Return to Transcripts main page
What We Know with Max Foster
Top Pakistani Negotiator In Tehran With Message From U.S.; Israeli Security Cabinet Meets Amid Lebanon Truce Efforts; Vance Offers Advice To Pope Leo XIV About "Theology"; Pope Leo In Cameroon For Second Leg Of Historic Trip; Former U.S. House Republican Accuses Trump Of "Blasphemy"; U.S. Justice Department Moves To Dismiss Remaining January 6 Convictions; Incoming Hungarian PM Calls On President To Quit; Trump Frustrated At World Leaders Opposed To Iran War. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired April 15, 2026 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:32]
MAX FOSTER, CNN HOST: A message to Iran from the United States.
This is WHAT WE KNOW.
With less than a week left before a ceasefire expires, the U.S. and Iran are currently in in contact. They're fueling hope for a second round of
negotiations. A key intermediary, Pakistan's field marshal, is in Tehran carrying a message from the United States to Iran's foreign minister.
That's according to Iranian state media.
Tehran has also confirmed it is in touch with U.S. officials through a Pakistani negotiator.
Let's go straight to Islamabad and CNN's international diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson -- Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah, Max, it really sort of gives an indication that there is some momentum when President
Trump late last night spoke about talks within two days, I think people in this city were a little bit surprised because it takes about that amount of
time to get, you know, to get the venues, to get the security, all of that organized very clear. It is going to be Islamabad. If there is this second
round of talks. And the fact that the top negotiator, the top leader, if you will, in Pakistan, along with the -- along with the interior minister,
went to Tehran to have this face to face conversation does give a sense that there is momentum in these talks.
Iran is sort of saying its ten-point plan is not a plan, that you can just take the points off of. You know, it wants war, reparations, money for the
damage done during the war. It wants assets unfrozen. It wants to see a permanent ceasefire, not just a ceasefire that lasts for a few months and
then back to war again.
So, it's got this list, but it said they're interlocking, all items on that. So, I think we got a sense of that from the talks over the weekend.
But the ball is in the Iranian court. That's how J.D. Vance left it when he left here. So, it does really seem that it's on the field marshal, Asim
Munir, in Tehran to kind of get Iran to shift the dial.
And that key issue is around Iran's nuclear ambitions. And that's always been a sensitive issue. Iran looks at it as an issue that sort of part sort
of military strategy, part religious philosophy, that they don't sort of go and open up their full thinking in that arena. But the United States is
looking for the physical guarantees as well as a verbal commitment that Iran is not going to get a nuclear weapon.
So, what are the parameters? That's probably the core of the conversation at the moment.
From over -- from over the weekend, we understood the Strait of Hormuz, how that can be resolved. That is sort of pretty much along the track. And then
you have, of course, this sort of real diplomacy going on by Pakistan, not just in Tehran, the prime minister, foreign minister in Saudi and Qatar and
Turkey, bringing on board all those other regional countries. They're going to need to fold in behind whatever a final ceasefire agreement, peace deal
looks like -- Max.
FOSTER: Okay, Nic. Appreciate it. Thank you for the latest from Islamabad.
Well, the White House says the lines of communication remain open with the Iranian regime. Here's what the president's press secretary had to say
earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We remain very much engaged in these negotiations, in these talks. You heard from the vice president
directly and the president this week that these conversations are productive and ongoing. And that's where we are right now. I've also seen
some reporting about the potentiality for in-person discussions. Again, those discussions are being had, but nothing is official until you hear it
from us here at the White House.
But we feel good about the prospects of a deal. The president mentioned that in his interview yesterday, and it's obviously in the best interest of
Iran to meet the president's demands. I think he's made his red lines in these negotiations very clear to the other side. And so, we are continuing
to see how these conversations go.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his forces are battling to eliminate the Hezbollah stronghold of Bint Jbeil,
even as Israel negotiates a possible ceasefire with Lebanon's government. Now, he says, the main objectives of the talks are disarming Hezbollah and
reaching a sustainable peace.
Mr. Netanyahu also said it's too early to know how the broader war with Iran will end, adding Israel remains prepared for any scenario. Mr.
Netanyahu is now chairing a meeting of his security cabinet.
CNN's Oren Liebermann is in Tel Aviv with more on what we can expect behind those closed doors
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: In that discussion, according to an Israeli source, Netanyahu will discuss the possibility of a ceasefire
with Lebanon.
