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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson

Trump - U.S. Navy Escorts In Strait Of Hormuz - Happening Soon; Trump Says U.S. Bombed Iran's Crown Jewel Kharg Island; Global Oil Prices Jump To Highest Level Since July 2022; Trump - Iran War Will End When I - Feel It In My Bones; Beirut Reels From Latest Round Of Strikes; Zelenskyy - U.S. Wants To Postpone Next Round Of Peace Talks; FBI - Old Dominion Shooting Suspect A Convicted ISIS Supporter ; Federal Judge Ends DOJ's Subpoenas Against Jerome Powell; Aired 12-1a ET

Aired March 14, 2026 - 00:00   ET

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

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN breaking news.

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN HOST: And welcome to "The Story Is." I'm Elex Michaelson. It's 9:00 p.m. Friday night here in Los Angeles, 07:30 a.m. Saturday morning in Tehran. And breaking news this hour, President Trump says the U.S. Navy will soon intervene in the critical Strait of Hormuz, where the flow of oil has been effectively paralyzed because of the war with Iran.

President also says the U.S. bombed every military target on Iran's Kharg Island, which handles nearly all of the country's crude exports. Afterwards, state media said that Tehran threatened retaliatory strikes on Gulf facilities owned by oil companies that cooperate with the U.S. or have American shares. President Trump said he spared Kharg Island's oil infrastructure, that's key, but warned it could get wiped out if Iran continues blocking ships from getting through the Strait.

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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Their navy is gone. Their air force is gone. Most of their military is gone. Their big threat is gone in every way. They have no radar. They have no anti- aircraft weapons. For the most part, weapons and for -- and definitely, they have no way of determining what they call visibility. So just about everything is gone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: A senior Iranian official tells CNN that Iran is now considering allowing a limited number of oil tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, but only if the oil cargo is traded in Chinese yen. Iranian Foreign Minister spoke about oil prices Friday at a rally held for Al-Quds Day.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABBAS ARAGHCHI, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (translated): Oil prices are on the rise, and this is the result of Israel's and America's actions. They must be held accountable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Notice Iranian leaders out in the streets there. That's also significant. As global markets closely watch the situation in The Middle East, oil prices have now hit their highest level since July 2022. President Trump admits that the U.S. and Israeli objectives in Iran, "Might be a little different." His comments come as the war enters its third week.

That is the sound of warning sirens in Tel Aviv on Friday. Israeli officials say Iranian cluster munitions exploded at multiple areas in Central Israel, and Israel says it continued to strike Iran into Friday night as the death toll surpasses 2,000 people.

Joining me now live is CNN Military Analyst Cedric Leighton and CNN National Security Analyst Alex Plitsas. Both of you joined us when the war actually started to -- now -- here we are now. So Kharg Island, why does that matter so much militarily?

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, one word out, Elex, and it's oil. Basically, it's 90% of Iran's oil output goes through Kharg Island, and it's got this oil terminal that was started back in the days of the shah. And that oil terminal, through fits and starts has been basically the way that Iran sends its oil out to the rest of the world. So that's why it's important if Kharg Island falls or if it's rendered inoperable in one way or the other, then the idea there is that Iran's oil flow will actually stop, and that's -- that would be an economic death blow to the Iranians.

MICHAELSON: Alex, discuss the decision to leave the oil infrastructure in place for now.

ALEX PLITSAS, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: That is a message from the President to the Iranians that he said previously the other day that he didn't want to engage in the state building and would prefer to work with a member of the existing regime provided that they could meet him on policy grounds. However, this was a clear message that if they were to survive this this engagement and that the regime would be there afterwards, that he has the ability to turn off their ability to make money as Cedric just mentioned a moment ago, and they would effectively be rendered, broke, diplomatically isolated, and in a very bad position. So this was a wakeup call from the President saying that this is the time to open up the straits. We'll see if they heed the warning.

MICHAELSON: You think they will?

PLITSAS: It's tough to say at this point. I think this is their main point of leverage. It's part of their overall strategy for what the Iranians are trying to do. They realize that they have met military overmatch with the United States and Israel, and as a result of that, they're attempting to drive up the price of oil and goods, maximize U.S. casualties, elongate the war because they don't think the President has the stomach for it, and also to divide his base. So this is a deliberate part of the strategy. And if they feel that there's an existential threat to their existence, which they still do at the moment, they may continue to push that envelope.

