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CNN This Morning

Vance Arrives In Pakistan For Peace Talks With Iranian Officials; Former Staffer Says Rep. Swalwell Raped Her While She Was Intoxicated; Artemis Astronauts To Return To Houston. U.S.-Iran Peace Talks Getting Underway in Pakistan; U.S. Inflation Rate Surges Due to War with Iran; American Under Investigation After Wife Disappears in Bahamas. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired April 11, 2026 - 06:00   ET

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

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[06:00:29]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to CNN This Morning. Here's what's new today. Vice President JD Vance is in Pakistan for the high stakes negotiations to end the U.S.-Iran war. Live team coverage from the Middle East and the White House for you ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ERIC SWALWELL (D-CA): These allegations of sexual assault are flat false.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: U.S. Congressman and California governor's race frontrunner Eric Swalwell is now speaking about mounting allegations of sexual misconduct. Exclusive of CNN reporting and what this means for Swalwell's political future. That's coming up.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Integrity splashdown. Sending post landing command now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Splashdown confirmed.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: And the Artemis II crew waking up on Earth after their historic mission around the moon.

Plus, Rory McIlroy roars at The Masters. He's starting round three with a lead nobody has had before. We're in Augusta this morning with all the Masters action. Welcome, welcome. It's Saturday, April 11th. Thank you for joining me.

I'm Victor Blackwell. Vice President JD Vance is in Pakistan for high stakes peace talks with massive Iranian delegation. He landed in Islamabad this morning along with special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son in law Jared Kushner.

The Iranian delegation is 71 people led by the parliament speaker there according to state media. We just learned from state affiliate Iranian media that Iran's delegation met with the Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and talks between Tehran and Washington are expected this afternoon.

Here's what we know about negotiations so far. The Trump administration submitted a 15-point proposal. They did not reveal every point, but they said it included Iran committing to no nuclear weapons and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Iran submitted its own 10- point proposal and President Trump has warned that Iran, if a peace deal is not reached, the U.S. will ramp up its military action in the region.

And of course, this morning we have team coverage across the globe. CNN's Clarissa Ward is in Riyadh. Betsy Klein is at the White House. We'll start with Clarissa.

Let's first set expectations. What are we expecting today?

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the scene is now very much set for these historic talks, Victor, but what remains to be seen is just how much they can be expected to achieve given the glaring disparity between the objectives and frankly, the understood understandings of what has already been agreed upon of both sides.

I mean, up until just a few hours ago, you had the leader of the Iranian delegation, that's the speaker of the Parliament, Mohammad Ghalibaf, basically saying that the talks would not even happen unless there was a full ceasefire in Lebanon. We know that there have been IDF strikes in Lebanon right up until this morning.

No signs so far that would scupper the talks. But we still don't have a set timetable for when this historic meeting is to take place. Which portion of the talks might be held indirectly versus directly and crucially, what the timeline might be.

We did hear from President Trump yesterday saying that the most crucial issue on the table for the U.S. is the nuclear issue. But again, we have also heard from Ghalibaf just a few days ago, saying that any denials of Iran's right to enrich uranium is subsidy is basically the same thing as a ceasefire violation.

Crucially, everybody in this region will be looking to see what is agreed upon with regards to the Strait of Hormuz. That was supposed to be the agreement upon which these talks were predicated, but as we have seen, it remains an Iran controlled choke point. Just a trickle of vessels managing to get through as compared to more than 100 on a daily basis before this war. According to our latest observations, it appears several Chinese

vessels have been heading toward the Strait this morning, but no word on how many have crossed.

[06:05:02]

President Trump indicating that the Strait will open because Iran needs it to open because they will make money from it. Well, that is not music to the ears of many countries around the world, but particularly here in the Gulf where they really see Iran's de facto control or administration of the Strait of Hormuz as being a red line. So a lot of very thorny and complex issues to be resolved at these talks and remains to be seen just how much of a tall order that will be to pull off. Victor.

BLACKWELL: Clarissa Ward reporting there from Riyadh. Thank you very much. We'll stay close to you throughout the morning. And the high stakes talks are being closely monitored, of course. In Washington, CNN's Betsy Klein joins me now from the White House.