[15:05:00]
This comes one day after the first direct talks between Israel and Lebanon in some 40 years, held under the auspices of the Trump administration in
Washington, D.C. And you can see that President Donald Trump wants to invest political capital here.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio taking part in these talks. And although the first day of discussions between Israel and Lebanon were more about setting
a framework for future discussions, there are at least or there is an intent for the discussions to continue.
Given that framework and given the desire of the Trump administration to see a ceasefire in place, the U.S. has already put pressure on Israel to
scale back its strikes on Lebanon. Israel has, over the past several days refrained from striking the capital of Beirut and at least appears to have
diminished the number of strikes somewhat. And yet it is still a very hot war.
Earlier today, the Israeli military said they had carried out in the past 24 hours some 200 -- some strikes on 200 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.
Meanwhile, earlier this week, the Lebanese ministry of public health said 35 Lebanese had been killed in a short period of time.
So, you see that the war across the Israel-Lebanon border is still very much playing out. But the Trump administration is trying to invest effort
here, knowing that it has some measure of leverage over Netanyahu to try to get a ceasefire in place.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Oren there.
Now, in the past 10 days, U.S. President Donald Trump has depicted himself as Jesus, repeatedly criticized Pope Leo. He's posted profanity-laced
threats on Easter Sunday. Now he's sharing a new controversial A.I. image. This post on Truth Social portrays the president being embraced by Jesus
with the caption reading, "God might be playing his Trump card."
Many Christians have denounced Trump's ai rendering as blasphemy, and even one house Republican calls Sunday's post offensive. However, U.S. Vice
President J.D. Vance, who's the highest-ranking Catholic in the U.S. government, is coming to his boss's defense. Vance downplayed the
president's first Jesus image as a joke and now is offering this advice to Pope Leo over his stance on the Iraq war.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think it's very, very important for the pope to be careful when he talks about matters of
theology. If you're going to opine on matters of theology, you've got to be careful. Youve got to make sure its anchored in the truth. And that's one
of the things that I try to do. And it's certainly something I would expect from the clergy, whether they're Catholic or Protestant.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Well, meanwhile, Pope Leo is offering a message of peace and unity. Right now, he's in Cameroon as part of a historic Africa tour.
Earlier, the pontiff referenced Saint Augustine, who whose teaching was, quote, an invitation to search for God and for truth, something that is
very much needed today.
CNN's Vatican correspondent Christopher Lamb, traveling with the pontiff. He filed this report from Algiers earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Pope Leo 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)
FOSTER: So what we want to know is how will the spat between Donald Trump and Pope Leo be resolved?
Michael O'Loughlin is the executive editor of the "National Catholic Reporter".
Thank you so much for joining us, Michael.
First of all, your thoughts on the latest image that Donald Trump has posted. If I could ask you, because people have said it's blasphemous.
What's your understanding of the image and blasphemy?
MICHAEL O'LOUGHLIN, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, NATIONAL CATHOLIC REPORTER: Yeah, it was interesting that so many people were offended by the comments President
Trump initially made about Pope Leo, and then he seemed to double down with that first image that seemed to turn off even a whole segment of his
supporters who maybe weren't catholic and maybe weren't as bothered by the pope comment. So it's an interesting strategy, I guess. He's certainly
attracting attention, but he's keeping the story in the news now for a fourth day.
People are upset about these images. I think it's offending some religious sensibilities. Its playing into ideas that the president is overly
narcissistic. Vice President Vance is trying to play it off as a joke, but I think the reaction has been quite strong, even from supporters of
President Trump.
[15:10:01]
So, I'm not sure what he's trying to do with these images.
FOSTER: What do you make of this spat? Because they're both handling it in very different ways, aren't they? I guess the pope is rising above it
saying he's not -- doesn't get involved in politics, and this is a political discussion, isn't it, about the war in Iran?
O'LOUGHLIN: Pope Leo has been clear that he wants local bishops to respond to current events happening wherever they happen to be ministering. And
we've seen here in the us that top cardinals are speaking out against the war, speaking out against the president's immigration policies. And I think
we were sort of waiting to see what would it look like for an American pope to be weighing in on U.S. politics? And we found out this week.
Leo is trying to rise above politics. He's sticking to talking about the church's social justice, teaching about the just war tradition. President
Trump seems to be treating the pope as a political rival. He's using some of the same tactics he's used to dismiss other politicians that he's used
quite successfully in many cases.
