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London's Heathrow Airport Shuts Down Due to Power Outage; Hamas Fires First Rockets at Israel Since Truce Collapse; Judge Blocks Deportation of Georgetown University Fellow. Aired 12-12:45a ET

Aired March 21, 2025 - 00:00   ET

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

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ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

[00:02:28]

JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello. I'm John Vause with breaking news this hour.

A full closure has been ordered for Heathrow Airport. Passengers have been told not to travel to the airport under any circumstances. This closure expected to continue all day Friday. Flights to and from Heathrow are either being canceled or diverted at this hour.

Officials say the airport went dark after a transformer at an electrical substation caught fire. Ten fire engines, dozens of firefighters now on the scene of that fire in West London.

Around 150 people in the area have been evacuated so far. No word on the cause of the -- of the blaze.

Let's go -- let's go to CNN's Nada Bashir, who is in London with the very latest on the scene, actually at Heathrow Airport.

So, Nada, what do we know about the closure? What do we know about the cause of it? And what's the scene right now at Heathrow Airport?

NADA BASHIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via phone): Well, again, the cause of the fire still is not yet known. We are getting more information as the hours go by from London Fire Brigade.

They have said that a transformer within an electrical substation in Hayes, an area in West London, just around the airport, was alight.

They were called to the incident at around 11:30 p.m. local time on Thursday night, and so the crews have been at the scene throughout the night. They're expected to remain there throughout Friday.

As you mentioned, the airport is set to be closed for the entirety of Friday at least.

And of course, this is a significant incident, as I mentioned. This is an area around Heathrow. This is also a residential area. At this stage, the Fire Brigade has said that there are ten fire engines and 70 firefighters responding to the blaze.

At least 29 people from neighboring properties have been led to safety. But of course, there has been also a border cordon set up around a 200-meter cordon established with around 150 people evacuated at this stage.

But again, the cause of the fire not yet known. They are still working to establish this.

What we've been hearing from Heathrow Airport is that they are expecting significant disruption over the coming days. We know that flights to and from the airport are now being either diverted or canceled. Passengers have been advised not to travel to the airport and to contact their airlines.

And according to data that we're seeing on a flight tracking website, FlightRadar24, more than 100 flights currently in the air are expected to be diverted to alternate airports or potentially returning to their origins.

So, as you can imagine, a significant incident for the airport, but also a huge moment of chaos for many passengers who are expecting to head to Heathrow or fly into Heathrow on Friday.

Again, at this stage, we're expecting the airport to be closed throughout the entirety of Friday, but they have warned of significant disruption for the coming days. Whether the airport actually reopens in the next 24 hours, that, of course, remains to be seen.

[00:05:12]

Firefighters, though still at the scene, still working to contain the blaze; and that is expected to continue over the coming hours.

VAUSE: So, just very quickly, a lot of people would like to know when Heathrow would possibly reopen. At this point, it looks like that midnight deadline that we're hearing from airport officials is sort of the earliest.

It's not a hard target. It could be later than that. It certainly doesn't seem like it's going to be any earlier than that. Is that the case?

BASHIR (via phone): No. Absolutely not. That is -- they have said that it will be closed at least for the entirety of Friday. But again, they have clearly warned of significant disruption for the coming days.

So, we could potentially see the airport closed, totally inoperational for more than just 24 hours.

Again, the fire is not actually at the airport, but it has impacted the substation, which provides power to the airport. So, you can imagine the significant disruption this has caused; a complete power outage, according to Heathrow Airport.

So, there will be a lot of damage control being focused on by airport officials at this stage.

And for firefighters, of course, really focusing on trying to contain the blaze. This has, of course, affected the airport, but it's also a residential area. It is affecting residents in Hayes in West London. And of course, the damage is still being assessed as they work to continue the blaze -- to contain the blaze.

VAUSE: And Nada, very quickly. My quick check on Google Maps showed the distance between Hayes and Heathrow Airport is about four miles. Is that accurate?

BASHIR (via phone): Yes. That's right. Hayes is -- is right around the airport area. It's a -- you know, we have five terminals in a very broad area, spread out.

But of course, as I mentioned, Hayes, a residential area. It's a key area for airport transportation, as well. So, this is a very, very close area to the airport.

And again, this is the substation which is providing power to the airport. So, it has directly impacted the power supply for Heathrow Airport, one of Europe's busiest.

VAUSE: Yes, that is the key here. This one power relay, it seems, is what -- this transformer is now on fire.

