Return to Transcripts main page

CNN This Morning

Airport Wait Times Escalate As TSA Workers Go Unpaid; Trump Says He's Considering "Winding Down" Military Efforts; Trump Claims "We've Won" While U.S. Troops Head To Middle East; White House Lays Out Legislation For Regulating A.I.; "STANDOFF: THE FBI, POWER, AND PARANOIA" Sunday At 9:00 P.M. And 10:00 P.M. Eastern Time; United States On The Verge Of All-Time Record Amid Western Heat Wave. Aired 7-8a ET

Aired March 21, 2026 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I got there three hours early. And I made it to my gate like 20 minutes before they were boarding. It was bad.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): And it could be a bad day for a lot of people. Another day of difficult travel. Lines at TSA checkpoints are already beyond two hours wait in some places. We're live at the world's busiest airport with how things are shaping up right now.

President Trump says the U.S. is closer to winding down military action in the Middle East. But we're learning more U.S. troops will soon head to the region.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was a scary situation for us. Pretty much lost things -- we lost everything.

BLACKWELL: Hundreds of people have been rescued in Hawaii after floodwaters swept through the island of Oahu. Some had to be plucked off their roofs with the water rising. What the governor is saying about that.

Also, the White House unveiled a sweeping plan to regulate AI on Friday. We'll tell you what's in it. And does it do enough to quiet concerns that the technology is growing too quickly?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: Welcome to your weekend. I'm glad you're starting it with me. It is Saturday, March 21. This is CNN THIS MORNING. I'm Victor Blackwell.

It is early, only 7:00 here in the East, but waiting times at some airports are now beyond two hours. Spring break travel is snarling airports as the Department of Homeland Security shutdown continues. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says that those wait times will stay unpredictable for now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEAN DUFFY, SECRETARY, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION: There's no rhyme or reason to it. And it can be bad one day, and they can improve the next. And, you know, you get a hotspot that pops up somewhere else.

It's just the call-out days per airport, and the mood and the feelings of the TSA workers who work in those specific facilities. So, again, I tried to do this in the last shutdown with controllers and those -- you can't figure it out. It's day by day to see who's coming in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: So, what are they doing about this on Capitol Hill? Well, lawmakers met last night trying to end the shutdown. They're still at a stalemate over ICE tactics. But several Republicans left the meeting. They said that the GOP bolstered their latest offer. Time is running out, though, to reach a deal since Congress goes on break in about a week.

CNN's Rafael Romo joins me now from Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. It is the busiest airport in the world. I see a lot of people just standing still behind you. What are the lines look like?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Victor. Remember last hour I was standing here in the atrium, and it was pretty much empty. But take a look at the situation now. There are -- look at this line that's going very deep.

There's another line on that side. That is also going very deep. And I am especially feeling bad this morning, Victor, for people in wheelchairs.

Take a look at that line. I have an elderly mother. I have used that line before. I have never seen it that far.

Now, let me show you on the other side. I'm going to have to get through people here -- excuse me, folks. Good morning. Thank you very much. Excuse me. Excuse me.

Because I want to show people how long the lines are, Victor. Take a look at this. Now, this is a line that is not a single-file line. It's three people going all the way to the main checkpoint area.

And this is really not moving all that fast. And that's because -- and I looked at it earlier, out of 18 windows there in the main checkpoint point -- area, only eight are open. And that's creating a really bad situation for all of these people waiting here.

Now, I had an opportunity to talk to some folks who got here hours ahead of their flight. And they were very nervous that they were not going to make it. This is what they have to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BRUNA RAY, TRAVELER: This is insane. We didn't think it was going to be this bad. I live in Asheville, so I should have flown out of Asheville. But I'm here with my family. Yes.

ROMO: Seem to be taking it very well.

RAY: Yes.