But this seems to not be landing. I think people are understanding what it means to have an American pope is something different. But I think maybe
they are offended by the way that the president is lashing out at Pope Leo. For his part, Leo seems intent on keeping focus on his visit to Africa, but
he is engaging with journalists. So, we are hearing him talk about the church's opposition to unjust war, to immigration policy.
So, this back and forth is going on longer than I thought. I thought Pope Leo might try to cool -- cool the temperature a little bit. But his
comments to reporters, even though I think they were apolitical, did keep the story going for a bit longer than I think he would like.
FOSTER: J.D. Vance's perspective on this has been interesting, hasn't it? You know, no one's questioning, you know, his commitment to the church, but
he's effectively separating the spiritual role as the pope of the pope and the role of the pope as a world leader. I mean, is that something that
we've had with popes before? I mean, you know, he is a head of state, isn't he? He does run a country, the pope, as well as being a spiritual leader.
O'LOUGHLIN: Yeah. I mean, I think throughout the modern papacy, we've seen popes weigh in on current events. Of course, Pope John Paul II was a critic
of the U.S. invasion of Iraq and did not hide his feelings about that. Pope Francis certainly talked about immigration, about U.S. immigration even.
So, I don't think it's unusual for a pope to be weighing in on political issues. Vice President Vance, for his part, has a new book coming out about
Catholicism. This is certainly an interesting chapter of this whole story. Vice President Vance converted to Catholicism under a decade ago, so it's
interesting to hear him talking about theology, talking about the just war theory to a pope who comes from that tradition of Saint Augustine.
So, I'm not sure that folks aren't questioning the vice president's religious faith, but it is sort of an uncharted territory to have someone
in the vice president's position take on a pope so strongly.
FOSTER: I'm just wondering if it's legitimate to be able to criticize the pope's foreign -- you know, Iran policy, as it were, without questioning
his role as a -- as a religious leader, because he does hold both roles.
O'LOUGHLIN: Oh, sure. I think it's healthy. I think the pope does his best to preach the gospel, to talk about church teaching. I think Catholics here
in the United States and around the world kind of grapple with those issues and then consider how to apply them to concrete political -- political
situations, to current events in the public square. So, I don't think there's anything wrong with disagreeing with the pope's moral statements.
I think it was the sort of personal nature of the president's attack on Pope Leo and then Vice President Vance sort of telling him to stay in his
lane and not talk about political issues, especially political issues, where Pope Leo has a disagreement with the Trump administration.
So, no engagement is healthy. I think it's a -- it's a good tradition in the Catholic Church for laypeople to engage with church leaders and really
consider thoughtfully church teaching. I think this move beyond into a different realm that became personal for President Trump. And then a -- in
a way, sort of dismissive by the vice president.
FOSTER: You know, the pope is a spiritual leader and a head of state, the president of the United States is a head of state, but he's not a spiritual
leader. It does feel as if he's trying to step into that role there, doesn't it, with some of these images, if he feels that he is godlike in
some way.
O'LOUGHLIN: Yeah. There have certainly been critics who have said that the MAGA movement does mimic religious revivals in some way, that folks who are
most supportive of President Trump seem to stay attached to him. Not fearful, but unwilling to criticize him even when a majority of the country
thinks he's gone too far.
So there almost is a religious element, I think, to some of these rallies, to the -- the cult of personality that's developed around the president.
These images, though, I think, be put too fine a mark on that, that people found them too explicit that this was something of a religious movement.
They found them sort of condescending or dismissive or making light of religion. They came right after the president mocked Islam in his tweet,
threatening to destroy Iran.
So I think that interplay between religion and politics that has always been at work in this White House and this administration maybe crossed the
line into something that people found sacrilegious, blasphemous, and that, I think is causing some of his supporters to question how far are they
willing to go with this president when it comes to this kind of religious imagery?
FOSTER: Yeah, he's been testing those boundaries again, hasn't he?
Michael O'Loughlin, thank you so much for joining us with your thoughts on that.
O'LOUGHLIN: Thank you.
