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The Brief with Jim Sciutto
CNN International: Iran Threatens Red Sea Shipping; Top Pakistani Negotiator in Tehran; Trump on Iran War; "I Think It's Close to Over"; Trump Hints U.S.-Iran Talks Could Resume in Coming Days; Jury Finds Live Nation, Ticketmaster Acted as Monopoly; Trump Says He'll Fire Powell if He Doesn't Leave in May; Pope Leo's Historic Africa Tour. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired April 15, 2026 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[18:00:00]
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Lynda Kinkade. In Atlanta, Jim Sciutto is
off. You're watching "The Brief."
Just ahead this hour, Iran threatens shipping in the Red Sea if the U.S. continues its blockade of Iranian ports. A jury finds Live Nation and
Ticketmaster acted as a monopoly in overcharged fans. And Bayern Munich wins in a thriller match against Real Madrid. And Arsenal beat Sporting to
advance to the Champions League semifinals.
Iran is now threatening shipping in the Red Sea if the U.S. continues its blockade of Iranian ports. The U.S. military is saying that the blockade
has completely halted Iran's sea trade. It also released audio of American forces warning ships to discontinue transit to Iran.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The U.S. has announced a formal blockade of Iranian ports and coastal areas. This is a legal action. All vessels are advised to
immediately return to port if leaving, and discontinue transit to Iran if that is your next port of call. Do not attempt to breach the blockade.
Vessels will be boarded for interdiction and seizure transiting to or from Iranian ports. Turn around and prepare to be boarded. If you do not comply
with this blockade, we will use force. The whole of the United States Navy is ready to force compliance.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, the key Pakistani mediator arrived in Tehran with a message from Washington involving a second round of negotiations, according to
Iranian state media. The White House says it feels good about the prospects of a deal with Iran, with President Trump even telling Fox Business he
believes the war is close to over.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I didn't do that. Right now, you would have Iran with a nuclear weapon. And if they had a nuclear weapon, you would be
calling everybody over there, sir. And you don't want to do that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, you keep saying was. Is this war over?
TRUMP: I think it's close to over. Yes. I mean, I view it as very close to over.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Kristen Holmes is live for us outside the White House at this hour. Great to have you with us, Kristen. So, the U.S. president is saying
that he believes the war is close to over. What then are the main obstacles to ending this war?
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, of course, as we've heard, one of the main obstacles is they are stuck on this idea of
enriched uranium, how it would come out, and this idea of not enriching uranium for anywhere from five to 20 years. This has been one of the main
sticking points, among others.
But what you're hearing from the White House is really some tempered optimism. They seem to believe that there are going to be these second
round of negotiations between the U.S. and Iranian officials, that Pakistan is going to continue to negotiate, and that a deal could be reached.
What we heard from Karoline Leavitt today during a press briefing was that while the U.S. has not asked for a formal extension on the ceasefire right
now, that's not something that's totally out of the realm of possibility. She was very clear that that's something they haven't done yet, meaning the
door is still open.
And we've been told by numerous U.S. officials that if there is a potential deal on the table, or they're getting close to one, that President Trump
and the administration is not opposed to asking for an extension on that ceasefire if they believe they can get it in a quick period of time, and
that there's actually negotiations happening in good faith.
We heard a lot today from Leavitt on these potential negotiations, what this would look like. One of the most interesting things we heard was this
idea that they would likely still be in Islamabad in Pakistan, and they would still have the Pakistanis as the lead negotiators. She was praising
how they've been intermediaries.
It's interesting President Trump had been asked specifically about other locations. He said, why would we bring in other countries who have nothing
to do with this?
KINKADE: Yes, exactly. All right. Kristen Holmes, outside the White House, good to have you there for us. Thanks very much.
We're going to stay on this story. And I want to welcome Holly Dagres, who joins us now live. She's a senior fellow at the Washington Institute. Good
to have you with us, Holly.
HOLLY DAGRES, SENIOR FELLOW, THE WASHINGTON INSTITUTE AND CURATOR, "THE IRANIST" SUBSTACK: Thank you for having me.
[18:05:00]
KINKADE: So, we've now got Pakistani negotiators in Tehran pushing for diplomacy. We've got the U.S. trying to enforce this blockade on the
blockade. Iran threatening to disrupt more shipping now in the Red Sea. And President Trump saying that the war could be close to over. So, what
actually would need to happen to make that true?
DAGRES: Well, as you noted, there's a lot of moving parts there. And I think one of the other parts is that the Prime Minister of Pakistan
actually has been also engaging in his own diplomacy. He was just in Saudi Arabia meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. So, it seems like
there's really a diplomatic push to make sure that the ceasefire holds.
