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Synagogue Attack Press Conference; Gov. Jared Polis (D-CO) is Interviewed about the Michigan Synagogue Attack; Amos Hochstein is Interviewed about the Iran War. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired March 13, 2026 - 09:30   ET

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

[09:30:00]

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Just going to have to stay home.

Take a listen to what they told me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EVELYN RUIZ, PHILADELPHIA RESIDENT: Because of all this that's going on in the war, everything is affecting us. We're paying for it. All -- whatever he's doing is costing us, the consumer, we're paying for it.

When we go shopping, the food prices, everything is going up. Everything. Yes, it's affecting us.

JONATHAN WALDROP, CONNECTICUT RESIDENT: If 87 gets to like $4, $5, I can't -- I might as well just stay in the house.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YURKEVICH: And we're speaking to people, analysts, who are saying that gas prices are expected to probably reach that $4 range per gallon. That's a level that we really haven't seen at a national average since 2022 when the war with Russia and Ukraine broke out.

And, John, if you were listening to that woman, Evelyn, there, she talked about how this impact with oil and gas prices is actually affecting other things, like food, airfare. Because if you think about it, a lot of stuff, a lot of perishable items get here by boat, train and plane. And all of those costs, that fuel, that oil is only going up, being trickled down to everyday consumer items that she's worried about.

John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Vanessa Yurkevich for us in New Jersey where it's all full service. So, the gas a little bit cheaper.

Thank you so much, Vanessa. Appreciate it.

Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Also -- and speaking about what's impacting all of this and where the focus is when it comes to gas prices, it's back to the Strait of Hormuz. Moments ago Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth talked about the standstill in the strait and what's to blame.

Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETE HEGSETH, DEFENSE SECRETARY: As the world is seeing, they are exercising sheer desperation in the Straits of Hormuz. Something we're dealing with, we have been dealing with it, and don't need to worry about it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: All right, we need to quickly, though, pause from this and go straight back to Michigan, where there is a press conference that is now underway in an update after that suspected attempted terror attack at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield.

Here's the governor.

GOV. GRETCHEN WHITMER (D-MI): I appreciate your leadership yesterday and how much my heart goes out to everything that you and your family and all of the families involved and the Jewish community writ large are going through.

You know, I wanted to come today for a briefing which we just concluded to get up to speed on where things stand. I want to thank our state and local law enforcement, the first responders, our federal partners for their swift work to keep people safe and to investigate. I want to thank Temple Israels' security personnel. They were selfless in their courage and they saved lives. These heroes threw themselves in harm's way, engaging the suspect. And let's be very clear, yes, this is a place of worship, but at the time that this attack was -- occurred, it was a school. One hundred and four children age five and younger here. So, I want to thank all of Temple Israels' staff who acted quickly to evacuate students and reunite families.

The state of Michigan will wrap our arms around this community and support our local and federal partners every step of the way to keep people safe. I want to share prayers from my colleague, Governor Shapiro of Pennsylvania. Josh called -- reached out yesterday to check in and see how people were doing.

And I want Michigan's Jewish community to know that we are with you. Violence in our houses of worship and in our schools and in our daycare centers, like this, hits especially hard. Temple Israel is a pillar of the community. It's one of the largest reform Jewish congregations in North America with Friday night shabbat services attracting over a thousand people. People celebrate bar and bat mitzvahs, weddings and holidays here. Parents bring their children to daycare and school. And it's a place of peace, unity, light and life.

Yesterday's attack was anti-Semitism. It was hate, plain and simple. We will fight this ancient and rampant evil. We will stand together as we do it. And we will call it out. We must lower the rhetoric in this state and in this country, especially at this moment where we have seen such a rise in anti-Semitism and more attacks on the Jewish community. We must keep each other close.

