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What We Know with Max Foster

Trump: Extension Of Ceasefire With Iran "Highly Unlikely"; Sources: Vance To Head To Pakistan Tuesday For New Peace Talks; CENTCOM: U.S. Military Fires At, Seizes Iranian-Flagged Ship; Oil Jumps After Iran Restricts Access To Strait Of Hormuz; Eight Children Killed In Louisiana Mass Shooting; U.K. P.M. Apologizes In Parliament For Mandelson's Appointment; Pope Leo Criticizes Exploitation By "Authoritarians". Aired 3- 4p ET

Aired April 20, 2026 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:26]

MAX FOSTER, CNN HOST: Iran insists there are no plans for new talks with the U.S.

This is WHAT WE KNOW.

We're about 48 hours from the ceasefire deadline now between the U.S. and Iran. And President Trump says it's highly unlikely he would extend it if a

deal isn't reached by Wednesday evening. Whilst U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance is expected to leave for Pakistan on Tuesday for negotiations with

Iran.

The question at this hour remains, will Tehran even show up for those meetings?

Iran's president says his country maintains a deep historical mistrust of the U.S. government. Not exactly a recipe for diplomatic success.

And adding to the tension, the U.S. seizure of an Iranian flagged cargo ship. CNN.com says the vessel failed to comply with repeated warnings from

American forces.

Kevin Liptak is standing by for us.

First of all, J.D. Vance movements, Kevin. Some confusion about that.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah. He appears to be at the White House right now, which is very different than what President

Trump told a reporter who got him on the phone this morning, who claimed that Vance was in the air, headed toward Pakistan, hours away from touching

down in Islamabad.

Now, our understanding at the moment is that Vance will leave tomorrow morning. He's leading this delegation along with Steve Witkoff and Jared

Kushner, for this second round of negotiations in Pakistan. That's something of a different timeline than what President Trump was offering up

over the weekend, when he said that the negotiations would begin this evening, Monday evening.

Obviously, that has come and gone. There was also some confusion based on what President Trump was telling people who were getting him on the phone

about whether Vance was going to be involved at all. He initially said that Vance would not be going due to security concerns. The White House later

clarified that Vance, in fact, would be going. And so, a degree of confusion just based on the president's own words about how this all would

unfold -- unfold.

And remember, it's also the president's own words that have caused Iran to question whether it would even show up. You know, when the president was

saying on Friday that Tehran had agreed to all of his terms for a deal, that an agreement was essentially in hand, that they had agreed to not

enrich uranium, to give up their stockpile of highly enriched uranium. Iran said none of that was true, and questioned whether these talks would be

useful.

That has led to the optimism that we saw on Friday, essentially evaporating over the weekend. Now, White House officials do insist that these talks are

on track to unfold at some point this week. They say that Vance is again prepared to go and will be departing tomorrow morning. But I do think it

all underscores the uncertainty in all of this and some real questions about what Iran has actually agreed to, to make this second round of talks

useful in any way.

You know, the president has said some pretty clear red lines, one, that Iran should not be able to enrich uranium two, that it give up its

stockpiles. Three, that it not be able to control the Strait of Hormuz, all things that Iran at this point says that it has not agreed to. So even

when the delegation does depart, still some huge amounts of uncertainty about what the contours of this proposed deal actually are.

FOSTER: Kevin, thank you.

With more on the Strait of Hormuz and the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports, we're joined by CNN's Brian Todd.

I mean, it was extraordinary to hear that news that, you know, potentially an Iranian ship could have been fired upon. What were the repercussions of

that?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Max, Iran has threatened to retaliate for this incident. And this this interception and the seizure of the

Iranian vessel on the high seas near Iran really does throw a wrench into the potential for peace talks, because this was a very dramatic incident

captured on video that was released to us by U.S. Central Command.

CENTCOM does say that it was about a six-hour standoff on Sunday when the U.S. vessel, the USS Spruance, repeatedly warned the Iranian cargo ship,

the Touska, to not maintain its course heading toward an Iranian port. And according to CENTCOM, the Touska repeatedly ignored those warnings. Then

another very dramatic warning from the crew of the USS Spruance saying, prepare to vacate your engine rooms. It was warning the Iranian ship to get

all of its crew that might be in the kind of the below decks engine room to get out of the engine room, saying that the U.S. ship was preparing to take

a disabling action.

