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Connect the World
Iranian Missile with Cluster Warhead Seen Over Tel Aviv; Iran Rows Back Threat to Target Gulf Desalination Plants; Oil Prices Drop as Trump Pulls Back on Ultimatum Against Iran; IEA Chief Warns Energy Crisis Worse Than 1970s Oil Shocks; 400+ TSA Officers Have Quit Since U.S. Government Shutdown Began; Two Dead in Runway Collision at New York's Laguardia Airport. Aired 9-10a ET
Aired March 23, 2026 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[09:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: The U.S. President Donald Trump says in a social media post that his threat to obliterate Iran's
energy infrastructure is now on hold. It is 09:00 a.m. there in Washington, 05:00 p.m. here in Abu Dhabi in the UAE.
I'm Becky Anderson from our Middle East programming headquarters, you're watching "Connect the World". Well, the stock market in New York opens
about 30 minutes from now. And markets set to take off at the open after President Trump's latest Truth Social post.
This would be a total turnaround in investor sentiment based purely on a social post. Well after days of mixed messaging on ending or intensifying
the war with Iran. The U.S. President now says there is progress towards what he is calling a total resolution of hostilities in that post on his
social media website, Donald Trump says, the two countries have had what he calls very good and productive conversations over the past two days.
And he goes on to say that, based on those conversations, he is delaying by five days. his threat to attack Iranian power plants should Tehran not
reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Well, Iran denying any dialog has taken place, and I've just learned that Qatar not engaging in any mediation efforts
between the two countries.
However, as you just saw, Donald Trump's remarks having a huge impact on both the stock and oil markets, and we will get more on that in a few
minutes time. Meantime, both Iran and Lebanon are injuring more attacks. This video shows Iranian Red Crescent workers at the scene of a strike on a
residential building in Tehran.
The combined death toll in both countries now stands in the thousands. Well, Iran firing back at Israel and its Gulf neighbors, while most of the
missiles and drones are being intercepted. Few are getting through a missile with a suspected cluster warhead was seen over Tel Aviv early
today.
We've got Oren Liebermann in Jerusalem, Matthew Chance in Doha, Kevin Liptak is at the White House. All with insight and analysis about where we
are and what happens next. Kevin, let's start with you and this latest social media post by President Trump. Just how significant could this be?
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: You know, I think it's significant that the president is postponing this attack on an Iranian
power plant that he had been threatening. He seems to have been giving himself some more breathing room after probably recognizing that this would
have caused an enormous retaliation on the part of the Iranians, that this would be another step up the escalation ladder.
And certainly, he had seen what it was doing to the markets, and so the president seems to be trying to back out of the corner that he had boxed
himself in on. But when it comes to the question of what these negotiations actually consist of, and in fact, who they are actually with, there are
still a lot of questions.
And I do think it sort of leads you to believe that we are not sort of on the precipice of a negotiated settlement to this conflict. Now, as you
mentioned, and as you reported, Qatar has not involved in this in any way, in any sort of mediating effort. That's something that, that country has
been involved in.
In the past, although I am told now that there were messages passed through Egypt and through Turkey, all of these nations who have tried to play a
role in mediating this conflict since it began, and saw these threats on the power infrastructure in Iran as a very dangerous escalation on the part
of the president, and have been looking for ways to try and de-escalate this going forward.
Of course, Steve Witkoff, the President's Foreign Envoy, hearing from a number of regional allies, trying to encourage some way to prevent what
they viewed as a very sort of dangerous move on the part of the president, but when the president says in this post that they're discussing what he
calls the complete and total resolution of the conflict.
I still think it's entirely unclear what exactly the president views that as you know, does he allow Iran to maintain, for example, the highly
enriched uranium that remains buried underground. Does he allow Iran the ability to close the Strait of Hormuz in the future?
Those are all things that I think the president would have balked at, you know, a couple of weeks ago, or even a couple of days ago, but now the
president seems more intent than he has at any point in the course of this three week long conflict to engage in some sort of negotiations, but
certainly a lot of questions at this hour about what exactly those negotiations consist of.
ANDERSON: Let's bring up Matthew from Doha. You've woken up in the Gulf region where I am.
[09:05:00]
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Yeah.
ANDERSON: Pretty, a sense of sort of, you know, high alertness this morning, ahead of what we had believed would be this sort of deadline some
hours from now from Donald Trump. We've got new reporting that Qatar denying involvement in these talks that Donald Trump is touting, but we do
have this post from Oman's Foreign Minister saying that his country, and I quote him here, is working intensively to put in place safe passage
arrangements for the Strait of Hormuz.
What do we know about how the U.S. and Iran would be communicating at this stage?
CHANCE: Well, I mean, it's difficult to say, Becky, but as you know, there is a great sense of tension in this Persian Gulf region right now as we
approach that deadline that President Trump set, in which he said he was going to, you know, strike at Iran's power plants, and that Iran vowed to
strike back, which would have brought yet more sort of economic hardship to this region.
And so, I think everybody here was kind of bracing themselves for this Iran war to escalate further cause more economic damage. And of course, what
caused more damage to the sort of hard-earned reputation that the region has built for itself in terms of it being a financial center of stability.