This community is on the edge. Very understandably. We've seen a rise in attacks, especially over the last decade, especially over the last ten months. And so it is important for us to stand up, to stand against it and to thank the people who showed up to support the community, but also call out where we see acts of anti-Semitism, where we see threats, where we see something, how important it is to say something and to recognize that each of us has a responsibility.

[09:35:10]

People like the person that attacked this community yesterday get fomented by rhetoric that they see online and that they see on television and they hear on the radio. It radicalizes people and it endangers our fellow Michiganders. We cannot let this continue. And so, each of us has a duty to take action where and how we can.

And with that, I'll hand it over to Senator Slotkin, and then we'll take a couple of questions.

SEN. ELISSA SLOTKIN (D-MI): Thank you, Governor.

And just want to reiterate, I think it's clear that if it were not for the private security and the staff at Temple Israel, and then the first responders first on the scene, local law enforcement, if they had not all done their jobs almost perfectly, we would be talking about an immense tragedy here today with children gone. This could have been much, much worse. So, I give incredible credit to law enforcement and the people who were in the room putting themselves and their own families at risk.

I think, you know, the governor said it very, very well on the way this community has responded, it's been incredible to watch neighbors in the community here, both organizations and just regular old citizens open up their homes literally yesterday to help care for people who were fleeing from this.

And this is a place that I have a very personal connection to. I feel -- I've spent a lot of my time growing up in and out of this temple. And I feel just a -- an immense amount of pain, as does the rest of the community, that incidents like this even happen. And I think it's just important to be clear, as the governor said, that whether anti- Semitism is coming from the left or the right, whether it's coming from some group that you like or don't like, you have a responsibility to call it out. Because when you don't, it gives permission for people to climb that escalation, that ladder of escalation that goes from saying hateful things online, to saying them in person. to graffiti, to ultimately violence.

And the Jewish community suffers ten times the number of hate crimes than any other community in this country. So, it is an epidemic. And until we push back on that permission, we're going to see incidents like this continue to proliferate. The Jewish community spends over $1 billion across the country securing their houses of worship, their schools, their institutions. No community in America should be fearful of having their own kind congregate for things like education and worship.

So, I stand here proud of the community, angry that we even are put in this position, thankful to law enforcement but asking the average citizen out there, if you have a friend, a colleague, coworkers who are using anti-Semitism in their daily life and feel like it's just normal, please call that out wherever you see it.

Thank you.

JONATHAN WARSHAY, WEST BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP SUPERVISOR: If I may say a few words, Governor?

WHITMER: Yes.

WARSHAY: Thank you.

Good morning. My name is Jonathan Warshay. I am the township supervisor here in West Bloomfield.

For those of you unfamiliar with township government in Michigan, my position is like the mayor of a city, elected by the voters. But I'll stop the civics lesson.

I think it's fair to say that none of us went to bed Wednesday expecting to wake up to Thursday's events. But thanks to the preparation and training of Temple Israel's security team and the West Bloomfield Police Department, the unexpected did not turn into tragedy. Yesterday's incident at Temple Israel is deeply concerning for everyone in West Bloomfield, Michigan, across the country, as well as Jews everywhere.

I live in West Bloomfield. My wife and I are members of Temple Israel. So, I have a keen understanding of the effects on the community. We are thankful for the courage and professionalism of our first responders and our partner agencies who moved to protect lives and work towards stabilizing the scene. Our thoughts are with all members of Temple Israel and their families. No community should ever feel unsafe gathering in a house of worship or sending their children to school.

I want to thank all the officials, colleagues and members of the public who have reached out to me in solidarity. I would also like to thank the Shenandoah Country Club for hosting the operations center and being the site where the preschoolers and parents were reunited. Shenandoah is a wonderful community partner, and I thank them from the bottom of my heart.

We'll continue to work closely with law enforcement and community leaders as more information comes available.

[09:40:03]

Thank you and may God bless us all.

WHITMER: Happy to open it up for a few questions.

Yes.

REPORTER: Good morning. (INAUDIBLE) Local Four.

