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Trump Threatens To Send ICE Agents To Airports Amid Shutdown; Musk Posts Offer To Pay TSA Salaries During Funding Impasse; Emergency Responders Declare Mass Casualty Event As Iranian Missiles Hit Southern Israel; Robert Mueller, Former FBI Director, Dies At Age 81; Trump Threatens To Send ICE Agents To Airports Amid Shutdown; Emergency Officials To Hawaii Evacuees: Do Not Stop To Pack; U.S. Broke The All-Time Heat Record For March; Scientists: Climate Crisis Helping To Lead To Springtime Heatwave; MN Schools & Students Deal With Fallout Of Immigration Crackdown. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired March 21, 2026 - 18:00   ET

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

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The root of the problem is a sinful heart.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We do not ever leave that room after a spanking, and the student is sulky, angry, mad. It is always a restoration of fellowship and it is a beautiful picture. It really is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: "The Whole Story" with Anderson Cooper: The Rise of Christian Nationalism airs tomorrow night at 8:00 P.M. Eastern, and then Monday on our CNN app.

[18:00:29]

DEAN: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Hi, everyone. I'm Jessica Dean here in New York. And tonight, President Trump threatening to deploy ICE agents to take over security at airports if Congress does not end the partial government shutdown affecting DHS.

All week, travelers have seen long lines and wait times as TSA agents have been weeks now without pay. Some have called out of work, others have simply quit. Earlier this morning, security wait times stretched over two hours at Atlanta's Airport and at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston.

Let's bring in CNN correspondent Gloria Pazmino, who is joining us now from Newark International Airport in New Jersey.

A lot of international travel there and a lot of travel domestically as well. Gloria, what have you been seeing?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, certainly, this is another major transportation center on this side of the Eastern Seaboard and we have been seeing the lines for TSA security just ebb and flow throughout the day. Right now, we are seeing some of the fastest, and, you know, fewest number of passengers that are trying to get to security.

The wait time here at Newark Airport right now is 10 minutes and i have spoken to a lot of passengers who have told me that it is really not that bad right now, but as you pointed out, Jessica, it is not the case at all. Airports, we are seeing some significant delays at George Bush Intercontinental Airport down in Houston, Texas. We've also seen some major delays in Atlanta.

So, it really varies depending on the airport and the time of day when you arrive.

Now, because we are seeing delays and slow TSA lines, I should say people have come prepared. I spoke to a lot of passengers who told me that they saw the news. They know that long lines are happening right now. So they came to the airport much earlier, came prepared to wait. Some of them were relieved to see that the lines were not as bad when they arrived here at Newark.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIA KUZMITSKAYA, FREW FROM LAX: I mean, I just see it on Instagram, so i came earlier, but again, its 20 minutes. I think it is going to take like 25 or 30 or lower.

PAZMINO: So did you come extra early though, just in case?

KUZMITSKAYA: Yes My flight is at 615. So usually, I came like at five when I was not worried.

TYLER ONSTOTT, TRAVELING TO NASHVILLE: Yes, I would say, you know, get here early. It is better to be safe than sorry. But you know, again, it doesn't look that bad here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: Now all of this over this government shutdown, we are now in the third funding lapse that we have seen in the last six months. In the middle of all of these are, of course, not just the passengers, but also the TSA workers who are going without paychecks.

They have done so for at least a month now, many of them calling out sick as a result of that funding lapse and we are seeing the call out rates also significantly increase in the past week at a number of different airports.

We also know that at least 366 employees at the TSA have quit their jobs and we know that the absentee rates continue to climb -- Jessica.

DEAN: And gloria, to that end, Elon Musk is offering to pay TSA workers. What's that about?

PAZMINO: Yes, you know, Jessica, it should be said that there is some real legal questions that this proposal brings up. It is not clear that this could actually be done, this idea that Elon Musk has thrown out there suggesting that he would pay the salaries of TSA workers in order to kind of get things moving again. There is a real question about the legality of that.

