Return to Transcripts main page
CNN This Morning
Patrick Murphy is Interviewed about the Iran War; Senate and President Act on TSA Funding; Darrell English is Interviewed about the TSA; Trump Skips CPAC. Aired 6:30-7a ET
Aired March 27, 2026 - 06:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:33:09]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Most of us haven't even recovered from the last shutdown. I'm quite sure, you know, people are getting letters of, you know, eviction, foreclosure. You know, repossession. That's nonsense.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR: OK, so we've got a live look at long security lines in Atlanta. We're also trying to sort out, frankly, what's happened over the past few hours. Here's what we know. The Senate voted to fund the Department of Homeland Security. They're sending that to the House for approval. In the meantime, President Trump had said he will sign an order to pay TSA agents immediately. We don't exactly know what immediately means for those TSA workers who have already missed two paychecks.
Good morning, everybody. I'm Audie Cornish. I want to thank you for joining me on CNN THIS MORNING.
It's half past the hour, and here's what's happening now.
The U.S. will hold off on targeting Iranian energy sites, at least for another ten days. President Trump announced the military pause Thursday as talks are ongoing with Tehran. He previously said the U.S. would start bombing the power plants today if the country didn't reopen the Strait of Hormuz. In an interview with Fox News, he revealed the big mystery gift Iran gave him that factored into this decision.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They asked for seven. You're going to say, oh, Trump's a terrible negotiator. They asked for seven. And I said, I'm going to give you ten because they gave me ships, you know. We talked about the eight ships. You know, the present that I talked about the other day.
(END VIDEO CLIP) CORNISH: Here's the thing. Those ships he's talking about, eight Pakistani oil tankers and two other vessels that were let through the strait safely. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is at the G-7 conference in France. In the next hour, the group is expected to discuss the war in Iran.
[06:35:01]
The talks come as U.S. officials include Vice President J.D. Vance. They say they're working to arrange a meeting with Iran in Pakistan as soon as this weekend.
And New York's LaGuardia Airport reopens the runway where the Air Canada express passenger plane hit a fire truck. Investigators have moved the plane and its wreckage into a hangar. This morning, the remains of two pilots who were killed in the crash are going to be flown back to Canada. The investigation into the crash could take a year or longer.
So, while the president is giving the Iranians ten more days to make a deal before bombing their power plants, Republicans in Congress want more information right now about the state of the war, specifically whether or not the Trump administration is going beyond a bombing campaign, maybe even surging more troops to the region for a potential ground invasion. Republican lawmakers say they're in the dark about the long term plan and they want briefings before any boots are on the ground.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. RYAN FITZPATRICK (R-PA): Part of the problem is we're getting a lot of this information through press reports. You know, we're not getting the classified briefing that we need to get.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you have clarity on whether or not this is something different than what's been --
FITZPATRICK: We do not have clarity at the moment. We do not. And we need to get it.
REP. NICK LALOTA (R-NY): I'm not supporting troops on the ground. I don't think that tactically it's a value add right now. We've seen what troops on the ground are doing in and around the Ukraine battle space. They're a liability to drones and what drones can do to troops.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: OK, joining me now, former Congressman Patrick Murphy. He's a Democrat of Pennsylvania, but he's also former acting Army secretary.
Thank you so much for being here.
You've kind of sat on both sides of the table, so to speak, being in the military, but also being a lawmaker. What's your reaction to hearing what members are saying, that they aren't getting enough information in these briefings to make any real decision about funding the war further?
PATRICK MURPHY (D), FORMER PENNSYLVANIA CONGRESSMAN AND FORMER ACTING ARMY SECRETARY: Yes, Audie, I mean, I think that was a pretty compelling clip that you just showed because it's showing Republicans in the U.S. Congress saying, whoa, whoa, whoa, before we send thousands of our troops that are in route to the Middle East after this largest buildup since before -- right after 9/11 over 20 years ago, they're saying, give us some information, give us classified briefings. They're not getting it.
The problem, Audie, is that that's the U.S. Congress. They're the only ones that can authorize war. And this Iran War has already begun. So, they need to stop being missing in action. They need to do their job and make sure that they have the proper oversight and then debate and vote whether or not we should be sending our young men and women into harm's way. My former unit, the 82nd Airborne Division, that I proudly served in Iraq with, is now being sent over there. Thousands of Marines on the USS Boxer going to that region.
So, the buildup in land force is happening after the air power that we've shown.
