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Early Start with Rahel Solomon
Sources: Iran Preparing For Possible U.S. Attack On Kharg Island; Bipartisan Criticism Of Trump Administration Briefing On War; Air Canada Express Jet Removed From LaGuardia Runway. Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired March 26, 2026 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[05:32:45]
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: Let's get you back to the latest developments in the war with Iran.
Authorities here Abu Dhabi, in the UAE, say two people have been killed overnight by falling debris from an intercepted ballistic missile. In Israel, the IDF says an emergency crew responded to an area east of Tel Aviv after it was hit by debris from an Iranian missile.
The renewed attacks as the U.S. does appear to be increasing efforts to end the war through diplomacy. Two senior administration officials tell CNN the White House is trying to set up a meeting in Pakistan this weekend to discuss an off-ramp to the war. The current plan has Vice President JD Vance traveling there for talks, but officials caution that the details are still being worked out.
Well, for more on the potential U.S. ground operation in Kharg Island -- because that is still, it seems, an option -- CNN's Jeremy Diamond reports from Tel Aviv.
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JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's no question that the Israelis, like a number of military experts, understand that any potential U.S. military invasion of Kharg Island would carry tremendous risks for U.S. personnel who would be involved.
One Israeli source telling us that there is concern that should U.S. Marines take control of Kharg Island that Iran could immediately retaliate using a variety of weapons at its disposal, including shoulder-fired missiles and drones.
Keep in mind that Kharg Island is only about 20 miles away from the Iranian mainland. And this source also said that the hope is that they won't take that risk and that they will instead fire at the oil fields, but that there's simply no way to know.
And this comes, of course, as Israeli officials are monitoring very closely to see which track President Trump is going to follow here. Is he going to follow the military track as he is building up this force of Marines and Airborne -- 82nd Airborne troops as well or is he going to pursue this diplomatic track that could potentially see U.S. and Iranian officials in Pakistan as early as this weekend to discuss a way out of a potential escalation of this war?
[05:35:00]
I was speaking to an Israeli official tonight who made clear to me that, look, Israelis are prepared for all of the potential scenarios that President Trump is considering at this moment. They're clearly letting the United States stay in the driver's seat here as President Trump considers next steps. But there's no question that they feel like they haven't yet achieved all of their objectives. and they would very much like to continue this military campaign, but they are open to a diplomatic pathway if -- and that's a big if -- those objectives can be achieved at the negotiating table as well.
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ANDERSON: And that is Jeremy Diamond reporting for you.
Let's get you back to Rahel Solomon who is in New York -- Rahel.
RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN ANCHOR: OK, Becky. Thank you.
Lawmakers in Washington received closed-door briefings on the war in Iran Wednesday.
One Senate Democrat says that he thinks the Trump administration has no plan for reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
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SEN. CHRIS MURPHY (D-CT): What it did confirm for us in that briefing today was that there is no way to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Um, there is no military plan to open the strait. The strait is effectively going to remain closed until the war ends. Um, so that's bad news for American consumers.
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SOLOMON: The House briefing was reportedly acrimonious with one Republican storming out and another calling it "the most contentious he has seen." But dissatisfaction was apparently evident on both sides of the aisle.
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REP. JASON CROW (D-CO): We're not getting answers from the administration on the end game, on the strategy. On how they're going to protect the 50,000 troops who are in that region. How we're going to de-escalate and what our ultimate goal is. And our service members deserve better.
REPORTER: Will you support troops on the ground in Iran at this point? REP. DERRICK VAN ORDEN, (R-WI): No. I've been 100 percent crystal clear from the beginning, no. The answer is no. We can achieve the strategic goals that Donald Trump wants to achieve without doing that. I don't support that.
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SOLOMON: All right. Still ahead for us, countries in Asia are doing whatever they can to try to manage the growing energy crisis. Coming up, we'll get a live report on those efforts when we return.
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[05:41:35]
SOLOMON: Welcome back to EARLY START. The time now is 5:41 and this is your business breakout.