Of course, it is Congress who has the powers of the purse, and so it is not clear that that is actually a realistic, never mind a legal option in this case for the TSA workers.

DEAN: All right, Gloria Pazmino, thank you so much for that.

George Borek joins us now. He is a union steward for the American Federation of Government Employees and a TSA officer at Hartsfield- Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

George, thank you for being here with us. We do appreciate it.

We just heard Gloria kind of describing the scene that is playing out. And I know that is happening where you work there in Atlanta,. There does not appear at this moment at 6:04 on Saturday to be an imminent deal on the horizon in Congress, another missed paycheck could be coming.

What do you see happening in the days ahead?

GEORGE BOREK, UNION STEWARD, AMERICAN FEDERATION OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES AND TSA OFFICER AT HARTSFIELD-JACKSON ATLANTA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT: Listen, I think we are at a crossroads this coming week. This coming Friday, 27th is another pay period that our offices are going to meet. We are so stretched thin right now that it is --

[18:05:10 ]

-- you know, and my heart goes out to the fellow officers I work with because again, every day I hear the same stories, don't have money for gas, don't have the ability to get there; childcare, no food. I mean, we are at the breaking point.

And you know what I see, you know, from going to work myself, this is not sustainable and it is going to be sad to say that if nothing is done by Friday, this is going to be a lot worse in the weeks to come.

DEAN: Yes. I mean, what you're describing are necessities, food, transportation, child care. These are things people have to be able to pay for to get through a day. And I know throughout this week, we've seen a steady rate of TSA agents calling out from work. Do you think we could continue to see this? I know you said by Friday, this is -- we are going to hit another breaking point. Do you anticipate that were going to see more of this?

BOREK: Well I think you're going to see every day, you're going to see this. I mean, I will use myself as an example. I am an LTSO in Atlanta. I have 18 people that work with in my team. On a given day, I may have two officers there or three officers. So we, you know, we can't be productive in screening passengers and, and getting them safely on their way.

I mean, it is going to be worse. You know, every day, there is less and less people that are coming into work. DEAN: Yes, and so President Trump has now said that the is threatening to send ICE agents in to help with security. Do you have any sense -- again, we need to underscore that is just something he said. At this point, the details are very sparse, but what might that look like from your perspective? Would that help the situation? Would it hurt the situation?

BOREK: Well, let me -- I will say this, the President can do anything he wants. He is the commander-in-chief, but what it takes to become a TSA officer, certified officer to be able to do screening takes weeks and months to do, so. listen, the President can have them come there, but I don't see how that helps us in working, getting through this time period.

You know, there is no way. I mean, you know, if an officer is out of screening because of medical or health or some other -- for 30 days, you have to get re-certified. So I don't know how that works or the --

DEAN: Yes, and so to that end, are you concerned about security and it being compromised if this continues?

BOREK: You know, I've said this numerous times. I mean, we have the best equipment in the world when it comes down to screening. Our problem is we don't have the certified officers to man the equipment to screen what we are looking for, the prohibited items.

You know, so if you bring people in and they don't -- they are not trained, they don't know what they are looking for, then certainly it could be a problem.

But right now, as we go on with what we have, we are doing the best we can with what we have and making sure that everyone that comes through is going to be safe as they fly.

DEAN: And so to the lawmakers who are going to be in Washington, D.C., what do you really hope that they are hearing? If they are listening to you, you're speaking on behalf of yourself and your colleagues and those who work for you and with you, what do they need to understand about this?

BOREK: Listen, what I suggest is that any elected official, no matter what state you're in, tomorrow is Sunday, tomorrow is a busy travel day. Take the time, go into the airports, go into where TSA officers work. See with your own eyes what people are going through. See the anguish.

You know, tomorrow, I will tell you. We will probably set a record in Atlanta for the lines. I mean, I won't be surprised if tomorrow the lines will be 3.5 hours, four hours to get people through.

