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The Source with Kaitlan Collins

Trump: Iran War Will End When I "Feel It In My Bones"; Hegseth: Iran's Leaders "Desperate And Hiding" Like "Rats"; Pirro Blasts Judge For Quashing DOJ Subpoenas Of Fed Chair. Aired 9-10p ET

Aired March 13, 2026 - 21:00   ET

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

[21:00:00]

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, ANDERSON COOPER 360: In his four-decade career, John Burns reported from the Middle East and Middle Europe, from South Africa and South Asia, the old Soviet Union as well and the new Russia.

The Times called him the Consummate Foreign Desk fireman. A former colleague described him as the creator of peerless works of artistry, eloquence and guile.

We remember him as a brilliant and treasured colleague. John Burns was 81 years old.

That's it for us. The news continues. "THE SOURCE WITH KAITLAN COLLINS" starts now.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, CNN HOST, THE SOURCE WITH KAITLAN COLLINS: The U.S. just bombed Iran's oil export hub, as President Trump is ramping up the pressure, and Marjorie Taylor Greene is calling him out over the escalating war.

I'm Kaitlan Collins. And this is THE SOURCE.

And as we come on the air tonight, there is major news breaking in the war with Iran, as President Trump says tonight that the United States military, at his direction, has executed what he describes as one of the most powerful bombing raids, in the history of the Middle East, and totally obliterated every military target in Iran's crown jewel, Kharg Island.

Now, Kharg Island, for those who don't know, isn't just another target. It's actually the beating heart of Iran's economy, the terminal where 90 percent of the country's crude oil reaches the world. Strike there, and you're not just hitting Iran, you could potentially be triggering an earthquake in the global energy market. That means the potential of higher gas prices for a longer period of time.

But the President says that he believes this will just be a temporary blip.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: When it's over, and I don't think it's going to be long, when it's over, this is going to bounce right back so fast.

BRIAN KILMEADE, FOX NEWS RADIO HOST, THE BRIAN KILMEADE SHOW: When are you going to know when it's over?

TRUMP: When I feel it--

KILMEADE: OK.

TRUMP: --I feel it in my bones.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: The President said the war will end when he feels it in his bones.

And despite assurances that he's made publicly that it's almost over, there are signs tonight that point to a U.S. mission that is only expanding. We've now learned that the military is actually deploying thousands of more service members to the Middle East. That includes at least 2,500 Marines and sailors.

And that comes tonight as on a somber note, the death toll has continued to rise. We now know 13 U.S. service members have died over the first two weeks of this war. That includes the six Americans who were killed in the crash of that U.S. refueling tanker in Iraq. Of course, our thoughts are with their families tonight.

And in terms of where this war stands and where we're going, I want to begin this evening with our CNN Military Analyst, and the retired U.S. Army Lieutenant General, Mark Schwartz.

Because, sir, obviously, a lot of people are looking at Kharg Island, the President's announcement tonight, what he described as one of the biggest bombing raids in Middle East history, which is saying a lot. What exactly does it mean, in your view, that this was struck?

LT. GEN. MARK SCHWARTZ (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST, FORMER U.S. SECURITY COORDINATOR, ISRAEL & THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY: Well, now Kharg Island is being held at risk by the United States. Now, all the defensive capabilities, and also some of the offensive capabilities, have been reduced over the course of this -- you know, this story (ph) period that took place over last -- early last night, and then all the way into today. So that's the -- that's what's significant.

It's as significant to Iran, as the Straits of Hormuz is to all the Gulf states, and obviously those that are reliant on the oil coming out of the terminal in Kharg Island, for instance.

COLLINS: Well, and we've obviously been hyper-focused on the Strait of Hormuz, given the gas prices here at home, and no one really able to get through it, except Iran itself. What does this mean for the Strait of Hormuz? What could it mean, I guess, for the Strait of Hormuz? SCHWARTZ: Well, it could be -- it could potentially be a trade-off. And I believe that's what -- you know, when the President made a statement earlier today, I believe that's what he's addressing, saying, Hey, we didn't hit the 28 million barrels of oil that are stored on Kharg Island and -- at this time. So, if you allow freedom of navigation through the Strait, we won't hit it. So, I believe that was, again, a chess move on behalf of the United States.

COLLINS: Yes, he says they spared the oil infrastructure.

Should they choose to change that or recalculate? As the President is saying, You need to open up the Strait of Hormuz, that's why we spared it. What would that mean if the United States did go after that?

SCHWARTZ: Well, one, I think it would be a -- it's certainly going to have a major impact on the strategic economy for oil, and then also there's the environmental impact that I'm sure that the Gulf and we, as the United States, would be concerned about as well.

