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Briefing on Iran War; Hegseth Goes After Press; Cannabis Use Rises Among Women. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired April 16, 2026 - 08:30   ET

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

[08:30:00]

ADM. BRAD COOPER, CENTCOM COMMANDER: But beyond that, having now fought together side by side, I access that our military partnerships are stronger than ever as we continue to maintain a very active defense posture across the region during this ceasefire. And that posture stretches across the entire Arabian peninsula, and it runs from northern Iraq all the way down into the northern Arabian gulf. In creating the largest air defense umbrella in the world across the Middle East, we embedded specially trained U.S. military air defenders alongside our partner nation soldiers, side by side. Literally side by side.

And to give you a sense of their contribution and impact. The king and crown prince of Bahrain both personally knew our soldiers by name. These leaders expressed appreciation for our service member who continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners in support of regional defense.

And this is a sentiment that is widely shared across every gulf ally. I heard this message over and over again, which is, we stand with you. As the secretary and the chairman have said, Bahrain, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Jordan have been exceptional teammates. I had a chance to meet with both their senior leadership, as well as their troops. Boy equally inspiring and equally committed to mutual defense. They defended Americans and defended their own country. It is inspiring.

And there's been no better teammate than Israel. Together, the four best air forces in the world, the Israeli air force, the U.S. Air Force, and the air forces of the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps, together met and exceeded our own military objectives over and over again. Twice in the past two weeks I've met with the Israeli chief of defense to ensure that we remain closely aligned. And we do.

And then finally, let me just close by saluting the brave men and women who are in uniform and who continue to answer the call with unrivaled lethality, great teamwork and resolve. We've asked them to stay ready during this period, and that's exactly what they're doing. I couldn't be prouder. And I know that you and the American people share in that same pride.

Thank you so much.

PETE HEGSETH, DEFENSE SECRETARY: All right, we'll take a few questions.

Go ahead.

REPORTER: Thank you. Alexandra Ingersoll, "One America News."

How is the Iranians decimated command and control affecting the ceasefire at this juncture? Ergo, how are we enforcing a ceasefire with an enemy who has virtually no command and control?

And then one other question about the Houthis being -- have the Houthis been an issue in the Straits of Hormuz and the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait at the Red Sea? Are we tracking that militarily?

HEGSETH: Appreciate that.

On the ceasefire front, you're right, their command and control capabilities are highly degraded. So, their ability to talk, see, sense, is at the worst it's ever been. But their motivation to want to stay in the ceasefire is very high because they understand that a violation of that ceasefire means a commencement, once again, of Admiral Cooper's forces, which went very poorly for them. So, they have a high incentive to maintain that ceasefire, even though they can't talk and organize as well as they'd like to.

And then as far as the Houthis. Thus far they have stayed out of it, which, of course, we think is a good decision by them and I think is a reflection of the fact that over a year ago, in Operation Rough Rider, we were -- had an ongoing and intense campaign that demonstrated American capabilities, which has them hesitating to want to do something on that Strait, which I think would be a poor choice.

Right here.

REPORTER: Good morning, Mr. Secretary, gentlemen.

David Zere, "Real America's Voice."

As commercial shipping ramps up, you know, there was 130 ships a day going through there. As that happens, ships have to anchor up, right, and wait to pass through the narrow Strait. What does -- is there any progress with an international force to phase out U.S. military-led escorts or other? Is anyone stepping up to do that?

HEGSETH: It's a great question.

REPORTER: Long term.

HEGSETH: They should be. There's a lot of talk. And what we've seen in this conflict from allies, those -- there's a lot of talk. Except for the ones that were mentioned by Admiral Cooper in the region who have been phenomenal. Other allies have talked a lot and haven't done anything. And as the president has pointed out, this is a waterway that the American commerce doesn't use all that much. We don't rely on the energy coming out of the Strait of Hormuz. But Asia does and Europe does and large parts of the rest of the world do. And so, their ability to muster a collective defense or a clearing of

the Straits would be a wonderful thing. And we hear and see the talk about it. But when the shots were fired and those countries were needed the most, they weren't there. They weren't in the Strait. They weren't alongside us. Their leaders weren't rallying what they have of their navies.

If they decide, after CENTCOM does the heavy lifting, which, again, they should be able to do. We should live in a world where other countries can defend waterways, not just the United States Navy.