Come and see. I am actually apologizing to passengers as they come through, because I feel so bad that we are supposed to be doing a job we don't have the job to do as the way we should do it and I feel bad for all of these people because the anguish and what I am seeing on their eyes after they've been coming four hours, five hours before to make a flight is unconscionable. That should not be happening in the United States.

DEAN: Yes, and some people, to your point, missing those flights, even though they are getting there four hours, you guys are trying to get them through as quickly as possible with your very limited resources. It is a mess.

George Borek, thank you for talking through it with us. We really appreciate it.

BOREK: Thank you, I appreciate it. Have a good night.

DEAN: Thank you. You, too.

Still to come, a significant escalation in the war against Iran is Tehran fires missiles at a joint U.S.-U.K. military base.

Plus, the war has turned into painfully high gas prices for Americans here at home, but this idea of easing sanctions on Iranian oil, is that the right move? And will it move the needle? We are going to talk with an expert about that.

[18:10:08]

Also, Robert Mueller, the former FBI director and Special Counsel who investigated President Trump's campaign during his first term in office, has died. We are going to have a look back at his career and the lasting impact he had on the Bureau, straight ahead, you're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:15:02]

DEAN: breaking tonight, Israel Emergency Responders declaring a mass casualty event in Iran, a city in southern Israel, and earlier dramatic video shared on social media showed another Iranian ballistic missile slamming into a building in Dimona, that is also located in southern Israel. And here is a look at that footage.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

DEAN: Worth noting, Dimona is home to Israel's nuclear program. Both attacks demonstrate Iran's abilities to get through Israel's missile defenses. Iranian state media claiming the attack on Dimona was in response to the U.S. and Israel striking a key nuclear facility in Natanz, Iran.

Let's bring in CNN Jerusalem Bureau Chief Oren Liebermann, who is joining us live now. Oren, tell us more about these attacks.

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF AND CORRESPONDENT: Two major direct impacts in southern Israel within just a few hours of each other. The most recent one was in the city of Arad, and this missile hit a residential neighborhood. Video from Israel's Emergency Response Service, Magen David Adom shows the impact on all of the buildings in that area. Walls ripped off, smoke pouring out of one of the buildings there. As emergency responders move all around the scene. Magen David Adom again, Israel's Emergency Response Service says at least 74 people have been taken to the hospital suffering from injuries. At least seven of those were in critical condition, but that number may rise as search and rescue teams are still working at the scene.

That would make this the single largest number of injuries we've seen from a single strike since the start of the war with Iran. So we are waiting for updates on that.

Just hours earlier, another Iranian ballistic missile pierced Israel's missile defense and hit the city of Dimona. As you pointed out, that is home to Israel's nuclear program. And you can see this dramatic video. You can see the missile streaking in as it approaches the city and destroys a one story building there according to Fire and Rescue Services.

According to the latest update from Emergency Response Services there, nearly 50 people were taken to the hospital as a result of that single strike. So, you see just a couple of hours apart here in Southern Israel, the number -- both of these missiles getting through the missile defense and striking residential areas here -- Jessica.

DEAN: And Oren, what is the significance of those missiles getting through Israel's defenses?

LIEBERMANN: Israel's military has made clear that the defense array is good, but it is not perfect. We have seen it work time and time again since the start of the war. And yet several times now and counting, we have seen missiles get through the missile defense arrays. We saw that, for example, at the beginning of the war where the missile hit Beit Shemesh and killed nine people there, a city between the city of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

And here again, we see missiles getting through the defense array. Again, Israel's military has warned that it is not a perfect system. It is not hermetic, and missiles can get through, that's why Home Front Command issues the instructions to get in shelters. It is quite remarkable that video from Dimona, because obviously there should have been an alert to send people to shelters as a result of incoming missiles, but this could continue to be a problem here.

It will certainly be a major question for military analysts. What is the state of Israel's missile interceptor stockpiles here? Especially if we see this more and more?

