British PM Refuses to Join Iran War

23:19Let's just end a rare apology from U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Why she's making this public statement next.

23:31Hey, I'm Anderson Cooper. On my podcast, All There Is, we explore grief and loss in all its complexities. You'll hear deeply moving and honest discussions with people who have faced and are living with life-altering losses. My conversation with Dax Shepard at Tulane University during the New Orleans Book Festival. Your relationship with your dad has continued. Oh, yeah. It's the best it's ever been, which is the most. Which is the most heartbreaking part? Talking grief, building community. That's what the podcast is all about. This is all there is. Listen and follow wherever you get your podcasts.

24:13Las Vegas, where the house always wins. But which house? This season, we're going all in on Sin City on Rock the Block. For the first time, our four high-rolling designers will renovate four identical houses paired up with four power players. And the stakes couldn't be higher. Time to place your bets. All new Rock the Block, Monday night at 8 on HGTV.

24:45We have some breaking news in our law and justice lead. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor has just issued a rare public apology over comments she recently made about the parents of a fellow Supreme Court justice. I want to get straight to CNN's Joan Biskupik. Joan, what's going on here? So unusual, Phil. It's highly unusual and pretty much unprecedented. I can't even think of another episode to compare it to. Justice Sotomayor's statement came about a week after she had complained about her colleague Brett Kavanaugh and something he had written in a case last September that involved a Trump policy for what a lot of people called roving patrols in Southern California that allowed ICE to stop various people, in part based on their ethnicity and language.

25:33Those were factors that were allowed. At the time, Brett Kavanaugh had written about why those stops really wouldn't be that harmful. And what Justice Sotomayor said last week at the University of Kansas Law School, she said, this from a man whose parents were professionals and probably doesn't really know any person who works by the hour. Now, Phil, you know that Supreme Court justices criticize each other all the time. But this was something that crossed the line in terms of referring to his family and being highly personal. And we had asked for comment from her and comment from Brett Kavanaugh over several days.

26:13And today, after probably a real drumbeat of people wanting to know why was Justice Sotomayor saying that kind of thing about a colleague, she issued this statement. At a recent appearance at the University of Kansas School of Law, I referred to a disagreement with one of my colleagues in a prior case, but I made remarks that were inappropriate. I regret my hurtful comments. I have apologized to my colleague. I think, Phil, this was really the only thing she could have done. First of all, it seems perfectly right that she would have apologized to Brett Kavanaugh for what she said, because her remarks really were of a different nature.

26:56And then to have also let all of us know how she had followed up with something that was such a departure from the decorum of the justices. Even when they're sniping at each other, they usually don't bring in families, as perhaps the president has at times. The justices usually just don't do that, Phil. Yeah, I think when I saw your reporting, I said, wow, this is definitely no precedent that you can see. And that says pretty much everything. Joan Biscuit, great reporting as always, my friend. Thanks so much. Thanks. Well, turning now to our national lead, a rare appearance by First Lady Melania Trump on Capitol Hill today, joining lawmakers to advocate for a bill to expand resources for children in the foster care system.

27:37Foster youth face a special set of challenges. With the new legislation, we can ensure that the opportunity is more than helpful for individuals in the foster care community. It can be their birthright. The foster care system has been a central focus of the first lady's during her husband's second term. But the Trump administration's immigration crackdown may actually be contributing to the problem. According to a ProPublica investigation, between January and August of last year, the parents of more than 11 ,000 U.S. citizen children were arrested or detained under Trump's immigration crackdown.

28:13Joining me to discuss is the executive director of Children's Rights, Sandy Santana. Sandy, I really appreciate your time. The federal government doesn't track how many children enter foster care because a parent is detained for immigration reasons. Based on your experience, do you have a rough estimate or any type of numbers about how often this happens, how many children may be displaced in foster care as a result? Phil, the answer is nobody really knows. We know that the federal government is not tracking the number of children in foster care that are there because of immigration enforcement action.

28:45States have a hodgepodge of rules around this. Some states have reported numbers. Other states have not. Some states have cited privacy concerns because they fear that maybe that leads to families being investigated as well. So we don't know the true numbers. A publication did a study, wrote to states and asked for self-reported numbers. They found that 32 children were in foster care because of immigration enforcement over seven states. We think those numbers are very, very low. As you pointed out, in just the first seven months of the Trump administration, 11 ,000 parents of U.S. citizen children were detained.

29:22There were, in February, 70 ,000 or so people in immigration detention facility. So we think those numbers are much higher than those that have been reported by states. And there's also no coordination between the federal government and child welfare systems on this issue. So there's no way to really know. So in addition, there's a lack of training for social workers to identify kids who have been removed from their parents because of enforcement issues, immigration enforcement issues. And so we have no clue, but we know based on those numbers and based on anecdotal evidence and everything we're seeing that those numbers have to be much higher.

29:57Can you just walk people through what happens to a child if ICE detains their parent? Where are they taking? What are the conditions like? Can they communicate with their parent? Yeah. So parents are detained. There are procedures for communicating with the child. There's an ICE directive that actually says that ICE is supposed to make or have processes to connect the child to parents or kin, family members that are around the family. In some cases, connect to the child welfare system. We don't know how closely ICE is following that directive, so we don't know how they're adhering to that. To that point, is there no reporting on compliance?

30:40It seems strange to me that we wouldn't have any insight into that. There's no reporting on whether ICE is complying with that at all. We don't know. The other thing we do know is in certain cases, we have mothers detained at the Dilley facility in South Texas with their children. And we are one of the few organizations who can visit those children, speak to them. And we know that right now they're experiencing stress, anxiety, fear. There have been instances of water that's not drinkable, worms in food, lights on all night so that kids are not able to sleep. No access to educational services in certain cases and no access to mental and physical health services as well.