But it's pretty clear that the President is reaching the end of the options available to him before having to take more strong action. And Cedric, we're getting reports that the U.S. is sending more military assets to the region. What does that tell you, and what do we know about that?

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LEIGHTON: Yeah. So that's from the third MEF or the Marine Expeditionary Force that's based in Okinawa. So we're talking about somewhere close to 2,500 marines coming into the Middle East. What that could possibly mean is an amphibious assault capability that is currently not in theater for as far as the U.S. is concerned. And if that is actually sent to The Middle East, well, it's on its way apparently, it was actually used in The Middle East, then what that could do is it could be used potentially for a Kharg Island or for the area around the Strait of Hormuz on the Iranian side of that body of water. And if that's the case, that of course opens up a whole another possibility. Whether or not that's going to happen that way is, of course, a very much an open question, but that would be a capability that this group would have.

MICHAELSON: Meaning ground troops?

LEIGHTON: Meaning ground troops. That's exactly what that would mean. But these are -- this is what a marine infantry unit does. They are the ground troops that would go in and conduct amphibious operations. They would take potential territory, basically create a beachhead in areas like this, but the use of that, of course, would open up a whole another chapter in this war.

MICHAELSON: And that is something that a lot of folks, especially folks on the right are wary of. Alex, it has now been two weeks, since we all got together and were talking about this as this war first broke out. First, we thought it was Israel on its own, and we realized it was United States a part of it as well. CNN, the first to break news of that. How do you think it's going two weeks in? And are we where you thought we would be two weeks ago?

PLITSAS: Cedric and I were talking about this earlier this week. When we look at the U.S.'s military objectives that have been articulated by the White House and the Pentagon, they're actually doing fairly well. The goal was to try to destroy the ballistic missile program and the defense industrial base behind it as well as the drones, and that seems to be well on track at the moment. The launches are all down across the board, and that appears to be due to U.S. military action along with the Israelis.

The piece that really hasn't been struck yet though, which was the President's primary objective is the nuclear program. So we'll see where that goes. There appears to be at least several more weeks of military targets to move through. But at the same time, the straits are effectively, even though they're open, the lanes are not blocked, they're effectively closed due to the risk that the shipping owners are seeing, and therefore, they're pretty much parked on either side of the straight until that frees up.

So I think this is going to come down to a run against the clock with the economy. If the U.S. is unable to open up the straights, that means the price of oil could go up between three to five barrels a day as long as the straits remain, effectively closed. And with several weeks of operations left, it becomes a question of how long that can last. So the U.S. appears to be doing well and on track to achieve its military objectives.

Regime change is not a military objective in this case. The military doesn't control the protesters and doesn't control the sitting government. That's a political objective. So there could be a scenario in which the military objectives are achieved from a security standpoint, and then we end up with a weakened Iranian regime that stays in power. So time will tell. I think we're still a couple weeks away from that.

MICHAELSON: Cedric, what -- how -- what's your assessment? Two weeks in. Where are we at, and what do you think of what we've seen so far?

LEIGHTON: Yeah. So from -- Elex is right that, we've got to achieved a lot of military objectives, but the problem is that some of those objectives have actually been changed. You look at the nuclear piece, it's mentioned at the beginning. It's not mentioned now. You look at some of the other things luring after the ballistic missiles, that was a success, at least it appears to be right now.

Of course, there are certain things that have not gone correctly, and one of them, of course, is the attack on the -- that inadvertently hit the school in Iran near the southern border there, the southern shoreline. So that there are some major hiccups there that could adversely impact the way this whole conflict is not only perceived, but with the final outcome of that. Then on as Elex mentioned, the diplomatic side of this, that's a political side. That's a completely different issue, and those military objectives may not be in concert with the objectives on the political or diplomatic side, and that could be a significant issue.

MICHAELSON: Yeah. Diplomacy is much more complicated than blowing stuff up, and we will see that play out over the next few weeks, months, and years. Cedric Leighton, Alex Plitsas who have been with us literally since the beginning of this thing, the first people we talked to, and starting off our show again two weeks later. Thanks so much, gentlemen, for all your insight. Have a great weekend.

Now we go to Lebanon where the capital is reeling from the latest round of Israeli strikes as the fighting shows no signs of letting up there. The Israeli military has targeted an area of Beirut considered a Hezbollah stronghold.

