe more for three months. In that time,
you've got to dribble, dribble, dribble of the stuff that's just left, that's going into the system.
So yes, you're right. For the next two to three months, we are precarious in our oil supply at best.
FOSTER: And you know, something --
QUEST: Even worse by the way as we come towards the northern hemisphere summer season, driving planes, more flights, holidays --
FOSTER: So, when will people stop feeling the pain if this sticks?
QUEST: By people, if you mean you and me, that's going to take a long time. That'll take a long time. If prices go up much quicker than they ever come
down, it's a -- it's a -- it's one of those immutable laws of economics.
Prices go will take a long time to come down properly because the supply chain is broken. There are too many increased costs within it that are
feeding through. There is no justification or reality that it will come down, say a week next Thursday.
FOSTER: Okay. Richard, thank you. More on "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" in the next hour.
Now, the U.S. president says his administration will work with Lebanon to advance the new ceasefire with Israel. Donald Trump also said on social
media that Israel will not be bombing Lebanon any longer, adding they are prohibited from doing so and saying enough is enough. Shortly after this
statement, Lebanese state media reported an Israeli drone strike that killed one person in the south.
CNN's Jeremy Diamond is in Tel Aviv.
It was always going to be delicate, wasn't it? But, you know, you know, the cessation broadly is holding.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, it certainly does appear to be. We haven't seen you know, other than that, that one strike that you
just referenced, we haven't seen any major violations of the ceasefire on either side. It does appear to largely be holding, although that doesn't
mean that there aren't major caveats to all of this.
The Israeli military still telling residents of southern Lebanon not to return to their homes, although some have already begun to do exactly that.
There are also still Israeli troops in southern Lebanon, up to 10 kilometers into Lebanese territory. And we don't expect those troops to be
leaving anytime soon, even against the backdrop of this diplomacy between Israel and Lebanon that is set to take shape, potentially with a meeting
ultimately at the White House between the Lebanese president and the Israeli prime minister if the two leaders accept President Trump's
invitation, that was extended as the ceasefire came into effect.
But we know ultimately, a lot of this isn't just about Israel and Lebanon, about Hezbollah, but really about the United States and Iran. It was the
crucial ceasefire agreement that needed to be reached in order to allow this diplomacy between the United States and Iran to continue to advance in
order to see the Strait of Hormuz reopened. As we see, the Iranians appear to be doing today in response, in direct response to that ceasefire that
Israel has agreed to and Hezbollah has agreed to in Lebanon.
And it's also clearly part and parcel of the momentum that we are seeing and that we are hearing from President Trump towards a potential major deal
between the United States and Iran to end this war and perhaps reach some kind of broader deal on Iran's nuclear capabilities. We'll see if that
actually comes to fruition. But certainly here in Israel, the prime minister really had to do a job of trying to sell this to the Israeli
public, because we know that the Israeli public, by and large, wanted Israel to continue going after Hezbollah in Lebanon. Residents of northern
Israel, in particular, extremely wary of this new ceasefire agreement because they've seen previous ceasefire agreements violated before,
including when Hezbollah began firing rockets at the beginning of this war that Israel and the United States launched on Iran.
And so, you know, there is a recognition, though, in the Israeli public that ultimately Prime Minister Netanyahu didn't have much of a choice. You
know, the United States is the kind of senior partner in this relationship. And of course, Israel would not have been able to go to war in Iran in the
way that it has without the support of the United States as well. And so effectively, when President Trump said, you know, time to pull the plug,
Netanyahu had to oblige.
FOSTER: What about this order really from the White House and President Trump saying Israels prohibited from striking again, that's difficult for
them to sign up to, isn't it, if Hezbollah fires something off, for example.
DIAMOND: Yeah. Well, we'll have to see how Israel would respond to an incident of Hezbollah fire again.
