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Passengers Face Long Lines as TSA Agents Go Unpaid; Trump Says Disappointed in NATO for Not Assisting U.S. In Iran; Top U.S. Counterterrorism Official Resigns Over Iran War; U.S. Warship Believed to Be Carrying Marine Ground Troops to the Middle East Tracked Off Singapore; Dems Send Another DHS Funding Counteroffer to White House. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired March 17, 2026 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:00]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": And be sure to join Laura each night at 11 p.m. Eastern for "Laura Coates Live" only on CNN. And a new hour of "CNN News Central" starts right now.

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": Resigning in protest, a senior intelligence official appointed by President Trump quits over the war with Iran, saying "Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation." We'll tell you what else he said, coming up.

And higher and higher, gas prices are ticking up as the price of a barrel of oil soars. In Palm Beach County, for example, where Mar-a- Lago is, the price of gas is now over $4 a gallon. And turbulence at America's airports, lines of security get longer as TSA agents go unpaid. Officials fear if this gets any worse, they could be forced to shut down smaller airports.

We're following these major developing stories and many more, all coming in right here to "CNN News Central."

Breaking News on the war with Iran. Today, President Trump unleashing again on U.S. allies after he says most of them have now told him they will not get involved with the war. The president earlier saying he is, "Disappointed in NATO," adding he thinks they are making a very foolish mistake. The president also taking questions on his timeline in Iran, saying, we're not ready to leave yet, but we'll be leaving in the near future. I want to get right to Alayna Treene at the White House.

So Alayna, a pretty remarkable moment today as the president sat next to Ireland's leader for St. Patrick's Day, but also visiting here as well, but also bashing NATO in the process.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah, that's exactly right. I think you could actually tell, the president was visibly very frustrated with many of these countries. And remind you, we've really seen the president, but also other top administration officials, Omar, in recent days, put an extraordinary amount of pressure on U.S. allies, particularly countries like the United Kingdom, who the president referenced today, actually referring to the prime minister of the U.K. not being as great as Winston Churchill.

You could really, though, hear, you know, there's been an extraordinary amount of pressure on them, and you could really hear kind of the anger that the president has at them. And I do want you to listen to some of what he said, including this idea that the U.S. would rethink NATO because of this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I didn't do a full court press because I think if I did, they probably would be. But we don't we don't need help. NATO is making a very foolish mistake. And I've long said that, you know, I wonder whether or not NATO would ever be there for us. So this is a -- this was a great test because we don't need them, but they should have been there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: Now, look, I will just say one thing there about, you know, saying we don't need NATO. And he did reference this on Truth Social as well in a statement today.

One of the things that the president keeps trying to argue is that, you know, the U.S. is there for NATO allies when they are not there for the U.S. Remind you, the only time that Article 5 of the NATO alliance was actually invoked was in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 when the United States was attacked. So just keep that in mind.

But it's clear that, look, they were looking for a lot of these other countries, these allies to help in reopening the Strait of Hormuz. And so far, they are being rebuffed. And he's very frustrated and what he's arguing is that, you know, he understands they may not want to get drawn into this war, but believes that they should help in trying to reopen that vital waterway.

And so this is something I think that is going to continue. We're going to continue to hear this from the president as well as more Trump administration officials as they try to see exactly if they can actually get anybody on board to heed the president's calls.

JIMENEZ: And Alayna, you know, we also heard from the president who responded for the first time to the resignation of one of his top intel officials, who resigned and who said in part he resigned over the war itself. What did the president say there?

TREENE: Yes, the president was asked about this when he was in the room with Ireland's Taoiseach. But he was essentially saying that he thought it was good that Kent has resigned, particularly because he had expressed opposing views to what the Trump administration was doing with this war in Iran.

The president said it's a good thing and added that Kent, in his mind, was "very weak on security." And what the president went on to say was that, "When somebody is working with that says they didn't think Iran was a threat, we don't want those people. They're not smart people or they're not savvy people." Look, I will say too, I've spoken to many different officials today about this. They are trying to frame the ouster of Kent as something, you know, that they believe, as the president did, is good for the Trump administration. But, of course, it raises major questions, given how high ranking Kent was.

He served in the, you know, Counterterrorism Division under the Director of National Intelligence, a major role. And so, this is definitely a huge deal today and a blow to the intelligence community to have lost, you know, such a high-ranking official.

