Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Pakistan Prepared to Host U.S.-Iran Talks; TSA Workers Set to Get Paid; Oil Prices Soar Amid Iran War; Israeli Military Suspends Battalion Involved In Detaining CNN Crew In The West Bank; Zelenskyy Forges Deals With Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE; NASA Prepares First Fly-By To The Moon In 50 Years. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired March 30, 2026 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Hello, wherever you are in the world. You are now in the "CNN Newsroom" with me, Ben Hunte, in Atlanta, and it is so good to have you with me.

Coming up on the show, searching for a diplomatic off-ramp as regional leaders scramble to de-escalate the war with Iran. Washington and Tehran double down. TSA workers across the U.S. could soon see their first paychecks in weeks, but lawmakers are no closer to ending a partial government shutdown. And later --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REID WISEMAN, ARTEMIS II COMMANDER: We are ready to go. The team is ready to go and the vehicle is ready to go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Exciting stuff! NASA has high hopes for the launch of Artemis II possibly just days away. What makes this a historic mission to the moon?

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom with Ben Hunte."

HUNTE: Welcome. We're beginning this hour in Tehran where the Israeli military says it's currently striking Iranian terror regime military infrastructure all across the capital. Meanwhile, the U.S. claims it's making diplomatic headway in ending the war with Iran. Tehran, however, is accusing the U.S. of secretly planning a ground invasion. That's amid ongoing negotiations. Here's what President Donald Trump said on Air Force One earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: So, we've had very good negotiations today with Iran, getting a lot of the things that they should have given us a long time ago. We'll see how it works out. But they're very good. Moving along very nicely. Well, they're agreeing with us on the plan. We asked for 15 things. And for the most part, we're to be asking for a couple of other things.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Here's what we know so far about the 15-point plan laid out by the U.S. Pakistan, a key mediator in this conflict, delivered the plan to Tehran. And President Trump says it would ban Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. Meanwhile, Pakistan now says it's prepared to host negotiations between the U.S. and Iran this week after holding what it called productive talks with Egypt, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia on Sunday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ISHAQ DAR, FOREIGN MINISTER OF PAKISTAN: Pakistan is very happy that both Tehran and the U.S. have expressed their confidence in Pakistan to facilitate their talks. Pakistan will be honored to host and facilitate meaningful talks between the two sides in the coming days for a comprehensive and lasting settlement of the ongoing conflict.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: While President Trump is claiming diplomatic progress, he sounded more forceful in a new interview with the Financial Times, saying he wants to -- quote -- "take the oil in Iran" and once again debated seizing Kharg Island. That is, of course, Iran's vital oil export hub.

There's a lot to talk about, so let's bring in CNN's Paula Hancock live from Abu Dhabi for us. Paula, thanks for being with me again. So, Trump says Iran has agreed to most of the plan, but Tehran still sounds like they're not actually on board. Are we seeing progress here?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's really difficult to say, Ben. I mean, at this point, all the optimism is on the U.S. side. We're not hearing optimism from Iran. Doesn't necessarily mean that there isn't progress being made behind the scenes, though.

So, the U.S. president has claimed that most of the 15-point agreement that they had put forward to Iran through Pakistan has been agreed to. Now, we know that on that list, things like not being allowed to have a nuclear weapon in the future, which Trump says that they have agreed to, Iran, to be fair, had agreed to that even before this war started.

But what we saw last week from state media, from press T.V., was some of the points that Iran was putting forward, and they were very far removed from what the U.S. wants. For example, acknowledging Iran's sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, reparations for any damage that has been done.

So, when it comes to what both sides want, they do appear very -- very far apart at this point. But, certainly, behind the scenes, we may be seeing progress. Pakistan certainly thinks that there is progress. They had productive talks, as you mentioned, with the foreign minister of some of the countries in the region, trying to figure out how to push the process forward.

[02:05:01]

They have offered to mediate talks in the coming days. They're hoping talks between Iran and the U.S. may happen in coming days.

But what we heard from one Iranian official telling CNN was that the war is going to end on Tehran's timetable, dismissing comments from the U.S. president, from the secretary of state, saying it will be a matter of weeks, saying that Iran is in it for the long haul and is prepared to be able to carry out this war for the long haul. I'll give you a quote of what this senior Iranian security official said. "This is our war, and we will not stop defending until we teach Trump and Netanyahu a historic lesson."

