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Early Start with Rahel Solomon

Israel Announces "Targeted" Ground Operations Against Hezbollah; FCC Chair Threatens U.S. TV Networks Over Iran War Coverage; Oscars Honor This Year's Biggest Films And Top Talents. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired March 16, 2026 - 05:30   ET

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

[05:30:00]

LINA KHATIB, ASSOCIATE FELLOW, MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA PROGRAM, CHATHAM HOUSE, VISITING SCHOLAR, MIDDLE EAST INITIATIVE, HARVARD KENNEDY SCHOOL: And with this, Hezbollah will practically be suffocated in terms of its ability to maneuver in the south and launch missiles from there on Israel.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: Lina, you wrote, and I quote, "There is growing Arab momentum towards normalization with Israel supported by U.S. diplomatic efforts. Israel may seek to capitalize on this moment to pursue a durable peace with its neighbors."

Now, French President Emmanuel Macron proposing direct talks between Lebanon and Israel, posting on X, "The Lebanese executive has signaled its willingness for direct discussions with Israel."

I wonder how viable this is, and is it an opening for peace as you see it in the Middle East?

KHATIB: The Israeli calculation is that this pressure that is being exerted militarily on Hezbollah is also going to compel the Lebanese government to agree to a deal with Israel. Now there is currently a lack of alignment between the Israeli position and the Lebanese position on how this deal is reached.

Currently, Israel is saying that for any deal to happen, first the Lebanese government needs to stop Hezbollah's attacks on Israel. The reality is that the Lebanese government does not have the capacity to stop Hezbollah from attacking Israel. If it had that capacity, I think it would have implemented it already. And so the Israeli line on this one is a bit unrealistic.

The Lebanese side is saying let's have a deal and then, you know, we can -- we can tackle the military capacity issue for the Lebanese Army.

But I think eventually pragmatism will prevail because Hezbollah is ultimately now being shown for being a destabilizing force and a liability for Lebanon and the Lebanese government will not be able to handle this on its own.

So in some ways --

ANDERSON: Right.

KHATIB: -- I feel that Lebanon is in a much weaker position in this negotiation.

ANDERSON: So I think that begs the question what does the Lebanese government need then to enforce its actions against Hezbollah? I mean, who needs to help at this stage with financing, for example, for the Lebanese Armed Forces? What's the answer here?

KHATIB: Lebanon definitely needs more support for the Lebanese Armed Forces -- Armed Forces in the sense that it needs funding, training, equipment. But I also suspect that even the Lebanese Armed Forces with all this external help is not going to be able to do this on its own because the bigger issue is political. There needs to be a political roadmap that brings Lebanon towards a stronger negotiating position vis-a-vis Israel, and only the U.S., frankly, can play that role.

So I see Lebanon going back to a scenario of accepting U.S.-brokered negotiations with Israel -- however, with more U.S. guarantees for Lebanon and a more realistic way forward. Because the previous negotiations were too reliant on the Lebanese state to deliver vis-a- vis Hezbollah and that proved not to have been effective. So I think the stakes are much bigger but political guarantees are needed so that the Lebanese government will have a bigger say politically vis-a-vis Hezbollah inside Lebanon.

Let's not forget Hezbollah, for example, is still represented in the Lebanese Parliament.

ANDERSON: Yeah.

Lina, it's good to have you this morning. Thank you very much indeed.

And a note. Of course, I am a resident here in the UAE, so just a sort of update from here.

With nearly 2,000 missiles and drones targeted towards the UAE since the start of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, the UAE's Minister of State Lana Nusseibeh saying in an interview, "The UAE remains resilient despite unprecedented Iranian attacks. We are defending the model of coexistence and prosperity we've built -- not just for our region, but for global stability."

And just moments ago the adviser to the UAE president Anwar Gargash posting the following. "I'm not surprised by the UAE's steadfastness, for it is my homeland, and I know the caliber of its leadership, the loyalty of its people, and the affection of those who reside on its soil." He goes on to say, "The treacherous Iranian aggression will not break us; for with every assault, we return to our normal lives, as we are a people of building and construction. We press forward, defending the homeland and safeguarding its sanctity."

