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CNN This Morning

Three Thousand Five Hundred U.S. Sailors And Marines Arrive In The Middle East; Tehran University Campus Hit, Geolocated Videos Show; IRGC Threatens To Hit U.S. And Israeli Universities In The Mideast; DHS: TSA Agents Could Get Paychecks As Soon As Tomorrow; TSA Agents Go Without Another Paycheck Amid Shutdown; Long TSA Lines Return To Airport In Atlanta; Millions Join Peaceful No Kings Protests Nationwide; Conservatives Make Their Pick For President In 2028; Community Remembers Master Sergeant Noah Tietjens; Palm Sunday Service Underway In St. Peter's Square; Illinois Return To The Final Four For First Time Since 2005; Arizona Beats Purdue To Secure Spot In The Final Four; Pakistan Hosting Talks With Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia. Pakistan Hosting Talks with Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia; DHS Shutdown Takes Toll on Unpaid TSA Workers; Trump Orders TSA Workers Be Paid Regardless of Shutdown. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired March 29, 2026 - 06:00   ET

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

[06:00:31]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: There's new video overnight of Tehran being hit hard with the new round of strikes, and now Iran is threatening to hit U.S. and Israeli university campuses in the region. At the same time, thousands of U.S. troops are arriving in the Middle East. We're live in the region.

Plus, will Monday be payday? TSA employees are waiting to see if they will, in fact, finally get a paycheck starting tomorrow after an order from the president. In the meantime, airports across the country are getting ready for long lines again because of the spring break travel. We'll check in live at one of the busiest airports in the world and hear from an unpaid TSA employee facing eviction.

And organizers say millions turned out nationwide for this weekend's No Kings rallies. We'll take a look at just how many they say showed up, the message from those protesters, and the unique ways they're sharing it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I bought this costume probably about five years ago to go to a Halloween costume party, and it was a hit. So I thought, what better use to get out of it than to bring it to a protest.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: It is Sunday, March 29th. Thank you for being with me. I'm Victor Blackwell. Breaking overnight in the war in Iran, the Iranian capital of Tehran is reeling from heavy bombardment. First responders are combing through the destruction after an air strike. They are looking for survivors.

CNN has geolocated videos of another strike yesterday that hit an engineering university in Tehran. And Iran's Revolutionary Guard threatened, on state media, to target U.S. and Israeli universities in the region. The university condemned the attack as a violation of international law, but said there were no casualties.

In the meantime, 3,500 Sailors and Marines aboard the USS Tripoli. They've arrived in the Middle East. U.S. Central Command confirmed the arrival as the Pentagon mulls its military options. Let's go now to CNN correspondent Paula Hancocks. Give us a sense of the escalation of violence, as there's this attempt now to get some diplomatic breakthrough.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Victor, we did see escalation in the past couple of days when the Houthi rebels in Yemen decided to get involved in this war as well. We did see them fired two ballistic missiles towards Israel, both intercepted. But they are saying they are now part of this war and they will continue to target Israel.

We've heard from the IDF, the Israeli military, saying that they're ready for a, quote, "multi-front war," saying this is what they had been preparing for. But as we're hearing suggestions of diplomatic talks in Pakistan, we are seeing an escalation on the ground. As you say, there was very heavy bombardment overnight in parts of the capital in Tehran. State media showing images of what appears to be a residential building which has been damaged, and search and rescue operations underway.

We've heard from the Iranian Red Crescent that at least 1,900 people have been killed at this point, not giving us a breakdown of military versus civilians. But we are seeing this at the same time as we are hearing more threats from Iran.

As you mentioned, the Revolutionary Guard in Iran saying that they are now going to consider U.S. and Israeli affiliated universities legitimate targets in the region. That is after the Tehran Science and Technology University was destroyed overnight Friday into Saturday. And certainly that is going to be a threat that will be taken very seriously. Now, as we do see even more U.S. troops arriving in the Middle East. U.S. Central Command saying the Marine expeditionary unit and the USS Tripoli is now here in the Middle East.

We're seeing Iran's retaliation step up a notch, certainly here in the UAE the past couple of days, we had ministry of defense figures on what was fired towards this country. They said this on Saturday for the previous 24 hours, 20 missiles, 37 drones. That's well over double what we had been seeing over the previous week.