CORNISH: Yes. I want to ask you a question because we had another member of the 82nd you might know, Cory Mills, he's a Republican in Congress right now, on the show yesterday. And he addressed this idea of the red line, so to speak, politically, that many lawmakers have about boots on the ground. And he said, just because there's these deployments, these buildups, doesn't mean it's automatic boots on the ground.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. CORY MILLS (R-FL): We deployed troops to Kuwait. We deployed troops to Saudi Arabia. We deployed the -- and none of them ever actually had gone into certain areas. They were actually a pre- positioned -- basically contingent.
CORNISH: So, that's the position here?
MILLS: The idea as well is that force presence. Force presence and force protection is a very important thing in the military. Being able to demonstrate strength actually does get results in negotiations. And we've seen that time and time out. So, having positions actually prepared and have people in the country doesn't mean we're putting boots on the ground and war is starting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: Can you respond to that?
MURPHY: Yes, I mean, there's a difference between air power and manpower. And that's what he's saying. But the fact is, is that the Iran War is going on. We've killed thousands of Iranians. We have shown our military might with these attacks. But the problem is, Audie, it still goes back to the fact that we are now putting our men and women back into the Middle East. After we were bogged down, the longest wars in American history, we were promised no new wars, and then we're going back in again. It's like "Groundhog Day" all over again.
And that's why the American people are so upset. That's why Republicans in Congress are so upset because they have been, you know, ignored. And they're not doing their damn job. And that is a disservice and disrespectful to my brothers and sisters who are serving that also took that oath to support and defend the Constitution, that are now going back into harm's way for a war that hasn't been voted on by the Congress and the American people don't support.
CORNISH: You also hear from the administration that, you know, you can't be broadcasting in the media or having these conversations publicly about you -- what you will and won't do because that is kind of showing your cards to the regime in Tehran.
[06:40:14]
MURPHY: And that's what they said over seven months ago with Midnight Hammer. That's what they said in Venezuela. That's what they're saying now in weeks now in the Iranian War. And I don't know when Congress is going to start growing a backbone, Audie. But I will tell you this, the American people are very upset. Those 2.5 million American families that have a son or daughter serving in that region are upset. They are praying to make sure that their sons and daughters don't go into harm's way in a war of choice.
And I will tell you, Audie, as someone who taught at West Point, who served in combat twice, we are not remembering what we learned in Vietnam. And in Vietnam we learned what we call the Powell Doctrine, after General Colin Powell, that you have a clear mission. They use overwhelming force to accomplish that mission. And then, third, you have a clear exit strategy. We haven't done all three. And we don't have a Congress even debating or getting classified briefings when they're supposed to have a major say in this and not just leave it up to one person in the White House.
CORNISH: Before I let you go, because you're a former congressman, what should Democrats be saying about this? Right now their argument seems to be a vote for funding would be approval for the war that we disapprove of. They don't seem to talk about a policy against Iran. They don't have an alternative to offer to the voter. And please tell me if I'm wrong here.
MURPHY: No. No, Audie, you're not wrong. And that's what's the frustrating thing from my part. You know, I lost 19 of my brothers in Iraq. That's why I actually got involved in Congress. And like most American veterans, I was an independent most of my life. The fact is, is that Congress has not shown the political courage that this time that we need right now from them. They have been missing in action. Audie, if they were in the military, the Congress, I would have court martial them for being missing in action. That's how bad they're doing their job. Now, I'm glad they're saying -- some of them are saying the right
things now, but they should be talking very clearly to the American people and to the White House, that we are a co-equal branch of government. We control the budget. We need to work with you to do the right thing for American security.
Because guess what? It's not just our men and women in harm's way. Look at the American taxpayers. We're paying now over a gallon more in gas. Twenty percent of the world's oil and natural gas comes through the strait. I mean Iran's a nuclear -- or an energy superpower. And it's not just Iran. It's the other regions in that -- and that -- other parts of that region that produce oil. That's why gas prices are going up across the board. It's now, you know, $100 per gallon of gas. And that means our allies like Japan and South Korea are paying more for, you know, their oil and natural gas.
And I'll tell you, it's increasing prices for everybody. It's going to jack inflation up about 4.2 percent this year after we had inflation tamed under three percent the last two years. And it's really putting the American people, the taxpayers, in a bad shape in a war that's a war of choice and one that is violating what we know as the Powell Doctrine.
CORNISH: Yes.
MURPHY: And we need to do right by our men and women in uniform.