Now, at the same time as we're seeing potential diplomatic progress, we are also seeing more of the U.S. Military beef up in this region. Some 3,500 sailors and marines arrived in the Middle East, according to the U.S. Central Command. This was on the USS Tripoli, part of this Marine Expeditionary Unit that we have heard so much about. And at the same time, we're also hearing the U.S. president saying that he may take Kharg Island, this key island that Iran depends on for its oil exports industry.

So, we're really hearing very different messages even from the American side. Now, what we heard from Israel is that they believe, in the coming days, they will have hit all of the targets in Iran that they consider top priority. They say there is still plenty more that they have on their target lists but in the coming days, all the priorities that they wanted to take out, the missile infrastructure, the regime infrastructure, they believe they will have destroyed.

And over the weekend, pointing out as well that rather than the diplomatic efforts taking over, what we actually saw was this war escalating once again. We saw the Houthi rebels in Yemen become part of this war, two ballistic missiles being fired towards Israel. They were intercepted, but we have heard from the Houthi rebels that this is just the start of their participation in the war. They have also threatened as well to close off another key chokehold when it comes to a key waterway that transports oil and goods around the world which is close to the Red Sea. So, potentially, this war is escalating rather than being solved in a diplomatic fashion. Ben?

HUNTE: There is so much going on. Thank you for staying on top of it for us. Paula Hancocks in Abu Dhabi, speak to you again later. Thank you.

Some TSA officers could be getting paychecks as soon as today through an executive order signed by President Trump. But since Congress still hasn't agreed on a deal to reopen the Department of Homeland Security, those same workers aren't sure whether this is just a temporary fix or if means the checks will actually keep coming.

CNN's Camila DeChalus has the latest for us on the partial shutdown.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) CAMILA DECHALUS, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, here at this airport, we're seeing relatively short lines. You don't see that many major disruptions here that you've seen in other airports across the country. But in these last few hours, I spoke to several TSA workers about the news that the Trump administration is going to start paying them amidst this government shutdown, and they've had mixed reactions.

Some expressed relief at this news, saying that it's about time that they've gone weeks without getting paid and they still showed up to the job despite not having that financial compensation, while others expressed frustration that this partial government shutdown has lasted this long, and others brought up this concern that even though this agency, TSA, is getting paid, what is going to happen to the thousands of other federal employees working at other agencies under the Department of Homeland Security that are still going to go without pay because of this partial shutdown, especially in light of everything that's happening on Capitol Hill?

What we were hearing is that the House lawmakers on the House side and on Senate side are nowhere closer to striking this deal. In the past few days, you saw that the Senate passed a bipartisan bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security, but excluded money for immigration enforcement and border patrol, whereas House Republicans on the House side passed their bill that included a short-term funding bill for DHS, but it also included money for immigration enforcement and border patrol. And that is a stark difference here.

Now, Senate Democrats are very adamant that they're not going to take up the House funding bill for DHS because it includes money for immigration enforcement, and they've been very clear that they're not going to support any funding for DHS unless it includes reforms to several federal agencies under it, and that is where they're at a big stride and at big differences. But we're not really hearing any movement happening at this time.

[02:09:55]

And so, what I'm hearing from several federal agencies under DHS is, how long is this going to last, especially because it's having so many consequences with thousands of federal employees under DHS? And even though it has brought some relief to TSA workers that they're going to get paid, what is going to happen to the thousands of others? We've heard even, as of today, more than 500 TSA workers have quit in this partial government shutdown. It really begs this bigger question: How many others are going to quit and other federal agencies under DHS as a result of the fact that this partial government shutdown has lasted this long?

