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Trump Rips Allies Who Rejected His Call for Help in Strait of Hormuz; Oil Prices Spike as War with Iran Reaches Third Week; 250M Plus Americans to See Some Form of Hazardous Weather; Airport Lines Grow as TSA Workers Go Unpaid from Govt Shutdown. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired March 16, 2026 - 15:00   ET

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

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN HAVANA BUREAU CHIEF: The government is -- is hanging on or certainly the economy is hanging on by a string, because I don't think anyone who knows Cuba, you know, expects that people will rise up and -- and force the government out of power, even though that is what many are hoping for. You know, gasoline a year ago probably cost me a few dollars to fill up a tank, there is just none anymore. It is supply and demand.

So, you know, this is just a question of it is a resource that you cannot find on this island anymore. It has been blocked by the Trump administration, it was already very rare you have an aging infrastructure that has now collapsed.

KEILAR: All right, Patrick Oppmann, thank you so much for that generator-powered live shot coming to us from Havana. We appreciate it.

And a new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: President Trump says help is on the way, not given many details right now, as the White House pleads with allies to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and as the price of oil and the prices at the gas pump keep ticking up.

Long lines, short tempers at U.S. airports, as well as TSA agents are calling out or calling it quits, and there is no solution in sight for the partial government shutdown causing the problem.

And then a CNN exclusive, how a major drug maker used a legal loophole to avoid fines and make millions of dollars by pulling a children's asthma inhaler off the market. You've got these major developing stories and many more all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

KEILAR: We have breaking news on the war with Iran. Today, President Trump is airing out his frustration with U.S. allies after several rebuffed his call for help when it comes to the Strait of Hormuz. The President at one point suggesting that he asked NATO leaders to help him reopen the key oil passageway, but because the U.S. needed -- not because the U.S. needed assistance, but because he wanted to just find out how they would react. CNN's Alayna Treene is live for us at the White House.

Alayna, it does seem that the U.S. does need some help here, tell us more.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes. Look, we've seen an extraordinary amount of pressure, Brianna and Omar, from not only this administration, but from the President specifically calling on a number of U.S. allies to try and help reopen the Strait of Hormuz. And I found what he's been saying, you know, a lot of it is a ominous warning, I think, to NATO countries, especially coming from someone who is openly kind of, you know, mows this idea of having the U.S. withdraw support from NATO. And that was really something he said yesterday, saying, you know, we will remember calling on these allies who do not actually come to the United States aid at this point when he is calling for it.

But he reiterated that today when he was speaking at the Kennedy Center, while saying numerous countries are coming to the United States aid, that he expected that. He did not name names. Listen to how he put it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Numerous countries have told me they're on the way. Some are very enthusiastic about it, and some aren't. Some are countries that we've helped for many, many years. We've protected them from horrible outside sources. And they weren't that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm, it matters to me.

Well, we want to know, do you have any minesweepers? Well, we'd rather not get involved, sir. That's it. For -- you mean for 40 years we're protecting you and you don't want to get involved in something that is very minor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: So, you heard him at the end saying, you know, you don't want to get involved in something very minor. I would argue that, you know, what we are hearing from a lot of these different countries, from Germany to the U.K. to Japan, who actually know whose leader will actually be here at the White House later this week, they are arguing, you know, this is a very dangerous thing. And we've actually heard that from Pentagon officials as well, noting just the risks that come with having a naval ship or a warship from another country to try and escort some of these oil tankers through the strait.

But the way that the President is framing it, Brianna, is this idea that, you know, particularly for these NATO allied countries, that, you know, the United States comes to their aid all the time. He's expecting them to come to his. I would remind you that there's -- Article 5 was only of the NATO alliance, was only invoked once. And that was in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks in New York. So, just keep some of that context in mind.

But also, to get into this, what we've heard the President also say is this idea that because the U.S. isn't as reliant on the Strait of Hormuz for its oil, he believes that it is really the job of other countries, particularly those who do rely more so on that key waterway in the Persian Gulf for some of their oil, that it's really up to them to help police this and more context here. Again, I would remind you that this is really the first time we've heard the President show an eagerness to involve other countries in this war.

[15:05:03]

And many of them had said that they were actually surprised and not consulted when the U.S. first launched strikes, you know, in conjunction with Israel into Iran. So, all of this, as we know, that there is an immense amount of pressure that the President is trying to put on these other countries. But so far, none of them have so far committed to sending warships into that critical waterway to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

KEILAR: Yes. And those countries suffered a lot of casualties as well in that war, important to note. Alayna Treene live for us at the White House. Thank you. Omar?