What have you heard from the administration as we get closer to these talks in Islamabad?

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Victor, Vice President JD Vance touching down a few hours ago in Islamabad, joined by the president's son in law, Jared Kushner, along with special envoy Steve Witkoff. And the recognition at the White House is that these are arguably the highest stakes negotiations of President Trump's second term amid this very fragile ceasefire with all of the challenges and complications that Clarissa just laid out.

But we've just learned from pool reporters traveling with the vice president that he has just met with Pakistan's prime minister behind closed doors, the world waiting to see whether or when these talks kick off.

Now, as he departed Washington yesterday, the vice president said that they are hopeful that they can have good faith negotiations. But he warned that if the Iranians try to play us, they will not be as receptive.

Now, he also said that President Trump gave him some very clear guidelines for these negotiations. So we'll be waiting to see how this proceeds. But who is involved here is very notable. We had reported that the Iranians had made clear they were not willing to negotiate with Witkoff and Kushner.

So we see now Vice President JD Vance along with them merging as a very central player in these talks as he is seeking to cement himself as a peacemaker on behalf of the Trump administration.

Now at the heart of these talks is reconciling the Trump administration's 15-point plan with the 10-point plan that has been circulating from the Iranians. Now, the White House says that the discrepancies there are -- there's a workable plan and then there was a plan that was fundamentally unserious that has been floating around. They say that they have been communicating privately, that they're more receptive to that workable plan.

Now, President Trump's red line, specifically the end of uranium enrichment for Iran, remain unchanged, according to the White House. But President Trump once more warning that if a deal is not reached, if these talks do not bear fruit, the U.S. will resume its military action, he says, with even more intensity.

BLACKWELL: All right. And we'll see if there are any updates from the president as he at this hour often posts on social media his thoughts and feelings on what's happening in Iran. Betsy Klein for us at the White House. Thanks so much.

Congressman Eric Swalwell has issued a defiant response after an exclusive report from CNN detailed allegations of sexual misconduct by the congressman from four women. Swalwell is the leading Democratic candidate for California governor and is facing growing calls from several top Democrats to end his bid for the office.

A former Swalwell staffer told CNN that the congressman raped her when she was too intoxicated to consent. Three other women who also spoke to CNN claimed various kinds of sexual misconduct by Swalwell, which included sending them unsolicited explicit messages and nude photos. Swalwell posted a video to his social channels last night denying the allegations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SWALWELL: A lot has been said about me today through anonymous allegations, and I thought it was important that you see and hear from me directly. These allegations of sexual assault are flat false. They are absolutely false. They did not happen. They have never happened. And I will fight them with everything that I have.

They also come on the eve of an election where I have been the frontrunner candidate for governor in California. I do not suggest to you in any way that I am perfect or that I am a saint. I have certainly made mistakes in judgment in my past, but those mistakes are between me and my wife. And to her, I apologize deeply for putting her in this position. I also apologize to you if in any way you have doubted your support for me. But I think you know who I am.

For over 20 years, I have served the public as a city councilman, as a member of Congress, and as a prosecutor who went to court on behalf of victims, particularly on behalf of sexual assault victims. That's who I am and have always been.

[06:10:04]

This weekend, I'm going to spend time with my family and friends and I appreciate those who have reached out to me to show support. And I look forward to updating you very soon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: And you will hear more from his accusers and the exclusive investigation from CNN's Pamela Brown. That's coming up next hour. Still ahead this hour though, the Artemis astronauts, they are back

now undergoing medical evaluations. We'll take a look at their historic flight around the moon and talk about what's next for them.

Plus, the husband of a missing American woman is in custody in the Bahamas. We have the latest on the investigation into her disappearance.

Plus, Epstein survivors have pushed back on the first lady's call for public hearings for the victims. Why they're calling her statement a deflection.

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[06:15:35]

BLACKWELL: This morning, NASA released pictures of the Artemis II astronauts after they made it back to Earth. You see him here all smiles in his spacesuits after the mission. In just a matter of hours, the Artemis II astronauts will return to Houston where they'll be reunited with their families. But first they've got to undergo some medical evaluations.