Camila DeChalus, CNN, Virginia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: A union spokesperson for U.S. government workers tells CNN some TSA officers are starting to see their back pay being processed, but those funds haven't yet hit their bank accounts. White House border czar Tom Homan shared his thoughts with CNN about lawmakers continuing to receive pay while vital workers are suffering. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM HOMAN, BORDER CZAR: There is a plan to get these TSA agents pay, hopefully, by tomorrow, Tuesday. So, yes, it's good news because these TSA officers are struggling. They can't feed their families or pay their rent. Your heart goes out to them because they're sitting there right now working very hard and not being paid by members of Congress down on vacation. Getting paid is ridiculous.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Well, travelers at Atlanta's main airport also had some choice words from members of Congress. They suggested if the roles were reversed, the shutdown may have ended sooner.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: What I would suggest is that congressional staffers and aides don't get paid until the federal government is fully funded because we keep going through this dog and pony show shutdowns. But if the staffers didn't get paid --

UNKNOWN: There's nothing that we can do. And the people that are working here are working hard. OK? It's -- Congress needs to get their act together. And if they would just do it instead of playing games on both sides.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Joining me now is Mark Shanahan, an associate professor of politics at the University of Surrey in England. Thank you so much for being with me. I'll get straight into it. Can you just break down for us where things stand right now on this DHS funding fight? And with Congress in recess, how stuck are we?

MARK SHANAHAN, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF POLITICS, UNIVERSITY OF SURREY: We're very stuck at the moment. The Senate and the House have broken for Easter. Effectively, they're not going to be back in D.C. until after Easter.

There was a Senate bill that was passed by 100 to 0. This was a complete agreement on a bill to partially fund the DHS, which would have paid the TSA officers. It went to the House. Obviously, bills have to be agreed in both chambers of Congress for them to progress.

And the House took a partisan stance. It backed the president and it rejected that bill. That bill never got anywhere. They put their own House bill through, which was about total funding for DHS. The sticking point is funding ICE and funding Border Patrol, which the Democrats simply are not going to support at this time.

So, everybody has quit D.C. for a while. They've gone back to their districts, back to their states to work locally. And at the moment, there doesn't seem to be any means that is going to bring the leaders of Congress together to bash out a new deal over the Easter period. So, the president has come through with an executive order that's saying that the executive will pay TSA officers. However, that goes -- that cuts right across Congress and the appropriation powers. Congress has the powers of the purse. And there are many in Congress who feel very threatened by the president's actions that he is taking their powers away. And the likelihood is that this could end up in court. The only way that the president can enforce this is by saying, what's happening at airports is a national emergency. Now, it is highly, highly inconvenient, but does it raise as a national emergency?

(LAUGHTER)

HUNTE: Oh, my goodness. There's so much going on. You mentioned the optics, especially around TSA and travel disruption. How damaging is that right now and how bad do you think it could get? And also, does the fact that agents may start being paid again soon release some of that pressure, do you think?

SHANAHAN: It might release pressure in the very short term. But this isn't a long-term solution. In the end, Congress have to work this out and not just the agents at airports, but for all of the DHS staff. We've got the longest partial shutdown in history. We've got hyper- partisan, polarized politicians who just won't meet over this debate.

And we are beginning to get into midterm election season. Voters are going to be incredibly fed up at this. They're very fed up with the actions of the president at the moment.

[02:15:04]

He could have told Mike Johnson to get this sorted in the House, but he didn't. Everybody is digging their heels. And the people who look worse than this are those who are governing America. They are not adding -- acting in a particularly grown-up way. And we're looking for the adults in the room to come and sort this out. But whether it is home policies or whether it's what's happening with the war abroad, there don't seem to be a lot of adults in the debate at the moment.

(LAUGHTER)

HUNTE: I love it. Don't hold back. Let's go. On Iran, let's talk Iran, the president says there is progress, but there's still some confusion about what that progress actually looks like. From political standpoint, how is this playing out with Americans, from what you know?

SHANAHAN: No war is popular. Trump may have gone into this war thinking that his polls would increase, looking to George W. Bush and what happened after 9-11. But that absolutely hasn't happened. Indeed, his polling is tanking. And we've got his war from the air. There's now the threat of boots on the ground. But we've got a president who absolutely seems all at sea over this.

The rhetoric of these wonderful talks that are going on with Iran and the optics of a marine force arriving in the Gulf, of talk of taking over Kharg Island, which would put American troops like fish in a barrel on a rock, under huge threat from drones, from missiles, from speedy Iranian boats heading out to that island.

This has probably never been a more dangerous week for the Trump administration, and the actions that they take over the next few days are going to be absolutely key. This, if it turns into an escalated war with boots on the ground, is an incredibly dangerous time, and we could have the public turn against the administration very, very quickly.

HUNTE: OK. Well, thank you so much for those updates. We'd love to see two Brits talking about America. Thank you, Mark Shanahan, appreciate it.