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Israeli planes have also dropped leaflets over the city. They contained a message from an Israeli intelligence unit in charge of recruiting agents. The UNN says more than 800,000 people have already been internally displaced because of the fighting. 800,000 people. Some experts say the number could soon reach a million as Israel raises the prospect of a bigger ground operation in the south. One humanitarian worker says the displaced residents still have something to rely on, one another.

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CARL SKAU, DEPUTY EXEC. DIRECTOR, U.N. WORLD FOOD PROGRAM: The Lebanese people have been through this crisis before. They've been displaced before, but that doesn't make it any easier. On the contrary, they are exhausted. They are afraid, and frankly, there is a sense of desperation here on the streets. The government is responding, and we are supporting them to deliver with hot meals to the shelters, with cash to the people that have been displaced. And really what we're seeing is Lebanese solidarity in action. Lebanese communities supporting Lebanese communities, Lebanese in our workforce supporting the Lebanese people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Now to the war in Ukraine, and the President there says the U.S. is looking to postpone the upcoming trilateral peace talks that include Russia. The negotiations were set to begin on Wednesday, but President Zelenskyy told the Ukrainian media that U.S. officials only want to meet at home because of security concerns over the war in Iran. Mr. Zelenskyy says Russia insists on meeting in Turkey or Switzerland. He says Ukraine is still ready to meet next week.

Cuba's President has confirmed for the first time that his government has been holding talks with the Trump administration. Miguel Diaz- Canel says the discussions are focused on finding solutions to the bilateral problems between the two nations. Cuba is facing a growing energy crisis after the U.S. imposed a blockade on oil shipments to the island. Diaz-Canel says no fuel has arrived on the island in three months. President Trump has said that the Cuban government is desperate to make a deal while also predicting that the regime would soon fall.

Still ahead, two attacks in the U.S. 100s of miles apart, but each incident hitting at places where people typically feels safe, the house of worship, on the university campus. But we know about both attacks next.

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GRETCHEN WHITMER, MICHIGAN GOVERNOR: This is not a political moment. This is not a political debate. This is targeting babies who are Jewish. That's antisemitism at its absolute worst, and that's why we cannot lose sight of that, the importance of keeping everyone in Michigan safe by being responsible in how we talk about issues and how we treat one another. (END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: That's Michigan's Democratic Governor, Gretchen Whitmer, speaking out against antisemitism following Thursday's attack on a Detroit area synagogue. Authorities say the attacker crashed a truck loaded with a large amount of fireworks and several jugs of what is believed to be gasoline ramming the vehicle into the synagogue before opening fire. Officials say the attacker was a Lebanese born U.S. citizen who reportedly lost family members in an Israeli air strike in Lebanon.

The attack in Michigan came less than two hours after deadly shooting hundreds of miles away in Virginia at Old Dominion University. Authorities are investigating that shooting as an act of terrorism. The FBI says there are no indications that the two attacks are connected. Still, the violence at a place of worship and at a university has rattled the communities where they once felt safe. CNN's Brian Todd reports.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the FBI. We have a search warrant.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A normally quiet neighborhood suddenly put on edge.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now with your hands on, we follow the instructions.

TODD: Late Thursday night, law enforcement officials raided the home of Mohamed Baylor Jalloh, who the FBI identifies as the shooter in Thursday's Old Dominion University terror attack.

CLAIRE WANG, NEIGHBOR: It was like a movie. It was really scary seeing everyone armed with their military rifles, because I've never seen that before in my life.

TODD: Claire Wang lives across the street in this Washington D.C. suburb in Virginia. She took this video as law enforcement surrounded Jalloh's home.

WANG: I would just whenever things would happen, and it's -- I just feel really unsafe.

TODD: The FBI investigating Thursday morning's shooting as an act of terrorism.

DOMINIQUE EVANS, FBI SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE: We have confirmed reports that prior to him conducting this act of terrorism, he shouted Allahu Akbar.

