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Trump Urges Countries to Secure the Strait of Hormuz; FCC Threatens U.S. T.V. Networks to Strip Their Licenses for Owing the Coverage on the Iran War; "One Battle After Another" is This Year's Oscars' Big Winner. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired March 16, 2026 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

UNKNOWN (voice-over): This is CNN Breaking News.

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and across the globe. This is "CNN Newsroom" and I'm Rosemary Church.

We are following developments across the Middle East, and as the war with Iran pushes into a third week, new strikes are being reported, including in Tehran and Beirut, and there's growing concern about the Strait of Hormuz.

President Donald Trump is urging other countries to help keep the critical waterways secure. In an interview with the "Financial Times," he warned that NATO faces a, quote, "very bad future if U.S. allies fail to assist in securing the Strait." He spoke more about that earlier aboard Air Force One.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: We are talking other countries about working with us for the policing of the Strait and I think we're getting a good response. If we do, that's great, and if we don't, that's great too.

But remember, like, as an example of many cases in NATO countries, we're always there for NATO. We're helping them with Ukraine, it's got an ocean in between us.

Doesn't affect us, but we've helped them. It'd be interesting to see what country wouldn't help us with a very small endeavor, which is just keeping the strait open.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: China is one of the countries President Trump is urging to help address shipping disruptions, and he now says he may have to postpone a planned summit with Xi Jinping. For more on how the escalating conflict is impacting the Middle East,

I want to bring in CNN's Eleni Giokos. She joins us live from Dubai. And Eleni, what is the latest on a fuel tank that caught fire near Dubai International Airport after a drone-related incident early Monday?

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, authorities say it was in the vicinity of Dubai International Airport, and we saw images coming through at around 3:30 a.m. local time. You see plumes of smoke as well as a fire.

Authorities say that that fire is now under control and there were no injuries reported. But importantly, this has had ramifications on travel.

And Dubai had temporarily suspended all travel coming in and leaving Dubai. In fact, we've seen some of the flight radar images where aircraft was hovering around Dubai airspace, waiting to get clearance to land.

In the meantime, we also know contingency plans have been put in place, diverting some of the traffic to Al Maktoum Airport, which is a newer airport. So this is what's in play right now. As of 10:00 a.m. local time, so about an hour ago, Emirates announced some flights will be then resumed.

I'm speaking to some of the passengers that have been affected, and one passenger and his family that was meant to leave at 1:30 p.m. local, he was able to easily rebook for tomorrow. But there's been major disruptions.

Also news of others being sent to place of origin. We've seen these kind of disruptions specifically when Iran launched retaliatory strikes not only on the Gulf region, but also here in the UAE. The first 48 hours of the conflict saw a total shutdown of the busiest airport in the world.

And we've seen flights resuming, albeit not at the normal levels, you know, during normal times. But this, of course, certainly having a major impact. We also see roads leading to and from the airport being shut down, Dubai police saying to not go near the airport and take alternative routes.

And Abu Dhabi authorities have also just released and announced a report that they dealt with an incident of a missile falling in Abu Dhabi, in an area in Abu Dhabi, on a civilian causing a death of a Palestinian.

So clearly the attacks are still happening. This morning, the Ministry of Defense announcing that they were engaging with missile and drone threats coming into the UAE. And then keeping in mind, the IRGC had warned the UAE over the weekend that they will retaliate on the UAE, specifically ports and other U.S. assets.

But clearly we're seeing civilian infrastructure that has been targeting right now and a clear effort to try and destabilize not only the whole Gulf region economically, but also to create fear, not only psychologically, but also an impact on the ground, on key infrastructure Rosemary, and it's clearly having an impact on flights coming in and from Dubai.

CHURCH: Yes, absolutely. A critical update there from Eleni Giokos joining us live from Dubai. I appreciate it.

