Former British Ambassador To U.S. Arrested Amid Epstein Probe

21:35Jake Tapper:Yeah, but I didn't expect to see this kind of a spike in increases in the tariffs. The tariffs hit the aluminum markets that drive that price up so much, makes it difficult to get in the United States to remelt it and allow us to make the aircraft products that we make for all the major aircraft manufacturers here in the United States. Congressman, the court did not come up with any sort of conclusion as to what will happen to the billions of dollars that the federal government collected from the tariffs. Speaker Johnson just told CNN he does not think that the government should pay back those costs.

22:11How do you think it should be decided? I can't believe the speaker takes that position. If you have illegally put tariffs in place, that means the resources from those tariffs have been illegally received by the government. They belong to the people of the United States of America. And we need to push forward right now to making sure that those dollars get back to our fellow Americans as soon as possible. And that the biggest businesses in America with the highest priced lawyers don't get to the front of the line. We need to make sure that the American people and small and locally owned business have the fair opportunity to get their resources without having to hire a bunch of lawyers.

22:45That's the right approach. Now, it's going to be a mess, but it's not a mess of our making. It's a mess of Donald Trump's making because he put into place these illegal tariffs. Greg, how much approximately is it in the hundreds of thousands, in the millions of dollars that you think you've paid in tariffs?

23:00Jake Tapper:Well, the tariff cost is reflected in general metal pricing. I would say we took a seven-figure hit last year to our bottom line because of the impact tariffs had. So in the millions, what do you think should happen to that money? I'm just going to make up a number. Let's say it's$7 million. Well, I've got to let the politicians handle that one. Because I fall under the 232 tariffs. I don't fall under the IE EPA. So the politicians will have to handle that. That's kind of outside my knowledge. He has a 50 % tariff, plus now they're adding on to it this new tariff under Section 122. Yeah, let's talk about that.

23:37His tariff rates are going up massively in an industry in which he can only buy from Canada. He doesn't have the ability to buy from American sources. So this tariff under Section 232 is hitting an American company, not able to grow employment, yet he's not able to buy from American sources. It is completely self-defeating. And Greg, as the congressman just intimated, the president says he's going to use Section 122 to impose a global tariff of 15 percent. What do you expect the impacts of that will be?

24:08Jake Tapper:I will see a significant jump in the cost of aluminum coming in the United States. And that will be a very negative impact to companies like mine. Small businesses are the ones that are really struggling. We can't absorb it like the large corporations can. What doesn't make sense to me, Jake, is that we want to say made in America, yet we're wanting to tariff the raw materials to help me make it in America. Yeah. It doesn't make sense. And you can't get those raw materials here in the United States? That's correct. All right. Doug McHugh, our Congressman Greg Stanton from Arizona, and Greg Fraley, who's the CEO, COO of Falco.

24:43Thank you so much. Appreciate both of you. Thank you, Jay. Tomorrow will mark four long years since Russia invaded Ukraine. Many military analysts thought then Kiev would fall in a matter of days. That did not happen. Hear what the Ukrainian president thinks of his country's fight in this war right now. His exclusive interview with CNN is next.

25:02Jake Tapper:Let's have I got news for your ears. the podcast. I am your host, Michael Ian Black. I have nothing to hide. I've been exonerated, totally exonerated on Epstein. Yeah. The exonerated thing. Like, it's the word he learned and I don't think he even knows what it means. Come on. He knows what exonerated means. He's been on trial enough times. He's been exonerated a number of times. To me, it's the 1980s ran for president and won. Right. Why isn't the music more interesting? YMCA. Mm-hmm. Gloria. Mm-hmm. I'm going to say the glory of my mind. Michael Crawford receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

25:40Jake Tapper:Have I Got News for Your Ears releases new episodes every Wednesday. Don't miss an episode. Follow us wherever you get your podcasts. A horrible anniversary in our world lead. Tomorrow marks four years since Russia launched its all-out invasion of Ukraine, the biggest attack seen in Europe since World War II. U.S. mediated talks between Moscow and Kiev, part of the Trump administration's year-long push for a peace proposal have failed to reduce a breakthrough. CNN's Clarissa Ward is in Ukraine, and she sat down with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky today as the conflict is about to enter its fifth year.

