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What We Know with Max Foster
Senior U.S. Intelligence Official Resigns Over Iran War; Trump: "We No Longer Need" Or "Desire" NATO Help In Iran; Israel: Iranian Security Chief Ali Larijani Killed In Strike; Cuba's Power System Suffers Nationwide Collapse. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired March 17, 2026 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:34]
MAX FOSTER, CNN HOST: Did Iran pose an imminent threat?
This is WHAT WE KNOW.
We begin with a stunning rebuke of Donald Trump and his war in Iran from one of his top intelligence officials. Joe Kent, director of the National
Counterterrorism Center, abruptly resigned from his post today saying that the war in Iran is a terrible mistake. Kent says Iran posed no danger to
the U.S. when the war began and he said President Trump was pressured into starting the war by Israel.
In Kent's letter of resignation, he wrote, "I pray that you will reflect on what we are doing in Iran and who were doing it for. The time for bold
action is now. You can reverse course and chart a new course for our nation, or you can allow us to slip further towards declining chaos."
CNN national security reporter Haley Britzky is joining us to track this story.
It's obviously gone viral online because this was a senior administration official, and a lot of what he resonated has chimed with people.
HALEY BRITZKY, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: That's right, Max, exactly as you said. I mean, this is a stunning rebuke from a senior U.S.
intelligence official. It's the highest-ranking sort of break that we've seen with the war thus far. And it really raises a lot of questions that
have already been asked by lawmakers, especially, and others about why specifically this war was started. Joe Kent saying that that Iran posed no
imminent threat. That's largely what the administration has used to justify the beginning of operations now, almost three weeks ago, in Iran.
And I think it's worth noting as well that he points to his service as a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan. There are plenty -- there are several high
ranking veterans of those wars who serve in the Trump administration in senior roles, particularly in his national security team one of those
members, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, another veteran of those wars who has used his service as a way of saying that the war with Iran is
justified, that Iran is responsible for the death of so many U.S. service members over the years.
So, sort of an interesting dichotomy there. Trump saying today from the Oval Office that Kent, he has always thought was weak on security. This is,
of course, someone who he nominated to be the director of the National Counterterrorism Center but again, feeds into the doubt and questions that
have existed here about why this war started, especially as were seeing now, 13 U.S. service members who have been killed in these operations.
And it really begs the question for how much longer some of these senior officials will be able to tolerate this conflict that has very unclear end
goal -- Max.
FOSTER: Absolutely. Haley Britzky, thank you so much.
Well, Donald Trump is shrugging off the criticism lobbed at him by Joe Kent's resignation. He says he had to end the possibility of Iran getting a
nuclear weapon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You would have had a nuclear war four years ago. You would have had -- you would have had nuclear
holocaust, and you would have had it again if we didn't bomb the site so when somebody is working with us that says they didn't think Iran was a
threat, we don't want those people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Meanwhile, despite openly calling on allies to join efforts to secure the Strait of Hormuz, President Trump says the U.S. doesn't need or
want help from fellow NATO members after NATO countries such as the U.K., France and Germany rejected his overtures and refused aid in the war -- to
aid in the war.
A visibly frustrated president lashed out today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: All of the NATO allies agreed with us and. But they don't want to, you know despite the fact that we helped them so much, we have thousands of
soldiers in different countries all over the world, and they don't want to help us, which is amazing. I mean, amazing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Alayna Treene is at the White House for us.
I mean, they didn't want the war, did they? So there's an inaccuracy there, but it's interesting to see how the president is viewing Europe's actions
in particular in Canada.
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: No, absolutely. I mean, it was very clear from watching the president today with how frustrated he is
by a lot of U.S. allies, NATO allies, to be more specific, kind of rebuffing the president's calls here to try and get involved, to help in
reopening the Strait of Hormuz. And that's really what seemed, you know them saying, essentially, no we are not going to send warships to help
reopen that key waterway, which I should note is where 20 percent of the world's oil passes through has really been leading the president to argue,
no, we don't need them anyway.
[15:05:11]
Even as I know in my conversations with people in that building behind me, they are still working very hard to see which kind of countries they can
actually get on board to assist here. And the president even saying, particularly when he was talking about the U.K. prime minister, Keir
Starmer arguing that what he would really want help with is these minesweepers. We have reporting with CNN that Iran has laid mines within
the Strait of Hormuz, of course, making it even more difficult for ships to pass through saying, we would appreciate, you know, the U.K. sending
minesweeping ships, but so far, they are not willing to do so.