[05:35:15]

That's it from me here for the time being. Let's get you back to Rahel, though, in New York -- Rahel.

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN ANCHOR: OK, Becky. We certainly appreciated your professional reporting and personal insights throughout the story. Thank you, Becky. We'll see you shortly.

The Trump administration is going after TV networks that it claims are spreading fake news on the war in Iran, but how serious is their threat? That story straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL)

[05:40:20]

SOLOMON: Welcome back. I'm Rahel Solomon. And here are some of the stories we are watching for you today.

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

Disruption in the Strait of Hormuz is sending oil prices soaring to their highest level since 2022. Brent crude, the global benchmark, surpassing at one point $106 a barrel.

EU members are meeting today to look for ways to the Strait of Hormuz open again. The EU's foreign policy chief says that it is in its interest to do so even if Europe isn't as dependent on energy sources from the region. She says that the EU has been in touch with U.S. colleagues about the issue, calling the situation very volatile.

Six U.S. service members who were killed in Iraq last week were remembered with emotional tributes on Sunday. They died when their refueling plane crashed in Iraq and they ranged in age from 28 to 38.

One of them was remembered as a young boom operator with a million- dollar smile. Another was a squadron operations chief who had just recently earned her wings as pilot. And one was an Air Force major who oversaw flight training for dozens of airmen.

Their families have now posted GoFundMe campaigns online to raise money.

Well, 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, yeah. The Trump administration's threats against TV 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. TV 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. "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 TV networks, there 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 TV 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, "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 the best thing Carr has done. He praised Carr in a Truth Social post on Sunday night saying, "Looking at the licenses of some of these corrupt and highly unpatriotic news organizations is the right thing to do." [05:45:00]

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 the press corps to provide independent coverage, independent scrutiny of what is going on when lives are at stake.

Brian Stelter, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOLOMON: Still ahead for us a night of glamour and celebration at the Oscars. We'll take a look at the big winners from the Academy Awards when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL)

[05:50:00]

SOLOMON: Welcome back.

The Academy has spoken and it was a record night for some of this year's Oscar winners -- the newly-crowned best and brightest of the film industry.

David Daniel has the highlights.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ADRIEN BRODY, ACTOR: Michael B. Jordan.

DAVID DANIEL, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER (voiceover): A heavenly night for "Sinners" as Michael B. Jordan won the Academy Award for best actor.

MICHAEL B. JORDAN, OSCAR WINNER FOR BEST ACTOR, "SINNERS": And for everybody at home who supported "Sinners" and who went to go see the movie once, twice, three, four, five times, thank you because you guys made this movie what it is. I love you. I love you. I love you.

DANIEL (voiceover): Ryan Coogler was recognized for the film's original screenplay and Autumn Durald Arkapaw became the first woman to win an Oscar for cinematography.

AUTUMN DURALD ARKAPAW, OSCAR WINNER FOR BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Whenever I say thank you to Ryan, he replies and says, "No, thank you. Thank you for believing in me and thank you for trusting me." And that's the kind of guy that I get to make films with.

DANIEL (voiceover): The 98th Oscars included music from "Sinners," which won for best score and "KPop Demon Hunters," winner for best song and best animated feature.

MAGGIE KANG, CO-DIRECTED OSCAR-WINNING ANIMATED FILM "KPOP DEMON HUNTERS": And for those of you who look like me, I'm so sorry that it took us so long to see us in a movie like this, but it is here.

AMY MADIGAN, OSCAR WINNER FOR BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS, "WEAPONS": (Laughing) This is great!

DANIEL (voiceover): Amy Madigan was delighted to accept the best supporting actress trophy for "Weapons" --

JESSIE BUCKLEY, OSCAR WINNER FOR BEST ACTRESS, "HAMNET": This is really something.