[15:15:02]
There haven't been any so far. We know in the past in Gaza, another deal that was in many ways brokered by President Trump, in which he kind of had
to, you know, drag the prime minister along in order for Israel to sign on to that ceasefire agreement in Gaza. As soon as there was one incident of
Hamas militants, you know, firing on Israeli troops, Netanyahu went in very powerfully with a massive, you know, series of bombardments. And President
Trump accepted and supported that at the time. So, we'll see if it would be a similar situation here.
I certainly think that the language President Trump is using, talking about Israel being prohibited from doing certain things, that's not going to sit
well with Israeli leaders. But again, we are kind of at a point where Israel owes the United States so much as it relates to this war in Iran
that they really don't have and Netanyahu doesn't really have at the moment, the capital to push back.
FOSTER: Jeremy, I appreciate it. Thank you.
Today's news about the Strait of Hormuz broke as dozens of world leaders gathered in Paris. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President
Emmanuel Macron welcoming the development, but warn that more does need to be done.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: We welcome the announcement that was made during our meeting, but we need to make sure that that is both lasting
and a workable proposal. And if anything, it reinforces the need for the work that we've been doing this afternoon because we're very clear that the
mission that we're putting together is a defensive mission, and that comes after a ceasefire.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Back in the U.K., there's new controversy over former British ambassador to the U.S., Peter Mandelson, and that's putting Mr. Starmer
back in the hot seat. Mandelson was dismissed from his role in September over his ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Now, Starmer's
political foes say it's unlikely Starmer was unaware that Mandelson had failed security checks.
Prime minister denies doing anything wrong.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STARMER: That I wasn't told that Peter Mandelson had failed security vetting when his appointed is staggering, that I wasn't told that he had
failed security vetting. When I was telling parliament that due process had been followed is unforgivable. Not only was I not told, no minister was
told. And I'm absolutely furious about that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: When asked if he might resign, Starmer says he will, quote, "set out the relevant facts on Monday to parliament." In the last hour, British
political commentator Rosa Prince spoke with Isa about this scandal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROSA PRINCE, BLOOMBERG OPINION COLUMNIST: Peter Mandelson was always going to be a controversial appointment, so, you know, he had a lot of baggage.
Hed been dismissed twice before from the U.K. government. He had this friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.
He also had some questionable business interests, relationships with China and Russia. So, when it came to his vetting, it seems like red flags were
shown. And actually he was denied official clearance. However, he was greenlit anyway.
The prime minister says he doesn't know and I think didn't know about that. I think the best interpretation that we can put on that is that Starmer was
so keen to get Peter Mandelson into Washington that he kind of let that be known, and perhaps the officials kind of without him knowing, without being
explicit about it, just pushed him through, which, as you know, then completely exploded in all their faces because Peter Mandelson was very
prominent in the Jeffrey Epstein files and had to resign in disgrace.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Coming up. Is this the moment of truth for the ceasefire with Iran?
CNN's global affairs analyst, Kim Dozier, joins me just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:21:53]
FOSTER: U.S. President Donald Trump has been in a celebratory mood following Iran's announcement about the opening of the Strait of Hormuz in
one of numerous Truth Social posts he made today. The president called it a great and brilliant day for the world.
Meanwhile, U.S. officials hope a broader deal to end the war could be finalized as early as this weekend. But Iranian state media say the strait
could be closed again if the U.S. continues blockading Iranian ports.
Well, we don't know, is this the moment of truth for the ceasefire with Iran?
Joining me now is CNN's global affairs analyst, Kim Dozier.
Kim, thank you so much.
I mean, after, you know, the announcement from Iran today about the opening and all of those posts from the president, it did feel very positive.
There's a bit of confusion about why the blockade continues. Are you able to explain that?
KIM DOZIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, at this point, each side has told their own populations that we're winning. The other side has blinked,
and you've got this breathing space where if the strait is really open some of the fuel can get out just as an aviation fuel shortage is about to hit
Europe, et cetera.
But we're already seeing friction because President Trump is out there saying that Iran has given up on various points that are fairly existential
for Iran and important points of pride, where, as on the Iranian side, you've got the mixed message of the foreign minister saying the strait is
open for the duration of the Lebanese ceasefire with Israel, but then you've got internal reporting that seems to be from the Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps, that if the U.S. keeps that blockade going, then the strait is going to be closed.