LIZZEE WOODERSON, TRAVELER: I will say it is hectic here. There's a lot going on. I do understand the overwhelmed-ness of all the workers, and they're doing everything they can. But I think we have bigger issues that we need to resolve besides just understanding TSA.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: Back live here at the airport, Victor. I wanted to show you the general boarding area. Look at it behind me. Completely filled up. And then, you can probably see in the background the green lights. Those are the windows that are open.

As I told you before, out of 18, only eight are open. Again, due to the staffing problems here. The lines? Three people deep. Take a look at it. And this is only one side. You see the exact same side -- thing on the other side.

So it's just very difficult. You feel for people. People who have to get to places. I have seen families with small children. So, just imagine what they're going to have to go through before they get to the other side to the airport. But again, this is only Atlanta. This is happening at other airports throughout the nation. Victor, now back to you.

[07:05:27]

BLACKWELL: Rafael there at the airport for us. And we've been putting up on the screen here on the right of your screen, the wait times as they come in -- the live wait times across the country. Typically, you could go to TSA for those. But because they're unfunded, some of those people are not working. But we have those for you at cnn.com.

Rafael Romo reporting live from Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson. Thanks so much.

Let's get you more on the breaking news though, this morning out of Hawaii. Hundreds of people have been rescued. Evacuation orders are in place after the severe flooding hit the island of Oahu. Catastrophic flooding has destroyed homes, cut off towns in the northern part of the island.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was a scary situation for us. Pretty much lost things -- lost everything. I mean, got Al-Sharaa, but you know, everything else on. Yes, it's our House. That's our home up there.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BLACKWELL: Officials are also closely watching a dam they say could overflow near thousands of homes. Despite the danger, so far, everyone appears to be safe and accounted for.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. JOSH GREEN (D-HI): I have to proudly report that, to our knowledge, been no fatalities and no unaccounted for individuals, so far. I am happy to report that my chief of staff spoke to the White House today, and they are offering their assurance that we're going to have support. The same can be said of FEMA. They've been with us from the beginning, as they were with us in the fire and before. We have support. And we will come through this together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Governor Green also says the storm could ultimately cost more than a billion dollars in damage across the state. CNN Meteorologist Allison Chinchar joins me now. Talk about the threat they're facing still.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right. So, there is still a chance for rain, not just today. Tomorrow. Now, the chances are going to go down very, very quickly as the system as a whole shifts to the east. But you still have those watches and warnings in place.

So, take a look at the map, and you can kind of see what we're talking about. So, the red indicates the flash flood warning. The green indicates just a flood watch. Meaning the potential is there.

We don't necessarily have active flooding at the moment. The red color means we have that active flooding. It is currently raining either in that area or in the general vicinity.

Here is a look at that live radar. You can kind of see over the last 24 hours, just training after training of storms over the same areas. And that's what led to the flooding. These areas weren't getting a break, and they were getting downpours.

This wasn't just sprinkles. There is still some light showers in the -- in the general area, although the storm is as a whole is starting to shift to the east. So, here you can kind of see what we're talking about there, where you've got a lot of those areas that are still expected to see some rain in the forecast for today.

Keep in mind, too, rivers, creeks, and streams. They take a lot longer, Victor, to come back down. So, even if it's done raining and has been done raining, say for an hour or two, it could be six to 12 hours before those rivers, creeks, and streams start to come back down. So, you've got to give some of these things time.

BLACKWELL: All right. Allison, thank you. Breaking overnight in the war with Iran, there is conflicting information over a strike at an Iranian nuclear facility. Iranian state-affiliated media says the U.S. and Israel attacked a uranium enrichment facility. But the IDF says it's not familiar with any Israeli military strike on that complex. No radioactive leaks were reported.