[03:05:05]

Well CNN's Ivan Watson joins us now live from Hong Kong. And Ivan, President Trump is pressuring nations to join the U.S. in securing the Strait of Hormuz. What is the latest on that and of course, on strikes across the region?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, a number of hours ago, President Trump said on Air Force One that keeping the Strait of Hormuz open would be a very small endeavor, as he repeated his appeal to other countries to help the U.S. in doing this thing. If it was such a small endeavor, then what is clear is that the U.S. was not prepared to keep this open when it launched its joint bombing campaign with Israel on Iran. Now, the threats are very real.

We have images today of some 20 crew members from Thailand who were on board a cargo ship that was struck by some kind of a munition on Wednesday. They arrived safely back in Bangkok, but three of their compatriots did not and are still missing. And their ship is one of more than a dozen that have been hit and targeted over the course of this new conflict.

The Trump administration and President Trump has called on a number of countries to help to reopen the Strait, including China, Japan, the U.K. and France. So far, nobody is exactly raising a hand.

The Japanese Prime Minister has talked about this in the Japanese parliament and said that there are no plans right now. Take a listen to what else she had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANAE TAKAICHI, JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER (through translator): We are proceeding with considerations as to how we can protect the lives of Japanese vessels and their crews and what can be done in such regards.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: An Australian cabinet minister has said that Australia hasn't been approached about this yet, but it would not be sending any ships to help police the Strait of Hormuz.

Meanwhile, we have seen signs of some countries making side deals with Iran. That is what India appears to have done after the Indian government announced that two of its LPG tankers safely and successfully transited through the Strait of Hormuz over the course of the weekend. And they are expected to arrive at Indian ports on Monday and Tuesday. A senior Iranian official has told CNN previously that Iran might allow some ships through provided, for example, that they conducted their business when it comes to oil supplies through the Chinese currency, the Yuan. It's not clear whether that could gain any traction right now, but this chokehold on the international energy supplies, about 20-25 percent of oil comes through the Strait of Hormuz, very much continues today.

One of the measures that's been floated by the Trump administration from the transportation secretary is to create some kind of insurance scheme to protect vessels, to give them extra coverage if they're going to transit through this dangerous space, but that isn't even on the ground yet.

Evidence, again, I would suggest that this is a scenario that the Trump administration was not prepared for when it launched its surprise bombing campaign on Iran a bit more than two weeks ago alongside the Israeli Air Force. Rosemary.

CHURCH: Ivan Watson, joining us there with an update from his vantage point in Hong Kong. I appreciate it.

Still to come, we will look at some of the latest polling showing how Americans really feel about the war with Iran, plus people in Kuwait are mourning a fallen soldier killed in an Iranian drone strike. Next, we will take a look at how the widening conflict is impacting neighboring nations.

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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone.

Well, some of the latest polling shows Americans are divided over President Trump's decision to go to war with Iran. CNN's chief data analyst, Harry Enten, breaks down the numbers for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Yes, why don't we just talk about President Trump, first of all, right? I've heard a lot of the President's critics, you know, say, hey, this is going to basically bring the President Trump's second term to an end. He won't be able to do anything more.

But here's the thing. President Trump is liked as much now as he was before the war started.

I mean, just take a look here. Americans who approve of Trump in late February, just before the war started, it was 41 percent, and now it's the exact same 41 percent. There has been no movement in the average poll. And I have to say, this doesn't really surprise me very much because

President Trump's approval rating has been just so consistent over his term that even a war in the Middle East can't seem to move it at least a little bit.

Okay, so let's talk beyond just the fact that President Trump's approval rating has been so static, right? Why don't we talk about how Americans feel about the war itself?

And this is where it gets really interesting, because there are a lot of different polls and they say a lot of different things. Okay, this is the net approval of the U.S. military action in Iran. This is the seven most recent national polls, the net approval rating and percentage points.

Look at this. You can find polls where it's negative, minus 14, minus 13, minus 12, minus 11, minus 11. But then you can also find two recent polls that where you actually see that Americans are either equally divided or actually slightly more likely to approve than disapprove, as is the case in the most recent "Washington Post" poll.