TODD: Before Jalloh was stopped, he killed one, a professor and U.S. veteran, and injured two others in a university ROTC classroom. Jalloh, a former Virginia National Guard Member and Army Combat Engineer, was a naturalized citizen from Sierra Leone and a student enrolled at Old Dominion. He was also known to law enforcement officials. In 2016, Jalloh attempted to procure weapons in what he believed would be an attack in the name of ISIS and tried to donate money to the designated foreign terrorist organization according to the Department of Justice. At the time, Jalloh unknowingly confided to an FBI informant who had been monitoring his behavior. The source told officials that Jalloh did not reenlist in the army after listening to online lectures by an Al-Qaeda leader. And that he had been thinking of conducting an attack like the 2009 shooting rampage at the Fort Hood military base that left 13 people dead and 32 injured according to the Department of Justice.

ALEXANDER MELEAGROU-HITCHENS, CO-AUTHOR, HOMEGROWN - ISIS IN AMERICA: He was inspired by Nidal Hasan who in 2009 attacked Fort Hood, and now he has actually gone on to commit the attack that he expressed an interest in conducting to the FBI informant.

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TODD: Jalloh pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to ISIS and was sentenced to 11 years in prison in 2017. He was released from federal custody in 2024 after spending just seven years in prison.

JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: They may have to ask themselves, were we keeping tabs on him through whatever his post release requirements were from federal parole or wherever else he was supposed to be checking in and being monitored.

TODD: On Friday, anger and questions from Jalloh's neighbors. How could something like this happen? How was this convicted terrorist supporter allowed to walk free and become a terrorist himself?

HONORATO GARCIA, NEIGHBOR: They shouldn't be out. I'm free. Yeah. They should be put in away for good.

NIC RIECKMANN, NEIGHBOR: Why did the justice system fail us with letting somebody out after seven years who had ties to ISIS? That's a terror organization.

TODD: The White House posted a message saying the gunman was released from prison early under the Biden administration, and the White House said, "This should have never happened." Meanwhile, another man has been arrested and he's facing federal charges for allegedly selling Mohamed Jalloh a firearm used in the shooting. That's according to court documents. As a convicted supporter of ISIS, Jalloh was prohibited from owning a gun. Brian Todd, CNN, Sterling, Virginia.

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MICHAELSON: Let's bring in retired FBI Supervisory Special Agent, Richard Kolko. Welcome back to "The Story Is."

RICHARD KOLKO, FBI SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT (RET.): Thank you. Good evening.

MICHAELSON: So why was this guy out of jail? Are there other people in this situation? Are these people even being tracked?

KOLKO: Great question. He's out of jail because basically he did his time, may have gotten off for good behavior, and then was given a probation, federal probation. Federal probation means he has to check- in on a regular basis, and probation officers are trained to recognize if something is unusual, and they might pick up the phone or contact the FBI and say, this person is acting unusual and needs to be looked into.

But the number of people and the actual work it takes to track or follow people after they've served their time, that's too manpower and investigatively intensive for an agency even as large as the FBI to take on. And plus, you need a predicate. If he served his time doing probation, not breaking any other crimes, which he obviously did at some point, you can't just follow him around.

MICHAELSON: So, basically, there could be other people in a similar situation out there, right?

KOLKO: Not only could be, probably are. There are people that have served their time. They can become more radicalized while in prison, as you know. And the way they come out, even if they're going to probation and fulfill the requirements for their release, we have recidivism in the system. So certainly the potential is there and possibility is there and this was very awful circumstances here.

MICHAELSON: So we've seen four significant attacks on the homeland in the last two weeks since this war started. Is this potentially start of something bigger, other attacks mimicking that? And how is the FBI, do you work to control that?

KOLKO: Well, bigger, I certainly hope not. Are there going to be more of them? Unfortunately, I think so. The chances that there will be more inspired attacks throughout the United States is probably likely, and FBI and intelligence community probably knows that that's possibly going to happen. But that doesn't mean people needs to live their life in a panic.

Your actual chance of being caught up in one of these attacks, very slim. I don't take anything away from the people that were injured or wounded or killed this -- I mean over the past couple of days. But it's going to happen as long as this military operation continues in Iran, we can expect this. But you can also see when you look at what he did or how he planned this attack, he didn't come up with this on his own. I think Jalloh had ideas that he probably got right off Wikipedia on how to carry out this attack. Did a little research, and he looked at the Fort Hood attack, major Hasan back in, I think, it was 2009, who wanted to kill military personnel. And he did something very similar there. Through this together fairly quickly, I believe.