SHANAHAN: Thank you.

HUNTE: Up next, the war with Iran and closure of the Strait of Hormuz is causing oil prices to soar. We'll look at what to expect in the days to come. See you in moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HUNTE: Oil prices are rising as investors buckle down for a possible U.S. ground invasion in Ira and the drawn-out war in the Middle East. Here's a quick look at the Brent Crude futures. Brent Crude is trading just under $115 a barrel as markets continue to react and WTI crude sitting right around $100 a barrel. The International Energy Agency says the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is the biggest oil shock in history, and we are seeing that play out in the stock markets, obviously.

CNN's Eleni Giokos joins me now from Dubai to keep talking about this. Eleni, it has been quite a while time. It's a new week. But with oil prices climbing and tensions still high, are we seeing things stabilize at all? Are we heading into another chaotic few days?

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, so, short answer, no, things are not stabilizing just yet. It's day 31 of the war and you still have strikes aimed towards the Gulf region, strikes continuing in Iran. This is as we get oscillating messages from the Trump administration about, you know, potential diplomatic off-ramp, messages being exchanged.

On the other end, you know, we're waiting to see what kind of decision is going to be made on ground troops, you know, in Kharg Island, which accounts for 90 percent of Iranian oil exports.

In the meantime, the Strait of Hormuz is still fundamentally controlled by the Iranians. In the meantime, Pakistan says there are going to be 20 vessels that are going to be allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. President Trump says that this is a goodwill gesture by the Iranians.

But we've also had that other front potentially opening up when the Houthis now officially entering the conflict. That could cause a lot of drama in the Red Sea through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Just so you understand, this is 12 percent of global trade that passes through the Red Sea and through the Suez Canal, another potential disruption there

But in the meantime, you're seeing collateral damage in Asian economies. You know, we're seeing fuel shortages. We're seeing major concern about some of these downstream products that are so vital like fertilizer. I want you to take a listen to a farmer in India, his concerns and his reality, and I think it encapsulates the situation we're in right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHATUMARAYAN PATIDAR, FARMER (through translator): If fertilizer doesn't come from outside, then where will it come from? Farmers will be hit badly. They will be very troubled. And even diesel and petrol won't be available if the war continues. That will create more problems. There will be shortages on everything. Prices will rise when supplies don't come. People will charge whatever rates they want. Fertilizer will become expensive, too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GIOKOS: So, I've been looking at the impact of fertilizer shortages around the world. And farmers are already experiencing, you know, this new reality, planting season for so many people around the world. They're making really tough decisions about whether they're going to plant as much crops as usual. So, we're talking about sort of a chain reaction in food supply globally, Ben. So that's just one example of what we're seeing.

And it feels like a fast escalating scenario. We know that the 10-day window was open for potential diplomacy. But then President Trump over the weekend says they've still got 3,554 targets that they want to strike. They're saying they can do it very quickly.

But I think if you just focus on some of the numbers that the International Energy Agency is putting out there, some of the major concerns by the big -- you know, fund manager saying oil could hit $150 a barrel. And I've even seen discussions about $200 a barrel. So, the longer this goes on for, the bigger the domino effects on everyone around the world. This is not just contained to the Gulf, but it's becoming a global crisis.

[02:25:02]

HUNTE: My goodness. Yes, indeed. Eleni Giokos, thank you so much for that speech again. Very soon, I'm sure. For more on how the war with Iran is impacting the U.S. economy, I'm now joined by Ryan Patel, who is a senior fellow at Claremont Graduate University's Drucker School of Management. Ryan, it has been a minute. How are you doing? Thank you for being here.

RYAN PATEL, SENIOR FELLOW, DRUCKER SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, CLAREMONT GRADUATE UNIVERSITY: Great to join you, Ben, as always. HUNTE: It's good to see you. Let's start by setting the scene a little bit. How quickly is this conflict now feeding into inflation here in the U.S. and how significant could that impact become?

PATEL: So, historically, right, this oil crisis has been always, you know, short-term, right, and that's we don't know where this is going to go. But how it's affecting the Fed, I can tell you it has shifted its risk calculus. So, what was supposed to be a softer landing of interest rates to start to come down, I think that scenario of rate cuts this year is more for higher for longer.

