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Trump Attacks NATO in First Cabinet Meeting Since Start of War; Sources Say Iran Could Threaten Traffic at Key Red Sea Strait; NTSB to Look Into Controller Staffing at U.S. Airports; USPS Adding Eight Percent Fuel Surcharge to Packages; Bill Maher to Receive Mart Twain Comedy Award; HBO Max Releases First Harry Potter Trailer; Congress at an Impasse Over a Deal to Fund DHS. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired March 26, 2026 - 13:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:33:44]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": While NATO Secretary, Mark Rutte says the alliance is stronger than ever, at his cabinet meeting today, President Trump expressed disappointment with those U.S. allies.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We're very disappointed with NATO because NATO has done absolutely nothing. And I've always said, 25 years ago, I mean, I was somebody that wasn't a politician, but I was always involved in politics and I understood politics.

I said 25 years ago that NATO is a paper tiger, but more importantly, that we'll come to their rescue, but they will never come to ours.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Joining us now is retired Admiral James Stavridis. He's a CNN Senior Military Analyst, a former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, also a partner at the Carlyle Group, an international investment firm, and he serves on the board of advisors for a handful of defense- related companies.

Admiral, thanks so much for being with us. What's your reaction to Trump's comments there?

ADM. JAMES STAVRIDIS (RET.), CNN SENIOR MILITARY ANALYST AND FORMER NATO SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER: Well, first and foremost, I would say NATO did come to our rescue. They came to our rescue after 9/11. The only time the NATO alliance has gone into combat was after we were attacked. The Europeans didn't have to come with us to Afghanistan, but they did. They fought, they bled, they died.

[13:35:00]

I commanded tens of thousands of European troops in combat in Afghanistan for four years. They took heavy casualties, so that needs to be clarified.

And then secondly, here's what I think Secretary General, Mark Rutte is driving toward, and it would be a sensible way for the alliance to work together. It would be for the European nations who have minesweepers, frigates, destroyers, contribute those to opening the Strait of Hormuz. I think that's on the table, Boris, and I think that's where this will land.

SANCHEZ: Iran certainly believes that a takeover of Kharg Island in the Strait of Hormuz, in that area, might be on the table. What do you see as the risk and reward of such an operation?

STAVRIDIS: I think the risk is very high. It's a small island. That's a good thing. But unfortunately, for purposes of attacking it, it's right next to the coast of Iran. In other words, if we got Marines onto Kharg Island, they would be subject to, for example, artillery fire from the shore of Iran, also vulnerable to drones.

I would guess the Iranians who watch CNN, like everybody else, are learning that we might be going to Kharg Island, and they're increasing their defenses. They're preparing for a potential attack. So the risk to those Marines, if they go ashore, or the 82nd Airborne, if they're employed, is increasing.

Here's an idea. Why don't we try and blockade it? We then accomplish the objective of taking that oil transshipment point that's so crucial to the Iranians, take it away by blockading it. You can then avoid putting boots on the ground. I suspect all those options are being considered.

SANCHEZ: There's also another threat coming from Tehran for another important area of overseas transit, and that is the base of the Red Sea, essentially. An Iranian military source warning that Tehran could try to disrupt traffic there. How likely is that? How could the U.S. potentially prevent that?

STAVRIDIS: This is, so far, the dog that hasn't barked. The way Iran would go after this, probably not directly at the Suez Canal, which is very highly defended, but they would try and shut down the Bab el- Mandab Strait at the very bottom of the Red Sea, Boris. They would do it by using their proxies, the Houthis.

You're showing it right where it says Yemen on the map. That's the area where they, the Iranians, would encourage the Houthis to go out and try and shut down that crucial strait. I think if we continue to pound Iran and they are losing, in their minds, more military currency and want to increase their negotiating position, they may not only hold on to the Strait of Hormuz, they could try and close that strait at the bottom of the Red Sea as well. I am worried about it.