[21:05:00]

But I think that Kharg Island can be continued to be held at risk throughout the course of this conflict. You mentioned the Marines coming into the CENTCOM Theater. We're not going to have to put one Marine or one soldier on the ground to continue to contest. That tabletop of limestone, it's about 4.5 kilometers by eight kilometers wide. You can do that with standoff capability that was demonstrated today.

COLLINS: Yes. We'll obviously be watching this closely, and what it means for the war.

Lieutenant General Mark Schwartz, thank you for joining us tonight to break all that down.

SCHWARTZ: You bet.

COLLINS: And joining me tonight, my source, is former Republican congresswoman from Georgia, Marjorie Taylor Greene.

And thank you so much for being here.

There's so much to talk about tonight with all the developments in Iran. I think, first though, on the 13 service members that have now been killed, during Operation Epic Fury. I wonder what goes through your mind when you think of those lives that have been lost already.

MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE, FORMER U.S. REPRESENTATIVE (R-GA): Oh, it's absolutely heartbreaking, Kaitlan. I'm a strong supporter of our military and the great men and women who serve. I think they're some of the greatest among us. And their families who are so concerned about them right now. These are 13 lives that I believe should not have been lost.

This was -- this war is not something that Americans voted for, in 2024. As a matter of fact, we voted for the opposite. We voted for no more foreign wars, no more regime change.

And we were told by many members in the administration, throughout the campaign, JD Vance, Tulsi Gabbard, and others, that they believed that going to war with Iran would be a terrible idea. It was something that Charlie Kirk himself had said over and over again.

And Donald Trump -- President Trump, I voted for him three times, fought for him to become president, and I still want him to be successful. But he told -- he told Americans for over 10 years, and even longer, that he thought foreign wars and regime change was really a bad direction for America to go in, and we trusted and believed him that we wouldn't be doing this.

But this was an unprovoked war, and Israel pulled us into it, pulled America into it. And so, those are 13 lives that should not have been lost.

COLLINS: Yes. And of course, when the President was asked about that, he argued that maybe he forced Israel's hand in this matter.

But, I mean, now here we are, 13 days in. He's planning on sending more troops to the region, we're told. It's not clear exactly what they'll do while they're there, a Marine group. Is that something you support?

TAYLOR GREENE: Absolutely not. As a matter of fact, I, like many millions and millions of Americans are outraged by this.

He never came to America and addressed the nation, and gave clear reasons why we would go to war with Iran, especially after he told us, back in the summer, that he had completely obliterated all of their nuclear capabilities, and had even chastised any news organization or media that said otherwise. But here we are in a war with Iran, and it doesn't -- it doesn't make any sense.

And I'll go further with this. Why are we sending thousands of more U.S. military troops? Why are we sending more of our military resources? Why are we pulling military resources away from other sectors of the world, where it's much needed, and putting it all there to fight Iran and to have this war in the Middle East?

And the reality is there are so many innocent people dying. I mean, the little girls school is such an outrage, it's horrific. And Americans, we don't want to think of our military as being responsible of killing little children. This is absolutely something that Americans should not tolerate, and we are owed answers. They keep saying that they're investigating. But it is such a serious situation.

I drove by an elementary school today, and there were children out on the playground, swinging on the swings and playing on the playground. And I thought to myself, I'm so thankful that our children are safe. But I can't imagine living somewhere, where school children or people's children have been bombed or killed.

And this is something that has so many people outraged. Because, I'll go back, Kaitlan, we did not vote for this. We voted for an end to foreign wars, and that's exactly what we should be seeing.

COLLINS: On the school. So, you don't think that their answers so far have been sufficient on who's responsible for that, given the evidence that points to the United States?

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TAYLOR GREENE: I don't want to ever think about our military doing something like that, or making that type of mistake, or however it happened. But everyone has seen the video, everyone has seen the still shot of the Tomahawk missile. So, no, I think they need to come out and talk about it. There's so many things that are so concerning about this war, and Americans have not been given enough answers.

Here we are -- here's Americans at home right now. We've got families getting ready to go on spring break, and gas prices are skyrocketing. Inflation has barely stabilized, and people voted for lower grocery costs. Well, we're going to see costs at the grocery stores going up, because diesel is going up and oil is going up because of this war. We've got 30 percent of the world's fertilizer goes through the Strait. That affects our farmers that are struggling already.

We voted for to put Americans first. I'm at -- look, I'm a conservative. I'm the America First wing of the Republican Party. That's how I voted. That's what I fight for. That's what I want to see happen. I want to see Americans put first.