But nobody I've spoken to in this region, and I've spoken to a few kinds of people behind the scenes in various governments across the region have been
able to say, yes, these negotiations have been underway, and yes, President Trump is right. There is progress being made.
I mean, the sense you get talking to people, is that this idea that there have been talks between the United States and Iran, either directly or
indirectly, is something that well, for want of a phrase to put it better, something Trump has made up to calm or to ease the markets.
And so that certainly seems to be the impression that a lot of people that I've spoken to behind the scenes here in the Gulf region are telling me,
Becky.
ANDERSON: And the UAE certainly setting out its position over the weekend, it doesn't see a ceasefire as a lasting solution, doubling down on pretty
strong language using the term terrorists when it comes to the Iranian regime. Saudi Arabia certainly more robust in its language as well.
So, I guess before I move on to Oren, it's worth just asking the question at this point, Matthew, where does this leave these Gulf nations at this
point?
CHANCE: Well, I think it's sort of a stay of execution, if you like. I mean, there was, as I say, a great deal of concern that was building
towards this deadline about what could happen if Trump carried out his threat to strike those Iranian power plants? What the retaliation would be
from Iran?
They threatened to completely close the Strait of Hormuz that narrow choke point on the Persian Gulf through which nearly 20 percent of the world's
oil and gas flows, stemming even the trickle of giant oil tankers that are currently allowed to go through. The Iranians had also threatened to strike
at energy infrastructure targets elsewhere in the Gulf, here in Qatar, potentially in Saudi Arabia, where you are in the United Arab Emirates as
well.
And so, you know, look, I think there's a great deal of relief that that is not going to be happening tonight, necessarily. But of course, whether it
happens in five days from now, whether this five-day hiatus that President Trump has announced ends in some sign of negotiated settlement or not, I
think, is still very unclear, and so there's still a great deal of uncertainty here.
ANDERSON: Well, Oren, let me bring you in, Donald Trump talking here about a resolution to this war, says that talks are ongoing and that they have
been good over the past couple of days. What is, or is likely to be the response from Israel?
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Well within just about an hour of President Donald Trump making that announcement, that there are
productive talks, Israel announced another wave of strikes in what they call the heart of Tehran.
So, I think Israel is making its position very clear here, the war, from its perspective, is absolutely not over, and they have no intention of
ending the war anytime soon. It was just a week ago that they said they have weeks of war left and thousands of targets to go.
And from everything we're hearing, there is no intention of wrapping this up. And there is no indication from any of the Israeli officials we have
spoken with that they view these talks, if they're actually happening, as serious or as anything more than Trump trying to calm markets, as we have
seen what they did before.
He put out that message on, on social media. So, there's no indication on this end that they're viewing this as anything other than Trump buying time
or trying to calm the markets at this point, Becky.
[09:10:00]
ANDERSON: Just give us the latest on what has been happening there, you talk about a new wave of attacks from Israel on Iran. What's the latest?
Where you are in strikes from Iran? And just get us up to date, if you will, quickly on Lebanon and as well.
LIEBERMANN: Well, we have seen waves of incoming over the weekend and some of the largest strikes we have seen since the start of the war, most
notably here on Saturday evening, where just within just a few hours, we saw incoming ballistic missiles make direct hits in the cities in Southern
Israel of Dimona and Arad. Notably, Dimona is home to Israel's nuclear research facility.
So, it's noteworthy that missiles got through there, the Israeli military said they tried to intercept both missiles that hit both Israeli cities,
and failed to do so for different reasons. So, you saw more than 100 people wounded in total in those strikes, including in the City of Arad where more
than 80 people were taken to the hospital. That is the most injured we have seen from a single missile from Iran since the start of the war.
Meanwhile, turning to Israel's northern front in Lebanon, Israel is now striking homes right on the northern border there, with Lebanon Israel's
Defense Minister saying they're not only striking those homes, which they view as essentially hiding points for Hezbollah, but also destroying the
bridges across the Litani River, trying to cut off Southern Lebanon from the rest of the country.
Israel, sorry, Lebanon's President, Joseph Aoun, warning, this is the prelude to a ground invasion that looks very much like the direction we're
moving in when it comes to Lebanon.
ANDERSON: To both of you for the time being, thank you very much indeed. To note again, Iran denying quote, any dialog has taken place. However, oil
prices plunging as President Trump pulls back on his ultimatum against Iran. I want to take a look at what Brent crude is doing.
This is the international benchmark. Last time I looked at this, when I was anchoring a couple of hours on CNN, about four hours ago, that price stood
at around 112, it is now down at 101 since those comments. Again, this is purely a social post by Donald Trump that can move the market as much as 10
percent.
All eyes remain on the Strait of Hormuz and the supply of crude. The Head of the International Energy Agency, the IEA, warning that the current
energy crisis is worse than the oil shocks of the 1970s.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FATIH BIROL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE INTERNATIONAL ENERGY AGENCY: So, I will not make any political or military comments, but you mentioned a few
minutes ago what we have done as International Energy Agency in order to comfort the markets.