And I think that's noteworthy. But from our understanding from the initial talks, this -- the real sticking point was on the nuclear issue. In the
initial 15-point plan that the Iranians put out, their English version differed very much from their Persian language version, which said that
they had the right to enrich uranium.
And so, I just don't know how they're going to thread this needle because the things that the United States wants to focus on is basically zero
enrichment, stopping its ballistic missile program from proliferating. And these are two really sensitive issues for the Islamic Republic. So, I just
don't know how they're not going to give into something. And arguably, one would say they would have already a long time ago.
But as we've seen, we've had two wars that are basically around those same issues. Granted, this one was prompted by military assets moved to the
region because of an unprecedented massacre in January of anti-regime protesters.
KINKADE: And, Holly, I want to ask you about the threat from Iran to disrupt more shipping now in the Red Sea. How realistic is that?
DAGRES: I would say it's very realistic because the Islamic Republic views itself in an existential crisis. The initial part of this war when very
clearly U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that this was about regime change. So, I think that every
time more pressure is put on the Islamic Republic and they're backed into a corner, they tend to double down.
And so, I think as one former U.S. military official told me, he quoted basically "The Hunger Games" and he said the Islamic Republic views
themselves in that line, in that it basically is, if we burn, you burn with us. And so, I think that's exactly what we're probably going to see happen
in the days and weeks to come, potentially.
KINKADE: So, if these latest diplomatic talks fail, what are the next most likely steps? Is it military action? Is it more diplomacy? Is it more
economic pain?
DAGRES: You know, in a different administration, I think it would have been a lot more straightforward. You know, you noted earlier that the
president said that this war can end very soon. I think it would be to his benefit for it to end because of the gas prices here in America, which are
averaging, I think, at $4.12 nationwide. And of course, that this war is becoming increasingly popular with the American public.
That being said, I think that it's going to be a real lose-lose if they leave with leaving the Iranians with control of the Strait of Hormuz and
not meeting those two important goals of stopping Iran from enriching uranium and producing ballistic missiles. So, I think that there's a
potential that this can only escalate versus de-escalate. But again, we're dealing with an unpredictable precedent that could go either way, depending
on his mood.
KINKADE: Do you think within the White House, there's a level of regret that they didn't leave the region within days of wiping out those key
leaders in the Iranian regime?
DAGRES: I think what happened initially is that President Donald Trump thought he was going to get a Venezuela-like scenario. And instead, he's
created a North Korea situation, a regime that's more hardline, more repressive, and more emboldened. And I think they've had to improvise over
time. And that's what we're seeing in this moment. And it's really unfortunate because the people that are paying the biggest price at this
juncture are the Iranian people who did not want the situation they're in and now, they're going to have to apparently potentially live with it.
KINKADE: And it is interesting to note, there was an intelligence report before the launch of this war, warning Donald Trump that this wouldn't be a
quick fix. Holly, we'll have to leave it there for now. But great to have you with us. Thank you.
DAGRES: Thank you, Lynda.
KINKADE: Well, the federal jury in New York has found that Live Nation and Ticketmaster illegally monopolize the ticketing market. Live Nation
produces events, it owns venues, and it sells tickets through Ticketmaster.
[18:10:00]
The U.S. Justice Department and the attorney general of almost -- attorney generals of almost 40 states sued Live Nation two years ago. The Department
of Justice later settled, but more than two dozen states proceeded with the trial.
Our Kara Scannell is following this story, joining us now live from Madison Square Garden in New York. Great to have you, Kara, with us. So, this has
been described as one of the most significant modern antitrust rulings in entertainment. What exactly was that ruling? Take us through the decision.
KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Lynda, it is a huge decision, a huge verdict in the live entertainment industry, which Live Nation and
Ticketmaster has dominated for years. And it is validation for those fans, for consumers and for rivals who say that Live Nation and Ticketmaster had
bullied the competition and engaged in anti-competitive tactics. The jury here, they sat through a trial of five weeks. They found that Live Nation
and Ticketmaster violated state and federal laws.
This is a huge win for those states that did not settle along with the Justice Department. And as one lawyer I spoke to said, he said that he
thought it was an earthquake for the industry of how this will play out. But will your ticket prices come down? Not immediately. This verdict was
phase one.
Phase two of the trial will be before the judge. He will ultimately decide any damages that are awarded to states. He will also decide any other
remedies that will be imposed, whether that is breaking up Live Nation and Ticketmaster, forcing them to sell off certain amphitheaters or arenas.
These will all be decisions that the judge will make down the road once there is a second bench trial.