FOSTER: Now, major Trump supporter, and now a thorn in his side. Former U.S. House Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene says the president is guilty
of blasphemy. She told Christiane Amanpour that it's time to investigate the president's mental capacity.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE, FORMER U.S. HOUSE REPUBLICAN: I really think that his mental capacity needs to be examined. His rhetoric has been shocking to
many Americans and people around the world. This is a war that that many Americans, especially younger generations, who I side with most of the
time, do not support. We made campaign promises in 2024 to the American people. No more foreign wars, no more foreign regime change. And to put
America as our focus. That means the American people and our economy and our future really.
And however, we've seen a drastic change here. I call this war an unprovoked war. And President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu engaged
this war against Iran. There's not been a single bomb fall on America. And yet here we are spending nearly $2 billion a day. Yes, I do think that it
should be discussed although it's very unlikely the 25th Amendment will be used.
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: And are you concerned like, you know, many people were immediately very offended and concerned
particularly many Christians around the world when -- when, first of all, President Trump, essentially attacked the pope, calling him weak on just
about everything. And then somehow presented himself in a Christ-like image, as the great healer with the halo and all sorts of, you know,
depictions in light.
And, you know, to those who understand Christian, you know, imagery, it definitely looked like a deliberate image. How did you read it?
GREENE: I read it as blasphemy. That's exactly how I read it. It was President Trump presenting himself to be Jesus, presenting himself to
replace God. And that was extremely offensive to Christians and Catholics all over the world. And it is completely wrong.
And then even further, he tried to, you know, sweep it away saying that he thought he was representing himself as a doctor, which is lying. And he
didn't apologize, which he should have apologized. And it's just -- it's -- it's -- it's ridiculous. Really. Absolutely ridiculous.
And so, it is blasphemy and it's wrong. And President Trump owes Christians an apology.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: President Trump pardoned more than 1,000 participants, meanwhile, in the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol. Now, the Justice Department
is asking an appeals court to throw out the last conspiracy convictions of far-right militia leaders who helped lead the January 6th insurrection.
These are members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers.
President Trump has already commuted their sentences, but this would erase the convictions altogether.
Paula Reid joins us from Washington.
I mean, this is an ongoing case. How -- you know, how exercised are people about this one?
PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, people close to that sprawling investigation into January 6th are quite exercised, although
they have different perspectives depending if you're a defense attorney or if you're, for example, on the January 6th committee or otherwise impacted
by what happened that day.
But if a judge approves this request, I mean, this would be incredibly significant because it would erase really one of the most serious
convictions from that sprawling investigation. And I think you're a little confused about pardons versus commutations. One of the first things the
president did when he retook office, as you noted, is he pardoned over a thousand people who are convicted related to January 6th.
But then there was a small group, a surprisingly small group of just 14 people who received commutations. And that means that the rest of their
sentence, they didn't have to serve the sentence was wiped out, but the conviction remained.
Now those 14 people, one, has subsequently received a pardon, another had a conviction dismissed. So now, they're looking at 12 remaining individuals,
eight of them, though, have are associates of either the Oath Keepers or the Proud Boys. And I know we have some pictures from that day. I don't
know if you can show them now, but a reminder of the kind of conduct that those groups engaged in, in and around January 6th.
[15:20:06]
Now, one of the attorneys for the Proud Boys told CNN he is, quote, grateful to the justice department. He argues it's, quote, "good for
everyone" of all political persuasions that sedition charges are not used for protests that turn into riots. But of course, under the Biden
administration, the Justice Department argued these were not protests. This was not protected First Amendment activity. This was intentional violence
meant to undermine democracy and keep Biden out of office at any costs.
Now, we also got a reaction from Representative Jamie Raskin. He was part of the January 6th committee, and he reminds us these convictions, right?
These came after jurors. Americans heard the facts in this case and issued convictions.
He said that this request is an insult to the jurors who heard the evidence into their civic duty, to the judges who presided over these cases and
sentenced these criminals, and above all, to the heroic officers who were wounded, bloodied and broken, defending our democracy on that terrible day.
And this comes, of course, as Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is effectively auditioning for the top law enforcement job in the country.
Something like this is sure to be looked positively upon by the big boss
FOSTER: Okay, thank you so much for that.
Now, Hungary's incoming prime minister is calling on the country's president to quit. Peter Magyar has secured a big victory in the weekend,
ending Viktor Orban's 16 years in power.
As Melissa Bell now reports, Magyar is also planning a big shake up to the country's media landscape.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Out with state propaganda, Hungary's incoming prime minister has vowed to
suspend public news broadcasters and restore media freedom. Peter Magyar coming right out of the gate after his historic win on Sunday that put an
end to Viktor Orban's 16-year iron grip rule on Hungary.
