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"No Kings" Protests Held Across The U.S.; War With Iran: IRGC Threatens To Hit U.S. & Israeli Universities In Mideast; Conservative Straw Poll Supports Vance For President; TSA Agents Without Another Paycheck Amid Shutdown; North Korea Says Its Status As A Nuclear Power Is "Irreversible". Aired 2-3a ET

Aired March 29, 2026 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:26]

BEN HUNTE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello. Wherever you are in the world, you are now in the CNN NEWSROOM with me, Ben Hunte in Atlanta. And it is so good to have you with me.

Coming up on the show, Americans taking to the streets coast to coast for a day of "No Kings" protests. We'll hear from the protesters themselves.

Iran-backed Houthi rebels from Yemen are now entering the war. What this could mean for global shipping?

And a defiant message from North Korea's Kim Jong Un. Why he's accusing the U.S. of state-sponsored terrorism and saying he'll never, ever get rid of his nukes.

(MUSIC)

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Ben Hunte.

HUNTE: Welcome.

For the third time since U.S. President Donald Trump took office, huge crowds of people jammed streets and parks in the U.S. for "No Kings" rallies, a direct challenge of what they called Trump's authoritarian actions. They joined more than 3,000 peaceful demonstrations across the nation on Saturday, arguing the U.S. should have democratically elected leaders, not powerful monarchs. Many were angry with policies that they blame on Trump, the war with Iran, the soaring cost of living and violent immigration related crackdowns all across the U.S.

In Minnesota, the last point is particularly painful after two Americans were killed by federal immigration agents this year.

Bruce Springsteen honored them during the rally in Saint Paul.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, SINGER, SONGWRITER: You gave us hope. You gave us courage. And for those who gave their lives. Renee Good, mother of three, brutally murdered. Alex Pretti, V.A. nurse, executed by ICE, shot in the back and left to die in the street without even the decency of our lawless government investigating their deaths. Their bravery, their sacrifice, and their names will not be forgotten.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Well, protesters held signs and chanted ICE out in Los Angeles and Chicago. Both cities have been targeted by federal immigration agents in recent months.

CNN teams show us how protesters there are taking a stand

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In true L.A. manner, this protest that has salsa bands, it's got drum lines. It's got many people coming out in message. Of course, "No Kings", but also some of the top concerns that people have expressed here are immigration, a lot of signs that say no ICE or ICE out of Los Angeles. (SPEAKING SPANISH), as they say here in L.A.

Second is the war in Iran. People here, the protesters saying that we should be looking inward at cost of living, cost of gas and not to foreign wars.

And then thirdly, surprisingly, amount of -- surprising amount of people saying, release the Epstein files. That has been something I've seen time and again.

And of course, this is a very family friendly atmosphere. We're seeing little kids, we're seeing dogs, seeing people also helping each other in this very, very hot day. It's almost 90 degrees here in Los Angeles. And these protests just started marching around. They're going to do a loop before coming back down to city hall.

The vast majority of them trying to keep this a peaceful and family- friendly demonstration. And part of that is, of course, being a little silly. We've been seeing increasing numbers of people coming out in costumes and costumes and having these silly kind of signs that want you to listen to what one of these people had to say.

I'm going to ask you one last question. Then it's -- why is that important to be silly or to stay positive like that? Like, why is that important to you?

PROTESTER: Because I feel like this entire administration is silly. And sometimes I feel like you have to fight silliness with silliness. The whole thing is ridiculous.

JONES: And leaning into that silliness, the silliness of it all has been an important tactic to avoid the kinds of confrontations that we've seen in other protests, like Los Angeles had a lot of protests last year. Last summer, with the sweeping immigration actions from the Trump administration. Organizers do not want to see a repeat of that. They want this to remain peaceful, and yes, a little silly.

Julia Vargas Jones, CNN, Los Angeles. VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We've been marching quite some

time with the protesters here in Chicago, and one of the points that they wanted to come to, one of the landmarks they wanted to pass by was Trump Tower here.

[02:05:08]

Of course, this is the "No Kings" protest. A lot of people here, anti- Trump, they're here for many reasons, but there's been a lot of anti- Trump rhetoric, as you can imagine. And so, you can hear everybody shouting "shame" as they stop here in front of Trump Tower. They're going to be continuing on and making their voices heard all throughout Chicago. But, of course, a very important point for these protesters here.