CORNISH: That's former Congressman Patrick Murphy.
Thank you for your time.
MURPHY: Thanks, Audie.
CORNISH: Now, I want to turn back to you folks watching in the airport. The Senate just sent a bill to fund parts of DHS, which includes the TSA, to the House. The president is ordering TSA agents be paid immediately. And everyone is wondering what immediately means.
CNN's Ivan Rodriguez joins me now, live from the world's busiest airport, Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson.
So, what should travelers expect today, or at least what are you seeing so far?
IVAN RODRIGUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Audie, good morning.
As you mentioned, there's good news on the funding front in terms of TSA agents getting paid, especially. But at least this morning, really, the lines that we're seeing today are similar to what we've seen now for the better part of this week. Behind me, I mean, look, we're outside, right? So, essentially, you're getting dropped off here by your Uber or whatever it may be, a family member. And the first thing you see is this long line. And this is only for TSA precheck. So, this line starts way back there. There are a lot of airport officials with signs showing you where that line begins. And then you can see this line begins to snake in. For the most part, these people have just getting in line. And this
line, as you can see, is moving rather quickly. So that is some good news, at least for travelers here in Atlanta. But we'll talk to some passengers here as they make their way inside.
[06:45:04]
Good morning, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good morning.
RODRIGUEZ: Do you mind if we speak with you a little bit about the line?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I don't mind. I don't mind. Good morning.
RODRIGUEZ: How long have you been in line so far here for precheck?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: About 30 minutes.
RODRIGUEZ: Thirty minutes. And, obviously, you started outside here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We did. On the other side of the airport.
RODRIGUEZ: How early did you get here for your flight?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 6:15.
RODRIGUEZ: And what time's your flight?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 11:00. I read on the news, it said expect four our wait.
RODRIGUEZ: With this new news that we have here of TSA agents getting paid, parts of DHS getting funded, I mean, is that good news for you? Obviously, good news for agents on the horizon.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, absolutely. These people shouldn't be working without pay. But I will give a big shout out to everybody here in Atlanta. Delta employees and everybody's employees have been absolutely polite and really kept it really organized. I'm quite impressed with how smooth it's been going actually.
RODRIGUEZ: We're also seeing a lot of airport employees at least as well making sure that everybody knows where they're going, right?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, they've done an incredible job, actually.
RODRIGUEZ: Thank you so much.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Yes. Appreciate it. Thank you. Drive (ph) safe.
RODRIGUEZ: And -- thank you. Audie, we'll keep walking and just show you here. So now we're inside of the airport. And this snake line will continue here. Honestly, Audie, if we kept walking with you here the entire way, it would probably take at least 10 to 15 minutes to show you the extent of this line. But when we spoke to people on the other side of this line about 30 minutes ago, they had been waiting here for about 50 minutes or so. So, the fact that this gentleman we spoke with said he's already been waiting for about 30, 40 minutes, we really are seeing these lines begin to creep up.
One thing we have seen, Audie, over the last couple of days, ICE agents. They're beginning to shift a little bit in terms of their duties here at the airport. Originally we saw them only outside monitoring. Now we know they're also being used to help checking I.D.s, monitoring x-ray machines. So, there is a little bit of an extent there as to how much they're doing in terms of responsibility here.
We know so far TSA agents specifically, nearly 500, have quit because of this partial government shutdown. And in terms of how quickly we're going to see things get better, I mean this weekend we're still expecting to see these long lines, even though we're talking about funding and, good news, we're not going to see a drastic change here at the airport, especially with a busy travel weekend ahead.
CORNISH: OK, that's Ivan Rodriguez, walking around the airport for us.
Thank you so much. Good luck today.
Next on CNN THIS MORNING, we're going to talk about the Republican rift. Is the war in Iran enough to splinter the party or maybe cost them the midterms?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:51:38]
CORNISH: All right, while you were sleeping, the Senate moved a bill to do something which hasn't happened in 42 days, pay TSA workers. In a rare, overnight session, the Senate unanimously voted to fund DHS except for immigration enforcement. And the funding for DHS, however, now heads to the House.
Now, hours before that, the president said he would sign an executive order to pay TSA agents immediately. We're trying to figure out what that means. Because I don't know about your payroll department, but these things kind of take a minute.
So, joining me now, Darrell English, TSA officer and president of a local chapter of the American Federation of Government Employees.
Good morning to you.
And I want to know, have you heard any communication to help you know whether or not pay is coming?