MICHAELSON: So we we've heard concerns about the so called sleeper cells, that Iran may activate in the country. We haven't seen a lot of examples of that yet. President Trump earlier in the week talked about that possibility, was asked about it, and then talked about the fact that the Democrats and Republicans have not funded the Department of Homeland Security, and here's what he said. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Yeah. We know a lot about them. The biggest problem we have is the Democrat shutdown. We know a lot about them, but the shutdown doesn't allow us to do what we have to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Do you think that investigations into sleeper cells will be hampered in any way by the DHS shutdown?

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And how does that work in terms of tracking that possibility?

KOLKO: I'm not sure if they've been hampered, but I can be positive that the shutdown is not helping any investigations that need to be ongoing or to be initiated. You got DHS people working without paychecks, makes it very difficult. Over time, morale will go down. There's a lot of other things that take over their mind as they have to pay their bills and things like that. But, the people that work in these organizations, in DHS, in the FBI, in the intelligence community, they're dedicated to national security, keeping the country safe, keeping fellow Americans safe. I think and very strongly that they will do their job even without the funding, of DHS, but certainly, time for Congress to pay the men and women that are out there, working hard to help keep our country safe.

MICHAELSON: Yeah. They have nothing to do with the politics of all this. They just want to do their jobs. Richard Kolko, thank you so much for your insight. Have a great weekend.

KOLKO: You too.

MICHAELSON: A CNN investigation has found that Israeli strikes on fuel depots have sent toxic smoke drifting across Iran's capital city. What that pollution could mean for the millions of Iranians living there. Bill Weir joins us after the break.

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MICHAELSON: Welcome back to "The Story Is." I'm Elex Michaelson. Let's take a look at today's top stories.

Iran is threatening to retaliate after the U.S. said that it bombed every military asset on Kharg Island. It's according to Iranian state media, which reports that no oil infrastructure was damaged. The island handles about 90% of Iran's crude exports. President Trump says its oil infrastructure could still be targeted if Iran continues blocking ships from getting through the Strait of Hormuz. Israeli planes dropped leaflets over Beirut on Friday, urging residents not to become, "Easy prey for Hezbollah weapons." That message was from an Israeli intelligence unit in charge of recruiting agents.

Lebanon's military is warning people not to scan the QR codes on the leaflets, saying they carry legal and security risks.

An equipment outage caused ground stops at three airports in the Washington D.C. area. Federal Aviation employees reported a strong chemical smell on Friday in a crucial air traffic control center in Virginia. The facility closed temporarily causing the airport it serves to suspend operations. Investigators blame the smell on an overheated circuit board.

Israel says that strikes on fuel depots in and around Tehran were aimed at crippling Iran's military supply. But a CNN investigation has found that the attacks also ignited fires and oil spills that sent toxic smoke drifting for miles across Iran's capital city. Experts say the environmental damage and risk to civilian health raise new questions about whether those strikes meet the standard of proportionality under international law. CNN investigative reporter Katie Polglase has the story.

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KATIE POLGLASE, CNN INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: Israel struck multiple oil depots across Tehran last weekend. They say these sites are fueling Iran's military, but the strikes are also spreading polluted air across the city, and it's made worse by these mountains that trap toxic fumes in the region.

Environmental and legal experts told us that Israeli military planners would or should have known that targeting oil facilities right next to a city of millions would have a catastrophic impact on human health and daily life. So we began analyzing these strikes and their consequences using public data and imagery.

Getting air quality data is difficult due to the communications blackout, but various monitoring platforms show a huge surge in pollution in Tehran on March 7th around the same time as the strikes on oil depots. The pollution level later drops as the pollutants settle, but experts say the health risks remain high.

This is the Southern Tehran oil depot. Millions of people across the city rely on it for power. Two days after the strikes, the depot looked like this. Fires are still burning. The conflict and environment observatory told us this black smoke indicates high levels of black carbon, which can cause respiratory disorders. This blackened ground is likely spilled oil, which could seep into the soil and contaminate crops and water supplies, they said.

You can even see it from NASA satellites, smoke from this same oil depot stretching for miles and reaching other nearby towns. We saw similar black smoke and oil spills at Shahran oil depot in the North and Aqdasiyeh in the Northeast of Tehran. Environmental experts say this pollution mixes with chemicals released by other bombed buildings in the city, forming what they describe as a cocktail of pollutants.

The Israeli military have publicly stated their objective in targeting these oil depots to incapacitate Iran's military. But the question under international humanitarian law is whether it is proportionate to the harm inflicted on civilians and the environment.

