Gas Prices Surge to $4 Per Gallon – What You Need to Know – Tuesday, March 31, 2026

[0:04] This is what you need to know now. [0:06] Gas prices now above $4 a gallon [0:09] as the economic fallout from the war in Iran expands. [0:12] New strikes on an oil tanker off the coast of Dubai [0:15] as the U.S. pounds Iran with bunker-busting bombs. [0:18] Our strikes are damaging the morale of the Iranian military. [0:23] Terror in the skies over Brazil [0:25] as passengers aboard a flight bound for Atlanta [0:28] see the engine bursting into flames. [0:31] New details in the Jeffrey Epstein investigation [0:33] from regarding emails the FBI believed to be [0:36] between his co-conspirator, Glenn Maxwell, [0:38] and Britain's former Prince Andrew. [0:41] The Army now reviewing why military helicopters [0:44] did a fly-by at singer Kid Rock's home. [0:46] I think they're gonna be all right. [0:47] My buddy's Commander-in-Chief. [0:51] And we have much more of what you need to know now. [0:53] I'm Rachel Scott from ABC News. [0:55] It is Tuesday, March 31st. [0:57] This is what you need to know. [0:58] Let's get right to the big story. [1:00] Americans across the country are starting to feel [1:02] the economic impact of the war in Iran. [1:05] Gas prices now hitting $4 a gallon [1:07] for the first time since 2022. [1:09] Elizabeth Schulze has the latest. [1:11] This is the first time that gas prices [1:13] are above $4 a gallon on average in more than three years. [1:17] According to GasBuddy, the national average this morning [1:19] stands at $4.01. [1:21] It's up $1.07 now since the start of the Iran war, [1:25] marking the biggest monthly increase on record. [1:28] Diesel is up $1.70 a gallon. [1:30] It's also the biggest spike ever in one month. [1:33] So as long as the critical strain [1:35] of oil and gas prices continues to go up, [1:37] we know that's where one-fifth of the world's oil [1:39] would flow before the war. [1:41] As long as that's virtually closed, [1:43] oil and gas prices could keep going up from here. [1:46] Moody's Analytics says that oil at this level for one year [1:49] will cost the typical household about $1,200 [1:52] in higher gas and diesel costs. [1:54] These costs are already getting passed down. [1:56] JetBlue is now raising baggage fees [1:58] to help pay for surging jet fuel. [2:00] Many companies are paying shipping surcharges [2:03] to transport their goods right now. [2:05] To higher prices for consumers for everything [2:07] from food to the products that you buy online. [2:09] This morning, the Pentagon confirming the U.S. [2:11] hit a large ammunition depot in the Iranian city of Isfahan [2:15] with 2,000-pound bunker-buster bombs. [2:18] Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth saying the U.S. [2:20] has the upper hand against Iran, [2:22] that the campaign is impacting Iranian morale [2:25] and leading to personnel shortages and frustrations [2:27] among senior leaders. [2:29] American firepower is only increasing. [2:32] Iran's decreasing. [2:34] We have more and more options and they have less. [2:38] The upcoming days will be decisive. [2:40] Iran knows that and there's almost nothing [2:42] they can militarily do about it. [2:45] Of note, the last 24 hours saw the lowest number [2:48] of enemy missiles and drones fired by Iran. [2:52] We recently destroyed another one of their command bunkers. [2:55] Leaders forced to flee. [2:57] No water, no power, no oxygen, no command and control. [3:00] But if Iran is wise, they will cut a deal. [3:04] This as Kuwait says one of their oil tankers [3:06] was struck by an Iranian drone [3:08] on the coast of Dubai. [3:10] It was reportedly carrying 2 million barrels of crude oil. [3:13] Matt Rivers has more from Doha. [3:15] Fire breaking out on the vessel docked in a UAE port. [3:18] It is a clear reminder the Strait of Hormuz [3:20] remains effectively closed. [3:22] Iran also sending a wave of missiles to Israel [3:25] a day after this strike on this oil refinery [3:28] in the northern part of that country. [3:30] A fireball erupting from the site. [3:32] And now with the prolonged war hitting the global economy, [3:35] pressure is mounting on the Trump administration [3:37] as American service members become targets. [3:39] These new images show a U.S. radar jet [3:42] destroyed by an Iranian attack. [3:44] Pieces of that U.S. Air Force E-3 Sentry [3:47] scattered among debris at the Prince Sultan Air Base [3:50] in Saudi Arabia. [3:51] That attack injuring 15 American soldiers [3:53] with five in serious condition. [3:55] Clearly this war shows no signs of slowing down. [3:58] Today Israel says it will establish a security zone [4:01] inside southern Lebanon with the military controlling the area [4:04] prohibiting hundreds of thousands of residents [4:06] to return even after the operation ends. [4:09] This is according to remarks released by Israel's Ministry of Defense. [4:12] The move would displace over 600,000 residents of southern Lebanon, [4:16] many who evacuated north after Israel's operation began. [4:20] Passengers on a Delta flight say there was panic on board [4:24] when one of the engines caught fire after takeoff. [4:27] The flight had just left Sao Paulo, Brazil [4:30] with 286 passengers and crew on board. [4:33] It was bound for Atlanta when flames started shooting [4:36] out of the left engine. [4:38] The pilot