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Trump Claims Iran Sent U.S. a Present Related to Oil and Gas; Intensifying Pressure to Strike Deal to Fund DHS Before Recess; National Average Gas Prices Nearly $4 a Gallon. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired March 25, 2026 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking overnight, Israel launching new attacks on Tehran as President Trump maintains he is optimistic about talks to end the war. So, then why are there a thousand elite soldiers standing by to deploy to the Middle East?

Pressure mounting in Washington to end the partial government shutdown, TSA agents set to now miss a second full paycheck. The travel chaos showing no end in sight, and yet Congress gearing up for a two-week recess.

And Meta found liable in a case involving child exploitation. Bottom line, the company didn't do enough to protect kids. It's now vowing to appeal.

John and Kate are off today. I'm Erica Hill along with Sara Sidner. This is CNN News Central.

This morning, more U.S. soldiers set to deploy to the Middle East despite President Trump's claim that the war with Iran has already been won. Sources telling CNN about a thousand paratroopers with the Army's 82nd Airborne Division are now on standby. Now, that's in addition to the thousands of U.S. forces already headed to the region.

The president expressing optimism that a deal to end this war is in sight. He also says, Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are leading the negotiations. Sources say, Iran no longer wants to engage with the president's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, nor his son-in-law, Jared Kushner. In fact, the country would prefer to speak with Vance because he's views are more sympathetic to ending the war.

A spokesman for the Iranian military, however, says the U.S. is essentially negotiating with itself. According to the president, the U.S. is talking with a, quote, respected figure in Iran. Trump says to Tehran gave the U.S. as well a mysterious present related to gas and oil. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: They're going to make a deal. They did something yesterday that was amazing actually. They gave us a present and the present arrived today, and it was a very big present, worth a tremendous amount of money. And I'm not going to tell you what that present is, but it was a very significant prize and they gave it to us and they said they were going to give it. So, that meant one thing to me we're deal with the right people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: CNN's Jim Sciutto is live in Tel Aviv this morning. So, Jim, first, let's start off with these military deployments. What do we know about these troops who are now on standby?

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Yes. Well, they're one of several pieces now in position that at least put the pieces in place for a ground deployment. Ultimately, that'll be up to the president, whether he decides to do so. But you have the paratroopers you have the Marines, you have a whole host of assets out here, including air assets that would allow the president to order a ground deployment, whether that be on Kharg Island, which is central to Iran's energy infrastructure, or perhaps on the land surrounding the Strait of Hormuz to secure that, we don't know, but the pieces are at least in place for such a deployment.

And it's interesting, Erica, it strikes me we're in a quite similar position as to where we were four weeks ago with the U.S. negotiating with Iran, but massing forces in the region to give the president the option to, well, in that case, start a war.

Of course, we know. What decision he made four weeks ago, and we're now still in the midst of that war. We don't know what decision the president will make now. He says he's open to negotiations. He says he believes there is an opening there. Ultimately, we'll see if the two sides make some sort of progress, where then the war doesn't expand, but perhaps goes into a ceasefire. And, again, forces in place, question is, does the president choose to exercise those forces?

HILL: Which also raises questions about the timing, right, this extension of five days for the president's deadline with troops on the move. You know, you touched on this, but in terms of where these talks stand, whether they're actually happening or not, there are so many mixed messages this morning. What we're hearing from both sides, certainly not the same story.

SCIUTTO: No, no question. And, listen, by the way, the other thing you're hearing are constant air raid warnings here. For the third time, in the last several hours, we went into the shelter because Iran is still firing missiles at Israel. Some of those are getting through. Last night, a cluster munition got through and there were no people killed, but there was damage here in Tel Aviv.

[07:05:04]

And there's been a series of these attacks coming from Iran, even in the midst of this discussion of the possibility of talks. And Israel certainly continues to fire at Iran, so the crossfire continues.

When I've spoken to Israeli officials here, what they say is that if you look at the 15-point plan that the Trump administration presented to an Iran, those are all points that Israel could get on board with that they would consider progress. The shuttering of those Iranian nuclear sites, an agreement that Iran would not be able to enrich material, nuclear material on its own territory. The trouble is those are those are issues that Iran has not given ground on as recently as four weeks ago, right, or at least not to the president's satisfaction.

So, the question, of course, is does the president feel that Iran is making concessions? I will tell you this. Israeli officials have been telling CNN they do not believe this Iranian regime is in a negotiating mood right now, a mood to give ground on those. We will see whether that changes over the next several days, but there's a lot of skepticism here.

HILL: Jim, I appreciate it. Thank you. Sara?