Jessica, Iran isn't launching large numbers of missiles, but it certainly is worrying on the ground here that they are getting through.

DEAN: Certainly.

All right, Oren Liebermann, thank you so much for that.

And we are joined now by the senior director of the Atlantic Council's Geoeconomics Center, Josh Lipsky.

Josh, good to have you. Thanks for being here.

Okay, lets broaden out for just a second.

We just got the full report there from Oren in Israel. The Trump administration at the same time, saying that it is going to temporarily ease sanctions on 140 million barrels of Iranian oil that's already at sea. That equals about one-and-a-half days of global oil consumption.

And again, it is also easing sanctions on Iran. Help people understand that. And does that strategy make sense to you?

JOSH LIPSKY, SENIOR DIRECTOR, ATLANTIC COUNCIL'S GEOECONOMICS CENTER: Thanks, Jessica. Good to see you.

And there is a circular logic to it because on the one hand, we are bombing a country, and then on the other hand, we are easing sanctions on that same country. And we should point out these sanctions on Iranian energy have been in place since the Clinton administration, since the mid-1990s. So, this is a significant waiver. It is a temporary one only through mid-April, so that's important to note.

And the argument here, the Trump administration is making is that they will do anything to calm global energy markets. The problem is the oil is not significant enough to really have an impact on the energy markets.

A lot of it is already being purchased and sold, despite the sanctions that the U.S. had in place, and so the efforts aren't really going to make a big dent in bringing prices down, which is the primary concern. They will give Iran a little extra cash, although we should also say, because Iran is still cut off from the global financial system, it is not that easy for them to access the cash.

So, it is all complicated when you're bombing a country and then giving them access to billions of dollars at the same time.

DEAN: Yes, and so what kind of message do you think that does send to Iran about how their pressure campaign is working?

[18:20:10]

LIPSKY: Well, I think the message Iran has received over the past three weeks and has shown through their actions, is that they realize they have what I would call asymmetric economic leverage over the rest of the world, and that's through the Strait of Hormuz chokepoint.

They know that people, not just in the U.S., but around the world, do not want higher gas prices. They don't want higher airline prices and we are already seeing that trickle in. We've got fertilizer shortages. This one choke point has ripple effects all over the world. So Iran is leveraging everything they can because they can't fight back militarily in a significant way, despite what we just saw in Israel. They can't really compete with the U.S. and Israel, but economically, they can cause pain.

And their gamble is that they can cause enough pain to get the U.S. and Israel and others to relent and so, the administration is trying to find ways to ease that economic pain.

DEAN: And Goldman Sachs is suggesting that these higher oil prices could be here to stay, really through the end of next year. There is no clear timeline on when or how the war is going to end, of course. We are still sorting that out. We are going to see.

But once the war does end, what does the recovery look like for the oil sector and how -- what is kind of how long is that tail?

LIPSKY: Well, this is an incredible global energy shock and I am not sure markets have fully priced in. just how significant it is. If you take a step back and think for a moment, we have 51 percent of global oil currently involved in an armed conflict, and 56 percent of global gas production. We haven't seen that since World War Two. So the scale of this is so significant because it is not just war in the Gulf, it is layered on top of the conflict in Russia that's already four years old, and Russia is, of course, an energy importer.

So, here we have a situation where we have a global energy crisis. And even if there is a ceasefire in Iran, I think what you hear from a lot of shipping companies and a lot of corporates is that prices are going to stay higher for the long term because the risk in Hormuz stays high, even if there is a ceasefire going forward and that means that they have to pay more to cross, and we all have to pay more at the pump.

And so gas prices, which were supposed to be low, and oil barrels, which were selling at $60.00 or $70.00, they are going to be at $80.00 to $90.00 for the foreseeable future and that's not something companies and people were predicting even a month ago.

DEAN: Yes and I know you were just in Prague and you were speaking with business leaders there, finance ministers, central bankers, all in Europe. What was your sense of what they -- how are they reacting?