And I just spoke with a woman who both of her parents were interned at Japanese internment camps in World War Two. And she says that is the reason why she needed to be here today. Take a listen to what she had to say.

JEAN FUJIU, PROTESTER: The problem is, as they say, never again is now, and it shouldn't be happening. It's outrageous that it's happening here in the United States. People before me that came before me worked hard to make sure it wouldn't happen again, but here it is, happening again.

MIRACLE: Organizers say the last "No Kings" protest here in Chicago, there were about 250,000 people there hoping today that those numbers were far exceeded. Hundreds of thousands of people, certainly here today. And it has been very peaceful, very calm.

There are hundreds of volunteers to de-escalate any kind of situation, but we haven't seen anything like that here in Chicago.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: The Republican Party is already looking ahead to the future of its leadership. At this year's Conservative Political Action Conference, attendees zeroed in on who they'd like to see take the reins from President Trump.

CNN's Steve Contorno has more for us from Texas.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Organizers released the annual straw poll looking at who attendees believe should be the Republican Party's nominee for president in 2028. Now, this is not a scientific poll, but it did include about 1,600 respondents and the favorite among the majority of people here was Vice President J.D. Vance. Perhaps no surprise, given that he is the most obvious heir apparent to Donald Trump.

But perhaps in a surprise, the second-place vote-getter was Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who finished with 35 percent of the vote. Rubio is someone who didn't even get out of single digits in this poll a year ago. He's also someone who has clashed at times with this crowd.

However, talking to people here over the past few days, there is certainly a lot of interest in his candidacy as well as the future of Vance. Take a listen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As much as I would like to say someone like Vance, I just -- I hate seeing the president and vice president run. I want someone new and different, someone younger.

ALEXANDER SELBY, CPAC ATTENDEE: I don't really like Vance. I think Pete Hegseth doesn't really know what he's doing. Trump -- well, he can't run, obviously, but I think Marco Rubio is the only person from the administration that I would support going into 2028.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'd have voted for Vance.

SUSAN AUGUSTINE, CPAC ATTENDEE: I would go with Vance, too. I like Rubio, too. They make a good team. Too bad they couldn't be co- president, you know.

MAXINE CUNNYNGHAM, CPAC ATTENDEE: I think Vance is in the position and I don't think it would be wise for Rubio and his supporters to try to jump ahead of Vance, because I don't think that this is just my opinion that Vance -- I don't think he'll run for VP again. I mean, he expects to be president and he should be.

CONTORNO: No one else exceeded two percent in the poll, really showing the popularity of these two figures among the GOP base. In fact, one of the more popular opinions I heard was that the ticket in 2028 should be Vance and Rubio, one person even suggesting that they should be co-president.

Of course, looming over the future of the party is President Trump himself. And a lot of people telling me they intend to wait to see if and who the president ultimately endorses to succeed him before they make a decision.

Steve Contorno, CNN, Grapevine, Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: Jeremy Wallace is a political writer for "The Houston Chronicle" and "The San Antonio Express-News". He also just returned from the CPAC conference, and he's joining us now from Austin, Texas.

Thank you so much for being here, sir.

There has been so much commentary, including on social media, about there being a bit less buzz around CPAC this year, and also some key figures being missing. What does all of that tell you about where the conservative movement is right now?

JEREMY WALLACE, POLITICAL WRITER, HOUSTON CHRONICLE & SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS: Yeah, this was almost a -- it really kind of showed us where the Republican Party and the conservative movement is as a whole. He ended up with this event where Donald Trump is not there. And so, who takes up the mantle of that? Who leads this, you know, this group of conservatives?

And the answer was mostly no one. You ended up in the situation where you had a lot of B-listers from the White House and other -- people within the conservative movement, a lot of podcasters, but no clear voice that could bring together all the different factions within the GOP. That was kind of on display in the saying, there's a lot of divisions within the Republican Party, and you heard it on things like, you know, the war in Iran.

[02:10:08]

You hear it about, you know, the support for Israel. You hear it about so many other issues, you know, including the Epstein files. You hear a lot of divides and Trump is able to manage all that, but no one else in this conference was able to seem to kind of get there. There's no one figure that's emerging. I think that's what one of the big lessons Republicans are going to have to look at. And like, who is the next face of the Republican Party when Trump's time is done in the White House?