Well, then a few minutes after that, you see some of the video there and you hear the shots being fired. The USS Spruance, according to CENTCOM,

fired multiple rounds into the Iranian vessel and disabled it. And then some very dramatic video, nightscope video also released to us by the U.S.

military, showing U.S. marines from the U.S. amphibious assault ship the USS Tripoli rappelling down from helicopters onto the deck of the Touska.

The Iranian cargo vessel, so that vessel, Max, is now in the hands of the U.S. Navy. It's unclear where it's going to be taken. It could be taken,

according to experts, to an anchorage or port for inspection right now. They're going to inspect the ship, make sure maybe that it doesn't have any

weapons or anything like that on board.

And then, according to analysts who study these this kind of thing, because this ship was seized in the -- in the act of running through a blockade, it

could eventually become U.S. property as a so-called prize. It would have to go through the courts to do that. But it could end up as U.S. property.

But in any event, Max, this incident really could, you know, throw the possible peace talks coming up in the next few days into some peril because

the Iranians have vowed to retaliate for this incident. And as we already know, the Iranians have pretty much all but choked off traffic through the

Strait of Hormuz.

FOSTER: Yeah. Okay, Brian, thank you.

With the U.S. and Iran both making threats about the Strait of Hormuz, it should come as no surprise that oil prices are back on the rise. Prices

plunged late last week when it seemed like the strait might be reopened, but those hopes have been dashed and oil is about up 5 percent today.

Richard Quest has been tracking developments.

And, Richard, you were saying we seem to have found some sort of settling point over the last few weeks.

RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR AT LARGE: Yeah. It would appear that around this prices, because we were -- I mean, we dropped 10 percent on the

news of a ceasefire and everything moving forward. Well, and you're up say roughly 5 percent on the bad news in a sense. So, this is, I would guess is

the equilibrium for the time being. But of course, if there's any military activity, then we'll rapidly go back to where we were before because the

market still is deeply concerned.

It's not only concerned at the immediate loss of oil from the ships going through, it is now starting to price in in a meaningful way. The loss of

long-term production as a result of infrastructure damage as a result of war damage. And if that gets worse, then the price will go up even further.

FOSTER: What are you looking for in these talks? Or I guess you just want talks to happen.

QUEST: Anything.

FOSTER: Yeah.

QUEST: I think -- I think you've got to look for the market. Look, you know, you'll end up with a knee jerk to start with whatever happens. But

the markets going to be looking for meaningful progress because let's face it, Max, in the last week that you and I have been talking on air, we've

had the ceasefire. We've had this, we've had the promise of that. But actually, no more ships have gone.

So, we've had a lot of talk, a lot of optimism, a lot of nonsense. But actually, no more ships have gone through the straits. And I think that

were getting to the point where the market is saying, show me the ships before well start actually rewarding you in terms of the market price.

FOSTER: And in terms of the flow, where are we right now? We're looking at this map. Obviously, all these ships are being turned back all the time.

But you know, you talked last week about how we're going to start seeing a gap in the flow before, you know, we get a proper flow back.

QUEST: Well, we're not. We're not even there. I mean, we're not even. No, no, no, that gap only happens when the picture that you're currently

looking at empties. So, all the ships that are 2,000 or so ships that are stranded in the mid and upper gulf, once they've gone, that's where your

gap is because that's how long it's going to take for the next lot to get to there, to pick up their cargos and to come in.

FOSTER: Okay, Richard, appreciate it. Thank you.

Richard back in the next hour on CNN international.

Sources tell CNN the second round of direct talks between Israel and Lebanon, meanwhile, are now scheduled for Thursday in Washington. It's

meant to build on the temporary ceasefire there. People in Lebanon are surveying the damage from weeks of war. One man says it's on the level of

Gaza. Entire communities have been erased, especially in the south, where Israel says it's creating a security buffer to protect against Hezbollah

attacks.

Israeli forces are occupying dozens of villages, including Debel, where this photo was taken. It shows an Israeli soldier desecrating a statue of

Jesus that was part of a crucifix. Israel's military says its investigating.

[15:10:00]

Church leaders call it a grave affront to the Christian faith.

Authorities in Louisiana are trying to figure out why a 31-year-old man snapped and shot and killed his children on Sunday. The man killed his

seven young children and one of their cousins in a rampage that is the deadliest mass shooting now in the U.S. in more than two years. The gunman

also critically injured two other women, including his wife, before police shot and killed him.