[06:05:03]

So it does feel as though there is an increase, at least, in what Tehran is firing, Victor.

BLACKWELL: Paula Hancocks reporting from Abu Dhabi. Thank you. And just ahead, we'll have a live report from Islamabad on the talks in Pakistan. This attempt to at least de-escalate what we're seeing there in the region.

Now, let's turn to the airports. The security lines are growing. TSA agents are waiting to get paid, and there's still no deal in sight from Congress to end the shutdown. They're now gone for two weeks. Of course, they're not the only ones on spring break.

The question, though, is now that the president has ordered DHS to pay TSA employees, will they start to see those paychecks tomorrow? Well, DHS says that's the plan after an order from President Trump. And meanwhile, a lot of workers say it's just getting harder to keep showing up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So I just finished my 12-hour shift at TSA because now I work 4:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and still not getting paid for it. Fun stuff.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel angry, I feel used, I feel abused, I feel just like every other officer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Since the shutdown started, 500 officers have quit. Thousands more have called out daily. CNN's Rafael Romo is live at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta. I see the line behind you. How long is it?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Victor, remember what I was telling you yesterday that practically no lines here? Well, the situation, unfortunately, has changed dramatically. I hate to be the bearer of bad news.

What I'm showing you right now, Victor, this is the precheck line. If you can see, it reaches all the way back to the baggage area there. We didn't see that yesterday. And there's an interesting dynamic this morning here at the airport, Victor, because as people come in -- this is the south side of the airport as people come in, they are being funneled. You can see the lines right there, depending on what they're going to do, whether they're pre-check or general boarding, wherever they might be going.

A couple of hours ago when I got here first, the line for general boarding extended all the way to that area in the atrium. That's how far it was.

But as you can see now that -- those lines are now gone. But look at this. It goes on and on and on. And again, this is the precheck area, Victor. There's a couple of important changes that we can talk about because over the last week, ICE agents, according to DHS, have joined the effort here in Atlanta and other efforts -- and other airports by helping the TSA agents process people. All they're doing right now is verifying IDs, not more than that.

And the other big change is what you were talking about before, Victor, which is the fact that TSA agents may start getting paid on Monday. There's a great deal of confusion. And I was talking to a union steward because he was telling me that, yes, they got the news that they may get paid, but they don't know if this is going to be only the back pay, if this is going to go on, if this is going to be permanent. So, a great deal of confusion.

Now, these lines are, for the most part, moving swiftly. I don't know if that's going to be the case for the rest of the morning, but things are looking a little bit better than we had seen during the week. That's the situation here.

At other airports across the nation I can tell you, for example, Houston Intercontinental really bad this morning. Again, about an hour and a half. Both New York airports really bad as well. About an hour or so.

So, that's the situation here. Let's see what happens the rest of the morning. Yesterday, like I told you before, completely empty. Not the case. As you can see behind me today, Victor.

BLACKWELL: Yes. And certainly it helps if the line is moving, having stood in that line during the shutdown, psychologically, even if you're in it for 30 minutes, an hour, as long as you're continuing to make progress, that helps. Rafael Romo for us there at Hartsfield- Jackson, thanks so much.

So in the next half hour, stay with this for my conversation with Kimberley Fondren. She's a TSA agent at Memphis International Airport. She's been reporting to work despite not receiving a paycheck. And she is struggling to just to keep a roof over her head. She is facing possible eviction. We'll talk about her challenges and the hope for this paycheck tomorrow.

Organizers say that millions of people across the country packed the streets and parks for the third No Kings protest since Donald Trump took office. The protesters rallied against President Trump's policies. They called for an end to the war, the rising cost of living, and immigration enforcement crackdowns.

[06:10:01]

The flagship protest in Minnesota saw high profile speakers, including the governor, Tim Walz, Senator Bernie Sanders, rock legend Bruce Springsteen. CNN's Shimon Prokupecz has more from Saint Paul.

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Some of the largest crowds we've seen for the No Kings day marches are here in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of people were lining up the state Capitol. All around the state Capitol, holding signs.

A big performance from Bruce Springsteen, who sang about Minneapolis. He wrote a song after the death of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Those were the two protesters that were killed at the hands of immigration officials and ICE officers. And so he wrote a song after that to highlight some of the unfair practices by ICE officers and some of the aggressive tactics, certainly.