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right. This morning, a deal to fund DHS and provide relief for tens of thousands of unpaid TSA workers is still up in the air Senate. Republicans have proposed a plan to fund critical parts of DHS, including the TSA, but not immigration enforcement tactics, pushing that funding, immigration, to a separate bill. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has signaled that's not enough and said Democrats are preparing a counteroffer. But the clock is ticking and lawmakers are set to leave for a two-week recess on Friday.

Complicating all of this, President Trump has stopped short of offering his full support on the Senate GOP plan. He tanked another plan that was going to be pushed forward.

CNN Alayna Treene joins us now. Alayna, what are you hearing from the White House this morning?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Look, I mean, not a roaring endorsement or any endorsement of that matter behind this bill, despite several Senate Republicans meeting with the president on Monday, I'd tell you that they emerged pretty triumphant, saying that they had a deal in hand.

But when you heard the president, Sara, described it yesterday, he essentially said that regardless of what they're saying, he's not very happy with it. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I don't want to comment until I see the deal. But as you know, they're negotiating a deal. I guess they're getting fairly close. But I think any deal they make, I'm pretty much not happy with it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: Look, partly, I think, the reason that the president is saying that is, you know, finally, reality is sinking in for, you know, one that I think many top officials, Sara, in that building behind me have recognized for some time, but the president refused to give in. And the sense of the Save America Act is something that he's been pushing for.

And I remember talking with one White House official about it the other day saying that he's still hell bent on trying to get that through Congress. Of course, they just don't have the votes, something that Senate Majority Leader John Thune has been trying to impart on the present throughout this process.

Meanwhile, of course, we are at day 39 of the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security. It's snarling airports. Obviously, we're seeing relentless coverage of these long lines at different airports across the country. And it also comes as there are growing fears about potential attacks in the United States related to the Iran war.

All to say it's a messy situation, Republicans are digging in firm. Democrats, however, are still looking for more. They're saying that they're going to give a counter offer today. We'll have to wait and see whether or not that's something Republicans in this White House can live with.

SIDNER: Well, TSA will be watching. Certainly those people who are standing in line in some parts of the country will certainly be watching all of this.

Alayna Treene, thank you so much for your reporting this morning from the White House. Erica?

HILL: There are new details this morning in the investigation into the deadly crash at LaGuardia Airport, and we're also hearing from the family of the flight attendant who was thrown from the plane ejected, found alive, still strapped into her seat.

Plus, gas prices really inching near, inching higher, as you can see, almost at that $4 a gallon average nationwide. And we have some new reporting this morning about how President Trump is now trying to lower costs.

Plus, it is opening day for Major League Baseball, and we have a first look for you at some of the new food at ballparks across the country.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:10:00]

SIDNER: New this morning, gas prices, unfortunately, they keep climbing now sitting at almost $4 a gallon, though they are already well past that in many areas of the country, California being one. Prices rose even as oil prices fell overnight following President Trump's claim that a deal to end the war in Iran is in sight.

CNN Senior Reporter David Goldman joining me now. 25 straight days now, it's like every day it's the same thing, the oil prices maybe go up or down, but the gas prices they don't miss. They just keep going up. DAVID GOLDMAN, CNN BUSINESS SENIOR REPORTER: Yes. I mean, we thought we would hit $4 by now, so these price increases are a little bit slower. So, I got a little bit of good news, but that's about where it stops. Every $1 that gas rises, that's about $1,000 annually for an average American family.

[07:15:03]

So, this really stings and --

SIDNER: Right. Say that again?

GOLDMAN: Yes. It's every $1, if you put that for -- if you have that for a year, that's $1,000 for an American family.

Yes. So, it really hurts when gas prices go from three to four, and if we keep going higher, that's going to sting even more.

SIDNER: That is a pretty big number for a lot of families who are currently struggling with many things, the cost of many different things, and to have this added on puts real pressure on families. It's not just, of course, prices at gas stations. United Airlines has talked about the cost of flying. And trust me, I've been looking up tickets. The price has gone up.

GOLDMAN: Yes, yes. Vacations are going to get a lot more expensive just to get there. Scott Kirby, the CEO of United Airlines, talked about this. Take a listen,

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT KIRBY, CEO, UNITED AIRLINES: You know, if well, prices stayed where they are today. That's $11 billion of expense for us. And that would require prices to be up 20 percent to break even, to cover that cost.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLDMAN: All right, so $1 means $1,000 for consumers a penny for an airline is $50 million a year. It takes 45,000 gallons of jet fuel to fill a 777. It's very, very expensive.

SIDNER: Holy smokes. I had no idea. That is a crazy equation.