26:19I've been coming here regularly throughout the war, and I can honestly say that this time it feels different. The morale is the lowest that I have ever seen it. And I wonder, as things stand, do you believe that Ukraine can still win this war? We didn't lose our country, our independence and freedom. We have it. Now we speak in the capital. Russia is not winning. This is very important. And everybody is asking how long we can hold the line and how long we can stay. And how long can you? You know, it's not about it. We want to do it yesterday. We wanted Putin to stop this war yesterday. And when we speak about how to stop him, first of all, to give Ukraine security guarantees.

27:18So help us understand what is going on with these security guarantees. What is the holdup? We have mostly everything, I think everything, in the paper. But it's not still signed. It's not signed by the United States. Why? This is the first. I think that the United States wants to sign security guarantees at the very same moment when the 20 points plan will be accepted by all of us. And is that a problem for you? I think it's not the problem, but I think I can tell you what is better. For me, still it's not clear that if Russia will begin against aggression against us. What I wanted very much to have in the security guard is, my question is how partners will react on the aggression of Russia.

28:14If it will be. So you want a very specific in writing guarantee. I want very—we have good things in these guarantees, it's true between us, it's true. But I want very specific answer what partners will be ready to do if Putin will come again. If you get those security guarantees, would you be willing to accept a frozen front line whereby Russia keeps the territory that they have already seized? We already said that we are ready for the compromise to freeze the points where we stay, the places. It's a frozen contact line. We are ready for this. But if Russians or partners in dialogue with Russians want just to withdraw our army from our fortifications, I mean, we can't be such foolish guys.

29:13We are not children. What would you like to hear from President Trump tomorrow at his State of the Union address?

29:25I want him to stay on our side. This woman said to me, I never want to hear the word resilient again. I am so over being resilient. I am so exhausted. I am so broken. What do you tell Ukrainian people right now who are feeling that, that they're done? It's very difficult. It's very understandable and painful

29:57that we want to end this war as quick as possible. And really, each day we do all we can. I speak with all the partners. I try to negotiate. I'm asking different partners in different continents, help me to stop Putin. But if we will give him all he wants, we will lose everything. Just everything. Our houses, our lives, our families, everything. because all of us people will have to run away from the country or be Russians.

30:38And Jake, I have to say it is notable being here this time and talking to Ukrainians that you do sense there is a lot of bitterness towards the U.S. A lot of people here feel that effectively America has abandoned Ukraine. They're still struggling to understand it because of how close that partnership was just four years ago. And they're so desperate to see the U.S. really apply more pressure on President Putin. That's important to underscore. President Zelensky said that the communication between him and President Trump is going well. They had good discussions in In December, the technical teams of negotiators are communicating with each other on a daily basis.

31:25But he said, let's be very clear about this. The U.S. is the only power in the world that can really push Putin to make the compromises. And he understands that Ukraine will have to make big compromises, too, to end this war once and for all, Jake. All right, Clarissa Ward, thank you so much. We're going to come back to you later in the show. Parts of the Northeast right now getting more than 30 inches of snow from a blizzard. 30 inches, you're looking at parts of New York's Central Park. The city's mayor, Zoran Mamdani, is coming up here on the lead. But first, the fight over a single congressional district in Texas.

31:59Why it's such a focus for Republicans ahead of the November midterms. What folks there told CNN's John King in his All Over the Map series. That's next.

32:14It's a big week in our politics lead and a lot's on stakes. So let's cue the music. CNN Elections Jam, please. There it is. The midterms are here. Texas kicks off the primary season a week from tomorrow, March 3rd. It's time to zero in on a hot race, specifically the 34th congressional district in Texas at the southern tip of the state. Currently holding the seat is conservative Democratic Congressman Vicente Gonzalez. President Trump barely won that district in 2024. competitive does not even begin to describe this race. CNN's John King went there to see why.

32:52Jake Tapper:That Texas 34 is even competitive speaks volumes about Trump's troubles. This was one of the big targets in the Texas redistricting plan. On paper, the district was solid red, but on the ground, it's a toss-up. And if this seat stays Democratic, well, then Democrats are taking the House, and that completely changes the Trump presidency. I don't think we are going to survive. Daisy Alcazar sees the stakes as way bigger than which party controls the House and Senate. We are on fire. We are being burnt down to the floor. Our businesses, our economy, our voice matters. We can make a change. This is the year that the Latino community can show up for their people.