And I think that's the tone that has changed, what this war has done, to where the Fed is, and that's because the inflation pressures from the energy isn't fading yet. So, even though it's not long term yet, but it's enough for a pause for a Fed's own policy makers signaling that these inflation risks are risen due to the conflict.

HUNTE: And when we do talk about rising costs, it's not just gas prices, right? Where are people really going to feel this the most in their day-to-day lives?

PATEL: Yes. You know, it's funny because the headline is oil, but it's really about the supply chain and global supply chain behind that. You think about, you know, food and not just in big purchase items that you choose not to do and interest rates or credit cards that will start increasing. And, you know, I think part of the other aspect of this, too, is your commute, your ability at the grocery store, things start to get a little bit higher because it gets passed down further.

So, I think you're starting to see it over time but, again, not just yet. But the consumer really -- at the end of the day, Ben, what happens is that the consumer will have to change behavior or start to look and budget in advance, and I think that's where this is making the most impact.

HUNTE: And what does this all mean for interest rates? Does this lead to borrowing costs staying higher for longer and how could that impact housing?

PATEL: Yes, most definitely, it does, right? Those who are in a variable interest rate right now, they're probably second guessing or thinking about do they make a fixed rate versus waiting. And I think part of that interest rate also, not just in the housing market but, you know, as I mentioned, you know, those that have other debt that's variable from credit cards or even taking large, you know, ticket items, that they will choose not to do those things right now.

And again, does that mean that we are starting heading toward the correction territory and markets are looking at that, right? We've seen bond yields jump, volatility across all asset classes from even currencies and stocks. It does make an impact when it comes to the interest rates. So, where do you put your money and where's the safe haven at this moment?

HUNTE: Let's talk solutions. Let's give the people some solutions. What are the practical steps that we should all be taken right now to protect ourselves financially from what's potentially coming? Help us.

PATEL: Well, I'll give you a couple. You know, hopefully, I can get through it. But, you know, budget with energy in mind, right? So, as you mentioned, it's not just gas at the pump. You think about electricity, your bill at home, delivery fees, freight, grocery bills. These all get higher in every sector. Lock in predictable costs. You know, wherever possible, choose fixed rates, especially when you have other debt. You know, keep liquidity where you can. So, what does that mean? Try to create short term cash cushion and a flexibility, especially during times that are, you know, economic uncertainty.

You know, I do have to throw this out there because when you see the markets go up and down, people kind of chase. You know, valuation chasing in markets. You know, think, stay disciplined, don't be emotional about where you put your money, right? Think about the fundamentals at the end of the day.

And you know, I also think about, you know, invest in knowledge, don't panic. And, you know, at the end of the day, you know, shop smart right now with essentials. Walk on things that are feasible that you need. You know, lock in some things, if it's subscriptions or delivery service that you actually use, but try to cut things that you don't need and try 00to create a cash flow for three to six months of a safe haven that you can have emergency savings at the time in need.

HUNTE: Oh, incredible advice there. Thank you so much for it. Ryan Patel, we appreciate your time. Thank you for those updates.

PATEL: Thank you, Ben.

HUNTE: Onwards, a CNN team covering settler violence in the West Bank was aggressively detained by an Israel military battalion there last week. After the break, we will tell you how the Israeli military is now responding and (INAUDIBLE) CNN's original report on that incident. See you in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:33:01]

BEN HUNTE, CNN HOST: The Israeli military is suspending a reserve battalion that detained a CNN crew in the West Bank, just 48 hours after our report of the incident first aired. Officials said the group would be immediately withdrawn from the region and reassigned to receive training until further notice. They added that additional steps will be taken against individual soldiers who were involved.

At the time of the incident, CNN was covering a new wave of violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank.

Here's Jeremy Diamond's original report, and we do want to warn you, it includes images that you may find disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Seventy- five-year-old, Abdullah Daraghmeh (ph) moans in pain. His breathing is labored, his face bloodied, bruised and swollen, bones broken.

His family and multiple eyewitnesses say Israeli settlers stormed into his home in the middle of the night and beat him to a pulp. In his West Bank village of Tayasir, those same settlers have now established an outpost considered illegal even under Israeli law.

Soldiers standing idly by until something else draws their attention.

Producer Abeer Salman (ph) identifies us as journalists before translating the soldiers' commands.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sit down, sit down, sit down, sit down.