So, there will be no immediate relief on ticket prices or the fees that are attached to those. But lawyers say that depending on how the judge
structures these remedies, that could come down the road if it does open up the marketplace for competition. Lynda.
KINKADE: And so, how far down the road could we see that happening? And what's the reaction we've seen so far from Live Nation and Ticketmaster?
SCANNELL: Well, the judge has not yet set a date for that future trial. He asked all the parties to get together and let him know by next week when
they would like to do that, understanding that they just prepared this initial trial and just got through to a verdict after four days of
deliberations. So, that is something that will come probably a few months from now.
Realistically, you know, we are hearing from states that were part of this. They're really excited and happy that they won. I've heard from some rival
venues and competitors, some independent venues who are also calling this a major victory. And Live Nation itself, though, they have not responded to
this verdict. They did not say anything following the verdict in court, and they have not made any public statements as they will assess what their
next steps here will be. Lynda.
KINKADE: All right. Kara Scannell, first in New York. Great to have you on the story. Thank you.
Well, still ahead, a record-breaking day on Wall Street. Stocks rose to all-time highs again, with one stock story standing out above the rest.
We'll tell you about the head-spinning rally for struggling sneaker maker Allbirds.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:15:00]
KINKADE: Welcome back, I'm Lynda Kinkade. President Trump is doubling down on his feud with Fed Chairman Jerome Powell. The U.S. president told Fox
News, Fox Business, that he'll fire Powell if the Fed chair doesn't step down next month, when his term is over. Mr. Trump wants his peer, Kevin
Warsh, to be in place by then.
But one Republican senator has vowed to block the nomination unless the Justice Department drops its criminal probe into Powell first. President
Trump responding that the probe into Powell's handling of the Fed building renovations must continue.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: So, whether it's incompetence, corruption, or both, I think you have to find out. I really do. I think you have to find out.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, you're not going to drop the probe?
TRUMP: No, I'm not -- I have to find out.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And he said he's not leaving if, you know --
TRUMP: Well, then I'll have to fire him, OK? If he's not leaving on time, I've held back firing him. I've wanted to fire him, but I hate to be
controversial.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: I hate to be controversial. Senate Majority Leader John Thune warned the administration today to drop the probe so that Warsh's
nomination can move forward.
Well, Vanessa Yurkevich is on the story and joins us now live. Interesting hearing Donald Trump saying he doesn't want to be controversial, but he has
had a long feud with Powell, criticizing him over interest rates, inflation policy, allegations related to the renovations on the Fed building. But
does the president actually have the authority to fire him?
VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Right. And that is the main question. We know that President Trump, since he got back
in office, has made it pretty clear that he's wanted to fire Jerome Powell, the head of the Federal Reserve, over what you just laid out. What
President Trump says is Powell's incompetence over the fact that the Fed did not lower interest rates for nine months.
I will say that they did lower interest rates last year three times. And essentially, over the fact that he believes that the Fed chair has blocked
what he wants to do with the economy and what he wants to do with interest rates, which, of course, is not the job of the president.
The question is, can President Trump fire Jerome Powell? Well, it's never been done before. It would be controversial. It is unprecedented. The law
says that there needs to be cause. And that is exactly what the Department of Justice has been looking into, cause, whether or not Jerome Powell lied
to Congress when he was at a hearing just last year over the summer over the scope of the renovations at the Federal Reserve's headquarters in
Washington, D.C., which is costing about $2.5 billion, which is over budget. But the Fed has said that they ran into a lot of issues that they
were not expecting, including asbestos work that needed to be completed.
Now, as you mentioned, Senator Thom Tillis, he has said, and he's a key vote here on this confirmation hearing for Kevin Warsh, who's teed up to
become the next Fed chair, he has said that he's not going to confirm him as this probe continues into Jerome Powell.
Now, the president's Treasury secretary, who was actually once under consideration to be the next Fed chair, was asked about what he thought
about the president saying that he wanted to fire Jerome Powell again earlier today at the White House press briefing. Here he was.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT BESSENT, U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY: He's going to have the hearing on the 21st of this month. He's a great candidate. We know that the
Republicans on the Senate Finance -- or Senate Banking Committee are aligned in that. And I am very optimistic that Kevin Warsh will be the
chair of the Fed on time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YURKEVICH: And he went on to say that he believes that raising the question of firing Jerome Powell is actually going to be a moot point by
then. But the reason this is all in question is because Jerome Powell, Lynda, at the last Fed meeting in March, did say that he would stay on as
chairman pro tem until Kevin Warsh was confirmed.
So, those timelines are merging pretty quickly, that confirmation hearing that's happening just next week and the May 15th expiration of Jerome
Powell's leadership at the Federal Reserve on May 15th. So, Jerome Powell, though, saying it is under the law of the Federal Reserve that he can
remain on as chair pro tem.