31:25Sandy Santana, I really appreciate your time sharing your perspective. Thanks so much. My pleasure. Thank you. Well, repeatedly today, President Trump was urged to stop publicly attacking Pope Leo. At least twice, that messenger was the top Republican in the Senate. Hear what he said. That's next.

31:49I think it's very, very important for the Pope to be careful when he talks about matters of theology. Indeed. That's the vice president. about 24 hours ago, weighing in on the Pope's ongoing feud with the President. Let's reverse that. On the President's ongoing feud with the Pope. Then today, the top Republican in the Senate, he got involved, urging Trump and Vance to, you could say, cut it out. One of my colleagues said it well, and the President and the Pope are both outspoken people, but they both have lanes and hopefully they'll stay in them. As of last night, it was President Trump keeping this front and center.

32:28He posted on Truth Social, quote, will someone please tell the Pope or tell Pope Leo that Iran has killed at least 42 ,000 innocent, completely unarmed protesters in the last two months? Joining me now is former Trump campaign advisor David Urban, former senior spokesperson for the Harris Walls campaign, Adrian Elrod, and the esteemed Susan Page, Washington Bureau chief for USA Today. Susan, of course, has a new book out, The Queen and Her Presidents, The Hidden Hand That Shaped History, which we're going to get to in a minute. But David, my fellow brother in Catholicism, we sometimes attend the same church.

33:03What are we doing here? Look, Phil, look, I said this before. I don't agree with the Pope on everything, right, clearly. But you don't want to pick a fight with the Pope. You don't come out. It's like you're not going to win. In Pennsylvania, there are three and a half million Catholics. In Wisconsin, you know, all these Catholics. We're running. We have midterms. Why do you want to alienate a huge block of the electorate? But what the president did say in this last iteration of his comments, I do agree with. I'd like to see the Pope kind of come out and forcefully condemn the Iranian regime as strong as he is condemning the president.

33:38I'd like to see him say the IRGC, the regime in Tehran who's slaughtered thousands of their own people and who's exported terror for years. I'd like to see him condemn them as well. But picking a fight with the Pope is just generally a bad idea politically. the Pope is, you know, his message is like the job description is literally peace, love and understanding to go around the world and try to sow like good things and, you know, like end wars. That's his that's his job. And so I'm not sure the back and forth is worth it. I agree with Senator Thune. Both these guys have lanes and they might want to stick to him.

34:15Do you really think the Pope is picking a fight with the president? I think the Pope, I think the Pope is, I don't know if he's picking a fight with the president, But I'd like to see, like, I don't know why the Pope just can't come out and say, look, I, you know, with Donald Trump's position here and saying, like, the Iranian regime just slaughtered 40 ,000 of his own people. I didn't hear the Pope condemning the Iranians for the destruction of their own culture. They're killing their own people or exporting terror or, you know, have it blowing up kids. I mean, they do a lot of awful things. And I haven't heard the Pope, you know, utter a word about that.

34:47So I would like to see that. But again, like, I'm not here to fight with the Pope. It feels like it. No, no. Again, no, I'm saying I'm not here to fight with the Pope about these things. I'd like to see the Pope speak out more forcefully about those things. Right. But again, just politically, you know, this is about addition. This midterm, one plus one plus one. We don't need to subtract voters. We need to add voters. Adrian, just days after facing backlash for posting a Christlike image of himself, the president posted today an AI doctored photo of Jesus hugging him. Pretty sure it's AI. He's baiting your party, posting the radical left lunatics may not like this.

35:24I have been wondering for many, many years what is going through Trump's head when he's doing some of the many things that he has done, Phil, that we have questioned that have been very controversial. This one continues to baffle me. It makes absolutely no sense. I mean, I think it's somewhere between 55 % and 60 % of Catholics voted for Trump in the last election. He is alienated. It feels like he's doing everything he possibly can to further alienate voters. And of course, we've got high gas prices. We've got a war that many Americans don't understand why we're even over there in the first place.

35:55A lot of people voted for him the last election because they were concerned that President Biden was not addressing affordability in the right way. They are now saying, what is he doing about affordability? So it feels like these are continuous self-inflicted wounds that are only going to make things worse for Republicans going into the midterms. Susan Page, I've been doing this long enough with this president at various iterations. There are oftentimes pronouncements of like, this is going to be the thing, the political thing that's really going to come back to bite him. And they're never right.

36:28And so I'm wondering politically, like, where does this net out? He's picked fights with the Pope before. He's gotten in trouble with evangelicals for very clearly not having a great understanding of their faith. What is the outcome of this? You know, not just the Pope, the Chicago Pope, the American Pope he's picking a fight with. You know, I think there's some cumulative effect from one controversy after another. But I actually think what makes a difference is that he's talking about the Pope. He's not talking about the issues that Americans are concerned about, which is the cost of gas, the cost of health care, the cost of food and housing.

37:06So it's like the it's the opportunity loss of having a firestorm over here on an issue that matters to some voters, but may not cut and not addressing the issue that we're really going to see Americans vote on in November. Susan makes a great point. Right. We had this great visual the other day at the White House of the DoorDash woman who saved, who has been able to put in her pocket$11 ,000 more because of no tax on tips. One of the one of the central themes of the big, beautiful bill. Right. No tax on tips, no tax on overtime, no tax on Social Security. They put together this incredible event that I know Adrienne and her colleagues in the Democratic Party are just like, damn, that's a great message.