So the bottom line is this. While there are plenty of people who dislike the war, there are polls that actually show that Americans are evenly divided or slightly more likely to actually favor the war than oppose it. And therefore, it's not really much of a surprise that Trump's numbers haven't moved because the American people seem to be fairly evenly divided.

This to me is probably the most fascinating part of this segment, right? Because there are a lot of Americans who really do care and there are a lot of people who, of course, have family in the Middle East that really care.

[03:15:00]

But take a look here. Okay, Americans who say they care about a lot about the U.S. economy, 84 percent.

How about the Iranian situation? It's just 45 percent of Americans who say they care a lot about the Iranian situation.

So I would expect that number to climb if, in fact, gas prices go up and there's an effect on the U.S. economy. But at this point, for a lot of Americans, they simply don't actually care that much.

So it's not that much of a surprise that, in fact, you're not seeing President Trump's numbers move, because at this point, the thing that the Americans care about is the U.S. economy. They don't necessarily care that much about a situation overseas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Earlier, I spoke with CNN senior political analyst and Bloomberg Opinion columnist Ron Brownstein, and I asked him how this war could play out for Democrats ahead of November's critical midterm election. Take a listen. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST, AND OPINION COLUMNIST, BLOOMBERG: For the midterm, the key variable is the approval rating of the incoming President. In both 2018 and 2020, 90 percent of voters who said they disapproved of Trump's performance voted Democratic for the House. We saw that relationship even stronger in the New Jersey and Virginia governor's races, where about 93 percent of people who disapproved of Trump voted for the Democratic candidates.

And if his disapproval rating stays as high as it is now, usually at 55 percent or above, you can do the math. That is a daunting prospect for Republican candidates almost anywhere where there will be a competitive race.

At the least, what this war is doing is just burning down more weeks of the clock, where he is not able to drive any kind of message or deliver really improvement on the economy, on the issue that people care the most about, because if nothing else, in the short term, gas prices are going to make them, I think, even more frustrated about the strains on their cost of living.

So, you know, I think even for the Republican elected officials are looking at Republican voters staying with Trump and therefore they're staying with Trump. I think that even more like Republican elected officials, a few weeks of high gas prices are going to make even some of them nervous about where this is going.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Iranian crowds were seen chanting Death to America and Death to Israel after strikes rained down near a rally.

(VIDEO PLAYING)

In this video, which was verified by CNN, a religious singer is performing in front of a large crowd in the city of Hamadan. They were there to commemorate those they are calling the martyrs of the Ramadan war. After strikes were seen near the city, the singer started the chants.

Meantime, Iran's foreign minister spoke to CBS News and said that his country will not back down.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABBAS ARAGCHI, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: No, we never asked for a ceasefire and we have never asked even for negotiation. We are ready to defend ourselves as long as it takes and this is what we have done so far and we continue to do that until President Trump comes to the point that this is an illegal war with no victory.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Mick Ryan joins me now. He is a retired major general in the Australian army and a senior fellow for military studies at the Lowy Institute, and he also wrote the War for Ukraine Strategy and Adaptation under Fire. I want to thank you so much for joining us.

MAJ. GEN. MICK RYAN (RET.), AUSTRALIAN ARMY, AND SR. FELLOW FOR MILITARY STUDIES, LOWY INSTITUTE.: Thank you. It's good to be with you again.

CHURCH: Of course. So what is your assessment of where this war stands right now with the White House and Israel saying it will go on for at least three more weeks, perhaps less, according to the U.S., as they face the big problem now of getting oil supplies through the Strait of Hormuz and as the U.S. threatens to hit Iran's oil supply on Karg Island?

RYAN: I think where we're at the moment is the United States is fighting a war against Iran's military. It's taken out its air defenses, it's really hammering it at the moment.

But Iran's not fighting that war. Iran's fighting an economic war against its regional neighbors as well as against Europe and Asian economies.

So you're seeing the United States and Iran fighting two very different wars at the moment. Both of them are wars of attrition. Both of them are wars that are tests of will for the leadership of both countries.