[18:20:00]
And in many ways, it's to ensure consistency and a peaceful transfer of power between these two Fed chairs and also not to rattle markets because
we know that investors get very nervous when there isn't leadership at the Federal Reserve and there isn't that independence between the federal
government and the Federal Reserve and Jerome Powell signaling that it is his duty in many ways to stay on until this confirmation hearing with Kevin
Warsh is wrapped up.
Of course, these timelines are moving very quickly. They're not exactly set. It remains to be seen whether or not some of these Republican senators
are going to change their minds about what should happen with Kevin Warsh. We know that many have said, Lynda, that they believe that this probe into
the head of the Federal Reserve Jerome Powell should ultimately be dropped just so things can move forward and we can get Jerome Powell out on his
sort of due date, so to speak, and get the new Fed chair, Kevin Warsh, into that position as soon as possible, Lynda.
KINKADE: Yes, certainly seems like the cleanest path forward. Vanessa Yurkevich, good to have you with us. Thank you.
YURKEVICH: Thank you.
KINKADE: Well, let's take a look at the markets. It was a record-setting day on Wall Street with the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq finishing at all-time
highs. It's the first record high for the NASDAQ since October. All this is a stunning turnaround on Wall Street. Stocks sold off sharply after the
start of the Iran war. Oil prices finished with little change on Wednesday on the hopes that the Iran war ceasefire can be extended.
And our top stock story today stood out above the rest. Shares of the sneaker maker Allbirds rose by more than 580 percent after announcing a
stunning change in strategy. It's pivoting from sneakers to A.I. The rally reminiscent of the dot-com boom, as well as the meme stock mania.
Well, Josh Schafer joins us now live. He is the editor of Barron's Investor Circle newsletter. He's also the author of the Searching for Signals with
Barron's Substack. Good to have you with us.
JOSH SCHAFER, EDITOR, BARRON'S INVESTOR CIRCLE NEWSLETTER: Thanks for having me, Lynda.
KINKADE: So, Allbirds' stock soaring. Is this rally based on fundamentals? Do they have core expertise required to compete in A.I., or is this just
speculative?
SCHAFER: I would say speculative at this point. Whether they'll be able to compete in A.I. is probably a discussion for down the road, but they used
A.I. in a press release, which sort of speaks to the market environment we're in right now. If you can tell investors and convince investors you're
going to be involved in A.I., that is something that has caught a bid in the stock market in this current moment.
But it was an interesting move from Allbirds to sort of make this pivot. Of course, they're known for making shoes, right? And their shoe business is
now no longer going to be a part of their business. They actually sold that to the American Exchange Group for a total of $39 million. So, Allbirds'
shoes might still be seen on shelves moving forward, but they won't be connected to the Allbirds' company.
So, Allbirds is trying to position themselves within A.I. They're potentially going to be renaming themselves to New Bird AI, and that
certainly drove a lot of excitement in the stock. I should also note, this is the kind of stock that does have a lot of short interest, so you can see
a short squeeze. That's how you get shares to really move this much, a 600 percent move, nearly 600 percent move in the stock. Very, very significant
move. It's the best day on record for Allbirds.
KINKADE: Wow. Yes, it's unbelievable. I mean, this isn't a tweak to a business. It's a radical pivot. What went wrong with Allbirds that made
this shift necessary?
SCHAFER: So, Allbirds has really been struggling since it became public in 2021. Allbirds, at the time, and later in 2022, they hit peak revenue. They
sold about $300 million worth of product in 2022. Since then, in 2025, annual revenue was essentially cut in half.
So, for Allbirds, it was just a tough market. They were a direct-to- consumer shoe brand. They were very popular, actually, ironically, very popular among some of the people that are now developing A.I. They were
very popular in Silicon Valley. They were part of that athleisure boom, people wearing athleisure to work or working from home. The market has
moved away from that over time. People are going back to work. People are wearing different styles.
You've seen this, not to the same extent, but even if you look at shares of Lululemon over the past couple of years, shares of Nike over the past
couple of years, athleisure companies have struggled post-pandemic. Allbirds, a company that came public in just 2021, still developing their
strategy, sort of became a poster child for the struggles of athleisure companies. So, they needed to pivot somehow, and the pivot is a full pivot
going into a completely different business that they've certainly never operated in.
KINKADE: And, of course, this business is capital-heavy. It's scale- driven. It's dominated by major cloud players. Where does a company like this fit in, if at all?