With more, here's CNN's Isabel Rosales.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is an awful, awful crime that has the Shreveport community shaken up, disturbed, angered. We're seeing

community members coming here and they're praying these two women right here, they're out here paying their respects, praying this man right here

on the ground in front of the home, praying this great home that you see right here is one of the three associated with this horrific mass shooting.

Let me walk you through a little bit of the home here as we zoom in on this front door, you can see four bullet holes marked by police evidence

stickers, even actually, the home to the right over here, the neighbors home. You can see where either shrapnel or bullets went through this home

as well. And in the front of the yard, we can see teddy bears and balloons and flowers that have been brought out by community members, family

members, too, paying their respects.

The gunman is Shamar Elkins. According to Shreveport police, he first began his deadly rampage by pointing the gun at his wife, shooting her, injuring

her, and then coming to this home where he shot and killed eight children, seven of which are his own children. Ultimately, he ended up carjacking a

driver and leading police on a chase across the neighboring parish, where officers ended up shooting and killing him.

I spoke with one of the family members of these victims. Here's what he had to say.

LIONEL PUGH, UNCLE OF SHAMAR ELKIN'S WIFE: It's hard. It's hard. Yeah, it's very hard.

They were just, you know, just regular little sweet kids, man. You know, everyday kids, you know, just, you know, fun. Just happy to be here, you

know, just full of joy.

ROSALES: And according to the Caddo Parish coroner's office, there were five girls that were killed and eight boys, their ages range from as young

as three years old up until 11 years old. Two women are in critical condition in the hospital. And there was also a 13-year-old boy.

Neighbors were telling me and police also told the story, that this child jumped from the roof to evade this shooting, ended up breaking some bones,

but is expected to be okay.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Isabel reporting for us there.

Still to come, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer under scrutiny as questions swirl over what he knew about a former U.S. ambassador's vetting

and when, crucially.

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[15:16:13]

FOSTER: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer acknowledges he was wrong to appoint Peter Mandelson as U.S. ambassador but insists he was not informed

that Mandelson had failed his vetting process until last week. Mandelson was sacked in September after emails released by the U.S. Justice

Department revealed close ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Mandelson has denied any criminal wrongdoing. Last week, news surfaced that

Mandelson was hired in early 2025, despite the failed vetting.

In the House of Commons today, Mr. Starmer resisted calls to resign.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Let me be very clear if I had been told that Peter Mandelson or anybody else had failed security and had not

been given clearance on security vetting, I would not have appointed them. A deliberate decision was -- a deliberate decision was taken to withhold

that material from me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: British lawmakers pushed the prime minister on what he knew about Mandelson's vetting process and when, almost two years ago. Starmer

promised the British public, who were weary of political scandals and turmoil, that his government would be different.

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch questioned how much he had fallen short on that promise, and who should be responsible for the vetting

failures.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEMI BADENDOCH, BRITISH CONSERVATIVE PARTY LEADER: Instead of taking responsibility for the decisions he made, the prime minister has thrown his

staff and his officials under the bus. He has sacked his cabinet secretary. He has sacked his director of communications. He has sacked his chief of

staff, and he has now sacked the permanent secretary of the foreign office.

All of these people fired for a decision he made. The right honorable gentleman's defense is that he, a former director of public prosecutions,

is so lacking in curiosity that he chose to ask no questions about the vetting process. He asked no questions about Mandelson's relationship with

Epstein. He asked no questions about the security risk Mandelson posed.

It doesn't appear that he asked any questions at all. Why? Because he didn't want to know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: So, what we want to know is, can Keir Starmer survive this latest controversy?

Joining me now, Jon Sopel, co-host of the "News Agents" podcast and former BBC news chief political correspondent. Jon, great to have you on here.

I mean, for those people following the ins and outs of this, it's very fascinating, isn't it? But for everyone else, it's really hard to keep up

with. Just explain how we got here and what it means for the prime minister.

JON SOPEL, FORMER CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, BBC NEWS: Yeah. Okay. I'll try to do this in simple terms, as simple as possible. I mean, Peter

Mandelson was always a controversial appointment to make as our ambassador to Washington. Twice, he had to be fired from the cabinet over his links

with millionaires. So there was a knowledge that Mandelson was a dangerous and risky choice, but they thought that he could do the whispering into

Donald Trump's ear that might get Britain a better trade deal.

