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Donald Trump Threatens To "Obliterate" Iran's Energy Sites; Oil Prices Rise As Donald Trump Threatens Iranian Energy Sites; Donald Trump Weighs Seizing The Key Fuel Hub Of Kharg Island; U.S. Allows Russian Oil Tanker to Reach Cuba Amid Blockade; Tanker Carrying Nearly 730,000 Barrels of Oil, but Will Only Offer Limited Relief; Cuban Doctors and Patients Face Blackouts, Fuel Shortages; Thieves Steal Renoir, Cezanne, Matisse Paintings in Italy; Celine Dion Announces Long-awaited Return to Concert Stage. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired March 31, 2026 - 02:00   ET

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

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[02:00:42]

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi everybody, welcome to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Polo Sandoval live in New York.

And here's what's coming your way in the next hour, explosions and power outages in Iran and mixed messages from the White House, President Trump threatening extreme consequences if a deal is not reached soon, but also casting a positive light on negotiations.

Then, Washington making an exception to its Cuba oil blockade, but a Russian oil tanker that just arrived will only provide a brief lifeline.

And later, the enormous cost of Indian weddings. Why the happiest day for many may also have a bit of a dark side.

ANNOUNCER: Live from New York. This is CNN NEWSROOM with Polo Sandoval.

SANDOVAL: All right, we do want to begin in the Middle East right now, where we are currently seeing the latest exchange of missiles between Israel and Iran. Video geo located by CNN, showing several large explosions in Isfahan, Iran.

The overnight bombardment comes on the heels of Israel's wide scale wave of strikes across Iran's capital on Monday.

And earlier in Jerusalem, smoke trails left by intercepted missiles could be seen across the night sky. The conflict is still wreaking havoc across the entire region. Kuwait state media is reporting that Iranian strikes hit a large Kuwaiti crude carrier that was anchored in Dubai. And no injuries have been reported, and all 24 crew members are safe. We'll get into more of that incident in a moment.

But the White House is now saying the talks to end the war with Iran are going well, they say, and this despite Tehran saying that those conversations aren't even happening, but U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is admitting that there are questions surrounding Iran's current leadership.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: It's very opaque right now. It's not quite clear how decisions are being made inside of Iran.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Despite claims by the administration that it is making diplomatic headway with Iran, President Trump is threatening to obliterate as he's -- as he put it, to obliterate Iran's energy sites if a deal to end the war is not reached and the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened. Here's what the White House had to say about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Of course, this administration in the United States Armed Forces will always act within the confines of the law, but with respect to achieving the full objectives of Operation Epic Fury, President Trump is going to move forward unabated, and he expects the Iranian regime to make a deal with the administration.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: We do want to go now to CNN's Paula Hancocks who is live in Abu Dhabi following developments out of the Middle East. Hi, Paula.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Polo, well, there has been a lot happening overnight here in the region. I'll start off with that Dubai oil tanker, or the tanker that was anchored off Dubai port. Now we've just been hearing from authorities that the fire on board has been extinguished after an Iranian drone hits this vessel, and also saying that there is no fear now of an oil leakage.

Now the concern was, as this was a fully loaded vessel, that there could be some kind of an oil leakage into the Persian Gulf. That fear has now passed.

But this is an oil tanker that was anchored about 30 nautical miles off the Dubai coast, and it was hit by an Iranian projectile. It just shows the dangers of these vessels that cannot move at this point, they can't go through the Strait of Hormuz, as it is effectively closed for most vessels, apart from some that Iran lets through.

Now also looking at what happened overnight in Iran itself, we did see some heavy bombardments in a number of different cities. Isfahan is one where we saw footage of some dramatic explosions as U.S. and Israeli air strikes targeted different areas of that city.

Now, in one of the images, you can actually see the minarets of the Grand Mosalla mosque in the foreground with an explosion happening behind. We know also in Tehran, in the capital, there have been power cuts. We heard from Fars News Agency that one of the substations had been impacted by shrapnel from an airstrike, and that has now been fixed. But there were -- that there were power cuts that impacted a number of people there.