And he also at one point, you know there was a bust of Churchill that is in the oval office. He referred to Keir Starmer as not being as great of a
leader as Winston Churchill once was.
But look, I also think it's important to keep some of the context in mind here, a lot of these NATO countries, some of them who you have named, you
know Germany, the U.K. who are being called on here, a lot of people are noting that in the NATO alliance, you know, it's to come together when a
member country is attacked, it's a defensive alliance. And of course, in this situation, it's the United States and Israel which actually attacked
first. That's one thing that we are hearing.
And another argument as well is, you know, when the president argues, you know, when he was making those comments that you played, Max, he at one
point argued, you know, this might have me question the NATO alliance itself and U.S. membership, something, of course coming from a president
who has openly flirted with this idea of withdrawing support from NATO, I think is leading these European leaders to take what he's saying seriously.
But when he says that the U.S. is always coming to their defense and not the other way around, I'd remind you that it was actually only one time
that the Article Five alliance or the Article Five was actually invoked in this alliance. And that was in the immediate aftermath of the September
11th attacks, the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City.
Obviously, that was the Middle East attacking the United States. So, just keeping that in context here. But all to say already, the United States has
very strained relationships with European allies. It's become even more of an issue in the presidents second term. And I do not think what is
happening here and them really kind of showing this unwillingness so far to get involved in the war to this extent, is only going to add to that
strain, Max.
FOSTER: Yeah. Article Five also showing that the only time it was triggered, Europe did come to America's defense. And presumably, they say
they would as well if it was triggered again.
But, Alayna, thank you so much.
Now, meanwhile, Israel says it has killed Iran's top security official in an airstrike. Ali Larijani was a hardliner, a key decision maker, while
serving as secretary of the supreme national security council. The IDF described him as the de facto leader of Iran since the death of former
supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.
Tehran has yet to confirm Israel's claim. Ari Larijani's death deals another blow to Iran's top leadership as it tries to convey strength amid
relentless Israeli and U.S. attacks.
CNN's Nada Bashir has more on the powerful Iranian official.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was just last week that Ali Larijani, Iran's top security official, was seen in public at a rally
in Tehran, defying threats against him by Israel and the United States. Ali Larijani spent decades at the center of power in Iran, a conservative
strategist who helped shape the Islamic republic from within.
On Tuesday, Israels defense minister claimed Larijani was killed in an Israeli airstrike. His death would remove a veteran operator from the inner
circle of power, and it comes as Israel intensifies its strikes on Iran, targeting not just military infrastructure but senior figures tied to
Iran's leadership. His death could further harden Iran's response and push both sides deeper into a widening regional conflict.
And it would remove a skilled negotiator who could potentially help end the war. Who replaces him as the top security official could also signal a
hardening of the regime. Born into one of Iran's most influential political families, dubbed the Iranian Kennedys by "Time Magazine", Larijani was also
a mathematician and philosopher who wrote books on the enlightenment thinker Immanuel Kant.
He rose quickly after the 1979 revolution, becoming a trusted figure in the system. He served as speaker of parliament for 12 years, overseeing key
legislation during some of the country's most turbulent periods. Before that, he held a series of high-profile roles, head of state broadcasting,
Iran's top nuclear negotiator, and later a senior advisor to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
[15:10:00]
In that advisory role, Larijani helped shaped Iran's approach to nuclear diplomacy, including during high stakes standoffs with the United States,
often described as a pragmatic conservative. He was seen as a bridge between factions navigating the space between hardliners and more moderate
voices, while remaining firmly loyal to the system. But his record was also marked by controversy. The United States sanctioned Larijani earlier this
year, accusing him of playing a role in the violent suppression of nationwide protests and of calling for force against demonstrators.
Despite shifting political winds, Larijani remained a key figure in Iran's strategic decision making, particularly on national security and foreign
policy. Israel's targeting of Larijani raises new questions about whether this conflict is entering a more dangerous phase.
Nada Bashir, CNN, in London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: In the Persian Gulf, the disruption in the Strait of Hormuz isn't just affecting oil supplies, it's also causing huge concern for Gulf States
that get their imported goods by boat. Now, countries like Kuwait are starting to see an inflow of crucial supplies like food and medicine over
land.