A U.S. official says Iran unsuccessfully launched two ballistic missiles at a joint UK-U.S. military base in the Indian Ocean. Now, President Trump has indicated that he's considering winding down, his words, U.S. military operations in the Middle East. But officials tell CNN that thousands more Marines and sailors will be heading to the region. The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, addressed the possibility of ground troops during CNN's Town Hall last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE WALTZ, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS: I don't think anybody should expect this to look anything like we saw back in 2003, two decades ago, with a massive invasion. There are other options on the table, but I think if President Trump could avoid that, he absolutely would. If we can do this and degrade those capabilities from the air and from the sea, that would be the preferred option.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: All right. Let's bring in now CNN Correspondent Paula Hancocks reporting from Abu Dhabi. What's the latest, especially on this effort to open the Strait of Hormuz? And the president suggesting now that somebody else's fight.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Victor, what we have been seeing from the U.S. President in that Truth Social post is that, yes, it is someone else's problem. Now, he has suggested that the Strait of Hormuz will have to be guarded and policed as necessary by other nations who use it. The United States does not. Suggesting that the United States could help if it were asked.

[07:10:06]

Now, we have been seeing an effort by a number of countries to form some kind of a coalition. It is early days in this. We saw on Thursday a statement released by EU Nations Japan, Canada, saying that they are willing to get together to figure out how they can try and bring freedom of navigation to the Strait of Hormuz and open up that critical chokehold. But it is an idea at this point.

Now, we have had more countries signing up. Bahrain, the first Gulf Nation to do so. South Korea as well. But we are some way away from actually having a definitive answer to that.

Now, elsewhere, we also saw that the U.S. president was saying he is thinking about winding down the war. You've mentioned those mixed messages. We had a very clear message from the Iranian side.

A senior Iranian official telling CNN it simply doesn't believe the U.S. president that he is winding down or even thinking of it, because the military posture in the region simply doesn't support that. Saying he believes it's "Trump's psychological operations to control the market. Now, of course, we are looking closely at that military posture in the region. And it does appear to be doing the exact opposite of what the U.S. president has suggested. We know that thousands more Marines, sailors, military personnel are heading to the region. In some cases, though, it will take weeks for them to be here in the Middle East.

Now, having a look at the attacks overnight in the region. We saw once again the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, it's logistic base being targeted. Iranian state media claims that it struck it three times on Friday. We do know that the U.S. embassy in Baghdad has told U.S. citizens that they should leave the country. There have been threats against Americans in the country, in Iraq, and also around the region.

Another threat we heard from Iran was targeted again to the UAE. It really does seem to be one of the favorite targets of Tehran during this particular war, saying that they were going to carry out heavy strikes on the port city of Ras Al-Khaimah if the U.S. and Israel continue to target islands. Now, we have heard these kind of threats in the past. And in the past, they have been acted upon, so they are being taken very seriously here. Victor.

BLACKWELL: Paula Hancocks, thank you. Still to come. Those long TSA lines are not just in -- an inconvenience. We're going to talk with the former TSA official about why the lines themselves could be the security risk. And the Trump Administration opens a new front in its fight with Harvard University. Why the White House is suing the school.

Plus, March Madness is living up to the name. From buzzer beaters to a near upset. We have your NCAA highlights.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:17:41]

BLACKWELL: TSA agents just missed their first full paycheck during this DHS shutdown. They're on track to miss another one on the upcoming Friday. They're forced to make a difficult choice. Keep working without pay, or find another job to make ends meet. And a lot of them are choosing the latter. With fewer agents at the airport, so many people are wondering how that affects our safety.

Joining me now is former TSA Administrator John Pistole. John, good morning to you. I read that you said that each TSO who does not show up creates a security gap. There was a day this past week at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson, where 36 percent of them did not show. And with so many of them off the job, is it safe to fly at that number?

JOHN PISTOLE, FORMER ADMINISTRATOR, TSA: Well, that's a great, great point, Victor. It's an issue of how well TSA can do their job with limited staffing. And then are they distracted? Unfortunately, because they're not being paid. And how can they take care of their -- buying their groceries and childcare and paying the rent and all those things that people have to do?

And so, I -- it's hopeful that they're not being distracted -- they're not distracted. But it would be hard not to be. The concern is really twofold from my perspective, is these long lines that you're showing are a security risk in themselves in that a putative terrorist might want to come in and just shoot up the lines, or have an improvised explosive device, or just whatever it may be to make a great scene for the bad guys, if you will. Because there's so much press coverage right now.