And so, what happened was that they appointed Mandelson to be our ambassador in Washington. Very unusual in itself, because normally it is

civil servants, public servants who get the key ambassadorial roles in the U.K. And Peter Mandelson was a politician. He gets appointed, but his

appointment is announced and his letter of contract that he was sent is before any vetting takes place. And you would have imagined that, given the

controversial background of Mandelson fired twice to have known links with Russian billionaires, to have known links with Jeffrey Epstein, that they

would have been a bit more careful.

And it seems that there is some truth to what Kemi Badenoch charges that actually the prime minister didn't want to know. And so, Peter Mandelson

gets appointed. It has unraveled and it has just got worse and worse and worse for Keir Starmer.

And he hoped today would draw a line under this affair. Has it? Not a cat's chance in hell.

FOSTER: Is your feeling that Starmer made it very clear that he wanted Mandelson, no matter what, and the Foreign Office effectively was trying to

do him a favor, which obviously completely unraveled?

SOPEL: So the person who's at the top of the foreign office, we've got our foreign secretary, who's a politician, but the person who runs the foreign

office department is a public servant who serves all governments equally. He had only just got into the role, and Peter Mandelson had been confirmed

as the next ambassador to Washington. So, there is this vetting that is done, security vetting, and there are some red flags that are signaled.

And he thinks, I can deal with this. I know what kind of, you know, modifications need to be made about the way Mandelson handles

relationships. So, I don't need to tell anyone about it.

And that is genuinely the position. But Olly Robbins, as soon as -- who is the guy who was in charge of the foreign office until last Thursday, the

moment this story breaks open, Starmer fires him instantly and he is the fall guy.

And so, you now have huge resentment within the civil service of public servants who are not aligned politically, and the government who feel that

one of their own has been booted out to save Keir Starmer's skin. Whether it will save Keir Starmer's skin in the long term, I don't know. I think

that in Britain, we have got local council elections, municipal elections coming up in two and a half weeks' time. I think if Labour do badly in

those elections, it will be another reason why they will think, you know what, we need a new prime minister to lead us and that the present one is

not up to the job.

FOSTER: I know Olly Robbins is speaking tomorrow, so we'll wait to see whether the stories match. But I know you were based in Washington as well,

weren't you, Jon, for a long time.

SOPEL: Yeah.

FOSTER: We've got the king's state visit next week. And you know, people are now talking about the perilous state of the U.K.-U.S. relationship. A

lot of people looking to the king to fix that. I mean, how are you looking at that visit and how difficult it is for the king?

SOPEL: I think it will be difficult, Max. I think it's a -- you know, there are a lot of little kind of landmines that he's going to have to

tiptoe across. And I think that what the palace have feared is some kind of moment where maybe they're in the Oval Office and Donald Trump invites in

the cameras, and he kind of ambushes the king, and the king is put in an embarrassing position because, you know, let's face it, Donald Trump has

been pretty clear about what he thinks of our prime minister, Keir Starmer.

I think the palace and the White House are conscious of that. And I think it will be pretty carefully orchestrated. On one level, the special

relationship goes on regardless. I mean, in terms of intelligence sharing, the work that GCHQ does with the CIA, that continues, the fact that there

are huge numbers of British servicemen and women who are integrated as part of U.S. forces, and likewise American servicemen and women integrated in

the British armed forces.

So, there is an element in which this is noise, and always with Donald Trump, there is a lot of noise. And you just heard Richard Quest talking

about, you know, some of the kind of confident assertions that Donald Trump has made about what's happening.

But I do think that there is a real rift taking place in the relationship between Britain and the U.K., and -- sorry, the U.S. and the U.K. And I

think a rift between the U.S. and Western Europe and the European security umbrella of NATO and what the relations are. And I think that this is

serious stuff. And I think that it's -- you know, the king can probably do his very best.

But we had Donald Trump over here for a state visit. And initially it seemed to buy good favor. But this is a very transactional president. And

if he doesn't get what he wants, he makes clear his unhappiness. And I suspect that even if the state visit goes swimmingly, which I suspect it

will, and King Charles is a very skilled diplomat. We could be back to square one a week later if Keir Starmer says something that Donald Trump

takes exception to.

FOSTER: Okay, it's going to be a fascinating week. Jon, thank you so much for joining us. Really appreciate it.

Now, Pope Leo in Angola as part of his four-nation tour across Africa. The pontiff sharply criticizing what he calls the exploitation of people around

the world by authoritarians.