CNN's Nic Robertson filed this report from the Saudi-Kuwait border.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: These trucks here are the new lifeline bypassing the Straits of Hormuz. The Straits of Hormuz
closed for oil getting out of the Gulf, closed for goods that would normally be coming in.
And right now, these convoys coming out of Saudi Arabia, going into Kuwait, they're bringing in food, they're bringing in medical supplies, they're
bringing in all the equipment that would normally get to Kuwait and other Gulf countries normally get there by ship or by air. The Iranians have
closed the Strait of Hormuz. The airspace is closed because of all the missile strikes that are going on.
And if you come around here, you can get an idea of all the different products that are on their way into Kuwait. Now officials there aren't
talking about food shortages yet, but people in Kuwait tell us -- look, we're a desert kingdom. We're in the desert. It's a desert country. And we
need to import 90 percent of our food.
So this lifeline here that the Saudis say is passing about 900 trucks a day, 9,000 trucks gone through from Saudi to Kuwait, they say, since the
war began, is absolutely vital. And it gets more vital the longer the war goes on. It's part of the Gulf solidarity.
These trucks here are driving in from Saudi Arabia from about 1,000 miles away, about 1,800 kilometers across the whole of the Arabian Peninsula,
from Saudi's western coast, from the port city of Jeddah on the Red Sea. They can do that because the Red Sea isn't blockaded. It's not under fire
at the moment, which means there's a way to get all this equipment, all this food, all these medical supplies into countries like Kuwait.
But right now, the Iranians have already started threatening the Red Sea with potential strikes because the USS Gerald Ford, the aircraft carrier
battle group, are in the Red Sea at the moment.
So, this lifeline vital, going to get more important if the war continues. But because the Red Sea now appears to be potentially under threat, even
this way of getting around the siege of the Strait of Hormuz that Iran has put in place, even this could be under threat, too.
Nic Robertson, CNN, on the Saudi-Kuwait border.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Officials in Cuba say they are beginning to restore power after a crippling nationwide blackout. Millions of people spent Monday in the dark
after the island's power system suffered a total collapse. It was the first island wide blackout since the U.S. effectively shut off the flow of oil to
Cuba.
On the same day, President Donald Trump again threatened to take over Cuba and his secretary of state, Marco Rubio, said Cuba needs new leadership.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: The bottom line is their economy doesn't work. It's a nonfunctional economy. It's an economy that has
survived. It's for 40 -- that revolution, it's not even a revolution. That thing they have has survived on subsidies, from the Soviet Union and now
from Venezuela. They don't get subsidies anymore. So, they're in a lot of trouble. And the people in charge are -- they don't know how to fix it. So,
they have to get new people in charge.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Patrick Oppmann joins us now from Havana.
It was a pretty desperate state, wasn't it, Patrick? I gather power is coming back online, but presumably, that's going to be temporary because
you've still got the same issue with fuel.
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you do absolutely. So, when the power is coming back online, Max, you know they mean that you might get
power for two to four hours a day. That has been sort of the typical amount of power we get in the neighborhood where I am. This is where I live
because we do not have power at our office most of the day.
[15:15:00]
So, we've been using generators essentially to file these reports throughout the day. Most Cubans are not so fortunate to have a generator to
have fuel they can run it with, to have even batteries. And so, when the power goes out, you know, people have been saying to me, well, it's not
like we had much power before, but when the power goes up for longer periods, it means the food in their fridges begins to spoil. They can't go
to work if the kids go to school. There's no power at their school, life comes to an even more of a halt than it already has.
But of course, despite this huge effort to get the electrical system back online, it could collapse at any point. No more oil is coming in. It is a
system that needs that oil. So, we'll be seeing more of these disruptions moving forward. Very clearly.
You've heard from President Trump, from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, that Cuba needs to make major concessions before the flow of oil will be
allowed. Economic sessions, potentially political concessions. They don't feel the government is willing to do that, and they feel there needs to be
a change at the top. There needs to be a leadership change.
This is the kind of thing that Cuban officials used to be openly defiant of, but at this point, they may not have any other choice if they want to
have a working economy in their country.
FOSTER: Is there an option that I don't know the leadership could replace some members and do as America wanted? I mean, how do you see it playing
out?
OPPMANN: We're off the map in terms of what any Cuba expert has ever kind of predicted what would happen here. Current President Miguel Diaz-Canel,
he is the first president not to be named Castro here, the first leader of this island, not to be named Castro, was handpicked by Raul Castro. He, of
course could be un-handpicked by Raul Castro is still the ultimate authority on this island.
