U.S. and world news for March 30

Abysmal wait times at airports started to ease Monday morning as tens of thousands of Transportation Security Administration workers began receiving back pay after more than a month without a paycheck. CNN via CNN News Source

Miserably long airport lines begin to ease

(CNN) — Abysmal wait times at airports started to ease Monday morning as tens of thousands of Transportation Security Administration workers began receiving back pay after more than a month without a paycheck. Some TSA employees started seeing part of their overdue income hit their bank accounts Monday morning. Two TSA workers at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport told CNN they each received two full paychecks they missed in March due to the partial government shutdown. But they are still waiting for a partial paycheck from the end of February. It’s not clear when TSA employees will get all the back pay they’re owed. CNN has reached out to TSA and DHS for comment. About 61,000 TSA employees have been working without pay since a partial government shutdown started February 14. Those workers have missed more than $1 billion in pay, forcing some to max out their credit cards and making it difficult for many to afford food, gas, housing, child care and other needs. But for travelers, it’s unclear how fast and how drastically the situation will improve. Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, an epicenter of the misery, had 75-minute wait times before dawn Monday — still above typical wait times, but far lower than the hours-long lines from previous weeks. By contrast, security lines at the major New York City airports were less than 30 minutes early Monday morning. And wait times at Los Angeles International Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport dipped into the single digits. Even with long-delayed back pay, the TSA workforce will not be the same. About 500 workers have quit since the partial government shutdown started.

CNN’s Aaron Cooper contributed to this report.

Millions of Americans eligible for Canadian citizenship

(CNN) — When Donald Trump was first elected in 2016, New York State resident Ellen Robillard briefly looked into getting Canadian citizenship. Her mother, after all, was born in Nova Scotia. As a Democrat, Robillard was despondent at the election results, but she abandoned the idea after realizing that her young son wouldn’t be eligible for citizenship under a law that barred Canadians born abroad from passing their citizenship to children if they were also born outside Canada. In 2023, however, the Canadian courts ruled that law unconstitutional and the changes to eligibility came into effect in December, suddenly opening up a pathway to Canadian citizenship for many Americans at a time of political upheaval, violence and uncertainty in the US. Robillard, 52, is applying for citizenship with her son now that the first-generation rule has been scrapped. Since criteria for citizenship expanded with the passage of Bill C-3 of Canada’s Citizenship Act, millions of Americans have become eligible to claim Canadian citizenship. The amendment reverses a “first-generation” limit imposed by Canada’s Conservative government in 2009. As the leader of her local Democratic Committee in a suburb of Rochester, New York, Robillard fears that if the political violence escalates, she could have a target on her back. Robillard is an outspoken activist in her town of 3,000, has received veiled threats on social media, and was once followed home after a protest.

Oil tops $116 after Trump says he wants to ‘take the oil’ in Iran

London (CNN) — Oil prices rose Monday, with Brent crude crossing $116 a barrel, after comments by US President Donald Trump and strikes against Israel by Iran-backed Houthi rebels deepened fears that the Middle East conflict may escalate further. Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, rose to $116.50 a barrel before paring those gains to trade at $114.6, 1.8% up on the day. WTI, the US benchmark, climbed 1% to around $101 a barrel. Trump told the Financial Times in an interview published Sunday that he wants to “take the oil in Iran” and could seize Kharg Island, which handles about 90% of the country’s oil exports. He compared the potential move to US operations in Venezuela, according to the FT, where the United States intends to control the oil industry “indefinitely” following its capture of authoritarian leader Nicolás Maduro in January. Adding to fears about a ramp-up in the fighting, Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen joined the conflict over the weekend, launching strikes against Israel Saturday. The rebels could close the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a chokepoint linking the Red Sea to global shipping lines. Meanwhile, the United States has sent thousands of troops to the Middle East over the past week, and Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s parliamentary speaker, on Sunday accused the United States of “secretly planning a ground invasion” while touting negotiations. He also said Tehran’s forces are “waiting” for US troops. Crude oil prices have surged more than 50% so far in March following the US-Israeli war against Iran.

Israel reverses course after barring Palm Sunday Mass in Jerusalem

(CNN) — Following a widespread backlash, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had asked “relevant authorities” to allow Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch, to hold services at Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre “as he wishes.” On Sunday, the Latin Patriarchate in Jerusalem said Israeli police prevented the church’s senior leaders from entering to celebrate Mass, citing security concerns. “For the first time in centuries, the Heads of the Church were prevented from celebrating the Palm Sunday Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre,” the Patriarchate said in a statement. “This incident is a grave precedent and disregards the sensibilities of billions of people around the world who, during this week, look to Jerusalem.” Palm Sunday marks the start of Holy Week, the most sacred period in the Christian calendar, with Sunday’s liturgy commemorating Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. The church is believed to be the site of Jesus’ burial and resurrection. The move comes as Israeli authorities restrict access to religious sites in East Jerusalem amid the war with Iran, including Al Aqsa Mosque and the Western Wall. Israel captured East Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 war, and has fought multiple wars since, but sweeping restrictions on access to holy sites – particularly during major religious periods – have been rare. In his statement on X, Netanyahu said that “Iran has repeatedly targeted the holy sites of all three monotheistic religions in Jerusalem with ballistic missiles” over the past days. He added that one strike crashed just “meters from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.”

CNN’s Abeer Salman and Eugenia Yosef contributed reporting.

How the war in Iran is roiling markets

New York (CNN) — The war in Iran has jolted financial markets, sending oil prices surging and stocks and bonds falling. The market gyrations can be dizzying. Here’s a look at how the Middle East conflict has impacted markets this month:

Oil

Oil prices have surged since the war began. Oil has climbed due to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, disruptions to oil facilities in the Middle East and uncertainty about the duration of the conflict. Brent crude, the global benchmark, rose 4.22% Friday to settle at $112.57, its highest level since 2022. Brent traded around $73 per barrel before the United States and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28.

Stocks

The Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq are each set for their worst month in a year. The Dow hit a record high on February 10. The blue-chip index has since dropped 10%, putting it in correction territory. The Nasdaq is also in correction. The S&P 500 is down 7.84% from its peak in late January. Surging energy prices have prompted central banks to rein in expectations for interest rate cuts and, in some instances, hike rates.

Bonds

US Treasury bonds have fallen this month, pushing yields higher. The 10-year yield, which influences borrowing costs across the economy, hit 4.48% Friday, its highest level since July, before paring gains to close at 4.43%. Yields have climbed as investors sell bonds and adjust expectations for potential inflation, and the Federal Reserve holding interest rates steady. That’s a shift from the start of the year, when markets were pricing in two Fed rate cuts this year.