HUNTE: Well, tell me a bit more about that, though, because time is changing. Things are coming up. So even if Trump isn't physically front and center and he remains central to the party, there is going to need to be somebody else. So, did anybody kind of signal that they might be stepping into more of a visible leadership role now, or nobody at all?

WALLACE: Yeah, you can see people putting their toe in there trying to get there. You saw U.S. Senator Ted Cruz really try to make a play for the crowd without J.D. Vance or Marco Rubio speaking. You can see Cruz trying to remind people that he once ran for president, too, and he'd like to do it again.

But you saw, you know, as Steve reported, there was like -- he got nothing in the straw poll. They barely anybody supported him despite the home field advantage and having the field to himself.

So, you can see people trying to jockey for that kind of role, but you know, again, and its a weird situation where if Trump had been there, maybe there's more energy in this event, who knows? But it just -- it adds to that problem. I think a lot of Republicans are wondering, you know, are they going to have energy going into the midterm? And if the CPAC conference is any test, you know, there is energy there, but it certainly doesn't feel like, you know, they were ready for battle going into this midterm cycle.

HUNTE: That's really interesting.

We know there are divisions within the MAGA movement, too. How visible were those splits at CPAC and what are they really about right now?

WALLACE: Yeah, you could see it in just who the guests were. When Steve Bannon is speaking, there's a lot of people who are upset with him for his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, right? And so, you had a lot of conservatives kind of questioning that. All the discussion about Iran. How much do you support President Trump on that?

And so, those divisions are there. Look like most people still support the president and are trying to give him the benefit of the doubt, even on something like Iran. But there's clearly divisions in there.

And, you know, you look at this going forward, its like, so if Trump can bring them together, these different factions, you know, who's next? Who's going to be able to do that? Can J.D. Vance or Marco Rubio pull off that same kind of magic trick? You know, when you see all these different voices competing with one another, there are people who spoke at this conference who are usually at each other's throats. And it'll be like, so who can kind of bring them together? That's a tall order for anybody.

HUNTE: There is so much more we want to get into, but my producers like wrap it up. So, thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate it. I'll speak to you again very soon, I'm sure.

WALLACE: All right. Thank you.

HUNTE: The U.S. and Israel's war with Iran has now expanded to involve Yemen, where the Iranian-backed Houthi rebel group could threaten to throw the region's oil exports and shipping into further chaos.

Details just ahead. See you in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:16:57]

HUNTE: Welcome back.

The rhetoric and military actions in the U.S. war with Iran appear to be heating up. That is, despite some recent efforts at diplomacy, though. Tehran now vowing to strike U.S. and Israeli affiliated universities in the Middle East. That threat after Israeli strikes damaged buildings at university in Tehran overnight. Iran's state affiliated media also reported heavy bombardment and several explosions across the capital earlier.

Iran's president says Tehran will retaliate strongly if the country's infrastructure or economic centers are targeted.

The U.S. and Israel's war with Iran is also reaching a new front and expanded to involve Yemen. On Saturday, the Iranian-backed Houthi rebel group claimed responsibility for two missile strikes against Israel. An Iranian missile also made it through Israel's air defenses. The strike injured several people and left extensive damage just outside Jerusalem.

Let's bring in CNN's Paula Hancocks live from Abu Dhabi for us.

Paula, thank you so much for being here.

We are seeing words and strikes intensifying now. How significant is this latest escalation, though?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Ben, the fact that the Houthi rebels have got involved is significant. We had been hearing threats from them that they were going to become involved, and now they are. Its not just the impact that their missile strikes could have on Israel. It is also the possibility that they could try and disrupt further the waterways, the crucial waterways that are taking oil goods around the world.

So, as we talk about the Strait of Hormuz being effectively closed with only a very few vessels being allowed through, there is also another strait, the Bab El Mandeb Strait, which is -- it's further south. It's -- connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. And it is another crucial choke point.

We saw just recently that the Houthis were able to cause havoc there during the war in Gaza. They were firing at ships and Israel during that war in support of Hamas. And we saw complete disruption there. So, if you have this strait, along with the Strait of Hormuz experiencing disruptions, the economic impact around the world could be very significant.