[08:35:03]

Should that conclude, which we believe it will, then we would welcome other countries coming in after the fact. But you can't live in a world, in perpetuity, and this is a message to the rest of the world and our allies, where you just rely on America to continually do the heavy lifting. Oh, Iran might get a nuclear bomb. Who's going to do something about it? America. And America only. Other allies need to invest in their capabilities so they can project power and do basic tasks, like clearing a Strait.

So, we're not counting on it, but it would be wonderful to see it if it ever materialized.

Yes.

REPORTER: Thank you, Mr. Secretary. Thank you all for your time.

I have a couple questions.

I know you said a few weeks ago that Iran's supreme leader was wounded and disfigured. Do you have an update on whether he's even alive at this point?

And then another question for you. Iranian embassy accounts are sharing an A.I. video of Jesus Christ kind of bloodily killing President Donald Trump. Does the Pentagon have a response to this, including the fact that this A.I. Jesus is casting Trump into hell?

And then finally, for Admiral Cooper, could you speak to us about the morale of the American service members that you're seeing in the Middle East? I think Americans are really interested in what their experiences and testimonies are like.

HEGSETH: As far as the status of the individual you mentioned, I believe it's the same. Not a lot coming from him right now, understandably so. A lot of fear. Believed to be alive, wounded and disfigured. Status remains the same.

As far as a video like that. Of course, that's disgusting and detached from reality. Iran says a lot of things in the propaganda space based on complete lies, and their actions have been lies. Oh, we don't target -- we see missiles going into civilian facilities and hotels in the gulf states. And they say we don't -- we don't -- we only target military targets, as you watch drones and missiles go into. So, they are going to misrepresent, lie, spin, in a multitude of ways,

which we are quite used to. Ultimately, they need to come to the table and make a deal. And I'll hand it over to Admiral Cooper for the other question.

COOPER: Yes, I would just reiterate my previous comment. Morale is very high. And anyone in the military can take about two seconds to figure out what morale looks like by meeting around with the people. And it is crystal clear that these are motivated young men and women.

I had the wonderful privilege of writing a letter early on in the operation to the team forward, and I told them, this was going to be a mission of extreme consequence. And serving at a time where you are making a difference, consequential, as the secretary and the chairman have described over and over again, is incredibly and deeply meaningful. And I think that's the key part of the drive as well as being great teammates across the board. It's a privilege to watch.

HEGSETH: Jerry.

REPORTER: Thank you. Jerry Dunleavy, with "Just the News."

I have a couple of questions.

First is, some critics of the Trump administration policy, including former NCTC Director Joe Kent, have attempted to claim that the Trump administration's policy of zero enrichment for the Iranians is not actually President Trump's policy, but was foisted upon him by the Israelis. Looking back, doing a bit of a refresher for myself, I saw that zero enrichment was the Trump State Department's policy in the first admin.

HEGSETH: Just stop for a second.

As someone who, unlike the individual you referenced, is in the presence of the president nearly every day and has been inside every single key meeting that has happened surrounding the idea of Operation Epic Fury, not a single thing has been foisted upon the president of the United States. President Trump makes his own decisions about the interests of this country and defending our interests, and then working with allies and partners, in this case Israel, who's got a lot of will and a lot of capabilities, which we're grateful for. Nothing gets foisted on President Trump.

So, those people who were not in those meetings, who like to say things about that, are just flat wrong.

REPORTER: I had one for Admiral Cooper, if that's OK.

HEGSETH: Sure.

REPORTER: Thank you, sir, and thank you for being here.

So, during Operation Epic Fury, 13 U.S. service members have lost their lives, some of them in an apparent aircraft refueling accident, and some of them from Iranian strikes, including a drone strike. I was wondering if you could share a little bit with us about how that Iranian -- those Iranian strikes were able to be successful, and what lessons you've learned and how you're applying those lessons in the future to make sure that we're able to defend a little bit better against that sort of thing.

COOPER: Sure. A really broad question. But first, we will always honor the fallen and the 13 who lost their lives really helps steel the resolve and congeal, the motivation of the forces that are (INAUDIBLE).

I met many people who knew the fallen personally. I met many who were reported as wounded and are back. Ninety percent of those who have been wounded have been back to duty. That gives you a sense of purpose and motivation.

[08:40:04]

We have collected dozens, if not hundreds of lessons learned. And as we sit here right now, the joint force across the board is taking them and very tactically applying them right now -- right here, right now. If I think about a football analogy, if it's between -- if it's halftime or between the third and fourth quarter, great teams are always adjusting. And we are certainly a great team. And that's what we're doing right now, taking the lessons and applying them in a meaningful way.