On 11th of March, we released 400 million barrels of oil, which is the historic we have never released so much oil to the markets. And it was not
the easiest thing, but we had a unanimous decision of all our member countries. After we announced this, oil prices went down by $18 which is a
good reduction, but after the bomb beings and started, they all went up again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, Anna Cooban joining us now from London. Anybody watching these markets, and if you were trading them that you'd be forgiven for, you
know, feeling like you're in, you know, you've got a sort of whiplash injury at this point. I mean, what do you make of what we are seeing on
these markets?
ANNA COOBAN, CNN BUSINESS & ECONOMICS REPORTER: Well, I think whiplash is a really good way of describing it, Becky. Of course, we've got that Trump's
statement that came very shortly after he could be given this ultimatum to stop bombing Iranian nuclear power sites.
And then this reporting that we're getting now that the Iranians are saying through state affiliated TV media that actually these talks haven't taken
place, and that they believe this statement was made not of him to reduce energy prices, but that is exactly what's happened.
We've seen these huge falls in Brent and WTI, noting that Brent was around $114 a barrel earlier today, to some huge falls there. Also, European
natural gas is down around 7 percent they were rocketing prices last week, and also stock markets as well that the NASDAQ, this tech heavy index in
the United States.
This was on course for correction territory on Friday, which basically means that it was approaching a 10 percent decline from a recent peak, pre
conflict. But now it's looking to be opening up in the green, along with other U.S. stock indices, European markets, also in the green.
This is some relief for investors, Becky, but as we can see, it's a highly moving situation, and we are still in a crisis.
[09:15:00]
The IEA saying this is the biggest crisis since those twin oil shocks of the 1970s. Fatih Birol there was talking about the volumes of oil that's
being lost around 10 million barrels a day during the 1970s it's around 20 million barrels a day now. And also, he said that more gas is being lost
than Europe lost from Russia in 2022.
We're still very much in a crisis. The big questions are, how long is it going to take to get energy infrastructure back up and running? We saw this
big attack on a Qatari LNG facility last week. And Qatar saying that 17 percent of its capacity has been wiped out. It might take years to really
get that up and running.
And we've seen an Iranian source last week tell CNN that it's going to even if, after the war ends, we're not going to see the Strait of Hormuz be
reopened in the way that it was before. So still very much in a crisis right now, Becky, despite what has come out this morning.
ANDERSON: Yeah, and Donald Trump has some form on making statements or posting statements ahead of the markets opening, and indeed, his post today
has really put a rocket up the stock markets and a significant downward sort of pressure on oil, as you rightly point out.
I've just got to point out, thank you, Anna. That ahead of this post, when Asian markets close today, which will be a really good indication generally
of how the U.S. markets would open, they were down by about between 3.5 and 6.5 percent. So, if you consider that we're looking at the U.S. markets fit
to open 2.5 to 3 percent higher.
That's sort of swing of about 6 percent you could suggest, which is really quite remarkable, as I say, all of the back of one social post. Well, in
about 15 minutes, I'll be talking to one of the leading experts on global shipping and logistics. I'll be asking Peter Sand, Chief Analyst at Xeneta,
about oil supply chains and the impact on the global economy.
More on that, of course, coming up. Well, police in London are treating an arson attack on several Jewish owned ambulances as an antisemitic hate
crime. This surveillance video shows the suspects approaching the ambulances in the early morning hours of Monday morning in North London's
Golders Green neighborhood.
A short time after fires Ignite and explosions are heard. Counter terrorism police are leading the investigation, and three suspects are being sought.
The ambulances were owned by a Jewish Volunteer Rescue organization. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has condemned the attacks.
Well, that incident, as I say, took place in North London's Golders Green neighborhood, and that is where CNN's Clare Sebastian filed this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: People here in North London, in the heart of London's Jewish communities, say they are frightened this morning,
some of them were woken up in the early hours of the morning by loud bangs. The London fire brigade saying that when these ambulances were set alight,
gas cylinders also exploded.
Multiple gas cylinders and some of the flocks of flats behind me were also damaged. Glass was blown out. It sounded, according to one resident, like a
bomb going off. People are also angry that ambulances would be targeted. This was an organization, a volunteer rescue organization, that provides
medical assistance, not only to the Jewish community here, but anyone who needs it.
And so, they are angry that this hit at this heart of their community. And I spoke to one local councilor, member of local government who came down
here within an hour of the fires breaking out, this is what he had to tell me.
DEAN COHEN, LOCAL COUNCILOR: Saving lives. This is a direct attack on the Jewish community, on you cannot get lower than destroying ambulances that
are there to save lives.
SEBASTIAN: Well, police say they are treating this as an antisemitic hate crime. No arrests have been made, but CCTV footage has emerged showing what
looks like three masked men approaching and setting light to one of the ambulances. We've heard as well from the Prime Minister Keir Starmer this
morning, who has called it this an antisemitic arson attack, saying his thoughts go out to the Jewish community.