[18:25:00]
SCHAFER: So, they're trying to position themselves as what they call GPU as a service. So, software as a service, the term SaaS is very popular
within tech. That would be anything that you use maybe on your work laptop, such as a Slack app or Microsoft Office. That's software as a service,
right? What they're trying to provide is a service that as a service.
So, GPUs, what powers A.I. There's a big gap right now in the market between the demand for GPUs. Everyone wants GPUs. This is something that a
company like NVIDIA is constantly talking about, but there aren't enough to actually go around, especially the smaller companies. So, where they're
going to try to position themselves is to buy up tech hardware, and they're going to try and sell it to companies as a service and create long-term
contracts the same way software would work.
It'll be interesting to see how it plays out. Right now, they only have $50 million to do this, which in the grand scheme of A.I., of course, is not a
lot of money. Remember, those hyperscalers you mentioned are investing billions and billions of dollars into this business. So, they're going to
be a small player, but maybe there's room for a small player within this industry. Of course, A.I. demand is quite big right now. So, they're going
to try and position themselves that way. This likely won't even start to happen until the second quarter of this year.
So, it seems a little bit down the line in terms of to your question about the fundamentals. Are we really going to have a fundamental story here?
That's a long way out from the press release that we got today.
KINKADE: Well, Josh, we'll have to check in again and see how they're going down the line. Josh Schafer from Barron's, thanks very much.
SCHAFER: Thank you.
KINKADE: Well, straight ahead, Pope Leo continues his Africa tour with a stop in Cameroon, as President Trump criticizes him from the U.S. How the
Pope is responding next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: Welcome back to "The Brief." I'm Lynda Kinkade. Here are the international headlines we're watching today.
[18:30:00]
There are signs of hope for a second round of talks between the U.S. and Iran. A key intermediary, Pakistan's army chief, is in Tehran as part of a
high-level delegation. Iranian state media said he's delivering a message from the U.S. to Iran's foreign ministry. U.S. President Trump suggested
Tuesday that something could happen over the next couple of days.
A federal jury in New York has found that Live Nation and Ticketmaster illegally monopolized the ticketing market and overcharged fans. Live
Nation produces events, owns venues and sells tickets through Ticketmaster. The Justice Department and attorney generals of almost 40 states sued Live
Nation two years ago. The DOJ later settled, but more than two dozen states proceeded with the trial.
A painting by famed Spanish artist Pablo Picasso, valued at more than $1 million, has sold for the price of a dinner in Paris. Ari Hodara was the
lucky winner of one of Picasso, who won the Picasso for 100 euros in the raffle, which offered ticket buyers the chance to take Picasso's 1941
portrait of his muse, Dora Maar. The price of a ticket was about $117.
In recent days, U.S. President Donald Trump has picked an unlikely adversary, the head of the Catholic Church. He's repeatedly criticized Pope
Leo after the pontiff urged peace amid Trump's war with Iran. Donald Trump also started sharing controversial A.I. images, like this new one
portraying the president being embraced by Jesus, with the caption reading, God might be playing his trump card.
Right now, the Pope is in Cameroon as part of an historic tour of Africa, where the pontiff continued to preach his message of peace and unity.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POPE LEO XIV: Although we have different beliefs, we have different ways of worshipping, we have different ways of living, we can live together in
peace. And so, I think that to promote that kind of image is something which the world needs to hear today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, CNN's Vatican correspondent Christopher Lamb is traveling with the pontiff and filed this report from Cameroon.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Pope Leo is saying that his visit to Africa is about sending a message of peace and unity, that
quote, "the world needs to hear." He was speaking on board the papal plane from Algeria to Cameroon, talking to journalists about his trip to Algeria,
stressing the importance of Christian-Muslim relations.
Leo, of course, facing huge criticism from President Trump and J.D. Vance for his stance on the war, but showing that he wants to continue to talk
about peace. He won't be, as he said, afraid of the Trump administration.
Now, Leo is in Cameroon for a very important trip focused on reconciliation. This is a country where there's been conflict between the
Francophone government and the English-speaking separatist groups. Leo will be flying to Bamenda, which is at the center of this conflict, on Thursday.
Leo, though, in the capital, Yaounde, addressing political authorities alongside a president, Paul Biya, the oldest in the world at 93 years old,
hosting what is his fourth papal visit.
Christopher Lamb, CNN, Yaounde.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, joining me now is CNN religious commentator -- contributor, rather, Father Edward Beck. Good to see you, Father.
FATHER EDWARD BECK, CNN RELIGIOUS CONTRIBUTOR: Thank you, Lydia, you too.
KINKADE: So, we are seeing continued backlash over Donald Trump's recent AI-generated images that he's posting online, either depicting himself as a
religious figure, Jesus, and then claiming he's and now another image being embraced by Jesus, another A.I. image. Does this cross the line?