What those are, I'm not going to talk about.

GEN. DAN CAINE, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: I'll say they extend also outside of CENTCOM and across the rest of the joint force. We are a learning organization, so adversaries around the world should recognize that and be aware of that.

HEGSETH: No doubt. And likewise. I mean the chairman and I have had the opportunity to greet those 13 and their families at Dover. And it does steel our resolve. And I can just attest to the planning that went into every aspect of this. And force protection, ensuring that CENTCOM has whatever it needs and that they're taking the proper posture has always been a number one in this effort.

Last question.

REPORTER: Thank you, Secretary Hegseth.

There's reporting that says U.S. intelligence indicates China is preparing weapons shipments to Iran during this ceasefire. What's your reaction? Are these reports accurate? And what would be the consequences for the Chinese if they move forward with these shipments?

HEGSETH: Well, as you know, President Trump has a very strong and direct relationship with President Xi. And they communicated on that. And China has assured us that that indeed is not going to happen, and in the spirit of the meeting they'll have next month.

Thank you very much. Appreciate it. Thank you. JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, what we just heard there was a military briefing from the chair of the Joint Chiefs and the CENTCOM commander. That was a military briefing. And then we heard a partisan airing of grievances from the defense secretary, who spent as much time in his opening statement complaining about the press in deeply religious terms as he did providing information on the war. He said, the press is not covering the right things. The irony, of course, is that his statement was covered in full.

As for the new military information, the chair of the Joint Chiefs, Dan Caine, and CENTCOM Commander Brad Cooper, really went into detail on the blockade now on the Strait of Hormuz, which is mostly with U.S. ships out in the Gulf of Oman. Really interesting, intricate detail from Dan Caine about how the United States is carrying this out and how completely successful he says it is with no ships, he claims, really being able to run that blockade and the U.S. not needing to board or attack any of those ships either. It's just the mere threat of the U.S. presence.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: I know you were mentioning in deeply religious terms. I mean the secretary of defense went -- continued along what has been his trend of citing scripture and going into deeply religious terms in talking about the U.S. war effort, especially going deep into it and attacking the media. So much so that we're even seeing online in conservative media calling Pete Hegseth out as appearing to compare Donald Trump and the U.S. military to Jesus performing miracles. Again, "The Daily Caller" pushing out and saying the press are like the blind pharisees. This being pushed by and talked about by conservative media.

Worth noting in light of this, yet again, is that Pope Leo is on this huge trip to Africa. This papal visit to Africa right now. And he actually just made new comments while in Cameroon that are meaningful, especially taken in the context of what we are hearing from the president and the defense secretary. He's -- so much so being insulted by Pete Hegseth that the pope has been -- has needed to say, I'm not afraid of the Trump administration.

Here's what the pope just said in a new speech. The pope condemned those who, quote, "manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic and political gain, dragging that, which is sacred, into darkness and filth." That from Pope Leo in Cameroon, traveling and continuing on his papal visit right now.

Let's talk about what we have learned, what we just saw. CNN political and global affairs commentator Sabrina Singh has been watching along with us.

That's some of the take that we were seeing, Sabrina. What is your big takeaway from this briefing?

SABRINA SINGH, CNN POLITICAL AND GLOBAL AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: I think the biggest takeaway from certainly Pete Hegseth's comments at the briefing is that yet again he used most of his opening remarks to go after the press and then justified it in this kind of convoluted way of using what he heard in church on Sunday of how the press is, you know, wrongfully attacking him and this administration. And I think what you were just saying about what Pope Leo just said in his speech, its -- we're seeing this manipulation of the religious text being used to justify the means of this war. And that's deeply problematic because that also is alienating, not just the conservative MAGA base, but, you know, certainly when Donald Trump tweeted out that image of him as the pope healing someone, I mean, Catholics all around the country are responding to these comments.

[08:45:02]

I also thought what was very interesting about some of the remarks that we heard from General Caine, Admiral Brad Cooper, is they really focused on the mission and focused on the people behind and on some of these ships and the aircraft. And that's not something that you saw Secretary Hegseth focus on. And I, you know, in the previous administration, under the Biden administration, I worked very closely with Admiral Cooper. He's very honorable, very professional. Someone that really values the service of the service members that he's commanding. And so, it was really nice to see him highlight their work. And that's really not something we saw from Secretary Hegseth.