DARRELL ENGLISH, TSA OFFICER AND PRESIDENT, AFGE TSA LOCAL 777: Well, we're still waiting to find out more clarity ourselves on what that exactly means, but it is ensuring -- this is a good move forward to know that TSA officers will get their long overdue money that they worked so hard for.
CORNISH: One of the things that I want to kind of make clear for people at home is some airports didn't seem that bad. Some airports were really tough, in part because of the call-in rates. You had certain airports where the number of people calling in and saying, hey, I'm not coming were clocking in at 40 percent, right, at 36 percent in New Orleans. I'm looking at Hobby Houston, 31 percent. So, the TSA agents, as they were struggling financially or for whatever reason were calling in. If they hear that money is coming are those call-in rates going to fall?
ENGLISH: Well, officers, whether that -- they heard the announcement or not, they're going to still try their best to get the work. They're going to, you know, people have been taking out loans, missing meals, putting their family and livelihood, you know, on line. So, the fact that that's been said is encouraging. But again, if they don't have the money to get the work, they're not going to get the work.
CORNISH: Do you -- is it frustrating knowing that Trump could have done this all along?
ENGLISH: Well, Congress, as a whole, should have done this. So, I'm not -- I'm not going to point the finger at who's the one responsible for it. But the fact that it works as one, that they should be able to negotiate something, to be able to make sure and ensure that the Department of Homeland Security is funded, that shouldn't be something that's on the table, especially in the situation that we're currently in with wars happening in the Middle East.
CORNISH: Now, this is not the first shutdown for TSA officers that they've had to go through. I'm learning that over the couple of weeks that something like 500 TSA officers have outright quit, right? This is not calling in. Have you ever thought of quitting?
ENGLISH: Well, I've been with TSA for over 21 years. So, you know, at this point I understand how things work. Unfortunately, this is the first time it ever got to this point. But again, the TSA officers are very, very dedicated to make sure and ensure that the flying public is safe. So, we all like to put forth our extra effort to make sure things are done smoothly and have sacrificed a lot.
So, personally, I haven't given up. A lot of officers haven't given up either. Some people had to give up. But at the end of the day, we're still here protecting the flying public.
[06:55:00]
CORNISH: OK. That's Darrell English. Thank you so much. Appreciate your time.
ENGLISH: Thank you.
CORNISH: All right, one last thing. For the first time in nearly a decade, President Trump is skipping the CPAC convention. During his most recent appearances at the annual gathering of conservatives, the president had touted himself as an anti-war peacemaker. And at this year's CPAC in Texas, they remember that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This isn't, you know, what I voted for. What I voted for was domestic policy change at home and, you know, realistic foreign policy. So, I'm just hoping we can get it all wrapped up soon.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think they get destroyed in the midterms. I just -- I get the vibe. A lot of people I knew who just voted for Trump because they thought it was cool in like high school are just now just being like, I can't stand the guy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: OK, group chat is back.
I wanted to talk about this, not because CPAC is like the massive bellwether. Put your eyebrow down. It's because -- it's because there's an ongoing rift about the war in Iran that I cannot tell, is it between the podcast class of people clicking, clicking, getting clickbait, versus the actual MAGA base, which polling shows is with him on this issue? Do these young folks reflect something? What do you see in this moment?
MICHAEL WARREN, SENIOR EDITOR, "THE DISPATCH": Yes, I've written about this, sort of the way that they sort of thought leaders or elites within the MAGA movement are at odds with MAGA voters. And I think it's a very simple answer, right? MAGA voters are MAGA voters because they support Donald Trump.
CORNISH: Yes. Right.
WARREN: But I do think what's happening at CPAC, what those young men just said there, does suggest that we are now entering or preparing to enter a sort of post-Trump era. And Republicans, conservatives, MAGA folks are trying to kind of figure out, where is the future of this party and this movement on these issues going once Trump is no longer the president or once he's no longer the leader of the party.
CORNISH: Yes. But CPAC was the kind of place where you carved out a lane. Where it was like, I'm this kind of Republican.
WARREN: Yes.
CORNISH: And I'm that kind of Republican. And back in 2023, here's the kind of Republican Trump said that he was.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are never going back to a party that wants to give unlimited money to fight foreign wars, that are endless wars, that are stupid wars.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ELLIOT WILLIAMS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: What's really interesting is that war is in part what created Donald Trump. It was rejection of Iraq and Afghanistan among Republicans that wanted a new foreign policy, or at least a new military policy from Republicans. And to your point about what comes next, this is the open question, what is modern conservatism or modern MAGA after all of this because there's no sense of --
CORNISH: But are we asking the wrong question? Does it matter anymore the what comes next? Is it really just who?