[02:05:16]

And also, in the Alborz province, we have fresh footage showing impacts there. Now we have heard from Israel, that they are close to halfway through their target list, this from the Israeli prime minister, but also saying that they are able to expand and escalate. We've heard from President Trump in recent days that he said there is still more that they want to do before they leave.

But this all happens as we are still hearing that diplomacy is progressing, at least that's what we're hearing from the American side. Now we heard from Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary yesterday, talking about how well negotiations were going. Saying talks are continuing, going well. Also saying what's being said publicly by Iranian officials is very different to what they're hearing behind the scenes, saying that the negotiators they are talking to appear more reasonable than the previous leadership.

Now we don't know exactly who they are negotiating with at this point. They haven't clarified that, but they are certainly sounding a lot more positive and optimistic than the Iranian side. We heard from Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson yesterday talking about how the demands that the U.S. have put forward are largely excessive, unrealistic and unreasonable demands.

This is the 15-point peace plan that that Trump has put forward, or said that he has put forward through Pakistani mediators. We know that the demands are the likes of no nuclear program, the ending of sponsoring of terrorism around the region through the proxies, and what we're hearing from the Iranian side is very far removed from that, demands such as acknowledging Iran's sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, something which the U.S., Israel and probably many countries in the world would not agree to.

In fact, we heard from the U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, saying just that, that that demand from Iran was definitely not going to be acceptable. He also said it's not quite clear how decisions are being made inside of Iran in an interview, which really just shows the opaque nature of what is happening inside the corridors of power in Tehran.

At this point, we don't know exactly who U.S. President Donald Trump says that he is negotiating with we don't know who exactly is in control as the Supreme Leader has not been seen or heard from since he took that position. And it just shows there are many more questions than answers at this point, especially when it comes to the diplomatic path that the U.S. is taking, Polo.

SANDOVAL: Yes, as you point out, a tremendous lack of clarity when it comes to these ongoing negotiations. Paula Hancocks, as always, really appreciate your reporting. Thanks for walking us through that. President Trump's claim that talks with Iran are doing well isn't

doing much to calm some of the volatile oil markets that have been up and down the global benchmark. Brent crude topping $116 a barrel on Monday, before settling at $112.

West Texas Intermediate crude, the U.S. benchmark, you see are just slightly above 100 roughly closing in on $103 there. Obviously the recent strikes from Iran, renewing fears for oil markets around the world.

Let's discuss this. Let's head to our experts. CNN's Eleni Giokos tracking the very latest from Dubai. Clearly, we continue to see some unsettled markets.

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and let me tell you, there's a lot of contradictory, oscillating rhetoric, not only from Iran, but also the United States. And that doesn't exactly give a lot of hope to the markets to sort of settle. You're seeing a lot of volatility.

And it's really indicative in the way that we've been seeing these price movements. Specifically, when you hear from President Trump saying, you know, he wants to bring an end to the war, and then the fundamentals, the reality is still very much intact.

I want to take you through some of the things that I've been noticing and specifically from the International Air Transport Association. So, this is IATA. They're saying that jet fuel prices have increased 104 percent over the last month, and this just sort of speaks to some of the other news that we've been hearing from Korean Air that's saying they're switching to emergency mode, because usually input costs of fuel account for 30 percent of their costs, and they say that is going to dabble double if the overall situation remains the same. And the IMF weighing in on the ultimate impact here on oil prices.

[02:10:02]

I want you to take a look at what they said, and this is really, you know, fascinating in terms of the overall effect. They say, although the war could shape the global economy in different ways, all roads lead to higher prices and slower growth.

So, this is a massive realization of where we stand right now. And they say much depends on how long the conflict lasts, how far it spreads, and how much damage it inflicts on infrastructure and supply chains.

We know the damage to supply chains has already been done that is, you know, unquestionable in terms of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz was with that Kuwaiti oil tanker now targeted once again, the Iranians have consistently said, if you don't speak with us and coordinate with us, you're not going to get safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

The IMF also showing us, you know, just how much traffic is getting through since the start of the war, it is just a trickle. You're seeing some tankers, but it's a far cry from what we saw before February 28th and this is the major concern that that sort of backlog of the jet fuel and some of the downstream products that's all still pretty much stuck in the Persian Gulf, opening that up is going to be super important as well.

