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NTSB: Just Before Fatal Collision, Separate Flight had Emergency; Fuel Prices Remain High as Iran Blocks Strait of Hormuz; Senators Consider Deal to Fund DHS, But Not ICE, Amid TSA Meltdown; Secretary of State Rubio Takes Stand in Friend's Criminal Trial. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired March 24, 2026 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

DAVID SOUCIE, CNN AVIATION SAFETY ANALYST: ... would do until they could get things fully staffed with the air traffic controllers.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Yes, Homendy said that these two controllers were doing the work of four. Do you have any awareness of how typical that is? Not necessarily at LaGuardia, where she said that that was standard operating procedure, but for other airports across the country?

SOUCIE: Well, let's take an example of what they when they say four, that means that there's four job duties, there's four individual things that can happen. So you can combine those, for example, you know, the air traffic controller that's trafficking and speaking with the airplanes is also speaking with the emergency vehicles on the ground. So that's two different roles that one person is doing.

So it's not uncommon to do that. However, you have to think about the volume of that. And to back up even further on that, one of the reasons they combine those things is to prevent miscommunications.

Because when you have four people in various areas, when it's slow, you can end up transferring information between the two, and it doesn't get transferred properly and cause accidents there. So there's a give and take with how much you want one individual controller to do. Do you want them to do everything, whether it's consistent, and they know exactly what's happening, have situational awareness, in this case, didn't work, or do you want to have it all divided up into separate pieces?

So there's some give and take on all that. It's very complicated as to how they arrange those and applied. I hate to go out and say that that's uncommon or that it's causing some kind of a safety concern. There's a lot more to it than just that.

SANCHEZ: Yes, unquestionably, it is a difficult job. As many of these recent incidents have illuminated, we understand that these controllers will be interviewed this afternoon.

We'll find out what we glean from those interviews soon, we'd hope. David Soucie, thanks so much for sharing your expertise. SOUCIE: Of course. Thank you, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Thanks so much.

Still to come is now the time to buy tickets for your new flight. Hear the new warning from the CEO of United Airlines as fuel prices tick higher and higher. We'll be right back.

[15:35:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: From pain at the pump to suffering in the skies, high costs from the war with Iran seem to be hitting American travelers from all directions. Today, United Airlines, the CEO of United Airlines, said if oil prices stay where they are, the airline will have to increase airfares by 20 percent just to break even.

Let's talk about this with Patrick De Haan. He's the head of Petroleum Analysis at Gas Buddy. You know, I'm running on fumes here, apparently, here as I'm trying to speak. Patrick, thank you so much for being with us.

Talk to us about how the oil markets are reading these negotiations between these two countries, considering the U.S. is really stressing that there are negotiations and Iran is sort of saying there aren't negotiations, there's just outreach.

PATRICK DE HAAN, HEAD OF PETROLEUM ANALYSIS, GASBUDDY: Yes, a lot of this is a risk assessment, and we see it playing out in real time with oil prices yesterday plummeting on the hope that there would be a change in stance from the Trump administration previously, who suggested that negotiations were not going to happen suddenly yesterday, opening the door for potential negotiations. So the oil market's kind of reversing yesterday, pushing oil lower on the hopes that there may be a tone change, and now markets today slightly rebounding on the fact that we haven't seen anything meaningful yet, kind of hoping on -- or holding on, rather, to the hope that there will be something meaningful in the days ahead. There's been more chatter about this.

All of that to say that talk and dialogue really hold the keys to potentially reopening the Strait of Hormuz, to getting these shipments back to global markets and starting to increase supply again. And that's really what the market is reading right now. Nobody really knows what the next 24 hours will look like.

But for now, a little bit of optimism amidst a very tough situation.

KEILAR: Average prices are just cents away from $4 a gallon. I know if you're driving around Washington, D.C. or the surrounding areas, you've seen well over $4 a gallon. How long should Americans be bracing for high prices at this point?

DE HAAN: Well, really, as long as this situation continues where travel is restricted through the Strait of Hormuz, until there is a restoration of complete and total free navigation through the Strait, we're going to continue to see oil and the collateral damages, fertilizers, petrochemicals and many things beyond oil impacted from this situation. And I mean, at this point, still the other question, too, is even when the Strait does become restored, it's likely to take potentially months for things to catch back up. And that is going to push drivers to potentially see impacts from airfares to grocery store prices in the summer.

When Americans certainly have very, very deep convictions about hitting the road and enjoying themselves, they're going to have to be thinking about the rising prices that they're going to be paying to do that this summer.

KEILAR: The Trump administration has eased sanctions on Iranian oil that is already at sea. There were sanctions previously eased on Russian oil. Have you seen any meaningful impact on market supply and pricing because of that?

DE HAAN: Not necessarily immediately. It does take time for that data to reflect in terms of global supplies. Now, you know, obviously that is notable.