Nada Bashir there in London with the very latest. We will be checking back in with you later in the hour.

In the meantime, let's go live now to aviation analyst Geoffrey Thomas.

Geoffrey, thank you for being up early and being with us this hour. Let's start with the big picture. You don't shut down one of the world's busiest airports without causing delays and problems across the globe. How much turmoil are you expecting? And for how long?

GEOFFREY THOMAS, AVIATION ANALYST: Look, John, I'm -- I'm expecting significant turmoil. Heathrow handles about a quarter of a million passengers a day. It does that with about 1300 flights a day. It's one of the biggest international airports in the world, and it's a crossroad.

And so, we've got literally hundreds of flights coming in from the United States and from Southeast Asia, the Middle East. They're all in the air at the moment, inbound. You know, the old overnight-type flight arriving at Heathrow from 5:30 local in the morning onwards.

So, they've got to divert somewhere. Some -- some can turn back. Most cannot. They've got to continue. So, they're going to be going all over the place.

The problem in the United Kingdom is many of the airports that you would think, oh, let's go to Gatwick or Stansted or Luton around London, they're at capacity anyway. So, maybe further afield: Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh. But it's going to be a significant disruption, because one of the big

issues here is you've got air crews that have done long flights, at the limit of their hours. Now they're sitting in Glasgow or Edinburgh or somewhere else. And they've got -- not only have they got the plane in the wrong place, they've got their crews in the wrong place.

So, this is going to be a major problem.

VAUSE: So, just with regard to the five other major airports in London, what you're saying is that essentially, they're at capacity already. There's no ability for those airports to handle the traffic, which would normally take off and land at Heathrow.

THOMAS: No, Gatwick -- Gatwick is full. And they want -- they -- they're desperate for more capacity. And, you know, there may be some capacity at Luton and Stansted a little bit, but they're big low-cost airport -- low-cost airline airports.

And further afield, Birmingham, Manchester. Possibly, there's some capacity there. But we're talking -- we're talking hundreds and hundreds of flights that are inbound to Heathrow at the moment that would typically land every minute or so from 5:30 in the morning onwards. They've got to go somewhere.

And the other issue is once you get them on the ground, you've then got a massive problem with the ability of customs to handle those passengers.

I mean, these airports are set up to handle a certain number of flights, a certain number of people. All of a sudden, if you double or triple that, it's chaos for everybody involved.

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VAUSE: Explain to me, how is it that a fire in a transformer at a substation about four miles away, admittedly in the region, but this seems to be like the only power source for Heathrow?

THOMAS: Well --

VAUSE: Now, suddenly, it's resulted in the airport going dark. This seems odd that there's no backup.

THOMAS: You've hit the nail right on the head. That's the question I'm already asking. Where's the backup power?

And that's something that the British government has got to sort of really nail on Heathrow Airport and say, you are our major hub to the world. You are incredibly important to the economy of the United Kingdom. There has to be a Plan B.

There's no Plan B. I find it extraordinary that there's no capacity to -- to have another power source.

VAUSE: So, right now, there's no actual damage to Heathrow Airport, apart from the fact it just doesn't have electricity. So, if they could get another power source to the airport, it could, theoretically at least, be up and running. That just doesn't seem to be a possibility here.

THOMAS: Well, I mean, lots of airports have backup generators. And I mean, certainly, there's a lot of power required. No -- no question about it. And I'm not an electrician. I'm not an electrical engineer.

But certainly, there's a big power drain for Heathrow, no question about it. But for something so important to the British economy, then I would suggest some significant generation capacity should be installed at Heathrow Airport as a backup.

VAUSE: You would think so. Just very quickly, Geoffrey, what would be your advice right now to anyone who is, you know, thinking that they're going to travel to Heathrow in the next day or two?

THOMAS: Well, you're probably not going to. And the problem is, for all those passengers dislocated, it's not a matter of getting the next flight that's available to Heathrow, because the next flight that's going to Heathrow is full.

And that's one of the problems now, is we're getting into the busy season, the big heavy tourist season. So, flights are nearly at capacity.

All of a sudden, these passengers have got to go to the back of the queue, the ones that have been dislocated by this disruption. So, there's going to be a knock-on effect that's going to last a couple of weeks from this.

VAUSE: Yes. It seems to say that -- at the least, it sounds like.

Geoffrey, thank you so much for being with us. Your insights --

THOMAS: Thanks, John.