Which is it? We don't know yet. It's one of those things where we got to see, can we track ships going through the strait and getting out to deliver
their goods, or is the strait still closed? The U.S. Navy did issue a warning to shipping, saying they're not totally sure that the strait is
free of mines.
FOSTER: Yeah. And the insurance companies will want to be sure. The owners of the ships want to be sure as well. But there does seem to be a genuine
determination on both sides. There has been some sort of breakthrough here, hasn't there, for two sides that are completely distrusted each other. Just
a couple of weeks ago.
DOZIER: You know, I don't think they've built up trust. I think from the Iranian side, they were in the middle of talking when this whole onslaught
began. So, they've always been willing to go to the negotiating table and talk and talk and talk this out. And the new generation of leaders that
have replaced those who've been assassinated seem to be of the mind that this also gives them possibly some economic breathing space, especially if
they are able to access the $20 billion in frozen funds that President Trump seems to be willing to give up as part of these negotiations.
But that doesn't mean that either side has actually given up any points in reality. No one has had to do the hard thing of saying, for instance,
President Trump has had to say, you know, I couldn't get them to export that 900 pounds, 450 kilograms of highly enriched uranium.
[15:25:11]
They're not going to let our troops go in and dig it out. The Iranians haven't had to say something like, yes, we are going to let the Americans
take away our highly enriched uranium. Until we get to the point where they have to publicly give something up -- again, were in this this magic moment
when anything could be true, depending on if you follow Twitter or Iranian local media.
FOSTER: Yeah. I mean, you look at this all the time. I mean, this idea of going and getting the uranium ending enrichment, it seems like something,
you know, doable from outside Iran, but it really isn't inside Iran. Just explain why that is.
DOZIER: Yeah. I mean, according to President Trump's posts today, Iran has given up the right to nuclear enrichment, and they're allowing the U.S. to
get what he calls this nuclear dust out of Iran. But this 450 kilograms of enriched uranium that's enriched to about 60 percent, which means it's not
very hard technically to get it to 90 percent. Not that Iran has equipment left over to do that, but still, its thought to be buried by U.S.
airstrikes from last year in one of three locations, most of it in Esfahan, possibly in two other locations.
So, what it means is if the U.S. was going to do another fire, they'd have to bring in hundreds of troops to secure the site, because this could be a
several weeks long operation to dig out, too, down to the facilities and then find this uranium. So, it is something you would rather do, uh,
probably to have the IAEA or some professional body do it with the U.N. overseeing it.
And that's the kind of thing that I think the U.S. wants to negotiate at the, you know, U.S. negotiators who are actually doing the nitty gritty
details. That's probably what they're going to ask Iran at the negotiating table.
But President Trump, he's not a details guy. And he's said, oh, they've just agreed to give it up. We don't know that they have. They sure haven't
said that they have.
FOSTER: Kim, thank you.
DOZIER: Thanks.
FOSTER: After a week of being targeted by President Trump, Pope Leo continued his historic 11-day trip to Africa. The pontiff visited a
Catholic Church, a hospital rather in Cameroon, where he blessed both patients and staff.
Earlier, massive crowds gathered at a stadium in Douala, where he said mass and he spread a message of peace.
CNN Vatican correspondent Christopher lamb traveling with the pope, filing this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, a crowd of hundreds of thousands of turnout in Douala, in Cameroon for a mass presided by Pope
Leo. It just underlines how the Catholic Church in Africa is such a crucial part of the church that Pope Leo leads today. Around a third of the country
are Catholics.
And of course, this is a place where there has been huge amount of conflict between the French and the English-speaking parts. This is the French part
of Cameroon. Pope Leo was in the English part on Thursday.
Leo has been emphasizing his message of peace throughout his time in Cameroon. Of course, at the same time, President Trump has continued to
attack him and Leo, though, showing his determination to keep on talking about peace, about the world, he said being ravaged by a few tyrants with
billions of dollars being spent on conflict and war. Leo showing his determination to keep emphasizing the message that are important to him and
to the church in a part of the world so crucial to the future and the present of Catholicism.
