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U.S. Drops 5,000-Pound Bunker Buster Bombs Near Strait of Hormuz; Trump Attends Dignified Transfer of U.S. Service Members; Gabbard Grilled About FBI Search of Georgia Elections Office; U.S. College Student Missing in Barcelona While on Spring Break; King Charles' White House Visit May Be in Limbo; NASA Astronauts Venture Outside International Space Station; New V.A., DOJ Agreement Could Put Homeless Veterans at Risk. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired March 18, 2026 - 13:30   ET

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

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[13:32:53]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": A new escalation in the Iran war. Just moments ago, CNN geolocated this new video that shows a burning oil and natural gas facility in Iran. Iranian state media is reporting the U.S. and Israel have hit several sites during a new wave of strikes earlier today.

In the meantime, along the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Central Command says multiple 5,000-pound guided bombs have now been dropped. They have dropped them on underground missile sites, they're saying. And happening this hour, we're standing by for President Trump to attend a dignified transfer for all six airmen who were killed when their Air Force refueling aircraft crashed in Iraq last week.

They are Major John Klinner, Captain Seth Koval, Captain Ariana Savino, Captain Curtis Angst, Technical Sergeant Ashley Pruitt, and Technical Sergeant Tyler Simmons.

And we're joined now by retired Lieutenant General Mark Weatherington. He previously served as Deputy Commander of the Air Force Global Strike Command. And sir, I do want to touch upon that dignified transfer with you off the top here because this is something that we've been told to expect more of.

But this is something that we don't often see. I should be clear, we're not actually going to see this one. This is going to be closed. Nonetheless, this is a very somber occasion today that is going to take place at Dover.

LT. GEN. MARK WEATHERINGTON (RET.), U.S. AIR FORCE: Well, Brianna, thanks for having me. And absolutely, our thoughts and prayers go out to the family members of those brave service members that we've lost, bringing the total to 13 so far in the conflict.

And I think what we need to remind the viewers is that although our forces, our American servicemen and women, make this often appear very easy, we put them in very dangerous situations, very complex situations. We ask them to push their equipment, their weapon systems to the edge of their performance under some very difficult conditions. It's not easy, and we should recognize those inherent risks.

KEILAR: Yeah. Thank you for that.

[13:35:00]

And just talking about what we're seeing happen in the theater there, CENTCOM has announced that they've dropped these -- the military dropped these 5,000-pound guided bombs that are designed to penetrate targets deep underground on Iranian missile sites along the strait on Tuesday. And you used to be Deputy Commander of the Air Force's entire bomber force. So, what can you tell us about those strikes and these bombs, what this can achieve, what it can't achieve?

WEATHERINGTON: Well, certainly the United States watches what our potential adversaries around the world are doing, and we've seen a trend in recent years of hardening and burying some critical infrastructure, some critical targets. And so the United States has developed over time, whether that's the GBU-57, which we saw in Midnight Hammer, going after very deep, buried nuclear targets, or something like this 5,000-pound penetrator, the GBU-72. We've developed capabilities to exploit those targets, to go after and hit them, and they're very capable, and this was the first use in combat, and I suspect, very effective.

KEILAR: So where do the capabilities kind of end here, right? Can the U.S. bomb the strait open, or does something else need to be done here?

WEATHERINGTON: Well, I think CENTCOM, U.S. Central Command will have a very well-developed plan and a set of objectives that they're trying to accomplish. Like in any conflict, we have a very determined adversary, a thinking adversary, who's going to try to react, adapt to what we might be doing.

I think it would be very difficult to say we can execute a bombing campaign and open the straits, but you do see a very successful effort so far to reduce Iran's ability to affect its neighbors, to reduce the drone and ballistic missile strikes by about 90 percent or more over the course of the campaign, to reduce the naval capabilities, and so their ability to affect operations in the straits has been greatly diminished.

But I wouldn't expect that to be completely eliminated or go to zero.

KEILAR: Is there any way to do this without having some kind of, maybe even just limited, but nonetheless boots on the ground when it comes to maybe being close to the shore? This is what we were talking yesterday about with our military experts, because I think the public really makes quite a distinction here when it comes to boots on the ground.

Even if this isn't, you know, very far inland in Iran, that is still, I think, something that really sticks with people, the idea of American boots on the ground. Do you expect that to happen? WEATHERINGTON: Brianna, I think that all comes down to the objectives that the administration is trying to achieve, and I think we've heard a range of possible objectives. I would say if we're looking to do some type of regime change, if we're anticipating that the leadership in Iran is going to turn over and a new regime come into place, that would be incredibly difficult given the current restraints against having boots on the ground.

But I would again emphasize that we've seen a dramatic decrease in the amount of Iranian attacks and their ability to influence the region. They still can get a drone through, they still can get a missile through on occasion, but CENTCOM is continually going after that and trying to bring that level down to a great amount.