37:44I wish we had it. Right. Great, great event. I don't know. Great event. But no, great event. But it got stepped on. It got stepped on because we're talking about this. And so instead of having a whole day of talking about how many people benefited from that great that great move in the Trump administration, no tax on tips. Right. We're talking about this instead. And so that's the loss. That's the opportunity cost that Susan's talking about. We're not talking about the accomplishments. We're talking about things that aren't getting us voters, right? Aren't getting Republicans. It is April 15th.

38:12It is tax day. And tax refunds were all I've heard from every Republican who I talk to on the Hill. It's like, this is going to be the thing that turns it around. And we're posting about hugs with Jesus, which is like, I'm cool. Again, no tax on tips, right? Every time I go to a restaurant, I said, you know, there's no tax on your tips. And the people don't know. They still don't even know. So we got to get the messaging going. He's stepping on it constantly. You got to get the message out there. All right, Susan, in less than two weeks, King Charles, Queen Camilla will conduct a four-day state visit to the U.S.

38:41You've extensively studied the king's mother, Queen Elizabeth II, and her relationships with America's presidents. Should we expect to see the king take the late queen's lead here? You know, here's the message from his mother, or the lesson of his mother, which is there are things you can do, powerful things you can do as the monarch, and there are things you cannot do. So I would not look for Charles to come here and say, let's talk about the future of NATO. But he could come here and have a good time with the president. The president now likes King Charles. The president adores the Royer family.

39:15And that can lay a kind of groundwork that is helpful for the government that is going to have to deal with him on some of these issues that are so divide the United States and the United Kingdom. Really, the most fraught time in the special relationship since at least the Suez crisis and maybe ever. How does, what's your sense of how Charles will navigate that reality? He's been, you know, he got off on the wrong foot with President Trump in their first meeting when he was Prince Charles. Trump came out of that complaining that all he did was talk about climate change. Well, King Charles since then, and especially since he was crowned, has taken a different tack with the president.

39:54The president now says he's a wonderful guy and a good friend, and we're going to have a terrific visit, even as he's castigating the prime minister. Yeah, whatever King Charles is doing, it's working. That's for sure. How do you think this goes? It goes well. I think, as Susan correctly points out, the president's Scottish descent, I'm sure, in his household growing up as a kid, I'm sure there's a picture of the queen someplace, the queen mother. And they've had every trip the president's made to England, it's come back. He's been speaking glowingly. You can see when he's there, he's in a great mood.

40:27He has a great relationship with the new king. I think it's going to be an exciting time. I think what the king is going to do is going to actually really advance the special relationship because it's very rocky now after the lack of involvement of the UK and helping out in the president's eye. So I think the king is going to do it. It's going to be a very positive outcome. He's going to have a joint address to Congress. It's all upside for the U.K. on the 27th, I think 28th, right? A couple days he's here. It's going to be a big day. I think the monarchy is viewed more favorably in the United States than it is in England right now, perhaps.

41:05All right. You guys are coming back. Susan Page, grateful for your time again. The book is the Queen and her President. Susan Page, congratulations. Thank you, guys. See you in a bit. Well, a major verdict late this afternoon against Ticketmaster and Live Nation. The jury found the two operated as a monopoly and overcharged fans, and that's just the half of it. We're going to break down that verdict coming up on The Lead.

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42:03Welcome to Lead. I'm Phil Mattingly in for Jake Tapper. This hour, a second investigation has been launched into former Congressman Eric Swalwell after a woman accused him of drugging and sexually assaulting her at a California hotel. Allegations he denies. In moments, I'll get reaction from both a former Swalwell staffer and a woman who helped bring some of the most serious allegations to light. Plus, a major ruling today that will affect every sports fan, concertgoer, Broadway attendee, really anyone who has ever bought a ticket for an event. This afternoon, a jury found Live Nation and Ticketmaster operated as a monopoly of overcharged fans.

42:39So what exactly happens next? Also, the people get rich off of insider tips about the Iran war. The federal government reportedly launching a brand new investigation today into some suspiciously very well-timed trades. Trades with billions of dollars. And decades after notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar brought wild hippos to Colombia, there is a new plan to reduce the hippo population, a population that is terrorizing local villages. Seaman's crew actually had to run for safety when visiting their habitat. It is a story you do not want to miss.

43:17The lead tonight, former Congressman Eric Swalwell, is now facing a second investigation into an alleged sexual assault after a woman came forward Tuesday and accused the California Democrat of drugging, raping, and choking her at a Los Angeles-area hotel in 2018. Swalwell is already under investigation in Manhattan. A former staffer told CNN the ex-congressman had sex with her in April 2024 when she was unable to consent. Swalwell resigned from his seat in Congress yesterday and suspended his campaign for governor earlier in the week. He denies all of the sexual assault and misconduct allegations against him.

43:53We start things off with CNN's Kyung La, who is live in Los Angeles tracking the early stages of this investigation. Kyung, this has been moving so fast. What's the latest? Very fast. But I want to emphasize one word that you just said there, Phil. It is early. The investigation here in Los Angeles in the early stages, but officially underway, we are getting that word from the sheriff's department that confirmed it had received a report from a person accusing Swalwell of sexual assault. Now, in addition to the Manhattan D.A. you just mentioned, the Los Angeles D.A., Nathan Hockman now says this in a statement.

44:26Our office has assigned our sex crimes division to work closely with law enforcement partners as this investigation unfolds. When and if a case is presented, seasoned prosecutors will review the facts and evidence to determine whether there is sufficient evidence for charges to be filed. When a filing decision is made, we will ensure the public is made aware. So in reading that, the Sheriff's Department first has to conduct its investigation before recommending anything to the LADA. All of this is coming from an accuser, Lana Drews, and she made her complaint public. She held a news conference and then sat down with us here at CNN.