VAUSE: -- and your analysis very much valuable and appreciated. Thank you, sir.

Up to two days of deadly punishing Israeli strikes from the air and the ground in Gaza. The militant group Hamas has fired back, launching just three missiles towards Tel Aviv.

The Israeli military says one was intercepted while two others landed in open areas. No one was hurt.

While in Jerusalem, many residents went running for cover as air raid sirens went off. That's after Houthi rebels in Yemen fired a ballistic missile at Israel, the second in two days since the Gaza ceasefire collapsed.

The Palestinian Health Ministry reporting more than 500 people have been killed by renewed Israeli airstrikes on Gaza this week alone, adding to a total death toll since the war began of close to 50,000 people in Gaza. Also Thursday, the head of Israel's internal security service was

fired. The far-right coalition government voted to remove Ronen Bar from leading the agency, which is the equivalent of the FBI in the United States, or MI5 in Britain.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke publicly about his ongoing distrust of Mr. Barr and urged his removal, saying it was necessary for achieving Israel's war goals in Gaza.

Well, to Washington now. Rafael Cohen, who specializes in defense strategy and force planning, as well as Middle East and European security.

Rafi, thank you for staying up and being with us.

RAFAEL COHEN, SENIOR POLITICAL SCIENTIST, RAND: Thank you so much for having me on, John.

VAUSE: OK. So, the question now is how degraded is Hamas in terms of military capability?

We're hearing from "The Wall Street Journal," which is quoting Arab and Israeli intelligence. The militant group's "arsenal of projectiles has dwindled to the point where it needs to conserve rockets and long- range missiles capable of hitting the Tel Aviv area. It may have just dozens within that range."

And while it may have recruited thousands of more fighters, it's believed they're young, they're poorly trained.

But is this still a win for Hamas that they're still standing, still firing rockets, still recruiting fighters after being pounded by Israel for more than a year?

COHEN: Yes. So, I think it's more or less a symbolic victory here, but not necessarily a military one. Let me unpack that.

So, in the immediate aftermath of October 7, Hamas was capable of firing on order of a couple of hundred rockets into Israel every day.

From a military standpoint, that makes it difficult for even advanced air-defense systems like Iron Dome to intercept them all and not to cause any damage. Whereas, you know, these latest missile barrage of just three, it really didn't have any sort of major significant effect.

That said, it's a sort of sign by Hamas to say that, yes, we are still alive. We're still kicking, and we still have some sort of control over the Gaza Strip, which is, in some ways, a major blow to Israeli war aims, which is to remove Hamas, at least as a military entity, in control of the Strip.

[00:15:10]

VAUSE: Yes. And earlier this week, the Israeli prime minister, he was very direct in what the ultimate goals of, you know, were here in breaking the ceasefire and returning to war. Here he is.

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BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Israel will fight, and Israel will win. We will bring our people home, and we will destroy Hamas. We will not relent until we achieve all these vital goals.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Here's the thing. Fifteen months' military action alone failed to achieve those goals. While the IDF claims renewed military action this week alone has killed nine new Hamas leaders -- there they are -- won't those roles just be filled by others, like these nine men took those roles?

Is there any reason to believe Israel's military will be more successful this time around, trying to bomb Hamas into obliteration?

COHEN: Well, I think they are -- they can hope for more success in terms of pressuring Hamas to release more hostages.

In fact, if you listen to some of the statements coming out of Israeli leaders, some of the aims of this renewed offensive is to ramp up pressure to hopefully break the deadlock and get Hamas back to the negotiating table.

If you say, look at the statements from former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, he was basically making that argument, as well. Military pressure can accomplish those aims.

Now, whether or not it can destroy Hamas as a military entity, that I'm less sure about.

Ultimately, what Israel has been wrestling with over the last 15, 16 months of since this war began is right now, there's no plan in place to who controls Gaza afterwards. And if you don't have a plan in place for the day after, you don't really have a way to prevent that next crop of Hamas leaders from regrowing in time.

VAUSE: Yes. And a recently released Israeli hostage spoke at the U.N. And he talked about how humanitarian assistance meant for the people of Gaza is being stolen by Hamas. Here he is.

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ELI SHARABI, FORMER HOSTAGE: Dozens and dozens of boxes paid by your government, feeding terrorists who tortured me and murdered my family.

When you speak of humanitarian aid, remember this. Hamas eats like kings, while hostages starve.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Eli Sharabi there. It was very emotional testimony. But it should be noted that hostages and civilians in Gaza are starving.

