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White House Reiterates Iran War Timeline is Approximately 4 to 6 Weeks; Business is Up for Private Jet Companies Amid TSA Turmoil; Corpus Christi, Texas Running Out of Water. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired March 25, 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]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Today, the White House doubled down on its timeline for the war in Iran, reiterating that operations should last approximately four to six weeks. But that comes as sources tell CNN that around 1,000 soldiers with the 82nd Airborne Division are preparing to deploy to the Middle East. That's on top of the 4,500 Marines and sailors already ordered to the region.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: These troop movements are happening as the Trump administration reaches out for a diplomatic solution. Senior officials say a meeting aimed at ending the war could take place in Pakistan as early as this weekend.

We're joined by Hagar Chemali, a former spokesperson for the U.S. mission to the U.N. and former Treasury spokesperson for terrorism and financial intel. She's also the host of Oh My World on YouTube. And we're also joined by Joel Rubin, who served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Obama administration. He's now the author of the Briefing Book on Substack.

Great to have you both in studio. And Joel, what's your read on this? Because the story is very different depending on who's speaking about whether there are actually negotiations or really how fulsome these negotiations are.

JOEL RUBIN, DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE IN OBAMA ADMINISTRATION: Yes, Brianna, who's on first, what's on second? I mean, I think we could come up with a lot of quirky ways to describe it. But at the end of the day, what we're seeing is now diplomatic activity, and that's a good thing.

The pot has been stirred. The international players who are affected by, for example, the energy crisis, they are getting involved. Still waiting to see where China is on this, because ultimately, they're going to be the one that I believe can impact Iran the most.

They have the most to lose as well with the ongoing supply glut. So this is good, but there has to be a bit of a strategy to this as well, right? And there needs to be some kind of vision for what we're trying to achieve, and it needs to be realistic as well.

And so I don't think we have those contours yet, but at least at the moment, the world is starting to get engaged diplomatically. SANCHEZ: To your point about China, perhaps not a coincidence that today the White House confirmed that President Trump would be meeting with Xi Jinping in Beijing in the middle of May. Karoline Lovett was asked if perhaps some kind of a cessation of hostilities was a prerequisite for their meeting. She essentially said that the timeline is four to six weeks, regardless of what Beijing thinks.

HAGAR CHEMALI, FORMER SPOKESPERSON FOR U.S. MISSION TO UNITED NATIONS: Yes, I mean, listen, they said that from the beginning, and I believed it from the beginning for a few reasons. Partly because the military strategy looked that way. It's a very intense air campaign.

Yes, they've moved, as you reported, Marines into the area. That could be in part for additional pressure, in part because maybe there will be part of the deal, an effort to seize remaining nuclear materials or enriched uranium. That's based on what they've sent in that region looks a little bit like that.

That said, so I've always trusted that also in part because for Trump's political base, for economic blowback, he can't go very long. But to Joel's point, you make a really important point about the strategy after and what the goal is to achieve. Because even though it seems as though democratic transition is not on the table, it's mostly about achieving objectives related to the nuclear program, ballistic program and terrorist support.

If a regime is left at all, it is going to be worse. It will be harder on its people. And I believe that now that this has started, it has to be finished off properly.

KEILAR: Who has more leverage going into this?

RUBIN: Yes, I mean, right now, the Iranians are clearly claiming they have leverage. But frankly, I think that's a lot of hot air, to be blunt about it. How are you coming out ahead if all of your leadership has been decimated, if it's on the run, if the overwhelming majority of your missiles, of your retaliatory infrastructure has been destroyed, and if you have the Marines now coming in and essentially the Israelis and Americans just bombing without any blockage?

All that said, we still are suffering. There is some leverage there. And the time frame for President Trump is going to be different from a dictatorship.

To Hagar's point, this is an autocratic dictatorship. They are already readying the knives for their own people in case the people want to hit the streets. And so there are different timelines here.

And I do want to make another complicated addition, which is the Israelis. They are not going to be thrilled with a ceasefire that does not achieve the regime change goal and certainly military objectives that we share with them. So the leverage, the power, the strength is on our side, but it doesn't mean that we have complete control of it either.

[15:35:00] SANCHEZ: We heard the press secretary also sort of express skepticism over the 15-point plan that the U.S. reportedly presented to Iran, saying that some of it is accurate, some of it is not. She wouldn't distinguish what was. But based on the 15 points, sources say that the U.S. wants to limit Tehran's defensive capabilities, a cessation of support for proxies, and acknowledgment of Israel's right to exist. Which of those do you think Iran is most likely to agree with?