Is there any indication that the suspect may have expressed his intent or motive either whether online or to a loved one, what he had planned to do yesterday?

WHITMER: I appreciate the importance of your question. I am not the appropriate person to answer that. We'll have to defer to the FBI as there's an ongoing investigation.

Yes. Charlie (ph).

REPORTER: Governor, do you think this happened because of the conflict in Iran?

WHITMER: I'm not -- putting my theories into the press is not going to help an investigation. So, I'm going to refrain from that.

I do know that we have seen a rise in the anti-Semitism. We have seen it over many years, predating the conflict. But certainly it is at an historic high. And I worry that that will continue.

And so, it's why I am calling on anyone with a platform to be very responsible with their rhetoric, not to identify or target the Jewish community. That is anti-Semitism writ large. And I don't think that any of us should permit or allow that to stand. And that's why I'm asking people to turn down the rhetoric.

REPORTER: Governor, on that note, Josh (INAUDIBLE), Fox Two Detroit. We have a very diverse community, Jewish, Arab and so on and so on. When it comes to lowering the temperature because we talk to each other, we work together, we build families amongst each other. What's the message you can deliver to help lower the temperature?

WHITMER: I think -- I'm trying to deliver that message right now, that we are Michiganders. This was a school. These are -- this is zero to five year olds that were targeted yesterday, 104. My friend Brian said, this could have looked a lot more like Sandy Hook, right? Like, let's not lose sight of that. This is not a political moment. This is not a political debate. This is targeting babies who are Jewish. That's anti-Semitism at its absolute worst. And that's why we cannot lose sight of that, the importance of keeping everyone in Michigan safe by being responsible in how we talk about issues and how we treat one another.

REPORTER: Governor, what --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One last question. One last question.

REPORTER: Are members of the Jewish community in Michigan safe right now to be going to synagogue?

WHITMER: You know, I will defer to Steven (ph). I can tell you that there -- I believe that there are so many wonderful people who are planning to have shabbat services and dinner this evening. I will work my hardest to make sure that we're supplementing efforts to keep people safe.

At the same time, in combination with that, turning down the rhetoric to keep these instances from happening, being able to respond when they do, but keeping them from happening in the first place is a part of our duty and our goal.

Do you want to address that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would simply say that --

WHITMER: Sorry.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Private security is ready, and our partners in law enforcement, both state, local and federal, are ready to do it. And we will be there. Like I said yesterday, we will continue to live proud, Jewish lives. We will come back stronger. And we will be there tonight on shabbat services and tomorrow morning. That will not stop. That will not end. No matter how much they try, that will not stop us.

REPORTER: Senator Slotkin, can you -- John Wesley (ph) from "The Free Press." Can you address, the Department of Homeland Security is not fully funded right now. Do you fear that leaves us less prepared for incidents like these than we should be?

SLOTKIN: Yes, I would just say the department, because they are essential workers, they have been, you know, at work. Certainly in Michigan we have a ton of DHS folks, the CBP and -- so, they are on the call and they are -- they are doing their jobs. Certainly we need to fund the Department of Homeland Security and we need, in my view, to cut away all the conversation on ICE, which is its own conversation, from all the core missions of the Department of Homeland Security. But they're essential. They're on the job. They're working today.

REPORTER: I have a question.

BERMAN: All right, we just heard from Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin, but this was primarily a briefing from Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer on the attack, the thwarted attack on Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield, Michigan. Only the attacker died there. It obviously could have been much, much worse. As Governor Whitmer referred to, this could have been a massacre there. She called it anti-Semitism pure and simple. She called it targeting babies. Of course there was a Jewish school there as well. Nothing is worse than that, she said.

With us now is Colorado Governor Jared Polis, a Democrat.

Thank you so much for being with us, Governor Polis.

[09:45:01]

And I should note, you went through, as governor, an anti-Semitic attack in Boulder, a deadly attack there, a little more than a year ago. Talk to us about what you're seeing and what you're feeling.