CHURCH: And President Trump is now pressuring NATO and Asian nations to join the U.S. in helping to get oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz. If he's able to get some countries to agree to help, how will they do this with likely attacks from Iran? Of course, the risk of mines in that vital waterway.

[03:19:57]

RYAN: Well, of course, there is some history of Western nations doing tanker escorts through this area before, but I think technology's moved on a lot. Iran has access to a lot of cheap drones and these kind of things which are very difficult to find and take out by the U.S. military.

So if countries do join, I expect the U.K. and maybe a couple of others, it'll be a very dangerous operation and they will be at risk of losing or having their ships damaged.

CHURCH: And could the drone attack at the Dubai airport that's forcing airlines to suspend flights be enough, along with other attacks on the Gulf States, to change their defensive strategy as they try to resist being drawn into this war?

RYAN: Well, at the moment, it appears to be hardening their stance against Iran.

Obviously, they're also changing their defense posture with regards to drone and missile defense. They're starting to run out of Patriots and expensive air to air missiles. So they're desperate to get cheaper interceptors from places like Ukraine.

I think that's inevitable that every Western country will go down this path.

CHURCH: And how viable is it for the U.S. to use ground forces to access Iran's nuclear stockpile, as it's suggested it may do, a possible operation that hasn't been ruled out?

RYAN: Well, this is the kind of thing that U.S. Special Forces rehearse for. I mean, this is a mission they've been preparing for decades.

It doesn't remove the risk, but it's certainly something the U.S. military has thought about a lot. It's prepared for a lot and they would have a very good chance of pulling it off. That doesn't mean it's without risk, but it would be a pretty tough mission.

CHURCH: And of course, we've heard from Iran, they're saying they're not going to back down. Presumably, Israel and the United States feel the same way. They can't back out until they've done, they've gotten at least close to where they want to be.

So where is the off-ramp here?

RYAN: Well, it's hard to see. I think Israel and the United States might have slightly different off-ramps. Israel is far more proximate and under far more threat than Iran, than the American homeland is. And as someone once said in a previous war, the U.S. and Israel might have the clocks, but Iran has all the time in this war.

CHURCH: Right, and of course, you know, one of the reasons, although we haven't had them really laid out for us, but one of the reasons going in was this talk of a possible imminent attack from Iran. And the nuclear program was really at the focus of that.

But nothing is going to be able to be done about that. That's the reality here, isn't it?

So how does the United States particularly pull out of this? Because President Trump appears to be quite eager to really turn away from this and move on.

RYAN: Yes, even if the United States does pull out of this, it will have to do it in a way that keeps Israel happy or at least safe. And it may have to go back in a couple of years to do what the Israelis talk about, is mowing the grass.

This is now a problem that the United States and Israel are stuck with. It doesn't appear the uranium regime is going to give up on the nuclear program.

CHURCH: Mick Ryan, thank you so much for joining us, I appreciate it. I appreciate your analysis.

RYAN: Thank you.

CHURCH: Well, the war with Iran is resulting in the loss of lives, not just in that country, but across other nations in the Middle East. In Kuwait, hundreds of people are mourning the death of one of the country's service members, a 33-year-old father and former professional athlete. CNN's Nic Robertson has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Everyone is talking about the cost of this war. Fuel prices going up, crude oil touching $100 a barrel as Iran tries to shut down the Strait of Hormuz. But some have already paid a far higher price.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Farhad al Majmad's relatives are among them. Their loved one buried in a cemetery reserved for Kuwait's heroes. Farhad was 33 years old, a major in Kuwait's border force, and died instantly, his family says when an Iranian drone struck his vehicle four days ago.

His brother Saud shows me a picture of Farhad's now fatherless three- month-old daughter. The hardest thing, he says, telling my mother.

SAUD AL-MAJMAD, BROTHER OF KUWAITI SOLDIER (through translator): I was trying to find a way around it, saying he was injured, but the news was spreading. It was difficult, sad. I pray we never relive it again.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Kuwait has become the deadliest place from Iranian attack for service personnel in the Gulf so far. Six U.S. service personnel killed and four Kuwaitis in separate incidents. Many more injured.