Here is Magyar taking to the airwaves on Wednesday.
PETER MAGYAR, INCOMING HUNGARIAN PRIME MINISTER (translated): This factory of lies will end after the formation of the Tisza government. We will
suspend immediately. We will create conditions for independent, objective, impartial media.
BELL (voice-over): Certainly not mincing his words in that interview with M1 TV.
While Orban, who positioned himself as a defender of traditional values against the perceived encroachment of the E.U., was a near constant fixture
on public pro-government outlets during the campaign, Magyar was shunned and not allowed a single appearance on public TV or radio, where he also
spoke this morning.
And he didn't stop there. The newly elected leader then called on the country's president, whom he described as a, quote, "puppet of the mafia",
to stand down early.
MAGYAR (translated): Tamas Sulyok must leave his office after the formation of the new government. Tamas Sulyok is unsuitable to embody the
unity of the Hungarian people.
BELL (voice-over): And Magyar added that he expects to form a new government by mid-May.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Melissa Bell reporting there.
Now today is My Freedom Day, an annual day of action against human trafficking and modern-day slavery.
Still to come, CNN's Salma Abdelaziz is with students who are bringing attention to the cause through art.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:26:29]
FOSTER: Wednesday is My Freedom Day. It's an annual day of action against human trafficking and modern-day slavery. Students from around the world
take part in activities to celebrate freedom, and to speak up for those who are unable to.
Listen as these students in Zimbabwe tell us what freedom means to them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STUDENT: Freedom is the ability to choose my own path instead of the one the world tries to force upon me.
STUDENT: It means my future is a choice I get to make it.
STUDENT: Freedom means I'm empowered even more.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: These students among thousands of young people across schools across the world, marking the 10th annual My Freedom Day, along with CNN.
While students in England are amongst those participating in My Freedom Day. Our Salma Abdelaziz spoke to some of the live art project.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: These passionate and creative students are acknowledging and celebrating My Freedom Day with these beautiful on
stage performances. But what's been extraordinary is throughout, there's been a live art project happening behind all of these performances.
You can see here, there's this door frame and these students are just hanging these keys on it meant to symbolize freedom, but I actually want
Alicia, who's the student behind this project, to explain this to us.
So just give me a sense of what is this about? Where did the idea come from?
ALICIA FU, QUEEN ANNE'S STUDENT: So, you can see there's the white door frame with keys and wire hanging on it. The white door frame represents the
gateway towards freedom and may lead to unknown, but maybe with hope. And also it tells that in the world now, there are so many people still under
control, violence, kidnap or participate in county lines that they cannot get safe, get out from that.
ABDELAZIZ: It is such a powerful expression of that idea. Very complicated idea.
Again, you can just see all these students have put these little keys up here. They've hung them all across this wire again, you heard there how its
supposed to represent that barrier between freedom and slavery. And you can see also they've drawn this here on the board as well. This whole time
we've seen this live art project happening.
We also have students who have been hanging these pieces of beautiful fabric, and they've been pinning them on this board after they've been
writing things on them, like choice, freedom, meaning.
And I want to again grab the student behind this. Lisa, just if you could come a little bit closer here to me and tell me, what is it that I'm
looking at here with these ribbons? And what does it symbolize and mean?
LISA IMAI, QUEEN ANNE'S STUDENT: In here, I use fabric to represent and like remind people about how does the workers to make fabric hasn't paid
enough wages or hasn't paid at all. And I want people to know about that situation to make it better. And also, I gather the idea from like, what
does freedom mean to them? And writing in fabric and gather the idea to make whole pieces.
And I also ripped the fabric to kind of represent like being free from like restrictive situation and like those -- but situation.
ABDELAZIZ: It's beautiful. And again, full of so much meaning when you look at these ribbons, when you look at the time students are taking to
write down with markers, their thoughts and feelings on this day.
And ultimately, this is a day that is not just about raising awareness, but for these students, it is also about recognizing the signs of modern day
slavery.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[15:30:01]
FOSTER: Salma there in London.
Now there is time for you to get involved. Just follow the #MyFreedomDay on social media. Check out CNN.com/myfreedomday to learn more about this
worldwide event. To raise awareness of modern day slavery.