And I also have to say, in terms of fuel shortages we're seeing in Asia right now, those are the worst affected countries. JP Morgan saying the next to feel the pain will be Africa, then it will feed through into European markets and then into North America as well.

Jet fuel prices globally have already started to skyrocket, with airlines talking about that reality setting in.

Now, President Trump saying they opened that 10 day diplomatic window by April the 6th, maybe perhaps some resolution, as we're hearing this, to and fro between Iran and the United States and continued attacks in the Gulf region, Polo, that also rattling markets to a large extent as well.

The biggest impact is going to be felt by consumers down the line in terms of the inflationary outlook. Let me tell you, central banks that we've been seeing talking about this, they're readjusting their reality. Even the Federal Reserve that had priced in an interest rate cut by the end of the year, that is not going to be on the table anymore if this war continues and the Strait of Hormuz continues to be closed.

SANDOVAL: High prices, slow growth seems to have been the theme of March. We'll see what happens in the month ahead. Eleni Giokos, as always, really appreciate your reporting.

And of course, as the White House continues to claim, negotiations are ongoing with Iran, the White House also weighing various potential military options as well. So, let's discuss that with Simon Kelly. He's a retired British Royal Navy Commodore. He's also the maritime operations leader and defense consultant for the Fozzie Miller group. He's joining me live from Portsmouth, England.

Commodore, it's always great to see you. Thank you for your time.

CDRE. SIMON KELLY (RET.), BRITISH ROYAL NAVY: Thank you. Good to see you again.

SANDOVAL: So, let's -- I'm curious if we could just get your expert thoughts. You know, in terms of some of the potential military options here as President Trump, we heard him renew his threat to potentially target Iran's energy sources. How much of a risk would that be for the U.S., for its allies, if it does go through with that? I mean, wouldn't that come with an inherent risk of Iran potentially doing the same, also targeting the infrastructure of the U.S. and its allies in the region?

KELLY: Yes, I think what we've seen so far is that sort of tit for tat escalation. We absolutely saw that with the South Pars gas field oil field, didn't we? And so, I think there's a real risk that if strikes start to impact on Iranian infrastructure, we'll see that retaliation from them, and of course, it's going to hit the Gulf partners particularly hard. SANDOVAL: Yes. And then, of course, it's the other question too, of the legality. The White House on Monday insisted that it would work within the confines of the law, but ultimately, we would certainly have to see how international courts would see any potential targeting of civilian infrastructure.

And then when you look at all of these options that I know of, you've reviewed, you've looked over out of all the operations that are being considered right now by the administration, all of which come with tremendous risk and challenges. But are there -- is there perhaps one or two, in your opinion, that could have a more manageable risk for the Pentagon if it proceeds?

KELLY: I think -- I think the first thing to say is that, to a certain extent, the fact that we are all looking at the options at the moment, and that we are perhaps slightly confused by what the possibilities are, is exactly the point here. President Trump is able to mass forces, you've got the 82nd now arriving in theater. You Tripoli are new with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, and now in theater and USS Boxer and their Marines are on the way as well. What that does is that gives him additional leverage. And so, actually, it's a tool you don't have to use. It's just a tool you need to threaten to use.

[02:15:05]

In terms of options, though, there's no real, easy, risk-free option, and there's no option at the moment that looks like it's going to free up movement in the Strait of Hormuz.

So, at the moment on USS Tripoli, they'll be weighing up targets, they'll be weighing up opportunities, and they'll be looking firstly at the challenges of getting through the trades. For most we haven't seen anything pass through, any military vessels pass through so far.

So, you've got to break in in the first place. Kharg Island seems to be one of the targets and one of the objectives is repeated by the administration, because it has such a huge impact on Iranian sustainability in terms of their own oil.

But I think as soon as you're operating within the Gulf, that comes with real threats and real challenges, let alone the possibility that you then have to conduct some kind of amphibious assault on Kharg Island, you can apply the same issues and challenges on any of the islands in the Strait of Hormuz as well. It's really hard to see how the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps in particular, balance up the risk against their own people, of course, the risk of some real significant losses.