BERMAN: General Caine has been, I would think, relentless in sticking to the military and sticking to the situation in and around the ground there for U.S. forces deployed. To that end, one of the things that we did learn, again, including the success, he says, of the blockade, General Caine, is the idea that the U.S. military is seeing the Iranians try to dig out some of their missile launchers, some of their equipment. Again, the reporting, especially from CNN, was that a lot of the Iranian equipment hadn't been destroyed, it had merely been buried.

Now, what does it tell you that now that there seems to be confirmation from the U.S. military that some of this equipment is still there, albeit that the Iranians need to recover it?

SINGH: That's exactly right. I mean, they have certainly retained that enriched uranium, but it's sitting at the bottom of a mountain, and we don't really know how deep. So, I think what Secretary Hegseth was saying is that, you know, the U.S. military can continue to watch and sort of have overflight over that area. But what's going to happen to that enriched uranium? Is it going to be resolved diplomatically at the negotiating table by Vice President Vance, or what he alluded to, and what we have, you know, discussed multiple times is, are U.S. military going to have to physically go in, boots on the ground, and remove that? And that is going to be a very long, very complex operation that is going to put American service members' lives at risk. So, that's something that this administration is going to have to weigh in on.

I do think Pete Hegseth was right in that I don't think Iran and the U.S. military want to go back into a conflict. I think both sides do want to see some type of resolve. But Iran does have more of the time on their side. I mean they -- even though Hegseth said that, you know, Iran has no navy, their navy is at the bottom of the sea, they have retained asymmetric capability that is allowing them to disrupt shipping lanes and traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. That is not a capability that should be dismissed so cavalierly, as we saw this secretary do.

So, a lot more remains to be seen. We know that we're working up against that April 21st deadline. But I think also what we didn't get clarity on is how long is that naval blockade going to be in place? Because indefinitely is just not an answer. And that's not realistic, frankly, for our U.S. navy.

BOLDUAN: Yes.

Sabrina, stick with us.

CNN's chief media analyst, Brian Stelter, was listening in as well.

And, Brian, you have also tracked and listened to all of these briefings and kind of the tone and tenor that we've been hearing from, especially the secretary of defense. What did you hear?

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Yes, thankfully, Caine shared a lot of valuable information there. But Hegseth revealed how he's feeling with four words. He said, "I just can't help," and then he went on his rant against the press. He said, I can't just help -- I can't help myself. He had to get it out. And that's been true from the secretary of defense over and over and over again during this war. He always seems to need to let out his anger and bitterness about the American media.

Which is so weird because he was a member of the media for decades. You know, he was a host on Fox News. He knows how the media works. He knows the reality about how this war has been covered. He knows the American media has celebrated U.S. military victories and has pressed for more information in order to tell those stories more fully.

But it's really notable today how he seems to be speaking in terms of a holy war. It's interesting too, this coming on the same week that Trump depicted himself as Jesus. But the insinuation from Hegseth was that doubting Trump or being skeptical of the war is like doubting Christ. He's essentially, you know, making it sound like to question the war is to question the true will of God. He's doubling down on the blasphemy of Trump, likening himself to Jesus.

So, I, as a Christian, I found it deeply offensive to hear this morning. As someone who wrote two books about Hegseth's old home, Fox News, it struck me as just really insecure. And as a journalist, I just find myself wondering, if you have such an amazing story to tell about military victories, why don't you tell it more fully? Why don't you share more video, open up more soldiers and airmen and marines to interviews. Why don't you provide more access to the press in order to be able to tell those stories? He seems more inclined to use these press conferences to portray himself as a warrior in a battle of good versus evil, with the press being evil.

But I think we always have to remind ourselves in these conversations that every single poll we've seen in the United States shows widespread opposition to the war. And the messaging coming from the White House and the Pentagon has not changed that.

[08:50:03]

And I wonder if that's really what's so frustrating for Hegseth. The American people are not with him on this crusade. And nothing that he has said from these podiums has changed that for the last almost two months.

BERMAN: Yes, it's certainly hard to separate what he said today from the images that President Trump pushed out of himself as Jesus, although he said it was as a medical worker. And it is worth noting, and I am no New Testament expert, admittedly, that by comparing the press to the pharisees, he was basically comparing to the press the people -- to the people who undermined Christ. So, there's that.

Sabrina Singh, Brian Stelter, great to see both of you.