Yes, you can hear the cheers there, folks watched around the world. The Orion crew module splashed down last night off the coast of San Diego. Doctors were ready to greet the four crew members on their arrival back to Earth. One by one the astronauts were flown by helicopter back to land. They were on a 10-day test flight mission to help NASA with its goal of future missions to the moon.

And let's take a look at the scene at the watch party at the Columbia Memorial Space Center at the Los Angeles area. People celebrated there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOWARD HU, NASA'S ORION PROGRAM MANAGER: This mission has been historic and has demonstrated new capabilities for Orion spacecraft has taken our crew farther than any crews that have ever gone to the moon and back safely. 252,756 miles. And that is a fantastic feat. We got a lot more to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: And the pictures have been fantastic. CNN national correspondent Ranid Kaye has more on the moment.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The crew of Artemis II safely home. And as NASA said, it was a picture perfect landing. They said that this was a textbook landing in the Pacific Ocean just after 8:00 p.m. last night. And they also said that the commander Reid Wiseman reported that there were four green crew members as soon as they landed. That means that they were all in good shape, healthy and good to go. This is of course great news because there was a lot of concern before

they had their reentry that there would be some issues with the AVCOAT material that is used to protect the Orion capsule. And also the astronauts. It's part of the heat shield and they were coming in with temperatures outside the capsule of about 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit. So they were wondering how the heat shield would hold up.

This is a similar heat shield that was used for Artemis I and it did have some problems. Then big chunks of it came off there were some cracks. So what they did was this time around, they changed the trajectory and the angle as they came in to land in the Pacific Ocean. And so that exposed them to the heat for a shorter amount of time. That seemed to have worked. But of course they will have to take a closer look at the Orion capsule once they have a chance to do so.

But the good news is the astronauts appear to be in good shape. And NASA had a few things to say about the journey and the mission in a late night press conference. Watch this.

DR. LORI GLAZE, ACTING ASSOCIATE ADMINISTRATOR, NASA'S EXPLORATION SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT MISSION DIRECTORATE: I think the weight of this mission and just how incredibly impactful it is that we have actually achieved this. You know, during the -- during our lifetimes here, we have done this, right? You know, when I was Apollo was when I was a child. And to be here now and say we actually did this, we've gone back and we're going to go build a moon base. We are going to have an enduring presence on the moon, just incredibly powerful.

KAYE: And NASA is already talking about returning to the moon and from there, Mars. Randy Randi, CNN, at the Johnson Space center in Houston.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: All right, let's talk about all this and what it means for NASA's space program. With me now is Janet Ivey. She's the CEO and founder of Janet's Planet and former member of the National Space Society Board of Governors.

Janet, every time I have you on, we're talking about something good, right? And I love it because you bring the energy. So this is like Christmas morning for, I don't want to say space geeks, but what are you feeling this morning?

JANET IVEY, CEO, FOUNDER OF JANET'S PLANET: You can say space geeks. It's totally fine. No, this is like Christmas morning times, like by orders of magnitude. Last night, as I was watching this unfold, I kept, you know, praying for them upon reentry, praying for those parachutes to deploy, praying to hear their voices.

[06:20:05]

And it's just been incredible. And let's review. Integrity and her crew brought four astronauts. They flew over 700,237 miles. They reached a peak velocity of 24,664 miles per hour. They hit their flight path angle target within 0.4 percent. I mean, it's just mind boggling, the science. But the biggest story here, Victor, I think for me and for pretty much

the world is the story of the camaraderie and the beauty and poetry of this crew.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

IVEY: You know, NASA, Jesus. I mean, go ahead. I'm sorry.

BLACKWELL: Yes, I just think about Victor Glover's Easter message, about how we are all on this earth together. And the story is that I am far from you, but you are just as far from me. So it was quite inspiring. Talk to me about before we get too long far that line, I want to come back to it. But the science, what are you looking most at that they're bringing back? Because the pictures have been great, but there's more data that we're going to get.

IVEY: Oh, there's going to be months of going through all the pictures. I mean, think of this. They were trained. They had to take photography classes on how to get those 4K images. So imagine it's the first time that we've seen the far side of the moon. I don't know if you saw those pictures, Victor, where you could see down the terminator line and it really showed the moon's topography in a way that, you know, we've never seen it.