And it's such a vulnerable area because obviously, people haven't gone through security. So, there's no check of weapons at this point. And so, that's one of the concerns that I have.

The other is, Iran has been known for their cyber capabilities. And if they were somehow able to impact the onboard avionics on flights or the air traffic control systems, you know, the havoc that that could cause. So, it's a two-fold concern, primarily dealing with the limited staffing, because Congress can't work out the politics of it. And it's such a shame in my mind that putting people's safety and security at risk because of politics.

[07:20:09]

BLACKWELL: Yes. As this goes on, we expect there will be more call outs. And it's -- these aren't -- I think most people by now understand that these aren't call outs and retribution because they're not being paid. Somebody has to take care of the kids.

If I don't have money coming in, how do I fill the gas tank to get to work? And on and on. What's the tipping point? I mean, is -- can you -- can you operate at an airport with 40 percent out, 50 percent out? Because we may hit those numbers in some places.

PISTOLE: Well, that's right. And it becomes problematic. And that's because if you're looking at 40 percent, 50 percent, it becomes very difficult. And looking at Hartsfield and JFK and both Houston Airports, New Orleans, where you are looking at two-plus-hour wait times, how is that beneficial for anybody? And it's obviously not.

The concern is that as this goes on, that some of the smaller airports, some of the smallest -- TSA provides security to over 435 airports in the U.S. Some of those may literally have to close because not enough TSA officers show up to screen any passengers, and no flight crew is going to get on a -- pilot a plane, and flight attendants if the passengers haven't been screened, that's just not good security post-9/11.

And so, that's where it becomes more challenging to say, OK, we have to shut down Augusta, Maine, or fill in the blank, because there's not enough TSOs to do the job of providing the security that everybody expects.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

PISTOLE: And which has been in place since 9/11.

BLACKWELL: The last one here. I had a conversation with the U.S. Travel Association, a lobby group, last hour, about private security. San Francisco International is the largest of 20 airports across the country that they keep the standards -- the federal security standards, but they contract that out to someone -- to another group.

What's the argument against it? Obviously, the union is against it because of jobs. But in this moment, what's the argument against private contracted security?

PISTOLE: Well, it's a good point. And that's something that has been looked at a number of times. And it is an option for every airport to apply to the government to become a privatized frontline security workforce.

Now, the supervision and the oversight and all the policies, procedures, and equipment, and those things, that's all still TSA. But the frontline workforce, which is comprises 80 percent of the TSA employees, that is privatized. And so, I think that will be revisited. I know DHS and TSA, the administration have looked at that in terms of a -- some type of turnkey operation to say --

BLACKWELL: Yes.

PISTOLE: -- is there something that could be done to improve and not be vulnerable in situations like this.

BLACKWELL: All right. John Pistole, Former TSA Administrator, thank you for your time this morning.

PISTOLE: Thank you.

BLACKWELL: A controversial policy slapped down. A judge says the Pentagon's policy limiting press coverage is unconstitutional. And the White House has rolled out a set of rules to regulate artificial intelligence, how the new rules could impact how we all use AI.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:27:45]

BLACKWELL: Three weeks in, and President Trump claims victory continuously in the war with Iran. Now, if that is the case, critics want to know why sending thousands of U.S. troops to the Middle East. They're expected to arrive later this week.

According to a recent CNN poll, Americans oppose a ground invasion of Iran by a five-to-one margin. Iran fired two intermediate-range ballistic missiles at a joint U.S.-UK military base, Diego Garcia. It's in the middle of the Indian Ocean, but neither of those missiles hit the base.

This is a key airfield for the U.S. heavy bomber fleet. The president -- his administration is hoping to use it to help get the Strait of Hormuz reopened and ease the energy crisis. CNN's Salma Abdelaziz joins me now. First, though, Salma, Israel is escalating its rhetoric when it comes to Iran. What are you hearing?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a lot of mixed messaging, isn't it, Victor? You have President Trump taking to social media, saying that he's considering winding down the war. But this morning, we're hearing from Israel, which says that it's going to escalate its strikes over the course of the next week on Iran.