DIAMOND: So, the soldiers just immediately came up and started pointing their weapons directly at us, telling everyone to sit down immediately. Obviously, we're not posing any threat here.

DIAMOND (voice-over): The commander comes straight for our camera and within seconds.

DIAMOND: What are you doing? We're journalists. What are you doing?

DIAMOND (voice-over): A soldier has just put photojournalist Cyril Theophilus (ph) in a chokehold, forcing him to the ground.

DIAMOND: Don't touch him like that. Don't touch him like that. Give me my phone.

DIAMOND (voice-over): The soldier who assaulted Theophilus continues to demand he turn off his camera before another smacks my phone.

[02:35:00]

DIAMOND: So as you can see, what we have seen happen in the last 24 hours is that settlers came to this area. They settled that hilltop, and now you have a lot of soldiers coming to this area with the Palestinians in this area. They're on top of the home of Emad, the man that we were just speaking to. And we're seeing the soldiers treat the Palestinians in the area as a threat when really what started this problem was obviously the settlers who came in the middle of the night and took over land that's not theirs.

DIAMOND (voice-over): The Palestinians here are detained and questioned. Soldiers detain us, too, and walk us back to our vehicle. They say they're trying to establish order between settlers and Palestinians. But as the cameras keep rolling, it becomes clear these soldiers are here in service of the settler movement.

IDF SOLDIER: We are here because this is our place.

DIAMOND: Is this your village?

IDF SOLDIER: The land is ours.

DIAMOND: So, all the West Bank is yours?

IDF SOLDIER: Of course. And not just for the soldiers, for the Jews!

DIAMOND (voice-over): They also say it's personal. These soldiers tell me they were friends with the 18-year-old settler, who authorities say was killed last week by a Palestinian driver. Palestinians dispute that account.

IDF SOLDIER: If you had a brother and they kill him, what would you have done?

DIAMOND: So that's a revenge?

IDF SOLDIER: Revenge.

DIAMOND: You're talking about revenge. But you're a soldier, is this normal to carry out revenge? As a soldier?

IDF SOLDIER: Listen, at the end of the day, if the state doesn't address what they did those who murdered the youth, the settler last week, remember? What do you expect us to do?

DIAMOND: So, we're currently detained by the Israeli military. They've told us to sit in our cars and wait. As you can see, one of them is right here. And you know, what's really quite striking is the fact that so many of these soldiers are clearly manifesting the same kind of settler ideology.

DIAMOND (voice-over): This soldier, Mehr (ph), makes that crystal clear.

DIAMOND: They don't have permission to be here. Even under Israeli law, this isn't a settlement. This isn't a legal settlement.

IDF SOLDIER: That's right. But it will be a legal settlement.

DIAMOND: Ah, it will be. How do you know this?

IDF SOLDIER: Slowly, slowly.

DIAMOND: Thanks to your help, right?

IDF SOLDIER: Of course. I help my people.

DIAMOND (voice-over): Mehr is describing the settler playbook and the role Israeli soldiers often play in propping it up.

The Israeli military did not respond to CNN's questions about soldiers conduct in the West Bank, including our detention.

Amid the war with Iran, those efforts are intensifying, with at least four outposts established this week alone, land often taken with the blood of Palestinians.

"I didn't expect this," Abdullah's son says. "This is not normal."

DIAMOND: So, just as we're visiting one patient in the hospital from a settler attack, we've just learned that there have been multiple other settler attacks in the area, and one of the patients is at this same hospital.

DIAMOND (voice-over): Twenty-nine-year-old Sukhar Salman (ph) says a scuffle broke out after settlers came onto his land, and one of them clubbed him in the back of the head. When soldiers arrived, he says, they arrested him and beat him with the butt of their guns.

"The soldiers are a protection for the settlers. I would tell the soldiers that they stole my sheep and they would say that I'm lying and that I'm the one who attacked them. And every time I try to say something, the soldiers would beat me."

Settlers, he says, always go free.

Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tayasir, the West Bank.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: After this report first aired, the Israeli military told CNN the actions and behavior of the soldiers in the incident are incompatible with what is expected of IDF soldiers operating in Judea and Samaria area. The military said the incident would be thoroughly reviewed but did not respond to CNN's questions about the settler outpost featured in this report or the increase in settler violence in the West Bank.