Christopher Lamb, CNN, Douala.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Still to come, the Strait of Hormuz may be open, but does that mean commercial ships are willing to risk crossing it? We'll discuss that with
the CEO of Vespucci Maritime, Lars Jensen.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:32:26]
FOSTER: Tracking developments for you worldwide following Iran's announcement that it has opened the Strait of Hormuz, traffic in the
critical waterway remains at a trickle after Iran said commercial vessels can pass for the remainder of the ceasefire in Lebanon. Meanwhile, the U.S.
military says it will sustain its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz for as long as necessary. This as Iranian state media report that Iran will close
the strait if the U.S. naval blockade continues.
Shipping companies are proceeding with caution over whether to send ships through the strait following today's announcement. In a statement on its
website, global shipping leader Maersk says, "The safety of our crew, vessels and customers remains our priority. Any decision to transit the
strait will be based on risk assessments and close monitoring of the security situation."
While CNN's global economic analyst Rana Foroohar thinks that the caution from companies like Maersk is a sign that the problems in the Strait of
Hormuz are far from resolved and could even drag on for months.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RANA FOROOHAR, CNN GLOBAL ECONOMIC ANALYST: Maersk statement, what's behind that is two things. One, the price of insurance in the strait has
skyrocketed. I mean, you can't even get insurance in some cases to go into this area because the insurers are spooked. Secondly, there's still a lot
of uncertainty about mines, you know, just general safety. The U.S. Navy has warned carriers that it's really uncertain. They don't have a grip on
the mind underwater mine situation yet.
So, you know, I just think the idea that the White House is putting out that, oh, we're going to make a deal and it's going to be fine is really
Panglossian, you know, and this this is a big deal. And it's going to go on I think even if we were to get a resolution, let's say next week, which
personally I don't think is going to happen, the fallout will continue for months, if not years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: So, what we want to know is, will commercial ships take a risk in the Strait of Hormuz?
Joining us now is Lars Jensen. He is the CEO of the shipping consultants Vespucci Maritime.
Thank you for joining us.
I mean, what are the vessel owners saying to you?
LARS JENSEN, CEO, VESPUCCI MARITIME: Well, if you look at the facts on the ground, the situation seems to have changed inside the last 45 minutes
because right after we heard the announcement, the strait was open, a basic small armada of 30, 40 vessels from a lot of different shipping lines
immediately pulled anchor to exit. All of these vessels have within the last 45 minutes, made a U-turn and is heading back into the Persian Gulf.
So, clearly, the assessment a few hours ago that now it was safe has changed.
FOSTER: Do you know why?
[15:35:00]
JENSEN: That is unclear at the moment, but it is very obvious they all turn at the same time. There are a couple of elements here that are unknown.
One is whether the Iranians have suddenly had a change of heart. They have said all along the last few hours that the transit, you needed permission
from their navy, and that permission might suddenly have been retracted.
And the second thing that is still unclear is, are there mines or are they not mines? That is an unclear risk factor still, at this moment.
FOSTER: Yeah, I've heard that a lot. And an insurance company is going to want to know, isn't it, that there are no mines? And that's a huge
operation. Actually, for the western military? I guess it will be them who have to prove that there aren't any out there
JENSEN: Yes. And as long as that is unclear, the only option for transiting is basically to use the two transit lanes that the Iranians are
controlling. That takes you inside the Iranian territorial waters. This was also known, say, three hours ago, when this armada set sail to exit but
clearly, they all have changed literally inside the last 45 minutes.
FOSTER: I'm wondering if it's because the Iranians -- because the U.S. blockade continues and the Iranians said it needs to be lifted, and maybe
they're turning these ships back until the U.S. ends the blockade.
JENSEN: Yes.
FOSTER: Is that a theory?