Now, overnight, we also saw some heavy bombardment in Iran. We've seen in the capital, Tehran, some state media footage showing what appears to be a residential building. In one case that has been very badly destroyed.

We also saw in the early hours of Saturday as well, a key Iranian university, the university of science and technology in Tehran, which appeared to be in ruins, according to state media. And that has led to a threat from the Revolutionary Guard.

[22:20:00]

They have said that U.S. and Israeli affiliated universities in the region are now considered legitimate targets. They have told students and staff and residents nearby to make sure that they are at least one kilometer away from these campuses. We know that there are two in Qatar. We know there's one here in Abu Dhabi. So, certainly, those threats will be taken very seriously.

Now, when it comes to other strikes across the region, we saw Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon, which have once again killed health care workers. Weve heard from the world health organization saying that nine paramedics were killed and seven wounded, and this was in five separate attacks across southern Lebanon, as they were on duty.

Now, we have been hearing from the health ministry about the negative impacts that targeting paramedics and health centers has on the ability to be able to provide health care to the Lebanese. Israel has said that some of these health centers are being used in a military sense. But what we've heard from the Lebanese health ministry now is that some four hospitals and 50 primary health care centers have had to be closed -- Ben.

HUNTE: OK. Thank you so much for that update. Paula Hancocks in Abu Dhabi, thank you.

Joining us now is Hisham Al-Omeisy, the senior Yemen advisor with the European institute of Peace.

Thank you so much for being with me, Hisham.

Why this escalation? Why now? What is going on?

HISHAM AL-OMEISY, SENIOR YEMEN ADVISOR, EUROPEAN INSTITUTE OF PEACE: Thank you, Ben.

Well, it's all about the timing and their intervention is driven by several strategic reasons to begin with. It's the retaliation for the increasing attacks on Iran, the Houthi military spokesperson specifically mentioned the attacks on the infrastructure in reference to the Israeli attacks on factories in the power plant last week, but also it's in support of the axis of resistance.

They want to expand the fronts of the U.S., and Israel will have to fight at, in an attempt to ease the pressure on the other members of the axis, specifically with Hezbollah and with the U.S. saying that there could be boots on the ground. Houthis are hoping to deter an invasion by signaling that now that they have joined the fight, they could additionally disrupt global trade and shipments should they choose to shut down Bab El-Mandeb, just as Paula mentioned, which would be devastating.

But joining also allows them to rally support at home in Yemen where they're trying to portray themselves as defenders of the Muslim cause and distract from Yemen's internal challenges and there are many, beginning from the economy, from governance, from the Houthi crackdown campaigns and silencing dissent, and also projecting power despite the Israeli attacks in the past to their leadership and infrastructure and beyond Yemen's border, you have to remember the Houthis have regional ambitions. They want to be seen as the vanguards of the Muslim, the Arab nation.

HUNTE: Everything considered, do you think the strikes actually achieved what they wanted?

AL-OMEISY: In terms of sending a message? Yes. But you have to remember, the Houthis have lobbed attacks in the past against Israel. Their missiles have had very little effect in terms of damage. But it increased their popularity, not just in Yemen, not just in the region, even globally.

A lot of people were cheering for the Houthis as the underdog, coming to the defense of Gaza. And I imagine the same message now that the Houthis have been basically repeating that narrative of jihad, protecting the nation, protect the Muslims. It's going to resonate well again with the Iranians

HUNTE: How much of this do you think is being driven by Tehran versus the Houthis, acting independently in their own interests?

AL-OMEISY: Well, the Houthis have their own objectives, their own goals. But of course, they've been signaled by Iran that this is the right time not to come into -- into the game, because having shut down the Strait of Hormuz, they want to signal that they could also use the Houthis as disruptors in the Bab el-Mandeb as well.

HUNTE: The U.S. has warned it could take further military action in the region. Indeed, a lot of people are expecting it. And you mentioned earlier that the Houthis may be trying to deter that. Tell me a bit more about these signals that they're sending, showing that they could escalate this even further if they wanted to.

AL-OMEISY: Yes, they could, but the thing is that you have to remember that the Houthis are also talking to the Saudis, and the Saudis now have diverted a lot of their oil shipments to the Red Sea, to the Yanbu port. And the Houthis don't want to risk that because they've been trying to extract some concessions from the Saudis.