Christopher Lamb traveling with the pope for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Pope Leo is continuing his marathon trip across Africa. He's here in Saurimo, which is in northeastern

Angola, to celebrate mass and to visit a nursing home here. And Saurimo is the heart of the diamond mining industry in Angola.

And whilst in this country, Leo has been talking about the problems of exploitation and inequality, key themes of his visit to Africa. I've been

amongst the crowd talking to people and they want the pope to bring a message of peace. They want him to speak out about inequalities and also

they're concerned about people affected by floods recently in Angola.

But they see in the pope, a figure of someone who can speak out about these issues. Now, Leo is on a four-nation tour of Africa. Angola is the third

stop on it. And on Tuesday, he travels to Equatorial Guinea.

His time in Africa has been very significant because, of course, this is a part of the world where the Catholic Church is growing, is dynamic, and

it's here that around a fifth of all Catholics live, many of them young. So, there is a sense of hope for the church in this part of the world.

Leo has seemed very much at ease here. He visited at the weekend a shrine which was the site of a hub of the transatlantic slave trade, and he also

spoke out on Sunday for peace in the Middle East and for Angolans to overcome past divisions.

So, Leo, continuing his marathon and historic trip across Africa.

Christopher Lamb, CNN, Saurimo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Still to come, it's payback time. The Supreme Court ruled that Donald Trump's tariffs were illegal. The refunds now on their way, find out

if any of it will end up in your wallet.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:30:22]

FOSTER: Back to our top story. The approaching ceasefire deadline between the U.S. and Iran. Presently, Trump says it's highly unlikely that he would

extend beyond Wednesday evening if a deal isn't reached. And sources tell you -- tell us that Vice President J.D. Vance is expected to travel to

Pakistan to take part in another round of talks with Iran on Wednesday.

Chinese Leader Xi Jinping is calling for the Strait of Hormuz to be fully reopened. His comments come as the U.S. seized an Iranian flagged vessel in

the Gulf of Oman on Sunday. President Trump claims it was trying to bypass the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports.

Fred Pleitgen will join us from Berlin in a moment to discuss, but first to Nic Robertson in Islamabad.

Nic, are you expecting Vance to arrive tomorrow? Are you expecting the Iranians to arrive tomorrow?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: I think at the moment, we're expecting J.D. Vance, Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner to arrive

tomorrow. Of course, that could all change. I think the expectation is that there's been a lot of backwards and forwards diplomacy between Islamabad

and Tehran, Islamabad and Washington, and a real belief here in this city that if they can get the two sides around the table again, then a deal can

be done.

Perhaps not rushing a deal as fast as last time, not trying to sort of do it all in a 21-hour marathon session through the night and have everyone

sort of, you know, irritable or a little bit out of sorts by the morning, but try to sort of pace the negotiations. But it does depend on Iran saying

they're coming. And the last thing that we heard from an Iranian official speaking in a sort of a very public way, was the spokesman of the foreign

ministry saying that Iran had so far not taken a decision.

And it's a Strait of Hormuz, the United States reaction to Iran originally opening the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. blockade, Iran firing on ships, the

United States firing on an Iranian tanker. It's really sort of given the hardliners, the military inside of Iran, a, you know, a box to thump, if

you will, about the lack of trust with the United States.

So, there was that momentum. There was that sort of building of trust last week when the Pakistan delegation was in Tehran. A lot of that has sort of

fallen by the wayside over the past weekend. But the effort today has been to try to rebuild that and to try to sort of convince both sides to get

around the table. So I think at the moment, the perception here is its waiting to hear, you know, an official confirmation from Iran that they

will be coming.

So, I don't think we would expect J.D. Vance to take off from Washington Tuesday, D.C. time, remembering we're nine hours here ahead of Washington.

So that would sort of be later in the day here tomorrow, that J.D. Vance would be taken off even late afternoon.

So technically, in a way, even if you didn't hear from the Iranians until late afternoon local time here Wednesday, that would still put J.D. Vance

and his team on a plane relatively early Tuesday to arrive in time for talks Wednesday. So that that could all be on track.

And then, President Trump has said that the ceasefire sort of expires at the end of the day. Washington, D.C. time on Wednesday. So, you really get

the sense that all sides can be around the table, possibly before the ceasefire expires. Then they're talking, then they're in the moment of

debate. Then, it sort of pans out perhaps over a few days, maybe. We don't really know.

But if that's the case, you know, we're looking -- we're looking through the week here. I think potentially, Max, we just don't know. And it is all

down to the Iranians at the moment whether they decide to make the move.

