Speakers
Ifeoma Dike, President Donald Trump, Richard Alexander, Sen. John Fetterman, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. John Thune, Sen. Chuck Schumer, Brandon Miller
Ifeoma Dike
00:00:01
From CNN, I'm Ifeoma Dike with the five things you need to know for Tuesday, March 17th.
President Donald Trump
00:00:07
We don't need help, you know. That war has been long prosecuted, as far as I'm concerned.
Ifeoma Dike
00:00:14
President Trump lashed out at European allies that rejected his demands to help with the war against Iran. He went as far as saying that the U.S. should rethink its membership in NATO. It's quite a turnaround for the president, who spent the last several days insisting other countries send their warships to escort oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping lane that Iran has effectively shut down. Trump predicts it, quote, "won't be too long" before the Strait is secure, though administration officials haven't given details on how they plan to secure the waterway. Meanwhile, a senior intelligence official appointed by Trump abruptly announced his resignation over his objections to the war. Trump called Joe Kent, former director of the National Counterterrorism Center, very weak on security.
President Donald Trump
00:00:57
When I read his statement, I realized that it's a good thing that he's out.
Ifeoma Dike
00:01:01
Kent said in his resignation letter that Iran posed, quote, "no imminent threat" to the U.S. and accused Israel of pushing the Trump administration toward war.
Ifeoma Dike
00:01:10
More news coming up, including the latest on airport travel delays.
Richard Alexander
00:01:18
It's disgraceful what's going on here. Wait 'til November and a lot of these people get thrown out because they're not legislating appropriately people of this country.
Ifeoma Dike
00:01:29
'That's a frustrated traveler at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport criticizing Republicans over the Department of Homeland Security shutdown. DHS funding lapsed because of a political standoff between Republicans and Democrats over federal immigration enforcement. As a result, affected workers, including TSA agents, are missing paychecks. DHS says at least 366 agents have quit. It's happening as the busy spring break travel season ramps up on top of weather-related delays and flight cancellations.
Sen. John Fetterman
00:01:59
If you are withholding a vote to reopen DHS, then I refuse to ever be a Democrat to be part of that equation.
Ifeoma Dike
00:02:09
That's what Democratic Senator John Fetterman told CNN today, while Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren said this.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren
00:02:16
We want to reduce lines at the airport, then let's fund TSA. And Democrats are willing to do that. But we are not willing to fund ICE until there are significant changes made.
Ifeoma Dike
00:02:28
House Oversight Chair James Comer has subpoenaed Attorney General Pam Bondi. It's for a deposition next month as part of the panel's Jeffrey Epstein probe. In the subpoenna cover letter, Comer said his panel is investigating the, quote, "possible mismanagement of the federal government's investigation" into Epstein and his accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell. A DOJ spokesperson called the subpena, quote, "completely unnecessary," but didn't say whether the Attorney General would comply. The move comes after the committee voted on a bipartisan basis earlier this month to subpoena Bondi for testimony about her role in the way the DOJ released the files.
Sen. John Thune
00:03:02
I think as everybody knows, we are looking forward to having an important battle on the floor of the Senate this week on the Save America Act.
Ifeoma Dike
00:03:11
That's Senate Majority Leader John Thune previewing the marathon debate expected to take up days of floor time this week and could even stretch into the weekend. The bill, Save America Act, would require voters to show proof of citizenship and ID in order to vote. It passed the House last month, but it's not expected to get the approval of the Senate because Republicans lack the votes to eliminate the filibuster, which allows the Democratic minority to block the bill. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer pushed back on Republican insistence that the bill is common sense.
Sen. Chuck Schumer
00:03:40
The SAVE Act is not a voter ID bill. It is in every sense a voter suppression bill.
Ifeoma Dike
00:03:48
Coming up, a rare sighting lights up the sky.
Ifeoma Dike
00:03:54
A rare fireball spotted in broad daylight triggered a sonic boom in parts of the eastern U.S. CNN lead meteorologist Brandon Miller has more.
Brandon Miller
00:04:04
'It's a bird, it's a plane. No, Ifeoma, it was an unusually bright meteor, bright enough to be clearly seen in the clear blue skies of proportions of the eastern U.S. on Tuesday morning. The fireball, likely a piece of space rock burning up in Earth's atmosphere, was visible around 9 a.m. eastern time by people in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. A loud boom was heard in the Cleveland area as the fast-moving meteor broke through the sound barrier. And the bright flash was even caught on weather satellite imagery, designed to detect lightning and storms over northern Ohio. Daytime fireball sightings are rare because of how much brighter they have to be to be seen compared to those happening at night.
Ifeoma Dike
00:04:45
That does it for us. We're back at 7 a.m. eastern.