JIMENEZ: Well, as President Trump calls on allies to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, gas prices in the United States are surging. For example, the cost for a gallon of regular is up to $3.72. That's the most Americans have paid for gas since October 2023. And it comes as The Wall Street Journal is reporting that American oil executives offered a warning to Trump officials last week, and in a series of White House meetings, they said the energy crisis will likely get worse. A lot of implications here.

I wanted to talk about this more with former Trump economic advisor Stephen Moore, who is with us here. You know, just from an economic standpoint, I -- I look at where things stand right now. Oil prices have been in sort of this new elevated threshold where -- where they've stayed as of late. European allies don't seem to be jumping in right away to assist in the Strait of Hormuz. Economically speaking, what are your concerns right now in terms of not just the price of oil, gas? I just -- I just wonder, what are your concerns right now?

STEPHEN MOORE, FORMER TRUMP ECONOMIC ADVISER: So, a -- a rise in price of gas and oil is always a bad thing for the economy, because not only does it mean people are angry when they go to the gas pump, but also oil and gas are integral to everything we produce in this country, whether it's manufacturing products, whether it's technology, whether it's, you know, transportation and food. You know, we need -- we need cheap energy.

So, this is effectively like a tax on the American economy. But -- but look, I'm -- I am optimistic that once we get the straits open and once we get this situation in Iran resolved, and I don't know how long that's -- Lord knows how long that's going to take. You know, I was looking at the futures markets. They show in six months that gas will be right back where it was before this started. I -- I pray and hope that that's the case.

JIMENEZ: Well, we still got a lot of dynamics to work out ...

MOORE: We do.

JIMENEZ: ... before that works itself out.

MOORE: Right.

JIMENEZ: But what I was just going to ask you is, you know, is this current dynamic sustainable and for how long? What is that point?

MOORE: Well, one thing that's not sustainable is, you know, I -- I remember the 1970s, I was a teenager back then, and I remember when we had, you know, they ran hostage crisis and gas prices went up even higher than they are today, adjusted for inflation. So, we -- my point is, we've lived through and every five or 10 years we have a flare up in the Middle East.

And so, what's not sustainable is being reliant on the Middle East for oil because it's just too turbulent an area. And that's why I fully support what Trump is doing in terms of drill, baby, drill, continue to produce as much energy as we can.

One statistic, by the way, that I bet a lot of your viewers are surprised by, because I was surprised by it when I saw it. You know, the United States is now a exporter of -- of oil. In other words, we -- we produce more oil and gas than we consume. That's a different situation and it's been for a long time. That helps alleviate some of the strain for this. But we're still very much reliant on the global price, which is very much determined by what's happening in the Middle East.

JIMENEZ: Well, and -- and on that point, you know, the United States is -- the United States' input of -- of oil that we can actually use, it's a very small percentage that comes from the Strait of Hormuz ...

MOORE: Yes.

JIMENEZ: ... compared to some other countries.

MOORE: Right. Right.

JIMENEZ: But again, it's that -- it's that attack on the global price that still ...

MOORE: Exactly. I mean, I get asked this question all the time by ...

JIMENEZ: Yeah. Yeah, yeah.

MOORE: ... by people. It's like, well, why, since we're not actually importing that much from the Middle East, is the price of the gas going up? And that's because, there -- as you just said, there's a global price.

JIMENEZ: Yes.

MOORE: And so, something that affects whether it's in Russia or whether it's in Iran and so on, it's going to affect everyone. By the way, can I just add that I was just listening to your segment about the other countries not necessarily stepping up and trying to get the Straits open so that the -- I don't quite understand the logic of these countries, because every country benefits from that being a region where we can get that oil out of there.

I mean, Saudi -- the Saudi Arabia and the Middle East oil, so much of it flows through there. So, all the European countries would benefit from getting that open and we're not the only ones who are paying higher price for gasoline. So are the Europeans. So, the people all over the world ...

JIMENEZ: Well, and that is the major ...

MOORE: ... including China, by the way.

JIMENEZ: ... well, and that is the major question to see how long can some of these European countries hold out. But also with the Japanese prime minister coming, does some of that support then come from East Asia, who, of course, does rely on a lot of the oil that comes out of here? I want to ask you about the -- the Treasury Secretary, because Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent seemed to rule out some kind of intervention in the oil futures market to reduce prices, basically saying he wasn't sure under what authority that could even happen with.

But I just wonder what tools does the U.S. government have at its disposal that -- that you believe might be effective in mitigating prices?

[15:10:00]

MOORE: Well, in the -- in the near term, you've got basically the Strategic Patrol and Reserve.