So that was one of the big, big moments here. And we heard such loud cheers from the crowd as he sang. And then we heard from a number of politicians, from Governor Walz, from the lieutenant governor, from the attorney general of the state.

The thing about today, for most of the people that were here, a lot on their minds, certainly over what happened here earlier in the year with ICE. But they're also thinking of the war in Iran, and they're also thinking of all of the other what they feel are unfair practices by the Trump administration. And they're out here saying they want it to stop. And for most people, they were just at times smiling just to be together, to be with their community, to be with their neighbors given everything that they've been through here the last several months.

Shimon Prokupecz, CNN, Saint Paul, Minnesota.

BLACKWELL: There are also thousands of people who gathered in the nearly 90 degree heat for No Kings protest in Los Angeles. A smaller protest outside a downtown federal building. Federal authorities there deployed tear gas. Police arrested several protesters. Officers said the demonstrators threw large concrete blocks, bottles and other objects over the property's fence. Julia Vargas Jones has more from the larger protests in L.A.

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Victor, in very L.A. manner, there is a roving salsa band that's been going on here at this protest. Look, one of the main concerns of the majority of people that we've spoken with here in judging by the signs as well, is very much Donald Trump's immigration policies. A lot of what we're seeing are signs like this one that say, abolish ICE, no ICE, ICE out of L.A. I saw a very clever one in this almost 90 degree day that said, L.A. sun will melt the ICE out.

But a lot of it, of course, in this same theme of No Kings, no crowns lots of funny little costumes and signs, A.I. generated signs. We saw "Mean Girls" inspired A.I. generated sign of Donald Trump being arrested in a gold dress, for example.

But there's more issues that brought people out here. So first one is ICE. Surprisingly -- a surprisingly high number of signs that said, released the Epstein files, and of course the war in Iran. With a lot of people saying, we should not be fighting a war abroad right now. We should look at ourselves at the cost of gas, at the cost of living in the United States. Listen to what one of these protestors had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: Why is that important to be silly or to stay positive like that? Like, why is that important to you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because I feel like this entire administration is silly. And sometimes I feel like you have to fight silliness with silliness. The whole thing is ridiculous.

JONES: Are there particular issues that have brought you out to protest?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ICE. I believe that everybody is due due process, and I also believe that the billionaire tax in November needs to pass and I will be voting for it. No more kings, no more billionaires.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: And that kind of environment, Victor, is what organizers said is so important for a protest like this one that should be -- should feel more like a rally and like a party. And it has. We've seen so many vendors out here. Yes, we saw taco vendors. We saw hot dogs. The smell of bacon wrapped hot dogs that you only get if you're here in Los Angeles, or if you're going for a game at Dodger Stadium. That's what they're trying to bring to this protest, to these rallies, this feeling that this is a family friendly, peaceful event that is leaning into the silliness of it all to get those messages across, Victor.

BLACKWELL: All right. Julia Vargas Jones from L.A., thank you. All right. We're still a couple of years away from the 2028 presidential election, but conservative voters just weighed in on who they'd like to see be the Republican nominee.

[06:15:10]

But it's the second place finisher in that CPAC poll that's surprising some. Plus, holy week for Catholics begins with Pope Leo celebrating Palm Sunday mass. Live pictures for you here. His message to the faithful as the world faces a tense lead up to Easter.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:20:12]

BLACKWELL: Now the actual votes are still two years away, but conservative activists are leaning in and weighing in on their preferences for the Republican nominee in 2028. The annual CPAC convention in Texas wrapped up on Saturday. Organizers released a pretty revealing poll. Attendees were asked to make their pick for the president in 2028, and the results surprised some people. CNN's Steve Contorno has details.

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: On the final day of the Conservative Political Action Conference outside of Dallas, organizers released the annual straw poll looking at who attendees believe should be the Republican Party's nominee for president in 2028. Now, this is not a scientific poll, but it did include about 1,600 respondents. And the favorite amongst the majority of people here was Vice President JD Vance. Perhaps no surprise, given that he is the most obvious heir apparent to Donald Trump.