David Goldman, it is good to see you. Thank you very much.

GOLDMAN: Good to see you.

SIDNER: All right ahead, a legal blow for Meta. The social media giant ordered to pay $375 million in a case about child sexual exploitation. Now, Meta's vowing to appeal. We will bring you that story, coming up.

And Stephen Colbert's next chapter, new details about his plans after The Late Show ends in May.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:20:00]

HILL: He is back. Tiger Woods returning to competitive golf last night after being away for more than a year. So, if you're wondering if that means we're going to see him at the fast approaching Masters Tournament, my husband's in countdown mode for that.

CNN's Andy Scholes joining me now with more. Okay, what are we thinking on Tiger?

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes. Well, Erica, we're all in countdown mode for the Masters, right? And the momentum seems to be going in the direction that Tiger is going to be playing in the Masters in two weeks. Fingers crossed, you know, that he's able to get out there. But Tiger made his return to competitive golf last night in the TGL finals after more than a year away, ripped a drive for his first shot right here. He also missed a short putt that he was not very happy about. But after his Jupiter Team lost to L.A. in the title match, Tiger, he was asked about the chances of him teeing it up in Augusta.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIGER WOODS, 15-TIME MAJOR WINNER: I keep trying. I want to play. I've loved the tournament (ph) when I was 19 years old. So, it meant a lot to me and my family and over the years. And, you know, I'll be practicing playing at home this week and keep trying to make progress.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: All right. Today's opening day for Major League Baseball. You got one game. Giants are going to host the Yankees on Netflix at 8:00 Eastern. This is going to be the first ever regular season game with the new automatic ball strike system. So, batters, pitchers, and catchers can now challenge directly after a pitch if they think it was called incorrectly by capping on their head. Within about ten seconds, this animation will play showing exactly where the pitch landed.

Now, each team gets two challenges and they get to keep them if they are successful. No help can come from the dugout. If the game goes to extra innings, teams will be awarded another challenge if they don't have any remaining.

A funny wrinkle with the new ABS system, players around baseball are shrinking because of this. So, each player's exact measurement are used to determine their strike zone, so you don't want to be taller anymore. And the Rays' Gavin Lux, he actually went from listed as 6'2" last season, he's now just 5'11", but there's plenty of examples of that all around baseball.

And with the new season, new foods are coming to ballparks across the country. And Levy restaurants. They brought some bite for me to try. And Cubs fans this season, they're going to get chicken and churros at Wrigley Field, which is just awesome, and Arizona's sweet tooth fans going to love the take me out to the ball game shake. It's a masterpiece. But nothing is bigger than what they will have this season in Miami.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADAM CARTER, CHEF: For the fans of the Marlins this year, we have the machete. It's a house-made, two-foot quesadilla, has carne asada inside, Oaxaca cheese and mozzarella cheese for that perfect cheese pool, diced onions, cilantro, and a nice salsa verde. And you even get your own machete carrying truck.

SCHOLES: You'd have to because it's too long, right?

CARTER: Yes.

SCHOLES: Oh boy, I dropped a pepper. Look at the size of this thing. I'm going to try to take a bite. I mean, how jealous is everyone in the stadium though if you're just doing this?

Oh my God. I think I could finish that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: It's --

SCHOLES: I mean, Erica, it's definitely to share, but I will say I ate half of that bad boy pretty quickly.

SIDNER: I'm sorry.

SCHOLES: Give me nine innings.

SIDNER: Andy, you had that whole thing. You didn't send anything to us? You just ate the whole thing, really?

HILL: That's like the shotski of quesadillas. It's like you need multiple people at once just --

SIDNER: That looked amazing.

SCHOLES: Look, it was good, and like I said, give me nine innings. I think I could finish off that bad boy, but I would definitely need a nap right afterwards.

HILL: I tell you what, give me and Sara three hours and we'll take care of that.

SIDNER: Seriously.

HILL: So if you could just send one for breakfast tomorrow, probably a couple, we have a very big crew here and there going to eat too. So, we're ready.

[07:25:00]

We accept the challenge.

Andy, thank you. SIDNER: All right.

HILL: Ahead here, new details about that deadly crash at LaGuardia Airport earlier this week, including a critical piece of equipment which we're learning was missing from the fire truck.

Plus, cops breaking into a burning car to drag a driver to safety. We'll tell you what we have up to the crash that actually sparked those flames.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SIDNER: All right. This morning, we've just learned hundreds of flights are canceled today at LaGuardia Airport, as investigators continue to comb through wreckage to understand how an Air Canada regional jet and a fire truck collided at one of the country's busiest airports.

[07:30:09]