SANDOVAL: Let's stay on Kharg Island and I'm glad you mentioned that, Commodore, it's one of the many different potential options that they're looking at, especially if they proceed with ground forces.

In just in assessing that potential scenario of taking Kharg Island, you mentioned some of the challenges that would come with a potential amphibious assault, but then come the challenges of actually holding the island for the potential duration of this conflict, however long that might be.

I mean, what does that look like? I assume that forces would have to be resupplied. This means helicopters moving in and out of the region. Certainly they would potentially even be within striking distance of the Iranians on the mainland, wouldn't they?

KELLY: Yes, I think -- I think you've covered some really good point there, Polo. So, I think once you're in the Gulf, it's actually more constrained than you would imagine. There's a lot of oil infrastructure as I'm -- you know, we're seeing the south got South Pars oil field being struck. There's a lot of infrastructure there, which actually limits the ability of the ships to maneuver freely.

So, you become much more of a available target for the short-range missiles, so that -- so the captains of the ships will be feeling the pressure. But the U.S. Marine Corps, I think -- I think they certainly have it within their ability and with a gift to get a foothold on to Kharg Island. But as you say, the problem is then holding it.

What the U.S. Marine Corps has done in recent years is they've sort of shifted their emphasis from some of their heavy armor. It's quite controversial subject for the U.S. Marine Corps, but they've moved away from heavy armor, and they focus on lighter standing forces, who are in very, in many ways, configured for this kind of operation, where they're slightly more isolated. They can use terrain, if it was possible, in this particular case, probably not to mass their signature, and they use technology to defeat incoming threats.

But there's a real challenge here, as you say, there's going to have to be a flow of logistics to those Marines on the ground. But there's also things like, how do you evacuate casualties? What's your -- what's your medical plan, to get casualties off the islands to the ships and back to treatment in the sort of timescales that we would hope should we start to see significant losses, is that there's a huge logistical challenge that comes with all this.

All of this logistics will be coming under threat at every moment, and so, there's no real position of comfort for the ships, for the Marines on the ground, it's very difficult to see anything that's a sustained operation without something significant changing in Iran itself.

SANDOVAL: Absolutely challenging and incredibly dangerous, based on what we've heard from experts such as yourself. As always, Commodore Simon Kelly, really appreciate you letting us tap into your expertise. Thank you for your time.

KELLY: Thank you.

SANDOVAL: Well, still to come on CNN NEWSROOM, shocking video out of Brazil showing the moment that an engine on a Delta Airlines Flight burst into flames. What happened?

And a little later, Cuba getting some energy relief with the arrival of a Russian oil tanker. But for an island hit with a U.S. blockade and blackouts may just provide a drop in the bucket in terms of help.

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[02:24:05]

SANDOVAL: Now to some scary moments aboard a jetliner after a mechanical issue forced a Delta Airlines flight from Sao Paulo, Brazil, bound for Atlanta to return to the airport shortly after takeoff, a Delta Airlines has not provided any further details about this incident, but just watch the video yourself. Here was taken by one of the passengers on board, and you see that flash. of light. Those are the sparks and flames coming from the aircraft's left engine as passengers then as that plane then turned around.

This video also from a plane spotter, showing what appears to be the engine bursting into flames right after takeoff, or at least some flames coming from the engine. Nearly 300 people were on board that flight. No injuries were reported.

And dozens of people have been killed in western Haiti as armed gangs attacked civilians and burned homes. Haitian authorities confirming that at least 16 people were killed on Sunday in the country's main agricultural region, rights groups estimating that the death toll had risen to as high as 70 people by Monday, thousands have been forced to flee the violence the attacks, they come ahead of the expected arrival of an international force aimed at curbing gang violence there.

[02:25:17]

Israel's parliament has passed a controversial bill expanding the death penalty for Palestinians in the West Bank who are convicted of terrorism or nationalistic murders. The bill stipulating that West Bank residents who kill an Israeli with, "The intent to negate the existence of the Israeli state, will be sentenced to death by hanging." That law makes the death penalty the default punishment and allows no right to appeal. Far right Israeli politicians are celebrating this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ITAMAR BEN-GVIR, ISRAELI NATIONAL SECURITY MINISTER (through translator): From today onward, every terrorist shall know, and the whole world shall know. He who takes life the State of Israel will take his life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: A reminder, Palestinians in the West Bank, they are subject to military law, while Israeli settlers are subject to civilian law, and the bill notably makes no special punishment for nationalistic murders carried out by Jewish Israelis against Palestinians, and this is all sparking outcry from human rights groups.