JENSEN: That could very well be the case. The challenge here is this kind of sudden change of heart means that next time we hear the call that now
it's open, shipping lines are going to proceed with even more caution.
FOSTER: They want to get their ships out, don't they? That's a big challenge for all of these companies. The question then is, will they be
willing to risk sending them, you know, an empty oil tanker back into the - - to the gulf? What do you think.
JENSEN: The answer to that is no. We could also see that if we go back, say, two, three hours, when it appeared, everything was open. The number of
vessels that set sail to exit vastly outnumbered the vessels we can see are anchored up that wanted to enter. So clearly, shipping lines are preferring
to get their vessels out, not into the gulf.
FOSTER: Yeah. Lars Jensen, thank you for your insight. And that news from your industry just from the last half hour.
Well, one unlikely ship that has managed to get through the Strait of Hormuz today is the Celestial Discovery. It's a cruise ship big enough to
hold more than 1,300 guests. Its nine bars, a swimming pool on board. There were, though, no guests actually on board at the time. Its parent company
says two of its ships have been stuck in the Persian Gulf because of the war, since continued its journey to Oman.
Now it's the final moments of trade on Wall Street. Stocks are still up after a pretty incredible day. The Dow has been up by 1,000 points, and the
other indices could close at record highs.
This is our Business Breakout.
Venezuela's Acting President Delcy Rodriguez says the country's central bank chief has resigned, to be replaced by the vice president. She called
this week for the United States to lift economic sanctions on Venezuela, and signed a new agreement with the U.S. energy company Chevron.
FIFA has hit back at the governor of New Jersey after the state hiked the cost of train tickets for World Cup games, a return ticket to the stadium
in New Jersey, which will be hosting the world cup final, will reportedly set fans back $150. That's more than 10 times what they usually cost. The
New Jersey governor said she wants FIFA to pay for transportation. FIFA said it was surprised by the governor's approach.
QVC has filed for bankruptcy with shopping channels. Parent company voluntarily entered chapter 11 proceedings on Thursday to try to reduce its
debt. The company has struggled in recent years from a surge in online shopping, though it says it has enough money to keep operating.
A high stakes meeting happening at the White House today between the head of artificial intelligence company Anthropic and the president's top
advisers. Anthropic has been in a showdown with the White House over the use of its chatbot, Claude, after a breakdown in talks, the pentagon
effectively blacklisted anthropic from the government.
CNN's A.I. correspondent Hadas Gold joins me now.
Anthropic clearly thinks there might be a way past this.
HADAS GOLD, CNN A.I. CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, they definitely want to try and fix this. As far as I understand, this meeting actually hasn't happened
yet. But to set the stage, the Trump administration, as you noted, recently blacklisted Anthropic after those negotiations with the Pentagon broke
down. What happened was that Anthropic's Claude was the only A.I. model at first to be on Pentagon's classified system. The Pentagon wanted to be able
to use that model for what they called all lawful purposes. Anthropic said they wanted restrictions on certain things, like the use of A.I. in
autonomous weapons and the use of A.I. in mass surveillance.
Those talks broke down. And then in retaliation, the Pentagon labeled Anthropic a supply chain risk normally reserved for companies associated
with foreign adversaries.
[15:40:01]
And President Trump said that all federal agencies had to stop using Anthropic products. He called them radical left and a woke company. They're
fighting it out in court. So that's been going on over the last few weeks.
But in the meantime, Anthropic is about to release or holding back release a very, very powerful new model that they're calling Mythos. And they're
saying that this model is the most powerful ever yet when it comes to things like cybersecurity. So powerful, in fact, that they are holding back
on the release of this new model, giving it instead to certain groups, governments, banks, things like that, so that those groups can actually
help prepare their cyber defenses.
So, what we're dealing with here is, you know, the government on one hand, is trying to blacklist Anthropic, not work with them at all, trying to get
rid of all of their products from the government. But at the same time, the government also needs to prepare itself for if any hackers are going to be
using this product. This product can also be used for cyber defenses, but it can be very dangerous when it comes to hackers. And Anthropic has been
trying to work with these groups.