FOSTER: Okay, Nic. Thank you.

Iran's president saying Tehran will not submit to force Masoud Pezeshkian also adding that his country maintains a deep historical mistrust of the

U.S. He criticized what he called contradictory signals from American officials. What we don't know is, will Iran's negotiating team even show up

to those talks in Pakistan?

Fred Pleitgen is the person who has those contacts, of course, in Iran.

Fred, I guess the Iranian view is it's not a great start to rebuilding trust by firing on one of their vessels.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly there are a lot of very strong voices inside Iran who question whether or

not diplomacy at this point in time is something that is worth it, or at least diplomacy in the form of talks with the United States, be they direct

or indirect. Certainly, one of the things that the Iranians have been pointing to is what they call severe cease fire things that continue to go

on, violations of the ceasefire where they say, for instance, halting that Iranian cargo ship and seizing that Iranian cargo ship, a severe ceasefire

violation, which also, of course, involved shooting at that ship as well. Then the blockade in general by the U.S. Navy, they also say in general is

a violation of the ceasefire. And the Iranians say that that's something that they simply aren't going to stand for.

Now, the spokesman for Iran's foreign ministry has come out and said that at this point in time, it's not clear whether or not the Iranians are

actually going to show up at those talks in Islamabad. If those are going to take place at this point in time, actually, the Iranians are saying that

they don't plan to show up at those talks. But certainly, they also say that things could still be up in the air, and that decision could obviously

be changed at any point in time.

But one of the things that's also very important is that there are still big discrepancies, apparently, in the way that the United States sees

things and the way that the Iranians see things, especially after some of the posts that U.S. President Donald Trump put out at the end of last week,

where he claimed that the Iranians had agreed to halt uranium enrichment, the Iranians are saying they believe they have a right to uranium

enrichment. They certainly say that they've not agreed to halt uranium enrichment indefinitely.

Also, the highly enriched uranium that apparently is still inside Iran, the U.S. President Donald Trump said that the Iranians were willing to hand

that over to the United States. The Iranians are saying that that is not true. They believe that their rights would be infringed on. Their

international rights would be infringed on.

And as the Iranian deputy foreign minister put it at a conference in Turkey, he said that Iran refuses to accept being an exception from

international law. So, they believe that they have these rights.

The Iranians continue to say that they support diplomacy, that they are in favor of diplomacy, but they also say that they're not going to be rushed

into anything by the United States. And certainly, right now, they believe that the Trump administration is trying to force Iran into what it sees as

a possible surrender. And that's certainly something that the Islamic Republic says it's not up for -- Max.

FOSTER: Many people around the world. Just want to see the oil flowing again because it's impacting prices. What does Iran want in return for

reopening the Strait of Hormuz to all traffic?

PLEITGEN: Well, certainly, they want sanctions relief on a grand scale. And I think oil and gas certainly is one of those things. The Iranians

certainly want to be able to sell that back on international markets at international rates, because, of course, we know that they've been selling

oil to various countries around the world. But there are many who say that they've been giving discounts on those.

So, certainly, being able to do that once again is one of the main things that the Iranians want. But in general, sanctions relief for their economy

would be very important. But one of the other things, Max, that the Iranians have also pointed to that they say is very important for them, is

they want guarantees that they will not be attacked again by the United States and by Israel. They say that they want if there is going to be an

agreement for that to be a final agreement that essentially ends the standoff, at least between the us and Iran. So, they certainly want that.

And they want guarantees that that's going to happen as well.

So, a large grand bargain, if you will, between the United States and Iran. Certainly, the Iranians are saying short term cease fires, not something

that they're in it for, at least in the long run. So, for them, these negotiation process is obviously very high stakes. But the Iranians also

say it's something that they want to in the in the end, produce something that will obviously move their country forward, but then also make sure

that they don't get attacked again in the future, Max.

FOSTER: Fred, appreciate it. Thank you.

Now, the final moments of trade. In New York, stocks are lower off after all of that news. The fresh uncertainty about the situation in Iran could

be about to snap the winning streak that we've seen on Wall Street, with the Dow currently in the red.

This is our Business Breakout for you.

Donald Trump says his own energy secretary is wrong to say that gas prices might not come back down this year. Chris Wright told CNN on Sunday, it

might be 2027 before prices return to the level seen before the Iran war. Mr. Trump said Wright is totally wrong and claims prices will fall as soon

as the war ends.