45:07She says in 2018, she believes Swalwell put something in her drink and then raped her. Here's what she told us. Why have you decided now to become public? My motivation was for other girls. I know that I can't be the only one. And so I kind of wanted to be a voice for other women, that they could feel that they could come forward and say something. And for a long while, I've wanted to say something. When I knew he was running for governor, I was like, oh, God, this can't happen. Like, somebody's got to have, I've been waiting for somebody else to come forward. Now, CNN could not independently corroborate Drew's claims.

45:52and her lawyer says that information that they have would go to law enforcement first. Swalwell's attorney does deny every allegation of sexual assault and misconduct. Phil. Young Law Forrest in Los Angeles with the latest. Thank you very much. Well, joining me now is Ariel Fedor. You might know her. You probably do know her as Mrs. Frazzled online. She's one of the influencers who really helped break open this entire story. And, you know, you first got private warnings about Swalwell when you posted a video about his gubernatorial campaign launch and then quickly connected with another influencer, Cheyenne Hunt, who was on a similar mission.

46:26Fast forward to now. What are you, have you like taken this all in? What's happened over the course of the last couple of days? I don't feel like I have. It's been a whirlwind. And honestly, just continuing to lean on the women who have been alongside me the whole time trying to work on this, Cheyenne and Annika. It's been like absolutely insane. And I am just in awe of everybody coming forward. It takes so much courage. And I'm just like, I don't know when I'll be able to like take it all in. But right now I'm just like, wow. Have you heard from more from the women you've already connected with or other women with stories in the last day?

47:09Yes, every single day since the day that Cheyenne posted in particular, we have gotten women coming forward to us every single day. more than one. Swalwell now under investigation. You just heard my colleague Kyung talking about in Los Angeles County, obviously the Manhattan related, also in Manhattan related to the more serious accusations of rape. Swalwell denies all of the sexual assault and misconduct allegations against him. His attorney spoke last night about the allegations. I want you to listen. Regret is not rape. So the fact that, you know, a day later, years later or whatnot, you maybe had shame around what you did, or maybe you were in a relationship and shouldn't have done what you did, doesn't make it rape.

47:55What would you say to those who might read or hear these stories and agree with what you just heard from the lawyer? That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard in my life. Survivors do not deserve, like, they don't owe anybody any sort of timeline or any sort of, like, whatever it is these people want, It is so frustrating to watch this type of narrative. And I think his lawyer should stay out of my comment section in the future if she'd like to continue to make statements like that on the news. The Me Too movement happened, gosh, I guess probably about a decade ago now. It mainly was focused on Hollywood, the entertainment industry.

48:35Politics, Washington kind of skated on some level, which remains remarkable to me. Why do you think that was? I think because there is such a pervasive culture of hubris with these men who think that women will be silent, that they can hold their careers above their head. I mean, look, in D.C., this is a bubble. If you're working for a man who takes advantage of you or abuses his power or harasses you, assaults you, that office is really how you are going to get your next job. It's very, very difficult to just start at zero on the Hill. And that culture is what has allowed this to fester for so long.

49:18And also it's a big boys club. It's a big like, oh, boys will be boys type of mentality. And that is over. Me Too was not just a one-time movement. We're seeing that there are waves of this. We're seeing the bravery of women. And I think that the men who have skated on women's silence for so long should be put on notice that this is a wrap. You and Cheyenne Hunt have been posting about helping Swalwell donors request refunds, connecting his former staffers with new jobs. I'm just interested. Talk to people about those efforts. Well, one thing that was really important for both of us was that we didn't want to even start dipping our toe into any of this without making sure that we had infrastructure in place to help the women who have endured horrible wrongs at the hands of Eric Swalwell.

50:09And we just wanted to make sure that if they were going to be brave and come forward, that we would be as soft a place to land as possible for them. Because that's really what this is all about is making sure that they are supported and that if, you know, they're putting forth a great effort and being courageous. And we will have their back in literally whatever way we possibly can. So, yeah, we have resources. We have a lawyer. We have people that want to get you plugged in with new jobs. Even if you left an office in solidarity with women who have been victimized, we have that resource for you as well.

50:44So, yeah, it's been a lot. I can only imagine it's extraordinarily important what you have been doing. Thank you for taking the time. I really appreciate it. Thank you for having me. I want to bring in Lena Tragny, a former Swalwell staffer who worked for him as an intern before taking a full-time position in his congressional office. and then working on his presidential campaign. Lena, I really appreciate your time. I guess to start, I'm trying to think about what the last few days must have been like for you, for your colleagues. Obviously, you were instrumental in the letter calling on Eric Swalwell to withdraw and resign before he ended up doing both.

51:27What's this moment like for you as you kind of look back at the tsunami of the last few days? Yeah, thanks for having me, Phil. it's been a whirlwind of devastation. There have been a lot of tears, a lot of angry feelings. I know a lot of the staffers are going through the seven stages of grief as we mourn this kind of individual that we thought we could trust. It's been a complete betrayal on so many levels, not only for us, but to hear of all of these women who have courageously come forward. The staff and former staff really want to make it clear that we stand with them. And as more survivors decide to come out, we stand behind you.

52:16The kind of rise of Eric Swalwell in politics as a lawmaker, a lot of it attributed in large part to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other California Democrat who, I want to be clear about this, has denied knowing about any of this. but she was reportedly among those to call him on Friday, tell him to drop his bid for governor and resign. There's a Democratic aide who told CNN he owed pretty much everything he's done here to Pelosi. Another said she kind of adopted Swalwell into her Northern California family, saw him as a rising star. I think the question is, how is it possible for somebody who is alleged to have done what Eric Swalwell has done, to rise as he did within the party, to gain the trust of Speaker Pelosi and yet still be doing this allegedly behind closed doors?