SANCHEZ: Admiral James Stavridis, thank you so much for joining us and sharing your expertise.

STAVRIDIS: You bet.

SANCHEZ: Up next, two air traffic controllers doing the work of four. How this week's deadly collision at LaGuardia Airport is renewing concerns about how much is too much for controllers.

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[13:42:45]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": So, new concerns about the workload of air traffic controllers after Sunday's deadly runway collision at New York's LaGuardia Airport. NTSB officials tell CNN they will be examining the responsibilities of workers, particularly those on late-night shifts when there is less air traffic but also less staffing in the tower.

On the night of the crash, only two people managing not just the air space and operations, but planes on the ground and those ready to take off and land. CNN Aviation Correspondent, Pete Muntean is following this part of the investigation. Pete, tell us about this because we heard from the NTSB there have been a lot of complaints about this shift.

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: A lot of concerns about the overnight shift. And really, this investigation is entering a new phase now. Now that the wreckage of Air Canada Express 8646 has been moved into a hangar at LaGuardia, Air Canada says investigators released the wreckage back to the airline late yesterday.

And right now, there are two big questions that are emerging from the National Transportation Safety Board's early findings. Who of the two air traffic controllers in the tower was specifically responsible for the movement of airplanes and vehicles on the ground? That's known as ground control. And the NTSB says it's not clear who of the two controllers was doing that role.

And also, why was the fire truck that pulled out on the runway in front of that landing flight not equipped with a transponder? The lack of that equipment essentially rendered a system in the tower designed to warn controllers of this exact type of incident totally useless.

NTSB Chair, Jennifer Homendy spoke to our Kaitlan Collins on "The Source" last night, and Homendy said investigators are digging into why the fire truck did not have a transponder installed. It's much too soon to say if it could have fully prevented this collision, but listen now to Homendy, who said her investigators believe that transponders should be required on all airport ground vehicles.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENNIFER HOMENDY, CHAIR, NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD: They should have transponders. If you're an air traffic controller, you should be able to see everything that's on the ground, everything that's in the immediate airspace, so you can ensure safety.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT AND ANCHOR OF "THE SOURCE": So you do think that that should be required?

HOMENDY: I personally feel that, and our team feels that. We have to get there on our recommendations and throughout the investigation. (END VIDEO CLIP)

[13:45:00]

MUNTEAN: The FAA only encourages airport ground vehicles to have transponders. It does not require them. The NTSB can only issue safety recommendations after a crash. So it's up to the FAA and potentially, even Congress to make any changes to aviation regulations. Aviation experts also point out this one more big thing.

The policy at LaGuardia and at airports across the country is to have skeleton crews in the air traffic control tower late at night and overnight. And experts tell us it may be a time to take another big look at that. It may make more sense to add staff late at night rather than staff down because that's when controllers are most fatigued. That's when they're off their circadian rhythm.

That's when they're most likely to make mistakes. And we even uncovered a 2024 FAA report by the agency itself, commissioned by the agency, put out by an independent panel that said this needs to be reconsidered. Combining positions may not be the safest thing to do late at night.

KEILAR: Yeah. And every night at 10:30 is not equal, right?

MUNTEAN: Right.

KEILAR: And this particular night, they had delays, so they were getting maybe even some more traffic. You could have weather conditions. There's all kinds of things.

(CROSSTALK)

MUNTEAN: The workload went up.

KEILAR: That's right.

MUNTEAN: And because there was sort of a bottleneck because of weather in other parts of the country, some flights were delayed, coming in even later. And then you have to layer on top of this, the delays caused by TSA.

You know, the aviation system is a big ecosystem. And while TSA is not necessarily responsible for aviation safety like this, the fact that people were bottlenecked at TSA makes things even worse. And I was on a flight that day that was two-thirds empty.

It was supposed to be full, because of TSA delays. And so that just really compounds things and made the workload even higher for these controllers way late at night. And they were dealing with an emergency.