CNN reached out to U.S. CENTCOM and the Israel Defense Forces for comment on these strikes and their proportionality. U.S. CENTCOM referred us to the IDF. The IDF told us that these strikes were deepening damage to Iranian military infrastructure, and they would continue to operate with determination to remove threats to the state of Israel. Katie Polglase, CNN, London.

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MICHAELSON: Joining us now from New York is CNN's Chief Climate Correspondent, Bill Weir. Bill, welcome to "The Story Is" for the first time.

Thank you, Elex. Good to see you.

MICHAELSON: So we just saw in Katie's report there these real short term challenges in Tehran. What kind of danger are people in there? What are the effects?

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Well, it is such a densely populated area. This isn't like '91 when Iraq set Kuwait's oil fields ablaze and nobody really lived there. This is a city of 9 million people surrounded by mountains, where just the atmosphere there tends to make the air sit. And so that black acrid thick smoke is full of hydrocarbons and ultrafine particles called PM 2.5. And there's sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, which when it mixes with water can turn acidic there.

And so this is, as you saw in that report, just a cocktail of nastiness for those people, at least here in the near term. Four of those oil depots burning around the city, unmitigated disaster. Even after they're able to put it out, these legacies can last for years.

MICHAELSON: So what are people living there supposed to do?

WEIR: That is the question, right? You can probably try to crack -- seal off the cracks in the house, but and try to keep the most obvious smoke out, but they have to live with this. And again, war is hell, but war with oil as both a prize and a weapon is all the more hellish for the innocence around it.

MICHAELSON: So you cover the climate issue so deeply for years. And it's interesting you point out that the environmental movement of the 70s really came out because of some of these same very issues.

WEIR: Yeah. I mean, that was a time when the pollution was so obvious, you couldn't see the Hollywood sign from Downtown LA. Most days, you could taste the air in your throat. The Cuyahoga River, of course, was on fire. The pollution just couldn't be ignored. That led to the first Earth Day and the EPA. But, the oil shocks of the 70s, those long gas lines as Gulf nations tried to punish the U.S. as a ally of Israel and drive the price up there led to the early push for solar power.

Jimmy Carter, of course, put solar panels on the White House, but he also vowed to protect oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, which turned out to be a huge mistake. But, anyway, when it this happens, whether it's now or when Russia invaded Ukraine a few years ago and Joe Biden had to go to fist bump the folks in Saudi Arabia to try to get more oil released. This is just a reminder that when you live in an oil economy, this is what happens. You're at the mercy of these geopolitical hotspots.

People now, especially renewable energy advocates, and even the Secretary General of United Nations said this week, this should be the time for nations to double down on renewables because sun and wind doesn't go through the Strait of Hormuz. It's not at the mercy of some far off world leader that wind that's working in Texas or Iowa or solar power in the United States is truly indigenous. That is the definition of energy independence.

But a lot of these projects are at the mercy of the global economy. And so if this war ends up tanking, the economy in a way that affects interest rates, that that has a trickledown effect for all those startup energy projects as well. So we're all connected on this big blue marble through our energy choices, but this will not just affect oil prices, gas prices. It's affecting food supplies, the shipments in and out of the Persian Gulf. A lot of fertilizer stocks come from that part of the world.

So, again, we are all connected here. And President Trump, of course, is trying to get more Americans and more sort of citizens of the world dependent on oil. That is literally his explicit policy to punish renewables and prop up oil and gas producers, but here we are.

MICHAELSON: Here we are. And it is a good time if you are driving an EV because you are not as dependent on some of the gas prices. But there's big questions about whether our infrastructure is ready for that to multiply 10, a 100x, et cetera. Bill Weir, thank you so much for joining us, from New York. Really appreciate your perspective on this important issue.

WEIR: Anytime, Elex.

MICHAELSON: Up next, new details are emerging on the horrors experienced at Jeffrey Epstein's infamous island. CNN's Kyung Lah as a CNN investigation on what the island was like and some of the notable people who visited.

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MICHAELSON: A federal judge has quashed the U.S. justice department's attempt to subpoena Fed Chair Jerome Powell. The judge says that the DOJ has not produced any evidence that Powell is suspected of a crime. Instead, the evidence suggests that the subpoenas were meant to pressure Powell into voting for lower interest rates or resigning.