So, the government here is trying to kind of square both of these things at the same time. In fact, we know Bloomberg and Axios have already been
reporting that the federal government, the Office of Management and Budget, has already told agencies that they're trying to set it up so they can
start using mythos and start testing it out. So that's sort of the context of where this meeting is happening.
Yes. The source familiar is telling us that this meeting, it's with the White House chief of staff, Susie Wiles is about Anthropic trying to find a
solution to continue working together and try to remove this label. And, you know, they have this sort of thing in their back pocket when it comes
to Mythos.
Now, the White House so far has said in a statement that "any new technology that could potentially be used or deployed by the federal
government requires a technical period of evaluation for fidelity and security, the collective effort of all involved will ultimately benefit
industry and our country as a whole."
Now again, this meeting hasn't happened yet, so we'll wait to see what happens if they manage to somehow come together and work together again,
and potentially if Anthropic has their way, remove the supply chain risk designation.
FOSTER: Hadas, thank you so much.
Still to come, we'll show you why singer David was arrested in connection with the teenager's death. We're live in Los Angeles with the latest
developments.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:45:19]
FOSTER: The alt pop singer David has been arrested in connection to the death of a 14-year-old girl found dead in a car last year. This video
obtained by "The California Post," you can see the 21-year-old being arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department. He is suspected in the death
of Celeste Rivas Hernandez. She was just 13 when her family reported her missing from her southern California home. Her body was found in an
abandoned Tesla that was towed from the Hollywood hills. That car was registered to David.
Josh Campbell joins us now from Los Angeles.
I mean, an absolute tragedy.
JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Max. And we're now hearing the significant development into that investigation into the death
of Celeste Rivas Hernandez. I warn our viewers that the details of her discovery are extremely disturbing. The Los Angeles Police Department says
that tactical officers from its robbery-homicide division, as well as U.S. Marshals, arrested the popular singer David yesterday on suspicion of her
murder. The decomposed body of Rivas Hernandez was found last year in an abandoned Tesla that was towed from a location in the Hollywood Hills here
in Los Angeles. That vehicle was registered to the singer. Again, you can see the images there obtained by the California post of his arrest
yesterday.
Now, as "The Associated Press" reported, investigators searching that Tesla in a tow yard found a cadaver bag. They unzipped it. They discovered a
decomposed head as well as a torso, according to court documents, the L.A. County coroner determined that her arms and her legs had been severed. A
second bag was also found in the vehicle containing other dismembered parts. A cause of death has not yet been publicly announced.
Now, David's defense team is vehemently denying their client's involvement. I'll read you their statement. They say, "Let us be clear. The actual
evidence in this case will show that David Burke did not murder Celeste Rrivas Jernandez, and he was not the cause of her death. There have been no
indictment returned by any grand jury in this case, and no criminal complaint filed."
David has only been detained under suspicion. His attorneys say that they will vigorously defend his innocence.
Finally, Max, as far as what happens next, he will remain in police custody for the time being without bail. Authorities say that they will present the
case to prosecutors at the Los Angeles County district attorney's office on Monday -- Max.
FOSTER: A lot of people obviously asking the question, why didn't -- if he didn't do this, why did he not notice his car was missing? But I guess all
that's going to play out in the -- in the case.
CAMPBELL: No. A lot of major questions and why his vehicle was missing for so long. And you know, if this actually does turn out to be murder charges
that prosecutors bring, they will have to determine that he willfully caused her death or that it happened under some other circumstance, like
the commission of another type of violent crime.
But that vehicle is going to be key, because what they will be trying to determine is whether, in addition to the remains, was there any of his DNA
that was also associated, were there any signs of struggle? Can they determine how she actually died? Trying to determine if this was indeed
caused by someone else.
Again, a lot of questions, but for prosecutors, but a lot of questions for him as well based on the sheer circumstances here, Max.
FOSTER: Okay. Josh, thank you.
CAMPBELL: You bet.