But I think once you have any kind of official here bending the knee to the United States, bending to that pressure then really the idea of the Cuban
revolution which is always about independence, about nationalism, about not having to do what the United States is trying to force you to do, that
essentially, that chapter of the Cuban revolution would come to a close and they do not want to be what they essentially see Venezuela has become,
which is a client state of the U.S. which is a country the U.S. can pick up the phone and tell the president there what to do, can replace the
president. And so, my sense is going forward, the crisis here is going to deepen.
FOSTER: Yeah. Okay, Patrick, thank you so much for joining us.
Still to come tonight, a senior U.S. intelligence official has resigned over the war in Iran. We'll take a look at the reasons Joe Kent gave and
what the White House is saying.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:20:47]
FOSTER: I want to dig deeper now into our top story. A senior U.S. intelligence official stepping down to protest the U.S. war with Iran. Joe
Kent was the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, a big job. In a letter posted on X, he cited several reasons for his decision,
including no imminent threat from Iran to the U.S. He also blamed a misinformation campaign led by Israeli officials, along with the
misinformation campaign by some influential members of American media.
Now, the White House refuted his claims, saying many factors and sources led to President Trump's decision. The U.S. speaker of the House meanwhile,
says Joe Kent just didn't have the right information.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: I don't know where Joe Kent is getting his information, but he wasn't in those briefings, clearly,
because the secretary of state, the secretary of war and everyone the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Caine, they had exquisite intelligence that we
understood that this was a serious moment for us. Had the president waited, I am personally convinced that we would have mass casualties of Americans,
service members and others, and our installations would have been dramatically damaged. And so, we had to -- the president felt that he had
to strike first to prevent those mass casualties.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Some Democrats are reluctant to sympathize with Joe Kent, even if they agree with what he said today. CNN reporting around his run for
Congress in 2022, found that his campaign had been bogged down by associations with white nationalists and extremists, even giving an
interview to a Nazi sympathizer.
Democratic Congressman Jared Moskowitz told CNN he wanted nothing to do with him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JARED MOSKOWITZ (D-FL): He's an extremist. He's had links to the Proud Boys. This is this is not a guy that Democrats want to associate
with. I know that, like lately, what's happening is there are people in the MAGA movement like Marjorie Taylor Greene that come out and say things that
we now like. But I think the messenger kind of matters, right? These are people with decades of history of dividing America, you know, saying all
sorts of extreme positions to, you know, to appeal to the most extreme in our society.
And so, I'm actually happy Joe Kent is gone, even if we agree with some points in his letter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: So, what we want to know is how credible is Joe Kent's warning on Iran?
Joining me now is our senior national security analyst Juliette Kayyem.
Thank you so much for joining us, Juliette.
I mean, it really matters his credibility here, doesn't it? Because it was a very damning message, one that many people agree with. But was he
credible to give that message, do you think?
JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: This is such a difficult question, not because of Democrat or Republican. But remember,
you know, Ken has put in there, not with any qualifications. So, in fact, you know, I had people asking me if I had his phone number because I come
from this world. I was like, I had never heard of the guy before he's put in because of his MAGA ideology.
You don't -- you haven't heard much about him. And then clearly getting more and more disgruntled about the war, he had two important messages
though despite the messenger. One is, of course, the aspect of imminency, how strong was this threat by Iran against the United States?
The White House has done variations of what the reason for this war was. You saw Mike Johnson come out. Our speaker of the House just today
suggesting that something we hadn't heard before, that Iran was about to bomb our military. None of that has been validated and none of it has been
consistent. So, in that sense, I think Kent is correct.
The second part, which I think goes to his background, his flirtation with neo-Nazis if not, you know, his very, very right wing ideology, is the
criticisms of Israel in the letter that you know, that that Israel basically convinced Trump and Jared Kushner and the others around Trump,
for this war. That is something certainly that that has been reported on by us as well. And something that people should, should take account of. I
think it is relevant, if only because it shows how the MAGA side of this war is also very skeptical of the war as much as the Trump critics
[15:25:05]
FOSTER: So, he has been known for some of his conspiracy theories before. The speaker saying that he just didn't have the facts. He wasn't in the
right briefing. So he can't speak to this imminency that you were just talking about.
So, the concern then is that he is creating a conspiracy theory around this, particularly in relation to Israel. And that affects his credibility
presumably.