But people here are saying that while they appreciate those thoughts, they want to see more from their leaders to tackle what they're saying is a
growing climate of antisemitism. Clare Sebastian, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, still to come, we are following a deadly collision between a jet and a fire truck at New York's LaGuardia Airport. More on that is
after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:20:00]
ANDERSON: New video into CNN shows Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are now on duty at several U.S. airports. The Trump Administration
said it would send in I.C.E. beginning today to help with massive wait times for passengers and TSA staffing shortages.
Now TSA offices have been working without pay since the partial government shutdown began on February the 14th. More than 400 have already quit. And
DHS reports over 11 percent of remaining workers called out on Saturday, the highest since the shutdown started.
President Trump's border czar Tom Homan is overseeing the I.C.E. deployment. He spoke to CNN's Dana Bash on Sunday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM HOMAN, U.S. BORDER CZAR: This is about going to helping TSA do their mission and get the American public through that airport as quick as they
can. Well, while adhering to all the security guidelines and the protocols. We're simply there to help TSA do their job in areas that don't need their
specialized expertise, such as, you know, screening through the X-ray machine, not training that we won't do that.
But there are roles we can play to release TSA officers from the non- significant role, such as guarding an exit so they can get back to the scanning machines and move people quicker.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, authorities are meantime, investigating a deadly collision at New York's LaGuardia Airport involving an Air Canada passenger jet and a
fire truck. Take a look at what are these chilling images. Airport officials say the plane hit the vehicle after landing late on Sunday,
killing the plane's two pilots and injuring dozens of others.
Air Canada says it can't yet confirm the exact number of people hurt or if there were any other fatalities. The airport is closed until at least 02:00
p.m. local time today. That has forced hundreds of flight cancelations at one of the country's largest airports. One passenger aboard the deadly
flight spoke to CNN about his terrifying experience.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JACK CABOT, PASSENGER ON AIR CANADA FLIGHT 8646: We went down for a regular landing. We came in pretty hard. We immediately hit something, and it was
just chaos from there, about five seconds later, we had come to a stop in that short period. I mean, everybody was hunkered down and everybody
screaming.
Pretty quickly we didn't have any directions because the pilot's cabinet and kind of destroyed. So, somebody said, let's get the emergency exit and
get the door and let's all jump out. And that's exactly what we do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, CNN's Shimon Prokupecz is following this story for us from LaGuardia. How much more can you tell us about the investigation at this
point? At this hour, what do we know about the pilots who were killed in the people injured in the collision?
SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, so it's a regional jet, so certainly you know, you'd expect it's going to be
younger pilots. And everything that we know, I mean, they tried their hardest to stop, to stop the plane, once they realized that they were on a
collision course with that fire truck.
And out here, I just want to show you, Becky, I'm going to step aside a little bit. We've been watching officials out here this morning as they are
gathering here and starting their investigation. You could see the plane that the nose of the plane completely smashed.
[09:25:00]
Parts of it are off. The two pilots obviously would have been in there. I'm also just learning now that there was a flight attendant who was off duty,
but in the jump seat, this is that extra seat that is in the cockpit area that sometimes pilots and airline employees will use when there's no seat
on the plane.
What I'm told is that she was in the jump seat in the cockpit. She actually wound up outside the plane after the crash. That plane colliding with a
crash truck. It was an emergency rescue vehicle, sort of used as a fire truck by the Port Authority police here, very common at all airports.
They were responding to an emergency on a United flight that aborted take- off because of some sort of mechanical issue, and there was an odor, smell in the plane, and so they had asked for an emergency vehicle. The air
traffic controller cleared, cleared that rescue vehicle to proceed onto the runway, and then seconds later, you could hear the air traffic controller
saying, stop, stop, stop to the fire truck, but it was too late, and that's when the crash occurred.
The plane, according to flight records that we've been able to review online, show that it was going over 100 miles an hour when the crash
occurred. So certainly, just the sheer force of this crash killing those two pilots in the front of the plane and injuring the two police officers
that were inside that crash truck.
ANDERSON: Shimon, thank you for the update. Shimon Prokupecz there at LaGuardia Airport for you. Well ahead on "Connect the World", Wall Street
futures are racing higher after a dramatic U-turn by President Trump on Iran. More on what he is saying and how Wall Street looks to open is up
next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi. You're watching "Connect the World". Here headlines, U.S. President Donald Trump posted on
his social media website that the U.S. and Iran had very productive conversations over the weekend about ending the war.
He says because of that, he is postponing attacks on Iran's power plants for five days. He had threatened to obliterate them later today if Iran did
not reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Well, casualty figures are growing by the day across the region in Iran, a U.S. based human rights group, says more
than 3000 people have died in the conflict, nearly half of those civilians.
[09:30:00]
Right, ringing the bell today on Wall Street, Copa holdings, an airline company from Panama. New day, new dawn for proper airlines, as they ring in
the day and the start of the trading week, I'm going to let those indices settle for a moment while we take a look at the wider context of what is
this extremely volatile moment for the markets and the world.
Oil prices initially fell by more than 10 percent as the world's energy consumers somewhat breathed a sigh of relief after the U.S. President's
Truth Social post saying he's not going to strike Iranian power plants for five days, since then, they have come back a little bit Brent crude, still
fetching over $100 a barrel.