GOV. JARED POLIS (D-CO): You know, it was really literally just -- and I was thinking about that while listening to Governor Whitmer just a few steps, 100 feet from where I'm sitting now, Pearl Street Mall in Boulder, Colorado, an anti-Semitic attack on a group of Jewish Americans. One elderly woman was killed, many others remained and injured.

This rise of anti-Semitism is extremely alarming. I was glad to hear Governor Whitmer call out specifically the anti-Semitic nature of the attack.

Look, hate, bias, in all of its forms, is inexcusable. But I know that Jewish Americans in particular are traumatized by these attacks. I got an email from my synagogue yesterday just saying, how do you, you know, you feel we're taking more security. People -- nobody in America should be scared to celebrate their faith, to go to their house of worship, no matter what their faith is. And right now far too many Jewish Americans are feeling that fear.

BERMAN: I mean thank goodness there was security in there. But is more security the only answer at this point? How can you tell Jewish Americans, Jewish people in Colorado, that they're safe?

POLIS: Security is beginning with -- security is a necessity. You have to have that there. It often means uniform personnel. We did a series of special grants in Colorado for what we call hardening of facilities, like synagogues and churches and mosques were threatened as well. Cameras at doors, exits, helping to give them capital grants to do that work.

But the answer is, of course, larger than that, right? It's cultural. It's about society. It's about the hate that we see on the internet every day. We've got to come together as a nation and really celebrate everyone of every faith, every one of no faith, and understand that we're all in this together.

And this divide is only getting worse. So, of course, you need the physical security. But even more important than that, we've got to turn the culture towards one that really celebrates diversity and understands that we're all part of this great American story.

BERMAN: I mean clearly there were anti-Semitic attacks before the war with Iran, but these two attacks, there was the one yesterday taking place at the Temple Israel in West Bloomfield. There was also an attack at Old Dominion, not an anti-Semitic attack per se, but also an attack since the war in Iran began. How do you think that might impact the anti-terror posture in the United States?

POLIS: Well, I would say the threat is heightened. There's no -- there's no question that there are specific threats. I think there's no indications, first of all, that these are Iranian actors. They could be people that were on their individual level, inspired by the war actions.

But I think separately and distinctly, there's absolutely a threat from Iran. It's been reported on against critical infrastructure, against our leaders. This is a significant war. America has chosen to take out a foreign leader. There doesn't seem to be a clear plan of what happens next of succession. It's -- it really seems to be really just played by ear. Hard to say where it's going.

So, these are two very distinct things. But there is an overlap on that diagram, if you will, for threats against the homeland. And, of course, specifically threats against Jewish Americans.

BERMAN: Before I let you go, you were mentioning the war in Iran right there. What's the impact been on people in Colorado? We've seen gas prices rise now for 13 straight days.

POLIS: Well, we lost our first soldier that was stationed here just the other day. We're displaying our flags at half-mast. But it goes well beyond that. Obviously, it affects gas prices in the short term. Every Coloradan, every American is paying a lot more for gas. Many people have friends, sons, daughters that are now stationed in that area. More on the way. Worried about what's happening with their loved ones and whether they'll be able to talk to them again and return safely.

BERMAN: Governor Jared Polis from Colorado, we do appreciate you sticking with us, watching what's happening in Michigan, watching really what's happening all over the country with great concern. Thank you very much.

We do have a lot of breaking news this morning. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:53:51]

BOLDUAN: Let's get to the latest on the war with Iran.

Last hour, during an update from the Pentagon, the defense secretary talked about what has become a keen focus in recent days. The attacks on the Strait of Hormuz, leaving that critical shipping channel nearly paralyzed.

Here's Pete Hegseth.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETE HEGSETH, DEFENSE SECRETARY: As the world is seeing, they are exercising sheer desperation in the Straits of Hormuz. Something we're dealing with. We have been dealing with it. And don't need to worry about it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: That same briefing, the Joint Chiefs chairman, General Dan Caine, described the strait as a "tactically complex environment right now."