So some experts tell us, ATC at airports across the country needs the ability to flex up staffing in situations like this.

KEILAR: Certainly makes sense to be flexible. Pete, thank you so much. Boris?

SANCHEZ: Now to some of the other headlines we're watching this hour. For the first time ever, the U.S. Postal Service is imposing an 8 percent fuel surcharge on packages. This stems from the Iran war driving up the cost of gas and diesel.

Officials say the temporary fee will begin April 26th and will only apply to packages, not letter mail. Gas has risen by about $1 a gallon since the start of the war. Diesel up by about $1.60.

Also, the Kennedy Center has announced that TV host, Bill Maher will receive the prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor just days after the White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt denied he was going to receive the Mark Twain Comedy Award.

The comedian has drawn Trump's ire for jokes on his HBO program "Real Time with Bill Maher" with Trump calling him an overrated lightweight on Truth Social last month. The award will be given at the Kennedy Center in June just before it closes for a two-year renovation.

The center has seen slumping sales and performer cancellations because of Trump's overhaul there, including this controversial name change.

And in case you've been living in a cupboard under the stairs or you're like me, you don't really know what that means, the new Harry Potter trailer has just dropped.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRY POTTER, PLAYED BY DOMINIC MCLAUGHLIN, "HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE" SERIES: I've always wanted to know about my parents.

RUBEUS HAGRID, PLAYED BY ROBBIE COLTRANE, "HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE" SERIES: Your parents were the kindest, bravest people I ever met. They were funny and clever. They stood up for what they believed was right. The next time I see you, we'll be in Hogwarts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: All very exciting. The brand-new series reboots the bewitching tale of the boy wizard with each season spanning a school year at Hogwarts. The first eight-episode installment will be available to stream on HBO Max on Christmas Day.

Important disclaimer, HBO Max and CNN owned by the same parent company.

Next, airport officials warn of dire consequences if DHS continues to go unfunded, but lawmakers are scheduled to leave for a two-week recess tomorrow. Would they stay in town until a deal is done? We'll speak with a Republican Senator, right after this.

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[13:54:02]

KEILAR: Against the ropes and the clock, lawmakers are scheduled to leave Friday for a two-week break, but with no deal to fund the Department of Homeland Security. Big questions right now about whether they should bother packing their bags. Republican Senator, Jon Husted of Ohio is with us now to talk about this. Senator, thank you for being with us.

I know there was just a vote on your voter ID amendment that failed, but the president has repeatedly told Republicans to terminate the filibuster to get DHS funded and to pass the SAVE America Act. I wonder, especially in light of that vote on your amendment, do you support terminating the filibuster entirely?

SEN. JON HUSTED, (R-OH) HEALTH, EDUCATION, LABOR & PENSIONS COMMITTEE: Well, that vote was strict photo ID. Chuck Schumer said that they didn't oppose strict photo ID, so we gave them the opportunity to vote on a strict photo ID bill, and they still voted no.

It's very difficult to negotiate with the Democrats because they say one thing publicly, then you put legislation on the floor that does that, and then they still vote no.

[13:55:00]

And so, there are many ways that we can continue to fight this battle. I think that the discussion now is probably a reconciliation process that is limited in what we can do, but also takes it down to a 50-vote requirement on passing funding for lots of things, including enforcement and customs.

KEILAR: OK. So, explain what that looks like. You're saying do it on some things, not on others. Can you be a little clearer on that?

HUSTED: Well, look, yeah, let me just be clear about it. We're going to vote on funding for DHS again this afternoon. Remember, there was a bipartisan bill that came over from the House, a huge bipartisan margin. Senate Democrats blocked it because they said they didn't want to fund ICE.

And so, we gave them. We negotiated and said, OK, we'll strip out ICE. And then they say, no, we want to reform ICE. They keep moving the goalpost. They say that they don't want to fund it. We said, no, we won't fund it.