CHEMALI: I don't think they're ready to agree with anything, to be honest with you. I mean, as it is, they're denying that talks are happening because they're trying to cater to their population who wants them to fight to the end. But that said, the president put out terms to end the war a couple of weeks ago.

And those terms included things like reparations, all U.S. military presence to leave, the prosecution and extradition of media personalities, by the way, who've been anti-regime. That's you and I, by the way, we're going to, that's going to happen to us. And things like that.

So they're definitely not going to be recognizing Israel and agreeing to anything. So that's the thing. Talks are good, always.

Diplomacy is always good. But the two sides are extremely far apart.

KEILAR: Yes. And the tolerance for this being tough, I think there is a tolerance for that in Iran. Maybe that there is not in the U.S. And --

RUBIN: Well, that's because they don't care about their own people.

KEILAR: Exactly. But that four to six weeks.

RUBIN: Yes.

KEILAR: They have a say in that.

RUBIN: They do. And, you know, the four to six weeks can slip and slide a little bit. I had thought originally it might be sooner because the meeting with Xi was going to come. That got pushed back as well.

Look, the questions that that we're talking about here, though, ultimately are going to require hard decisions. And right now, that list that you put out, Boris, that's been the list for decades. There's nothing different about that list from what we saw when we served in government and different administrations.

There's a checklist of issues, proxy support, the Iranian people, although that's not on the list, the missiles, the nuclear program. These are all still the core issues. They're going to have to be resolved.

And I think, again, the existential question is going to be, will we do it militarily through regime change or will we come back and accept a moderate deal and leave the regime in place? And that means four to six weeks. That might be too short of a time frame to answer that question.

SANCHEZ: Picking up on something Joel said a moment ago, how do you see Israel's calculus in all of this? At some point, they would have to accept whatever deal the U.S. comes up with now.

CHEMALI: That's right. I mean, this war, in my view, ends when Trump says it ends. And Netanyahu knows that.

Now, he came out, I think it was today or yesterday, saying that he supports Trump's view, that he would support the direction that he would take. And to be fair, if -- and this is a big if -- if the administration can achieve a Venezuela-like scenario, which has been viewed largely as a success, I don't think that's possible. I want to put that out there, because I don't believe that there is any so- called moderate in the Iranian regime.

If so, it'll just be an act until they go back to their nefarious objectives. But clearly, that's an option he's trying to pursue. If they can find a way to have a regime that would regardless be significantly weakened after this, that they really twist their arms behind their backs and they get what they want, then it's possible Netanyahu would say, OK, I'm going to go along with it because I have to.

He's not going to be able to block Trump's decision. But the Israelis are very clear that what they want is regime change. They want a return to the past where Iran and Israel were allies.

KEILAR: And they are working like that's what they want.

RUBIN: Every day.

KEILAR: Hagar and Joel, great to have you both here for the conversation. Really appreciate it.

And coming up, why a major Texas city could run out of water in just a few months. Stay with us for that story.

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KEILAR: You'd think those long shutdown-induced TSA lines would be the great equalizer, but maybe not so in the era of expedited check-in through TSA pre-check, clear and other programs. And at our nation's airports, to be a have or have not increasingly means you wait or wait not because the Uber-wealthy are skipping the TSA lines altogether by chartering planes.

The private jet business is surging as long security lines are forcing air travelers to show up at the airport several hours before their flights. We're joined now by Chris Tasca, the president and co-founder of Fly Alliance, which is a private jet company.

He's ready. He's hydrated because we have something to talk about here, Chris. Thanks for being with us. OK, first off, just tell us, I mean, how is business when it comes to

private jets during this DHS shutdown?

CHRIS TASCA, PRESIDENT AND CO-FOUNDER, FLY ALLIANCE: Hey Brianna. Thanks so much. And thank you for having me.

Business is great. We're seeing, you know, I hate to say that we're prospering during this opportunity, but my partner and I started the business back in 2019. So we saw something similar during COVID.

So during the COVID-19 era, we saw this new wave of private jet travelers. So specifically in the last couple of weeks, specifically considering the TSA situation, we've seen a surge of about 25 percent in business overall.

KEILAR: OK, that's huge. And let's be real here. This option is still out of reach for almost everyone because it is very expensive.

And recognizing, you know, that there's a range on type of plane or distance flown, how much does it cost to charter a plane? And I'm also guessing that the folks who can afford this aren't too worried about a fuel surcharge in the days of increased fuel costs.

TASCA: Yes, really great, really great question.