declared an emergency and turned back to the airport, [4:41] landing safely. [4:42] This is an engine disintegrating internally. [4:45] Why? Perhaps it picked up something off the runway, [4:48] a rock, a piece of metal that caused this internal disintegration. [4:52] And what you see coming out the back, [4:54] those sparks are actual pieces of the engine as it falls apart. [4:58] Delta Airlines says so far that this was not caused by a bird strike. [5:03] They are investigating, as are Brazilian authorities. [5:05] Delta has apologized for the incident and says [5:07] the safety of their passengers and crew is their top priority. [5:11] The U.S. Supreme Court handing down a consequential ruling today. [5:15] In an 8-1 decision, the justices struck down Colorado's ban [5:18] on so-called conversion therapy as a violation of counselors' free speech [5:23] protected under the First Amendment. [5:25] Justice Neil Gorsuch said the law enacted to protect minors [5:28] from efforts by mental health providers to change their sexual orientation [5:32] or gender identity censors speech based on the law. [5:35] Justice Katonji Brown Jackson was the lone dissenter. [5:38] The decision means Colorado will no longer be able to forbid [5:41] state-licensed providers from attempting to change a patient's orientation [5:45] through talk therapy. [5:47] LGBTQ groups who have hailed conversion therapy bans as critical [5:50] to the mental health of minors figuring out their identities during adolescence [5:54] say the decision will mean more kids will be traumatized going forward. [5:58] And there are new details emerging on the FBI's probe into emails [6:02] between Jeffrey Epstein's convicted co-conspirator, [6:04] Ghislaine Maxwell, and Britain's former Prince Andrew. [6:07] Aaron Katurski has the details. [6:09] Rachel, as the feds were building a case against Jeffrey Epstein's [6:13] co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell, they discovered emails that they said suggested [6:17] Maxwell may have been arranging young women to have sex with Prince Andrew. [6:22] Before a 2002 visit to South America, an email believed to have been sent [6:26] by then-Prince Andrew asked Maxwell, have you found me some new inappropriate friends? [6:32] She wrote that she told an acquaintance in Peru to find Andrew [6:35] friends who are intelligent, pretty, fun, and who know how to be friendly and discreet. [6:41] Now, a document released as part of the Epstein file shows the FBI believed those emails [6:46] were Andrew and Maxwell discussing her attempts to arrange young females [6:51] to engage in sex acts with him. [6:53] They cited those messages while asking a judge for permission to search [6:57] dozens of electronic devices seized from Epstein's properties. [7:01] They showed the judge this email days before Andrew toured Peru [7:05] in which he told Maxwell, as for the girls, well, I leave that entirely to you. [7:10] Prosecutors sought unsuccessfully to interview Andrew in 2020. [7:15] He has long denied wrongdoing, and Maxwell was never charged with procuring women for Andrew. [7:22] And we have much more of what you need to know. Stay with us. [7:25] Here's your daily briefing, other big stories we are following on ABC News. [7:39] Musician Kid Rock is speaking out after posting videos of military helicopters hovering near his home. [7:45] Kid Rock, a staunch MAGA supporter of President Trump, [7:50] is seen standing next to a replica of the Statue of Liberty, [7:53] clapping and saluting the crew of the Apache attack helicopter before it flies away. [7:58] They stopped for, I don't know, seconds, a minute. [8:02] You know, maybe they were here three, four minutes, you know, just say what's up, went on. [8:07] I see them when they fly the schnooks and they go to Nissan Stadium for the football games. [8:12] They come right over, and if I'm here, I usually make a point, come out, and like, [8:15] you know, give me what's up. [8:17] The Army says the helicopters were in the Nashville area for a training exercise, [8:21] and they are reviewing the incident. [8:23] The Apaches are part of the 101st Airborne, [8:26] which said Army aviators must adhere to strict safety standards, professionalism, [8:31] and establish flight regulations. [8:33] Appropriate action will be taken if any violations are found. [8:38] The Final Four now set for the NCAA's Women's Basketball Tournament. [8:42] The University of Texas cruised to a 77-41 win over Michigan. [8:46] And South Carolina blew out Texas Christian University by 26 points. [8:51] The Final Four now a repeat of last year's matchups. [8:54] And they're all one-seeds. [8:56] South Carolina plays national champions UConn, [8:59] and Texas takes on UCLA. [9:01] Those games this Friday night, only on ESPN. [9:04] And finally, before you go, first responders in Fairbanks, Alaska, [9:08] jumped into action and into a frigid river to save a woman who fell through the ice. [9:13] Two firefighters working to lift that woman to safety. [9:16] She was transported to a local hospital. [9:18] Fairbanks firefighters reminding the public to exercise extreme caution [9:22] during the spring months when ice can melt rapidly. [9:26] And that's what you need to know for breaking news and live updates throughout the day. [9:28] Check out ABC News streaming on Disney+. [9:31] New episodes streaming every day on Disney+.