And we've got the Republicans in Congress right now, they can't even fund Homeland Security, our own Border Patrol, ICE, TSA agents and others who are not even getting paid. But yet, here they are, told that they're going to be voting -- and they'll vote for it, believe me. They love the war, the neocons love the war. They're going to pass another, a supplemental to fund the war in Iran. What is that going to be? $50 billion or more. While the war is costing us approximately $1 billion to $2 billion a day. But yet we're not even funding Homeland Security, and Americans are still struggling.

And Kaitlan, I got to tell you, I'm still waiting on Mike Johnson to roll out that Republican health care plan that he boasted and bragged that he was going to have, because Americans can't even afford health insurance right now.

COLLINS: Yes, I think some -- you said that this is not what the President's supporters voted for. I mean, you're someone who campaigned for him, endlessly, on the campaign trail. You know what they -- those voters wanted.

TAYLOR GREENE: Yes.

COLLINS: And when you talk about just gas prices, they're up $0.74 almost, per gallon, in Georgia, in the last month.

The administration said today, they have a plan when it comes to the Strait of Hormuz, which is basically choked off at this point, which is why those gas prices are so high.

We're 13 days in. Do you think that they have a plan?

TAYLOR GREENE: I don't know if they have a plan or not, because they have never made a clear case to the American people why they are bombing Iran. They have never made a clear case why they are supporting Israel, while Israel is bombing Lebanon, and while Israel totally grazed Gaza, killing thousands and thousands of people and children. No, I don't think they've made a clear case for this at all.

And the reality is, this is -- this is something that Americans are so fed up with, and we voted to end it. That's what we voted for, to end all of this. Here we are, over a year into President Trump's administration, and we're in a full-scale war with Iran that doesn't seem to be ending anytime soon. So no, none of it makes sense.

COLLINS: You're someone who once said you thought that there was no one more deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize than President Trump. Obviously, he's long sought one. Do you think that there's any way he could still get one given this war?

TAYLOR GREENE: You know, at one time when he wanted to be the President of Peace, and he wanted to end wars, and constantly talked about no more foreign wars, no -- ending wars? Of course, I thought he deserved the Nobel Peace Prize. But do I think he deserves it now? No, absolutely not.

And I don't think this is what the American people want. Look, I think there's a big divide, Kaitlan, between the baby boomer generation, and like Gen X, my generation, and the millennials.

Our generations have been the ones that have been sent to fight these wars in the Middle East, and our generations have paid a huge cost, and we want to see it over with.

But yet, it's the baby boomers that are in power, that are just clinging to power, living out the end of their days. It really angers me, Kaitlan, because I feel like they're ruining it for the rest of us. They're leaving us with tens of trillions of national debt. Only seven years from now, Social Security is going to be bankrupt. So, me and you, our Social Security payments are going to be basically a tax, and we may never see a Social Security check.

So, the direction of America, and the divide between the generations, where many baby boomers are supporting this war, because that's what they've been told on television. Where, many of us, we get our news from alternate sources and international news, and we know what's going on.

Here's the message for the rest of the world. The younger generations of Americans. We don't want war with the world. We want peace. We desperately want peace between all of our nations. We want good trade. We want to have good business deals. And we want to be able to visit your countries and you come visit ours. This is not what we want. This is not what we voted for.

COLLINS: Yes.

[21:15:00]

TAYLOR GREENE: And I'm certainly praying for our military troops, and I'm praying for the administration to stop the insanity.

COLLINS: One of the complaints that we heard from Trump World in his first term, when I was covering him, was that he had the right instincts, but he was surrounded by people who led him down the wrong path, or led him astray, or didn't let him lead into his instincts.

You just mentioned JD Vance, his Vice President, and Tulsi Gabbard, the Director of National Intelligence. I still don't even think we've heard from Tulsi Gabbard, since this war started. We've heard some comments from JD Vance. I wonder what you what you think of that, given they are obviously key voices in his inner circle this time.

TAYLOR GREENE: I can understand, they're in a difficult position. They serve at the pleasure of President Trump. And so, what I -- I would imagine that's a difficult spot to speak out. But they need to speak out.

This is -- this is getting -- it's going in a direction where we're looking at possible boots on the ground. Many parents are fearful there may be a draft. We are not told, like any end goal, or how long this may last, how many more American military troops will be killed? How much is it going to cost America? How many refugees are going to be brought into our country, once again? We aren't told any of this information.

