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House GOP Leaders Call on Rep. Gonzales to Drop Re-election Bid; Trump Says He Has to Be Involved in Selecting Iran's Next Leader; State Department Says Multiple U.S. Evacuation Flights Are Underway; Sen. Markwayne Mullin to Replace Noem as DHS Secretary. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired March 05, 2026 - 13:30   ET

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

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[13:30:13]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": We have two major breaking stories out of the nation's capital to bring you first.

House Republican leadership is now calling on Congressman Tony Gonzales of Texas to drop his re-election bid. Remember yesterday, Gonzales admitted to having an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide. CNN's Manu Raju is following this on Capitol Hill.

Manu, what are we hearing from the Republican leadership?

MANU RAJU, CNN ANCHOR & CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, they are asking him to drop his re-election bid. They're stopping short of calling on Tony Gonzales to resign, but they no longer want him to run in this runoff on May 26 against a conservative activist, Brandon Herrera. Just yesterday, Gonzales told me that he, in fact, would run for re-election, but making it much different.

But the question will be, if anything changes now that the Republican leadership has made its position very, very clear here. Now, Gonzales' admission that he had this extramarital affair is not just a question about what he did personally, but it's also a clear violation of the House rules. You are not allowed as a member to have a sexual relationship with a subordinate, with a staff member, and he admitted to doing just that.

So the question is going to be, will he continue to run for re- election? And if he does resign from the House, how will that impact Speaker Mike Johnson's margins in this Republican majority? We can only afford to lose one Republican vote, one -- perhaps big reason why the Republican leadership has not gone as far as calling him to resign, saying that they want this ethics investigation that's happening in the House to play out and to wrap up expeditiously, they say.

SANCHEZ: Manu, please stand by. We're going to go back out to Capitol Hill in just a moment for this other breaking story out of the White House. We're also learning that Homeland Security Secretary, Kristi Noem could be in jeopardy as the secretary. Kristen Holmes is live at the White House now. Kristen, what are you hearing?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Boris, I would take it a little further than in jeopardy. President Trump is considering firing Kristi Noem. He has been really having an issue with the Department of Homeland Security secretary for some time. We know she got moved off of her position in Minneapolis and back onto the border.

But the real catalyst for what he is saying now comes after this contentious Senate Judiciary hearing, in particular, an exchange that she had with Republican Senator Kennedy in which he asked if the president had signed off on a $200 million ad campaign that essentially featured only Kristi Noem talking about and urging people who are in the country illegally to self-deport.

Kristi Noem said, yes, in fact, the president had. That enraged the president, who spent much of the day yesterday after these hearings, calling various lawmakers on Capitol Hill, asking what they thought of her performance, not just in the hearings, but also overall as secretary, and floating other names of other lawmakers who might replace her.

Now, we saw him respond now publicly to an interview in Reuters, to a reporter saying that he never signed off on that ad campaign. So he is on the record saying that now. That is actually incredibly important.

Remember, in this second term, President Trump has actually tried to get out there publicly when his various cabinet officials are under attack and protect them. The furthest we've seen him go, really, is actually to say that he doesn't know what a reporter is talking about, or he'll have to ask and find out that information. He is publicly now disputing what Kristi Noem said.

So, of course, as always, President Trump can change his mind. But currently, he is considering replacing her.

SANCHEZ: Kristen Holmes, live force at the White House. Thanks to Manu Raju on Capitol Hill as well.

Evacuations are ramping up right now as Americans are fleeing the Middle East. We're going to speak with someone who just made the decision to register for evacuation. Stay with CNN. We'll be right back.

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[13:38:11]

ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR, ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT: And welcome back to our Breaking News coverage of the war with Iran. I'm Erin Burnett in Tel Aviv tonight. And today, a stunning statement by President Trump. He told Axios that he must, his exact words to Barak Ravid were, be involved in the appointment of Iran's next supreme leader. Trump said that he would not accept a successor who continues the policies of Iran's former supreme leader, the now dead Ayatollah Khamenei.

It comes as relentless joint U.S. military operations continue, striking targets across Iran for a sixth day. We'll wait here and maybe just the next couple hours, the latest tally of sites they say they have struck. Iran has continued, meanwhile, to respond. There have been retaliatory attacks across some of its own neighbors. And today, a bit different of a list than we've seen before.

In Azerbaijan, a suspected Iranian drone hit an airport. Now Iran denies that claim. Also Bahrain, a refinery there. Bahrain says a missile, an Iranian missile hit a refinery. And after days of confusion, now the United States State Department for Americans who are stuck in the midst of this war is now confirming that multiple evacuation flights are underway for Americans who are trying to get out of the Middle East. And you know, some of the 14 countries that they had said Americans should leave immediately via commercial options.