U.S. attorney for D.C., Jeanine Pirro, says the plan to appeal that ruling, but a GOP Senator warns an appeal could delay senate confirmation of President Trump's pick to be the next Fed Chair.

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We have new reporting on Jeffrey Epstein and his Caribbean island. The details were uncovered in a CNN review of more home videos and survivor accounts in the Department of Justice's files on him. Your CNN Senior Investigative Correspondent, Kyung Lah.

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KYUNG LAH, SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: Infamous sex offender Jeffrey Epstein used the secluded island to both wine and dine the rich and build a trap where women and children as young as 12 describe rape, sexual abuse, and trafficking.

ROBERT COUTURIER, ARCHITECT AND DESIGNER: The girls and the young women who went on the island were basic prisoners. You couldn't leave.

LAH: A CNN review of thousands of videos, photos, and emails in the DOJ files, written testimony from victims, and satellite imagery paint the clearest picture yet of how Epstein transformed this island into an elaborate crime scene. The files show the signs of abuse captured on camera.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was just for Jeffrey's amusement.

LAH: Powerful guests publicly and repeatedly say they didn't see this abuse, but it was so obvious and bold according to one victim that anyone spending significant time at any of Epstein's residences would have clearly been aware of what was going on.

To do what he planned, Epstein used the island's seclusion.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is my swimming pool.

LAH: Helicopter or boat were the only way visitors could get to the island he purchased for about $8 million in 1998. In 2002, satellite images show the island, Little Saint James, was barely developed. Just one main house here and a few small buildings on the northern tip of the roughly 70 acre island. Over the next two decades, you can see Epstein's building spree as he transformed it into a luxurious vacation escape, expanding the main home to the North. He built a larger pool, new cabanas, upgraded rooms, a dental office for some unknown reason, and this unusual looking building referred to in the files as a temple.

He also bought a $300,000 antique desk and statues worth about a $100. As Epstein developed his getaway, he wrote repeatedly an emails to business and government leaders, come visit me on my island. Even after Epstein was convicted in 2008 for sex crimes, including one involving a minor, the visitors kept coming. Like LinkedIn Co-Founder Reid Hoffman, who explained on a podcast late last year that he briefly went to the island while fundraising for MIT.

REID HOFFMAN, CO-FOUNDER, LINKEDIN: He was a masterful networker.

LAH: But beneath Epstein's business dealings, Virgin Islands prosecutors say Epstein coerced girls as young as 12 into sexual activity. One victim said she was trapped on the island. I tried to escape Epstein and the others by trying to swim off after spending the day being raped. Epstein's home decor even showed signs of his crimes.

COUTURIER: There were bunk beds. And I said to him, I said, oh my god. Are you expecting grandchildren? And he said, no. These are for my -- these are for the girls.

LAH: We spoke with Architect and Interior Designer, Robert Couturier. He was hired by Epstein to work on the island. He backed out of the project after a few months and then told the FBI this is what Epstein instructed.

COUTURIER: Especially for the bunk rooms, they had to be for girls. They had to be for girls. There's pants, pink, and these sorts of things.

LAH: So there's no mistaking this wasn't for women. These women --

COUTURIER: There's no mistaking. You don't put women on bunk beds. I'm sorry. Everybody knew what was happening on that island. Even his staff, people worked for him.

LAH: A former staffer said the main home had many pictures of young girls, some topless, looking about 15 to 16-years-old. In room after room of the island home, the files show visible signs of something off, like Epstein in his kitchen chasing girls or young women. And his staff noticed. A former chef said every hour, Epstein would take a girl down to his master bedroom then order his maid to clean up.

Another staffer worried about Epstein's guests. He described seeing an unnamed man with girls who did not look 18, and they were all naked. He also told the FBI he saw then Prince Andrew grinding against some young girl in the pool. U.K. authorities arrested Andrew last month, saying they're reviewing claims he shared sensitive government information with Epstein. Andrew was released and denies he did anything wrong.

Victims say visitors could have seen all this as early as in mid 2000s. One victim described a 2007 visit by Google Co-Founder Sergey Brin and then fiance and 23andMe Co-Founder Anne Wojcicki.

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They observed that we did not speak and that we remained mute. Sergey and Anne witnessed our souls and bodies riddled with fear. They said nothing. They did nothing. A man who looks like Brin about the same age as he was in 2007 is seen in this picture in the DOJ files, though it is undated.