There's been increasing pressure on the Houthis to join the fight. And, of course, again now, thanks to the Iranians as well, because of the pressure on Iran, they've just done they have not escalated yet to shut down the Red Sea. But if the U.S. chooses to put boots on the ground, they will definitely take that step.

[02:25:03]

HUNTE: I just want to understand if you're surprised by what's going on at the moment in this region, is this catching you off guard right now, or is this something that were kind of just in and just expecting what were expecting?

AL-OMEISY: Honestly, it was quite expected given the trajectory of the conflict because of the escalation of the rhetoric as well. The only surprising thing here is that the consideration of putting boots on the ground, knowing how difficult it is to control areas in that region.

Taking territory is one thing. Maintaining control of that territory is a whole different ball game, and it's going to be quite costly. And this is one of the things that the Houthis and the Iranians excel at is a war of attrition. They're fighting an asymmetric war, which is they're really good at, and they're making increasingly costly for the U.S., for Israel, and also for the gulf states, for this war to continue.

HUNTE: And we're definitely seeing that now. Inside Yemen, people are already struggling. Is there any sign that the domestic frustration could start to limit how far the Houthis go with this? I've only got about 45 seconds if that's okay.

AL-OMEISY: Yes, though the Houthis enjoy strong support of large base and increasing number of the people are frustrated with the Houthis dragging Yemen and them into yet another conflict is going to create a sense of desperation in Yemen.

Public salaries haven't been paid for a long time. Unemployment is skyrocketing. Almost 80 percent of the population is in need of some form of aid. So, the people are going to put pressure on the Houthis to stop.

HUNTE: Okay. Well, thank you so much for those updates. We really appreciate your takes on that.

Hisham Al-Omeisy in Washington, thank you so much.

Onwards, you are watching CNN NEWSROOM with me, Ben Hunte. For our viewers in North America, I'll have more news in just a moment.

For our international viewers, "MARKETPLACE AFRICA" is next. See you in a bit.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:30:26]

HUNTE: Welcome back.

Tens of thousands of people in the U.S. joined "No Kings" protests across the country on Saturday. They rallied against what they say are Donald Trump's behavior and policies that are more like a monarch than a democratically elected leader. The demonstrations weren't just in major cities, though many were in small towns, and organizers say almost half of them were in Republican strongholds. These were the third nationwide protests since Trump took office just more than a year ago, with protesters blaming the Trump administration for attacking U.S. democracy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This democracy is only as strong as the people who defend it. And so, what we're seeing here in New York and across the country is that as we have more incursions from this president, from the MAGA movement, attacks on public education, on health care, on immigration, on workers, tenants, consumers, queer people, that every day Americans are realizing that we have to come together to stand up to defend our democracy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People like me, the youth, are against this administration. We are anti-fascist, were anti-authoritarian, anti- tyranny, and we do not believe in ICE, nor Israel, nor the war in Iran

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: CNN's Jenn Sullivan has more for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JENN SULLIVAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): New protests held in cities across the country Saturday as demonstrators push back on what they call authoritarianism and overreach by President Donald Trump and his administration.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is happening in America right now is wrong. It's destruction of democracy. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's absolutely tragic what's happening in this

country and around the world. And I just want my voice to be heard with other people.

SULLIVAN (voice-over): More than 3,100 rallies were planned in all 50 states, according to organizers.

In Minnesota, rallies attracting high profile figures like singer Bruce Springsteen.

SPRINGSTEEN: ICE out now!

SULLIVAN (voice-over): These demonstrations come as Trump faces increased scrutiny over a range of issues, including the war with Iran, which was not approved by Congress.

Since the war began February 28th, oil prices have surged as traffic through the strait of Hormuz has been curtailed. The supply disruption has caused gas prices to soar. The national average for a gallon of regular gas is now just under $4, jumping more than 33 percent in just a month, according to AAA.

And a partial government shutdown has led to weeks of long security lines at airports as TSA agents went without pay. Many have been calling out, leading to staffing shortages.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We love our job, but it's just -- it's just so hard at this point.

SULLIVAN (voice-over): Trump signed an executive order Friday that would allow TSA agents to be paid while Congress debates funding for the department of homeland security. But all of this has led to mounting frustration, bringing more people out to demonstrate on Saturday.