I very much like JD Vance, I very much like Tulsi Gabbard, and share many of the political views that they have. I want them to speak out. We need them to speak out. We need people in the administration that we know disagree with it, because of their voices and the words they spoke previously. But we do. We need to hear from them, and I hope we will soon.

COLLINS: The President said today he would feel it in his bones when this war should end. Is that a clear exit to you?

TAYLOR GREENE: I have no idea what that means. The same way, I have no idea -- I have no understanding of what he means when he doesn't think -- he says he doesn't think he's going to heaven. So, those are statements that I find concerning. So, I honestly have no idea what that means.

COLLINS: You obviously have left Congress. I'm sure you don't regret that decision, given the craziness we've seen coming out of Capitol Hill lately.

But one thing that you were a huge proponent of in Washington is the SAVE Act. And obviously, there's been so much talk about that. Leader Thune says right now, the votes are just not there to get it passed in the Senate or to nuke the filibuster to do so.

If the President thinks that Leader Thune is unable to get the votes, or get this passed, do you think that the President himself needs to try to get the votes when it comes to the filibuster? Or what do you think the future of that is?

TAYLOR GREENE: Well, I'll be real honest. I think secure elections are one of the most important things. I think that's good for all Americans.

But when it comes to the Senate rules, their self-imposed rule of the filibuster, I think it's ridiculous. And so, the majority party I blame. Whether it's Republicans or Democrats, if you're the majority party, and you're in control, and you can't pass the bill? It's your own fault, because you are upholding your self-imposed rule of the filibuster. Get rid of the filibuster and you can pass whatever you want.

So, I give Republicans in the Senate no excuses whatsoever. As a matter of fact, I find them pretty weak and pathetic, that they refuse, refuse to get rid of the filibuster, to pass anything. Like, I'll give for you an example, Homeland Security funding. How about get rid of the filibuster and fund Homeland Security, and pay the good men and women from Border Patrol, ICE, TSA and more within that agency. But they refuse to do it.

So, when it comes to the filibuster, Kaitlan, and Senate Republicans and Thune whining about they don't have the votes? It's their own fault. And I would say the same thing about Democrats, if they were in charge.

COLLINS: Do you miss Congress?

TAYLOR GREENE: I absolutely not. This is an institution with a 13 percent approval rating, because it fails Americans over and over. And I'm a very conservative -- I always had a strong conservative voting record.

And you know what? Congress doesn't serve America. It's America Last. And I really believed in serving America first. So, it was a land of frustration for me. And I like to get things accomplished for the American people. But as everyone knows, and your viewers at home are watching, Congress doesn't really get anything done for the American people. So no, I don't miss it at all.

COLLINS: Former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, thank you for joining us tonight. We hope you'll come back soon.

TAYLOR GREENE: Thanks for having me.

COLLINS: Up next here on THE SOURCE. We have more on our breaking news, as the President now has announced that the U.S. military has struck a key target in Iran. Plus, what he said today about the condition of Iran's new Supreme Leader.

[21:20:00]

And also tonight, a federal judge just shut down the Justice Department's case against Fed Chair, Jay Powell. The U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro says she's going to appeal this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEANINE PIRRO, U.S. ATTORNEY FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Oh, cut it out. Do you know how many convictions we've got? Cut it out. You're in one lane. We have cleaned up this city.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Historic--

PIRRO: Yes, historic, really? I'll tell you what's historic. What's historic is that I prosecute everything other than 10 percent of the cases, where the United States Attorney before me didn't prosecute 67 percent of the cases.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[21:25:00]

COLLINS: As the Pentagon warned today that it would be the most intense day yet of the U.S. air campaign in Iran. Now confirmed, seemingly, by those new strikes tonight. President Trump, and the Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, both shared this assessment on the condition of the country's new Supreme Leader.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KILMEADE: First off, do you believe he's alive?

TRUMP: I think he probably is. I think he's damaged, but I think he's probably alive in some form.

PETE HEGSETH, DEFENSE SECRETARY: Iran's leadership is in no better shape, desperate and hiding, they've gone underground, cowering. That's what rats do. We know the new so-called not-so-supreme leader is wounded and likely disfigured.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: He is referring there to Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen or heard from since ascending to the role that his father held for decades. Nothing beyond a written statement that was allegedly from him, to Iranian state TV yesterday. And as Hegseth noted this morning, we did not hear the Supreme Leader deliver that statement.

But among the large pro-regime crowds that we saw in the streets of Tehran today, there were several members of Iran's leadership. The Iranian president was there, greeting supporters, as he was at the planned march. Several other senior members of the regime were also present. That includes Iran's foreign minister, the Judiciary chief, and also the Chief of Police.