Joining me now is Kiran Ali. And she created a WhatsApp group for American women in Dubai. And I know, Kiran, your group has about 800 people who have joined up. So, Kiran, I understand your situation there. There's, you know, people -- some people are trying to get out. They're saying you go to the Oman border, like wait 12 hours at the border, if you can even get a flight out of Muscat and Oman, some sporadic flights out of Emirates when they can.

And you've now gone ahead just moments ago, I understand, with registering formally with the U.S. government for whatever evacuation options they may have. What even was that process like, Kiran?

[13:40:00]

KIRAN ALI, FOUNDER, AMERICAN WOMEN OF DUBAI: So I think, first and foremost, the lack of transparency has really been what has caused expats in Dubai, and I'm sure all over the Middle East, to really panic. There is an atmosphere of calm within Dubai. People are going to the beach. People are going to dinners. But then we see missiles, and then we hear the news, and then we hear that there's going to be further attacks.

And I think because there hasn't been any clear understanding from the State Department about what this process is going to entail, there's panic. So, some people have called the State Department phone number, and they've been hung up on saying, hey, don't panic, and click. Other people have said that they've been asked to just go and book a commercial flight, and that the State Department's only purpose is really to help them find a commercial flight.

And so, I would say there's probably one percent of the group that has actually gotten a call saying, hey, be ready with your bags. There's going to be an evacuation flight. And so, that kind of a percentage in this type of an environment seems like betrayal.

BURNETT: I mean, one percent, I mean, that's pretty stunning. And I guess, Kiran, just to pick up on the word you used there, are you feeling from your friends, your family, but also this group that you found that I'm sure there are some people in it, obviously, you wouldn't have known before when they joined the group, but the word you used is betrayal?

ALI: Yeah, I mean, I think that is the resounding statement. There was a lot of feedback from the group after the White House press briefing yesterday. I think I heard the term lies thrown around probably 800 times after that press briefing, and people are angry. They feel like they pay taxes, they have loyalty, they're patriotic. They want to feel like there's a plan to get them out, and a lot of people just feel like there's no real plan.

BURNETT: So, Kiran, what is your plan? I mean, is it sort of touch and go? I know you've registered, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you've made the full decision to leave, and I'm sure that that is emotionally a difficult decision, never mind physically and logistically.

ALI: Absolutely. So, I will tell you candidly, I feel that I have an obligation to 800 plus women that need a leader to keep them calm because there is no other place to turn to as a safe space. And so, that has actually colored a lot of my decision to stand my ground and stay in the UAE. We have young children and the only reason that I went ahead and I registered, as you said a couple of moments ago, is because if it truly turns into an untenable situation, as a mother, my obligation is to do whatever I can to protect these children.

Also, we don't know what the window is for evacuation. Again, lack of transparency. We have no idea if these evacuation flights are going to end in the next two days. We have no idea if they're going to be going on for the next two weeks. So, it feels like it's your last bite at the apple to register and to get in some kind of a waiting list.

BURNETT: All right, Kiran, thank you very much. We're going to stay in touch and know what your story is and other women in your group. Thank you so much, Kiran.

ALI: Thank you.

BURNETT: And we'll be right back here from the Middle East.

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[13:48:05]

SANCHEZ: Breaking News into CNN. Kristi Noem is out as the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. We have a team of reporters on this. Let's start with Kristen Holmes at the White House. Kristen, it was, what, like 10 minutes ago that you were reporting that her job was in jeopardy and now, it's official.

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HOLMES: Yep. President Trump has announced that he has fired the Department of Homeland Security Secretary, Kristi Noem. This is the first cabinet position that he has fired during his second term. Of course, the only other high-profile ouster we've had like this was when Mike Waltz served as the Head of the National Security Council. He was the National Security Advisor.

So President Trump just posted this on Truth Social. He said, I am pleased to announce that the highly respected United States Senator from the great state of Oklahoma, Markwayne Mullin, will become the United States Secretary of Homeland Security, effective March 31, 2026.

And Boris, just so you know, this is one of the names that we had heard he was floating in these conversations he was having with lawmakers on Capitol Hill. "The current Secretary, Kristi Noem, who has served us well and has had numerous and spectacular results, especially on the border, will be moving to be Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas, our new security initiative in the Western Hemisphere we are announcing on Saturday in Doral, Florida. I thank Kristi for her service at Homeland. "

Again, this is a huge deal, Boris. This is the first time he is firing a cabinet member. He has been incredibly reluctant this term to fire, to shuffle any of his staff, any of his officials, because of the perception of his first term when he was in office, that it was a revolving door. However, as we reported, we were told that the catalyst for this was essentially this appearance that she made, this hearing in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee, in which she claimed President Trump had signed off on a $200 million ad campaign that featured her asking illegal immigrants to self-deport.