Let's start with where U.S. futures stand ahead of the open bell on Wall Street. And futures are lower across the board, off between three-tenths of one percent for the Dow to almost one full percent for the Nasdaq.
All right, let's check some of today's other business headlines.
The U.S. Postal Service says that it is planning to impose a fuel surcharge for the first time ever thanks to rising energy costs amid the war with Iran. The eight percent fee is temporary and will only apply to packages; not letter mail. It's expected to take effect next month. UPS and FedEx already have automatic surcharges that kick in when fuel prices go above certain levels.
And experts say that surge in oil prices could be a blessing in disguise for China's electric vehicle makers. Chinese EVs are getting cheaper while the price of gas continues to go up. Analysts say that combination will likely create an opening for those manufacturers, especially in Asia. Chinese EVs are largely locked out of the U.S. because of steep import tariffs.
And the U.S. music industry is taking a big from the Supreme Court. On Wednesday, the justices unanimously ruled that an internet service provider is not liable for bootlegged downloads. Record labels fought to hold providers (audio gap) responsible for copyright infringement claims for failing to cut off users who were known to have pirated music.
Well, fears of a fuel surcharge are rattling countries across the globe as the vital Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed. About 20 percent of the world's supply of oil normally passes through the critical waterway.
Let's get to CNN's Eleni Giokos who joins us live now from Dubai. So Eleni, give us a sense one, of what you're watching in the markets but also how some of these countries, especially in Asia, are responding as many of them import most of their oil from the Middle East. ELENI GIOKOS, CNN Well, it's not just a fear of a surcharge. That fear is now reality and we're seeing it play out in so many South Asian countries. And it's crazy to see the fuel lines in India. You're seeing the Philippines calling it a national emergency. You've got issues in Thailand. You've got other emerging market nations talking about, you know, inflations hits already that are seeping through.
This crisis is here. The question is when is it going to end? And it really just portends to what happens in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has de facto control over the straits and we're hearing from experts that Iran has now placed a toll fee for vessels to pass through only if they negotiate directly with the Iranians. So they've created this corridor that basically moves vessels very close to Iranian territorial waters. A lot of these vessels turn off their satellite systems so they're not detectable.
So there's a lot going on in the strait, but it points to one thing -- that Iran basically has a chokehold of what happens in the straits, and this is causing havoc. It's a pressure point for everyone in the world and importantly, for President Trump.
The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company CEO was meeting with Vice President JD Vance in Washington, D.C. and this is really important to note. You've got to remember about 40 energy infrastructure nodes across the region have been struck, including ADNOC's infrastructure, and that's gas fields and refineries, and so forth. They discussed energy security and what to do next about the Strait of Hormuz which, of course, the U.S. now needs to also add into the negotiations with Iran in terms of these talks that are going on.
[05:45:00]
But I also want you to take a listen to what Sultan Al Jaber had to say at the Middle East Institutes -- and basically saying that what happens here in the Gulf and what happens in the Strait of Hormuz touches everyone around the world.
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SULTAN AHMED AL JABER, CEO, ADNOC: When Iran holds Hormuz hostage every nation pays the ransom at the gas pump, at the grocery store, at the pharmacy -- every household. No country can be allowed to destabilize the global economy in this way. Not now, not ever. And I genuinely struggle to understand why the world tolerates what can only be defined as an extortion on a global scale.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: So extortion on a global scale. It's touching everyone around the world.
So what happens next? You know, tomorrow is quite important -- Friday. That's the deadline that President Trump has put on in terms of Iran opening the Strait of Hormuz fully. And, you know, then if they don't, they will strike critical energy infrastructure in Iran. But importantly, we also have military buildup here. We're not really
sure how the talks and negotiations are going but everyone's watching this very closely. At the center of this is oil and energy security, Rahel. So this is really important for global markets because it is affecting everyone already.
SOLOMON: Yeah, and it continues to.
Eleni Giokos in Dubia for us. Eleni, thank you.
Well, still to come for us the plane involved in a deadly collision at LaGuardia Airport has been removed from the runway. Coming up, we'll tell you the next steps for investigators.