After forging defense ties in the Gulf, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is looking for cooperation in the wider Middle East region. I'll have a report for you just ahead. See you in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:42:25]

HUNTE: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is continuing his bid for defense cooperation in the Middle East. He says he arrived in Jordan on Sunday for, quote, "important meetings" with security the top priority. Kyiv has sent more than 220 experts to advise several Middle Eastern countries, including Jordan, on how to intercept drone attacks.

In recent days, Zelenskyy has also visited Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar.

On his trip to Gulf nations, the Ukrainian president shared his knowledge of Iranian designed and Russian-made Shahed drones, such weapons being used by Iran to attack its gulf neighbors have long been wielded by Russia against Ukraine.

Here's my report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE (voice-over): Ukraine's port city, Odessa, struck again by Russian drones. It's a frequent target of Russian attacks because of its shipping lanes and energy infrastructure, and some residents say they know all too well the dangers flying overhead. OLENA KUDRIASHOVA, ODESA RESIDENT (through translator): When you're

scared and Shahed drones are flying, you start to believe in anything and everything. Last night, I had the thought that God had blessed us. On the right, left, front, back, windows and doors were smashed. Our window survived. We're so happy we made it through the night.

HUNTE (voice-over): Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia has launched more than 3,000 attack drones against his country in the past week. Many of them Iranian-made Shahed drones, which are some of the same drones Iran is using against Gulf nations. And Zelenskyy is trying to capitalize on what Ukraine has learned on the battlefield, making deals with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE to share its expertise on low-cost interceptors and other drone defenses.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We were talking about a 10-year partnership. We have already signed the agreement with Saudi Arabia, and we have just signed a similar ten- year agreement with Qatar. We will also sign a 10-year agreement with the UAE.

HUNTE (voice-over): The agreements come at a critical time for Ukraine, which is facing a spring offensive from Russia as fuel prices skyrocket and Russian oil flows more freely on the market after the U.S. eased some sanctions on it. It's been a windfall for Russia, but it's also made Russia's energy sector a target. Ukraine hitting several Russian refineries and oil export terminals in the past week as part of a stepped-up campaign against Moscow's revenue stream.

Ukraine is also accusing Russia of sharing intelligence with Iran, including satellite images of U.S. assets in the region.

[02:45:05]

CNN has asked the Kremlin for comment.

It's a further blurring of the lines of two separate wars, with overlapping interests and alliances.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: And some news just coming in to us. We've been following the cost of Brent crude throughout the conflict. A short time ago, a barrel once again topped $115 a barrel.

As Cuba faces an energy crisis amid a U.S. blockade, President Donald Trump says that he'll allow a Russian flagged oil tanker to reach the island. Trump dismissed the suggestion that letting the tanker through helps Russian President Vladimir Putin. The tanker could arrive in Cuba in the coming days. That's according to experts.

The fuel shortage on the island is increasing the frequency and duration of blackouts there. Trump says he has, quote, no problem letting any country send oil into Cuba right now because Cubans need it.

All right. NASA is preparing to send astronauts to the moon. Details about the Artemis II lunar flyby mission just ahead. See you in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:50:05]

HUNTE: No need to adjust your televisions just yet. You are looking at video from western Australia, where a powerful weather system stirred up dust storms that turned the skies red. Look at that.

The system also produced a ex-tropical cyclone that left a trail of destruction. The storm left the area completely cut off from water supplies and power, too. Yikes.

A grandmother in Tennessee is trying to rebuild her life after an A.I. facial recognition tool linked her to crimes committed in North Dakota. Angela Lipps was arrested last summer after police used A.I. software to wrongly identify her as a suspect in bank fraud cases. After more than five months, the charges were dropped and Lipps was released from jail. Bank records showed her in Tennessee at the time of those crimes, the police department didn't apologize but did acknowledge a few errors in Lipps case. I hope so.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF DAVE ZIBOLSKI, FARGO, NORTH DAKOTA POLICE DEPARTMENT: Information that we received from West Fargo PD was their submission of the photo from an idea used in one of their fraud cases through their A.I. system made that identification of Ms. Lipps and forwarded that information. And I would say it's not an identification. It's a potential suspect.