KAYYEM: Yeah. It's, you know, take a step back. Tell you -- let me tell you what the White House is telling us, right, which is your head of
counterterrorism, the threat center, right? What is going to be the threat environment during -- up to, during and after the war is not in the room? I
have no doubt Kent was kept outside the room because most people were kept outside the room.
And I think what the White House's defense is somewhat damning to them, right? It suggests the gap between what the White House thought and
believed and wanted to believe, how this war would go, and what -- and how it's basically unfolded.
And that gap is because the information that they were getting and the information they were willing to absorb was coming from a son in law, a
real estate advisor, a very small group in the White House.
So in many ways, I don't, you know, Kent may not have been on the end with the white house, but the fact that your head of NCTC is not knowledgeable
of what is about to happen, which everyone knows is going to increase the terrorism threat environment after, I think is telling -- is actually
telling more than the White House likely -- likely wanted.
FOSTER: Yeah, it's kind of worrying that he didn't know I guess in that position.
Juliette, appreciate your time as ever.
KAYYEM: Yes, he's --
FOSTER: Still to come, Israeli reaction to Joe Kent's resignation. We'll be live in Tel Aviv for you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:30:21]
FOSTER: Returning to our top story, the stunning resignation of one of Donald Trump's top intelligence advisers. Joe Kent stepped down today
saying that the war in Iran is wrong and that the U.S. had been led into it by Israel. The White House is lashing out at Kent, saying his assessment
that Iran was not a threat to the U.S. is insulting and its laughable.
To Tel Aviv now, and CNN's Jeremy Diamond.
I mean, how have they received this story, Jeremy?
Hello, Jeremy, can you hear me?
Okay. I will come back to Jeremy when he can hear us.
Taliban officials in Afghanistan meanwhile, saying at least 400 people were killed and more than 250 injured by a Pakistani airstrike hitting a
hospital in Kabul on Monday. Pakistan denies those claims, calling them misleading and false, saying the attack was on precisely targeted military
installations and terrorist infrastructure. The conflict began last month and is the worst fighting in years between the neighboring countries, who
share a 2,600-kilometer border.
CNN producer Sophia Saifi has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SOPHIA SAIFI, CNN PRODUCER: We woke up this morning from these rather dramatic images that were coming out of Kabul, of a giant balloon of flame
hovering over the city after strikes by Pakistan into Kabul. The Afghan Taliban are saying that this was a medical facility, a hospital that was
targeted. Our reporters on the ground have been speaking to patients who were there in Kabul who had to escape.
Let's have a listen to what they said, as to what their experience was overnight in that facility.
JAN AGHA, PATIENT: When the bomb hit the hospital, it was very loud. We all jumped out of our beds and laid down on the floor. I covered my head to
safeguard myself from shrapnel. Then I saw fire flames entering the room from the windows. Many of my roommates ran away from the room but I got
stuck in the room with a few others.
SAIFI: We know that there is still rubble. Theres still bodies that are being recovered from the rubble of the aftermath of this strike.
The Pakistanis, however, are telling us that these were precision airstrikes targeting a munitions depot. They're also saying that this was a
strike. This was a series of targeted strikes on Afghan Taliban infrastructure, four in the province of Nangarhar, three in the city of
Kabul. They are denying -- they're saying that the Afghan Taliban are misreporting that this was a hospital that was struck.
At the same time, we have to realize that this is the deadliest escalation between these two neighboring countries in the history of Pakistan. There
has been an uptick of militant attacks in Pakistan since the fall of Kabul in 2021. And this was a situation that had been boiling for the last couple
of months as militant attacks had increased within Pakistan, the Pakistanis had said that it was the Afghan Taliban who'd been harboring Pakistani
Taliban militants, and that is why they are targeting the Afghan Taliban right now.
So we're just going to have to wait and see if there is a ceasefire and how this is going to evolve and end on Pakistan's western border.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: That was Sophia there reporting to us from Islamabad.
We're going to go to Tel Aviv now, where hopefully Jeremy can hear us.
Jeremy, for that response to this extraordinary statement from the head of counterterror in the U.S.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. Max, sorry about the technical difficulties there, but certainly Israel has rejected many of the
claims that Joe Kent made in this letter as it relates to this war in particular -- of course, we've heard Israeli officials in the past reject
the notion that they, you know, forced or pushed the U.S. into this war, that this was President Trump's decision. They certainly in the past
rejected the kind of connections that Joe Kent made to the Iraq war, and any suggestion that Israel was involved in pushing the United States to
that war.