JIMENEZ: Yeah. Much more to learn there. Alayna Treene at the White House for us, really appreciate it. Brianna?

[14:05:00]

KEILAR: Some new video into CNN shows a U.S. Navy warship believed to be carrying thousands of Marines and sailors to the Middle East, sailing off the coast of Singapore. Officials confirmed to CNN that the unit is being sent. They're not revealing exactly where it would be deployed or what it would be used for.

Earlier, President Trump dismissed a new warning by Iran on U.S. ground troops in the region. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Iranian regime has told Sky News, if you put boots on the ground in Iran, it will be another Vietnam. Are you afraid of that?

TRUMP: No, I'm not afraid of -- I'm really not afraid of anything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: And we're joined now by retired U.S. Army Lieutenant General Mark Schwartz. He served as U.S. Security Coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Thank you so much for being with us, General.

What do you think of that exchange that you heard from the President right there?

LT. GEN. MARK SCHWARTZ (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, his response to what the Iranians said, I think, is right. We're not going to put long-duration boots on the ground presence in Iran. I don't think that's ever been an objective in terms of the strategy going from the outset of this campaign.

So, I do believe that the Marines coming in are going to provide Commander CENTCOM some great agility in terms of potentially going after some of those shore-based or onshore or nearshore-based locations that can threaten into the Strait of Hormuz and also into the Gulf of Oman as you're entering from the east. But I don't believe we'll put them on the ground for a long duration of time. KEILAR: OK, so explain to us what that would look like. Getting on shore, how far on shore, staying on shore, the dangers of being on shore, because I think those are questions that a lot of people will have looking at this.

SCHWARTZ: Yes, so the capability that's coming in with the Marine Amphibious Ready Group, they have the Osprey, which is a tiltrotor aircraft, I think most are familiar with now. So they have that means to get on shore. They also have landing craft as part of their -- you know, as part of the element coming in, in terms of infiltration and exfiltration on shore, over-the-beach type operations. So there's a lot of capability there.

So the options of getting on to land, that would typically be for a short-duration operation. The Marines, historically, you set aside Iraq and Afghanistan or long, multi-decade wars, the Marines typically go in to establish a lodgment or a beachhead for support for follow-on forces.

So absent of that, because we don't have any indication that there are follow-on forces coming in, I could see them supporting, going after potentially weapon storage sites that maybe have not been able to get completely eliminated from the air.

Or also, as we discussed previously, one of the missions that the Marines have, the Marine Expeditionary Unit, is to support a special operation. So if there is one, they could serve as that outer cordon of security.

All of those are high risk, Brianna, because even though we've done a great job of eliminating the ballistic missile threat, there's still a lot of artillery that exists within the Iranian conventional forces and a lot of short-range rockets, other capabilities that we haven't specifically targeted yet. So that's definitely a concern going forward.

KEILAR: So, and I hear where you're saying that this might be limited, they might not be that far on shore, but that is -- that would be troops on the ground. Would that fundamentally change the nature of this war? Because certainly, in the eyes of the American public, it very likely will.

SCHWARTZ: I don't think it would change the nature of the desired outcome in terms of the objectives that the administration has set forth. But putting a sustained presence, which I don't think the Marines would be used for, in this instance, that would certainly change the view of the war to date. But I don't believe that that's going to be the intent of how the Marines will be used.

If in fact, decisions made to even put them on shore, it could be, I think they have five to six more days before they're actually in the vicinity of the Gulf of Oman, if that's where they end up deploying to, that it could be a situation where the operational environment has changed to the point where they don't need to be used on shore.

So that's the kind of the agility and flexibility that I believe Commander CENTCOM on behalf of the National Command Authority wants.

KEILAR: Can the U.S. secure the Strait of Hormuz, get oil flowing through that region, besides just Iranian oil, without what you're describing?

[14:10:00]

SCHWARTZ: Well, they can. We have air superiority right now. We have the ability to continue to engage locations where we believe Iran can deploy, whether it is drones or short-range ballistic missiles, long- range artillery, and even the fast boats that we talked about. So we have the -- the capability is moving in.