Back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: We're tracking the ongoing U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports. Iran warns its military could shut down shipping operations in the Red Sea
now, if this continues off the coast of Iran. New data suggests some ships have been intercepted in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
Meanwhile, President Trump continues to claim victory over the war.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARIA BARTIROMO, FOX NEWS HOST: Is this war over?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think it's close to over. Yeah. I mean, I view it as very close to over.
You know what? If I pulled up stakes right now, it would take them 20 years to rebuild that country. And we're not finished. We'll see what happens. I
think they want to make a deal very badly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: World leaders who have long praised and appeased Donald Trump are increasingly distancing themselves from the president.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni says Mr. Trump's recent attacks on Pope Leo have been unacceptable. A feud has developed between the pontiff
and the U.S. president over the pope's criticism of the Iran war. The Italian prime minister making it clear she backs Pope Leo.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GIORGIA MELONI, ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER (through translator): What I said is what I think. Those statements, particularly regarding the pontiff, were
unacceptable. I expressed and continue to express my solidarity with Pope Leo.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Relations between the U.K. and the U.S. are also strained. President Trump now hinting he could change the terms of a U.K. trade deal.
This as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer refuses to enter the war.
[15:35:05]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: My position on the Iran war has been clear from the start. We're not going to get dragged into this war. It is
not our war, and a lot of pressure has been applied to me to take a different course, and that pressure included what happened last night. I'm
not going to change my mind. I'm not going to yield. It is not in our national interest to join this war, and we will not do so. I know where I
stand.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: What we don't know is, are world leaders running out of patience with Donald Trump?
Joining us now from the White House is Kristen Holmes.
And it is interesting. There is something changing here. European leaders in particular standing up to Trump on a united front. But I think it was
very stark to see Meloni change her tune and to come out publicly, because she was seen as Trump's closest ally, really, certainly someone that had a
lot in common with Trump.
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. And somebody who he has enjoyed her company. They have seemingly got along in a way that
other world leaders do not get along with Donald Trump. I will say there are a number of people across the globe, particularly these diplomatic
officials in various countries, who worry that if this is dragged on, these countries are going to have to get involved in the war.
Now, specifically, when we're talking about Meloni, we're talking about the comments towards the pope and this back and forth that we've seen between
the Trump administration taking on the pope. And then, of course, the president posting this kind of meme of him as a Jesus Christ and then
saying it was him as a doctor and he didn't know what it was.
That in itself is also a huge issue here in America as well. I've been speaking to a number of political allies of the president who have really
just kind of been pulling their hair out for the last several weeks. And this made it even worse, saying we need something that we can be running
on. We need something that is uniting the Republican Party.
And instead, we're actually losing voters every day. And of course, talking about the fact that the war in Iran is something that is widely unpopular
here in the U.S. I do want to note, there's still a lot of questions as to where exactly everything stands between these negotiations, between the
U.S. and Iran.
Karoline Leavitt gave a briefing. She essentially said that it was fake news that at this point there had been any extension or ask for an
extension of the ceasefire. But she also made it clear that that was not out of the realm of possibility, that the U.S. hadn't asked for an
extension yet, but that we know that the White House has been seeking an off ramp, and they do believe these negotiations could be that off ramp.
And it's been very clear from the senior officials we've talked to that if it does look like a deal is coming and likely wouldn't be able to be
reached by the end of that ceasefire, they would extend the ceasefire as well. Interestingly, there have been a number of questions about the Strait
of Hormuz, Karoline Leavitt saying that that blockade is ongoing, that, Max, is also going to be very difficult for countries around the world, not
just the United States, not just Iran. They are stopping this transfer of oil and critical goods through the Strait of Hormuz, which is going to put
economic pressure on everybody across the globe.
These are some of the things that have people speculating that even if they don't want to be part of this war, there is a chance they are still going
to be dragged in or dragged down in one way or another.
FOSTER: Yeah. We'll see. Kristen, thank you so much for that.
Now it's the final moments of trade on Wall Street. Stocks are mixed today. The Dow Jones is flat recovering earlier losses though the S&P 500 hit an
intraday record high, now shedding all losses since the war in Iran started.
This is our Business Breakout.
Donald Trump says he will fire Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell if he doesn't step aside when his term expires next month. A Trump administration
probe into the Fed's $2.5 billion renovation of its dc headquarters could delay the confirmation of Powell's replacement. Powell has strongly rebuked
the investigation as politically motivated.