53:02Yeah, I think that's the question a lot of staff and volunteers and people who have helped him on this rise are asking themselves as well. It seems that we've been faced with an individual who has some kind of split personality that they were able to conceal this traumatic part of themselves for so long. I mean, staffers have come together. We had 50 plus individuals sign the statement and every individual that I've talked to had no idea. So for so many people to have been completely hoodwinked is, it questions the kind of individual that not only he is, but how Congress as a environment in and of itself can allow this kind of actions to keep going year after year.

53:52And in some way, shape or form allowed it to be swept under the rug. I know we've heard of a taxpayer funded slush fund that is used to hide these these mistakes over the last few days. And it seems like it's become a culture in Congress to deny, deny, deny until something comes up and then completely slam the door on an individual when it's when it's worthy of doing so. So I question the lawmakers that say that they didn't know, but obviously I can't ask them myself or I'd be knocking on doors. You raise a really critical point, particularly as somebody who covered the Hill for a long time. You've seen stuff like this, I think, repeatedly.

54:35Culturally, there are significant issues that there have been efforts to change, and yet they continue on some level. I'm interested if you've had time to think through what you want to see changed or what could happen to spark change so this doesn't happen again. Yeah, I believe Cheyenne Hunt was on with Dana Bash earlier today, and she said this is the second reckoning of a Me Too movement. And I think she's key and correct in that there needs to be some kind of reckoning. I mean, Congress is the only workplace where employees can harass and abuse their subordinates, tap into a taxpayer slush fund to bury these secrets, refuse to make those records public and then resign on their own terms instead of being fired and continue to collect benefits and access to congressional gyms and things of the like.

55:24I think we need a complete overhaul. All the dirty secrets should come out. I am very pleased to see that a number of women are coming forward, not only with their accusations against Congressman Swalwell, but against other members. And I think a complete reckoning and complete clearing of the lies and the hidden secrets needs to come forward in the next few weeks. Lena Trakney, really appreciate your time and sharing your perspective. Thanks so much. Thank you, Phil. Well, Democrats failing once again today in their efforts to rein in Trump's war with Iran. So So what's the plan now? I'm going to ask one of the Democratic senators leading this push next.

56:11Plus, a new push to make it easier for you to watch your favorite sports teams on TV. You're going to want to stick with us for this one.

56:27On this motion, the yeas are 47, the nays are 52. The motion is not agreed to. That was earlier today. The Senate once again rejecting a measure aimed at restricting President Trump's war powers by requiring congressional approval for any future military action in Iran. This is the fourth time it has failed since the war began nearly 50 days ago. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, though, said Democrats are going to force a war powers vote every week for the foreseeable future. I want to bring in Democratic Senator Tim Baldwin of Wisconsin, part of the group of Democratic senators that are really pushing this strategy, trying to force votes on a regular basis for everybody to go on the record with this current conflict.

57:09And Senator, one of the things that I've continuously heard the last couple of weeks is, you know, Republicans, when Democrats talk to them behind closed doors, they feel like, all right, they're kind of reaching a point where maybe they're going to start to crack a little bit. Do you think that's actually going to happen? Look, it has to. This is an illegal war of choice that has cost us already 13 service members. We have hundreds more who are wounded, some quite severely. We are seeing the price of gas go up. Our farmers are experiencing rising fertilizer and fuel prices. And we're spending tens of billions of dollars of this war.

57:50And the American people are against it. And I was in Wisconsin listening to my constituents. They are dead set against this war, and they want Congress to stand up and do its job and be a check and a balance against this president. You're even seeing cracks in the MAGA dam right now with Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly speaking out and saying, you promised otherwise. You promised lower prices. You promised an end to foreign conflicts. And with this war, you're violating both of those promises. But I asked my Republican colleagues in the Senate, what will it take? Will it be a 14th or 15th service member dead?

58:34Will it be billions more spent? Will it be$200 a barrel oil? What will it take for you to join us and do your job and be a check and a balance to this president? Since Congress has not authorized this war, the War Powers Act 1973 sets a 60-day limit. That's the deadline, which would be May 1st. I was interested to actually hear Senate Majority Leader John Thune reference 60 or 90 days earlier this week. I know the administration says that they don't believe it's constitutional, but I'm interested. Have you heard anything about what might happen on that 60-day mark if your efforts on the Senate floor haven't gone anywhere by then?

59:15So there's been a lot of discussion about it. I want to first say that that 60-day mark that gets referenced is only relevant when you are not talking about a war of choice, when you're talking about presidential action, military action to thwart an immediate threat or an attack on our nation. Then, if Congress hasn't authorized it, the 60-day mark comes into effect. We're not talking about such a war. We were not under imminent threat of attack from Iran. We were not under attack from Iran. All of that said, I welcome my Republican colleagues who say they will take a new look at this after 60 days, because anything that will welcome them to agree with us and join with us and vote for one of these war powers resolutions will be a step in the right direction.

1:00:17Yeah. Article 1 is a thing. I often tell myself. OK, I want to switch topics for a second because you have legislation that honestly, I feel like has to unify both sides of the aisle and also every sports fan in America. The bill you just introduced is called the For the Fans Act. It would target sports blackouts, cut streaming costs, frankly just make it a lot easier for sports fans to watch their teams. Walk me through how quickly this gets signed into law for everyone's sake. Well, let me first explain what it is. You've pretty much gotten it. But, you know, sports is a big unifier. In our state, we bleed green and gold for the Green Bay Packers.