The Littoral Combat Ships that replace the mine -- counter-mine frigates that we had there prior to the New Year, as we discussed, they are -- CENTCOM does not have the number that they would optimally like to have, certainly. So it's going to be far more challenging. And that's why allies and partners coming in to support freedom of navigation is so important.

And it sounds like, right now, I'm sure there's still work going on behind the scenes. But right now, there's not a lot of nations signing up to support, absent of the Gulf states that are already committed, just by virtue of -- it's their commerce that needs to flow both in and out, you know, through the Gulf of Oman and then, of course, into the upper Persian Gulf.

KEILAR: General Schwartz, great to have you. Thank you so much for being with us.

SCHWARTZ: Thank you.

KEILAR: And still to come, Senate Majority Leader, John Thune is now accusing Democrats of dragging out DHS funding talk. How the delay on debate keeps causing some major delays at airports, plus a stunning change at the Justice Department. The DOJ will start hiring federal prosecutors with less than a year of experience. What's behind this unusual move?

And then later, a cosmic mystery. NASA's Webb telescope keeps spotting bright little red dots, but astronomers can't agree about what they are. We'll have that and much more coming up on "CNN News Central."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:16:34]

JIMENEZ: We are still at a stalemate with this government shutdown. Recently, Democrats sent another DHS funding counteroffer to Republican lawmakers and the White House to try and end that shutdown. But that stalemate is still continuing over federal immigration policy.

This month-long shutdown is crippling TSA checkpoints at airports across the country. Georgia Democratic Senator, Jon Ossoff, today called for both sides of Congress to come to a sensible compromise, as TSA reports at least 366 agents have quit. And the passenger gridlock shows no signs of slowing down as thousands of TSA workers struggle to make ends meet and support their families with no paychecks.

Angela Grana is a TSA officer and the Regional Vice President of the Colorado TSA Workers Union, AFGE Local 1127. We want to note, though, that Ms. Grana is speaking in her personal capacity and not on behalf of the TSA. Regardless, thank you for being here. I really appreciate you taking the time.

I want to start with, you know, you say your fellow TSA workers are still recovering from the last government shutdown, the longest in history, that left you without pay. TSA workers make an average salary of $35,000. But how did things change when you missed your first full paycheck last week?

ANGELA GRANA, TSA OFFICER: Well, you have to remember the first paycheck that we received on the -- or the last paycheck that we received on the 27th of February, some of us only got $6, $13, not even 10 percent of our normal pay. So I would really call that our first missed paycheck. It's just complete chaos.

Security runs on our labor. And when we're thinking about other things and not focusing on our job, that would be a security concern for anybody.

JIMENEZ: And you know, when you -- there have been a lot of calling out -- there's been a lot of calling out sick lately, obviously tied to the lack of pay. But when you consider the operations that the TSA workers deal with, I mean, it puts the workers in a very tough spot that if they call out, operations stop. But at the same time, they're also not getting paid for the work that they're doing.

What's been your message to members of your union in this time?

GRANA: Well, remember, if they call out, they also get disciplined. So it's something that I strongly suggest that they try not to do. A lot of them are not calling out because they're wanting to call out. A lot of them are calling out because they can't afford the gas to come to work.

On the flip side of that, I have some officers that are spending the night in the airport so that they don't spend any money going home. So it's chaos for them. It's unbelievable that American workers are working this way for free without pay.

JIMENEZ: And you know, tell me a little bit more about that. I mean, DHS says more than 300 TSA agents have quit. You just told me that, that some members, or at least people you've spoken to, have either considered or have slept at the airports so they don't have to go home.

I mean, are any of your members considering leaving TSA? What have you heard?

GRANA: They're making that decision. It's a tough decision. It's a personal decision. A lot of them are dual income, as in they both work at TSA. So there is no income coming home, and they're making those tough decisions on whether or not to keep this job.

They thought it was a, you know, it's your civil, civic duty to -- instead of going to the military, this is another way to serve your country. And now, you're not being served in return.

[14:20:00]

You're kind of like being forgotten. And all the things that we do for the country, it's terrible for these officers to have to make that decision of, do I throw away eight, nine years of being a seasoned employee to start over again in a new career?

JIMENEZ: I mentioned before we started this interview, Congress still had a stalemate over this immigration enforcement reform. But at the same time, again, every day that goes by is another day without TSA workers getting paid as air traffic hasn't really slowed heading into spring break and beyond.