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ABDALLAH AL ZUGHARI, PRESIDENT, PALESTINIAN PRISONERS' CLUB (through translator): This law comes while the world is busy with the U.S., Israel, Iran war amidst international complicity in the face of the scale of the ongoing aggression against the Palestinian people and specifically against prisoners. This is a crime against humanity. This is a crime against the law.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Israeli opposition leaders are also slamming the new law, and believe that it will likely be struck down by Israel's Supreme Court, declared unconstitutional, possibly.

A no blockade, rolling blackouts and severe shortages in Cuba. Coming up, I'll be speaking with a journalist in Havana about how all of this is affecting their health care system.

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[02:31:28]

SANDOVAL: A Russian-flagged oil tanker has now reached the waters off of Cuba after President Trump allowed it to break a U.S. fuel blockade. But experts say that the oil on board may only offer some limited economic and humanitarian relief as Cuba struggles with a deepening energy crisis.

Here's CNN's Patrick Oppmann from Havana.

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A tanker full of Russian oil is the first to come to Cuba in over three months. It is a vital lifeline to a country that has been running on fumes. The issue, though, is that while this oil is so important to get the economy running again, it will only be running for a short time. Energy analysts tell us that the oil aboard will only supply Cuba's grid for less than two weeks, really.

So while it is very notable that Russia has been able to get a tanker through the oil blockade set up by the Trump administration, which apparently says that they have allowed this boat to come in, but they're studying whether or not further boats can arrive to this island, it still is leaving this island essentially at the mercy of the oil blockade.

We don't know if other ships will come in. We don't know if other donations will be sent here, because at this point, where Cuba is depending on the generosity of other countries, a generosity that can certainly run into the hundreds of millions of dollars, and Russia has an outstanding debt that Cuba owes that country going back to the Cold War of about $1 billion. So any further oil shipments you would expect would just be added to that bill.

But Russia and other countries say that Cuba has been a longtime ally of theirs, that they wanted to defy this oil blockade, which the Trump administration has put in place to try to open up this island economically and politically. And despite this small bit of good news that will allow the economy here to survive a little bit longer, Donald Trump has said that Cuba is next, that essentially this island is in his sights, and that one way or another, he expects to change the government here or bring it down. Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.

SANDOVAL: I want to bring in Ed Augustin now, who is a journalist in Havana, Cuba. He co-wrote a piece in the New York Times with the headline, "Cuban Patients Are Dying Because of U.S. Blockade," and that's according to doctors. Thank you so much, Ed, for taking the time to join us. Really appreciate it.

ED AUGUSTIN, JOURNALIST: Thank you very much.

SANDOVAL: So, Ed, what did your reporting reveal about the current state of Cuba's health care system with the current blockade? And just for viewers who may be unfamiliar, we're talking about Cuba's health care system that is not only universal, but historically produced some very positive outcomes that are pretty much compared to other developed countries. So, Ed, how is it being put to the test right now?

AUGUSTIN: Well, it's being put to the test severely. And what we found in a nutshell in our reporting, both by speaking to six Cuban doctors here in Havana and almost a dozen international public health care specialists, is that the U.S. oil blockade on Cuba is killing patients. And that's as clear as a bell.

I spoke to an anesthesiologist in the main pediatric hospital in Havana. This month, there have been three nationwide blackouts.

[02:35:00]

And on one of them, he was operating on a two-month-old baby -- I get goosebumps when I talk about this -- and lights went out and the vital signs of the child went out, phenomenally dangerous. That time the child lived. I spoke to a gynecologist in the main -- Havana's main hospital, just down the road where both my children were born, and she tells me that more and more babies are dying.

The infant mortality rate has shot up this year because more and more pregnant women are arriving to hospital late because there's very little transport, and more and more pregnant women aren't able to find antibiotics and are giving birth prematurely. Babies are dying. I could go on. And it's not rocket science.