[13:50:00]

President Trump has now said publicly he didn't do that. And of course, all of this is amid the fallout that we saw from Minnesota, from Minneapolis. And there have been pushback on the Hill and from many of President Trump's allies that Kristi Noem was not the right person for the job. But many of them had been careful to walk a very thin line, not getting too far out there.

But, clearly, we are told now that this hearing put Trump over the edge in terms of his anger factor. And now, he has fired Noem, replacing her with this Oklahoma Senator.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": All right, Kristen, this is huge news, as we are getting this, that Trump is replacing Kristi Noem as DHS Secretary and moving her to a Special Envoy position, which is certainly a demotion and something that is meant to give her a little cover as she is getting ousted here. Kristen, thank you so much. If you could stand by for us there at the White House.

Let's go to Priscilla Alvarez, who has been tracking this for us. What are you learning?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I have been hearing from Homeland Security officials who are stunned. Of course, they have been talking amongst themselves over the last several weeks and months, anticipating that the secretary may be out soon, given a series of missteps that they perceived she had done over the last several weeks. And one of those, in particular -- many of those, in particular, are stemmed in what happened in Minneapolis. Recall, of course, that surge of federal agents for that immigration enforcement operation, where two U.S. citizens were fatally shot by federal agents. And it was the secretary who came out in that immediate aftermath, calling them domestic terrorists, something that she was grilled on during the congressional hearings this week, but that also shocked Homeland Security officials that she would so quickly draw conclusions over such incidents.

And recall, too, that President Trump, in the aftermath of those shootings, had dispatched White House Border Czar, Tom Homan to try to resolve the issues on the ground. It was the most high-profile rebuke over the course of the last year of the secretary and the way that she was managing the department and the immigration enforcement mission. Now, of course, the White House said at the time that she was in lockstep with Tom Homan, but it was also clear internally that there had been long-simmering tensions there.

So all of this to say that it had been building over some time now, what was happening in the department, the management of the department between her and her Chief Adviser, Corey Lewandowski, who was serving as a special government employee. There had been multiple concerns from within the department about the way that she was handling things, even most recently when she said that she was suspending TSA pre- check, and then the department had to reverse that within hours.

So this has been just a shock for a lot of Homeland Security officials, who even though they thought the writing was on the wall with her leaving at some point, the fact that it has happened now in the wake of these hearings just has them all scrambling.

SANCHEZ: Priscilla Alvarez, please stand by. Let's go to Manu Raju, who's live on Capitol Hill. Manu, I promised that at some point, I would ask you about the situation with Kristi Noem and these hearings. Clearly, they were disastrous.

RAJU: Yeah, no question about it, and there had been a lack of support for Kristi Noem throughout, and a growing number of Republicans expressing frustration, concern, and actually frankly, not even saying if they would support her continuing in the job. And no doubt that echoed at the White House and President Trump clearly had some of those similar concerns as well.

But I want you to listen to what some of the Republicans told me just in the last day about whether they would continue supporting Kristi Noem staying in that job.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: Do you have confidence in Secretary Noem?

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM, (R-SC): Time will tell.

RAJU: Would you vote for her again if you had a chance?

GRAHAM: Time will tell.

RAJU: Do you have confidence in her?

SEN. JOHN KENNEDY, (R-LA): I'm not going to answer that. That's not my decision.

RAJU: But you voted to confirm her.

KENNEDY: That's not my decision. It's the president -- that's up to the president. I want to be a team player and I want to secure the border, and I want to enforce our immigration laws. But I'm tired of trying to explain behavior that is inexplicable to me.

RAJU: Well, if you had a chance to vote for her again, would you?

KENNEDY: I'm not going to answer that, Manu. You can try a thousand times, mate. Lots of luck to you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: Now, Markwayne Mullin almost certainly would get the support of a majority of United States Senators to be confirmed as the next Secretary of Homeland Security. The Senate tends to look favorably upon its own. He has served in this body for three years. He's a former House member for about 10 years. He's a former mixed martial arts fighter as well. He's also been a staunch defender of President Trump's agenda.

It is unclear exactly when it was informed to Mullin that he would be Donald Trump's pick, because he did speak to reporters at about 12:30 this afternoon.

[13:55:00]

He was asked about these rumors, about Trump floating his name as a replacement. At that point, he said he had not spoken to Trump all week. And then he went to -- was holed up in the number two Senate Republican's office, John Barrasso. He was not seen for some time. He left the Capitol without commenting, perhaps taking a call from the president at that point. So, a surprise to many here and maybe even to Senator Mullin, guys.

SANCHEZ: Some fascinating color as Mullin leaves Capitol Hill, potentially taking a call from the president, refusing to comment about Trump considering him for DHS Secretary. And just moments ago, Trump confirming that the new DHS Secretary is Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma. Manu Raju, see you in the next hour or so.

Everyone, please stay with us. We have much more on the Breaking News after a quick break.

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