They are, of course, becoming what is this macro indicator shaping investors behavior at this point. The safe haven assets of gold and silver
are headed south again. Gold has given up almost all the gains it made earlier this year. Remember, only a few weeks ago, it traded at well north
of $5,000 an ounce.
And these stock markets that Trump boys keep a close eye on far from retreating today at the open in New York, they are rallying just hours
after the U.S. President touted in depth detail and constructive conversations with Iran, and I quote him there. Well, frankly, all eyes do
remain focused on the Strait of Hormuz and the supply of crude.
It is still unclear whether those quote, productive talks President Trump is talking about will actually reopen the vital waterway. Peter Sand is
often quoted as one of the leading experts on global shipping and logistics. He's the Chief Analyst at Xaneta, which monitors the maritime
freight market.
I'm delighted that he joins us today. The very sort of micro picture, minute by minute, as it were, oil prices dropping after President Trump
suggesting that there are ongoing talks now between the United States and Iran that could end this war. I guess the question at this point, is this
the Trump Administration's off ramp? Do you believe?
PETER SAND, CHIEF ANALYST AT XENETA: Hi, Becky, huge pleasure joining you today. I would say that when you, when you start quoting social media
notifications, you should also, I guess, say that in -- have denied any such dialog, right? So, it really remains an area of utmost uncertainty.
And I would say logistics professionals working with getting oil out of their containers in there, they need hot facts and figures. They need
insurance, not just tweets.
ANDERSON: Yeah, so let's talk about what that sort of world looks like at this point. I mean, as we stand with this interview today, what, you know,
what is that sort of -- what is the picture?
SAND: Yeah, the picture is quite clear when it comes to shipping in and out of the Strait of Hormuz to the Arabian Gulf, because it's all but non-
existent. We see a few ships allowed by Iranian authorities to pass through their territorial waters and escape the area, so to speak.
But that is really a case by case and highly unusual, but the fact that it is closed, also tells us that that it is a real, clear and present threat,
that no such thing as apparent well-functioning maritime insurance market is not capable of bringing ships out there, 3200 ships trapped in there,
more than 20,000 seafarers.
But there are extreme hostilities. There is a war going on, and they are they are seeking shelter.
ANDERSON: So, when we hear President Trump post quote, get some guts shipping industry and get those ships moving. And I think that quote, was
that post was about a week or so ago. I mean, how does the industry respond to that sort of post?
SAND: The industry is fairly cool, calm and collected when it comes to their own whereabouts. They know how to operate global maritime supply
chains, and they know when to go and not to go. We have seen that for a number of years already now, with the unrest in the wider region right.
[09:35:00]
Houthi rebels closing the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait at the southern end of Red Sea, arguably also to container shipping and even more significant
disruption than what we see right now. And at Senate, we we're not afraid to conclude that what was seen as a potential return for container shipping
through the Strait of Hormuz as likely a couple of months ago.
We now take it completely off the chart for the rest of 2026 as the uncertainty and the security situation as such in the region makes
container lines not going back to that a Red Sea. So maybe for another year we're going to see full rerouting of global networks around the Cape of
Good Hope, instead of going through the shortcut through the Suez Canal. And of course, everything's got a price, right?
ANDERSON: Yeah.
SAND: Not only the people, the odd 60 people, 60 million people in the area, right? But the freight rates go up. Schedules are deteriorating, and
transit times for essential products into the area, but also way beyond its effect.
ANDERSON: What should we be watching for then in the hours to come?
SAND: I think we should be watching, of course, that deadline that may or may not still be relevant, but it's what we got right amidst the fog of
uncertainty. We will be watching the real hostilities going on right. And then, of course, we would also be watching if Tehran, at any point in time
say, OK, there is an ongoing dialog, because then we got some real proof on something actually happening.
But fingers crossed. I know that's a bad strategy, but this is definitely a diplomacy often working in the quiet quarter needed to end such much more.
ANDERSON: The shipping industry has been here before. It's a resilient industry. I mean, it works through crises. I'm thinking back to the tanker
wars of the 1980s and then all through the crises that that I've reported on over the last nearly 30 years. Peter Sand, it's good to have you.
Thank you very much indeed for joining us, and we will watch this space. Still to come, we'll get a quick check of how Americans are feeling about
President Trump's second term economy. More after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: With the war, now in its fourth week, rising gas prices could erase some of the tax refunds that Americans get from President Trump's
quote, big, beautiful bill. And with many people saying that they are spending more at the grocery store and on other shopping trips.
It does raise the question of how Americans are feeling about the economy in Trump's second term. Our Chief Data Analyst Harry Enten, with a closer
look for you.
[09:40:00]
HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Look, a lot of the political tension over the last month has been about the Iran war, but voters are telling us
over and over again that it's the economy, it's the economy that will matter, like it does for most elections, and new numbers out from CBS News,
if I were in the White House, only one word to describe them, yikes, yikes, my goodness.
I mean, just take a look here, Trump will or is making you financially worse off or better off. You go back to just before Trump was reelected to
a second term, the plurality said better off at 44 percent that number has fallen through the floor. Now we're talking to just 18 percent say Trump's
policies are making them better off, and that plurality in favor of better off has switched to a majority saying worse off.