Unfortunately, a lot of that was pulled out when Biden was president. And so, we don't have the reserves that we had before. But if you're ever going to use the Strategic Patrol and Reserve, now would be a good time to do it because the gas -- price is high, consumers are suffering and it's a way to increase this -- in the very short-term, the supply.

JIMENEZ: Sure.

MOORE: Now, I'm not telling you that that's going to dramatically reduce the price of oil, but it could bring it down, you know, by $0.10, $0.15, $0.20 a gallon. There's other things that could be done. For example, we have all sorts of requirements, what are refined in -- in the oil that we produce that becomes the gasoline you put in your car. And those add anywhere from $0.25 to $0.50 a gallon.

So, one of my ideas is why don't we suspend those requirements for now, like ethanol, until this is over? And then, you know, as soon as this is over, then we go back to the old policy that could provide some relief. They -- look, the state that has the highest gasoline price today by far is California. They're paying well over $5 a gallon right now at the pump and that's largely a result of their own policies.

So, if I were running the state of California, I'd say, okay, let's suspend some of those policies. Again, just until we get through this crisis, which might be only a month or two.

JIMENEZ: Well, and, you know, yes, California is seeing higher prices, but a lot of states are also feeling (INAUDIBLE) ...

MOORE: Oh, yes. Every -- look, it's up in everywhere. But California is by far the highest.

JIMENEZ: For sure. And I just want to ask you just really quickly before we go, you know, today, President Trump calling on the Fed to lower interest rates amid this war. He's called to do that before this war as well. But do you see the war with Iran making it either easier or harder to cut rates?

MOORE: That's a good -- that's a tough question, because on the one hand, you know, the -- the major job of the Federal Reserve chairman -- Kevin Warsh is coming in. I'm a big fan of his. I think he'll be excellent.

JIMENEZ: Yes.

MOORE: He wants to retain a stable dollar. He wants to keep inflation low and he wants to make sure the dollar is also the world reserve currency. So, in that case, it makes it a little difficult what his decision will be. It's hard -- because on the one hand, you know, we do want the economy to do very well. On the other hand, we don't want to see another burst of inflation like we had in the 1970s.

So, it's a tough call right now about whether the Fed should be -- I know the President would like to see a reduction in interest rates. I would be very undecided right now about that.

JIMENEZ: Yes. We will see what happens. Appreciate you coming in.

MOORE: Thank you.

JIMENEZ: Thanks for taking the time.

MOORE: Yes.

JIMENEZ: All right. Still to come, powerful storm is bringing feet of snow, dangerous wind and tornadoes to the eastern half of the United States. We'll have the latest forecast for you.

Plus, hundreds of TSA agents going without pay or quitting or calling out of work. And now some travelers are being warned to get to the airport up to four hours early as security lines and wait times get even longer.

And later, a Senate committee claims a major drug maker used a legal loophole to avoid fines and increase profits by pulling an asthma inhaler critical for kids off the market. That and much more coming up on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

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[15:17:21] JIMENEZ: Right now, almost 40 million people up and down the East Coast are under tornado watches. And that includes cities like Philadelphia, D.C., and Baltimore. And in the Midwest, that same system is bringing blizzard-like conditions. Several locations there are already seeing as much as 30 inches of snow, as you might imagine, causing dangerous conditions on the road.

In total, around 75 percent of the United States population is feeling the effects of this storm system. I want to go live to CNN meteorologist Chris Warren right now.

So, Chris, just lay out the forecast for us. I see a lot of colors there.

CHRIS WARREN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. There are a lot of colors, Omar, because this is a massive storm with far-reaching impacts from those blizzard conditions around the Great Lakes to the severe thunderstorm threat that exists from Florida all the way up to New Jersey. And this threat includes damaging winds, could see a few tornadoes, with thunderstorms, by definition, comes lightning, frequent lightning possible with this.

It's even -- there's a slight chance there could still be one or two tornadoes that are on the stronger, longer-lived variety. But it's that hurricane-force wind, that damaging wind threat that we're going to be seeing that will continue throughout the next couple of the few hours here in the mid-Atlantic all the way down into parts of the southeast and northeast.

This snow behind it is an indication of just how cold it is, how potent this system is, bringing a lot of that cold air down from Canada behind these storms. Oftentimes, when you get a big change, it can come as a bumpy ride. And that bumpy ride here is the severe weather that we're watching. These are tornado watches where conditions are favorable for the development of tornadoes. Severe thunderstorm warnings are the orange-outlined areas where severe weather, either damaging winds, hail, all possible with this. The D.C. area in Baltimore, south of Baltimore, east of Washington, D.C., there's a severe thunderstorm warning, damaging winds possible with that.