I'm Jenn Sullivan reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: Members of both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate are on their break after failing to end the partial government shutdown. That means no end in sight for impacts being felt at U.S. airports. The House rejected a deal cut by their senate counterparts. The stalemate leaves the Department of Homeland Security still unfunded, and those working for the Transportation Security Administration are still going without a paycheck.

The DHS shutdown can be felt the most at airports all across the country. While some airports are finally reporting some relief, others continue to have major wait times. CNN's Rafael Romo spoke to travelers trying to get to their destinations.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We have seen almost no lines and very happy passengers here at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. Although that's not the case at other airports like Bush Intercontinental in Houston, where lines extended for more than two hours early Saturday morning. Here at the main checkpoint area, at one point, as many as 11 out of 18 lanes were open, which is among the most active we have seen since the partial government shutdown began in mid-February.

What we have seen at this airport, and it's also happening at others across the nation, is that ICE agents have started verifying travelers' IDs, as DHS confirmed on Wednesday. It's unclear if ICE's presence has made a difference in the lines. DHS added that the agents have also been guarding entrances and exits, helping with logistics and crowd control after receiving what they called standard TSA training.

[02:35:01]

According to a union steward here in Atlanta. That kind of training takes about four hours to complete. We spoke with several passengers here at the airport who were relieved to find out that the lines were not bad at all, but were still concerned that Congress hasn't been able to come to an agreement to pay TSA screeners.

ASHLEY BROOKS, TRAVELER: I think it's horrible. You know, so many people are working very hard. I know the TSA agents are working very hard, so definitely hope they get paid what they deserved very soon and quickly.

BILL MUSGRAVE, TRAVELER: Well, it looks surprisingly below where I figured it would be, but, you know, it's always nice to be pleasantly surprised every once in a while.

ROMO: What do you make of the whole situation that the government shutdown is still going on? TSA workers are still not getting paid.

MUSGRAVE: I don't want to really get political on camera, but I will tell you in November, I will remember.

ROMO: TSA screeners received a message from their employer Friday night saying that, quote, at the direction of President Trump, TSA is paying all employees what they're owed, adding that employees should expect most of their back pay in their direct deposit starting on Monday, March 30th.

A union steward here in Atlanta shared with me the message that TSA employees across the nation have received and that also specifies that all employees must return to work on their next scheduled workday.

Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: Okay, still to come, North Korea is flexing its military muscles again. Kim Jong Un is making clear his nuclear ambitions as the war in the Middle East expands. What he's telling his people, just ahead. See you in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HUNTE: Welcome back.

Pakistan has apparently found itself in Iran's good graces as Islamabad tries to mediate de-escalation efforts in the Middle East. Pakistan's foreign minister announced that Iran will allow 20 of its ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Since the start of the war, Tehran has effectively closed down the vital waterway, through which 20 percent of the worlds crude oil passes.

[02:40:04]

That has, of course, sent gas prices soaring worldwide.

Top diplomats from Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia are expected to convene soon in Pakistan's capital to discuss the U.S. and Israel's war with Iran, which has expanded across the region.

Let's bring in CNN's senior international correspondent Ivan Watson, live in Islamabad for us.

Thank you so much for being here.

What do we know about these talks in Pakistan, Ivan?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. Well, the delegations are converging here. The security is tighter here in the capital. And this is a gathering of foreign ministers from across the Middle East, from Egypt, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, meeting with the Pakistani foreign minister who's hosting here.

It will be two days of crisis talks, as this war now has gone into a month with thousands of people killed and billions of dollars being lost to the region's economy daily since the U.S. and Israel mounted their joint surprise attack on Tehran a month ago. And this is now spread into something that is hurting other countries and economies in the region. So, you have these diplomats that are gathering here trying to find some kind of a off ramp or certainly some way to at least try to avoid further escalation of the conflict.

Several of these countries -- Turkey, Egypt and Pakistan, have helped with sending messages and some kind of mediation between Washington and Tehran, Pakistan delivering a 5 -- 15-point list of demands from the Trump administration to Tehran and are playing a kind of facilitating role here.