And this war has, of course, continued unabated. We have seen missiles that have been shot down, intercepted over the UAE, over Kuwait. We've also seen, of course, heavy airstrikes continue on Iran. Iranian officials saying a uranium enrichment facility was hit by U.S.-Israeli strikes today.

And then, as you mentioned, thousands of American troops now being deployed to the region with no clear understanding of what their mission will be, what their assignment will be, when they will land, where they will land. And amid all of these mixed messages, the Trump administration making what is a very strange call, essentially easing sanctions on the very country they are trying to fight. Announcing that 140 million barrels of crude oil would be allowed to be disseminated by Iran. Take a listen to how one administration official explained this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WALTZ: And illicit oil is already out there. It's already out there in the system. So, we're going to allow it to go in a temporary basis to some of our allies like India, Japan, and others.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[07:30:02]

ABDELAZIZ: Now, I think this reflects just how much the administration is struggling with the economic shock wave in the oil disruption. But it's going to do very little to ease it, according to experts, Victor. Because that 1-1/2 -- 140 million barrels, rather, is only about a day and a half's worth of oil supplies globally.

And then, you have, of course, that the conflict has now escalated to where we are seeing tit for tat attacks on oil facilities, with Israel attacking an oil facility in Iran. Iran attacking an oil facility in Qatar, one of the biggest in the world. And officials there saying it could take years to fix it, driving fears that the economic impact could take many more months to resolve, if not longer.

And in the meanwhile, you have no clear end in sight for this conflict. And the question from allies, including from here in the U.K., continues to be, what's the aim? What's the goal here? What's the end game?

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Salma Abdelaziz, thank you so much.

So, this morning, we are getting a much clearer look at how the government could regulate A.I. The White House laid out six key goals for Congress. They range from giving parents better tools to manage children's -- on land activity to enforcing intellectual property rights.

This is part of the White House efforts to rein in this rapidly advancing technology, but it's also to boost U.S. efforts to dominate A.I. With me now, senior fellow at the Brookings Institute, Center for Technology Innovation, Darrell West.

Darrell, good morning to you. Let me start here. Brad Carson, he leads the A.I. policy group, Americans for Responsible Innovation. He wrote this: "Yes, the White House A.I. framework is ontologically something. But it's like saccharin: empty of nutrition, certain to leave a bitter aftertaste, and probably carcinogenic."

What do you think about this White House framework, their proposal here?

DARRELL WEST, SENIOR FELLOW, CENTER FOR TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: I think the big problem with Trump's framework is he is trying to repeal federalism. There are states that already have passed laws trying to regulate some of the negative aspects of A.I. We know that A.I. algorithms can create gender and racial biases. There is a lack of transparency, people worried about the job impact of A.I.

Trump is basically saying in this directive that states cannot regulate. A.I. So, he is putting the federal government ahead of the states and preventing them from regulating things that we know the public already is concerned about.

BLACKWELL: Yes, this fight over state regulation has Gavin Newsom in California and Ron DeSantis in Florida on the same team here, saying that states absolutely have the right to create their own laws and regulations, as it relates to A.I. I wonder there have been some criticisms about accountability that this six-point framework does not include for these A.I. companies. What do you see there?

WEST: There is a lack of accountability in many different A.I. areas. The past legislation has not really carved out very many policies or regulations to oversee this. Now, this is a big problem. We know that there are known issues in terms of safety, privacy, invasions, and just the way that A.I. is gobbling up so much of people's personal information to use it to train the models.

So, this is a big problem. Trump's framework does not really clarify that issue or increase the level of accountability that many people would like.

BLACKWELL: We have been talking, obviously, about the affordability crisis for a lot of Americans as it relates to their home energy costs. There are these massive data centers that are coming up in many communities, and there is an overlap between the cost and pressure from these data centers on local grids, and people are seeing that in their bills.