It's important to note that there isn't really any historical evidence to support those claims by Joe Kent that Israel lobbied the United States to
carry out that war in Iraq. In fact, at the time Israel's prime minister was far more focused on the threat from Iran than it was about any
potential threat from Saddam Hussein and his regime in Iraq.
Certainly, what the Israelis are more focused on today is the assassination of the top Iranian regime official Ali Larijani, which is certainly sending
shockwaves around the region.
[15:35:04]
Larijani was a key figure in this regime. He was responsible for the brutal crackdown on protesters that we saw earlier this year. He also oversaw much
of Iran's relations with some of its allies, like China and Russia. He played key roles in nuclear negotiations in the past.
But at the same time, he was also viewed as a pragmatist within this Iranian regime. And there are questions now about what the actual impact
will be of removing him from the chess board here, in particular inside Iran, where we've seen Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps and the hardliners
in that regime, including the new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, have such an outsized influence in the country now, in the wake of the killing
of the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
And so, perhaps, his removal, many Iran experts are questioning whether it could lead to the you know, a larger influence for those hardliners and
removing a key player who could have been involved in potential negotiations to end this current war -- Max.
FOSTER: Yeah. Okay. Jeremy, I appreciate the analysis there. Thank you so much.
That's the final moments of trade on Wall Street. Stocks are more or less flat. The Dow is off the highs of the day up 0.16 though in the green.
This is our Business Breakout.
Some U.S. airports are maybe forced to close if the shutdown at the Department of Homeland Security continues. That is according to the acting
head of the TSA. Adam Stahl says airport security teams are fully stretched as staff go without pay. He says smaller airports may be especially likely
to shut down if more staff call out sick.
Oil prices spiking again increasing U.S. gas costs over supply worries. This is Iran continues its attacks on Middle East energy infrastructure.
Brent crude sits around $103 a barrel with the U.S. benchmark WTI just under that. One senior Iranian official says the Strait of Hormuz won't be
safe for ships any time soon.
And London's mayor tells CNN he supports the British prime ministers decision to resist pressure to join the Iran war. In a conversation with
our Richard Quest, Mayor Sadiq Khan adds the war is adversely affecting the world economically, but many in the Gulf region flee to his city just for
safety.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SADIQ KHAN, LONDON MAYOR: This particular war that President Trump's got involved in has an impact across the globe, not least London. It impacts
people filling up their cars. It impacts the cost of living, huge challenges to our economy, with what's happening in the Strait of Hormuz
and elsewhere.
But yes, of course, you know, people from that part of the Middle East are scared. Some are coming back to London, some Emiratis are coming to London
because obviously they're a bit concerned if they're in UAE or Bahrain or Kuwait, and London is very safe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Several European airlines continuing to cancel flights as well, this time to the Middle East, including Dubai, Qatar and Tel Aviv. British
Airways said it was due to airspace instability, while Air France mentioned the security context at the destination.
Dubai Airport CEO Paul Griffiths told CNN's Becky Anderson how they're handling the disruption that this war is causing for flights and for
travelers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL GRIFFITHS, CEO, DUBAI AIRPORTS: Well, firstly the ability to detect and respond to threats as they've unfolded have been very, very effective
and efficient. We've closed airspace. We've opened it as the threat level has changed and we've been able to keep aircraft in the air. And obviously
to route through corridors that are properly designated by the GCAA across here, and obviously holding aircraft at outstation making sure that they
can be safely diverted if there is a threat.
We facilitated the journeys of over a million passengers over the last 17 days, and the recovery rate is significant. We're back up to about 40, 45
percent of normal traffic movements.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST; Talk to me about what you've been doing very specifically to support passengers.
GRIFFITHS: Well, first of all, when schedules are disrupted and, you know, in a normal day, we would handle something like 320,000 customers through
DXB. So when that supply chain gets interrupted, it's incredibly important that we keep people informed, keep people already at the airport safe and
secure whilst we dealt with the backlog and got people to the places they needed to be, and also provided the information to make sure that people
only came to the airport when they needed to be.