33:37Jake Tapper:Alcazar owns La Palle in Brownsville. Can we let them fall in? Sales at the store are down. Alcazar says working families have less to spend. The edXXX plurge money. We are a luxury item right now. Plus, she says fear keeps many Latinos home. We are a target right now, and this doesn't matter if you're documented or are documented legal or illegal. ICE enforcement is literally walking up and down the streets. We cannot normalize this. Trump carried the 34th by four points in 2024. If the new lines had been in place, he would have won by 10 points. Here's what's changing. The current 34th includes Hidalgo County.

34:17Jake Tapper:That's along the U.S.-Mexico border. In the new map, the Hidalgo piece is pushed into a neighboring district. Added to the new 34th, a big slice of Nueces County. That's here, Corpus Christi. Now in the new district, about 60 ,000 fewer Latino residents and more white voters. Still, in the new 34th, the Hispanic population still makes up more than 70 percent of the voting age population. Milton Reyna owns a Corpus Christi bar about to shift to the redrawn district. A lot of our customers tend to lean a little further right. So when Trump was elected, it did, we did get a surge. Reyna is a three-time Trump voter, plans to vote Republican in November, but is sitting out the March primary.

34:59I think everybody's a little bit exhausted talking about politics.

35:03Jake Tapper:I tend to turn the TV off a little bit more than I used to. And Jake, on the ground there, you feel, hear, see, viscerally feel what you see in our new poll. The president's approval rating among Latinos has gone to 22%. He won nearly half of the Hispanic vote in the last election. He won nearly half, and he's down to 22%. If it stays down there, probably a little higher there in Texas, if that seat, they redrew that to make it Trump plus 10. And if the Republicans can't win that, the House is gone. Amazing. John King, thank you so much. Just amazing to watch the changes in just a year. Crazy.

35:36Also, the politics lead. Today, President Trump offered a small hint about tomorrow night's State of the Union address. Take a listen. Greatest economy we've ever had. We have the most activity we've ever had. I'm making a speech tomorrow night, and you'll be hearing me say that. I mean, it's going to be a long speech because we have so much to talk about. Long speech. So much to talk about. You can look for something a bit different during tomorrow's coverage of The Address as I lead coverage here on CNN, along with CNN's Anderson Cooper. CNN's All Access app will feature a voter livecast, a conversation happening in the key swing state of Michigan.

36:12It'll be hosted by two CNN senior political commentators, Van Jones and Scott Jennings. Gentlemen, thank you both for jumping on. I know you are making your way to Michigan. Van, first to you, give us a bit of your prep sessions. What are you going to be listening for in tomorrow's Voter Livecast?

36:30Jake Tapper:Well, you know, we're here in swing state country. This is not the coastal elite crowd. What do these voters care about? Do they care about Epstein? Do they care about ICE? What is on their minds is going to be very important for us to get a fix on before the State of the Union. And then afterwards, what resonates with them? Is there anything that Trump can say that would move a Democrat on any issue? Or is this just going to be a completely lost cause no matter what the president says? That's what I'm going to be dialing in on before and after. And Scott, Trump obviously turned Michigan red in 2016.

37:07It went blue in 2020. He flipped it back to red in 2024. Tomorrow's State of the Union is coming about eight months before the November midterms. How vital is Michigan in terms of what you're going to watch in this election cycle? Well, and it has a major Senate race and a major governor's race, so it's quite vital. And obviously, this state, Jake, is quite sensitive to the president's policies. You know, there are people in Michigan who love the tariff policies, for instance, and there are people who have been detractors of it. And I'm also going to talk to these voters, especially the ones who voted for Donald Trump, about are they actually excited to vote for other Republicans?

37:44This has been one of the enduring technical issues for the Republican Party. for the people who love Trump. Will they turn out for other Republicans on the ballot? That's going to be tested this November. And I think I'm going to be talking to a lot of people about the economy. This is the number one issue. It's the number one issue for Trump. It'll be the number one issue in every swing state race in America. I want to see, are they blaming Trump for the economy? Do they blame Biden? Do they think his prescriptions are working? You know, these are all conversations that I think Van and I are anxious to have with these swing state voters.