LIPSKY: Well, there is enormous concern, Jessica, because they have come out of this four years of conflict, Russia-Ukraine, which was an energy shock to Europe and what was the lesson of that energy shock? We have to versify away from Russian energy and so they did. They went to American energy. They went to energy all over the world.

They went to some Gulf gas as well, and now they have the shock from the Gulf. And so they see this situation where no matter what they do, they feel pressure in Europe and it is not just Europe that's feeling it, Asia is particularly concerned. Their reserves are running really low. We are already hearing stories on the ground of people being asked to stay home, of people being asked not to go to work, of all kinds of measures being done, including fuel rationing, is happening.

And so, this is a situation when we talk about a global energy crisis where we haven't felt it as much yet in the U.S., as much as our allies in Europe and Asia are feeling it, but make no mistake, it is coming here as well.

DEAN: Yes, and I think that's kind of probably a shock to the system, too, for people out there already paying higher gas prices that we haven't even really felt the true extent of this yet.

Josh Lipsky, thank you so much. Good to see you.

LIPSKY: Thanks, Jessica.

DEAN: Still to come, we are going to take a look back at the life and legacy of former FBI Director Robert Mueller. I will speak with former Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, that's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:28:20]

DEAN: Officials across the country are mourning the loss of a career public servant today. Former FBI Director Robert Mueller has died at the age of 81. His family sharing that news today after previously announcing his diagnosis of Parkinson's disease in 2021.

Mueller is well known for being the Special Counsel who led the investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 election, but his life in service dates back to 1966, when he joined the Marines.

He was awarded a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart for his service during the Vietnam War. He then went on to oversee several high profile prosecutions for the Justice Department, before being sworn in as FBI Director in September of 2001, just a week close to the September 11th terrorist attack.

CNN senior law enforcement analyst and former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe is joining us now.

Andrew, thank you so much. We are sorry for the loss of your colleague, your friend. I know you've described Mueller as a tough guy. You said he was an investigator at heart who loved to dig into a case and move cases forward. How are you remembering him?

ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Oh, you know, Jessica. I mean, first, let me say my heart goes out to Director Mueller's family. His wonderful wife, Ann, and his children and grandchildren. I can only imagine what they're going through today.

But you know, I have nothing but the greatest respect and admiration for Robert Mueller, for his service, his lifetime of service at every level. I mean, this is a guy who, you know, joined the Marine Corps because he saw one of his Princeton classmates go to Vietnam and get killed in the war. And so he felt like it was his duty to go to Vietnam to honor his friend's memory.

He has said in interviews before that it was the greatest honor of his life to not only to be a Marine, but to be able to lead Marines. I know him from his time as Director, obviously, there is no one in the FBI that had a bigger impact on my life, and know that the people that I served with for those of us who had any success in leadership positions of our own, we attribute that to having had the incredible fortune to kind of grow up under his leadership, to see his examples, to understand the high standards that he had for himself, and for everyone he worked with.

[18:30:41]

He really was -- he was the real deal. And he could be tough. He could be very tough. He was very demanding. But it was always -- you -- you never, never -- you never wondered why he was being tough and why he was pushing you to do better, to do more. It was always because he was trying to make this country a safer, more fair, and just place.

DEAN: And he's the longest serving FBI director since J. Edgar Hoover. He served as director from 2001, as we noted, to 2013. You got at a little of this in what you were talking about, but what was his reputation within the FBI and -- and how did he lead it?

MCCABE: You know, he was -- he, it's kind of an amazing thing. He, in some ways, represented the best of what the FBI has always been in the -- in his dogged pursuit of investigations and his work ethic, in the rigor that he brought to that work. He -- nobody knew more about cases that he was interested in than Robert Mueller did.