Korean Air will raise its fuel surcharge again in May as oil costs remain high. The surcharge for a short haul, one way flight from Seoul, will now

be around $50. It was around $7 before the war with Iran began. The surcharge for Korea's longest routes will be around $380.

FBI Director Kash Patel is suing "The Atlantic Magazine" over a report that alleged he upset colleagues with excessive drinking and unexplained

absences. Patel refutes the claims. "The Atlantic" says the lawsuit, which seeks a quarter of a billion dollars in damages, is meritless.

American businesses, who have paid a whopping $166 billion in tariffs, can finally start applying for refunds. It's been two months since the Supreme

Court declared President Trump's tariff plan illegal. Now there's a new government portal where you can apply online to be reimbursed.

Elisabeth Buchwald from CNN business is here.

[15:40:01]

How does the process look? Is it easy, Elizabeth?

ELISABETH BUCHWALD, CNN ECONOMICS REPORTER: Surprisingly, yes. I've heard mixed things though. So, the process of actually getting your filings in

and the next steps, that has been easy for people. It's actually getting everything together. That's the really hard part. But I've heard from a few

importers today that they've seen a couple glitches. And you know, it's kind of like Taylor Swift concerts. Everyone wants in on this.

FOSTER: Yeah. So, what -- I mean, presumably the proof that you have lost money because of this can be quite difficult because you have to explain

that you might have put your prices up or how does it work?

BUCHWALD: Yeah. So, it actually doesn't come down to that. What happens is there's so many different tariffs in play right now, not just these ones

that the Supreme Court overturned. And it's separating out if you're paying for something overseas, you might be paying a lot of different tariffs on

just one item.

So, it's separating out, which we're those illegal tariffs that you need a refund for. And then on the other hand, it's not consumers. See, if I got

this shirt and it was imported, I'm not able to apply for a refund for it. I don't even remember where I got it from, but the place that I did could

apply for the refund.

FOSTER: And just to explain, tariffs still exist, right? This was just a different set of tariffs. People get confused.

BUCHWALD: Yeah. That's correct. Plenty of tariffs still exist and there are plenty more that Trump could put in place. Theres some that he actually

did right after the Supreme Court overturned these now illegal tariffs and plenty of other lovers. So not the end of tariffs at all.

FOSTER: Elisabeth, appreciate it. Thank you so much.

Still to come, the singer known as D4vid will face murder charges in connection to the death of a missing teen. Our Kyung Lah is live in Los

Angeles with the latest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: A short time ago in Los Angeles, the district attorney announced singer D4vid is being charged with first degree murder.

[15:45:01]

Police arrested him last week in connection to the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. Her body was found back in September inside a

vehicle registered to D4vid. Rivas was just 13 when her family reported her missing from her southern California home. Her lawyers say they'll

vigorously defend D4vid's innocence -- his lawyers, of course, I meant there.

Kyung Lah joins us now from Los Angeles with the latest.

I mean -- I mean, the detail is absolutely horrific. And then there's this enormous gap between when she went missing and when she was eventually

found.

KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: They are absolutely horrific, Max. And I just want to return to who the victim is here.

We're talking about a child, 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. She was a runaway. She is originally from a community about an hour away from

Hollywood, where David was living, and she had been missing for more than a year. And the next time her family heard from her, she was found dead,

chopped up, essentially her body decomposing, stuffed into two bags in the trunk of a Tesla that belonged to this pop star.

I kind of want to bolster a little bit about what you said about this complaint, because we did just receive it a short time ago. This is from

the Los Angeles prosecutor's office, the district attorney, and there are three different counts, the first count being murder. There are special

circumstances attached to first degree murder, in this case, a second count of continuous sexual abuse involving a minor. That minor being Celeste

Rivas Hernandez under the age of 14. And that third count is mutilation of human remains.

Returning to that first count of special circumstances. Part of the thinking of that, according to the prosecutor, is that they understand that

he, or at least they believe that D4vid invited Celeste over to his home on April 23rd, 2025. We don't know how they've been able to isolate that date,

but they say that at this point, their motive is that he was out to protect his career and his money.

Take a listen to what the prosecutor said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NATHAN HOCHMAN, LOS ANGELES COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: This murder was committed for financial gain, as the evidence will show in court, the

financial gain was for Mr. Burke to maintain his very lucrative musical career, that Celeste was threatening on that particular night. The third

charge, in addition to lying in wait and for financial gain, is murdering a witness to an investigation.