But perhaps in a surprise, the second place vote getter was Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who finished with 35 percent of the vote. Rubio is someone who didn't even get out of single digits in this poll a year ago. He's also someone who has clashed at times with this crowd. However, talking to people here over the past few days, there is certainly a lot of interest in his candidacy, as well as the future of Vance. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As much as I would like to say someone like Vance, I just -- I hate seeing the president and vice president run. I want someone new and different, someone younger.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't really like Vance. I think Pete Hegseth doesn't really know what he's doing. Trump well, he can't run, obviously, but I think Marco Rubio is the only person from the administration that I would support going into 2028.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I voted for Vance.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would go with Vance too. I like Rubio too. They'd make a good team. Too bad they couldn't co-president, you know.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think Vance is in a position and I don't think it would be wise for Rubio and his supporters to try to jump ahead of Vance, because I don't think that -- this is just my opinion of Vance. I don't think he'll run for V.P. again. I mean, he expects to be president and he should be.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Now, a popular opinion among many people here is that Vance and Rubio should run together in some sort of ticket. In fact, one person suggesting to me that Rubio and Vance should be co-presidents, really reflecting how these two have sort of risen above the pack in terms of their support with the GOP base.

It will be interesting to see, though, how that future of this party is affected by who Trump wants to succeed him. Talking to a lot of people here, they say they are waiting to see who the president gets behind before they ultimately make a decision, Victor.

BLACKWELL: Steve Contorno, thanks so much. Let's take a look at your headlines this morning. Hundreds of people lined the streets of Bellevue, Nebraska, all to honor 42-year-old Master Sergeant Noah Tietjens. This was after his funeral. He's one of the six service members killed on March 1st during the early days of the war with Iran in operation Epic Fury.

Thousands of people gathered at the Vatican for Palm Sunday mass. Pope Leo's first as the Pope. Now, the celebration started with a procession of cardinals, bishops, priests, and crowds walking into the square carrying olive branches and palm fronds. For Christians around the world, Palm Sunday marks the start of the Holy Week, leading to Easter. CNN's Christopher Lamb has a live report from London coming up in the next hour.

And half of the men's final four is set. Illinois got the win over big 10 rival Iowa to win the south region. This will be Illinois' first trip to the final four in 21 years. The plan -- they'll play, rather, the winner of today's east regional final between Duke and UConn.

Also making its long awaited return to the final four is top seed Arizona. The Wildcats won the south region by beating Purdue. Arizona has not been to a final four since 2001. They'll play the winner of today's Midwest region final between Michigan and Tennessee.

This morning Israel says it's ready for a multi-front war as more U.S. troops arrive in the Middle East. With that backdrop, talks are now happening in Pakistan to find a way to de-escalate the war with Iran. We're live in Islamabad next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:29:02]

BLACKWELL: New this morning, regional diplomats are meeting in Pakistan for talks to end the Iran war. Pakistan is hosting foreign ministers from Turkey, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia to talk about ways to de-escalate this joint U.S.-Israeli operation in Iran. Now, the countries have seen their borders and energy security come under threat as well.

CNN's senior international correspondent Ivan Watson joins us now from Islamabad. What are you hearing, Ivan?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. Well, already this war has been raging for a month. It's deadly. It's costly, and it's dangerous. And the diplomats that are gathering here are trying to find ways to avoid it from expanding even more. So you've got foreign ministers from Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, all gathering here in the Pakistani capital trying to explore ways to try to deal with it.

But they're fighting some pretty serious headwinds, Victor, because the war already has expanded just in the last 48 hours with the addition of Yemen and the Iranian-backed Houthis, who govern there, into the conflict when they fired missiles for the first time in this round of hostilities at Israel on Saturday.

And, meanwhile, the U.S. military, Central Command, has announced the arrival of some 3,500 Marines and sailors, part of a Marine Expeditionary Unit, in the Middle East. And that's raising the prospects and a lot of speculation about the possibility of some kind of a U.S. ground offensive against Iran, so real risks of further escalation of a war that has already claimed thousands of lives, from Iran to Lebanon and Israel and Iraq and the Gulf Arab countries, fears that it could expand even further.

Now, the Pakistanis have been involved in sharing messages, delivering messages from the Trump administration to the embattled leadership in Tehran. They've also been in direct communication themselves. The Pakistani prime minister and foreign minister both have been talking in the last 24 hours to the Iranian president and foreign minister.

And then Pakistan's top diplomat came out with an announcement saying that Iran had agreed to allow 20 more ships flying the Pakistani flag to pass through the Strait of Hormuz to a day and called this a, quote, "welcome" and constructive gesture by Iran that deserves appreciation. As bad as things are right now, Victor, here's a scenario for it getting even worse. Turkey says it has intercepted missiles fired from Iran into its airspace. Saudi Arabia has repeatedly come under attack from Iranian missiles and drones.

So, far, neither of those countries, which are represented here, have engaged, have retaliated for these types of attacks. That retaliation, if it were to happen, would be a dramatic escalation.

And let's present another scenario. Pakistan shares a mutual defense treaty with Saudi Arabia. If Saudi Arabia gets pulled into the fight, Pakistan would be under pressure to do so as well. This country, an eastern neighbor of Iran, is armed with nuclear weapons. So, as bad as this is, it could still get much, much worse. And that's why the diplomacy here is so important. Victor.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Very important points there. Ivan Watson there in Islamabad. And of course, we'll be watching those talks. Thank you very much. Let's get into a lot of that with Behnam Ben Taleblu. He is the senior director of the Iran Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Good to have you back on the show. So, let's talk about the talks that are happening now between Pakistan, Egypt, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

I don't think anybody expects a tidy peace plan to come out of this that everyone will agree to. But what do you think is within reach today? What are the prospects for this meeting?

BEHNAM BEN TALEBLU, SENIOR DIRECTOR, IRAN PROGRAM, FOUNDATION FOR DEFENSE OF DEMOCRACIES: Well, it's a pleasure to be with you, Victor. That's the million-dollar question right now, at least diplomatically. What can some of the outside powers, and again, outside in might actually be key here, particularly when you're looking at Pakistan and Turkey, which have, at least in this round, been more keen to be on the front lines of mediation than some of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries in the past or even before that, some of the European countries?

Some of these countries have bilateral interests between Iran and, more importantly, between America that they may be looking to bring into the fore here. I'm thinking about Turkey. Pakistan, for example, might be a proxy for another GCC country that may be looking to get involved. But in short, I wouldn't look for any kind of big diplomatic breakthrough or success. I think it's all about de-escalation and de- confliction, which is driving some of the engagement of these countries. So, think about limping along rather than solving the problem.

BLACKWELL: So, de-escalation and de-confliction of Iran and the U.S., is Israel interested in de-escalation at this point?

TALEBLU: Well, I think both Iran and America, as well as Israel for that matter, are looking to win, but they have very, very different thresholds for victory and very, very different definitions of victory. Thus far, I think both the Pakistani and Turkish mediation or Turkish attempts at developing an off-ramp are focused more on trying to get America to come to the table or get some kind of a solution politically, militarily, vis-a-vis the Americans in the bid of trying to pressure the Israelis to step back.

You know, we saw this last June, I think, during the 12-day war, where once America stepped back, America pulled Israel and Iran back simultaneously. So, if I had to guess here, there is a reason why both Pakistan and Turkey are focusing on the U.S. here.

BLACKWELL: Ivan mentioned this announcement from the deputy prime minister in Pakistan of the Iranians allowing 20 Pakistani ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, two per day. He called this a harbinger of peace.

[06:35:00]

And President Trump, just before midnight, reposted this announcement from Deputy PM Dar. Is this a harbinger of peace? We don't want to overstate it, but what do you see here?

TALEBLU: I think we don't want to overstate it, but this still gets to the problem, which is that the Islamic Republic of Iran is weaponizing control of the Strait of Hormuz. As you know, this is where about one-fifth of the seaborne oil trade around the entire world goes through. So, it's a critical waterway.

Now, with Iran's proxies in the Arabian Peninsula, the Houthis firing missiles at Israel, there's always the fear that they could come back online in the Red Sea and amplify some of the threats in the energy sector and global shipping world that we already see and feel, more importantly, when it comes to the Strait of Hormuz. So, just because Pakistan is able to re-flag some tankers and get a few more ships in doesn't mean we've solved the problem.

The problem is going to come with either a big military solution or a big political settlement over control of the Strait of Hormuz, which is going to be totally connected to, rather than divorced from, the fighting that we see inside Iran and with Israel and with America. So, I think this is one reason for the U.S. to try to say why or try to point to a win as to why they have extended the window to more attacks into Iran. I think President Trump said that window now goes into April 6th for a pause on, quote/unquote, "attacks" on critical infrastructure and energy, at least from the U.S. side.

So, the U.S. might be looking to use this as a measure of victory. But again, that is short term, in my view. And all eyes will still be on the Strait of Hormuz.

BLACKWELL: Yes. And as you said, this will either be resolved by a big military move or diplomatic move. And we're seeing movements in both of those sectors. Behnam Ben Taleblu, thank you so much.

TALEBLU: Thank you. Appreciate it.

BLACKWELL: All right. The Trump administration says ICE officers will be moving into expanded roles at airports. And we're waiting to see if the DHS promise to pay TSA agents comes through tomorrow or get reaction from a TSA employee facing the threat of eviction for a second time because of a government shutdown.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:40:00]

BLACKWELL: ICE agents will soon adopt new roles to help TSA agents manage those long lines and staffing challenges at airports. Border czar Tom Homan says a lot of them have completed training and could start helping at airports as soon as today. Now, Homan did not say what type of training or the positions that they could be moved to. The border czar will actually be joining Jake Tapper this morning on State of the Union. That starts at 9:00 a.m. right here on CNN.

These back-to-back government shutdowns have taken a toll on the people who keep our airports safe. As you know, thousands of TSA officers have been working essential jobs for weeks without pay and the bills are piling up. The debt is piling up.

Joining me now is Kimberley Fondren. She's a TSA officer at Memphis International Airport. She's been reported to work without a paycheck and now facing serious financial hardship, including the risk of eviction. Kimberley, thank you for being with me.

I want to talk about this eviction prospect first. We're coming up on the first of the month. What's your window? When is the rent due and therefore you must be paid so you can keep a roof over your head?

KIMBERLEY FONDREN, TSA AGENT: Well, April 1st and Tuesday, they keep us to the 5th to make the payment without incurring late fees. But after 15 days of the unpayment, the eviction can start.

BLACKWELL: And this is the second time you've faced eviction because of the first shutdown, well, the first of the second term of President Trump, in October and November. Tell me about that.

FONDREN: Well, yes. We went months without a paycheck. And so, of course, they gave us a letter to give to our creditors and late fee, all these, the officers. And we turned in -- I turned in my letter and I was met back with, we understand what -- you know, that the government is shut down. You're not getting paid, but you have to find a way to pay your rent. It's basically what we were getting. It was what I got from my (INAUDIBLE).

BLACKWELL: So, two long extended shutdowns, two risks of evictions. I imagine there's a lot you cut out before you risk your housing, right? Talk to me about the changes you've made up to this point to stay afloat.

FONDREN: Well, I have two daughters, one is in college and one is a senior in high school, and they both are going to jobs to try to help, you know, make grocery payments and gas payments and things like that so that we can get where we need to go. And Uber and Lyfting as a way to try to supplement my income because, you know, things are just piling up. So, we're working all night at the airport. We're doing -- before I leave in the morning, before I start another shift. And we cut out internet, you know, like our cell phones got behind, no Netflix, no streaming, just all that was gone because we had more important things to focus on.

BLACKWELL: You told one of my producers, it feels like you're being held hostage.

FONDREN: That's exactly what it's like. I mean, because we show up every day at work. We have a very serious job to, you know, protect the American travel, to protect the American people. So, I -- just stop and focus is what we need to be doing.

[06:45:00]

Worrying about if my life is going to be on when I get home. And so, thinking about that, I'm going to work every day. It is like a hostage situation because we're not being paid. It's obviously serious that we show up because of it. And that's what, you know, we have to focus on right now. And that's why the hostage thing is like, you have no option, no choice.

BLACKWELL: I wonder what it feels like or your thoughts about the president now, 40 plus days in simply signing an executive order and say, OK, pay TSA when presumably that could have been an option a month ago.

FONDREN: Well, he's doing it now. So, you know, well, then we are finally going to get what we are owed. It's just, please stop using this (INAUDIBLE) because that's what we feel like in this situation. And it's not fair. Basic human needs, they have no worry about that, it's not fair for us to have to worry about that when we show up and do what we're supposed to do.

BLACKWELL: Yes. You said that you take this oath seriously. And I've heard, you know, that stream of responsibility and patriotism from other TSAs I've spoken with. But now with two extended shutdowns, the risk to your housing twice, are you reconsidering this job?

FONDREN: Honestly, you think about it when you're doing the job, yes. You know, you get frustrated. But at the end of the day, this is a very important job. It's a very important. It's a career, really. But that was a career. That's what everybody wants is a stable career. And that's what we need.

BLACKWELL: Yes. Kimberley Fondren, thank you for the work that you do. Of course, we are sorry that you're not being paid. And I thank you for your time this morning.

FONDREN: Thank you.

BLACKWELL: All right. Coming up, President Trump's immigration crackdown after months of tension and protest. What are the fruits of this? We'll get into it next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:50:00]

BLACKWELL: Tonight, on "The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper," we're on the front lines of President Trump's immigration crackdown. So, in this yearlong push, what have these tactics accomplished? Here's CNN's Omar Jimenez.

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Victor. Well, for those who have been following what's been going on with the Department of Homeland Security over what is now more than a month at this point, a lot of what we covered in this is actually at the center of this political debate, because if you remember, part of why we even got to this Department of Homeland Security shutdown to begin with was disagreement over reforms to ICE and reforms to immigration enforcement tactics, a lot of which, of course, were in the spotlight during some of the immigration enforcement crackdowns we saw in these major cities.

So, what we showed in this was we really wanted to bring people to the front lines at during, I should say, when some of these operations were at their peaks in Minneapolis, for example. I was there multiple times over the course of January and some of February as well, documenting Operation Metro Surge, as it was known there. But we also went to Chicago and Los Angeles, two cities that were also major flashpoints before we even got to this year.

And what I want to show you here actually is tied to Los Angeles, because that was really the beginning of when we saw these types of operations that only began to escalate as they moved from city to city. But I want you to listen to this woman who we spoke to whose boyfriend was detained right in front of her eyes. Take a listen to some of her story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I turned, I looked at him, and he looked at me, and we both knew it wasn't going to end well. That's when I started tearing up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Move your hand away.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Move your hand away. Listen.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sir.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ma'am. Put cuffs on her. your Ma'am, stop. Stop resisting.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: At that moment, I felt everything had stopped, and it was just me and him.

JIMENEZ: Did you realize that that was going to be the last time you saw him in person?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No one wants you here. Get the -- out of L.A.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): Before Los Angeles, typical immigration roundups were done by targeting and pre-planning the arrests.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Shame on you.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): These roving patrol-style operations seemed more random, stopping people waiting for work at Home Depot parking lots, for example. In Lopez Alvarado's case, she was pulled off the vehicle and detained. Her boyfriend was detained, too, but separately. A DHS spokesperson says Lopez Alvarado was taken into custody because she was obstructing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was from almost 3:30 to 11:00, almost 12:00 in the morning. The whole time, like, hugging my stomach, checking that my baby was kicking.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): She was nine months pregnant.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JIMENEZ (on camera): And her boyfriend did not have any criminal history, as she told us. He was deported from the country and then tried to get back into the country and is most recently detained, as she told us.

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But what it really highlights is that these tactics have really put people, U.S. citizens, as Cary Lopez Alvarado is, in a position where they've had to recalibrate their entire lives. I mean, she was nine months pregnant when she was taken into custody there. And then you're going to see kind of what happened next as part of this hour here.

We also, as I mentioned, Chicago, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, we also went to Washington, D.C., and southern Mexico to show how these tactics are actually having an effect on migration patterns as well. I'm excited for you to see this. We really took a comprehensive look at things, and I think people are going to get a lot out of it, Victor.

BLACKWELL: All right. Omar Jimenez, thank you so much. And we'll be sure to watch "Immigration Crackdown: A Year of Enforcement" on "The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper," tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific on CNN and tomorrow on the CNN app.

All right. We're following a series of new headlines on the war with Iran. Ahead in the next hour, the latest strikes, the military moves, and the talks with leaders in the region as thousands of U.S. Marines and soldiers arrive.

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