[15:45:00]

So I'm proud to announce that we're one of the more attractive providers as it relates to pricing. Our pricing starts at $6,995 per hour. So approximately $7,000 per hour. And yes, our legacy and previous customers completely understand the fact that there's a fuel surcharge right now.

That typically ranges of anywhere from 5 percent to 15 percent on their affected hourly rate.

KEILAR: So I have to ask you, because commercial airline passengers pay a 7.5 percent tax on their tickets. And they also pay this tax on flight segments. And that goes to the FAA, right? It goes to the Airport and Airway Trust Fund.

And this is kind of a question that gets certainly to your bottom line here because private aviation doesn't pay that. And commercial airlines are paying this $0.43 per gallon fuel tax. Private aviation pays way higher, which is $0.218 per gallon. But it doesn't cover that FAA handling costs of private air travel. And we're seeing this spike.

Like you said, 25 percent is huge. We're seeing this spike in air travel. Is it going to prompt more of a conversation as it has in the past about private aviation maybe paying a little more when it comes to taxes, do you think?

TASCA: Yes, great question. So private jet travelers, just to inform you, do pay federal excise tax, which is 7.5 percent. That's in addition to our effective hourly rates. But as it relates to your question, again, one of the primary reasons that people fly privately relates to convenience.

Previously, we saw your correspondent at the Houston Airport, where previously there were TSA lines out the door. And one of the number one things that we often do when we get a new prospect or someone new to private jet travel on the phone or if we're meeting them in person is we educate them to the number of airports available to them. In the Houston area alone, there are five additional executive airports, which create this extremely convenient experience.

The reason I mention that is, again, as it relates to educating our customer and providing them with a great product and service, what we do is we typically provide them with a 25-hour jet card or one of our private jet charter products. And from there, it gives them the opportunity to experience private jet travel without having to purchase an aircraft. And in turn, like we saw in the early months of COVID, we developed an influx of new customers or consumers that quickly became hooked to private jet travel.

And we've been servicing them since then.

KEILAR: It is really fascinating. I mean, they clearly would rather pay than not be in those lines. And certainly a lot of folks who might be able to afford it can understand that.

Chris Tasca, great to have you. Thank you so much.

TASCA: Thank you for having me on the show.

KEILAR: Boris.

SANCHEZ: A city in Texas is facing an escalating water crisis. Corpus Christi is a petrochemical and oil refining hub. But as the region grapples with a five-year drought, it is running out of water.

This is Lake Corpus Christi, which is a key water source for the city. It's currently just at over 9 percent capacity. CNN chief climate correspondent Bill Weir joins us now.

And Bill, the city could be forced to issue emergency water use restrictions. So why is this happening?

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Well, this could happen as early as May, Boris. Yes, it's scary times down there. It's still coming out of the taps.

But this is a slow-motion disaster playing off along that petro coast on the Gulf of Mexico. You talked about that one reservoir being less than about 9 percent of capacity. We have another one, Cho Canyon Reservoir, which they use, is less than 8 percent capacity.

Lake Texana, which the folks of Corpus Christi also drink out of, is around 50 percent full. The law is if it goes below 50, that triggers automatic cuts. But the governor has lowered that to 40 percent now.

But we're talking about a really dry stretch here, about five years of drought in South Texas that has led to this, along with a lot of water-intensive industry that just demands tens of millions of gallons of water a day to make plastic or refine oil.

SANCHEZ: So what can local and state officials do to respond?

WEIR: Well, that is a big question. They have $750 million has been allocated to Corpus Christi. And for years, they've been talking about building a desalination plant to take Gulf of Mexico water, make it sweet there.

But as the price tag ballooned to about $1.3 billion, Corpus Christi said, no, too expensive. They changed their mind. Governor Abbott is blaming the leaders of Corpus Christi for squandering that $750 million and really blaming them for lack of action.

[15:50:00]

They still have that money. There's other financing to dig groundwater wells and try to find water from other sources. But it's that desalination plant that everybody has been hoping for. It just hasn't arrived.

And they would have to build it in record time to meet this crisis. It certainly couldn't help this year.

SANCHEZ: This is kind of a nightmare scenario for other industrial cities across the country. What can they learn from this situation?

WEIR: Well, that you have to address this sooner than later, right? Only a dozen companies around Corpus Christi use fifty-five percent of the water, and as mandatory restrictions are going in, voluntary, people are getting tickets if they wash their car or fill up their swimming pool. So it's the residential folks that are being asked to make the cuts right now.

The industry is using just all that water. Everybody will have to cut if they reach that level one emergency, and that's a big question is, what do these industries do if they suddenly lose a lot of their water? But this is the reality of an overheating planet which affects the stuff of life.