DANIEL (voiceover): -- as was Jessie Buckley, named best actress for "Hamnet."

BUCKLEY: Mom, Dad, thank you for teaching us to dream and to never be defined by expectation but to carve from your own passion.

DANIEL (voiceover): Sean Penn was not there to accept best supporting actor for "One Battle After Another," but the film's casting director Cassandra Kulukundis gleefully accepted the first-ever Academy Award for casting.

CASSANDRA KULUKUNDIS, OSCAR WINNER FOR BEST CASTING, "ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER": And for the casting directors that fought tirelessly to make it happen despite everything in their way, I dedicate this to you and to the casting directors who never got a chance to get up here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: "One Battle After Another," Paul Thomas Anderson.

DANIEL (voiceover): Paul Thomas Anderson was up there plenty. The "One Battle After Another" filmmaker won his first three Oscars: best adaptive screenplay, best director, and best picture of the year.

PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON, OSCAR WINNER FOR BEST DIRECTOR: What a night. You guys, let's have a martini. This is pretty amazing. Cheers. Thank you very much. Thank you.

DANIEL (voiceover): In Hollywood, I'm David Daniel.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOLOMON: 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 that the storm could dump heavy snow and bring roaring winds capable of knocking out power lines. In fact, more than 300,000 customers in at least seven states are already without power.

And still ahead, as people flee from the Middle East due to the war with Iran, many pets have been left abandoned. Still ahead, an organization that's helping them find a new home when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL)

[05:57:28] SOLOMON: Welcome back.

An online community is helping pets in the United Arab Emirates that were abandoned by their owners fleeing because of the Iran war.

CNN's Ryan Young has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN YOUNG, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Milo and Bruno were two beloved family dogs left alone after their owners fled the Gulf in the early days of the war. But thanks to an online community of pet rescuers the pair was adopted in Dubai and now are settling into their new home.

Bruno and Milo weren't the only ones left looking for a new home. Strict airline rules and paperwork required to travel with pets has caused many people fleeing the UAE to leave their pets behind. Now animal rescuers and shelters in the UAE say they're overwhelmed with the numbers of abandoned pets.

In the days following the first strikes No Pet Left Behind was created as an online community to help abandoned pets in the United Arab Emirates find foster home and adopters after their owners fled the region. The community uses a telegram chat form for advice and discussions among members. They've also used social media as a way to spread the word, and they now have over 8,000 followers on Instagram.

SHIKA BODANI, CO-FOUNDER, NO PET LEFT BEHIND UAE: You can actually get a lot of resources from the community in terms of people who have already relocated with their pets -- advice on that. And then, of course, we can also put you in touch with people who have applied to be foster homes or adoptive homes.

YOUNG (voiceover): No Pet Left Behind partnered with three animal rescuers in the UAE. Along with connecting people with local organizations, the community also provides resources for how to relocate out of the region with your pet.

BODANI: And we have some amazing volunteers who have stepped forward to help us who are just amazing and they do this on a daily basis. And it's really incredible to see people ban together over their love for animals.

YOUNG (voiceover): When UAE resident Anna saw No Pet Left Behind's photo of Milo and Bruno, she reached out to adopt them.

ANNA JENTGEN, UAE RESIDENT WHO ADOPTED BRUNO AND MILO: The fact that you are incapable of doing anything in the situation makes you kind of lost. So by being able to support just in the smallest way by bringing in a pet in your house and taking care of that animal is -- I feel like it just gives some sort of purpose in this whole situation that we have absolutely no control over.

YOUNG (voiceover): She said Milo and Bruno were already feeling at home in her backyard. No Pet Left Behind says about 300 people have already signed up to

foster or adopt animals in need. They say they hope to see many more success stories like this one.

[06:00:00]

Ryan Young, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOLOMON: They look very happy.

Thanks for joining us. I'm Rahel Solomon live this morning in New York. Our thanks to Becky Anderson and her team in Abu Dhabi. "CNN THIS MORNING" starts right now.