There's one health care specialist described it to me as, just as night follows day, if you stop petrol getting into a country, people will die. And that came out really, really clearly in our reporting, you know, like water, for example. Water, 80 percent of Cuban water, above 80 percent, according to the United Nations, relies on electricity for it to be pumped.

And almost all electricity in Cuba relies on petroleum. When the lights go out, there's less water in hospitals, there's less water around the country. Petroleum is needed for tractors to produce food. It's needed for lorries to distribute food. It's needed -- Cuba has a biotech sector that used to produce around two-thirds of the medicines people needed, and this is a universal, free-at-the-point-of-use system. Production is currently lower than 20 percent. Vaccines, some of them imported, some of them locally created, some of those are spoiling because the refrigerators cannot keep them below the eight degrees they need to be. So this is just rippling across the country, and people are dying. And it's not the leadership of the Communist Party, and it's not the military figures. It's the most vulnerable. And so it's really a heart-wrenching story.

SANDOVAL: One of the things that came to my mind too, is you walk into any hospital, especially perhaps an intensive care wing, and the amount of technology that's needed there to preserve or to save lives. How are some of these doctors and medical personnel essentially trying to or having to compensate for not having that access readily available in terms of electricity?

AUGUSTIN: Well, Cuba has always done a lot with very little. So I've lived in Cuba 13 years. Up until the pandemic, Cuba had lower infant mortality rates than in the United States, for example. Life expectancy at birth of 78, which is comparable with developed countries in Europe, for example. And it had one of the highest doctor-to-patient ratios in the world.

And it was that high level of doctors in Cuban society dotted all around in the community-rooted health care system that really compensated for their lack of cutting-edge technology. And what's happened is that as the Cuban economy has collapsed, in large part because of the pandemic, a long time ago now, but it played a big role, in large part because the ruling Communist Party has failed to get out of an economic funk and failed to decisively modernize what's plainly a dysfunctional plan system, but also because of these U.S. sanctions that have been ratcheted up ever since the first Trump administration and left in place under the Biden administration.

Because of those three factors, the economy has cratered and wages always low for doctors have gotten even lower. And people have just left the health care system en masse. They can't get to the end of the month. They can't feed their kids. They can't buy trainers for their children to go to school.

And so, you see what was a health care system really anchored in a lot of highly trained, very competent, and a huge amount of doctors and nurses. You've seen that being hollowed out. And so that together with the fact that obsolete technology, often they just can't afford spare parts, often even when they can afford spare parts, companies refuse to sell that to them because the Trump administration has smeared Cuba without any evidence that it's a country that supports state-sponsored terrorism, is what they call it.

As soon as you do that, compliance companies, pharmaceutical companies, and medical technology companies, as well as banks, take fright. They don't want to deal with you. So we found a lot of evidence in our reporting of companies that want to sell, but they can't find a bank to process the payments because of this terrorism smear. And so, they're really, really struggling to find medicine and technology, even when they can scrape together the money.

SANDOVAL: Ed, I have just a few seconds left with you. I'm curious if you could just bring us up to speed on what the reaction has been to this news that the Trump administration will be allowing some 730,000 barrels of Russian oil to reach that island. And speaking to people there in Havana, is there a sense of just how that will improve conditions, even if it's just short-term?

[02:40:00]

AUGUSTIN: It's the lifeline, and there's relief. And that might be difficult for people to get their head around, perhaps, in the United States, I'm not sure -- because Russia is not a country that's well seen in the U.S., because of Ukraine, because of Putin, because of America, very many things.

But as far as people are concerned here, oil means light, oil means water, oil means a little bit more medicine, oil means a little bit more food. And so paradoxically, Trump policy is welding Cuba closer to its erstwhile ally and a U.S. adversary.

SANDOVAL: Ed Augustin, thank you and all of your colleagues for all that reporting. Really appreciate your time as well.

AUGUSTIN: And just ahead on "CNN Newsroom," wedded bliss with a big price tag. We'll take you inside the extravagant wedding industry in India, where for some families, money is no object, and for others, it's a crippling financial burden.