Joining me right now is Amos Hochstein. He's a former senior advisor to President Biden on national security and economic security issues.

You heard that from Hegseth, Amos. Then the president, though, just told Fox News that tankers in his words, "should go through the Strait of Hormuz and show some guts. There's nothing to be afraid of."

What is the reality there?

AMOS HOCHSTEIN, FORMER SENIOR ADVISER TO PRESIDENT BIDEN: Hi, Kate.

Well, look, the reality is that three tankers were attacked just two days ago. If my, if my child was working on one of those tankers, I'd tell them to stay away. And I think that's what every insurance company on the planet would say.

[09:55:02]

Kate, I spoke to a couple of shipping company owners and they said, look, how do I go to sleep at night if I send a tanker through when a drone can take the lives of my employees? And so, I think right now no tanker could be expected to go through with that threat. The United States is not -- the military has not mitigated that threat. And as long as it's not mitigated, they will not go through it.

BOLDUAN: At the same time, it's very clear the administration is trying to do something to bring down or stabilize the oil markets. And what we've seen is the administration just announced they're lifting sanctions on Russian oil that's already at sea to try and help with the oil crisis that the world's now facing.

Scott Bessent said that Russia is not going to significantly benefit from this move. Is this going -- what's your take on this?

HOCHSTEIN: Well, I don't know what's -- how this war is going to end. But I do know that we know already who the big winner is, and that's Putin and Russia. Russia, just a few weeks ago, could not sell all of its oil because of sanctions. And the oil that did sell, it sold at a steep discount. So, they were selling oil at around $50 just about a month ago. And today they're selling their oil without a discount at $100. So, if you're talking about five million barrels at 100 versus 50, you can do the math, right? That is a remarkable increase in their revenues at a time when their economy was collapsing and they were losing ground on the battlefield in Ukraine.

But in addition to Russia selling all of its oil now, Iran is actually still selling its oil. So, while the straits are closed to everybody else, Iran is still selling its oil to China and seemingly increasing their oil sales while the rest -- and making the revenues while the American people and others are starting to suffer the consequences. And again, the issues here are grave. I'm not saying the president should make decisions on the war based on oil prices, but this is something that the American public is starting to feel in their pockets and they don't really understand why.

BOLDUAN: And that's what I want to ask you. I had the energy secretary on yesterday, and he kept hammering that this is a short-term disruption in order to accomplish and fix a long term problem. And they continue to say that like it's going to all be better in the end. But the question then becomes, how much damage is done in the interim if even in the end it does turn out. Like, how much damage can be done to the global economy, the U.S. economy and everything in between in the intervening days between now and when the administration decides that they've reached their end goal?

HOCHSTEIN: So, one, it would be great to know what the end goal is. And I think that's something that we haven't established yet.

Look, I -- when you take out this amount of -- it's not just about oil, but this amount of oil and natural gas, 20 percent of the LNG in the world, and the products, right, jet fuel and diesel and fertilizers for farmers at this critical time of year. When all those things get backed up and they have nowhere to go, the producers stop producing. They start slowing down their production, as we've seen in Iraq and in Kuwait and in Saudi. And so turning these things back on is not a switch that you just flip. It takes hours to shut it down. It takes sometimes weeks and months to turn it back on. So, structurally, this is going to be -- there'll be a tale to this. This will affect us and be with us for a while. In the 70s, we had an embargo for six months. It affected the global economy for years.

BOLDUAN: Amos, it's good to see you. Thank you so much for coming back in. I really appreciate it.

John.

BERMAN: Quite a day here. A lot of news.

BOLDUAN: No kidding.

BERMAN: Stay with CNN all day long.

This has been CNN NEWS CENTRAL. "THE SITUATION ROOM," up next.

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