Look at this. Up like a rocket from 38 percent in October 2024 up there now to 53 percent of Americans saying Trump's policies are making them worse
off fiscally. So, that is now a 35-point margin in favor of worse off compared to a six-point margin in terms of favor of better off just before
the election.
That's what is that said an over 40-point switcheroo among independents who, of course, ultimately usually decide the elections here in the United
States of America. The numbers are even more troublesome for the White House. Take a look here. OK, independent indies, Trump will or is making
you fiscally worse off, better off --
ANDERSON: Just there U.S. President Trump getting ready to leave Florida to head to Tennessee for an anti-crime event. Let's hear what he is saying to
reporters.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- productive conversations --
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: They're going to have to get themselves better public relations people. We have had very,
very strong talks. We'll see where they lead. We have points, major points of agreement, I would say, almost all points of agreement.
Perhaps that hasn't been conveyed. The communication, as you know, has been blown to pieces. They're unable to talk to each other, but we've had very
strong talks. Mr. Witkoff and Mr. Kushner had them. They went, I would say, perfectly. I would say that if they carry through with that.
It will end that problem, that conflict, and I think it will end it very, very substantially. We have very much in mind our partners in the Middle
East. We've had great relationships with a lot of them. As you know, a lot of them were surprisingly hit, and I was surprised to see it, and so was
everyone else.
But we have. They're very much in mind in the discussions. So, the discussions took place yesterday. They went into yesterday evening. They
want very much to make a deal. We'd like to make a deal too. We're going to get together today by probably phone, because it's very hard to find a
country.
It's very hard for them to get out, I guess. But we'll at some point, very, very soon, meet. We're doing a five-day period. We'll see how that goes,
and if it goes well, we're going to end up with settling this. Otherwise, we'll just keep bombing our little hearts here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who -- speaking with -- Mr. President?
TRUMP: A top person. Don't forget, we've wiped out the leadership phase one, phase two, and largely phase three. But we're dealing with the man who
I believe is the most respected and the leader. You know, it's a little tough. They've wiped out. We've wiped out everybody.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is that the supreme leader?
TRUMP: No, not the supreme leader. We don't -- well, nobody's ever, nobody heard of the second supreme leader, the son. Nobody. We have not heard from
the son. Every once in a while, you'll see a statement made. But we haven't. We don't know if he's living, but the people that seem to be
running it, and they seem that based on really fact, because things they have said have taken place.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- Mr. President --
TRUMP: I don't want him to be killed. OK? I don't want him to be killed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, you deployed --
TRUMP: Nobody wants to be that. Nobody wants that job right now. You know, nobody is exactly looking forward to being the head of that particular
country, but perhaps we'll be able to solve that problem.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, you've deployed I.C.E. agents to American airports -- Newsmax, sir, you deployed I.C.E. agents --
TRUMP: -- doing a very good job.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You deployed I.C.E. agents --
TRUMP: You're not doing a good job. Did you hear me? OK, go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What exactly do you want from this --
TRUMP: -- over news --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What exactly looking for in these talks, Mr. President?
TRUMP: We're looking for all of the things that we've been talking about. We want to see no nuclear bomb, no nuclear weapon, not even close to it,
low key in the missiles. We want to see peace in the Middle East. We want the nuclear dust. We're going to want that. And I think we're going to get
that.
We've agreed to that. Yeah, we're getting we've agreed to that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You want the enriched uranium before you can end it.
TRUMP: We want no enrichment, but we also want the rich enriched uranium, where, if this happens, it's a great start for Iran to build itself back.
[09:45:00]
And it's everything that we want. And it's also great for Israel and it's great for the other Middle Eastern countries, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, all
of them. Kuwait and Bahrain in particular. So, it's great for all of them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- do you still need $200 billion?
TRUMP: We -- it's always nice to have. It's always nice to have. It's a very inflamed world, and the Democrats inflame it, you know, largely the
Democrats inflame it. Let me just talk about the other, so I.C.E. has done very well. I've requested now, you know, I'm a big believer that they
should be able to wear masks when they go and hunt down, you know, murderous criminals and others.
But for purposes of the airport. I've requested that they take off the mask. I don't like it for the airport, and I believe they are willing to do
that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President I.C.E. --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- not at the airport, but they need to do it when they're out in the country.
TRUMP: The people coming into the airport, typically speaking, aren't murders, killers, drug dealers, et cetera. There may be a few of them, but
there are many. There are people that want to come into the country, or the people want to leave the country going to maybe their home country.
So, I didn't think it was an appropriate look for an airport. I think it's a very appropriate look when they're out on the street trying to find one
of the 11,888 murders that sleepy Joe Biden led into our country.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- $10,000 bonus. Sorry, last year you gave a $10,000 bonus to TSA workers who kept showing up to work during the shutdown. Will
you do that again?
TRUMP: Well, it could happen. It's amazing. There are such people that are really, really loyal and great, and it's not easy for them, and this is all
caused by the Democrats. Just so you know, all this money was approved. Everything was approved. This is done. The Democrats went in and they want
to have radical left lunatics come into our country.