We have a lot more news. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:55:07]

BERMAN: This morning, a preview of a new special from CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, how medical cannabis is on the rise with women. This is his latest edition of his long look at the impacts of weed. For this, Sanjay travels the country to learn about all the reasons that women, young and old, are turning to cannabis.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Women, of all ages, mothers and grandmothers, growing, selling, using cannabis. Women searching for a better, healthier, happier life.

APRIL AYERS, OWNER, COWBOY KUSH DISPENSARY: I was a soccer mom. Trust me, if we had all had an edible before those games, we would have been great.

GUPTA (voice over): From menstrual cramps, to morning sickness, to menopause, women in Oklahoma and all over the United States are turning to cannabis for relief, now more than ever.

DR. STACI GRUBER, DIRECTOR, MCLEAN HOSPITAL MARIJUANA INVESTIGATIONS FOR NEUROSCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY: Women are largely underserved and underrepresented in medicine. And for lack of any other option, are more than willing to try cannabis and cannabinoid-based therapies.

GUPTA (voice over): In fact, for the first time ever, women are outpacing men in the use of cannabis. These women say they are changing their lives and their health for the better. But in some cases, also potentially putting themselves in harm's way. The scientists searching for answers are all research pioneers. And perhaps no surprise, many happen to be women as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: And Dr. Sanjay Gupta is with us now. Sanjay, first of all, you've done so much incredible work on this for

so long. So, it's great that you're going back and looking at it again.

But my first question with this is, Oklahoma?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. Yes, I know. This surprises as well. One of the last states in the country to legalize medical marijuana. But as soon as they did, John, I mean, it just took off. So, Oklahoma's a state of four million people, for example. At one time, I think even now, they have about 10 percent of the adult population that has medical marijuana cards. So, percentage wise, you know, it's one of the largest in the country.

So, it was like this green rush that sort of took place after the legalization. And all these dispensaries, you know, owned by women, started by women, sort of focused on women, that was something we did not expect. So, Oklahoma, as they sort of affectionately call it there now, is Toklahoma (ph) because of this. And it's growing. It's just growing so fast.

BERMAN: I had never heard that either, Toklahoma. That's pretty good.

What's the difference right now between cannabis use among women and men?

GUPTA: So, first of all, women are the fastest growing consumers of cannabis. I think the big difference really is that women go to cannabis, I think, for specific needs. And many times these are unmet needs for women because women often aren't part of clinical trials for all sorts of things that ail them, whether it be sleep or mood or pain, things like that. Many of the clinical trials are focused on men. So, it's no surprise that they look increasingly for alternative things. So, I think it's mostly for medicinal purposes for women, although they have like cannamoms (ph), where moms will get together and have cannabis instead of wine, like they did in the past, April, the woman you just met there, she's one of them. But for men, it's still increasingly -- it's still mostly recreational.

BERMAN: I think this is number eight for you.

GUPTA: Eight.

BERMAN: Yes, which is incredible. And so, you've learned so much and done so much. It's hard for me to think anything could surprise you at this point, but what did here?

GUPTA: I think it's interesting because, first of all, the growth in terms of who's most likely to grow the new users is typically middle- aged women. So, this surprised me.

BERMAN: Oh, wow.

GUPTA: You think of -- so when we say women, we're not talking about college students. We're not talking about young 20s. It's women between the ages of 45 and 60. BERMAN: People you and I might know.

GUPTA: People that you and I might know who, again, have felt somewhat ignored, I think, in terms of you -- finding things that can actually help them through perimenopause and menopause and things like that.

One thing that shocked me more than surprised me is that women, about 28 percent according to some studies, continue to use cannabis during pregnancy, which is really problematic. Obviously, I don't think, you know, people understand the potential harms there. But people who are taking it for depression or anxiety, people who have severe nausea, who say that the existing medications simply aren't working for them, have been using cannabis. So, this is something we really dive into. And we talked to obstetricians. We talked to experts in the field. Obviously, again, lots of concerns about this, but why is it happening and what could potentially be done about it?

BERMAN: Sounds amazing, Sanjay. I got to say, I can't wait to see all of it. Thank you so much for being here.

GUPTA: Thanks for having me.

BERMAN: And don't forget to head to cnn.com and send us your questions. Dr. Sanjay Gupta will be back tomorrow to answer them. And you can watch "Dr. Sanjay Gupta Reports: Weed 8: Women and Weed," this Sunday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time right here on CNN.

[09:00:02]

BOLDUAN: Let's start this hour off.

The new warning from the defense secretary to Iran as the ceasefire remains, the talks have stumbled.