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[02:45:39]

SANDOVAL: Well, have you been married or been to a wedding, you know that they can be very expensive in just about any country. But in India, families spend much of their life savings on these events and these events tend to last for several days. And for the bride's family in particular, the financial burden can become almost unbearable. CNN's Will Ripley has more on India's booming $100 billion wedding industry.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Indian weddings go for days and several couples have invited me along. Kaveri and Avinash (ph) have been planning this for their families for two years.

This is an industry that's worth over $100 billion here in India. It's an entire economy.

RIPLEY: What's the average cost for a wedding in India today?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're looking at about $500,000.

RIPLEY: $500,000?

RIPLEY (voice-over): You heard right. This luxury planner says clients easily spend $0.5 million. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: $3 million is what we have done recently.

RIPLEY: Which is just mind-blowing to me. There are some reports that say, here in India, families will often spend twice as much for the wedding as they will for their child's education.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Indians on average earn less than $200 a month, so what happens when families cannot afford all this?

RIPLEY: Get up around 6 a.m. and had to hit the road early because we have to drive to this wedding venue outside Delhi. It's not just one couple getting married, it's an 11 all at once.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Many of these are arranged marriages, like 19- year-old Anamika (ph). Mass weddings like this are common in India. Anamika (ph) imagined a wedding in her village, but the price would have left her parents deep in debt.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Whenever a parent marries their son or daughter, especially daughter, the debt is taken by the poor parents for dowry. Then they keep trying to pay it back in installments. Many times I have seen people commit suicide.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Dowry is when the bride's family gives money and gifts to the groom's family. It's technically banned by Indian law, but the custom is so widespread. There's a World Bank study that says many families spend several years of their household income on dowry.

India's Crime Records Bureau says there are thousands of murders and suicides every year tied to dowry.

RIPLEY: Right now, we're headed to go see a detective. His job is basically to investigate potential brides and grooms, usually hired by the families.

What's the most common thing people lie about?

AJIT SINGH, PRIVATE DETECTIVE: They try to show them that, you know, we have such and such properties, we have such and such business. They lie on their salary. If you see these matrimonial sites, 50 percent of the people are fake there.

RIPLEY (voice-over): He says one bride ended up in tears.

RIPLEY: Why?

SINGH: Because the guy he told the job, it was fake. Everything was fake and she started crying because just after two weeks, she was going to marry with that guy.

RIPLEY (voice-over): When it comes to this whole issue of money, you know, things can get really ugly.

RIPLEY: We're on our way to meet a young woman who says she was kicked out of her in-laws' house for not giving enough dowry money. PRIYANKA TABLA (through translator): My father got me married well. He got me married in a banquet hall. He gave them everything, gold silver, jewelry and so on. A fixed deposit of INR 250, 000, a motorbike, all of that was given.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Altogether, court filings say Priyanka's family paid nearly $35,000 but she says it was not enough. She says her husband and his family wanted more money and more expensive gifts, including a house. And she says they severely punished her for not delivering.

TABLA (through translator): I got cheated. My father got cheated.

RIPLEY: And this was an arranged marriage?

TABLA (through translator): Yes. My husband hit me with a broom in the middle of the night while I was pregnant.

RIPLEY: Do you think they would have killed you?

TABLA: Maybe.

RIPLEY (voice-over): We did manage to reach Priyanka's husband. He insists he never physically abused her, saying quote, "They have run these cases to harass me. I one hundred percent deny it." He does acknowledge Priyanka's family covered most of their wedding expenses and gave him a motorcycle, but says his family never demanded dowry.

Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.

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[02:50:00]

SANDOVAL: Well, in just three minutes, they were gone. Three paintings by Renoir, Cezanne, and Matisse, they have been stolen from a museum in northern Italy. Four thieves wearing hoods, they burst into the museum, grabbed the paintings, and then just ran out. Combined, the stolen pieces are said to be worth more than $10 million.

But a former senior investigator with the FBI's art crime team says that cashing in on stolen art, it's often tricky.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT WITTMAN, FORMER SENIOR INVESTIGATOR, FBI ART CRIME TEAM: Oftentimes, when art thieves take an artwork, they realize after they've taken it, they can't really do anything with it. They think that they could steal these pieces and it won't take about a few minutes, and they're worth $10 million, EUR 9 million, and they'd have a big score.