Does this framework address the cost of the infrastructure, and requiring these A.I. companies too to take part in paying for that?

WEST: These A.I. models require a tremendous amount of energy. And as you point out, people's electricity rates are going up. And the Iran war, of course, is raising energy costs in general. So, that affordability crisis is becoming even more acute.

Trump wants to streamline the permitting process to make it easier to develop these data centers. We know there are lots of concerns about data centers in communities across the country. People in the southwest are worried about the water needed to cool these data centers. Water is in such short supply in that area, people in rural areas worry about the loss of farmland because these data centers are taking a lot of land, and the electric costs are just going up and up, and that is a major concern.

So, Trump needs to pay much more attention to all those issues.

BLACKWELL: Darrell, you know this, that Congress historically moves very slowly when it comes to regulating tech, either because they don't understand it, or the money from Silicon Valley historically moves very slowly when it comes to regulating tech, either because they don't understand it, or the money from Silicon Valley creates an incentive to slow down the process.

[07:35:13]

What's the likelihood that these six points make it to legislation, and then, make it to the president's desk?

WEST: Almost zero is the short answer to your question. We know that passing bills is not the strong suit of Congress these days. There is just so much partisan warfare that it's difficult for the two sides to agree on anything.

Much of his framework does require congressional action, and we have just not seen Congress be able to pass anything in the A.I. area. And it's ironic, like the states actually are passing rules to oversee the development of A.I., but Trump wants to take away that power.

So, the combination of states not being able to regulate if Trump's framework goes through and Congress not passing any legislation is a terrible accommodation.

BLACKWELL: Yes, and the A.I. developments are moving very quickly, as we all see.

Darrell West, thanks so much.

The calendar says spring, but in some places, it feels like summer coming up. Where we could see historic heat this weekend?

And if you are heading out, you can always stream our show from anywhere in the U.S., right from the CNN app. Also, check out cnn.com/watch.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:41:05]

BLACKWELL: Headlines for you this morning. A federal judge says the Pentagon's policy limiting independent press access is unlawful because it violates the First Amendment.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has tried to control press coverage by suspending or revoking journalist credentials. The judge ordered that those credentials be reinstated for several reporters.

The Trump administration is filing a new multi-billion-dollar lawsuit against Harvard University. Now, this suit accuses the school of failing to protect Jewish and Israeli students from discrimination. It's also asking Harvard to return millions of dollars in grant payments, while it halts more than 2.6 billion in existing grants. This comes as settlement talks with the university failed.

Nicholas Brendan has died. He played the character of Xander in the 90s hit T.V. series, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". An announcement posted on his Instagram account says that he died in a sleep of natural causes. He struggled with depression and substance abuse for years. He was 54, years old.

A new CNN original series, "STANDOFF: THE FBI, POWER, AND PARANOIA". It explores the complex relationship between various presidents and their respective FBI directors.

CNN's Josh Campbell, who worked for three past FBI directors, takes a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KASH PATEL, DIRECTOR, FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION: Thanks to your brave leadership. And the mandate you were given by the American people, not only defend the homeland, but crush violent crime.

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It is a new era at the FBI.

PATEL: We are thankful for President Trump's steadfast leadership, and this FBI will fearlessly follow in his footsteps.

CAMPBELL (voice over): One of the nation's premier law enforcement agencies, which once prided itself on strict independence from politicians, now taking shape as a political arm of the president. Director Kash Patel, often mirroring Donald Trump's own style with the president's perceived political enemies.

PATEL: What I am doing is protecting this country and combating the weaponization of intelligence by the likes of you.

(CROSSTALK)

SEN. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): The most -- the most -- the most significant witness, the Epstein files cover up.