The Israeli government has decided the answer to that is to prevent all aid from entering into the Gaza territory.

Is there another option here to prevent Hamas from stealing the humanitarian assistance and trying to get it to the people who need it?

COHEN: Sure. I mean, if Israel was to own the humanitarian aid distribution network, then it would be able to make sure that aid got to the people who needed it.

You know, you have Israeli soldiers escort those aid convoys to the point of distribution and then have humanitarian organizations distribute it from there.

I mean, that's the sort of mode that we adopted in Iraq or Afghanistan, where we used U.S. troops to escort aid to prevent either Iraqi insurgents or the Taliban from stealing it. The Israeli government has thus far been unwilling to do that. And as a result, Hamas steals the aid and then uses it for nefarious purposes.

VAUSE: Right. It's a good perspective, Rafi. Thank you so much. We really appreciate you being with us. Thank you.

COHEN: Thank you so much for having me.

VAUSE: Always a pleasure.

When we come back, officials will try to make progress next week on achieving at least a partial ceasefire in Ukraine. As they prepare to talk peace, drones and bombs are doing the talking on the ground.

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VAUSE: Breaking news this hour. London's Heathrow Airport, one of the busiest in the world, has been shut down until at least Friday night.

Officials say a fire at a nearby electrical substation caused a significant power outage. The airport is warning of significant disruption over the coming days.

Passengers are advised to stay away and to contact their airlines for rescheduling their flights.

Both Russia and Ukraine trading heavy fire, despite new ceasefire talks expected in the coming days.

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VAUSE: That's the moment when Ukrainian drones hit a Russian air base about 650 kilometers from the border Thursday. Russia's state news agency says at least ten people were hurt and about 30 homes were damaged.

Images show a large plume of smoke rising from the base after the strike. Kyiv says that base has been used to launch attacks on Ukrainian territory.

The Russians, though, hit back, launching what's been described as a massive drone attack on Odessa, leaving parts of the city on fire. Three people were injured. Power was knocked out, as well, in parts.

Similar pictures coming out of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region with reportedly -- which was reportedly hit by guided bombs. Ukraine says two people were hurt and multiple homes were damaged.

Late reporting this hour by "The New York Times" that Elon Musk, presidential advisor and world's richest man, will be briefed on U.S. plans for a potential war with China.

The Pentagon confirms Musk will visit Friday at the invitation of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. "The Times" reports, while Musk is there, he'll also attend that top-secret briefing.

But U.S. President Donald Trump, in a late-night Truth Social post, dismissed the reporting by "The New York Times," saying China will not even be mentioned or discussed.

[00:25:02]

Musk has been closely involved with President Trump and slashing the size of the federal government, but a briefing on plans for a possible war with China would be a significant escalation of his role.

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ERIC SCHMITT, SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT, "THE NEW YORK TIMES" (via phone): It would be a dramatic expansion of his already extensive role as an adviser to President Trump and a leader of his effort to slash spending and purge the government of people and policies the administration opposes.

But it would also, I think, spotlight the questions about Musk's potential conflicts of interest, as he ranges across the federal bureaucracy while continuing to run businesses that are major government contractors.

Of course, Musk as the billionaire chief executive of both SpaceX and Tesla, is a leading supplier to the Pentagon and has extensive financial interests in China.

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VAUSE: Musk has multiple business interests in China, including Tesla dealerships across the country, as well as a large factory based in Shanghai.

In a moment here on CNN, a judge stepping in after the Trump administration tried to deport a researcher who works at Georgetown University.

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VAUSE: Welcome back. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause. Let's check today's top stories.

London's Heathrow Airport is completely shut down after a fire at an electrical substation caused a major power outage. Heathrow is one of the busiest airports in the world. Expected to remain closed all day Friday into Friday night and possibly beyond.

Passengers are being told to contact their airline for more information and to reschedule flights.

Elon Musk is set to be briefed on a potential plan for war with China, according to "The New York Times." The newspaper says it's not clear why the Pentagon is sharing closely guarded military secrets with Musk, who has significant business ties to China.

President Trump denied the report with a post on social media.

And Hamas has fired rockets at Israel for the first time since the collapse of the Gaza ceasefire. Israel says one missile was intercepted; two others fell in an open area. No casualties were reported.

The Palestinian Health Ministry reports more than 500 people have been killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza since Tuesday.