[03:25:02]

Farhad's first passion was soccer. Captained his local team, played on the national squad. Five days before the war, he retired, played his last game, took his young daughter to see it, got a huge send-off from adoring fans and players.

AL-MAJMAD (through translator): It was a big deal in Kuwait. Farhad was passionate about military life. He always wanted to defend his country, and what an honor it was.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): A few nights before the Iranian drone snatched his life, he sent this message to his family. Sleep safely, and know we have your back. Kuwait's interior ministry immediately made it a national slogan.

As devastated as I am over the loss of Farhad, I'm also very proud of him. He was brave, ready to sacrifice his life, and he did sacrifice his life for his country.

Farhad's funeral was national news. Hundreds came to show their respects, a much-needed morale boost for his battered family. His mother, the most grievously impacted, they say.

AL-MAJMAD (through translator): The Gulf States were thrust into this war, which we had nothing to do with. My message is stop the war as soon as possible.

ROBERTSON: Long after the drones and missiles stopped coming, and the sirens fall silent and fuel prices go back to where they were, there will be homes here full of sadness, an empty place at the family table, knowing that when their nation called them, they paid the ultimate price.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Kuwait.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Still to come, large crowds gathered in London for Al-Quds Day. CNN was there, and we will have a report for you right after the break.

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[03:30:00]

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CHURCH: Welcome back to "CNN Newsroom," I'm Rosemary Church. I want to check today's top stories for you.

Several airstrikes have rocked Beirut's southern suburbs overnight; that word comes from Lebanon's state-run NNA News, which also reported multiple attacks across southern Lebanon. Israel has announced limited and targeted ground operations against Hezbollah in the south of the country.

Iranian crowds were seen chanting, Death to America and Death to Israel at a rally in the city of Hamadan. Explosions from a number of strikes could be seen in the distance, as the crowds gathered. The rally was called to commemorate those the Iranians are calling the martyrs of the Ramadan War.

Israel says it's planning at least three more weeks of its campaign against Iran. It says, quote, "thousands of targets remain." Israel's military claims it struck more than 200 targets in one day, taking aim at what it called Iran's ballistic missile capabilities and air defense systems.

Large crowds gathered for Al Quds Day demonstrations in central London on Sunday. CNN's Jomana Karadsheh spoke to those taking part.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're at the London Quds Day demonstration. This is an annual event that was started by the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, after the 1979 revolution. It is marked every year and it's meant to be a show of solidarity and support for the Palestinian people.

What they would usually do is walk through London, it's a march, but this year they have been banned from doing so by the police and British authorities because they say that there is high risk, severe risk of public disorder.

This event is highly controversial this year. It's drawn accusations of being a platform for anti-Semitism, organizers deny that. MASSOUD SHADJAREH, CHAIRMAN, ISLAMIC HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION: The

reality is that the Quds Day is for standing in support of Palestinians and all who are oppressed. So if tomorrow people in Timbuktu are oppressed, we will have to stand up for their rights.

KARADSHEH: What about the Iranians who are being oppressed by the regime? Is that not also people who are being oppressed?

SHADJAREH: Look, if people are oppressed by the regime and there is a due process and so forth, we have had in Britain over 2000 people being arrested under anti-terrorism law for just holding a plaque up.

KARADSHEH: We have heard from British authorities saying that one of the reasons they have decided to ban the march this year and to put serious security restrictions on this gathering is because some of the organizers, they are supportive of the Iranian regime.

UNKNOWN: We gather here in a reminder of this man, this great martyr, this great shaheed. He was not a monster, he is still alive a monster.

KARADSHEH: The situation is so volatile this year. The police have had to use the river Thames to separate this protest from the counter- protesters on the other side where you see the flags of the U.S., Israel and Iran under the monarchy. They also have been restricted, not allowed to march and only allowed to gather in that area.

People are here for different reasons. Some say they are here to support Palestine, they are against Israel. You also have people who are here, obviously as you can see, to support the Iranian regime as well as those who say they are just against war.