38:12And Van, President Trump said the speech is going to be long because he's got a lot to say. Any Any thoughts on how long or whether a long speech benefits him?

38:23Jake Tapper:Well, listen, I mean, the people who are going to listen are going to be his base. You know, a lot of people, if you don't like Trump, you won't listen to one minute or 101 minutes. So he does have a pattern with his base of being able to talk for a very long period of time. The reality is, what is he saying? And, you know, he's lost a lot of ground on immigration. Should have been his big issue. He's handled it so recklessly. It's a detriment for him. These tariffs are radically unpopular with his own party. So one reason you might have to talk for a long time, he's got a lot of explaining to do.

38:53Jake Tapper:He's got a lot of explaining to do to his base. Scott? Well, look, I think in Michigan, he's going to find some room to run on the economic message. Again, this is a state where he's had some significant union support, for instance, on the tariffs. One other topic we haven't touched on, but where you might see breaking news could be on foreign affairs. Obviously, we've amassed a huge armada in the Middle East. We don't quite yet know if the president's going to launch a war against the Iranian regime. We'll see what he has to say about that tomorrow night. So I agree with Van. There'll be some people who want to listen to it all.

39:26There'll be some people who don't want to listen to any of it. But certainly the president has the capacity to make some news tomorrow night. Does he plan anything else for his legislative agenda this year? Does he plan anything on the foreign affairs front? We could get a little breaking news out of the speech, and I think every American would want to hear that. All right, Scott, Van, thanks to both of you. Really appreciate it. And look for the voter livecast on the CNN app and right here on CNN during live coverage of the State of the Union address. It all begins at 8 p.m. Eastern tomorrow night.

39:56In old Mexico tonight, a sense of anxiety in the wake of violence set off by the killing of a high profile cartel boss. The U.S. State Department says it has taken in hundreds of calls from Americans initially told the violence is so severe they needed to shelter in place if they were in Mexico. So now what? I'm going to talk with one man who is essentially stranded. That's next.

40:24Welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper. This hour, tens of millions of Americans are under storm warnings tonight, with some towns getting more than 30 inches of snow. Roads are shut down, travel bans are in effect, and more than 10 ,000 flights have been canceled just so far. It's also the biggest snowstorm in years in New York City, and New York Mayor Zoran Mamdani is going to join us live ahead. Plus, U.S. citizens are urged to shelter in place in parts of Mexico, including some popular tourist areas after the killing of a cartel kingpin led to widespread violence. Suspected gang members setting businesses and vehicles on fire while clashing with law enforcement.

41:01We're going to speak with an American stranded there in moments. And House Speaker Mike Johnson says one of his Republican members, Congressman Tony Gonzalez, Republican of Texas, needs to promptly address the, quote, very serious allegations against him. Accusations that Gonzalez had an affair with a staffer who died by suicide last year. Those allegations of Royals' congressional race in Texas. We're going to go live to Capitol Hill for all the latest.

41:31The lead tonight, violent unrest in Mexico. Flights canceled. tourists stranded all in the wake of the killing of Mexico's most wanted drug cartel boss known as El Mencho, the leader of Jalisco New Generation Cartel, along with eight of its members. The cartel is known for extreme violence, public executions, trafficking of fentanyl and meth, and reportedly even forcing new recruits into cannibalism. The Mexican military carried out Sunday's operation with help from U.S. intelligence. Cartel members quickly retaliated, setting buses, taxis and businesses on fire and getting into deadly clashes with Mexico's security forces.

42:09The U.S. State Department urged stranded Americans in parts of Mexico to shelter in place. CNN's Valeria Leon is reporting from Mexico City for us. Valeria, how are citizens there grappling with this sudden wave of violence? Jake, the situation in Puerto Vallarta is tense. The resort town that's usually filled with tourists and spring breakers now feels an edge. Some businesses have been damaged and locals tell us they are worried about their safety. This all comes after Mexican forces captured Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, better known as El Mencho, the leader of the Jalisco New Generation cartel, one of the most powerful criminal organizations in the country.