CAMPBELL: But the history of the Bureau has been marked by frequent clashes with the White House. That intense conflict is the topic of a new CNN Original Series documentary, exploring the fragile and high- risk relationship between FBI directors past and the presidents they served. As the FBI's quest for independence was pushed to the brink. JAMES COMEY, FORMER DIRECTOR, FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION: It was never going to work between us.

STEVE CORTES, FORMER SENIOR ADVISER, TRUMP CAMPAIGN: The president did not trust him?

COMEY: Donald Trump wanted an FBI director who he could count on in the political sense.

LEAH WRIGHT RIGUEUR, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST AND HISTORIAN: You have two men who have radically different visions engaged in a standoff over who is the FBI beholden to.

CORTES: James Comey's announcement, it absolutely hurt the Trump campaign, and I believe it was intended to.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: A major development here this evening at the White House. The president of the United States has terminated the director of the FBI, James Comey.

COMEY: It felt otherworldly.

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: This is just the beginning of a complete change in everything that's going on. I mean, it is seismic.

COMEY: Numbness, confusion because I really not expected to be fired.

TRUMP: It was a great honor for me to fire -- I will tell you this, a great honor to fire James Comey.

COMEY: I often joke I'm the relationship that Trump can't get over.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To understand the FBI and really to understand the 20th century, American democracy, you have to understand J. Edgar Hoover.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hoover started keeping tabs on anyone he didn't like, and he didn't like a lot of people.

ANDREW MCCABE, FORMER DEPUTY FBI DIRECTOR: He was cunning, right? Tactical, terrorizing, vindictive, secretive, closed off. Yes, he was a tough customer. I'm glad I didn't have to work for him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Louis Freeh had the guidepost of faith and family, and Bill Clinton had the guidepost of position and power.

LOUIS FREEH, FORMER DIRECTOR, FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION: We are conducting a criminal investigation of the president of the United States. I haven't even unpacked my materials yet.

[07:45:01]

RIGUEUR: Bill Clinton comes to hate his director of the FBI, and the feeling is mutual.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Outside of current issues involving national security concerns, the president of the United States should have little or nothing to do with the FBI.

MCCABE: The FBI has a lot of power and put to the wrong ends those capabilities can be devastating.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: The back-to-back premiere episodes of CNN original series, "STANDOFF: THE FBI, POWER, AND PARANOIA" air tomorrow at 9:00 and 10:00 Eastern on CNN. You can also watch it the next day on the CNN app.

Still ahead, this is a classic buzzer beater moment to start, March Madness, as Andy Scholes has your highlights in sports.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:50:20]

BLACKWELL: We are on the verge of an all-time heat record for March, and scientists say it would not be possible without human caused climate change. This historic heat wave is peaking across the West and expanding into Central U.S. today. It is expected to break Thursday's national record of 109 degrees this weekend. That's 20 to 40 degrees above average for this time.

Let's bring in meteorologist Allison Chinchar. I mean 109?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I mean, 109 would be hot, even if you are talking about July, June, August, in the summer months. But yes, that's what hit yesterday in Yuma, Arizona.

So, again, it has to be verified, but if they do go back and take a look at the data and confirm it, that becomes the new March record temperature for anywhere in the entire country.

But all of these dots represent March records for their respective location. There were plenty of them. And yes, that heat continues today, so, you could see even more records drop today. This is the main concern area here, where you see the pink and orange color. That's where you have the watches and advisories set in place.

But every single one of these dots also represents a daily record. And notice it spreading into the central portion of the country and even into the southeast as we go through the rest of the weekend. So, more and more people are going to start to experience those temperatures, 10, 20, even as much as 30 degrees above average.

Phoenix, forecast high today, 105. The previous record was 97. This isn't the average temperature. This is the old record that we could be beating by roughly 10 degrees.

Albuquerque, Lubbock, Amarillo, El Paso, also looking at breaking their previous records by several degrees.

Look at Phoenix. Again, if they hit 105 today, not only does that break a record for today. That would actually beat the all-time April record. So, you are talking a month ahead of time you are beating that record, and the forecast is expected to stay warm the rest of the week.