So, he had that tradition, his comportment, his appearance, the way he conducted himself. But he was also the guy who brought us sometimes kicking and screaming into the future, right? He was there. He's -- he started as director seven days before 9/11, quickly realized that we needed to become the nation's premier domestic law enforcement and intelligence agency. And he turned us into a vital member of the intelligence community and turned us into an intelligence-led organization.

So, he really -- he had the kind of -- the reputation and the connection to our past, but he had a vision for our future. He's just a -- an extraordinary leader.

DEAN: Yes. I want to play -- we have a new series, CNN does, premiering tomorrow. It's called "Standoff: The FBI, Power and Paranoia." And it explores the complicated relationship between the FBI director and the president. And I, there's obviously an episode that talks about him. This is how some of your colleagues described Robert Mueller.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GARRETT GRAFF, AUTHOR, THE THREAT MATRIX: Mueller is in some ways an FBI director out of central casting. Famous when he was FBI director for always wearing a white shirt, and dark suit, and tie in exactly the unofficial uniform of the Hoover era of the FBI.

JOHN MILLER, FBI ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: I would show up in a pearl gray suit, shirt with stripes, white cuffs and collars, gold cuff links, you know, a Rolex. And one day, he looks down the table during the morning brief and he says, "John, John, John, what are you wearing?" And I said, "Suit and tie." He said, "We dress like lawyers." And he said, "Not drug lawyers."

JOHN PISTOLE, FBI DEPUTY DIRECTOR 2004-2010: He was one of the blue bloods, as they say.

MILLER: You know, he went to the St. Paul's school and then Princeton.

GRAFF: And then made in the mid-1960s, a very unconventional choice at that point to volunteer for the Marines and to go to Vietnam.

MILLER: He may have been born with a silver spoon in his mouth, but he ended up being one of those guys crawling through the mud with a knife in his teeth.

GRAFF: Received a Bronze Star with Valor, a Purple Heart for wounds in action. And then, came back and basically spent almost the entire rest of his career in public service.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: And Andy, that's what I -- I keep thinking about is just the -- the service that he gave to this country, really throughout his life, as they were talking about from really the very beginning of his adulthood all the way through. And also, nice to get just a little window in from our own John Miller, just, you know, his personality a little bit.

MCCABE: Yes, yes, I definitely suffered some of those same barbs. That's how you knew if Director Mueller liked you. If he was -- if he was kind of busting your chops and coming after you a little bit, you knew that you had done something right. I -- I remember at one point in his career when he had already had so many high-level jobs at DOJ, he had been the Assistant Attorney General over the entire criminal division.

Then, he left the department and went into a partnership at a big Boston law firm where he lasted about a year. And he picked up the phone one day and called the U.S. Attorney in the District of Columbia, who at the time was Eric Holder.

[18:35:06]

And he said, I heard you have a job opening. I want it. And ...

DEAN: Wow.

MCCABE: ... Holder was stunned. And he said, I just want to come back and try homicide cases. That's all I want to do. So, this was a guy who couldn't get away from this work. It was in his blood and it served his desire to be in a position to be able to make this country a better place. He was just a -- a unique and -- and treasured individual.

DEAN: Yes. Well, some great memories there. Andrew McCabe, thank you so much. We really appreciate you sharing those with us.

MCCABE: Thanks, Jessica. Appreciate it. DEAN: Yes. And be sure to tune in. It's a back-to-back premiere of

that CNN Original Series: "Standoff: The FBI, Power and Paranoia." It airs tomorrow night at 9 and 10 P.M. Eastern, only here on CNN. Episode 3 of that series will cover Robert Mueller's time at the FBI. And that episode will be made available on CNN All Access streaming starting Monday.

Still to come here, President Trump is threatening to send ICE agents to airports amid the partial government shutdown. We are live with an update from Capitol Hill as lawmakers face a standoff in talks to fund DHS.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:40:49]

DEAN: President Trump is threatening to deploy ICE agents to the nation's airports as travelers brace for another week of long TSA lines due to the partial government shutdown. The delays are expected to continue on -- until lawmakers on Capitol Hill break the stalemate over funding for the Department of Homeland Security. Obviously, TSA falls within that.

