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Hegseth Reveals He Secretly Met with Troops in the Middle East; Final Preps: Artemis II Crew Set to Take Off on Historic Journey; Federal Judge Says Ballroom Construction "Has to Stop"; Stocks Up on Unconfirmed Rumor Iran May be Open to Ending War; Study: Plastic Chemicals Linked to Millions of Preterm Births and Thousands of Infant Deaths 3-3:30p ET

Aired March 31, 2026 - 15:00   ET

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

JESSICA MANFRE, U.S. COAST GUARD SPOUSE: No, it's people. And I -- I think I just want to remind them of that.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Yes. There are people at the heart of this. Jessica Manfre, Coast Guard spouse, thank you so much for being with us.

MANFRE: Thank you for having me and for covering this. I appreciate you guys.

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

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: How high will gas prices go? They just hit the dreaded price of $4 a gallon as a national average. The highest since 2022. As the Defense Secretary says that U.S. allies need to do more to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Meantime Artemis II is a go. NASA's bold mission around the moon will go where no humans have gone before. We're going to speak with NASA administrator Jared Isaacman about this ambitious effort and then what comes next.

And a new study showing millions of preterm births and thousands of infant deaths are linked to two chemicals used to make some plastics. We're following these major developing stories and many more all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

KEILAR: We begin with breaking news on the war with Iran. Just a short time ago Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth revealing he secretly traveled to the Middle East over the weekend. Hegseth posting several pictures on social media meeting with American troops as they carry out Operation Epic Fury in Iran. Reporters then asking Hegseth if American boots could soon be on the ground.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETE HEGSETH, DEFENSE SECRETARY: Our adversary right now thinks there are 15 different ways we could come at them with boots on the ground. And guess what, there are. The point is to be unpredictable in that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: CNN's Natasha Bertrand is with us now.

Natasha this was the first briefing that we got from the Pentagon in quite some time.

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, in over 10 days. And I think that the real message to come out of it was that the administration really wants a deal and the U.S. military is being used in service towards reaching that deal essentially pressuring the Iranians to strike some kind of agreement with the United States that would then allow them to say mission accomplished and pull the U.S. military back. But you know, Secretary Hegseth he did echo something that President Trump has also said in recent days which is that this is a new regime in Iran. Of course, the Ayatollah was killed. There is a new ayatollah there. There -- there is a new individual that they are negotiating with the speaker of Iran's parliament.

And he said that the goal of the U.S. military operations right now in -- in addition to destroying many of their ballistic missile capabilities and some of their more conventional assets is to compel Iran to realize that the new regime is in a better place if they do attempt to negotiate seriously. Here's a little bit of what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HEGSETH: I didn't mean it flippantly when I said in the meantime we'll negotiate with bombs. Our job is to ensure that we compel Iran to realize that this new regime -- this regime in charge is in a better place if they make that deal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERTRAND: He was also asked multiple times about the possibility of boots on the ground because we've seen so many special operations forces flow into the region. Of course, the 82nd Airborne Division troops also flowing into the region in recent days. And he essentially said that this is again more about pressuring the Iranians and keeping the U.S. military operation unpredictable and essentially keeping options open for President Trump.

But one other thing that he did note which was interesting and one of the first confirmations we've seen of this is that he acknowledged that adversaries are providing intelligence to the Iranians to help target U.S. assets and troops who are operating in the Middle East. And he was asked that question directly in relation to Russia and China. And it was one of the first acknowledgments we've seen that, you know, these two U.S. adversaries are in fact trying to help the Iranians target Americans. And he said that the U.S. has ways of dealing with that, but of course Iran has been pretty effective in how it's been targeting Americans in the last month or so.

KEILAR: Yes, has been. Natasha thank you so much for that update. Boris.

SANCHEZ: Tomorrow NASA astronauts will boldly go where few people have ever gone. The dark side of the moon. Final preparations are underway for the launch of the Artemis II mission in T minus 27 hours 20 minutes and some seven seconds. The crew will blast off from Kennedy Space Center riding on one of the most powerful rockets ever made.

This is an exciting time for NASA which is hoping to build off this mission to eventually have people step foot on Mars. CNN's Tom Foreman has more on this historic moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No matter how many space launches you have seen, you've never seen one like this, because the space launch system is a vessel unto itself. This is a beast. Taller than the Statue of Liberty from the base to the tip of the torch. Well over 300 feet.

[15:05:01]

It weighs around 6 million pounds. But that's okay, because it can produce about 8 million pounds of thrust starting with those two big solid fuel boosters on the side there. They will both burn straight through at the beginning giving it that extra boost as it gets off the ground and then they will fall away. They could almost get the job done entirely by themselves but they will have the help of that big orange core in the middle.

It's orange because that is insulation to keep what's inside very, very cold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen both of which will be flowing down to these four RS-25 engines down below altogether sending this well up into space with a tremendous amount of power.

So, where are the astronauts in all of this?