1:00:57But what also unifies sports fans these days is the complexity and the cost of being able to watch your team play. You subscribe to all these expensive streaming services, and then when you're ready to watch the game, it's blacked out. You can't watch it. You paid for the service, but they're not giving you what you paid for. And then I think the breaking point for us in Wisconsin was when the Green Bay Packers and the Bears were playing in a playoff game last January. And you, two and a half million Wisconsinites, could not get access to that game without paying streaming costs. And so very, very frustrating.

1:01:43What this bill would do is stop those blackouts. What this bill would do is make sure that for your local team, for your state's teams, that you can watch the game live and free. And we see a lot of agreement on this. I just introduced the bill today, but I hope that this is something that can unify us across party lines, because many of us are sports fans and just want free and live access to the teams we love and cheer for. That's why it's called For the Fans. With the implicit threat of two million-plus cheeseheads coming at any lawmaker who disagrees, East Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin.

1:02:27Grateful for your time. Thanks so much. Thank you. Well, jury ruling against Ticketmaster today, finding it overcharged fans by driving up fees. So what exactly does that mean for your wallet? That's next.

1:02:48Major news in our money lead. Today, a federal jury in Manhattan found Live Nation and Ticketmaster violated state and federal antitrust laws by operating as a monopoly and overcharging fans. The verdict follows a lengthy trial that included testimony from top executives in the music and entertainment industries. I want to go straight to CNN's Kara Scannell, who's outside the world's most famous arena, MSG, The Garden. Kara, how did today's verdict unfold and are we all getting money? Well, Phil, I don't think the price of Harry Style tickets are going to come down immediately. But this is a huge win for the states that continue to bring their case against Live Nation and Ticketmaster to trial after the Justice Department settlement.

1:03:30Lawyers I've talked to say that this will be an earthquake in the industry. It's validation for fans and rivals who say that Live Nation and Ticketmaster's control of the market has been anti-competitive and has driven up ticket prices and the fees attached to those tickets. Now Live Nation just issued a statement saying that they still have several legal challenges that they are bringing to the judge and that they will ultimately appeal any adverse rulings. This though is the first stage, this jury verdict. There will be a second trial and the judge will oversee that trial where he will decide what damages states will be awarded, if any, and any other kinds of remedies.

1:04:05Those could be structural remedies, whether forcing Live Nation to sell certain of its businesses, certain, say, amphitheaters or venues that are a part of this litigation, steps that could hopefully be used to invite more competition into the market. And that is where lawyers say ultimately fans could see the benefits of that through lower prices, through lower fees on tickets. That, though, is a bit down the road. There's still quite a ways to go here before the results of this verdict, while certainly historic, makes its way to your or my wallet. Phil? Yeah, a lot to follow. Appreciate the Harry Styles shout out.

1:04:42I'll raise you with your Taylor Swift fandom, which is pretty epic. Karis Kanell, appreciate you, my friend. Thank you. A top French official visiting Washington, D.C. will join me next as countries across the globe struggle to deal with the impacts of Trump's war on Iran. What is she hearing from key allies? I'll in moments.

1:05:07In our world lead, the war in the Middle East has upended the world economy. The International Monetary Fund is warning it not only could create a global shortage of oil, it could also tip the world into recession. Here's what the IMF's chief economist said to CNN. If everything were to stop tonight and starting tomorrow, we move towards reopening the strait, rebuilding the damaged facilities, etc. We would still be looking at an oil shortfall for the year, the entire year, 2026. Joining me now is Eleonore Carrois. She is the French Minister-Delicate for Francophonie, International Partnerships, and French Nationals Abroad, and is in Washington right now for the IMF spring meetings.

1:05:47I'm really grateful for your time. And I actually want to start with kind of what you've been hearing from counterparts in Washington. This is a big week for those who don't know in Washington, where IMF, World Bank, big public officials from around the world are in town. What are the conversations like about where things stand right now in this conflict? Well, hi. Thank you very much for having me. It's a pleasure to be with you today. So indeed, it is a very important week here in Washington because everyone is talking about the crisis, about the impact it has on the global economy. It has an impact everywhere.

1:06:24I was just now at the Organization of American States, and even if it seems a bit far away, what is happening in the Middle East has an impact in Latin America, in North America, and it has an impact on Europe, of course. So the discussions are around development. The discussions are around what to do for the ceasefire to actually be lasting and for the situation to de-escalate, which is what France has been calling for for several time now. Can you explain to people, Well, you know, there is the France and the UK, France and the UK are among a group of nations that are working on a plan to free up shipping through the Strait of Hormuz once the war ends.

1:07:03French President Emmanuel Macron said that the plan, quote, doesn't include the belligerent parties, meaning the U.S., Israel and Iran. That kind of parallel track here. Explain to people why that's the approach right now after the war versus trying to figure out a way to do this with the U.S. in this moment. So, what France has been saying since the very beginning of the war is that the only way out of this conflict is through diplomacy. This is why President Macron has been talking to, of course, President Trump and all of the leaders of the Middle East. He's also been talking to President of Iran and has been calling for de-escalation and for an active action to de-escalate and go back to diplomacy for the negotiations to resume.

1:07:49But what this is about, this discussion around reopening the Strait of Hormuz, because it has an impact on the world's economy, on trade. Twenty percent of oil trade goes through the strait. And as I said, it has an impact on all of us. Can you explain to people, you know, the president has obviously, President Trump obviously, has not made a secret of his frustrations with allies, in particular European allies, but also NATO quite often. How do you take those frustrations? And how do you seek to work with them as an ally in this moment where it just seems like things are really far apart? Well, you're right to say that we are an ally.