KEILAR: Can the strait be secured without boots on the ground?

WEATHERINGTON: Well, I think you'll see a large effort to do that. I think you'll see us continue to push back Iranian capabilities. Whether that can be fully subdued without boots on the ground is an outstanding question. I think that we may see some capabilities that will dramatically influence that.

But to say that we could eliminate Iran's ability to shut the strait down without boots on the ground, this is an open question.

KEILAR: All right. We'll be looking for that. Lt. Gen. Mark Weatherington, thank you so much for your expertise. And I do want to let folks know that we are looking at some live pictures now coming to us from Dover. We are awaiting the president deplaning there at Dover Air Force Base, where he is going to attend the dignified transfer of six airmen who were killed in Iraq.

We are going to monitor this. That is going to be a closed ceremony at the request of family members. We'll be right back.

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[13:44:24]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": The Trump administration's top intelligence officials were on Capitol Hill this morning, answering lawmakers' questions about worldwide threats. The Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, FBI Director, Kash Patel, and other senior leaders were in a closed hearing.

Earlier today, Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Committee, accused Gabbard of not being interested in protecting American democracy by combating foreign influence. He also grilled her about why she was present when the FBI seized 2020 voter ballots from a Fulton County, Georgia elections office. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MARK WARNER, (D-VA) VICE CHAIRMAN, INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: What was the specific request that was made by the president for you to show up in Fulton County? [13:45:00]

TULSI GABBARD, DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: To go and observe the FBI's activities on this issue.

WARNER: So why --

(CROSSTALK)

GABBARD: When you look at the --

(CROSSTALK)

WARNER: Do you have the answer why the president was knowing about this affidavit before it was even served?

GABBARD: I'm not aware that the president knew about an affidavit before it was served.

WARNER: Then why was he sending you to Fulton County?

GABBARD: This occurred the day that the FBI had it approved, their warrant approved, by a local judge and they began to execute this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Joining us now is Andrew McCabe, a former FBI Deputy Director and CNN Senior Law Enforcement Analyst. Andy, thanks so much for being with us.

First, I want to start with Gabbard saying that it's not her job to determine what is an imminent threat to the United States.

ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Yeah, Boris, that's one of, I guess, many elements that she's pretty significantly confused on, the other being she has no role in policing elections. But, yeah, it's absolutely her job to be the spokesman of the intelligence community, to synthesize all of the collection, whether that's from NGA or the CIA or the FBI or any of the other 15 or 16 agencies in the community and present that to the president.

The director of national intelligence tells the president what the threats are. And then, of course, it's the president's obligation to decide how to execute national security policy. But for the DNI to say publicly that it's the president's role to determine what the threats are and that she has no significance, no role to play in that process, it's confounding.

It really makes you wonder, like, what sort of leadership do we have over the intelligence community in this day and age of many threats and perils around the world?

SANCHEZ: And to the question of why she was in Fulton County when those 2020 ballots were being seized, she said that she was working with the FBI to observe their operation at the request of the president. I mean, what do you make of that? MCCABE: Yeah, again, just absolutely unprecedented departure from the role of the DNI. So let's be clear about this. The FBI -- if the FBI is mounting a legitimate investigation here, which they claim to be, although none of us really know what the basis of that is at this late point in the process. They received a search warrant from a federal court judge. So that is the execution of a lawful warrant in the course of a criminal investigation. The DNI has absolutely no role in that process whatsoever.

And to be clear, the FBI is the only element in the intelligence community that has the legal authority to collect and investigate information about Americans, about U.S. persons, people here in the United States. The rest of the intelligence community is very carefully fenced off from that activity. You don't have CIA case officers roaming around the country investigating people and recruiting sources. They're not allowed to do that.

And the DNI comes on that side of the fence. They're not supposed to be collecting and manipulating and working with data about U.S. persons. Here you have the DNI literally present for the execution of a lawful search warrant. It is -- she has no role in that process. I think it abrogates and undermines the credibility of that office and what she's supposed to be doing. And she should have had a lot of explanations, very different explanations for the Senate this morning.

SANCHEZ: She also pushed back on claims from Senator Susan Collins of Maine that the Intel Chief had not been dedicating sufficient time to counterintelligence. I wonder what you make of the Senator's claim there, especially because we're in a heightened environment of threat. The war in Iran, suspected terror attacks across the country over the last few weeks. How do you see it?

MCCABE: Yeah, I mean, that's absolutely right. The war in Iran has elevated the threat picture here in the United States markedly, right, across the board from potential acts of terrorism to people who may be inspired by or affiliated with the government of Iran who might be now compelled to act violently because of what the U.S. military is doing overseas.

But let's put that aside for a minute. We know that the Iranians have in the past attempted to meddle in our elections. So that's an additional ongoing threat presented by Iran. No sense from the DNI that she's focused on that sort of counterintelligence activity, protecting our elections from foreign influence.