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[05:51:15]
SOLOMON: Welcome back. I'm Rahel Solomon. And here are some of the stories we are watching for you this morning.
The White House says that talks with Iran are proceeding as the U.S. appears to be increasing efforts in the war through diplomacy. Two sources tell CNN that Trump administration officials are working to arrange a meeting in Pakistan this weekend to discuss an off-ramp to the war. The current plan has Vice President JD Vance attending, but officials caution that details are still being worked out.
A jury in California has found YouTube and Meta knew that their platforms were dangerous and failed to warn users of the risks. A 20- year-old accused the companies of intentionally getting her addicted and harming her mental health. The jury ordered Meta and YouTube to pay a total of $6 million in damages. Both companies say that they plan to appeal.
And a top housing official in the Trump administration has issued two new criminal referrals for New York Attorney General Letitia James alleging suspected insurance fraud. It is the latest attempt by the Trump administration to pursue legal action against one of his perceived opponents. A judge dismissed previous charges against James, which she denied. Her attorney says that the new allegations are also baseless.
Well, the Air Canada Express jet involved in a deadly runway collision at New York's LaGuardia Airport has been removed from the crash scene. The FAA says that runway where the collision took place will likely be closed until Friday.
CNN's Pete Muntean has more now on the investigation.
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PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: The investigation into Sunday night's crash is now reaching full steam and we just received an update from Air Canada, which says that all but four passengers onboard that Air Canada Regional jet have been released from the hospital.
Air Canada also says the plane itself -- that CRJ900 -- has been released from the NTSB back to the airline, meaning that Air Canada will now begin the process of taking that plane and the wreckage to a hangar and then remove baggage and personal effects from the plane and begin distributing them to passengers.
The National Transportation Safety Board tells us it spent Wednesday gathering perishable evidence from that runway-taxiway intersection at LaGuardia Airport, including developing a list of documents they need from the FAA and a list of key and critical interviews for this investigation.
On Tuesday, the NTSB planned to begin interviewing the air traffic controllers, only two of which were in the LaGuardia control tower cab at the time of this crash.
The NTSB is also planning on interviewing the firefighters -- the two who were onboard that specialized airport firefighting truck. They miraculously survived this crash.
Pete Muntean, CNN, Washington.
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SOLOMON: Savannah Guthrie has given her first interview since her mother, Nancy Guthrie, went missing nearly two months ago. She sat down with her NBC colleague and friend Hoda Kotb on Wednesday and in a gut-wrenching clip released by NBC Guthrie describes waking up in the middle of the night imagining what her mom must have gone through.
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SAVANNAH GUTHRIE, NBC HOST, "TODAY" SHOW: Someone needs to do the right thing.
HODA KOTB, NBC HOST, "TODAY" SHOW: Um-hum.
GUTHRIE: We are in agony.
KOTB: Um-hum, yeah.
GUTHRIE: We are in agony. It is unbearable.
KOTB: Um-hum.
GUTHRIE: I wake up every night in the middle of the night, every night. And in the darkness, I imagine her terror.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: Nancy Guthrie was taken from her secluded home in Arizona the night of January 31 without her phone or critical medications. The search for the 84-year-old is ongoing. The Guthrie family has maintained close communication with law enforcement since the apparent kidnapping. [05:55:10]
We'll be right back.
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HUMANOID ROBOT FIGURE 03: I'm Figure 03, a humanoid built in the United States of America. I am grateful to be part of this historic movement to empower children with technology and education.
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SOLOMON: Humanoid robot Figure 03 made its debut at the White House on Wednesday as part of first lady Melania Trump's "Fostering the Future Together" summit. Fellow first responses from around the world -- spouses from around the world were there to discuss ways to protect and educate children amid the rapid changes in artificial intelligence.
[06:00:05]
Trump described the moment as an inflection point for technology and humanity and offered her vision for products like the Figure 03 to become permanent fixtures in U.S. classrooms.
All right, that's going to do it for us here on EARLY START. I'm Rahel Solomon. Our thanks to Becky Anderson and her team. "CNN THIS MORNING" starts right now.