Pakistan's foreign minister announced that after the prime minister and foreign minister here had their own separate calls with Iran's president and foreign minister, the Pakistani top diplomat went on to announce that Iran had agreed to allow 20 ships under the Pakistani flag to sail through the Strait of Hormuz, saying that two ships will cross the strait daily. And he went on to describe this quote as a welcome and constructive gesture by Iran that deserves appreciation.

I might point out that a month ago, no one was talking about free passage of international shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. That has been a consequence of this war, that now every ship that goes through is viewed as a bit of a victory for countries in the region -- Ben.

HUNTE: Is there a sense that diplomacy in Islamabad can avert further escalation to this war, though?

WATSON: It's not really clear, because the two positions that we've seen from the Trump administration and the Islamic Republic of Iran, as one analyst has described it, are maximalist. There's very little common ground at this point.

Meanwhile, there has been an expansion of the war just in the last 48 hours. You've had the Houthis backed by Iran in Yemen, formally announced that they are now parties to the conflict after they launched at least two ballistic missiles at Israel on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the U.S. military, CENTCOM, made its own announcement that troops from a marine expeditionary unit, some 3,500 marines and sailors, along with warships and warplanes, had arrived in the Middle East. And that's raising further fears or concerns that the U.S. may be preparing for some kind of ground offensive against Iran.

There are areas of -- I don't know if hope is the right word right now, but Turkey says it has intercepted since the war began what it says were missiles fired from Iran into its own airspace. Saudi Arabia has repeatedly come under attack from Iranian missiles and drones, most recently Friday. The Prince Sultan Air Base was struck. That's one used by the U.S. military in Saudi Arabia, with at least a dozen U.S. service members injured there and aircraft damaged, as well.

So far, neither Turkey nor Saudi Arabia have retaliated. They have arguably exhibited restraint if they are pulled into the conflict, it could have a domino effect. Pakistan has a mutual defense treaty with Saudi Arabia. It would come under pressure to join in a potential war.

So that's the kind of scenario and one of the risks of further expansion to already a massive regional war that has killed thousands of people -- Ben.

HUNTE: Already. Yes.

Ivan Watson, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

[02:45:01]

Meanwhile, North Korea's state media report that its supreme leader was reelected by a near 100 percent margin. Kim Jong Un told parliament after his win that the country's status as a nuclear power is irreversible.

And, as Will Ripley reports, Kim is also accusing the U.S. of state- sponsored terrorism for its attack on Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): North Korean leader Kim Jong Un walks into parliament with confidence. State media claims he just won reelection by a landslide with 99.93 percent of the vote.

In front of a packed house in Pyongyang, Kim has a defiant message for President Donald Trump, "The United States is now resorting to acts of state-sponsored terrorism and aggression. The hostile forces wanted us to make a different choice, preaching a payment for our giving up of nuclear weapons. But the present situation clearly proves our nuclear possession is irreversible."

Kim never names Iran. He doesn't have to. His message to Trump is blunt, "When diplomacy fails, only brute nuclear force will do."

Ever since the Iran war broke out, a string of high profile North Korean weapons tests. This salvo of cruise missiles fired from Kim's flagship destroyer, the Chloe Hyon (ph). Days later, a barrage of what state media calls a dozen nuclear capable rockets.

Kim, joined by his daughter and rumored successor in training, the teenager, believed to be named Kim Ju-ae. She's even getting behind the wheel of a brand-new tank with her father riding shotgun.

Kim and his daughter busy flaunting their firepower.

And Russia praising its anti-U.S. partnership with Pyongyang. During coverage of the Iran war, Russian state TV airing footage of North Korean troops training near the Ukrainian front, glorifying soldiers who chose suicide over capture. A clear signal Russia has North Korea's back.

And back in Pyongyang, Kim is honoring families of fallen troops, doubling down on nuclear weapons, and telling his military and his people to prepare for war.

Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: All right. Well, don't go anywhere. We'll be right back with more CNN NEWSROOM. See you in a bit.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:51:18]

HUNTE: Welcome back.

A humpback whale rescued off the northern German coast earlier this week is stranded once again. It was first spotted trapped on a sandbank in shallow water near the city of Lubeck on Monday. A painstaking multi-day rescue effort involved machinery digging a path for the mammal in an attempt to guide it back to deeper water in the North Sea. That's it's natural habitat.