In fact, there you could see actual kind of like impacts happening and they were like, oh my gosh, we just saw, you know, a meteorite impact and everything. So when you see those kinds of things, I think we're going to see all the science. We're going to learn more about the moon. We're going to also learn more about that actual Orion command module.

I think it's important to remember also this was a test flight. This was only -- this was the first time that humans had traveled inside that command module. You know, we did Artemis I, very successful. But it's like they said, they've learned a lot about the command module. Thankful for the international partners like the European Space Agency, the service module worked perfectly.

But they learned a lot and they're probably going to perfect some things on that command module. And just again, they've learned a lot about what it means to be a crew. And I think, you know, NASA just doesn't only choose for brilliance. You'll have 18,000 people submit to be an astronaut. But this crew was chosen not just for how brilliant, competent, and, you know, expert they are in their fields. They are also chosen for how they work together as a team.

And, you know, those were the comments that so kind of like soaked into your Soul and hashtag, MoonJoy. When Christina Cook, they, you know, been 40 minutes of no communication, and then communication returns and she says, we will always choose Earth. We will always choose each other.

I mean, they're going to be quotes from these amazing four people for the rest of our days. I also loved what Victor Glover said when he said, he goes, I've got a -- he goes, I can't even wrap my mind around it, but I'm going to have something to talk about for the rest of my life.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

IVEY: And then they're messing kids. I mean, Victor's message to his four daughters that, hey, it's like when I come back to Earth, I'm going to come back as a dad cheering for you. You know, Commander Reid Wiseman, like, telling his girls, it's like, you know, I can't wait to be home and I love you. And Jeremy Hansen, I mean, his one of Jeremy's best quotes that I'm going to use all summer as I'm teaching camps and everything is when they were asked about, how do you, you know, how do you become an astronaut? How do you get to this level? And he just said, you got to get after it.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

IVEY: And I thought, all right, that's how we should all do life.

BLACKWELL: But there is something about these celestial events that we've had over the last couple of years, whether it's the total eclipse or, of course, this moon mission or even, you know, we've had you on for the James Webb Telescope pictures that have us in awe. They just seem to cut through all of the tumult of the rest of the day and have us all looking up at the stars together.

IVEY: No, it's like it just reminds us of the interconnectedness of all things, Victor. I mean, it's like, you know, Frank White coined the term the overview effect, and said that every astronaut who goes to space and looks down at this perfect little blue ball, they all go, but that's where the good stuff is.

[06:25:00]

And they, you know, you can see Oceania and, you know, when they were kind of like emerged from the dark side of the moon, they were seeing those particular continents. But every astronaut I've ever talked about says the lines kind of blur. And you just see all of humanity and I think their call sign, even integrity, I mean, what a word. What to like, rise from earth caring for the bravest people ever. And then behind every, you know, discipline, there was not only calculation, but there was character. And that kind of character and integrity coming back to earth, being the inspiration, being the way that we could be to one another.

I mean, maybe that's the lesson that we could all have a great takeaway. Integrity and how we lead, how we learn, how we care for one another.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

IVEY: I mean, it's like they're going to be lessons for days from this mission.

BLACKWELL: And hopefully we hear from them soon. Of course, they're going through those medical tests. And Janet Ivey, it's always a pleasure to talk with you. We could talk about this for another 20 minutes, but I appreciate the time you shared with me this morning. IVEY: Thank you, Victor, and thank you for being interested. I just

always will say keep looking up.

BLACKWELL: Keep looking up. Janet Ivey from Janet's Planet. Thanks so much.

Still ahead, prices for just about everything are surging and experts say they will not come down anytime soon. How the Iran war is fueling inflation fears across the country.