BLACKWELL: I mean, spring just got in the door, and we are talking about triple digits in so many places.

(CROSSTALK)

CHINCHAR: Jumping ahead this summer.

BLACKWELL: All right. Allison, thank you.

Hey, we got our first buzzer beater of March Madness. It is a good one.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes. Yes.

BLACKWELL: Kentucky force overtime against Santa Clara. Andy Scholes is here.

SCHOLES: Yes, Victor. So, this is just an awesome March Madness game. Right? But Santa Clara fans and their coach not very happy with the officials after this one. So, the game was tied at 70.

Under 10 seconds to go, Allen Graves, he makes the three to put Santa Clara up by three. Kentucky, no timeouts. They inbounded.

And Otega Oweh. pulls up from 32 feet out banks in a three at the buzzer to force overtime. Ortega had a game high. 35 points.

And Wildcats. They go on to win in O.T. 89-84. So, the Otega Oweh's shot there, saved their season.

But check this out. After graves hit three to put the Broncos up with two seconds left, their coach, Herb Sendek, was signaling to call timeout to the refs so he could set the defense, but the officials didn't see it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HERB SENDEK, HEAD COACH, SANTA CLARA: Well, I unequivocally called timeout, but they didn't grant it. I mean, I think, the video evidence is clear.

SCHOLES: That certainly a tough way to lose.

Florida's title defense, meanwhile, off to a great start, they crushed Prairie View A&M by 59 points.

And the tallest player in basketball, 7'9" freshman Olivier Rioux. He got in the game at the end, he threw down a dunk right here, which had all the gators pumped up. Florida, they are going to play Iowa tomorrow in the second round.

Potential top overall pick of the NBA Draft. Darryn Peterson, meanwhile, leading Kansas to a win over California Baptist. Peterson, he beat the buzzer at the end of the first half right here with a step back three. He scored a game high, 28. Peterson and Kansas, they are set to square off against Rick Pitino in St John's tomorrow, which should be an awesome second round matchup.

Now, spots in the sweet 16, on the line today. Michigan and St Louis get things started. 12:10 Eastern. Duke and TCU, they are at 515. My Houston Cougars take on the aggies in an all-Texas battle at 6:10, Eastern at High Point University. Looking to become a Cinderella as they take on fourth-ranked Arkansas at 9:45.

You can watch all the action across our sister networks, TNT and TBS.

And finally, Villanova head coach Kevin Willard, meanwhile, he was not happy with his team's defense on inbound plays against Utah State. And he offered this during his mid game interview.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Coach, 16 pain points for Utah State. How do you keep them out?

KEVIN WILLIARD, HEAD COACH, VILLANOVA: I'm going to fire my staff, because we --

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not now.

WILLIARD: Yes, I am. Because we have given up eight points on underneath out of bounds defense. So, the only thing I'm going to do is fire them and get a new staff.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: So, Nova went on to lose the Utah State 86 to 76. After the game, Williard said again, he was going to have to make changes to his staff because of how bad they were.

[07:55:02]

He said he was joking guys. But if I was on that staff, I wouldn't really feel great about my job security.

BLACKWELL: That wasn't a joking face or inflection.

All right. Andy, thank you.

Hey, "FIRST OF ALL", is coming up at the top of the hour.

Question: What could the federal government do with $200 billion?

Right now, the Trump administration says they need that money for the war with Iran, but as a debate over that request starts in Congress, we'll look at what programs that money could go toward instead.

Plus, statues taken down, tribute events canceled. The backlash to Cesar Chavez over sex abuse allegations, with swift and significant. And now, the iconic labor leader who worked with them, Dolores Huerta is speaking about her decision to come forward. You will hear from her and the two reporters who spoke with her.

And later, the seven Koreans of K-pop group, BTS pay tribute to the story of the seven Koreans at Howard University. But there are some mixed feelings about how they did it.

Those stories and conversations you will not see anywhere else, coming up after a short break on "FIRST OF ALL".

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)