A U.S. judge is slamming the Justice Department for its, quote, "woefully insufficient response" to his orders on deportation flights carried out last week.

The White House was temporarily blocked from using a centuries-old wartime law to deport migrants allegedly linked to a Venezuelan gang.

Judge James Boasberg ordered the DOJ to explain how it did not violate his ruling when it allowed two deportation flights to continue. The judge says the department evaded its obligations about providing more information by handing over a sealed filing after the deadline Thursday.

In another setback for President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, another judge is blocking his administration from deporting a Georgetown University researcher accused of spreading Hamas propaganda.

CNN's Tom Foreman has details.

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TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A flurry of men in black masks brandishing weapons, grabbing a Georgetown University fellow as he returned home at night. That is how a lawyer describes the arrest of Dr. Badar Khan Suri by

ICE agents. Never mind that a letter from a school official says, "We are not aware of him engaging in any illegal activity."

The Trump administration insists Suri, now being held more than 1,000 miles away in Louisiana, was actively spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism, with close connections to a known or suspected terrorist.

It fits neatly into claims by Secretary of State Marco Rubio that academics legally in the country can be legally booted out.

MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE: This is not about free speech. This is about people that don't have a right to be in the United States to begin with. No one has a right to a student visa. No one has a right to a green card, by the way.

FOREMAN (voice-over): Those comments came amid questions about Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate, Palestinian rights activist, and permanent U.S. resident.

Khalil says immigration agents locked him up for exercising free speech in protest about the Israel-Hamas war.

CNN has now obtained images of the fliers that a White House official says is the Hamas propaganda distributed by the group organized by Khalil, a claim Khalil's lawyer denies.

KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We have a zero- tolerance policy for siding with terrorists, period.

FOREMAN (voice-over): And there is the case at Brown University of Dr. Rasha Alawieh, deported to her native Lebanon after the White House learned she attended the funeral of a slain leader of another U.S.- declared terrorist group, Hezbollah.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're going to keep this press conference on topic.

FOREMAN (voice-over): Administration officials are answering few questions about this case or the others, no matter how hard reporters press.

But online, the White House mocked the doctor from Brown, in keeping with the stance the president long had during his campaign.

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: We will revoke the student visas of radical, anti-American, and antisemitic foreigners at our colleges and universities. And we will send them straight back home. They go back home. Enjoy your life.

FOREMAN: The White House is clearly trying to move fast and send a message with these actions. But now the courts are beginning to step in and suggest the actions of some of these people may be protected and no cause for them being pushed out of the country.

Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.

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VAUSE: Canada's new prime minister now expected to call a snap election. Sources say Mark Carney will advise the governor general on Sunday to dissolve Parliament.

If that happens, CNN is told, Canadians will likely go to the polls in federal elections at the end of next month.

This comes as Canada grapples with the U.S. over trade and tariffs. Many Canadians are furious with President Trump's repeated calls to make Canada the 51st U.S. state.

Short break here on CNN. Back in a moment.

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[00:38:54]

VAUSE: Welcome back. We're following breaking news from London, with Heathrow Airport completely shut down and will remain closed throughout Friday into Friday night due to a major power outage.

Officials say a large fire broke out late Thursday night at a nearby electrical substation that supplies electricity to the airport. They've been battling the flames there at a transformer inside the substation throughout the night.

Flights from and to Heathrow have been canceled. Incoming flights are being diverted to alternate airports, and travelers are advised to stay away from Heathrow for the time being.

A U.S. judge has thrown out a copyright infringement case against singer Mariah Carey and her holiday classic, "All I Want for Christmas is You."

It was alleged she copied elements of the smash hit from a country song. Listen to this.

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MARIAH CAREY, SINGER: I just want you for my own, more than you could ever know. Make my wish come true. All I want for Christmas is you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Now you've got that back in your head for the next 24 hours. That's the original.

Two songwriters were seeking $20 million in damages. They released their song with the same name several years before Carey's song made the 1994 billboard hit list. Here's their version.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (singing): Take back the tinsel, stockings, and bows. Cause all I want for Christmas is you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: The judge ruled the plaintiffs failed to show Carey's classic song shared enough similarities with theirs.

Carey responded last year that the songs were completely different. She argued that any similar elements were simply common to most Christmas songs.

I'm John Vause, back at the top of the hour for more CNN NEWSROOM, including the very latest on that fire at a substation and the outage at Heathrow Airport. But first, WORLD SPORT starts after a short break.

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