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[06:30:00]

BLACKWELL: Vice President J.D. Vance is now in Pakistan to head the U.S. delegation in peace talks with Iran. And Vance says the White House is ready to extend an open hand if the Iranians negotiate in good faith.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES DAVID VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're going to try to have a positive negotiation. The President gave us some pretty clear guidelines, and we're going to see.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Now, Iranian state media is reporting that there are more than 70 representatives in the Iranian delegation, headed by the parliamentary speaker. As the talks open, several ships are heading towards the Strait of Hormuz. But according to President Trump, it will reopen one way or another.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The Strait will open up, if we just left, the Straits going to -- otherwise they make no money. So, the Strait is going to open. But what we have is no nuclear weapon, but we'll open the Strait anyway.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: The two sides are coming to the table with very different agendas. More now from CNN's Nic Robertson, who is in Islamabad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (on camera): Look, I think there's a -- there's a huge sort of, you know, difference in the way both sides are approaching this. J.D. Vance, before he got on this flight to come here, essentially said he reckons pretty quickly, sort of a litmus test, if you like, that he can figure out if the Iranians are serious here and has come pretty much by himself.

He's got -- he's got Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner here on the ground to support his negotiation efforts. But the Iranians have come with a massive delegation, and a number of different experts and a number of different areas, as you say, the speaker of the parliament is leading the delegation.

The Foreign Minister is there, but so many experts, and Iran is coming into this with a sort of a 10-point plan. So, it creates the impression that Iran, you know, has a lot on its agenda to achieve. And there's certainly a view that it has actually the leverage to be able to do that at the moment.

Clearly, J.D. Vance is going to want to see if there really can be a ceasefire at the Strait of Hormuz really can be opened. But I think it's a tale of two different delegations, and that the Pakistanis have said they're honored to do this, a sort of a make-or-break moment is how Pakistan's Prime Minister addressed this on a national broadcast last night.

A lot of praise given to J.D. Vance for really -- from Pakistani officials to how much he is bringing to this, to these negotiations. But it is that moment, we're not quite at the talking moment, but everyone's here, and they're coming together.

So, with this afternoon, where this is when we're really looking to it to sort of -- to begin to build momentum either in a positive direction or not.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: Nic Robertson from Islamabad. Nic, thank you. Inflation in the United States spiking, largely driven by the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. New reporting shows it's left consumer sentiment at its lowest point on record. Here's CNN's Matt Egan.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER (on camera): This is the highest that inflation has ever been under President Trump. In either of his two terms in the White House, and it's all about the war in the Middle East. Consumer prices, they surged by almost 1 percent between February and March.

That's triple the pre-war monthly inflation rate. It's the highest in almost four years. The annual inflation rate, it was actually a little bit lower than expected, but still surged to 3.3 percent. That is the highest level in nearly two years.

And when you look at the trend for annual inflation, you can see that at the start of the year was trending in the right direction, and then boom, the war hit and inflation went straight up. Now, not surprisingly, the biggest driver here is the fact that gasoline just got so much more expensive.

This is 21 percent increase between February and March. That's the most since when the BLS started tracking back in the1960s. It's not just about gas, though.

[06:35:00] Delivery costs going up by 3 percent, and that's likely linked to some of those fuel surcharges. Also, airfare going up by 3 percent. That's strong demand. And it's starting to be the early impact of the fact that jet fuel costs have almost doubled since the war started.

Toys also went up in price, and we know a lot of toys are imported, so that could be linked to the President's historically high tariffs. The news wasn't all bad. Eggs went down dramatically in price again, and groceries, overall, groceries actually got a little bit cheaper in March.

Unfortunately, that's not likely to continue because we know that diesel has skyrocketed, and that's going to make it more expensive for farmers to operate their machinery, and more expensive to get all that food to the grocery store.

Now, the good news here is that, core inflation, which excludes food and energy, core inflation remains relatively tame. So, that does suggest that this inflation shock, at least, in March, was mostly contained to food and energy.

And the bad news is, that's not likely to continue as the energy shock continues to ripple through the economy. We're likely to see those price increases spread out beyond food and energy. Now, the fact of the cost of living has gotten worse is the biggest reason why consumer sentiment unexpectedly plunged in early April to all-time lows.

University of Michigan says sentiment fell by 11 percent from March, and these were widespread declines across income group ages and political affiliation. The survey found that consumers are bracing for higher prices to come, and they're blaming the war in the Middle East.

Now, we should note that this survey took place early in the month. Most of the responses came in before the ceasefire was announced, and this is a preliminary figure as it gets finalized, it could get revised higher depending upon what happens next in the war and gasoline prices.