UNKNOWN: As I said, you have seen it time and time again with all these Middle Eastern countries. Nothing positive has happened from that intervention so I really think they deserve their liberation, but it needs to come from them. Hopefully one day we will be able to see that.

[03:34:59]

KARADSHEH: From what we have seen and heard today and the level of polarization in this country and the massive security operation, it is very clear that the effects of this war can be felt far beyond the Middle East.

Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: President Trump is again claiming that Cuba wants to make a deal following his previous comments about possible U.S. involvement in the country. Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, the President suggested he is focused on Iran right now but then added, quote, "I think something will happen with Cuba pretty quickly."

Cuba's President, Miguel Diaz-Canel, said on Friday that Havana has held talks with the U.S. Earlier this month, President Trump told CNN that he planned to send Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Cuba to work on a deal.

We will resume our breaking coverage of the war with Iran after a short break. Still to come, how the uncertainty surrounding the conflict's timeline is influencing global oil prices. We'll have that and more in just a moment.

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CHURCH: Welcome back to CNN, this is your Business Breakout. I want to take a quick look at the Asia markets. You can see a mixed bag there.

And if we move on to U.S. futures, they are all in positive territory. If we pop those up very quickly, there we go.

All right. And these are the business headlines.

Calls from CEOs of the nation's top airlines are demanding DHS funding be restored to pay federal aviation workers. In an open letter to Congress, they wrote that air travel is, quote, "a political football amid another government shutdown." The letter was posted online Sunday and published in "The Washington Post."

President Trump's FCC chair is threatening T.V. networks over their coverage of the Iran war.

[03:40:02]

On Saturday, Brendan Carr said U.S. networks will lose their licenses over what he calls fake news. Carr's comments followed up on one of Trump's social media posts complaining about the coverage of Iran.

Well global oil prices are skyrocketing amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East. Brent Crude and WTI are charting their highest prices per barrel since 2022. U.S. gas prices have also shot up and are hovering around $3.70 a gallon, that's according to the AAA Auto Association.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukrainian teams are in the Gulf region assisting countries facing Iranian attacks. Speaking to CNN's Fareed Zakaria, President Zelenskyy also said Russia has been providing Iran with drones.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLOCYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: Russia gave drones already this Shahed, they are using Iranian licenses, you know, that they built and produced a lot of drones, they gave them. I have 100 percent facts that they -- that Iranian regime used against American bases and against our Middle East-- in Middle East, I mean and Middle East neighbors of Iran, they used these drones. We saw intelligence shared with us some details, and it was Russian details in these Iranian drones.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CHURCH: The Ukrainian leader also highlighted growing concerns in Kyiv that the conflict in the Middle East will divert U.S. attention and weapons from their ongoing war with Russia.

For our international viewers, "World Sport" is coming up next. And for those of you here in the United States and in Canada I'll be right back with more "CNN Newsroom." Do stay with us.

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[03:45:00]

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CHURCH: The Trump administration is threatening to go after U.S. TV networks for their coverage of the war with Iran. The head of the Federal Communications Commission, Brendan Carr, is warning local broadcasters could lose their licenses over what he deems as fake news coverage. CNN's chief media analyst, Brian Stelter, breaks it down for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Hey, the Trump administration's threats against T.V. stations are back front and center. And this time it's happening as the President is fuming about how the Iran war is being covered and scrutinized by American media outlets.

Trump's handpicked FCC chairman, Brendan Carr, used his public megaphone on Saturday to threaten broadcasters, seemingly trying to pressure them into softening news coverage. First Amendment advocates, free speech scholars, they were appalled by what they called an authoritarian and unconstitutional post by Carr. It's certainly unheard of in modern American history.

But the threat is ultimately pretty hollow because there's very little Carr can actually do to follow through. And he'll likely be stymied by the courts if he tries to.

T.V. stations are not at serious risk of being banned from the U.S. airwaves because of the crusade. But Carr's comments do still carry a lot of weight because he represents the U.S. government.