[15:40:00]

We're talking about millions of -- potentially hundreds of millions of barrels from both Russia and Iran on the market. But really, it's still all about the Strait. I mean, these are finite amounts of oil being stored at sea. It will take time for them to get into the marketplace.

But still, the market is very clearly obsessing about the very significant blockage still via the Strait of Hormuz. And I think, you know, you're seeing a lot of the circumstances Iran now talking about inhibiting the flow of goods through the Strait by instituting tolls. This is something that Iran is learning on a daily, weekly basis, that really, there's so much strength in whether or not the Strait is reopened or not, that they may not want to play into whatever the Trump administration is wanting to talk about.

I think they're going to start playing hardball. And that escalates the risk that this could be dragged on for a longer period of time. And that consumers through higher gasoline, diesel and jet fuel prices are going to have a little bit of sticker shock that could linger into the times that we get closer to the midterms.

KEILAR: And what are the implications of this Texas refinery fire that happened last night?

DE HAAN: It certainly couldn't come at a more challenging time. This is the time of year that other refineries are doing maintenance before the start of the summer. And so, you know, supply is already constrained at the nation's refineries.

We've seen diesel and jet fuel prices skyrocket already because of what's happened in the Middle East. You know, seeing any major refinery, whether it's here in the United States, in Port Arthur, Texas, or in the Middle East, it's another hit to consumers. Diesel and jet fuel production is already running extremely tight.

Inventories are already lower than they normally are this time of year. And so, this is going to be yet another negative impact that, you know, will push prices up. Now, we have to check what damage assessments are, how quickly this facility can return to service.

All of those are key elements, but it's certainly not good, especially optics right now with a very challenged market.

KEILAR: Patrick De Haan, thank you so much for the analysis. We appreciate it.

And talks to end, the DHS funding standoff are intensifying as we learn that hundreds of TSA officers have quit, thousands more have called out just today.

We'll have that next.

[15:45:00]

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SANCHEZ: Nearly 40 days into the partial government shutdown and overwhelmed TSA officers will miss their second full paycheck this week if Congress fails to act and fund DHS. Department officials say more than 450 TSA employees have quit since the shutdown began. Some say ICE agents deployed to assist with longer passenger lines don't appear to be having much of an impact on the queue as lawmakers square off over a plan to fund the agency.

Senate Republicans say they have a compromise, but in the last hour, President Trump told reporters, quote, any deal they make, I'm pretty much not happy.

Joining us now is Deborah Fleischaker, a former DHS executive secretary and former acting chief of staff for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Deborah, thanks so much for joining us again. How do you see this deployment of ICE agents to airports shaping out? Is it really going to help things?

DEBORAH FLEISCHAKER, FORMER DHS EXECUTIVE SECRETARY: No, it's absolutely not going to help things. It's security theater. There's no reason for ICE to be there.

ICE isn't trained to be, you know, traveler screeners, so they can't perform that job. So what they're doing is walking around the airport, handing out water, saving places in line. I mean, and they're being paid while the TSA agents who are doing the real work aren't.

SANCHEZ: Given that the number of TSA officers that have quit is now over 450, I imagine that there's going to be a hangover once DHS is fully funded, because it's going to be hard for TSA to pick up those numbers again, right?

FLEISCHAKER: I think for sure. Like, you can't blame the TSA officers who are leaving because they need to put food on the table and pay their rent. And yes, it's going to take a little bit of time to bounce back.

Now, hopefully either through hiring or through contractors, TSA is going to be able to make up the difference relatively quickly, but there's certainly going to be some sort of hangover.

SANCHEZ: So this plan from Republican lawmakers would fund all of DHS except a small portion of the immigration enforcement budget. Then Republicans are planning to pass a bill without Democratic votes to fund the rest of ICE. Do you think that's going to work?

FLEISCHAKER: I don't think the Democrats seem to be biting on the offer right now. I think the issue is the Democrats and Republicans have spent over a month negotiating on the guardrails that the Democrats feel are necessary to put on ICE to sort of rein in the unchecked enforcement that people saw in Minneapolis and other places. And my understanding is that the Republican offer right now on the table has none of those reforms.

So it sounds like the Republicans are almost moving backwards.

SANCHEZ: Do you think that at the end of the shutdown, whenever it does end, we will see changes to immigration enforcement policy?

FLEISCHAKER: I think there are some changes that the Democrats are insisting on, and those will help. I think that the larger issues are structural and require much more long-term engagement and real engagement from Congress outside of the appropriations process to fix.

SANCHEZ: So we saw the confirmation of Markwayne Mullin by the Senate and then President Trump signing off on his confirmation today at the White House. What did you make of his remarks?

[15:50:00]

What do you think his approach is going to be taking over day one of an agency that is not funded?

FLEISCHAKER: I think that he is saying the right things about trying to take the temperature down and let the agency do its work without sort of being in the news every day. I suspect that's going to be impossible, even if that's what he wants. Stephen Miller and President Trump run immigration, and they keep putting them front and center.