BECK: Well, I just think it offends people of religious sensibility, Lynda. I mean, in a sense, to first put an image where you appear to be
Jesus, even though Trump said that's not what he intended, that appeared to be that to everyone else.
And then the second image is a little bit less inflammatory in the sense that Jesus is simply embracing Trump. And maybe it could be seen as a
religious or prayerful image. But then he says that maybe God is playing the trump card. So, he still makes it about himself and says that God is on
his side. And that is what is offensive to people. God is not on the side of someone waging war and killing innocent people in a war. I mean, it just
doesn't happen that way.
And so, I think it is offensive to people. Some have called it blasphemous. And I think, you know, the president just should have apologized, but yet,
he is doubling down and posting more images. I think it's problematic for us.
KINKADE: And especially when given, you know, Donald Trump has a lot of support from American Catholics, particularly in the last election. What
does this do politically for him? Like, how much of a divide is there within the Catholic community right now over this?
[18:35:00]
BECK: Well, I can tell you just anecdotally, I mean, people I work with and Catholics that I know, some of them very conservative, feel like
President Trump has crossed the line. And I think that's a problem. And I think that's a problem. And I think that's this. And even some who have
said they voted for him have said they would never support him or his party after this. So, I think it is hurting him.
Very conservative politicians in his own party have critiqued him. The only ones who really seem to be standing by him are his vice president and the
speaker of the house. Others have said, you know, apologies. I was offended. It was bad. So, I think it is hurting him politically. And I
don't think he would get the same Catholic vote for that election to be held today.
KINKADE: And he's -- certainly, comedians are having a field day with this, both on television and on social media. I just want to play a little
bit of sound.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
J.D. VANCE, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: I think the president was posting a joke. And of course, he took it down because he recognized that a lot of people
weren't understanding his humor in that case.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, shut up. Shut up. It's a joke. What's the matter? You guys don't have jokes at Jesus camp? Everyone knows Trump posted this
picture to be funny, right?
TRUMP: I did post it and I thought it was me as a doctor.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wait, wait, what do you mean, a doctor? OK. Well, make up your mind. Is it a doctor or is it a joke? Or is it a doctor who is a
joke, like a chiropractor?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: I mean, had he laughed this off, maybe it wouldn't have been -- we wouldn't be in the situation we currently are in. But what do you make
of the reaction that we're seeing to this -- that we're seeing right across the board to this?
BECK: Well, I think Trump has spent three days trying to make this story about Pope Leo's politics. And Pope Leo has spent three days trying to make
it about the gospel. And I think one of them is winning the argument, obviously, from the comedic clips you just played. And it isn't the one
with the nuclear code who is winning the argument.
You know, when Trump is posting on his "Truth Social," and I put quotes around that because Pope Leo also said that that's ironic, that title for
the social media, truth, which means he thinks it's more like lies. You know, when he rants telling the Pope to educate himself about Iran, and you
have a Pope landing in Cameroon, right, where armed fighters are laying down their weapons because the Pope was coming. This is a conflict that has
killed more than 6,000 people, displaced over 600,000 others. And they're laying down their arms simply because the Pope is coming.
I mean, this is what moral authority looks like in practice. You know, Trump hasn't been able to do that, couldn't end with a two-week ceasefire
of Iran to hold. And so, I think Leo lands in Cameroon, and he got a warring faction to go quiet before he even arrived. So, I think let's --
let it stay there of who has more power and more influence.
KINKADE: Father Edward Beck, always good to get your perspective. Thanks so much for your time.
BECK: Thank you, Lynda.
KINKADE: Well, a mother makes a desperate decision during a fire, tossing her children from a third-story apartment window here in Georgia to
officers waiting below. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE). I cannot breathe.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come here. Come on. Come on. You're OK. Christ.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, that happened Sunday in Savannah, Georgia, as smoke and flames engulfed that apartment building. The mother shared her experience
in an interview with CNN's Phil Mattingly a short time ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TANASIA GRANT, MOTHER WHO SAVED CHILDREN FROM FIRE: I threw my youngest down first. She was terrified. My oldest, she would not let me go, and she
was the second that I had to let go. She went out the window, and she caught on to my brother. My brother told her to let go, so she would be
able to be caught by the officers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Incredible story. She says they're all fine now, thankfully. Well, still to come after the break, what does freedom mean to you? Well,
from Antarctica to Nigeria, even here in Atlanta, students and children of every continent have come together to mark the 10th My Freedom Day. We'll
have that story next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:40:00]
KINKADE: Well, raising awareness among young people around the world is what modern-day slavery and CNN's My Freedom Day is all about. Thousands of
students in more than 140 countries get involved in projects to spread the message about slavery, human trafficking, and other forms of oppression.