Food, water, air, and there it is.

SANCHEZ: Everything. It's inescapable, right? Bill Weir, thanks so much for that reporting.

Still ahead, it's opening day for Major League Baseball, and this year robot umpires are going to help call balls and strikes. How the new technology is about to change the game next.

[15:55:00]

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SANCHEZ: Now to some of the other headlines we're watching this hour.

The U.S. music industry taking a big hit from the Supreme Court. Justices unanimously ruling that internet providers are not liable for bootlegged downloads. Record labels fought to hold providers responsible on copyright infringement claims for failing to cut off known users who've pirated music.

A jury initially awarded the labels a billion dollars, which was later nixed by a federal appeals court, and now the Supreme Court has concurred. Also, OpenAI is shutting down Sora, the video generator app that it launched to great fanfare just a few months ago. It initially shot to the top of these app store charts, and even reached a deal with Disney, allowing users to create videos featuring its characters.

Sora also faced criticism for fueling what some now see as low-quality AI content, or AI slop. OpenAI says it's shifting its focus to other priorities and had to make tradeoffs on products with high compute costs.

KEILAR: And in an incredibly rare circumstance, World Athletics is giving the U.S. three extra spots on the Road-Running World Championships this year. This move comes after Jess McClain, Emma Grace Hurley, and Ednah Kurgat were led off course by an emergency vehicle with two miles to go at the U.S. half-marathon championships, running -- ruining, I should say, their chances of qualifying for Worlds outright. Now, with this ruling, USA Track and Field has announced the three will be among the seven representing the U.S. at Worlds in Copenhagen in September. Some good news there.

So, Major League Baseball is back. The 2026 season opening tonight as the Yankees and Giants play in San Francisco, streaming exclusively on Netflix.

SANCHEZ: And for the first time, Major League Baseball is going to be using Robot Umpires, a new system that's going to allow players to challenge balls and strikes. CNN Sports anchor, Andy Scholes, explains how it works.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Well, Boris and Brianna, gone are the days of baseball managers getting super angry at the strike zone, yelling at the umpires, and then getting kicked out of games. Because now players can challenge whether or not they think a call was a ball or a strike. So, tonight's going to be the first ever regular season game with the new automated ball strike system, so batters, pitchers, and catchers can now challenge directly after pitch if they think the call was incorrect by just tapping on their head.

Now, within about 10 seconds, this animation will play showing exactly where the pitch landed. Each team gets two challenges, and they can keep them if they are successful. No help can come from the dugout, and if the game goes to extra innings, teams will be awarded a challenge if they don't have any remaining.

Now a funny wrinkle, players around baseball are shrinking because of this. Each player's exact measurements are used to determine their strike zone, so you don't want to be any taller, and the raised Gavin Lux, he actually went from being listed 6'2 last season to now just 5'11. Now, with the new season, new foods are coming to ballparks across the

country, and Levy Restaurants brought some by our studios for me to try, and Cubs fans, this season, they're going to get this chicken and churros creation, which was just awesome. In Arizona, Sweet Tooth fans, they're going to love the take me out to the ballgame shake. It is an absolute masterpiece. But nothing is bigger than what they're going to have in Miami this season.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 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 pull, diced onions, cilantro, and a nice salsa verde, and you even get your own machete carrying tray.

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

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 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, oh my gosh. I think I could finish that.

SCHOLES: And Boris and Brianna, I ate half of that pretty easily. You give me nine innings, I could finish that bad boy by myself.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Oh, yes.

SCHOLES: Oh, yes, right?

SANCHEZ: You could probably share it with everybody who's watching the Marlins play. The stadium is usually not full. Clearly, they're doing something to draw people to the stands.

I say that as a Marlins fan.

KEILAR: But the problem is you're like behind Andy and you're like, dude, your quesadilla is blocking the view.

SANCHEZ: Some of that stuff looked amazing.

KEILAR: Yes.

SANCHEZ: Yes. Here in D.C. at Nationals games, they do a different themed dog based on the team that they're playing. You could tell that I've had a lot of quizzes in my --

KEILAR: How did I miss that?

SANCHEZ: I highly recommend it. Love baseball. It's like a great picnic.

[16:00:00]

KEILAR: I love the Ben's Chili Bowl at here in D.C., but I love a Nathan's hot dog.

SANCHEZ: I love the Ben's Chili Bowl at D.C.A. There's one right before the TSA line. If you're going to be there for hours --

KEILAR: Go for it.

SANCHEZ: Yes.

KEILAR: "THE ARENA" with Kasie Hunt starts now.

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