You know, them in the airports is a prime example of that.

SANCHEZ: Debra Fleischaker, thanks so much for sharing your time with us.

FLEISCHAKER: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Still to come, an unprecedented heat wave is sending temperatures to record levels in the Southwest. We have your forecast in just moments.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) SANCHEZ: Today, America's top diplomat taking the stand in a federal trial. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is a key prosecution witness in a case against a former Florida congressman accused of secretly lobbying for Venezuela's government.

[15:55:00]

David Rivera has been described as Rubio's close friend and political ally. He's now accused of money laundering and acting as a foreign agent for Venezuela without registering with the Justice Department during President Trump's first term.

Rubio is not named in the indictment and has not been accused of wrongdoing. In fact, he's testifying for the prosecution.

CNN's Rafael Romo is outside the federal courthouse in Miami. Rafael, what did Rubio tell the court?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it was quite an interesting day here at this federal courthouse in downtown Miami. And Boris, the United States is at war with Iran. Hostilities between Russia and Ukraine are in their fourth year.

And the Trump administration is trying to manage Venezuela after detaining its former leader in January. But Secretary of State Marco Rubio's presence was required here in Miami as a witness in the trial of David Rivera, a close friend, political ally, and former congressman. Rivera, together with his business partner, Esther Nuhfer, are accused of acting as foreign agents without registering with the Department of Justice, a violation of federal law.

They're also accused of laundering funds to conceal and promote their alleged criminal conduct, which, according to prosecutors, involves secretly acting as agents of the Venezuelan government. Prosecutors say that between 2017 and 2018, Rivera and Esther Nuhfer, Rivera's former business partner, lobbied U.S. officials, including Rubio, with the goal of reestablishing diplomatic relations between the United States and Venezuela on behalf of former President Nicolas Maduro's government. Attorneys for both defendants declined comment.

I approached Rivera this morning outside the courthouse here, and when I asked him if he had anything to say about the trial, he said no comment and walked away. Rubio testified that he met Rivera in the early 1990s and described his relationship as close friends who shared a house together when both served together in the Florida legislature in the 2000s. At the request of Rivera, Rubio and the former Florida congressman met twice in 2017.

During testimony, Rubio said Rivera told him the meetings were part of a plan for a peaceful transition to democracy in Venezuela, but never disclosed that he, together with his business partner, had signed a $50 million contract with the subsidiary of Venezuela's oil company. Rubio also described his friend as a vociferous, anti-communist voice, a strong anti-Maduro voice, he said. Asked whether he would describe Nuhfer as a greedy person, Rubio responded, I wouldn't call her that. And Boris, the trial also had unusual and even funny moments, including Judge Melissa Damien commenting twice that Rubio looked great, she said in a photo admitted as an exhibit. Prosecutors asked if he was employed. I have two jobs, Secretary of State and president's national security advisor, Rubio said.

Boris, now back to you.

SANCHEZ: Rafael Romo in Miami for us. Thank you so much.

KEILAR: Now to some of the other headlines that we're watching this hour. The state of Minnesota is suing the Trump administration for allegedly withholding evidence in three shootings involving federal officers, including the ones that killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Both incidents were caught on video.

The lawsuit also claims the federal government did not keep its promise to cooperate with state investigations and asked the court to force compliance. Thousands of federal officers were sent to Minnesota in December as a part of President Trump's immigration crackdown. DHS says officers arrested more than 4,000 undocumented migrants during the operation.

Also, a civil jury in California found Bill Cosby liable for drugging and sexually assaulting a woman in 1972 and awarded her nearly $60 million. About 20 million of that is for his accusers past and future damages, while another 40 million is for punitive damages. Cosby's attorney said they intend to appeal.

The 88-year-old has faced allegations from at least 60 women who have accused him of rape, harassment and sexual assault. He has settled some of their lawsuits but denies all of their claims.

SANCHEZ: Republicans are looking at Dallas for the site of their midterm convention. Multiple sources tell CNN an advance team has already traveled to the city to visit various locations. Political conventions usually occur once every four years, but President Trump has urged Republicans to hold one this year to rally the Republican base ahead of this year's midterms.

Democrats, we've learned, will not hold a midterm convention. That is despite initial reporting that there might be one in the cards for this summer. The New York Times first reported Dallas as being a potential location.

And nearly the entire country is expected to see above average temperatures this week, but the West is getting the worst of this unprecedented heat wave. Last week, Yuma, Arizona, recorded the hottest March temperature anywhere in the country, 109 degrees.

[16:00:00]

Climate scientists at World Weather Attribution say this kind of heat would be virtually impossible this time of year without human-induced climate change.

Thank you so much for joining us this afternoon. Brianna, always a pleasure.

You can stay tuned for more news. "THE ARENA" with Kasie Hunt starts right now.

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