But it is now stranded again in shallow water 60-kilometer further east in Wismar Bay. So sad. Outside a sweeping new retrospective opened on Saturday at London's Victoria and Albert Museum, celebrating the rule breaking fashion house Schiaparelli. Two designers nearly 100 years apart. Eccentric founder Elsa Schiaparelli and current creative director Daniel Roseberry have pushed fashion and pop culture forward.

Rachel Tashjian explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANIEL ROSEBERRY, CREATIVE DIRECTOR, SCHIAPARELLI: I do think that Elsa called me from the grave to do this, to complete some story that she was writing.

Do I think we would have gotten on in the material world? I have no idea. I don't know, I feel like she would have eaten me for lunch, maybe, but she knew I was the one.

RACHEL TASHJIAN, CNN SENIOR STYLE REPORTER (voice-over): Daniel Roseberry is a Texas-born, Paris-based fashion designer who put aside dreams of the priesthood to put some of the worlds most celebrated women in the 21st century's most surprising clothes. Elsa Schiaparelli was an Italian entrepreneur whose collaborations with the art world disrupted the order of midcentury aristocratic style.

They may seem worlds apart, but both have created some of the most provocative and scandalous moments of fashion history, all under Elsa's namesake brand, Schiaparelli. Now a new exhibition at London's Victoria and Albert Museum shows their work side by side, unlike ever before.

We first caught up with Daniel during his January couture show in Paris, where his flair for shock and awe was firing on all cylinders.

ROSEBERRY: The word shocking and Schiaparelli were interchangeable during her time and after the war, the house shuttered. So, I kind of feel like were picking up where she left off and asking the question, what is shocking mean today?

The couture trade is like one of the most protected on planet Earth. Without shock, there's nothing to bring it into the future. And if you can do that in a way that also flexes mastery of a technique, it feels that much more compelling.

TASHJIAN (voice-over): Sonnet Stanfill has spent the past two years crafting the exhibition that she hopes will bring Daniel and his work closer than ever to Elsa Schiaparelli and her groundbreaking designs.

SONNET STANFILL, SENIOR CURATOR OF FASHION AT THE V&A: Yeah, so we're in one of the secure storage areas of the V&A where we gather together some of the objects before we install them in the exhibition. So I'm going to lift the tissue off.

So, we are looking at a coat designed with Jean Cocteau and Elsa Schiaparelli for her 1937 collection. It could either be a vase or it could be two faces looking at each other. And that's a very surrealist approach.

That's something that Elsa Schiaparelli took from her very first fashion hit. Her trompe l'oeil bowknot sweaters. But you see it running through her work. And so, this is exactly the kind of garment that would have made the onlooker look twice.

An element that Elsa Schiaparelli and Daniel Roseberry share is their ability to harness the attention economy. And that's something that Elsa Schiaparelli did with great success. And equally, Daniel Roseberry has got this incredible sixth sense about who to dress and when.

[02:55:06]

ROSEBERRY: I feel like we could talk about celebrity, like all day long. We've never paid to play the celebrity game. And anytime you see a celebrity wearing Schiap, it's because they want to.

TASHJIAN (voice-over): At last, the exhibition is complete. Visitors can see how the Schiaparelli philosophy of disarming design continues to push popular culture forward.

ROSEBERRY: So here we are, the first retrospective ever of Schiaparelli's work in the U.K. It's also this extraordinary marriage of her world and my world too. I keep thinking of my younger self. What would eight or 10 or 12-year-old Daniel have to say about his work being put in a museum?

I think he would have said, what took you so long it just feels like the natural outcome of being obedient to this calling, to connect to people through the medium of fashion. I love what we're building here. I love what Schiaparelli stands for, and I feel like we're just getting started.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: Swiss food giant Nestle says about 12 tons of its KitKat chocolate bars have been stolen on the way from Italy to Poland, okay. The company reported the heist happened earlier this week. The vehicle and chocolate still nowhere to be found. Officials warn the thieves could get caught trying to resell that product by tracing the batch code located on the bar's individual wrapping.

A company spokesperson said, quote, "Whilst we appreciate the criminals' exceptional taste, the fact remains that cargo theft is an escalating issue for businesses of all sizes." Wow.

Okay, well, that's it. Thanks so much for joining me and the team. I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta. The news continues, potentially with more KitKats after a very quick break. See you in a moment.