1:08:38The United States is one of our historic allies. We've been friends for 250 years now, and we're actually celebrating those 250 year anniversary. But we are not, we do not agree with the way things are moving forward with every single step of the way. And we believe that the diplomacy and de-escalation are key to end this conflict. So right now, how do we navigate with this? We're, of course, encouraging all the dialogue that is taking place between the United States and Iran, between also Israel and Lebanon. And there was a statement signed by 17 ministers of foreign affairs calling for the ceasefire to be inclusive, to also include Lebanon, for this to be a diplomatic solution for the entire region and also for freedom of trade and navigation because this, of course, impacts us.

1:09:31We did not start this war. We did not act as belligerent, but we are impacted by it. And we're trying to find a solution for everyone's sake. How seriously do you take the president's threat, either implicit or sometimes explicit, to leave NATO or try and find some way out of that alliance? Well, President Trump is not the first American president to express some concerns about the functioning of NATO. And while we all can see limits of multilateralism and of some institutions, we also value what they bring us and why they're very important. As I said, the United States is a strategic ally for us, one of our main and oldest allies.

1:10:14And between France, between allies, we can also state disagreements. We can also state differences in views with respect, with always recognizing how important we are to one another. And this is perhaps what is happening these days. I have to ask you about the upcoming G7 Leaders Summit. But France is hosting. I'm very, very regretful of the fact I'm no longer in the White House press pool for for that summit, because I imagine it will be quite a good trip to be on. I'm interested. President Macron has reportedly invited the president to the Palace of Versailles following the G7 summit. Do you know what the president would like to discuss with President Trump?

1:10:57What their relationship kind of how does the G7 flow into this moment we're in? I guess is what I'm asking. Well, I do hope you can come to France. That would be great. But look, it's going to be a very important G7 presidency. In a time when there is some disalignment between allies, but where we need to work together, we need to work together to correct global imbalances, we need to work together to address the issue of the financing of development, we can also find many, many ideas, many convergences and consensus. And for instance, I am leading the aspect, the ministerial summit that will take place in only two weeks in Paris with U.S.

1:11:39representative, with representative Somala G7. And we agree on many things in development. And as to what will happen on the Evian summit in June, there will be many liberables, concrete objects on which we can agree on development, on trade, and so forth. And this meeting between the two presidents is also around the celebrations of the 250th anniversary, which really are a big deal to us because, as I said, the United States is one of our strongest and most strategic allies. You were for the World War II, we were for your independence, and we've always been present for one another, even if sometimes we're not necessarily fully aligned.

1:12:17Well, I very much appreciate your time and talking to some of your counterparts in the diplomatic space in Europe I speak very highly of your work over the course of the last several months, in particular in the midst of this conflict, working the phones, meeting with people, trying to figure out a diplomatic path forward. Minister Eleanor Caro, thank you very much. Thank you. Well, he's frequently mentioned as a potential top contender for 2028, but California Governor Gavin Newsom is facing mounting pressure to get involved in a different race, and soon our panel weighs in next.

1:12:53In our politics lead, Eric Swalwell's exit from a packed field in the California governor's race has some top Democrats hoping the current governor, you may know him, Gavin Newsom, will step off the sidelines and endorse a possible successor. Otherwise, some state Democrats fear their worst case scenario may come true. Two Republicans advancing in the primary, locking out Democrats entirely. All right, back in studio. Here's what one of the seven Democrats still in the Californian urban circle. Listen, I'm clapping for that. Woo! This is like the highlight of his day. Let's go. Let's go. Said to CNN earlier today about Gavin Newsom weighing in.

1:13:27Take a listen. The governor certainly would have a big voice, and it's the governor's decision. If the governor wants to get in, we welcome him. If he doesn't, we respect it. This race is going to shape itself over the next few weeks. That's Javier Becerra, who served as the Health and Human Services Secretary in the Biden administration. Adrienne, is this something where, like, are Democrats really concerned about getting locked out entirely here? Yeah, absolutely. So should Newsom step in? And by the way, that was basically Javier Becerra saying, hey, Governor Newsom, like, feel free to endorse me.

1:13:56I know I'm pulling at 3%, but feel free to endorse me. This is the best block ever. No, look, this is all crazy. And obviously Eric Swalwell's significant fall from grace has just made the race even that much crazier. I mean, the challenge that we have here is I think the polling is still what it was about a week and a half ago. You've got Katie Porter and Tom Steyer that are kind of, you know, now with Swalwell out sort of, you know, competing in the top two, but they're still not breaking enough to ensure that there will definitely in this jungle primary, which means the top two vote getters are the ones who automatically go into the general.

1:14:30There's no guarantee that either one of them is going to be in the top two. So it's presenting a huge challenge. Look, I think the governor, the pressure will intensify on him to endorse someone. Let's also not forget about Senator Adam Schiff, who backed Eric Swalwell and Nancy Pelosi, who backed Eric Swalwell as well. You know, those are three powerful voices in California that could probably shift the tides to someone to maybe ensure, maybe ensure that it's not going to be two Republicans. You sound a little more nervous about this. By the way, this is what you just said. The three people that just, they picked and endorsed Swalwell, Eric Swalwell.

1:15:09It's like, that's not a great record. That's not a great track record. If you're going to pick the next person, I'm not sure that'd be a great endorsement. Well, different circumstances. You can grant him. Fair point. Okay, thank you. Steve Hilton is who President Trump endorsed in this race. California's Republican Party is not making an endorsement after neither candidate reached the 60 % threshold for that endorsement at its convention. As much as you just want to embrace the mess that Democrats are in right now, do you think Trump should have weighed in here? Listen, I'm not sure Donald Trump's endorsement helps anybody in California.