But look at the trend for consumer sentiment. This chart goes back to 1980. Here we are. Now, you can see that consumer sentiment in early April was lower than at any other point in history, which is pretty stunning when you think about it, right?

Lower than when gasoline was at $5 a gallon a few years ago, lower than the worst points of COVID, lower than even during the Great Recession. This is a reflection of how sensitive consumers are, to high prices. Now, this is not just an economic problem.

It's a political problem for the White House, too, right? President Trump, he promised to not just fix the cost of living, he promised to make prices plunge. But the latest reports show that the war in the Middle East is making inflation worse, and that the American public is increasingly frustrated. Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE) BLACKWELL: Thank you, Matt. Still ahead, powerful storms dumped a

month's worth of rain on Hawaii in one day. And now, there are flash- flood warnings. We're tracking it all. And remember, if you're heading out, you can always stream our show from anywhere in the U.S. right from the CNN app, and you can also go to cnn.com/watch.

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[06:40:00]

BLACKWELL: Check some other top stories we're watching for you this morning. Brian Hooker; the American man who told investigators his wife fell overboard and disappeared in rough waters in the Bahamas will stay in police custody.

He was first taken into custody on Wednesday, this was days after he claimed his wife, Lynette Hooker, fell into the water. His attorney says that Royal Bahamas police force, they extended his detention period until Monday after they questioned him.

We're also following this story out of Los Angeles this morning, prices at the pump inching a bit lower in Los Angeles and across the country. A gallon dropped to $4.13, according to AAA for hire out on the west coast, it's 2 cents from yesterday.

Overall, prices are still up from last month by about 56 cents. The Coachella Music and Arts Festival has begun. The iconic festival kicked off on Friday with thousands of people expected to attend each day of the event.

Headliners this year, Justin Bieber, Sabrina Carpenter, with more than 100 acts set to perform across the festival. All right, this morning, a flood-watch is in effect across parts of Hawaii. A multi-day storm is passing through and the state is still recovering from devastating flooding in March. With me now, CNN meteorologist Melissa Nord. I mean, they just can't get a break --

MELISSA NORD, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes --

BLACKWELL: Because already, a billion dollars in damage from what they've already gone through.

NORD: This is the third storm since the start of March. The second one really delivered the biggest blow. This one so far, the flooding has been moderate. So, we still have some heavy rain moving into the big island right now, but it's not as bad as what things could have been looking at things a couple of days ago.

Let me show you the current radar. You can see, a lot of the rain near Honolulu, that's getting a lot lighter at this point. The heavier rain that we're expecting still early on this Saturday morning, closer to the big island, you can see the flood watch remains in effect until 6 O'clock local time in Hawaii.

Heaviest rain expected this morning. By the end of the day today, though, we should see that rain lightning up. But more rain is on the way there as we head into Sunday and Monday as well. So, watching those rainfall totals closely.

[06:45:00]

On the mainland though, look at this. A multi-day severe weather threat just ramping up today. This is going to head into the middle of the week. You can see today, the high country there in the western Texas region, as we get into Sunday, into that red color, that orangey red color into the central and northern plains.

And also, into Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, relentless rounds in some of the same areas over and over again of severe weather possible. And that ramps up starting this weekend. So, today, we're expecting in the panhandle of Texas, back into west Texas, a level 2 risk of severe weather, not as much a tornado threat today as we're expecting hail.

Some of that hail could be fairly large, and also the threat of some damaging wind gusts. Not much on radar at the moment, but watch these storms ramping up later on today. They'll continue through the overnight.

So, as we wake up tomorrow morning, we have storms starting to approach the western suburbs of Dallas, and then more storms expected as we head throughout the next several days. Victor?

BLACKWELL: All right, Melissa, thank you very much. Jeffrey Epstein survivors, they're reacting to first lady Melania Trump's unexpected White House statement this week. She denounced reports of an alleged connection between herself and the late convicted pedophile.

She made the remarks and called on Congress to hold open hearings for victims to testify under oath. CNN's MJ Lee has more on what survivors are saying about her statement.

MIN JUNG LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Victor, good morning. The Jeffrey Epstein survivors that I have been in touch with have certainly been surprised at hearing the first lady talk about Jeffrey Epstein. It wasn't a moment or a speech that they were expecting.