They're up here. That's where you'll find the Orion crew module. Just below it, the service module that will supply water and oxygen and all sorts of things to the crew up above. And below that, another big booster which will send that part into a giant elliptical orbit around the Earth before sending it on its way.

One more thing, you'll see that upside down ice cream cone up there. That is a escape module in a sense a way for the crew to get out, even when this rocket is going thousands of miles an hour it could bring them safely back down to Earth. Of course, everybody hopes that this doesn't get used, that everything falls off as it should properly. And the Orion crew is on its way on this historic return to the moon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: It's going to be an incredible operation. Thanks to Tom Foreman for that.

We are following some breaking news now. A federal judge has ruled that a key part of President Trump's executive order targeting NPR and PBS was unconstitutional. The decision blocking the administration from denying federal funds based on editorial viewpoint. While the ruling does not reverse the Trump led campaign to strip NPR and PBS stations of federal funding, it is a First Amendment victory that could lead to some funding for PBS and NPR in the future.

You might remember that last summer, Republicans in Congress rescinded federal support over objections from public media advocates and the ruling. Judge Randolph Moss writes, quote, "The First Amendment draws a line which the government may not cross at efforts to use government power including the power of the purse to punish or suppress disfavored expression by others." He goes on to say that the President's executive order crosses that line because it singles out two speakers and on the basis of their speech bars them from all federally funded programs.

PBS says that the network is thrilled with today's decision and that we will continue to do what we've always done serve our mission to educate and inspire all Americans as the nation's most trusted media institution. We'll stay on top of that story and bring you the latest as we get it.

Still to come, Americans are paying for gas and the White House is trying to play that down. But with no end in sight for the war with Iran, how high could gas prices go.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:12:20]

KEILAR: We have some breaking news. A federal judge says construction on President Trump's ballroom must stop. Kristen Holmes is live at the White House for us.

Kristen, this order has exclamation points in it.

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Brianna including on that line that says that the construction has to stop, exclamation point. I do want to read you the first line of this ruling because I think it kind of encapsulates that it says, "The President of the United States is the steward of the White House for future generations of first families. He is not however the owner." Exclamation point.

So, he is now ordering the construction of this ballroom to stop. But it is not immediate. In the order they have delayed enforcement of this order for 14 days. So, that will give the White House the opportunity to appeal here. Likely they will continue with that construction during that 14-day period. And we have very little doubt that the White House is going to appeal this order.

I mean, what he is saying here in this first line about being the owner of the White House is something that we have heard from preservationists really across the country and particularly here in Washington saying that yes you are the surveyor of this land. Yes you are in control of the White House while you are in office. But it does not make you the owner to be able to do whatever you want to do.

Of course, President Trump has fought against that pretty much at every turn. It's not just the ballroom. It's also his complete reconstruction of the Rose Garden which is now the Rose Garden Cafe. It's been paved over, gold everywhere, gold labels, his presidential hallway of fame. And then, of course, his signature project which is the ballroom.

So that is going to be something that we are sure we are -- we haven't heard from them yet, but we are sure that they will appeal this.

KEILAR: Yes, we'll see where this goes. Kristen Holmes thank you so much. Boris?

SANCHEZ: The closing bell is just minutes from now and stocks are rallying on reports that the war in Iran may soon come to an end. The Wall Street Journal says that President Trump is willing to end the conflict without reopening the Strait of Hormuz and markets then moved again on rumors that Iran's president said the nation is ready to end the war for security guarantees. CNN could not immediately confirm those reports.

Today, the average gas price hit a wartime high surpassing $4 a gallon. In response, the White House says that these prices will soon plummet once the war is over.

Joining us now is Patrick De Haan, the Head of Petroleum Analysis at GasBuddy.

Patrick, thanks so much for being with us.

How long do you expect these higher gas prices to linger once the war actually does come to an end?

PATRICK DE HAAN, HEAD OF PETROLEUM ANALYSIS, GASBUDDY: Well, Boris, it's not necessarily about the war. If that continues, that's a whole separate matter. What oil markets really look at is when will the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz resume and what will that look like.

[15:15:07]

Are we talking about a couple ships a day? Are we talking about a full-fledged reopening? Those are the details the oil markets are going to watch heavily for and that's going to dictate what you and I pay at the pump and if that doesn't happen or if the president decides to end the war without having any sort of plan for the Strait of Hormuz, we're still going to be right in the same shoes that we are today with the national average at $4.03 a gallon, diesel prices now $5.43 a gallon, several states now, five states setting new all-time highs for diesel, Arizona and Florida joining that club today.

So, if the Strait doesn't reopen or if there's not a cohesive plan to address Iran's essential takeover of the Strait, we still could see gasoline prices continuing to rise even if the end of the war, even if the U.S. withdrawals is complete.

SANCHEZ: So, President Trump's statement that U.S. allies, specifically European allies, should go into the Strait and take it and reclaim oil there, that doesn't sound like the kind of plan that would actually first of all take place, a lot of those European allies are hesitant to get involved, but also -- I mean, how would that factor in to global energy prices in case they did take some action?