But then they find out they can't do anything with it. So when you offer a reward, sometimes they try to think of a way to collect the reward, and then that's how they get caught. (END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: They usually don't try to pawn $10 million worth of rare paintings. The heist had happened more than a week ago, but was only revealed just recently. Police still searching for the suspects.

Ahead here on "CNN Newsroom," we'll be hearing from members of a community who take their love of baby dolls to a whole new level and learn how these uncanny creations are providing comfort and healing to women after losing their children.

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SANDOVAL: Well, they're called 'Reborn' dolls and they are now more popular than ever. They are hyper-real dolls of children, embraced by art collectors and mothers who have suffered the loss of a child. Christina Macfarlane explores this uncanny world of these lifelike creations.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh my gosh, look at her.

CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): All around the world, grown women are falling in love with hyper-realistic dolls.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I like to go out with him like this, guys, look!

MACFARLANE (voice-over): They look and feel uncannily like newborn babies, with some posts racking up millions of views on TikTok.

I've been going down a rabbit hole on this phenomenon for months and decided to head to one of the largest doll shows in the world. The big event in the Netherlands, to understand what this is all about.

MACFARLANE: The skin feels just so incredibly real. Can I hold her?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Of course.

MACFARLANE: Oh.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's heavy for her.

MACFARLANE: She's quite heavy. Yeah.

MACFARLANE (voice-over): Here collectors and creators can stock up on everything for their Reborn dolls, as they're known.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This cart is for Grace Kelly.

MACFARLANE: This exact one?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Yes MACFARLANE: Grace Kelly?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Yes

MACFARLANE: This is Grace Kelly's?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

MACFARLANE (voice-over): And above all, they can mingle free of judgment for a change.

MACFARLANE: Do you enjoy carrying her in a sling like this?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. It's my therapy baby. And when I say it is my therapy baby, they don't think you're crazy.

MACFARLANE (voice-over): These days, the Reborn community is mainly split into two camps, art and therapy.

ZOE MILLER, REBORN DOLL ARTIST & THERAPY ADVOCATE: I always say to people, please don't judge.

MACFARLANE (voice-over): This is Zoe Miller, a Reborn therapy advocate and artist who tries to educate people on social media. The British mother of six says dolls came into her life after her kids moved out and amid various health struggles, including with multiple sclerosis.

MILLER: If I'm having a flare up, it can be really scary. And they just give me that sense of like, everything's going to be OK.

And I have had some trauma in my past, like many women, and I have lost babies. That leaves a scar somewhere, you know, and that's happened to me. So for that fact -- sorry, I'm going to cry now.

MACFARLANE: It's OK.

MILLER: Sorry.

MACFARLANE (voice-over): Zoe gives Reborns that she paints herself to women for therapy, including those who have lost their own children, like her friend Sharon (ph).

MILLER: Oh, you've had a long journey.

MACFARLANE (voice-over): Two of Sharon's (ph) children died tragically, one at just 21 months. In recent years, she's turned to Reborn dolls to help her cope with the grief.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It fills a good gap. I won't say it fills it completely because nothing is going to replace my children. Sorry. But yeah, they really help me. They really do help me.

MILLER: OK, Sharon, it's very cold.

MACFARLANE (voice-over): Zoe and Sharon (ph) know a lot of people can't understand their love for these dolls, but it's clear how much they help soothe their trauma.

Christina McFarlane, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: All right, let's close with this. It's official. Celine Dion will be making her long-awaited return to the concert stage later this year.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: We all remember this pretty incredible performance at the Eiffel Tower. In a video posted online, the French-Canadian singer confirmed that she is scheduled for 10 shows coming up in the City of Lights in September, and this follows her show-stopping cameo at the Paris Summer Olympics in 2024 that you saw there.

Celine Dion, she has previously been forced to halt performing live due to struggles with stiff-person syndrome. It's an incurable autoimmune disorder. The singer first disclosed her condition in late 2022. What a comeback that's going to be.

Thank you so much for joining us. I'm Polo Sandoval in New York. Leave it here. I'll join you again in just a few moments with more of your headlines right here on "CNN Newsroom."

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