Also, out on the streets, the Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, who just today, was included on the list of top officials that the United States government is now offering $10 million for information on.

I want to bring in Karim Sadjadpour, a CNN global analyst, and Iran expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

And it's great to have you here.

Can I first just get your perspective on this news tonight from President Trump, that the United States has struck Kharg Island. He says that he spared the oil infrastructure for now. How significant is that to the Iranians?

KARIM SADJADPOUR, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST, SENIOR FELLOW, CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE: It feels, Kaitlan, like there's the battle between two mad man strategies.

President Trump is signaling to the Iranians that he's going to keep escalating. He either could blow up Iran's primary place for its oil exports, Kharg Island, or even seize them. There's been reports of potentially Marines going there.

At the same time, the Iranians are showing no signs that they're prepared to de-escalate. They've said, if President Trump does that, they're prepared to blow up oil installations throughout the Persian Gulf.

So, both sides are essentially signaling that they're dug in.

COLLINS: I mean, we've been hearing from the White House, We've gotten most of our targets. The war is almost over. It's not going to be a forever war.

This seems to be, though, a potential expansion. Is that a right reading of this, you think?

SADJADPOUR: Absolutely, and I think that's how the Iranians will read it as well.

I think the big challenge that President Trump has is that America is obviously dominating this war, militarily. But they've been losing in the court of international public opinion, and President Trump has also been losing in -- when it comes to the domestic popularity of this conflict.

And as we've talked about before, the advantage that dictatorships have when they're fighting against democracies is dictatorships don't care about public opinion.

COLLINS: Do you think it could work to where the President said, basically, Let the ships through the Strait of Hormuz, let that happen, or we'll go after the oil infrastructure. Is that threat going to work with Iran?

SADJADPOUR: I mean, that is the threat on the table right now. And so far, the Iranians keep defying those threats.

The thing is that you look at the economic asymmetry of this war. Iran is essentially using $20,000 drones to harass $100 million tankers filled with hundreds of millions of dollars of oil. And up until now, it's been a successful strategy, because the world and Americans are feeling it in their pocketbooks with the spiked price of oil.

COLLINS: Yes. When you see those Iranian senior figures that are still out in the streets, as they were today in Tehran. Obviously, we have not seen the Supreme Leader, as Hegseth confirmed, they believe, he's badly disfigured. Obviously, his wife, his children, his family, his father, were all killed in that initial strike. What stands out to you about that?

SADJADPOUR: Well, this is a regime which is really projecting defiance, and a lot of confidence saying that, We're out in the streets, there may be bounties on our head, but we can't be -- we're not going to be killed. Obviously, when they're interacting among civilians, they know that the United States and Israel is unlikely to try to take them out.

But Mojtaba Khamenei, the new Supreme Leader, is going to have a bounty on his head, probably for the foreseeable future, and that's going to be very difficult to try to run the country when you're hiding underground, your communications are likely all penetrated. And he's a green leader. He's never even given a public speech before.

COLLINS: Yes. I mean, Hegseth was saying today, if he wanted to deliver this video, via video or an audio recording, he could have. Does it say anything to you that he didn't? Is that more about him hiding? Or do you think that speaks to the level of wounds that he's suffered as a result of the attack?

[21:30:00]

SADJADPOUR: I suspect it's a combination of factors.

I spoke to a source in Tehran who's known him for many years, and he said, He does not have any experience. He doesn't know how to deliver a public speech. This is a dictator's son who was kind of raised in this ideological cocoon. So, he's not a good speaker.

He has a bounty on him. He's probably emotionally in a very distressed place, having lost his father, his wife and lot of his family members.

COLLINS: Yes.

And the President today was talking about the people of Iran. He's kind of vacillated back and forth about whether or not they should be out there, trying to overthrow the regime. Today, he was saying that, it's not safe, because obviously, if they protest, they're going to be killed, potentially, in the streets, and he said it's a big hurdle to climb for people who don't have weapons.

They are conflicting messages, two weeks apart, to the people of Iran from the President.

SADJADPOUR: I think we -- in some ways, the President, has lost the plot on why we're in this situation now. We're in this situation because in January, he issued a warning to Iran not to kill protesters, and Iran proceeded to kill as many as 30,000 protesters. And I think that the public narrative, the global narrative, has shifted from Iran killing innocent protesters, to the United States waging this war of aggression. And ultimately, the American cold war with Iran is never going to be resolved until Iran has a new set of leaders, and that's going to require trying to empower the people of Iran. But right now, the people of Iran are staying home and trying to avoid bombardment.