WILLIAMS: Yes.
NOEL KING, CO-HOST AND EDITORIAL DIRECTOR, "TODAY, EXPLAINED" PODCAST: Yes.
CORNISH: Like, has Trump so reshaped it that --
KING: That's a really good point. Yes. That's a really good point.
CORNISH: Coming up with a list of criteria and then finding someone to meet it.
KING: Yes. And when you get (ph) the young people what they're saying is, I mean, they're young, right? It's pretty simple. They don't want a war. They don't want to get sent to a war. They voted to stop doing this.
Look, I think if you look at gen z and you look at what they learned from millennials and the experience in Iraq, like, there were real takeaways there. And so, to see young people turning on Donald Trump, you're right, you don't really hear them saying, like, here is the laundry list of things we want next. They don't want to go to war if they're worried about affordability. But people also want that like -- that inspiring person (INAUDIBLE).
CORNISH: Yes.
MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think the big question is, is it going to become another cult of personality, which is what it is with Trump, right? Or is it going to now go back to conservative policy? And I think this is going to be really an important question for J.D. Vance, who has not known what to do during this whole Iran war, because he is so on the record being against it, like, wholeheartedly.
CORNISH: Yes.
CARDONA: So, how is that going to affect him if he is going to be going to -- run for president?
CORNISH: So much so that's like, who do we want to come to the table says Iran.
CARDONA: Right. Right. Exactly.
WARREN: Yes. The -- well --
CORNISH: Kind of an odd moment.
CARDONA: Exactly.
WARREN: I just think this all reveals that everybody is sort of assuming it's J.D. Vance's to lose in 2028. I don't believe that.
CARDONA: I -- right. Yes.
WARREN: I think he's got flaws as a candidate. He's a political figure. But also it's because Republican voters don't really know what they want. It is a cult of personality in the sense, Donald Trump is singular and he's --
CARDONA: Singular, that's right.
WARREN: He is -- he is a celebrity. He's all those sorts of things. And that doesn't transfer.
CORNISH: Yes. And for the record, so was Obama. We just might be in -- this is our politic now, right?
KING: Yes.
CORNISH: Where it's like, it's got to be a person to rally around.
KING: Somebody --
CORNISH: Because the set of ideas --
KING: Yes.
CARDONA: Yes.
CORNISH: Is ever changing depending on, frankly, the lobbying interests --
CARDONA: Right.
CORNISH: That are moving so aggressively at any given moment to see this --
CARDONA: Hence, charisma is so important --
CORNISH: Yes, exactly.
CARDONA: A political candidate who's going to be successful.
KING: So, no Vance, no Rubio.
WILLIAMS: Yes.
CORNISH: Yes.
WILLIAMS: Well, it's a couple of things. You know -- you know, what Vance and Rubio have is name recognition. Everybody knows who they are. Who knew really meaningfully what -- who Barack Obama was two years before he got elected.
CARDONA: Yes.
WILLIAMS: Who knew meaningfully who Donald -- I mean everybody knew who Donald Trump was.
CORNISH: Yes, and was also anti-war and went on to embrace drone warfare. Yes.
WILLIAMS: Anti-war. Right. He is the other person whose career was launched by opposition to endless war.
KING: Right.
WILLIAMS: But again, it's, you know, who -- I don't know.
[07:00:00]
I don't know where it comes back. Yes.
CORNISH: Yes. No, no, but let's keep an eye on it. CPAC is the kind of place where an oppositional voice gets to rise, gets to have a platform --
CARDONA: Right.
CORNISH: At least for a day or two before someone else.
WARREN: Yes, a leading indicator potentially.
CARDONA: But right now I think Republicans are going to have to figure out what they're going to do going into the midterm elections.
WARREN: Yes.
CARDONA: Are they going to stick with Trump, who is now at 36 percent approval rating in a Fox News poll?
CORNISH: Yes.
WARREN: They're going to stick with him. They're going to stick with him.
CARDONA: Or are they going to -- yes, well, I hope they do.
CORNISH: Yes. OK. You guys, it is Friday. I want to thank you for choosing to spend your time with us this week and all of this -- all of today. Stay with us. The headlines are next.