But they forwarded that information to our detectives who then assumed, wrongly, that they had also sent in the surveillance photos with that photo ID.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: The A.I. tool used in the Lipps case was developed by a company called Clearview A.I. CNN has reached out to that company for comment, but we haven't yet heard back.

NASA now, NASA plans to return humans back to the moon for the first time in more than half a century, and that's going to happen hopefully on Wednesday.

Four astronauts will embark the Artemis II moon rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. They're going to be journeying on a 10-day mission, flying all around the moon. This is a test of NASA's rocket and spacecraft system as it prepares to get those astronauts landing on the moon in a couple of years.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTINA KOCH, ARTEMIS II MISSION SPECIALIST: Really, the question is not should we go, but should we lead or should we follow? That's how I see it, because everyone, many, many countries have recognized the value that there is in exploring further into the solar system, to the moon and onto mars. They recognize that not only can we gain all these extremely tangible benefits, but that we have the opportunity to answer the question that could be the question of our lifetime, which is, are we alone?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Exciting stuff.

CNN's Jackie Wattles has more details for us on NASA's upcoming lunar mission.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JACKIE WATTLES, CNN SPACE AND SCIENCE WRITER (voice-over): After 50 years, NASA is sending humans on a path back to the moon. It's a multibillion dollar mission called Artemis II, and it's a critical test run before landing. So, essentially, it's a very expensive flyby.

WATTLES: But we already landed on the moon back when we were still using rotary phones. So why all this fuss for just a test run? And why not just land again?

Well, there's a few big reasons why. And the first one is financial.

WATTLES (voice-over): NASA began the Apollo program in the 1960s. Back then, astronauts used a fully integrated system, rocket command module and lunar lander. Lander is the important thing here. Private contractors helped build Apollo, but NASA maintained oversight and control, and this was the height of the space race with the Soviets. The Apollo program was a huge national investment, but NASA doesn't have Apollo money anymore.

For Artemis, NASA has built the Orion spacecraft and a rocket to get crew from earth to lunar orbit. But for the lunar lander, the agency decided to bring in SpaceX and Blue Origin. It's up to those companies to figure out how to get the astronauts from NASA spacecraft down to the moon's surface.

WATTLES: NASA wrote a check to SpaceX and Blue origin for a few billion dollars each, and they're supposed to be taking that money and figuring out how to build a lunar lander, but they still have a long way to go. At least that's how it appears.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: The burning fragments that fell from the sky after SpaceX's starship exploded.

WATTLES (voice-over): Still, one of these vehicles is supposed to be part of NASA's actual moon landing later this decade.

WATTLES: Reason two, NASA doesn't have all the tools it needs for a touchdown. For Apollo, we landed near the moon's equator. And since the program ended in 1972, the U.S. has only been sending astronauts to low-earth orbit, first with the space shuttle and now with SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsules.

[02:55:03]

WATTLES (voice-over): But for Artemis, NASA's long term goal is to eventually build a base on the south pole of the moon. Why the south pole? Well, it's home to water ice, an incredibly powerful space resource that can be converted to rocket fuel or even just used for drinking.

It takes more fuel to land at the south pole. The terrain is more rugged and there are a lot of communications and power issues to sort out.

Reason three, Orion is chunky. It's a big, heavy spacecraft, and the reason NASA built Orion the way it did has a lot to do with politics and jobs. But the thing to know is, because it's so big, Orion can't go into low orbit around the moon all by itself. That makes lunar landing more complicated. So, to get to the moon and back, NASA needs a pretty powerful lunar lander that's nimble enough to navigate such a difficult mission.

Both SpaceX and blue origins lunar landers may still be years away from flying with a crew. SpaceX plans to put its Starship mega rocket, which was originally designed for Mars, travel up for the task. That vehicle is still a prototype.

Meanwhile, Blue Origin is building a more traditional looking lunar lander, but the public hasn't had a chance to see it fly just yet. The company is still working to get a test flight off the ground.

WATTLES: Keep in mind, a successful Artemis II mission will be an incredible achievement, and it's important for astronauts to test systems and equipment on Orion. But NASA and its partners still have a lot of work to do before astronauts can take that next small step on the moon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: Very exciting stuff.

Okay, that's all I've got for you. Thanks for joining me and the team for this hour. I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta. I'll be right back after this quick break.

You are, of course, watching CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)