They want to have drug dealers. They want to have murders come into our country. They want to have open borders. And we're not letting it happen.
That's what this is all about. They don't want voter ID. They don't want proof of citizenship. They don't want mail in ballots.
They're so corrupt. What they want, the only thing they want is mail in ballots. So, we also added, as you know, into the SAVE AMERICA Act, and
it's called save America -- but we added no transgender utilization of our children and no men in women's sports.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You want masters -- go well, and you reach -- if these talks go well, and you reach a ceasefire agreement with Iran, do you
believe Israel would abide by that agreement?
TRUMP: I think Israel will be very happy with what we have. We just spoke to Israel a little while ago. I think they'll be very happy. This will be
peace for Israel, long term peace, guaranteed peace. If this happens, and, you know, I can't guarantee it, but I think it's going to my life is a
deal.
That's all I do is deals my whole life. I think this is something that's going to happen, and why wouldn't it happen? So, tomorrow morning, sometime
their time, we were expected to blow up their largest electric generating plants that cost over $10 billion to build. It's a very good one.
There was no dearth of money, and one shot it's gone. It collapses. Why would they want that? So, they called, I didn't call. They called. They
want to make a deal. And we are very willing to make a deal. It's got to be a good deal, and it's got to be no more wars, no more nuclear weapons.
They're not going to have nuclear weapons anymore. They're agreeing to that. Any of that stuff is no deal.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- You said you want to get the enriched uranium. How are you going to get the enriched uranium --
TRUMP: It's very easy. If we have a deal with them, we're going down and we'll take it ourselves.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can I ask you, the treasury lifted sanctions on Iranian oil that was out to sea. You criticized President Obama for giving
Iran $1.7 billion --
TRUMP: Well, I just want to have as much oil in the system as possible. And we don't even know if Iran gets that money. Frankly, I think it's very hard
for them to get it. But you have ships that are out there that are loaded up with oil, rather than keep it there, I would rather see it go to the
system.
Any small amount of money that Iran gets is not going to have any difference in this war, but I want to have the system be lubricated.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- $14 billion --
TRUMP: What's the 14 billion?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because the inflated price they get $14 billion from the --
TRUMP: I don't think they're getting the money. I could tell you, when this is all over, I will tell you who's getting the money.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Marines from California, given that will take them weeks to arrive. It's the intention to police the trade --
TRUMP: What are you talking?
[09:50:00]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, it's been reported that their Marines that left California left San Diego last week. Oh, at the end of the week, why are
they headed there now?
TRUMP: Well, let me ask you this, if you were in my position and I asked you that question, you really believe I give you an answer -- a crazy
question.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, we don't talk about --
TRUMP: Strategy. Yeah.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- led in under Biden Administration?
TRUMP: Led in by Biden -- It's devastating. These people were led in by Biden. We're getting them out. We're getting them out fast. That's why
I.C.E. is so important. They're doing such a good job. This animal, I saw the whole thing last night. They gave me a briefing.
Came in through Joe Biden with his open-door policy and his border czar Kamala, who never saw the border, never made one phone call. All the I.C.E.
people, you see, they all know me. Everyone knows me. They like me. I speak to them all the time. Didn't make one phone call during four years she was
the border czar.
To anybody on the border, never went there. This person came in through the open-door policy of Joe Biden, and we have others. We're taking him out by
the tens of thousands. We're doing a great job, but it's a shame they've hurt our country. Just remember this Joe Biden and that gang of radical
left lunatics, some very smart but radical left and bad ideology, sick people. These people have hurt our country very badly.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Talking with Iran --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How is that different from what Russia has been doing in Ukraine, by any Ukrainian country?
TRUMP: Well, I think it's a lot different. And if you look at the nuclear weapons that they wanted to have, that they wanted to possess. A lot of
things are different. I'm not a fan of what Russia is doing either, just so you understand, all right, but it's a lot different. You're talking about a
country that has been evil for 47 years.
They've been horrible. Death all over the world, not just us. Look at the way they attacked unexpectedly all of those countries surrounding it was
not supposed to. Nobody was even thinking about it. But they wanted to take over the Middle East, and they wanted to knock out Israel permanently.
And if they had a nuclear weapon, they would have been able to do.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- Mr. President --
TRUMP: Look, I'm not a fan of the guy. If you look at and you never cover this, if you look at his truths, or whatever he went on, if it's X or
Truth, if you look at his truths or his statements, he was all for everything. All of a sudden, he wasn't. He was a man that I met at Dover.
He came in his wife was killed. He remarried fairly quickly. His wife was killed, and I felt badly for him. He ran in for Congress, he lost. He ran
for Congress again and he lost. I said, you know, he's a guy, nice guy. Seemed like a very nice guy. I bet him, he was pretty heartbroken, pretty.
But I said, you know, it's a shame he ran for congress twice, call him up, give him a job in the White House. Smart, they gave him a job in the White
House, and this is what he does to me. You know, being a nice guy doesn't pay off too much. He loses twice in Congress -- not very good campaigns
should have won, but he loses twice.