That seems to have worked pretty well. The airport has remained calm and composed, and the many different comments we're getting from our customers,
I think suggests that for the most part, were doing a reasonably good job.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Now, Xi Jinping will have to wait. Up next, why Donald Trump is delaying his trip to China.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:43:00]
FOSTER: U.S. president Trump has confirmed that his trip to China this month has been postponed amid the war in Iran. Mr. Trump said his meeting
with Xi Jinping will now take place in five or six weeks. The delay comes as the Chinese have been openly mocking Trump over the war.
CNN's Will Ripley has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have no issue with civilians.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why did you attack the Minab school?
WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This A.I. video from Iran's embassy in China is going viral.
CHARACTER: Lie, lie.
CHARACTER: Lie!
RIPLEY (voice-over): Beijing's heavy handed government censors are allowing videos like this to spread, magnifying the narrative that
President Donald Trump is evil and dishonest.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We didn't hit the Minab school. America doesn't have tomahawk missiles at all.
RIPLEY (voice-over): A preliminary U.S. military investigation found the strike was likely American. China is seizing on the moment -- condemning
the war, claiming the moral high ground.
CHARACTER: Let me keep everyone safe.
CHARACTER: Sounds great.
RIPLEY (voice-over): This state media video shows the U.S. putting other countries in a cage.
CHARACTER: Relax. Sometimes security comes with a little control.
RIPLEY (voice-over): As the war escalates, so does the trolling.
President Trump's White House prayer circle with religious leaders flooding Chinese social media, censors are allowing a tidal wave of viral videos and
memes mocking that moment in the Oval Office.
The caption on this political cartoon reads, "A Nobel Peace Prize winner who devours kids."
Other cartoons in Chinese state media ridicule the rising price of oil. They say President Trump is adding fuel to the fire in the Strait of Hormuz
by asking countries, including China, to send warships.
Chinese state media is reporting Trump's threat to postpone his meeting with President Xi Jinping later this month.
China's foreign ministry is urging all sides to de-escalate, saying Beijing and Washington remain in communication about Trump's visit to China.
An opinion piece in Communist Party mouthpiece "Global Times" says Washington is asking who will send warships. Beijing is asking how to stop
the war.
Users are flooding state media with comments like these: Seems like Trump knows he won't be able to come to China, so he's lining up an excuse for an
off ramp. Let me translate that. I'm out of options. Somebody help!
The U.S. originally wanted to use Venezuela and Iran, two major oil producing countries, as bargaining chips for a deal now, the U.S. crippled
their own strength.
All of those anti-U.S comments, too many to count, spreading freely across China.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RIPLEY: As China calls for calm in the Iran war, Beijing is still flexing its military muscle near Taiwan. Twenty-six Chinese warplanes flew around
this island over the weekend, ending a nearly two-week lull. The flights followed a speech by Taiwan's president defending sovereignty. Activity
dropped again on Monday.
Some analysts think Beijing may be avoiding a bigger escalation before that possible Xi-Trump meeting if and when it happens.
Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei
FOSTER: Still to come, a meningitis outbreak hits an English city, leaving authorities rushing to stop the spread. An update on their efforts after
the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:48:58]
FOSTER: In the United States, a federal judge has blocked parts of health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s efforts to overhaul the U.S. vaccine
policy. Kennedy had pushed to scale back the number of vaccines recommended for children as part of the CDC's routine immunization schedule. That
schedule outlines when kids should receive standard shots. The ruling says the changes can be made, didn't follow proper legal processes.
The judge also found that Kennedy's move to replace a key CDC advisory panel violated federal law. Health officials have told CNN that an upcoming
meeting of that CDC advisory committee has now been postponed.
Now, two people have died in a meningitis outbreak here in England, with a further 13 people infected. The outbreak has been linked to student
populations in the city of Canterbury, according to the U.K. health security agency. Now, the University of Kent has confirmed that one of its
students died due to the outbreak a high school student in the nearby town of Faversham has been identified as the other victim.
[15:50:05]
What we don't know is how worried should the U.K. be about this outbreak.
Joining me now is Dr. Devi Sridhar, a professor of global public health at Edinburgh University.
Thank you so much for joining us, Devi.
I mean, it's the idea that two young people could die which has frightened people and that its clearly spread. I mean, how worried do you think we
should be about what's happened in Kent?
DEVI SHRIDHAR, PROFESSOR AND CHAIR OF GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH, UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH: Well, obviously, it's seriously concerning. We know that, you
know, two young people have already died. There's 13 other cases.
We now know it's a meningitis B group, you know, strain and that we don't have good vaccine protection here in the U.K. in that age group. The
meningitis B vaccine was only brought in for those born after 2015. So, you have a large young population at universities who you know, when they are
exposed to this, are at risk of developing severe disease.