Here in Atlanta, I spent the day talking to students capping off an impressive 24 hours of action from all over the world.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CROWD: My Freedom Day.
CROWD: My Freedom Day.
CROWD: My Freedom Day.
KINKADE: It's so great to be with you on this very special anniversary of My Freedom Day. As you can see behind me, students have put together a 10-
year picture gallery of all the incredible work they've done over the past decade.
This is an initiative, as you know, happening in more than 100 countries around the world, and Atlanta International School has been at the
forefront from the very beginning.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Being free means having choices.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Freedom means the right to live without fear or exploitation. On My Freedom Day, I stand with the children who are still
denied that basic right.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Freedom is the ability to choose my own path instead of the one the world tries to force upon me. It means my future is a
choice. I get to make it. Freedom means I'm empowered even more.
WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're at the King George V School in Hong Kong, and right now what you're seeing is a simulation of what it looks
like to work in a sweatshop. Kids here, volunteers, are getting an experience of what it's like to work in these terrible conditions.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No child should suffer in the name of survival or convenience. Protecting children is not optional, it is a moral duty we all
share. A protected child is a free child.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If we truly want freedom to mean something for every child, then we must act with urgency, courage, and unity until trafficking
and exploitation are not just reduced, but completely ended.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: These students are celebrating and acknowledging Freedom Day, a very important occasion for them to recognize the victims
and survivors of modern-day slavery, of which there are millions around the world. All day we've seen these students putting on these very beautiful
and engaging and meaningful and moving performances from dance, poetry, to singing.
[18:45:00]
KINKADE (voice-over): For nearly 10 years, volunteers and students at the Slum Art Foundation in the Ijora Badia neighborhood of Lagos have quietly
been working on their craft. To celebrate My Freedom Day, the students and staff set forth an audacious goal to create a portrait of every on-air
journalist at CNN.
ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: And this is the collage that Ade did for the first time, of me at CNN, which he mailed to me from Lagos. I was so touched by
this.
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: From that talented group of children, which is an incredible piece of artwork, I feel really quite honored to receive
it. Thank you so very much.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When we are aware, we stop being silenced.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exploitation is not always visible.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It often begins with emotional manipulation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Prevention is based on reliable information.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: An informed community can detect risks.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE (on camera): Incredible students. Well, My Freedom Day has been running for 10 years now. I've been involved in nearly every single one of
them, and it has been an incredible journey. Meeting so many young people and hearing their inspiring stories. Here's a look back at a few of the
highlights.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Freedom means that everyone should have equal rights no matter how different they are.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The more that we bring the awareness to the community and to the children, they will know the signs and they'll know that they're
not for sale, they're not for lease, and they're not for rent. They'll know that they're valuable by the tools that we're giving them so that they
could be productive citizens and know that they have the right to tell a person no when it comes to their body.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
KINKADE: So, this was the climax of the day. More than a thousand students from the Atlanta International School coming out onto the aisle to spell
out the words, My Freedom Day.
Throughout the day, students and teachers have been holding a bake sale competition to determine who can make the tastiest treat using Fair Trade
products. So, should I try a cookie?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
KINKADE: All right. Let's. The taste of freedom is good.
I'm Lynda Kinkade in Atlanta for CNN. Happy --
CROWD: My Freedom Day.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Fair Trade always tastes good. Follow the hashtag MyFreedomDay on social media and check out cnn.com/myfreedomday to learn more about the
worldwide event to raise awareness of modern-day slavery.
Still to come on "The Brief," two more teams have clinched their place in the Champions League semi-finals. We'll have all the highlights next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: Well, turning now to football, where Bayern Munich have beaten Real Madrid, securing their spot in the Champions League semifinals after
the most thrilling of matches in Munich on Wednesday.
[18:50:00]
Arsenal are also edging past Sporting Lisbon to join the final four of the European Club Football's top competition. And our Patrick Snell has all the
details. Patrick, very excited about this thriller in Germany.
PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: What a night of European football, Lynda, in Bavaria. Buckle up as we take you to the Allianz Arena. Bayern Munich,
they're through to the semis after winning an epic contest against 15-time winners Real Madrid.
Now, to reset, Los Blancos-Real. They were 2-1 down from the first leg in the Spanish capital. Incredible start here, just 35 seconds on the clock.
It's a bad error from Manuel Neuer. And check out the finish from the young Turkish international, Arda Guler there. Let's see it again, another angle
from behind. Look at the curl that the 21-year-old puts on that ball. Brilliant. But within six minutes, FC Bayern are level.