Former Head of Victoria's Secret, Les Wexner, described his visit in a video deposition.

LES WEXNER, FORMER OWNER, VICTORIA'S SECRET: Walked around for about and left at probably an hour visit.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: On that trip, do you recall seeing any prominent figures on the island?

WEXNER: No. It was a pretty crummy island.

LAH: After Epstein's 2008 sex crimes conviction, an email shows a sultan from The United Arab Emirates Ahmed bin Sulayem paid a visit. The Sultan separately traded lewd emails with Epstein, telling him he was going to sample a fresh 100% female Russian at my yacht. Howard Lutnick, now Trump's Commerce Secretary, dropped by in 2012. He's seen here in this undated photo. Lutnick said last month, he saw nothing concerning.

HOWARD LUTNICK, U.S. COMMERCE SECRETARY: We had lunch on the island. That is true for an hour, and we left with all of my children, with my nannies, and my wife all together. We were on family vacation.

LAH: What do you think about the people who did go to the island and say they never saw anything?

COUTURIER: Listen. I think you could -- you can decide that you're blind, but the idea that a person would go to that island and not see something weird is impossible to me, for me, to have seen it.

LAH: And there is some updated news involving Housing Secretary Howard Lutnick. He has agreed to voluntarily appear for a transcribed interview before the House Oversight Committee about Epstein. Sergey Brin and Wojcicki and Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem did not respond to our request for a comment. Reid Hoffman has publicly said, "I regret ever interacting with Epstein. We should focus on protecting those who committed crimes and finally getting justice for the victims." Kyung Lah, CNN, Los Angeles.

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Such powerful reporting. Kyung Lah, thank you. Coming up, the Oscars are getting ready for their big night just ahead. CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister takes us behind the scenes from the red carpet. We change the tone next.

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MICHAELSON: Some dramatic scenes as masked bandits ransacked a jewelry store here in California last June. Just released footage shows at least two dozen robbers smashing display cases with hammers, grabbing almost $2 million worth of jewelry. The thieves cleared out most of the jeweler's stock in about 70 seconds. Most of the bad guys got away with it for now. Reports say just four suspects have been charged. Scientists in Brazil have identified a new species of dinosaur. Researchers estimate the giant plant eater was roughly 65 feet or 20 meters long. Scientists knew they had something extraordinary at a dig five years ago when they found an enormous femur. They say it seems to have evolutionary links to a similar dinosaur in Spain that suggests the creatures might have used land routes connecting South America, Africa, and Europe about 120 million years ago before the Atlantic Ocean ever appeared. This Dinosaurus, as it's called, is one of the biggest dinosaurs ever found in Brazil.

Well, here in Hollywood, the excitement is rising as we count down to the start of Sunday's Academy Awards. Comedian Conan O'Brien will host the 98th Annual Ceremony, and CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister is on the red carpet with a preview. Elizabeth?

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Elex. We are two days away from the Oscars, and as you see, I am on the red carpet. Right behind me is where all of the stars are going to be taking their photos in their gowns. And I'm going to give you a tour now, but bear with me because it is a construction zone as you see. The red carpet right now is covered in plastic because they want to keep it clean. We don't want footprints here, but you can see some of the red peeking out right here.

Now if you look over to this side, this is where all of the press is going to be, including CNN. So if you're a nominee, make sure to stop by and talk to us. And as you see right behind the media, it is outdoors. Why? Because this red carpet is actually constructed right on Hollywood Boulevard, right on top of the Walk of Fame. The red carpet, by the way, is 900 feet. It was rolled out by Conan O'Brien, who, of course, is hosting the show. He says that he is going to be taking some big swings this year. He'll be very ambitious.

And as you see, nothing's ready yet. Even Oscar, who's not dressed quite right for the occasion, he's still in plastic, Elex.

MICHAELSON: Well, Elizabeth, Oscar will be ready by Sunday as will Elizabeth. CNN is teaming up with Variety for a special coverage. Elizabeth will be there with Variety's Ramin Setoodeh live starting at 4:00 p.m. eastern. That's one o'clock in the afternoon here on the West Coast. You can watch that live on TBS and on the CNN app. They'll also have a post-show on the CNN app as well.

And in our next hour here on the Shagun (inaudible), will be live on our set to make our Oscar predictions.