DE HAAN: Well, Boris, it's essentially having somebody else clean up the mess or be responsible. Now, Europe is likely more reliant on the Strait of Hormuz being reopened, but to go into Iran and then to just say well we may leave it as is, just highlights that Iran certainly could win what is left of the war by simply reclaiming the Strait of Hormuz and continuing to block the flow of oil through it.

So, it's certainly something that needs to be addressed from the instability of energy prices which are likely to reignite inflation, it's like leaving gas prices and diesel prices high and completely ignoring the President's agenda to drill, baby, drill, highlighting that he may be okay with high energy prices by unaddressing what's happened in the Strait.

SANCHEZ: Patrick De Haan, thanks so much for the analysis, appreciate your time.

DE HAAN: Thanks, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Of course. Still to come, a new study showing that millions of preterm births and thousands of newborn deaths may be linked to chemicals used in plastics. We'll hear from a doctor when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:21:58]

KEILAR: They're called everywhere chemicals for a reason, because they are used in so many products. And now a new study shows two chemicals used to make plastic more flexible are linked to millions of premature births and infant deaths. A baby is considered premature when it's born before the 37th week of pregnancy. And preemie babies who survive can have many problems from breathing, vision, and hearing difficulties to developmental delays.

Dr. Veronica Gillespie-Bell is a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist.

Doc, talk to us about this, because it sounds very scary. Can you tell us more about the risks of these two chemicals that the study focused on to babies and the risk of phthalates in general?

DR. VERONICA GILLISPIE-BELL, BOARD-CERTIFIED OBSTETRICIAN & GYNECOLOGIST: Yes. I mean, just to talk about preterm births in general, we have been given a D-plus in the United States by the March of Dimes 2025 report card. So, this is definitely an issue that has been an area of -- of focus. Now, in this study, while it's very interesting, they did do modeling to look at the exposure of these chemicals in preterm birth in multiple countries. This is a global study.

And while there is some association, I think it's important to understand that there -- there is a -- no data and their data does not show causation. But it does open the question that would lead us and researchers to do more research to try to understand what the relationship is.

KEILAR: Okay, so there's a link then, right? That the causation is really the question. How linked is the exposure of the parents to phthalates to the health of the baby?

GILLISPIE-BELL: Yes, again, it's difficult to say based on this study, because there was some modeling that was done. And as the researchers say, there are some assumptions that are made off of previous models that would demonstrate that these chemicals do show an increased risk of preterm birth. To really show that causation, we would really need to look at mothers who have a history of preterm birth, looking at placental levels, looking at their exposure levels, and also understanding what the dose relationship is.

That's not something that they were able to do in this study. And the researchers did allude to the need for that, to be able to better understand what the relationship is to this exposure in preterm birth.

KEILAR: So, what -- what would you recommend that people do? How do people avoid these chemicals? They do seem to be everywhere.

GILLISPIE-BELL: They are called everywhere chemicals, because to -- to your point, they are everywhere. Again, we can't say for sure that these chemicals are causing preterm birth, but always -- we have the option to use products that are not made with those chemicals, thinking about things that are made of glass, things that are not quite as disposable to reduce our risk of exposure.

[15:24:59]

KEILAR: How long does it take for something like this that you come into contact with to clear your system? Do we know?

GILLISPIE-BELL: We don't know. And again, from the study, because it was modeling, and they were looking more at environmental levels, we really were not -- they were not looking at mothers who had had preterm birth to show that they actually had exposure or had the levels in their system. So, it's not something that we know.

There are other recommendations from other -- other sources to think about avoiding those -- those products that have, again, plastics, that have these -- these chemicals, especially when you think about microwaving and things that could cause the chemicals to be absorbed in the -- the foods that we eat.

KEILAR: The senior author of this study, Dr. Leonardo Trasande, talks about the struggle of what he calls playing whack-a-mole with dangerous chemicals. Concerns come up with one chemical, and then it's often replaced with something different, but that may be just as harmful. What kind of change really needs to happen here?

GILLISPIE-BELL: You know, as the researchers said, we really need some studies to show, to understand what the actual effect is. When we're talking about preterm birth, there are so many factors that contribute to that. We know from data from the March of Dimes that hypertension, diabetes, obesity, obesity being the biggest contributor, those are things that we know contribute to preterm birth.

For those things that we may have causation, or excuse me, we have association, but not causation, we really need more research, looking at the levels, looking at those individuals that experience poor outcomes, birth outcomes, and understanding what their dose exposure level is for us to be able to say there is causation.

KEILAR: Dr. Veronica Gillispie-Bell, obviously raising a lot of questions here, and we need more answers, but it's so important that we speak with you about it. Thank you.

GILLISPIE-BELL: Thank you.

KEILAR: Still to come, the countdown is on. Here in a moment, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman will speak with us, explaining why tomorrow's mission to the moon means getting back to basics.

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