On the other hand, we have a vaccine. That vaccine works. Now they have started ring vaccination on campus. And to those who might have been in
contact. We also have antibiotics that, with early intervention, do work. The key thing here is early medical intervention and not thinking you'll
just get better at home if you have certain symptoms going in quickly to make sure you get treatment started fast.
FOSTER: The sort of flu-like symptoms, from what I understand. But they set in very quickly. Am I right? And they can escalate very quickly, which
is why students are being told to keep an eye out for each other, because it could happen overnight, effectively.
SHRIDHAR: Yes. Generally within 24 hours that someone gets so sick that they need to get into hospital right away. The distinctive things are high
temperature, a stiff neck, a rash that doesn't go away if you press a glass on it and also, you know very, very throbbing bad headache. A lot of those
are similar obviously to other ones, but I think it's the sudden onset and actually feeling really horrible very, very quickly and also, obviously, if
you're in an area that's close to Kent or in the U.K. that you think actually it could be this being proactive and getting in quickly and not
just staying at home thinking you might get better.
FOSTER: There's been panic buying of vaccines. It's interesting, isn't it, because the vaccination was at a low after COVID when there was some
vaccine hesitancy? And this, as you say older teenagers aren't vaccinated against this because it came into effect after they were born.
But what do you make of the panic buying? Because I can tell you that I know someone in Newcastle, which is at the other end of the country, who
tried to get some vaccination today and they had sold out in the city.
SHRIDHAR: Yeah, there are shortages now of the MenB vaccine in Britain. It is very hard to get these. They usually are not provided by the NHS. So
anyways, in the past, you would have had to go privately and two doses was around 200 pounds. Also, because of the COVID measures, there weren't many
cases around so actually people didn't feel a real need to get vaccinated.
And now all those supply the U.K. does have are being oriented, you know correctly, towards Kent and the ring vaccination campaign to go after those
who are most at risk. What I would say to people is to look at the routes of transmission, which is this is a, you know, bacteria that is in the
throat.
It spreads largely through saliva and small droplets. So, this means, you know, sharing of drinks, food, vapes, cigarettes, things like that. Making
sure that you're being attentive to how you could be actually getting infected from someone else. So, the basic hygiene measures that we had
during covid, bringing some of those back just until, you know, this outbreak is contained.
FOSTER: So, it's been a few days now. We don't haven't had any more deaths. Thankfully only actually really a handful of cases that we know of.
And you've got this massive, as you say, antibiotics campaign going on in Kent. At what point do we feel that it's contained there?
SRIDHAR: Well, I think when your number of linked cases to this particular outbreak goes down, I think what was surprising here was how quickly it
escalated. It looks like, as you said, it went back to a nightclub and one event where multiple people were infected. You might call a superspreading
event.
And so I think when those linked cases are traced, you see that actually none of them have come forward with a confirmed case and you can say at
least this outbreak has been managed in the spread at this location. We usually do have -- we don't hear about it.
You know, hundreds of cases of meningitis, not necessarily meningitis B, but there's also a strain of A, there's C, there's W, there's Y, there's a
number of them out there, but we usually don't hear about it because there's not this many occurring in one location from one source and also
resulting in two deaths.
So just say meningitis has been around. It has been managed through vaccination campaigns. But this is why this one's particularly worrying.
FOSTER: Okay, Professor Sridhar, thank you so much for giving us your expertise on that.
Now take a look at this. A rare fireball was seen streaking across the sky over the eastern U.S.
[15:55:01]
It dazzled while blazing in broad daylight, triggering a sonic boom. The National Weather Service says it was a meteor entering the earth's
atmosphere, seen by residents in Pennsylvania. Ohio, Maryland, Virginia, on Thursday morning and the American Meteor Society tells us daytime fireball
sightings are rare, since they have to be much brighter than those at night, of course, to see. It was a big one.
Finally, it may have been a tough night for the Oscars -- or at the Oscars for Timothe Chalamet on Sunday, but he's not wasting any time. In fact, the
first trailer for the next "Dune" film has just been released.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not afraid to die. But I must not die yet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: This is the first look at the third and final installment of the series from Warner Bros., the parent company of CNN. "Dune: Part Three",
out in December.
I'm Max Foster. That's WHAT WE KNOW. Do stay with CNN.
END
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