It's Aleksandar Pavlovic, another 21-year-old. Just a little glancing header there from the corner. And that's all that was needed to beat the
goalie there. Not the best keeping from Andriy Lunin. At this point, Bayern 3-2 up on aggregate.
Things were just getting started though. Guler, the former Fenerbahce star. Look at the youngster again with the free kick. It's absolutely
sensationally struck. It flies right into the corner. The keeper does get a bit of a glove on it. Never doubt that kid's sublime talent.
Nine minutes after that, though, Bayern leveling again. Harry Kane, if you give him space, Kane will make you pay his 50th of the season in all comps.
The goals kept on coming. That one there from Kylian Mbappe and the French star finishing up in style, his 40th of the campaign. 3-2 Real at half-
time. That made it 4-all -- overall. Real down to 10 men for the last four minutes after Camavinga sending off. And three minutes after that, how
about this from Luis Diaz, the Colombian star, who's shot gets deflected and in. Bayern 5-4 up now overall.
And then in the fourth minute of stoppage time, it's another beauty. Michael Olise ceiling a 4-3 FC Bayern win on the night. 6-4 victory on
aggregate. That means over the two legs. Absolute heartbreak for Mbappe and Real Madrid. But joy uncontained for Harry Kane and Bayern Munich. They're
through to the semis in the most amazing way possible.
We'll follow that, Arsenal and Sporting. The Portuguese team a goal down from the first leg on home soil. Not much to show you here, Lynda, but I
will say Arsenal get the result that they needed. 0-0 on the night at Emirates Stadium. It puts the Londoners through 1-0 overall. Arsenal have
now reached successive semis in this competition for the first time in their history.
So, here we go then. The big picture, the semifinals of this season's Champions League are now set. We got defending champions Paris Saint-
Germain. They'll face Bayern Munich after Bayern's epic encounter Wednesday night on home soil against Real. While Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid,
they'll take on England's Arsenal. The semis will take place in the last week of April and the first week of May. Lynda, if there's anything
anywhere near as good as the quarterfinals, we're in for quite the treat. Back to you.
KINKADE: You have a very exciting year of soccer. Good to see you, Patrick. Appreciate it.
Well, in today's Good Brief, back in February, there was much fanfare at the National Zoo in Washington when the first Asian elephant in 25 years
was born. And shortly after that, Lynh Mai's mother showed no interest in being a mom. So, the zoo came up with plan B, using another elephant as a
surrogate mother. Well, now the calf is thriving and about to make her debut at the National Zoo. Dana Bash got a preview.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBBIE CLARK, ELEPHANT MANAGER, SMITHSONIAN'S NATIONAL ZOO: Lynh Mai.
BASH: There she is.
CLARK: Here. Good girl.
BASH: Hi, Lynh Mai.
CLARK: Good girl.
BASH: Hi. You're so cute. She weighs like 400 pounds right now?
CLARK: 440.
BASH: And she's going to get to be?
CLARK: As an adult, she'll be close to 8,000 pounds.
BASH: Wow. You are so cute.
CLARK: Not only is she going to use these giant ears as satellite dishes to bring in sound, the most important way that elephants communicate is
through vibrations that travel through the ground.
BASH: Oh, wow.
CLARK: And she's going to be learning how to utilize her feet to listen to those messages, so they can communicate miles apart. Elephants can
communicate 10, 12 miles apart just by utilizing that form of communication called infrasound. And it's basically a giant vibration that starts up here
in her forehead. It resonates through her body.
Let's do it. I'm sure she's hungry. You're just going to place that bottle up over this so she can drink it.
BASH: Here you go, sweetie. Here you go.
CLARK: And lift the end of the bottle up. Fantastic. You can see how fast she consumes it.
BASH: Yes, really fast.
CLARK: You're her best friend in the whole world right now.
BASH: I've never had a friend like you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[18:55:00]
KINKADE: What a fun story. Well, finally, something to look forward to if you're a ringer, that is a fan of "Lord of the Rings," a prequel to the
original movie series.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You shall not pass.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You will face evil and you will defeat it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, the new film, set between the events of "The Hobbit" and "The Fellowship of the Ring," tells the story of Aragorn's quest to catch
Gollum. "Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum" is directed by Andy Serkis, who plays Gollum for the fifth time. The star of "Fifty Shades of
Grey," Jamie Dornan, is among the new faces taking on the role of Aragorn. Elijah Wood and Ian McKellen return from the original trilogy. And the film
is set for release in December 2027. And my producer can't wait for that day to roll around.
Well, thanks so much for your company. I'm Lynda Kinkade. In Atlanta, you have been watching "The Brief." Do stay with CNN. Much more news to come.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:00:00]
END