The President posting online: "If the Democrats do not allow for Just and Proper Security at our Airports, and elsewhere throughout our Country, ICE will do the job far better than ever before." He went on to say, "I look forward to moving ICE in on Monday, and have already told them to, "GET READY." MORE WAITING, NO MORE GAMES."

CNN's Camila DeChalus is joining us now.

Camila, we look to Capitol Hill to see if there's any progress in negotiations. I know the Senate was talking members of the Senate late last night. Where are they?

CAMILA DECHALUS, CNN REPORTER: Well, that's right, Jessica. We are hearing from both sides, both Senate Democrats and Senate Republicans, that they say that more progress is being made around reforms that both sides are kind of negotiating around federal agencies under the Department of Homeland Security. Mind you, Jessica, that is the really big issue here. Democrats are really adamant that they want to see more reforms being made to several federal agencies under DHS in exchange for them supporting a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security.

Now, Republicans -- Senate Republicans I spoke to say, hey, we are open to some reforms being made, but really it's about trying to strike a deal that both sides may not agree on in order to now move forward with those conversations. But I'm really hearing that in the past few days these conversations that certain Senate Democrats and Senate Republicans have been having in these closed-door meetings with Trump's appointed border czar Tom Homan has really kind of started making steps in the right direction.

And we're even being told by some Democrats that even though this is a long way away from really ending this partial government shutdown, they're still kind of taking the steps to really start having these conversations needed to really end this partial government shutdown. Take a listen to what the Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters just earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN THUNE (R-SD): I think the meeting last night was productive, and the offer was made and legislative language was submitted by the administration to open up the Department of Homeland Security with a lot of reforms that had been requested and asked for by Democrats.

And at some point, the Democrats are going to have to take yes for an answer. I know they think this is politically good for them. It's not. It's not politically good for anybody.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DECHALUS: Now, as you can hear there, John Thune is saying that, you know, what -- we are making steps in the right direction. But even when pressed of when this partial government shutdown is going to end, that still remains to be seen. And even though there's some progress being made on Capitol Hill, what I'm hearing from TSA agents and other federal agencies under the Department of Homeland Security, hundreds and thousands that are going without pay, is they're feeling like, you know, what they're doing is just simply not enough. This partial government shutdown, really the impact of it, it's been more than 30 days since it first began, and it's really creating such an emotional and financial toll on these employees.

And so, even though you have these lawmakers saying, you know what, we're making some progress, there are federal agencies and federal employees are just saying what they're doing is simply not enough. And every day, we're being the ones impacted by this.

DEAN: Yes. And again, this all centers around ICE. Democrats want reforms from ICE. That's going back to the two people who were killed in Minnesota. They shut the government -- the DHS, down on that. And this -- they've been at odds ever since. And as you note, TSA now missing their first paycheck and now probably potentially going to miss another one.

I also was -- we've heard from John Thune that they may have to give up their recess that's coming up to get this done. And maybe the motivation will be jet fumes, as it often is on Capitol Hill. Camila DeChalus, thank you so much. We appreciate it.

And still ahead, a devastating scene in Hawaii as floodwaters force evacuations and leave drivers stranded. We'll have a closer look at those treacherous conditions. That's next.

[18:44:54]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:49:29)]

DEAN: Catastrophic rains and flooding not seen in a generation are hitting what's known as America's paradise, Hawaii.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) (expletive) ...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: The governor says on the island of Oahu, more than 230 people were rescued and more than 5,000 evacuated. Most of those who fled live near the Wahiawa Dam, which local emergency officials say is at risk of breach. In a town near the dam, Waialua, officials say all roads are at risk of failure and their alert could not have been more direct.

[18:50:09]

Quote, "Leave now to prevent becoming stuck."

The flooding has cut off towns, damaged airports and destroyed homes like the Pineda families.