Carr was in Florida visiting Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday when he posted this on X, quote, "Broadcasters that are running hoaxes and news distortions, also known as the fake news, have a chance now to correct course before their license renewals come up."

"The law is clear," Carr wrote. "Broadcasters must operate in the public interest or they will lose their licenses if they do not."

Now, as a practical matter, the FCC has not denied a license renewal in decades. If the government tries to take a license away, it'll probably cause a protracted legal battle. And given Trump's tendency toward retribution and his public comments

against T.V. networks, it could be a really strong First Amendment case. So the system seems to favor existing station owners.

And we should keep in mind, cable channels like this one, CNN, are not licensed by the U.S. government and neither are streaming platforms like Netflix. But yes, local T.V. and radio stations are licensed. And we've seen in the past year how some media companies with station licenses have caved or submitted or even self-censored, sometimes trying to win U.S. government approval for mergers, that was a concern last year at CBS parent company Paramount, and now Paramount is planning to buy CNN's parent company Warner Bros. Discovery.

So Carr's threat gained a lot of attention and a lot of criticism over the weekend. And it seemed he probably wanted that attention because he's using his bully pulpit in order to influence network choices and station choices. Many Democrats came out and condemned Carr for doing so.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer reacted by saying, quote, "this is vindictive fascist stuff." And he said, "if Carr continues down this route, Democrats will hold him accountable. Threatening broadcasters' licenses for war coverage this administration doesn't like is the worst thing Carr has done. And that's saying something. "

Now, Trump might say it's best thing Carr has done. He praised Carr in a Truth Social post on Sunday night, saying, quote, "looking at the licenses of some of these corrupt and highly unpatriotic news organizations is the right thing to do.

Now, the key line there, the key word is unpatriotic. Trump and his allies are trying to smear news outlets as being unpatriotic for independently covering the Iran war.

But history shows that most people see through that kind of rhetoric. Most people want and expect to provide independent coverage, independent scrutiny of what is going on when lives are at stake.

Brian Stelter, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Hundreds of TSA airport security workers are quitting their jobs during the partial government shutdown, likely because they're not getting paid. More than 60,000 workers went without their full -- their first full paycheck over the weekend.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says at least 300 workers have left their post and call outs are doubling. He warns the situation will get worse.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEAN DUFFY, U.S. TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: These are men and women who don't make a lot of money, and so some of them are making choices to go, you know, whether they're driving Uber or waiting tables, they have to put food on their family's table. And in these places where this is happening, you're seeing really long lines.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[03:50:10]

CHURCH: The House of Representatives canceled Monday's vote due to the storm. Now it's expected to hold its first votes of the week Tuesday afternoon.

Well, more than 100 million people across the eastern part of the U.S. are facing the threat of a massive storm system. Nearly nine million people are under tornado watches and another nine million are under severe thunderstorm watches. The alerts range from the Gulf Coast all the way up to the Ohio Valley.

Forecasters say the storm could dump heavy snow and bring roaring winds capable of knocking out power lines. More than 300,000 customers in at least seven states are without power.

Well, the Academy has spoken and celebrations are underway for this year's Oscar winners, the newly crowned best and brightest of the film industry.

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CHURCH: And that was the big winner, Paul Thomas Anderson's "One Battle After Another." The film won six awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. It also raked in a win for Sean Penn as Best Supporting Actor.

Ryan Coogler's "Sinners" had earned a record-breaking 16 nominations. It won for Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score and Best Cinematography. The Best Actor Oscar went to Michael B. Jordan for his role as twin brothers in the film.

Jessie Buckley won Best Actress for her emotional performance as a grieving mother in "Hamnet," becoming the first Irish winner of a Best Actress Oscar. Well done.

Well, earlier, we spoke to television host and entertainment expert, Segun Oduolowu, and got his take on the event's more meaningful events.

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SEGUN ODOULOWU, TELEVISION HOST, ENTERTAINMENT EXPERT, AND EMMY AWARD- WINNING JOURNALIST: Well, Javier Bardem, as I said, walking to the microphone and the first words out of his mouth are Free Palestine. The gentleman who won for the documentary, speaking in Russian, that we need to end wars everywhere for our future and the sake of our children. Those were powerful moments.