COLLINS: What else are you watching? I mean, this changes every single day. What are you watching right now?

SADJADPOUR: Well, I joke with my Georgetown students that, to understand the Middle East, and our U.S. foreign policy toward the Middle East, the psychology degree is more valuable than a political science degree, because we're dealing with the psychology of individual leaders and traumatized societies.

But what I also am looking at carefully is to see if we're seeing any signs of fissures within the Iranian regime. Up until now, publicly, they look like they've closed ranks, and they're united.

COLLINS: Yes.

Karim Sadjadpour, thank you for that. Obviously, keep us updated on what you're seeing.

SADJADPOUR: Thank you, Kaitlan.

COLLINS: Great to have your expertise.

Up next. Another development on a story in Washington. You might have missed this press conference today. We'll show you the highlights, because U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro went off on the federal judge who blocked the subpoenas when it comes to that investigation into the Fed Chair, Jay Powell.

Elie Honig's thoughts on what we heard from Jeanine Pirro today. Up next.

[21:35:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PIRRO: One of the age-old tools that all prosecutors have to investigate any crime, including cost overruns, is a grand jury subpoena. Today, however, in Washington, an activist judge has taken that tool away from us.

He has neutered the grand jury's ability to investigate crime. As a result, Jerome Powell today is now bathed in immunity, preventing my office from investigating the Federal Reserve.

(END VIDEO CLIP) COLLINS: That is the U.S. Attorney in D.C., Jeanine Pirro, lashing out at a federal judge, after he quashed the Justice Department's subpoenas against the Federal Reserve Chair, Jay Powell.

In a blistering opinion today, the U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, ruled, quote, "There is abundant evidence that the subpoenas' dominant (if not sole) purpose is to harass and pressure Powell either to yield to the President or to resign and make way for a Fed Chair who will."

Judge Boasberg added, quote, "The Government has produced essentially zero evidence to suspect Chair Powell of a crime; indeed, its justifications are so thin and unsubstantiated that the Court can only conclude that they are pretextual."

Now, Pirro's office opened a criminal investigation, as you know, into Powell, earlier this year, probing whether or not he lied to Congress about the scope of the Central Bank's multi-billion dollar renovation. He came out and revealed that, shocking the world, about that investigation.

But shortly after the ruling today, Jeanine Pirro came out in a hastily arranged news conference that at one point devolved into this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PIRRO: You know honestly, I don't know, and I don't care, and I'll tell you why. I am in a legal lane. All of the rest is white noise.

I was one of the first people to investigate child abuse as a crime.

There was an organization, and that organization didn't have a very good reputation.

I set up a relationship where they would bring me cases. And people were outraged that I would deal with this organization. And my answer to them, 30, 40, years ago? I'll deal with the devil. I'll take a case from the devil, if you can give me information that will lead me to possibly find a crime.

Oh, cut it out. Do you know how many convictions we've got? Cut it out. You're in one lane. We have cleaned up this city.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Historic--

PIRRO: Yes, historic, really? I'll tell you what's historic.

[21:40:00]

I'm willing to take a not guilty. I'm willing to take a no true bill. Because I'll take all the crimes and put them in.

Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you. That's all the time we have.

(END VIDEO CLIP) COLLINS: Talk about a mic drop.

I want to bring in my legal source tonight. CNN's Elie Honig.

Elie, first off, have you ever taken a case from the devil?

ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST, FORMER ASSISTANT U.S. ATTORNEY, SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NY: I've taken cases from some pretty bad people.

COLLINS: You probably thought that they were?

HONIG: I mean, I actually sort of felt for her on that one.

But I mean, look, when she came out and gave that press conference, my first thought was, What even is this? I mean, that is not why U.S. attorneys or attorneys general call pressers. I mean, you and I have covered many, many press conferences. When there's an indictment. When you get a guilty plea. When you get a verdict. Or when you get a sentence.

It seems that Jeanine Pirro called that press conference to just have a public meltdown, to just have some sort of therapeutic venting session. I don't know what the purpose of that was.

If you get a ruling from a judge that you don't like, what do you do? Go make an appeal and go win your appeal.

That was just performative. It accomplished nothing, if anything, I think it sort of underscored the Judge's reasoning that this is political and this is personal.

COLLINS: I mean, what do you think Judge Boasberg thinks of that appearance?

HONIG: I think he's been on the bench long enough to see that as a first. And by the way, I think it's important, Judge Boasberg, you know, Jeanine Pirro said, This is a, quote, Activist judge. Standard line. But if you look at Judge Boasberg's actual history?

COLLINS: Standard line from Trump's views (ph)?