1:15:44right? It's a state that's obviously has a huge, huge Democratic population. But listen, you know, maybe to the point Adrian's making, to get to be in that top tier, the top vote getters, you need to consolidate all the Republican votes behind a single person, right? So perhaps the president's endorsement does help Steve Hilton in terms of consolidating the vote to get to the next level, right? Just to be able to make it out of the primary with enough votes to get to get to the top of the ticket there so he can end up being on the ballot and locking out the Democrats from having a chance. That would be the most ironic thing in the history of the world that there are no Democrats.

1:16:24As far as like asking Republicans about California politics in the Republican Party, everybody's like, oh man, I don't. Orange County. That's the Republican Party. Actually, that's not true. Northern California has got some Republicans as well, right? It's true. That's true. North, but largely. OK, I want to ask, I'm like absolutely fixated on this story. Call by I, Bloomberg reporting today, the CFTC is investigating a series of suspicious trades in the oil futures market ahead of policy pivots by President Trump related to Iran. People familiar with the matter are telling Bloomberg the agency is, quote, looking into at least two instances over a period of about two weeks where trading volumes surge shortly before major announcements.

1:17:05What I think is notable about this, David, is one, it's very obvious the surge. They were happening pre-market, especially before the March 23rd pullback of the threat. It happened at 7.09 a.m. and at 6.58. You could see just a massive surge in volume. But I'm most interested in it because people are actually looking into this. How real do you think this is? Look, I think it's a huge problem, obviously, right? There's a huge ethical, moral, and obviously perhaps legal implications of this. People shouldn't be able to profit off of these kind of insider information, whether it's in the administration or whether it's in the Congress.

1:17:46You see this, there's a hue and cry amongst everyone in America that people in Congress shouldn't be able to trade on their knowledge, on their information. If you look at some of these sites, unusual whales follow what they do. Some of these portfolios are crazy what members of Congress are able to do, and staff. And so it's a huge problem. And in a day and age when faith in our institutions, right, faith in our government is at an all-time low, see these kind of things taking place, just further erodes that, that people are coming here to enrich themselves and not do the people's work. And whoever's doing this, the oil's future markets, like this isn't some, like, you know, some 22-year-old kid who's like putting it on his credit card, right?

1:18:27This is pretty sophisticated stuff, right? So I'm sure someone's going to get the bottom of it, and there'll be some sort of consequences. I hope so. I like to see stock trading banned by the Congress. I'm not quite sure that's so hard to do. And we've got to get some trust back into our government. What do you think? Yeah, I completely agree. I mean, we're seeing this in some of the prediction markets too, like Calci, where we have seen people who certainly seem to have some inside information, place bets, and then make a lot of money after, you know, you saw this with the war in Iran, for example.

1:19:01It's a huge problem. Fortunately, Congress is taking action. I know Senator Adam Schiff has a bill out there to, at least on the prediction market side, try to create some degree of regulation. But we're entering into this new territory where, you know, people who have insider information, it's not just insider trading anymore, right? So when they understand and have intel about some specific policy that's coming down the pike, they can make money off of this. and it does erode trust in government. When I was the chief of staff 100 years ago, nobody thought about doing this. It was illegal, but nobody did it.

1:19:34Nobody did it. Why all of a sudden now is it happening? Why all of a sudden now is it permissible somehow for staff and members of Congress to trade without any sort of consequence? I think it's wrong and it should be stopped immediately. Spectre wasn't slipping you some tips to go take straight to the market? Number one, I don't think you had any money back then. I didn't have money to pay my student loans, let alone invest. But it was legal still. You could have done it, right? And it wasn't happening, right? I think it's happening now. It's a really important point. This is a very different moment, and I want people to pay attention to it.

1:20:06Thank you guys both very much. Appreciate you as always. Well, up next, the new steps Columbia is taking as hippos linked to Pablo Escobar wreak havoc on villages and threaten native species. Seriously.

1:20:23In our world lead, the long list of victims attributed to notorious Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar is about to get a little bit longer. Colombian officials announced this week plans to kill dozens of wild hippos that have roamed the country for years. CNN's Stefano Pazobon got an up-close look at these deceptively dangerous beasts. They may look chubby and almost cute, but Pablo Escobar's famous hippos have become a plague in Colombia. More than 30 years after the narco leader was killed in a shootout with police, some of his animals and their descendants are now being called. In 2021, CNN traveled to film with the hippos, who were roaming wild in lockdown.

1:21:07We're getting close to the hippos with an expert, finally. So this should give us special protection, because we're Regina. No! If I say run, you run, okay? If you say run, run. With wild animals, you cannot forget that. They are wild animals. They're not domestic. They have not passed all the domestic things. They're wild. And at some point, they'll get this wild gene and attack you. Before long, we ended up running.

1:21:45Our encounter with hippos was just a scare. but these animals can cause real damage. Luis Díaz was severely mauled when a hippo attacked him in 2020. His leg and several ribs were broken as the hippo jumped out of the water while he was fishing. Because of similar attacks, the Colombian government has authorized the plan to call up to 80 hippopotamuses, despite protests from environmental groups. A small number will remain at Hacienda Napoles, Escobar's own ranch, which is now a theme park, with the hippos the main attraction. Stefano Pozzabon, CNN, Bogota. Stefano Pozzabon, thank you so much.

1:22:30I hope you'll join me for my new video series CNN Breaks It Down. We're attacking the most pressing questions in business and politics. You can find the episodes on CNN.com slash watch. Aaron Burnett out front, start the channel.

1:23:11We'll see you next time. for three-month plan equivalent to$15 per month required. Intro rate first three months only, then full price plan options available. Taxes and fees extra. See full terms at mintmobile.com. Influential journalist Kara Swisher is taking a hard look at the longevity industry. There's so much bad information that the really good information gets drowned. The new CNN original series, Kara Swisher Wants to Live Forever. Now streaming on the CNN app.