And then they say they want reforms. They're literally asking for reforms for something they're unwilling to fund. It is the height of frustration when you negotiate with somebody and then they change the rules on you.

So, what we're going to vote on today is another chance to get the seven Democrat votes we need, so that we can then take up the bill and then put a reform plan on there that has some reforms like body cams and things like that, that defunds ICE as they want to.

And then we will go to a reconciliation process as Republicans, at least that's the plan, and fund ICE that way.

KEILAR: On the SAVE America Act, how is the 2023 voter ID law in Ohio informing your support for the bill?

HUSTED: Well, it works. I was Secretary of State for two terms in Ohio. We made it easy to vote and hard to cheat. Really, we're just asking people to provide one of five options: Your driver's license, your state ID, your military ID or veterans ID, your passport or tribal ID. This has worked well.

It worked well in Ohio and Georgia, New Hampshire, other places that do photo ID laws. There are 36 states that have some form of ID law. That's why I can't believe that the Democrats aren't willing to go along with something so simple that 80 percent of the American people support.

But they are unwilling to say yes to anything that we're trying to do. Even I listened -- I listened to what Leader Schumer said, and I said, OK, let's strip out the things they don't like. Let's just put strict voter ID and they still said no.

(CROSSTALK)

KEILAR: But that voter ID law you're talking about in Ohio wasn't actually in place when you were Secretary of State there. And that new Ohio voter ID law is actually significantly more lax than the SAVE Act requirements, significantly.

HUSTED: It's actually not, not on the photo ID provisions. It's not at all. It's the exact same tools on photo ID.

KEILAR: But the underlying registration is key. I mean, in Ohio, you can register to vote online using a driver's license or the last four- year social. And under the SAVE Act --

HUSTED: My bill doesn't have any.

KEILAR: You have to go --

HUSTED: Let's be clear.

KEILAR: Yeah. But your bill is an amendment on --

HUSTED: Let's be clear.

KEILAR: Your bill is an amendment. It's an amendment on --

HUSTED: But they didn't vote. They didn't vote. If you're going to -- let me finish so I can get the facts, my bill doesn't have any registration requirements. My amendment that we just voted on, that no Democrat voted on, was photo ID, exactly what we have in Ohio.

The exact same tools that they have in Georgia, that they have in other states, Wisconsin. We use the same tools. They still are unwilling to say yes to the most simple part of election integrity, and that is a photo ID. KEILAR: It's an amendment on a broader bill, which you're very aware of, the SAVE America Act.

HUSTED: But the vote was on the amendment.

(CROSSTALK)

KEILAR: I hear what you're saying, trying to make Democrats make a tough vote on voter ID. No, I certainly hear that.

You were Ohio's Secretary of State for eight years. Would you agree with Senator Barrasso that you ran fair, safe, and secure elections?

HUSTED: Of course we did. We did it within the laws that were granted to me. I don't make the laws. I run the elections. We made it easy to vote and hard to cheat. I maintained the voter rolls that allow those things.

KEILAR: But still, if they were fair, safe, and secure, and at the time when you were Secretary of State, you could use a utility bill or a bank statement or a government check as an acceptable form of ID at the polls on Election Day. So when you were Secretary of State, that's what was acceptable to vote. So why is that not acceptable now?

HUSTED: That's what the law was when I was Secretary of State. The law can be improved.

KEILAR: Sure, that's fine.

(CROSSTALK)

KEILAR: But they were safe, fair, and secure.

HUSTED: No, but understand -- when I was Secretary of State --

(CROSSTALK)

KEILAR: You say they were fair, safe, and secure. You agree with Senator Barrasso. And yet, utility bill, bank statement, or government check, no real ID. And furthermore, that real ID that's used in Ohio under the new law actually --

HUSTED: Well, I can explain to you how it actually worked. I had to go all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court to get the authority to maintain the voter rolls. Because why? Because many states don't maintain the voter rules properly.

They have people on the voter rules who are not legally allowed to vote in this country. --