Everything else with, you know, digs at our current President, like you expect that from Hollywood. And honestly, it's kind of trite because you're not only preaching to the choir, you're the pastor in the pulpit, like that's your church. There's nothing brave to me when you're in a room full of people that are like-minded to say something in that way.

If you take it to the street and I see you protesting and I see you marching, then your activism speaks more to me. The mother from Uvalde, that is powerful.

Like, she's got real, you know, skin in the game. Like, this is important to her. Like, she's lost someone dear to her. That is important.

These are rich actors wearing diamonds and couture clothing, saying things that are convenient. It wasn't convenient for that mom. So, take the stage then, say what you feel.

But for the actors and actresses that will go on private jets and $350,000 gift bags, trying to understand where you are, the documentarians, I love what they said. The high-paid actors and actresses, par for the course.

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CHURCH: Aryna Sabalenka has conquered Indian Wells, claiming the Desert Tennis title for the first time in a breathless final. Sabalenka defeated Elena Rybakina at the BNP Paribas Open to secure the 23rd title of her illustrious career. The Belarusian tennis legend had dropped the first set of the final, but mounted a comeback after the match-winning shot, Sabalenka dropped to her knees in celebration.

Well, get ready, college basketball fans, March Madness is upon us. The men's NCAA tournament bracket was revealed on Sunday.

The Duke Blue Devils are the top overall seed. Michigan, Florida and Arizona earned the rest of the number one seeds.

In all, 68 teams will battle it out for the next three weeks for a shot at this year's championship. The first games begin this week, with the final four playing on April 4th and the national championship on April 6th.

In Berlin, locals have been welcoming the arrival of spring in floral fashion. The German capital's famous memorial church was transformed into a pick-your-own tulip garden. Officials say the event was devised as a way to symbolize the leaving behind of darkness.

CNN's Ben Hunte has more.

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BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): A celebration of spring in Berlin.

Tulips in a rainbow of colors are ready for the picking, in a pop-up garden in one of the city's busiest squares.

ARJAN SMITH, DUTCH TULIP GROWERS REPRESENTATIVE: The tulips tell us that the springtime starts. People start to be happy. It's a dark period behind us.

HUNTE (voice-over): Visitors outside of the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church lined up to pick a free bouquet of tulips, a gift from flower growers in the Netherlands to Germany, which is one of the top importers of their blooms. It's only the second time the event called Tulip Day, organized by the Dutch embassy and an association of Dutch flower growers, has been held in Berlin. But it's already drawing a crowd.

UNKNOWN (through translator): I'm a big fan of tulips. Tulips are my favorite flowers.

HUNTE (voice-over): Some visitors say the tulips are a bright spot in a time when there is a lot of negativity in the world.

UNKNOWN (through translator): It's a lovely distraction, really focusing on the detail of something beautiful, something wonderful that exists in the world.

HUNTE (voice-over): Some might say that Berlin's Tulip Day is a clever marketing campaign from Dutch flower growers. But for many people, heading home with a bouquet in hand, it's something that's left them smiling, as flowers often have the power of doing.

UNKNOWN: For seeing this view and everything, it's very nice. It's really awesome.

HUNTE (voice-over): Ben Hunte, CNN.

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CHURCH: Denmark's royal couple is on a six-day visit to Australia. King Frederick X and his wife, Queen Mary, who is from the Australian state of Tasmania, signed their names in the visitor's book at government house, where they met with Australia's governor general in Canberra and attended a state dinner.

Over the weekend, they took a visit to a famous Uluru watering hole, receiving a tour from members of the indigenous Anangu. It was Queen Mary's first time there, saying it was a great start to an exciting visit.

And that's it for this hour of "CNN Newsroom," I'm Rosemary Church in Atlanta. The news continues with Rahel Solomon and Becky Anderson. That's next, do stay with us.

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