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MAHEALANI PINEDA, OAHU RESIDENT: It was a scary situation for us. Pretty much lost things. Lost everything. I mean, not us, yes, but, you know, everything else.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

PINEDA: That's our house. That's our home up there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Hawaii's governor says the damage costs -- the damage costs are expected to surpass a billion dollars.

And from too much water to excessive heat in some parts of the country, this is the warmest march on record. It hit a brutal 109 in the town of Yuma, Arizona, Friday. Spring, officially just one day old right now. That broke a national record for the month set in 1952 and 1902. That's according to a weather database. And a CNN's Allison Chinchar forecast experts -- expect, rather, more heat records to go down.

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ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: There have been dozens of records set the last few days across much of the western U.S. And not just daily records, these are monthly records. These are areas breaking their warmest temperature ever for the month of March. And some of these areas did it two days in a row. We still have the potential for more extreme heat today, mainly focused over areas of Arizona, Nevada and California.

But a lot of that heat is going to be spreading eastward this weekend. So, now you start to see more of these dots indicating daily records spreading into the central U.S. The Mississippi Valley, portions of the southeast, as more of those temperatures are going to start to jump up in the coming days.

Take, for example, today. Phoenix forecast high temperature 105, the previous record 97. So, you're talking about breaking a previous record not just by a degree or two, but in some cases as much as 8 to 10 degrees. Lubbock, Amarillo, El Paso also looking at very large margins to break their records.

Looking at Phoenix, for example, the forecast, 105. The April record is 105. So, they could not only break a March record, but an April record for these temperatures. Even as we head into the next seven days, they are expected to be well above their average this time of year, which is only 80 degrees.

Now, we mentioned a lot of that heat is going to be spreading eastward. Really the only cool spot that's going to be left on the map is that area right around the Great Lakes and portions of the northeast. Here's a look at Oklahoma City, Dallas, Kansas City, Wichita. All of these areas expected to have those temperatures in the 90s for today. And then, we do start to see some of them drop off at least slightly as we head later into the weekend and early next week. But the exception is going to be the areas down south.

So, Dallas stays very warm. Lubbock stays very warm even through the early part of next week. And here you can kind of see that, again, the average high in Dallas is 70 degrees, 90s for the weekend, dropping a little bit back down into the low 80s to start off the week. But we are once again back to the 90s by the middle of the upcoming week.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Allison Chinchar, thanks so much. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:57:48]

DEAN: The family of the five-year-old boy who became the face of young children caught in the middle of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown is now appealing a judge's ruling after they were denied asylum and ordered to return to Ecuador. Liam Ramos and his father were detained by ICE agents back in January and held in a Texas detention center.

After massive nationwide protests, they were released nearly two weeks later. The impact of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown has left the Minnesota community and the kids who live there terrified. CNN's Sara Sidner explores this in a new CNN special called "Minneapolis: The Robbing of Innocence." And this is a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It felt like the death squads in El Salvador in -- in the '80s.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Obviously, we're not criminals. What can two 16- year-olds do?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is that a little girl?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Education in Minnesota has been incredibly disrupted.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My mom is in there and I will cry with her.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, they're not going to school. You -- you are too afraid to let them go to school.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No school.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Even if you weren't taken, there's still a big fear in a majority of our families. It's not just our black and brown families.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're the heroes. They're teachers. They're mentors. They're parents.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I close my eyes sometimes and I hear the screaming sobs of my students finding out their parents were detained.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's been hard to come to work and have you be okay for the students.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR & SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Are you okay?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER (voice over): No one here is okay.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's go, let's go.

SIDNER (voice over): You're the assistant principal. Give me some sense of what it was like when the surge of ICE and Border Patrol units came into this town.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're a school of around 800 and I think the most we were seeing is 150.

[19:00:01]

SIDNER: Wait, wait, wait, you normally would have about 800 students ...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

SIDNER: ... and that student population shrank to 150? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.