In fact, we know that the DNI and the FBI, for that matter, and the Department of Justice have cut back resources to the bone when it comes to the units and the investigators and the lawyers who are looking at this critical threat of foreign influence to our elections.

[13:50:00]

It basically doesn't happen anymore. An area where the DNI should be adding her voice and her resources and prioritizing things is going unworked, essentially. And you don't need to look any further than the FBI, where FBI Director, Kash Patel fired a bunch of Iranian experts, people who work those sorts of issues, on the eve of hostilities with Iran, simply because they had also been assigned to work the Mar-a- Lago case investigating President Trump years ago.

SANCHEZ: Andrew McCabe, thanks so much for the perspective. You can catch more of Director McCabe in the new CNN original series, "Standoff: The FBI, Power and Paranoia." It airs Sunday at nine, right here on CNN.

Still ahead, how a new deal between Department of Veterans Affairs and the DOJ could take away some of the rights of certain disabled veterans. We'll discuss next.

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[13:55:48]

SANCHEZ: Now to some of the other headlines we're watching this hour. The family of a 20-year-old American college student is pleading for information after he went missing on spring break in Spain.

James Gracey Jr. at the University of Alabama was visiting friends in Barcelona. When he failed to return to his short-term rental on Tuesday, police were able to recover his phone, which his mom says had been stolen. They are now investigating his disappearance as his family is asking the public's help in finding him.

Also, King Charles' upcoming visit to the United States, or rather the White House, may be in limbo. CNN has learned that some British lawmakers don't want him to travel to the U.S. next month after President Trump's criticism of the U.K.'s position on the war with Iran. They fear President Trump might publicly embarrass the king.

Trump has singled out Britain for its reluctance to assist the U.S. with its ongoing military operation. King Charles is expected to come to D.C. next month to celebrate the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence.

And happening right now, NASA astronauts, Jessica Meir and Chris Williams have ventured outside the International Space Station. The spacewalk you're looking at began just before 9 a.m. and is expected to last about six-and-a-half hours. They're preparing for the installation of two rollout solar arrays. The spacewalk was originally scheduled for January. It had to be delayed when the crew was forced to return to Earth early due to a medical issue. Brianna?

KEILAR: Veterans' advocates are raising concerns about a new deal between Veterans Affairs and the Justice Department. They're concerned the agreement could take away veterans' autonomy over their health care decisions and, in turn, deter some from seeking care, particularly those who are facing homelessness.

CNN Correspondent, Brian Todd is with us now. Brian, can you just break down the details on this new memorandum and why this could put some homeless veterans in particular at risk?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a very controversial move by the VA and the Justice Department, Brianna, because it does affect some of the nation's most vulnerable veterans. The two departments recently announced an agreement between them that would authorize VA lawyers to initiate and take part in guardianship proceedings in state courts for veterans who cannot make their own health care decisions and who don't have family or legal representation.

That includes hundreds of veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Now, the VA has made it clear that the VA itself would not assume guardianship of those veterans, but advocates are concerned that anytime people will essentially be giving up a lot of their rights, which is what guardianship really does in most cases. In the cases where the state court approves guardianship, the VA says a third-party guardian who is not a VA employee would assume the guardianship.

Now, the VA says this is aimed at about 700 veterans across the U.S. who are currently sitting in VA facilities and who are unable to make their own health care decisions and don't have any representation. The VA says about maybe a little over 300 of those are homeless veterans. Now, trying to help those in this situation does make a lot of sense, but homeless advocates worry that this move will take away these veterans' autonomy over their own health care, and they have other concerns.

We spoke to Jennifer Mathis. She's the Deputy Director at the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law. She told us her concern is that, quote, "May be a way to discharge veterans experiencing homelessness who are sitting in hospitals to settings that they might not choose."

She also said, quote, "If people are sitting in a VA hospital and not being discharged, it's very likely because there are not enough services or housing, not because they don't have guardianship." Now, the VA insists again, this is not aimed at homeless veterans specifically.

VA Press Secretary, Peter Kasperowicz said of those who would be affected, quote, "These veterans remain in VA hospitals, which may not be the most appropriate setting for them, with no way of transitioning to more appropriate care." Some are homeless or at risk of homelessness. But the key characteristic, he says, is not homelessness. It is the lack of capacity to make their own medical decisions.

So, Brianna, we're going to have to see how this new initiative will play out and what really happens to the veterans who are targeted in these situations.

KEILAR: So here, they're talking about 700 homeless veterans?

TODD: Roughly.

KEILAR: Not all homeless, but a number of them at risk for that. But this is significant just because of the sheer numbers overall of homeless veterans in the country.

TODD: That's right. And so that group could be widening the people they target, and it is disturbing. According to the --