And, you know, certainly, I hear the survivors talking about many different individuals when it comes to Jeffrey Epstein and the past. And Melania Trump, frankly, isn't at the top of that list. Now, part of the first lady's speech that really did stand out to the survivors was the part where she said that there should be a public hearing that would allow the Epstein survivors to talk about their experiences.

What she said was that their testimony should be permanently entered into congressional record. And she said then and only then, will we have the truth. What is problematic, though, for the survivors, as far as this is concerned, is that they feel like this puts the burden on them in terms of getting to the bottom of Jeffrey Epstein and his years of abuse.

This is part of a statement that a group of survivors released after the first lady's speech. They said, "first lady Melania Trump is now shifting the burden onto survivors under politicized conditions that protect those with power. It also diverts attention from Pam Bondi, who must answer for withheld

files and the exposure of survivors' identities. Those failures continue to put lives at risk while shielding enablers. Survivors have done their part. Now, it's time for those in power to do theirs."

And to be clear, Victor, the failures that these survivors are talking about, they're talking about just the lack of accountability that they see from law enforcement and from the government. For example, just to list a couple of things that they would like to see happen.

They want to see the millions of files, the Epstein files that the Justice Department has yet to release. They want to see those come out. They want to see many more investigations opened about Epstein. They want to see many more people, individuals to be deposed and questioned about what they know going back so many years.

So, since the first lady's speech, you know, the Democratic leader, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee has actually called on a public hearing, basically saying, we agree with the first lady. There should be this kind of public hearing about the survivors.

And I can tell you that the survivors that I've been in touch with, they're certainly not happy about that kind of a move. Victor, back to you.

BLACKWELL: All right, MJ Lee, thank you so much for the report. Still ahead. Rory McIlroy is off to a historic lead at the Masters tournament. We have the highlights from Augusta. Influential journalist Kara Swisher dives into the booming longevity industry, becoming both a reporter and a test subject. Watch the premiere of "KARA SWISHER WANTS TO LIVE FOREVER" tonight at 9:00 p.m. Eastern and on the CNN app tomorrow.

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[06:50:00]

BLACKWELL: Dominance from Rory McIlroy doing round 2 of the Masters. At the halfway point of the competition -- he's reigning champion, is 12 under, has a 6-stroke lead. CNN's Don Riddell has the latest on McIlroy's pursuit to back-to-back green jackets.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT (on camera): It took Rory McIlroy 17 attempts to win his first Masters title, and when he finally did it last year, it was by the skin of his teeth. But this year, he's making it look easy. At the halfway stage of the tournament, McIlroy is utterly dominant, and he goes into the weekend with an extraordinary six stroke lead.

On Friday at Augusta, the 36-year-old McIlroy was back to the swaggering golfer of his earlier days, building on his 5 under par score of Thursday and posting a breathless round of 65. On the second 9, he was just exceptional. Birdying six of his last seven holes for a tournament score of 12

under par, and nobody has ever been so far ahead after 36 holes in the history of this tournament.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What for you would be more fun, eking out a victory by the skin of your teeth, or potentially running away with it and lapping the field?

RORY MCILROY, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: What do you think?

(LAUGHTER)

[06:55:00]

Look, I've built up a nice cushion at this point. You know, and I guess my mindset is just trying to, you know, keep playing well, and, you know, keeping my foot on the gas.

RIDDELL: McIlroy was one of the last players to finish on Friday. And his performance will have been disheartening for those who finished ahead of him. Former champion Patrick Reed played well, but he's now six shots adrift.

Three of McIlroy's European Ryder Cup teammates Justin Rose, Shane Lowry and Tommy Fleetwood are now seven behind. And having secured the rare feat of winning the career grand slam last year, McIlroy has now put himself in pole position for another very rare feat.

If he can see this through until Sunday, he would join only Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods as the only men to have won back- to-back green jackets. Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: All right, thank you, Don. Still much more ahead on the next hour of CNN THIS MORNING WEEKEND, world leaders in on high alert as Iranian and American delegations meet in Pakistan for peace talks. We've got details on the proposals coming up.

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