What is your message to members of Congress right now, who are still in this stalemate at the moment?

GRANA: I have a lot of things I could say, but really what I need to say is we're not red, we're not blue. We don't have two different lines for two different passengers. We consider ourselves red, white, and blue.

We swore an oath to serve and protect, to follow the constitution. We do our job. We want the lawmakers to do their job. They swore that same oath. And it's a security risk when you have an employee that needs to get it right every time. They need to be checking those bags, checking those passengers, and they cannot make a mistake.

The bad guys, they only have to get it right one time, and they're definitely paying attention to all this crisis.

JIMENEZ: Angela Grana, keep in touch with us as this goes on. Please keep us posted on what you're hearing from your fellow TSA employees. Thank you for taking the time today. Really appreciate it.

GRANA: Thank you.

JIMENEZ: Of course. All right, coming up, facing massive departures in recent weeks, the Department of Justice is making a major change in job requirements. The department will now hire prosecutors with less than a year of experience.

We'll bring you the details coming up. Plus, a shutdown set to begin in the Senate over President Trump's SAVE America Act. We'll have that and much more coming up on "CNN News Central."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:26:41]

JIMENEZ: We're learning new details about some big changes at the Department of Justice, changes that could have major ramifications for legal proceedings across the country. The DOJ is loosening hiring requirements for federal prosecutors. They will no longer need to work a full year as an attorney to get a job at the DOJ.

KEILAR: CNN's Chief Legal Affairs Correspondent, Paula Reid is with us now on this. All right, what's driving this change?

PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Look, there have been a lot of changes over the last year at the Justice Department as they have tried to remake what is usually an independent agency into Trump's image. They have redesigned this agency to try to pursue MAGA priorities and in some cases, pursue the president's adversaries, and they've lost a lot of people in the process.

Some people have objected and walked out, some people have been fired and, of course, a lot of other people took buyouts. So as a result, they are having trouble managing this caseload. We have seen judges complain about DOJ lawyers not meeting deadlines, also about the quality of their work, something you usually don't hear about with federal prosecutors. These are supposed to be the best of the best, which is part of why most offices have a rule that you need at least three years of experience before you can apply for a role unless you come through one of those prestigious honors programs directly from law school.

But as they're having trouble meeting the day-to-day demands at the Justice Department, some offices are going to eliminate that requirement, take folks right out of law school. Now, in a statement, the Justice Department says it is, quote, "Proud to empower young and passionate prosecutors and offer attorneys at every level the opportunity to invest their talents into keeping their communities safe."

But if we look at the kind of work that they could be doing, we look at Minnesota, for example, one of the offices of their civil division is waiving this requirement. That's the office that has been inundated with these habeas petitions from folks who have been detained by ICE, a ton of work, a lot of criticism from judges.

As a recovering lawyer myself, that's a really sophisticated kind of situation to find yourself in with no legal or no courtroom experience. So this is what they're going to try. But so far, DOJ supervisors say they're offering this opportunity because they've seen a decline in the volume of applications that they have received. But again, this whole strategy at DOJ, they want to remake this in Trump's image, but that has consequences.

JIMENEZ: Well, and you talk about experience that prosecutors typically have, I mean, I think about places like Minnesota --

REID: Yeah.

JIMENEZ: -- Chicago, not only were they overloaded by case volume, but they also either lost or had many of these cases dismissed at the very least --

REID: Yeah. JIMENEZ: -- because it seemed as if cases were brought too quickly, or at the very least, they weren't able to, again, meet deadlines and things like that. So if you're decreasing the level of experience, I mean, will this work?

REID: It's unclear, because what's been so interesting watching this over the past year, I talked to a lot of officials inside DOJ last year I said, are you confident you're going to be able to restock your lawyers here? And some of them said, look, we only need a third of the number of lawyers we had before. I'll find people who will do it faster.

I think there was a lack of appreciation or respect for federal prosecutors, federal workers in general. And not only do you just need someone to apply, they're wiping out the requirements for experience, but you also need to get past the sort of political litmus test and that has been really difficult for a lot of people.

So even if you show up with no legal experience, now you also have to get through the MAGA loyalty test, right? Are you going to be inside the building working against us or working for us? And what I've seen over the past year or so is that has really been one of the biggest barriers to getting quality people inside. Now, they are just --