In this particular case, as the evidence will come out in court, the witness to the investigation was Celeste and the investigation was into the

lewd and lascivious sexual acts committed by Mr. Burke. That is the subject of count two of this complaint, with Celeste while she was under 14 years

old.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAH: And the district attorney also in that news conference talked about extensive forensic and digital evidence. And I want you to take a look at

what was a Twitch stream. It was live streamed and CNN was able to recover it. You can see D4vid there with Celeste. And this is more than a year

before she was recovered in that trunk of a Tesla.

There are a number of pictures that connect the two of them. Many months before she died from his concert, to him also appearing in her hometown.

So, part of this, we understand max has got to be a part of that digital forensic evidence that they believe suddenly was able to tip them and to

take him into custody.

FOSTER: Okay. Kyung, thank you so much for covering that very difficult story.

We've got some breaking news for you from Mexico. A Canadian woman has been killed in a shooting at the famous Teotihuacan Pyramids. Now, according to

security officials, a man fired shots before taking his own life. One woman has been killed. Several others are injured, is a popular tourist

destination, one of the country's most important archeological sites. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum says federal, state and local agencies

are responding to the shooting. We will bring you more details as we get them in.

We'll be back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:52:00]

FOSTER: Moscow-friendly Rumen Radev has won Bulgarian parliamentary election. It was by a landslide as well. Radev's victory is one of the

strongest results for a single party in a generation, and may end the chronic political instability that's led to eight elections in just five

years. It's also the first time since 1997 that a single Bulgarian party has gained enough seats to govern alone, rather than in a coalition. Radev

has vowed to seek better relations with Moscow and lift European Union sanctions that he calls harmful to both sides.

Japan's meteorological agency has scaled back a tsunami warning to an advisory in the wake of that powerful earthquake. The quake struck off the

northeastern coast and was so intense it even shook buildings in Tokyo. Some areas, like Hokkaido, experience high waves, but there are no reports

of any injuries or damage.

A Chinese android named Lightning is living up to its name during a race in Beijing. It bested the human world record for a half marathon by more than

six minutes.

CNN's Patrick Snell has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT CORRESEPONDENT (voice-over): Humans and bots running side by side -- well, for a brief time, at least until several

humanoid robots blew past the pack in Beijing's half marathon, leaving their human counterparts in the dust.

ZHAO HAIJIE, MEN'S HALF-MARATHON CHAMPION (through translator): In the first five kilometers, five to six robots ran past me. The robot in the red

outfit had very heavy footsteps, and it was running incredibly fast. Its speed was much higher than mine.

SNELL (voice-over): The winning robot, developed by Chinese electronics brand Honor, finished the race in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, besting human

times without breaking a sweat. Spectators say they were impressed, if not a little humbled.

WANG WEN, SPECTATOR (through translator): My biggest impression is that robots seem to have stolen a lot of the spotlight from humans, and judging

from today's results, the robots speed far exceeds that of humans. I think this may signal the arrival of sort of a new era.

SNELL (voice-over): Some see it as a win for technology. The champion robot also broke the human world record for a half marathon, but if it's

any consolation, the robots design team says it was inspired by professional athletes.

DU XIAODI, TEST DEVELOPMENT ENGINEER, HONOR (through translator): From the very beginning of the design. Our robot was modeled on an outstanding human

athletes achieving long legs of about 0.95 meters. This is a major improvement in highlight in terms of its appearance and design.

SNELL (voice-over): It's a big step up from last year's race, when the robots were much slower than humans and were operated by remote control.

But this year, about 40 percent of the robots ran the race autonomously, navigating the course on their own.

But robotics companies say achievements like this aren't just about winners and losers, but perfecting skills that could be used to reshape more

industries. But experts say despite this fast-paced performance, these are still small steps in a much bigger race.

Patrick Snell, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, everybody. Look at that. Wow, hi, everybody.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Finally, tonight, a homeowner in California got quite the surprise, as you can see, and some unexpected visitors. This is when a hot

air balloon landed right in their backyard.

He told CNN he learned about it from someone who rang his doorbell and saw the balloon come down early on Saturday. Apparently, the pilot said the

winds had died down, forcing the balloon to make an emergency landing. Pretty tight one.

The crew eventually flew it back over the house onto the street where a truck had arrived to take the balloon away.

I'm Max Foster. That's WHAT WE KNOW. Do stay with CNN.

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