Shares of Allbirds, a pioneer in the sneaker industry, took flight in almost comical fashion this morning. The once eco-conscious company
announced it was abandoning its environmental agenda and getting into the artificial intelligence business. That sent shares up more than 600
percent, would you believe, while the brand surged in the mid-2010s, it ultimately struggled to become profitable.
And one lucky winner has walked away with an original Picasso for around the price of a night out in Paris. Picasso's Tete de Femme, painted in
1941, is worth at least $1 million. It was the prize in this year's one Picasso for 100 euros contest in France, 120,000 tickets priced at 100
each, were made available, and the money raised was donated to Alzheimer's research.
Now the International Monetary Fund says the world will suffer an oil shortfall this year if the war in Iran ends this week. Global oil supply
plummeted by more than 10 million barrels a day in March, the largest disruption ever.
[15:40:04]
This as Iran blocks ships from transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
In response, the U.S. is now imposing a blockade on Iranian ships in the strait. The IMF warns the current course could lead to a worldwide
recession.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KRISTALLINA GEORGIEVA, MANAGING DIRECTOR, IMF: The impact on the global economy is already large, even if the conflict is short lived extensive
infrastructure damage and supply chain disruptions are pushing prices up and slowing global growth, down, from 3.4 percent last year to 3.1 percent
in 2026. But if the conflict persists and oil prices stay high for an extended period, we must brace for tough times ahead.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Allianz Chief Economic Advisor Mohamed El-Erian provided his analysis of the IMF's warnings to our Becky Anderson.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOHAMED EL-ERIAN, CHIEF ECONOMIC ADVISER, ALLIANZ: If you read between the lines, they're basically saying that the things that we are worried about
going into this year have become worse insufficient growth, excessive inequality, cost of living burden, climate, debt deficits. So, everything
we -- we were worried about coming into this year, they're now saying they're going to be worse.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST: The U.K.'s chancellor, who is the treasury secretary equivalent, Rachel Reeves, who's been posting today saying,
quote, we didn't start this war. We didn't want it. And working families at a cost of living crisis shouldn't have to pay the price for it.
Her boss, the British prime minister, Keir Starmer, whose friendship with Donald Trump shattered over this war, it seems, said recently he was fed up
that Britain's are facing higher energy bills because of the president's actions. We've seen the falling out of the Italian prime minister, Giorgia
Meloni was a great friend of Donald Trump's. Clearly, that seems to be over at this point. I wonder what your take is on these sort of erstwhile U.S.
allies' reaction and indeed the global economy.
EL-ERIAN: Yeah. And, Rachel Reeves went even further, calling it a folly going, calling the war a folly, which, believe me, attracted a lot of
attention in the U.S.
Look, one of the big ironies of this war is that the U.S. will outperform the rest of the world, even though the us and Israel started the war, the
hit that the us economy will take is a fraction of what Europe will feel. It's a fraction of what Asia will feel. So, you know, if you're sitting in
Asia or you're sitting in Africa, in Europe, you're saying, wait a minute.
So, you started a war which they don't believe in, and we get hit hardest. That's not fair. And I feel sorry for the U.K., because if you look at the
IMF forecast, the U.K. had the worst revisions in its outlook. Growth almost at stall speed, inflation going up to four percent, unemployment at
5.6 percent. So, the U.K. is particularly bad hit. And you see that reaction from the chancellor.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Still to come, tornadoes and baseball sized hail tear through parts of the American Midwest. The latest on the forecast just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:46:42]
FOSTER: Parts of the U.S. are being pummeled with severe weather. Nearly two dozen tornadoes have torn through several states over the past week.
The multi-day event now bringing flooding and hail to the Midwest. And the threat isn't over.
CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar joins us with the latest forecast -- Allison.
ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That's right, Max. You take a look at the video behind me. This is incredibly impressive tornado here.
This was from Wyoming, Iowa. Again, you can just see the eye-opening view from this particular tornado. A lot of chasers out there, which is why we
have such an incredible video of this particular tornado.
This is kind of a rural portion of the state. So, we didn't really have too much major damage, at least not widespread for this particular area. But
one thing we are going to see is additional chances for severe storms.
Now, here's a look at just the last 24 hours. Every single one of these dots you see here on the map represents some type of severe weather report.
Nine in total for tornadoes, more than 200. If you tally up both the wind and even some of the hail reports that have come in over just the last day.