HONIG: From this administration. Right.

The way Judge Boasberg first became a judge was because he was appointed to the D.C. Superior Court by George W. Bush, a conservative. Later elevated by Barack Obama.

Also, you may remember, there was this whole fuss about trying to get Donald Trump's tax returns, right? His IRS returns. And there was a motion at one point, back in 2017, to get it, and Judge Boasberg ruled in favor of Donald Trump. He said, No, you don't get his tax return.

So, this is not some activist judge. She's just -- she's just sort of reflexive on this using--

COLLINS: But he was the judge involved when they were doing the deportation flights.

HONIG: Yes.

COLLINS: He said, to have them turn around.

HONIG: For sure.

COLLINS: I think that's still even playing itself out.

But -- and the President attacking Jay Powell, that's -- you saw that all over Judge Boasberg's findings here. The President did it again yesterday. Obviously, Jeanine Powell is doing it there -- Jeanine Pirro is doing it there. Does that affect their case if they try to resurrect this?

HONIG: So yes, here is the crux of today's ruling. Jeanine Pirro complained. She said, at one point, You're neutering -- This judge is neutering our ability to prosecute.

That's not quite right. When you're a prosecutor, you have very broad subpoena power. But it's not unlimited. And Judge Boasberg says that in his motion. What he says is, You don't need much evidence, you don't even need much suspicion, but you can't have nothing, and more importantly, you can't have a bad reason.

And Judge Boasberg's opinion makes a really compelling case that this is all political, this is all part of the effort to pressure Jay Powell into lowering interest rates. And therefore, he rejects the subpoenas.

It's pretty embarrassing, by the way, to get a subpoena quashed. I mean, that happens, but it's rare, and it means you've really overstepped.

COLLINS: That's embarrassing in attorneys' circles?

HONIG: It's embarrassing to prosecutors, for sure.

And by the way, another thing I have to correct. Jeanine Pirro said, This is the first time in history that a judge has done this?

No, it is not. Judge Boasberg actually goes through in his motion, and he lists at least one case from every single federal district, where judges have quashed subpoenas.

And by the way, you know who tried to get a subpoena quashed, at one point, in 2020? Donald Trump. He got a subpoena from the Manhattan D.A., and he moved in the courts to quash it. He failed. But he definitely tried to do the same thing that happened here today.

COLLINS: What did you make of her comment that she was one of the first people to prosecute child abuse, I think she said?

HONIG: I have no idea what she's talking about. I have no idea how far back she is talking. She said 30, 40, years? I mean, child abuse has been a crime for a long -- you know, she went on this rant, by the way, about what a badass prosecutor she is, and I can make a case with anything.

Well, at the same time, she wrongly said, This decision immunizes Jay Powell.

It does not immunize him. If she's such a great prosecutor, and can come up with the evidence elsewhere? And by the way, a lot of the documents that she's subpoenaing are already publicly available through the Fed and through Congress. She can still piece together a case. Now, I think it's going to lose, like many of these other payback cases. But it's not immunity. If she's such a great prosecutor? Go ahead, find your evidence, make your case.

COLLINS: I mean, but also, the irony of this is that Trump already has a new pick to replace Jay Powell.

HONIG: Yes.

COLLINS: And he is awaiting confirmation.

But Republicans, including Thom Tillis, say, I'm not doing it until this is dropped.

HONIG: And if you're wondering, because Jeanine Pirro said, I'm going to appeal. So, if people are watching the markets and wondering, Well, how long could that take? How much of a delay? A federal appeal is going to, conservatively take, six months. Can take a year.

Now, she may ask the Court of Appeals to expedite this. I don't know that a Court of Appeals is going to agree to expedite, so that the next Fed Chair can get through.

So, if she does appeal this, and Thom Tillis sticks to his word? It's going to delay substantially the next Fed Chair from taking over.

COLLINS: Elie Honig. Good luck with your cases from the devil.

HONIG: You see something new -- you see something new every day.

COLLINS: Thank you for that, Elie.

Up next. We're going to take you behind the scenes. It was a critical week in Washington. The administration went from claiming victory to Iran. We've seen new strikes today. And now questions about what is the exit strategy?

[21:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Some breaking news this hour, as President Trump has just posted new video of those new U.S. military strikes on Iran's key oil hub that is known as Kharg Island. These are the unclassified videos that you're seeing tonight.

[21:50:00] CNN geolocated the footage to the island, and portions show strikes at the Kharg Airport, which matches the satellite imagery that was reviewed by CNN. It's a five-mile stretch of land off the Iranian coast that handles roughly 90 percent of the country's crude oil exports. It had seemingly been left untouched during the first two weeks of the war. That is, until now.