How do I get him? I have my people call him because I didn't deal with him for the most part. I saw him a couple of times, but I never dealt with him
at all. I had no idea his ideology was left or right, whatever it is. I can say this. He said very strongly that Iran is not a threat.
Iran has been a threat for 47 years, and there's not a country in the world that doesn't agree with me on that. So, I take this guy, Joe Kent, who lost
twice for Congress, pretty badly and tough, and it was devastated, and I know that he lost his wife, so instead of letting him live out his life, I
brilliantly have my people call him and offer him a job in security, essentially in the White House.
And what does he do? He goes out and he says that Iran is not a threat to get publicity. Now, I probably signed up with CNN, or maybe signed up with
your division of Newsmax, I don't know, but probably signed up with CNN or somebody. But if you look at his tweets, X's or Truths, whatever he uses, I
don't know, because I don't follow up.
What he said is 100 percent he agrees with me. All of a sudden, he leaves. I never knew he had a problem. Now, I hear they're looking at him for
leaking. That's possible. But just see you understand. Just to put it to rest, he lost twice, badly. He also lost his wife.
[09:55:00]
He's remarried since. He lost his wife. I felt badly for him. So, I told my people, reach out to him, give him a job at the White House. This is the
thanks I get. Any other questions?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- was not an imminent threat, but that's what the intelligence showed.
TRUMP: I think it was an imminent threat. I think that Iran, if they if we didn't bomb them with the B2 bombers. Now that set them back, but if we
didn't hit them with the B2 bombers, they would have had a nuclear weapon within two weeks to a month. And if they had a nuclear weapon, they would
have used it as soon as they got it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- nuclear sites last summer with your strikes, then how can you argue it was an imminent threat now?
TRUMP: Oh, we hit them so hard, we obliterated them, but obliterated them, but that doesn't mean with the right equipment, you can't dig down and go
get it. We don't want that, and we won't have that, but we obliterated that site. They still haven't been able to get it. That was a complete success,
but if it wasn't, they would have had if we didn't hit them, if we didn't use the B2 bombers, which are unbelievable.
We just ordered 22 more of them, modern version, by the way, super modern version. If we didn't hit them with the B2 bombers, they would have had
within two weeks of that attack. That's why we hit them, because we knew they would have had a nuclear weapon. They would have used it on Israel and
the entire Middle East.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Overall crime in Memphis is down 43 percent since you began this task force. Is this a template you think --
TRUMP: What I'm doing -- what I'm doing today, really, this was supposed to be, this was a little bit before set up a couple of weeks ago. This was
before we had this situation with Iran take place last night. And by the way, they're just not community. When they say, I'm sure they don't mean
that when somebody -- so I didn't know you, we were talking last night, and I'm sure they have a lack of communication, which is appropriate.
Considerably blew up, in addition to their navy, air force, every division their radar. We also blew up all of their anti-aircraft and communication.
So, they have no telecommunication. So, there is a lack of, I would imagine, a lack of coordination.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- If you're worried about the miscommunication.
TRUMP: Well, we think all we can do is think, look, we have numerous leader groups. They've all been killed. Very dangerous position. Khamenei was
killed. Khamenei's son is unavailable. Nobody knows what happened to him. I can say they haven't seen him there either.
Something is going on with him. But regardless, I don't consider him really the leader, but they do have some leaders left, because we blew up group
number one, group number two, a lot of group number three, but we think we have people that are very representative of the country and will do a good
job in --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- Elon Musk has offered to pay TSA workers during this DHS shutdown. Is this something that you've been speaking to him about?
TRUMP: Yeah, I'd love it. I think it's great. Let him do that. And I want to thank I.C.E., because they step in so strongly. They'll do great. And if
that's not enough, I'll bring in the National Guard. We're not going to have the Democrats destroy our country. These people are the most
destructive, sick people, the Democrats, they want, and they're fighting for this.
They're fighting for men and women sports. They're fighting for transgender, for everybody. Everybody goes out, get your kid a nice
operation and change the sex of your kid. They're fighting for no -- think of it. They don't want you to do voter ID. You walk into a booth in
California, if a person who's doing voting, an official asks you for identification, they're subject to being arrested.
What's wrong with this country? So, we're fighting it hard, and I think they should, because the Democrats are being blamed for the shutdown, and
it's their fault, and they're getting killed. That's why, when I announced yesterday about I.C.E., the Democrats called we want to settle.
We want to settle. And I told the people, don't settle, don't settle, because we have something bigger. Only settle if you get the SAVE AMERICA
Act, voter ID and so important proof of citizenship, et cetera. Thank you very much.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- airport?
TRUMP: We're dealing really --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Whose idea was that?
TRUMP: Mine. That was mine.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can I ask you --
TRUMP: That was like the paper clip. You know the story the paper clip. 182 years ago, a man discovered the paper clip. It was so simple, and everybody
that looked at it say, why didn't I think of that? I.C.E. was my idea. I called first person I called was Tom Homan.
I said, what do you think? He said, I think it's great. Then I saw today, there was some masks on. I didn't think the masks were appropriate. I put
out a statement, and I asked him, would it be possible to take off the mask? Because they should wear a --.
END