FOSTER: Back in a moment
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:51:07]
FOSTER: The exact location of William Shakespeare's London home has finally been revealed. It had remained a mystery until now, but researchers have
managed to crack the code, as CNN producer James Frater found out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAMES FRATER, CNN PRODUCER (voice-over): It's long been known that Shakespeare owned a home in London, but where exactly has kept academics
guessing for centuries. That is until now.
FRATER: It's generally believed that somewhere between the river and St Paul's Cathedral here in Blackfriars, in these narrow streets, that his
property used to be.
FRATER (voice-over): This modest blue plaque cautiously declares that the playwright purchased lodgings near this site.
FRATER: But in new research by Lucy Munro at London's King's College, this plaque is actually spot on. This is exactly where Shakespeare lived at 5
St. Andrews Hill.
FRATER (voice-over): So, what did his house actually look like?
FRATER: Munro says the property was L-shaped, not massive, but relatively substantial.
FRATER (voice-over): And it would have sat above the gateway to a 13th century friary that used to stand here.
Seventeenth century Blackfriars would have been a lively mix of people, gentry rubbing shoulders with an increasing number of trace people
according to Munro.
FRATER: In her research, there were tennis courts nearby, there was a bowling alley and many, many other entertainment venues. But also, there
was the pub just next door where perhaps the bard enjoyed a drink or two.
FRATER (voice-over): Crucially for Shakespeare, it was less than a five- minute walk from the Blackfriars playhouse and just across the river from the famous Globe Theater.
The original house didn't survive the Great Fire of London in 1666. And it is one of the reasons why the exact location has remained such a mystery.
But at long last, no plague upon any houses, as we now know exactly where his house stood.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Now we know. James Frater there in London.
Finally, tonight, an urgent rescue effort is underway again in the Baltic Sea. A humpback whale nicknamed Timmy, stuck off the northern coast of
Germany. Mobile cranes, pipes, floating pontoons are being used to lift the whale. Timmy has been stuck in various shallow locations since early March.
You'll know from our coverage, but he was briefly freed a few weeks ago. But it didn't swim in the correct direction for deeper water.
Here's CNN's Sebastian Shukla with more on the effort to free Timmy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEBASTIAN SHUKLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Out in the bay behind me is Timmy, the humpback whale who has captured the attention of an entire region, if not
an entire nation. Timmy, as he's been nicknamed by the locals, has been stranded along various points along the coastline for weeks now. His latest
spot here off the island of pool, is the latest and what hopefully conservationists hope will be the final beaching place before being
released back into the northern Atlantic and the wild.
The operation, though, is incredibly elaborate and complicated, being led by this group of private conservationists who, throughout the course of the
day, have been trying to insert a sheet underneath Timmy, as well as an inflatable device, almost like a pair of armbands. And then tugboats will
hopefully take him through the Baltic Sea, up around the tip of Denmark, through the North Sea, and finally deposit him back into the North
Atlantic, an operation that could take weeks.
The crucial day, though, is going to be tomorrow, where hopefully the culmination of their efforts in what has been a weeks-long saga to free
Timmy will be ended, and that has captured the hearts and minds of so many. The local papers here have been covering his every move. There have even
been live streams of Timmy beamed around the world and obviously tomorrow everybody will be hoping for a free Timmy.
Sebastian Shukla, CNN, Pearl, Northern Germany.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[15:55:01]
FOSTER: Now, before we go, a quick check on the markets as we enter the final moments of trade on Wall Street, stocks are still solidly higher. The
Dow is up more than 800 points. That's more than 1.5 percent. And the Nasdaq and the S&P 500 are set to close at all time highs. So that is a
pretty incredible turnaround. After Iran's announcement that the Strait of Hormuz was completely open.
U.S. President Donald Trump says Iran has agreed to everything, and he's outlining a potential deal to retrieve uranium. Sources say U.S. officials
are hopeful that a peace deal can be reached as early as this weekend. The price of oil also tumbled on that news. But let's see how those talks go.
I'm Max Foster. That's WHAT WE KNOW. More after the break.
END
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