Here is a look at where the threat exists for the remainder of the day today. And that does include through the remainder of the evening hours. So
even say 10:00, 11:00 tonight, even through midnight, 2:00 a.m., all of this area is still looking at that potential for severe weather.
You're looking at very large hail. That could be tennis balls or even larger, damaging winds. And yes, the potential for even a few isolated
tornadoes mixed in.
The greatest threat for tornadoes is going to exist in this kind of striped area that you see here, and not just any tornado in general, but also the
potential for some strong tornadoes, meaning F2 size or even larger.
Now, it's all associated with this particular low-pressure system here. That's what's going to move off to the east in the coming hours and bring
that chance for severe storms. You have two different severe thunderstorm watches. That's the yellow color there. As well as this new red tornado
watch that is valid until 9:00 p.m. Central Time. So, the local time right there through the evening hours for the potential for some of those strong
thunderstorms.
So again, here's a look as we go through the evening hours. That strong line of storms continues to slide off to the East. Now the bulk of it does
weaken overnight. But some of those isolated storms could still be strong to severe.
So, make sure that you have some way of getting those emergency alerts. If you live in those areas. It's also not just for today. The next several
days we will continue to see the severe weather pattern.
So on Thursday, you can see the bigger focus is actually going to be across portions of the northeast, but it does extend back through the Ohio Valley.
Then once we get to Friday, we really start to see that severe threat begin to ramp back up. Now you're looking at a level three out of five enhanced
risk, especially for portions of southwestern Wisconsin stretching all the way down into areas of Oklahoma.
That's where the greatest threat is going to be. It will continue into the weekend. Right now, the main focus is going to be states like Ohio,
Michigan, Kentucky and Indiana. But it's not out of the realm of possibility that this area right here could actually expand a little bit on
Saturday and even continue into some other areas on Sunday.
Another concern, in addition to tornadoes and hail and all of the other things, is also the flooding component. And part of the reason for this is
some of these areas have had saturated ground before we even brought the new storms in. So, you have all of these flood watches in effect for a lot
of these areas where you already have dozens of river gauges at flood stage.
FOSTER: Okay, Allison, thank you a lot to get across.
Now, some days being a reporter is the best job ever.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello. This means that she's saying hi? This is one of the coolest things I've ever done
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOTER: Pack your trunks. After the break, we are taking you to the national zoo in Washington to meet this newest resident. Not Dana.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:53:05]
FOSTER: Prince Harry and Meghan are visiting Australia. They began their tour down under with a stop at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne,
where they met with some young patients at the hospital there. Prince Harry also tried his hand at Australian rules football and spoke about mental
health challenges at an event co-hosted by a charity.
The couples four-day visit is their first trip to Australia since they stepped down as working royals. Meghan will also be appearing as a guest
judge on Master Chef.
Now, back in February, there was a much fanfare at the national zoo in Washington when the first Asian elephant in 25 years was born. Shortly
after that, Linh Mai's mother showed no interest in being a mum. So the zoo came up with plan B, use another elephant as a surrogate mother.
Now the calf is thriving and about to make her debut at the National Zoo on Earth Day, April the 22nd. Dana Bash gives us a preview
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBBIE CLARK, ELEPHANT MANAGER, SMITHSONIAN'S NATIONAL ZOO: Linh Mai --
BASH: There she is.
CLARK: Good girl.
BASH: Hi, Linh Mai.
CLARK: Good girl.
BASH: Hi. They're so cute.
She weighs like 400 pounds right now?
CLARK: Four hundred and forty.
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 our forehead. It resonates through her body.
Let's do it.
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.
[15:55:00]
There you go.
CLARK: And lift the end of the bottle up. Fantastic. You can see how fast she consumes it.
BASH: Yeah, 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)
FOSTER: I think she wants to take her home.
Now, finally tonight. And staying with wildlife, it's not the plot of an Ant-Man movie sequel, but a Chinese man facing up to a year in jail
actually for trying to smuggle thousands of ants out of Kenya. Police arrested him last month at Nairobi's national international airport, with
more than 2,200 garden ants hidden in a suitcase. A judge sentenced him to a year in jail and a $7,700 fine. African ants are apparently prized for
personal ant farms in Asia and Europe.
I'm Max Foster. That's WHAT WE KNOW. Do stay with CNN.
END
TO ORDER VIDEOTAPES AND TRANSCRIPTS OF CNN INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMMING, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS
