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Russia Benefits from Iran War; Army Looking into Kid Rock Flyby; Kaela Berg is Interviewed about TSA; Hegseth Invokes Biblical Language in Messaging. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired March 31, 2026 - 06:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:32:36]

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. I'm Erica Hill. Nice to have all of you with us here on CNN THIS MORNING. It's 6:32 here on the East Coast. Here's what's happening right now.

The war in Iran causing gas prices to skyrocket. The average price of gas now more than $4 a gallon in the U.S. That is the highest we've seen since 2022. U.S. crude oil prices now at more than $100 a barrel, rising after President Trump renewed his ultimatum on Iran, make a deal or the U.S. will blow up Iran's oil facilities.

New images show the damage of Kuwaiti tanks with a -- tankers with a full load of oil. So, this tanker was hit by an Iranian drone. Twenty- four crew members were on board. We're told all are safe.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune says there will be no early return to Washington, D.C., for a vote to reopen the Department of Homeland Security. In a letter to his conference, Thune says he does not plan to interrupt the two-week recess for a, quote, "show vote" on funding. But he did say he'd recall senators early if bipartisan negotiations are successful.

The women's NCAA Final Four is now set. And if it looks familiar, it should. It's a repeat of last year's. Texas securing its spot with a win over Michigan. South Carolina beating TCU to join UCLA and UConn in the final. Of course, the UConn men's team also advanced on Sunday after that buzzer beater. Michigan, Arizona and Illinois round out the men's final four.

You can catch all the action April 4th and 6th on our sister networks TBS and HBO Max.

So, when it comes to the war with Iran, is Russia perhaps the real winner right now? Ukraine's president seems to think so.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINE: And Russia wants long war. They have benefits. Long war. United States is focusing on the Middle East. That's meant that they will decrease help military. Military help to Ukraine. The second point, sanctions are lifted partially, but in any way. Now they began economically grow. So, I see only benefits for Russia.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: CNN national security analyst Alex Plitsas is joining the group chat. He's also the director of counterterrorism program at the Atlantic Council.

President Zelenskyy sees only benefits for Russia. Do you agree?

ALEX PLITSAS, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Unfortunately, I do. I mean the Ukrainian strategy has been to try to put pressure on the Russians by attacks on oil and gas infrastructure over the last year, which was halted for a bit at the request of the United States and then it started again after they failed to reach an agreement in Alaska. So, unfortunately, now, with these sanctions being lifted, it's necessary to bring more oil onto the international market to decrease pressure on the markets and therefore on the United States to complete the military operation.

[06:35:07]

So, he can't win one way or the other.

HILL: Yes.

PLITSAS: And then, you know, we're looking at a large utilization of missile defense interceptors across the region, which, unfortunately, he also needs because the Russians are using the same tactics as the Iranians, a combination of Shahed drones and ballistic missile attacks. So, it's been really difficult to watch this for the Ukrainians who had just started to gain momentum. And then to watch this happen has been tragic.

HILL: It's interesting to see too the way that Ukraine has offered up its expertise and capabilities --

PLITSAS: Yes.

HILL: Because of what it has faced in the war with Russia, and also to see that Zelenskyy had just returned, of course, from the region. He was meeting with leaders from the UAE, Saudi, Qatar, Jordan to shore up those alliances, but also talking about assisting them.

Does this also provide hopefully, I would imagine is the point for President Zelenskyy, another route and more assurances when the U.S. is clearly not -- Ukraine's not a priority for this administration, and also Europe, facing its own challenges. How important are those relationships based on these meetings?

PLITSAS: Well, they're incredibly important because, you know, between the gulf and Israel, there hasn't been a lot of support for the Ukrainians just given the relationship with Russia. Most folks aren't aware, one-third of the Israeli population is either a first generation immigrant or native born person from a former Soviet Republic or Russia. So, there's deep familial ties, cultural and everything that's there. Netanyahu hasn't spoken to Zelenskyy since the October 7th attack, it hasn't happened, even though he's a sitting Jewish head of state, asked to come and visit. So, it's been sort of a, you know, tense relationship.

Fortunately, you know, Joy Shanaberger, who's the chief technology officer at U.S. Central Command, she's now in charge of the Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force and some of the counter U.S. -- UAS task forces, or Unmanned Aerial Systems, have been working with the Ukrainians for the last year to help try to field and implement counter systems. So, the Ukrainians have been working with the U.S. secretly in the background for quite some time, and now we're seeing the results play out.

In speaking to gulf partners over the last week, their confidence has increased significantly since Ukrainian anti-drone technologies have become available. But now we're hearing that the Russians are once again providing advanced technology and intelligence to the gulf partners that are being utilized against U.S. forces. We've seen successful strikes with U.S. casualties that we can directly attribute back to support.

HILL: In terms of that T.W., what would you like to hear from this administration in coming out, talking about the way Russia is potentially helping?

T.W. ARRIGHI, VICE PRESIDENT, PUSH DIGITAL GROUP: Well, I view this predominantly as a way to ease the pressure in the short term. I don't -- the signals I'm getting from the administration, through the reports, through the media, that what we're hearing is they're hoping this is a shorter-term thing rather than a longer-term thing. So, to Zelenskyy's point about him only seeing benefits, that is true in the short -- in the short term, that is true, but that does not necessitate a longer-term affair that would give Russia more leeway in it.

HILL: Is there a concern among the people who you're speaking with about the sharing of intel from Russia that could directly impact the U.S.?

ARRIGHI: In Iran?

HILL: Yes.

ARRIGHI: Yes. Well, look, Russia's involvement in the struggle in Iran and whatever it is, is obviously all going to be colored by their involvement in Ukraine. They have -- they had a full-frontal war. We don't know the full depth of it. We do know, however, that our attacks in Venezuela and Iran have changed Vladimir Putin's behavioral patterns. We know he is not going to the Kremlin as much. He -- there is a new sense of paranoia that has hit Moscow in a way that didn't before. Those are really good, secondary effects from our actions. And so, I think that is the biggest benefit I see coming out of that.

MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: But the problem is, and you said at the very beginning, you hope, they hope. Hope is not a strategy. And that has been the problem from the very beginning. The American people still don't understand why it is that we went to war with Iran. The president says something, then Hegseth says something, then Marco Rubio says something, and they aren't -- they're not saying the same thing.

I think, politically, this is hugely kryptonite for this administration when you hear these issues about what's going on with Iran and nobody knows what's happening. Gas is spiraling in terms of the costs going up. And then there are reports that they're about -- the GOP here in town is considering cutting health care yet again for the American people in order to pay for the war in Iran after massive, historic cuts that they made in the big, horrible bill last summer. Politically, this is not ending up as a positive for this administration and for Republicans going into the midterms.

HILL: I'll give you last word, Margaret.

MARGARET TALEV, SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR, "AXIOS": I think Zelenskyy's analysis is overwhelmingly correct right now. And there are only two small caveats. One is that the Trump administration was really pressuring Zelenskyy to come to the table on Russia's terms anyway with the U.S. a little bit refocused on Iran right now. That temporary pressure is off of him. But as he says, as soon as this is over, it's going to come right back. Russia is making money. Weapons are less available to the Ukrainians.

Long term, this is a problem both for the U.S., unless President Trump's original analysis or hope is right.

[06:40:02]

If this could be dispensed with quickly, if Iran could be super weakened, that would probably weaken Russia in the long term. But based on what is happening right now, if I were Vladimir Zelenskyy, I would have the same analysis that he does.

HILL: We have like 20 seconds. How much leverage does Iran have right now just by keeping the Straits of Hormuz closed?

PLITSAS: They -- this is part of an asymmetric strategy to put pressure on the United States to drive up oil prices and the price of goods to get them to stop because they think the president's concerned about the midterm elections, and they believe that they're winning at this point. And until that perception changes, they're going to continue to behave this way. We went from a battle of attrition to a battle of wills, and that's where we are.

HILL: All right, thank you all.

Much more to come here, including we're going to take a closer look at this video posted by Kid Rock, which has now sparked an investigation by the U.S. Army. So, take a look here. This shows what appears to be a flyby of an Apache helicopter -- there were two different videos -- at his Tennessee home over the weekend. So, the Army says it's now looking into regulations and safety standards. A spokesperson for the 101st Airborne Division telling CNN appropriate action will be taken if any violations are found. Kid Rock brushing it off. In an interview with Nashville's WKRN he said, my buddy is commander in chief. I mean, what are they looking into? They stopped for seconds, a minute?"

Hmm, let's bring this into the group chat, shall we?

So, as we look at this, you know, the issue there being, they're looking into it. Maybe they stopped for a couple of seconds, but I don't know, was there enough warning that we set up a perfect shot where you could see Kid Rock and the Statue of Liberty and there's the helicopter and they're just doing a fly by. It raises significant questions about how the military is being used, Margaret.

TALEV: Yes. You might notice in one of those shots, there's a small plaque that says Southern White House --

HILL: Yes. Yes. Did see that.

TALEV: Which is what Kid Rock calls his palatial (ph) estate.

So, the -- what the military has said is, that was not an official sort of flyby.

HILL: Yes.

TALEV: That wasn't -- there was no official order saying do that. So, then the question is, well, so why did the pilot decide to do it? I can't imagine an Apache pilot would like take it upon themselves. This came in close proximity to the pilots flying in the vicinity of the "No Kings" protests. And Kid Rock is sort of the champion of the counter-programming for the president. Remember, he did the counterprogramming for Bad Bunny at the Super Bowl. So, the list of nine million things that we're all watching in the world right now, this is probably not like the top national security concern.

But there is a persistent question about politicization of the military and whether the administration or the president's team is politicizing the military, the use of military equipment, you know, in this civilian theater to make a political point. So, I think the answers to those questions are what we'll be looking for.

HILL: The politicization and, frankly, Alex, the seriousness, right? It's still the U.S. military.

TALEV: Yes.

HILL: It's not a prop.

PLITSAS: No, it's a U.S. military asset. So, this is -- I mean, as a former soldier as well just watching, this is one of those moments where you sit down, you look at a young lieutenant or a captain or a young chief warrant officer and go, what were you thinking? You know, it's clear that this -- based on what's been communicated, this wasn't an order to do this. They were flying by. The idea that somebody just showed up and happened to see Kid Rock from what looks like about 100 yards away and somehow identified him, it's pretty clear somebody was flying by, kind of knew what they were doing, perhaps celebrity sightseeing. It's a U.S. military aircraft. That's taxpayer dollars that are there.

So, what the military is going to look into, is this a violation of safety regulations. And then it's going to come down to good order and discipline. And you're going to have a commander across the desk looking at these two guys and going, what are you knuckleheads doing? Like, that's where this is likely going to end up.

HILL: All right. Thank you all.

Up next here on CNN THIS MORNING, Congress not coming back early to end the DHS shutdown. I'm going to speak with a flight attendant who's also running for office. She'll tell us more about what she has seen and heard in the airports and in the skies.

Plus.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: And I don't think there's anything wrong with our military leaders or with the president calling on the American people to pray for our service members.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: The pontiff, the president and prayer. Pope Leo saying God does not listen to the prayer of those who wage war. Later ahead here on CNN, Democratic whip, minority whip, Katherine Clark also joining. Stay tuned for that coming up in the next hour.

We'll be right back.

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[06:48:26]

HILL: Congress currently on that two-week recess amidst the longest partial government shutdown in history. And there are no plans for lawmakers to come back early. This morning, lines at the airports are easing. TSA agents have, of course, started receiving some of that backpay after missing six weeks of pay. Some 500 agents have quit since the shutdown began, and there are concerns that the repeated use of TSA as essentially political pawns could make not only recruiting but retention even more difficult.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: So, when you saw the lines at various major airports across the country, American travelers really paying the price for Democrats' partizan games. And so, the president worked with his legal team here at the White House and the Office of Management and Budget to find a solution to take care of the emergency that we were seeing in air travel across the country. And it's because of the president that TSA agents are being paid.

(END VIDEO CLIP) HILL: Joining us now, Kaela Berg. She's a Democrat running for Congress in Minnesota. She's also a flight attendant. So, you can speak to us on a couple of different levels here.

It's nice to have you with us this morning.

Just, first, Kaela, if you could, talk to me about what you're seeing both at airports and what you're hearing on those flights over the last couple of weeks from passengers.

KAELA BERG (D), FLIGHT ATTENDANT RUNNING FOR CONGRESS: Well, thank you, Erica, for having me.

So, look, this is the second time there's been a government shutdown and our TSA workers have suffered. And they are being used as political pawns by the Republicans because regular working people rarely matter to them when they are making these policies.

HILL: What do you -- is there a discussion that you're overhearing as you're, you know, walking up the aisle of the plane from passengers?

[06:50:05]

BERG: Sure. Look, a lot of people have stood in long lines, but more importantly, these workers have gone without a paycheck for six weeks. The Republicans voted seven times not to pay them. Last fall, they came to pick up boxes of food after their shifts. This is irresponsible at best and unconscionable at worst for the Republicans to treat workers the way they have. And I don't blame the TSA workers for not coming to work.

HILL: There's been, dissatisfaction, I think, is maybe putting it mildly, from, you know, not only TSA agents, right, who've joined us here on the air, but also from Americans at the way all of this is being handled. Whether there is a "D" or an "R" after the name, they're, frankly, fed up with Congress at this point. And I was struck by some comments from Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey over the weekend talking specifically about the work he sees that needs to be done by the Democratic Party.

Here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CORY BOOKER (D-NJ): Look, I'm proud of so many things that my Democratic colleagues are doing. But as a whole, our party has failed this moment. It's why I've called for new leadership in America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: You're running as a Democrat. Do you think your party hears that message?

BERG: Look, I think they do. And here's, you know, here's the truth. Working people don't run for these positions. There are multi- millionaires and political dynasties, but very few working-class people. That's why I'm running for Congress, so that our hard-working families actually have a voice in the systems that are designed to keep them down.

HILL: So, you're -- I mean, and you are still working, we should -- we should point that out. You know, you're still working as a flight attendant. How does Delta feel about you running while you're working?

BERG: Well, currently we're in session in the Minnesota House, which I'm in my third term, so I'm not flying. But Delta's been pretty great to me, to be honest. I go on leave when we are in session and I have to fly when we're not just to make ends meet. And that's what it's like to be a working person who is just trying to make a difference in my community.

HILL: You raise a point, which certainly does resonate with voters, about how out of touch it can feel their lawmakers are with their lived experience. We talk so much about affordability these days. You also have a unique perspective when it comes to safety in the skies. We were talking earlier this morning about that flight from Brazil that had to make an emergency landing, it was scheduled to go to Atlanta, when fire broke out. Passengers could see it. You know, that terrible, tragic collision at LaGuardia just over a week ago. I mean, how much of a focus is that for you? What do you think is lacking, based on your experience as a flight attendant, when it comes to safety and airline safety?

BERG: I don't think there's anything lacking, frankly. We've seen a number of emergency landings and problematic flights, and we are well trained year-round to expect to have to act in an emergency just like this. And when you see an entire cabin and crew that are evacuated safely, that is our training. It is drilled into us. And we think about it every day. And that's what we are there for, to react in that instant when it really matters.

HILL: And just -- and, sorry, I may not have phrased correctly, but when it comes to -- I'm thinking more from a federal level, right, as we see continued issues with recruiting enough air traffic controllers, with concerns about TSA workers and, you know, them not getting paid when there is a government shutdown and very real concerns about retention and recruitment. Do you believe that your voice would change some of those conversations in Washington?

BERG: I actually do, because you mentioned earlier the idea of lived experience. And there's not a lot of flight attendants in Congress. But we are like safety professionals. And to be able to have that conversation from 23 years of flying, I understand what it's like when we don't have air traffic control staffing at the right levels. Our TSA keep me safe when I go to work. And so, these changes make it harder for us to do our job and could be less safe for the American public.

HILL: We will be watching. Kaela, appreciate you taking the time to join us. We'll be watching your race.

BERG: Thank you so much, Erica. HILL: So, the White House was asked specifically about Pope Leo's

message in his Palm Sunday address, that God doesn't listen to the prayer of those who wage war.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POPE LEO (through translator): He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them, saying, even though you make many prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood.

KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We've seen presidents, we've seen the leaders of the Department of War, and we've seen our troops go to prayer during the most turbulent times in our nation's history.

[06:55:03]

And I don't think there's anything wrong with our military leaders or with the president calling on the American people to pray for our service members and those who are serving our country overseas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: The group chat is back.

So, Karoline Leavitt not directly addressing the pope's comments there about waging war. I think many agree, Americans would agree with Karoline Leavitt. There really isn't anything controversial about praying for U.S. troops, right, praying for their safety. But it revives important questions that I think we have seen about how those calls are made, how much one faith should be the focus over others. And I just want to play some recent comments from Secretary Hegseth.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETE HEGSETH, DEFENSE SECRETARY: Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle.

Pour out your wrath upon those who plot vain things and blow them away like chaff before the wind.

Give them wisdom in every decision. Endurance for the trial ahead. Unbreakable unity and overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy.

May Almighty God continue to bless our troops in this fight.

Please pray for them, every day, on bended knee, with your family, in your schools, in your churches, in the name of Jesus Christ.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Those final comments there were from the last time that we had a briefing, which was March 19th, on your knees in schools, calling specifically for prayers in the name of Jesus Christ. Potentially alienating not only people of other faiths, but no faith at all. Does that, T.W., cross a line, a constitutional line?

ARRIGHI: Well, I'm not so certain he would only allow prayer to Jesus Chris.

HILL: I didn't ask if he -- we don't --

ARRIGHI: Well, I think it's -- I think it's --

HILL: He said specifically, pray in the name of Jesus Christ.

ARRIGHI: Well, he prays in the name of Jesus Christ.

HILL: Right.

ARRIGHI: He's a Christian. A proud Christian. And I think since our founding, since our founding fathers made public proclamations, they invoked the name of God, they invoked God, they invoked Christ throughout the Civil War, World War II. Every battle people have invoked the name of their Savior.

But, you know, I think, to Pope Leo's comments, I'm not necessarily surprised he made them. Every supreme pontiff should always support peace. As I view it, though, the apocalyptic terrorist regime in Iran is the one who creates the most war. And I do pray for our troops every single day because those warriors in battle, those people sent to -- into harm's way by their leadership, I believe they are looked at -- after by God, and God views them differently than leadership of any nation.

CARDONA: I agree that there is nothing wrong and we all should be praying. Those who are faithful should be praying for our troops, no question about that. But I don't think that's -- that's not what the pope was saying. And I don't think that's the question at hand.

I think there's a lot of concern, and I've seen some reporting, obviously anonymously, from troops who hear Hegseth's words and the way that he says it -- says it and the tone. It's very warmonger-ish, using religion to sort of talk about how it is appropriate for us to go and kill people. And that, I think, is what is of concern. And they're saying that -- and we actually mentioned it earlier, a lot of these troops are young people, very influenced by what Hegseth says. If there is a moment on the battlefield and the words of Hegseth is in -- are in the minds of some of these troops, and they say, God is with us, perhaps they think they can do whatever they want. And I don't think that that is a position, a fair position to put our troops in.

TALEV: The First Amendment very clearly protects individual troops, right, to pray. That's not the issue. The issue is that there are also legal limitations on government's role in proselytizing or in promoting a certain kind of religion. There are obviously political concerns about Christian nationalism, about using these official government posts to encourage a specific kind of religion. And there are troops, you know, engaged or who could be called to service who are Jewish, Muslim, non-denominational, agnostic, atheist. And so, the concern really is not whether soldiers have the right to pray, it is, what are the limitations on the government invoking a brand of religion in a way that puts something that could feel like pressure on people who are serving our country?

HILL: Yes, we have about 40 seconds left. Quick, group chat.

TALEV: OK. In our house, the most popular story is the hijacking of the KitKat bars. But for me --

HILL: Love that story.

TALEV: I am -- did you guys watch that Phillies game last night? Like, are the Nationals good again? Would that be the greatest thing for Washington in five years? Right now they are. Right now.

[07:00:00]

HILL: Right now. Right now they are. The season is early.

TALEV: Right now they are.

HILL: T.W., what do you have?

ARRIGHI: I don't understand why every time I go -- like, I'm watching a love story. It's all right. But it seems as though my algorithm is trying to make me obsessed with the Kennedys. I'm getting fed everything about JFK, Jr. right now.

HILL: And '90 --

ARRIGHI: And Caroline.

HILL: And '90s chic fashion (ph).

ARRIGHI: I'm a '90s kid. I get it.

CARDONA: My group chat's very nerdy. We're concerned about birthright citizenship. It's now being discussed in front of the Supreme Court.

HILL: Big week for that.

CARDONA: It's a big week for that.

HILL: I have a feeling we'll be discussing that in the group chat later on this week.

CARDONA: There you go.

HILL: Great to see all of you this morning.

ARRIGHI: Great. Thank you.

HILL: Thank you. Thanks to all of you for joining us. I'm Erica Hill. The headlines are next.

[07:00:00]