Into North Carolina, including Elizabeth City, there is a tornado warning currently in effect right now, so that threat is ongoing. Here in Florida, also severe thunderstorm warnings with some very heavy rain. This orange and red is indicating where the more potent part of the storm is, where there's likely to be those damaging winds and the very heavy rain and frequent lightning.

As this moves through, this is 6 o'clock this evening, some of the worst of the weather will be behind you here in D.C., Richmond, down into Raleigh, and even a quick shot of snow, at least some snowflakes from parts of Georgia and Alabama and Tennessee. And then, Omar, the 24-hour temperature change. It is going to be a huge shock to the system. Some areas 30 to more than 40 degrees colder than the 24 hours prior.

[15:20:06]

JIMENEZ: Wow. A wide range of conditions to monitor there. Chris Warren, appreciate it, as always.

Next, on top of the weather, airports across the country are reporting hours-long security lines as TSA agents quit or take time off due to the government's partial shutdown. Stay with CNN NEWS CENTRAL. We've got the details.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:25:01]

KEILAR: Many travelers are suffering at the airport today as security wait times stretch longer than usual, in part due to a lack of staffing. TSA workers are calling out. They are under pressure from working without pay because of the month-long partial government shutdown. The transportation secretary says 300 TSA agents have actually quit. Union officials add that members just missed their second paycheck in the second government shutdown that they've had to endure in less than six months.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AARON BARKER, PRESIDENT, AFGE LOCAL 554: To be quite frank, officers are pissed off. And we're not just talking about here in Atlanta. We're talking about nationwide. The officers are pissed off. They want this to end. They're ready to get back their -- some normalcy or some consistency within their lives. It's very different this time because of the close proximity to the previous shutdown, the one -- the 34-day shutdown. So, the resources and things that were available, they're just not there anymore.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Let's go now to CNN's Ryan Young, who is at Atlanta International Airport.

And Ryan, we understand that things have improved a little since we last spoke to you a couple hours ago.

RYAN YOUNG, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, they have improved just a little bit. If you look here, you can see the main checkpoint has finally opened up. If you were thinking about coming to this airport right now, it would be a good time. We know people have been showing up extra early, three, four hours early, to try to make sure they can catch some of their flights.

But this has been very painful. We've seen people miss international flights. We've seen flight cancel. People be in tears. A lot of times when you look at this line, this has been some of the longest lines we've seen. Take a listen to some of the passengers we spoke to throughout the day.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YOUNG: So, what was your reaction when you turned the corner?

ALIJAH BROWN, AIRPORT TRAVELER: Oh, my God. Are these the lines for TSA? That's crazy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is insane.

SCARLETT KELCH, AIRPORT TRAVELER: We had to wait like an hour to even check our bags, and it was like a two-minute process. I could, like, punch through a wall right now.

VICTORIA KILGORE, AIRPORT TRAVELER: It's ridiculously, it's frustrating and then to know that, you know, and it's not their fault because they're not getting paid and they're going to come in here. I wouldn't do it either. But it just add to the layers of your frustration, add to the layers of you're just trying to buy your time back, have a little piece of vacation from the matrix, and the matrix still gets you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YOUNG: Yes, Brianna, there is a truck downstairs that's actually giving away free food. There's a line of TSA workers who are getting bottles of water, peanut butter bread. They're picking this up to take home to their families. So, you understand the pain point there. People have to pay bills. That's not happening. We were told this morning by police officers that between the hours of 3 and 5, one of the reasons why the security lanes had to be shut down is because so few TSA workers showed up.

This is one of the main lines, and it's gotten so busy here that they open -- had to open up this second line right here for it to go down. And we're even told there's another whole lane downstairs that's still shut down. The good news is right now, if you were trying to get onto a flight, it is easy breezy to go through. The concern, though, is when the shift change happens a little later this afternoon, whether or not we could still see that same buildup, especially on the international side.

Just a lot going on here. On top of all that, the weather that you guys have been talking about has been impacting flights. Over a hundred cancellations. So, people are really fit to be tied.

KEILAR: What did she say she wanted to burst through the wall or something. I mean, people are --

YOUNG: Yes, yes, you understand. Yes.

KEILAR: Yes. She's frustrated. All right.

YOUNG: It's your spring break. You want to get out and be on the beach, right?

KEILAR: Yes. Yes. Get on the -- get on the beach, that's what everyone wants. Ryan Young, thank you so much.

Coming up, Lebanese officials saying today that more than one million people have been internally displaced in that country as Israel expands its ground operations there. We are live from the region next.

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