As this war with Iran is only intensifying tonight. Here is what we saw behind the scenes this week in Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TRUMP: Over the past nine days, we have carried out some of the most powerful and complex military strikes and maneuvers the world has ever seen.

ON SCREEN TEXT: Monday, March 9.

TRUMP: They were going to take over the Middle East, and they were going to try and destroy Israel. So, we stopped it with good timing. We're very proud to be involved in this, and it's going to be ended soon.

This was just an excursion into something that had to be done.

MANU RAJU, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There's footage that shows that a Tomahawk missile likely destroyed that Iranian girls school.

Will the U.S. accept any responsibility for that strike?

TRUMP: Well, I haven't seen it.

A Tomahawk is very generic, it's sold to other countries. But that's being investigated right now.

COLLINS: The President said on Saturday to reporters that he believed it was Iran that was actually responsible for that.

Our analysis of the geolocated images has said that it was the United States military that was most likely responsible. There's been no confirmation of that yet.

I'm joined by not one, but four Senate Democrats who are now threatening to voice a series of war powers votes on Iran, unless the Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, and Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, testify publicly about the war.

SEN. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): We know from the classified briefings, there was no imminent threat of attack. So, if there was no imminent threat to the United States, why are we at war?

SEN. TIM KAINE (D-VA): Imagine you're one of these families, and you're watching your kid come home, killed.

And you hear this President make light of it, calling it an excursion? That is so insulting.

SEN. CORY BOOKER (D-NJ): This is a sobered moment for our nation in which a president, unilaterally, has made a decision to bring our country into this conflict.

Our body was designed to provide a check on the executive, and it's time that we do it.

ON SCREEN TEXT: Tuesday, March 10.

KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Economic victories in detail.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: The White House press secretary fielded a bunch of questions today about the Strait of Hormuz and the rising price of oil.

COLLINS: The swings that we've seen based on comments made by President Trump before the markets closed, after the markets closed.

One other thing that Karoline Leavitt said earlier about this prospect of the Navy escorting tankers, through the Strait of Hormuz, it is still an option if and when necessary.

If you look at the markets, they may argue, That time is now.

Tonight, we are learning that nearly a 140 U.S. service members have been wounded during the first 10 days of the war with Iran.

SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT): We seem to be on a path toward deploying American troops on the ground in Iran.

COLLINS: A lot of people might hear that and be alarmed by your statement.

BLUMENTHAL: The American people deserve to hear everything.

I am extremely worried and fearful after that briefing, but I was even before.

There can be great military triumphs through bombing, but success requires a strategy.

ON SCREEN TEXT: Wednesday, March 11.

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: A new report says the military investigation has found it was the United States that struck the school.

TRUMP: I don't know about it.

You know, you never like to say too early you won. We won. We won the bet -- in the first hour, it was over.

COLLINS: Do you agree with President Trump when he says that he believes the United States has won the war at this point? SEN. JOHN FETTERMAN (D-PA): I think the outcome thus far has been outstanding.

I'm very much aware that I'm the only Democrat in the Senate that supports this operation, and I'm going to continue to do that.

ON SCREEN TEXT: Thursday, March 12.

TRUMP: The situation with Iran is moving along very rapidly.

We're doing what has to be done, should have been done.

They really are a nation of terror and hate, and they're paying a big price right now.

COLLINS: Governor, how do people in your state feel about what they're paying at the pump? Do they think it will be worth it in the long- term, as the administration suggests?

GOV. WES MOORE (D-MD): Donald Trump said that he was going to lower prices. He said he was going to release the Epstein files. And he said he was not going to get us involved in foreign wars. And I think people are now seeing that each and every one of those things was a lie.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Still ahead here on THE SOURCE. An air travel nightmare is playing out right now, after several East Coast airports had to shut down for hours. What caused this huge ground stop? That's next.

[21:55:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Right now, travelers at three airports in the D.C. area are facing major delays and cancelations, after the FAA issued a ground stop as officials were investigating a chemical smell at an air traffic control center.

In the last hour, we heard from the Transportation Secretary, Sean Duffy, who confirmed, there's no danger to air traffic controllers. That source of the strong odor was actually traced to a circuit board that had overheated. It has since been replaced.

But those delays in Baltimore have now reached over two and a half hours, three hours at Dulles Airport, and more than three and a half hours at Reagan. We're thinking of all the travelers tonight.

Thank you so much for joining us.

"CNN NEWSNIGHT WITH ABBY PHILLIP" starts right now.