42:55And within hours of his capture, cartel members launched a wave of violence. Highways were blocked with burning vehicles. Drivers were forced out of their cars. And this is not just any city. Puerto Vallarta is one of the Mexico's top beach destinations, the third most visited in the country, welcoming more than 6 million international tourists last year, a large number of them Americans. Right now, many of those Americans are stranded. And now we're hearing from the Mexican authorities that the situation is now under control. This morning, President Claudia Sheinbaum said security forces have been deployed and are working to restore order.

43:37But the next few hours, Jake, and the next few days will be critical in this situation. So who exactly was El Mencho and what does his killing mean for his cartel? Well, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes led the Jalisco New Generation cartel. This is a criminal group that rose in just over a decade to become one of Mexico's top violent cartels. And under his command, Jalisco New Generation cartel expanded rapidly across Mexico and into other countries. In 2025, the U.S. State Department designated this cartel a global terrorist organization, dramatically escalating international pressure on this group.

44:24The Jalisco New Generation Cartel built a deep structure under El Mencho. In fact, sometimes the debt of a kingpin fragments a cartel, creating smaller but even more unpredictable criminal cells. So while this marks the end of one of the most feared drug lords in modern Mexican history, it does not automatically mean the end of the Jalisco New Generation cartel. All right, Valeria Leon in Mexico City. Thank you so much. Muchas gracias. Meanwhile, many Americans and tourists are scrambling to find a way out of Mexico at this hour. Joining us now is David Miranda. He is stranded at a resort in Puerto Vallarta, a beach town in the western state of Jalisco.

45:08David, the State Department, the U.S. State Department, is urging Americans to shelter in place in several tourist hotspots, including where you are right now. How are you doing? Do you feel safe where you are? Yes, I think the worst is over at this time. Yesterday was definitely scary. It's like scenes out of a movie. Thank goodness I am staying a little bit north, about a five-minute drive from La Zona Romantica, where everything practically unfolded in La Marina and the hotel zone. I'm way up. I was able to smell everything. I was able to hear everything. And this morning we just woke up with, I would say, air quality very bad.

45:50What has the communication been like with the people who run the resort? Are you able to get basic necessities? Are they aware of the warnings that Americans got? Well, at this point we became all a community. I was staying in an Airbnb, and then we created a community with somebody that's in the resort right in front of us, which we were able to get meals. The retreat taking place from the States and hiding from their manager, I literally told them, you guys are our heroes because we wouldn't have been able to find food last night, water, food. We were supposed to travel out yesterday, actually, but we got cancellation of our flight.

46:30We got cancellation today, so we're basically just waiting. Today, we were able to get food. We went to the Zona Romantica or whatever market was open. Prices were obviously elevated. And wherever you did find anything, there were long lines. Do you have any idea of when you're going to be able to not only book a flight back home to Chicago, but I guess maybe you're even more concerned about getting a safe ride to the airport?

46:59That's the thing. At this point, there's no public transportation, really. They're saying that taxis are operating at this time. We did see two of them and they said, no, this is our work vehicle. So we can't use them. Ubers are not working. The buses that we normally use as well. You don't see them at this point, but there's still blockages. There's still burnt buses and burnt cars in certain areas, like in the road right down here, about three minute walk down here. there's still cars and buses incinerated and on the road. The U.S. State Department has set up a 24-7 crisis hotline for U.S. citizens.

47:38Have you or any of your friends there, your fellow vacationers, have you tried using it? You know, I did think about that this morning, even calling the U.S. Embassy. But at this point, I don't feel like we're in danger at all. There is no danger. and speaking to the people that are vacationing here. I have vacation here for many years. This is the first time it happens. It's basically on standby. Basically, airlines are on the domino effect from what we hear because I was trying to book with another airline, and they said we have to cater to the ones that were canceled first before we can book new reservations.

48:15So it's just the standby game. Does this experience give you pause about ever returning to Puerto Vallarta?

48:26No. You know, speaking to the locals, speaking to tourists, there's lots in the area that I'm staying right here. There's lots of Canadian and lots of U.S. citizens. Some of them that are retired here, they're all speaking, saying it's the first time they're experiencing something like this. Although, talking to the locals, they say that it could become a little worse because with the Jalisco cartel, the new leader or maybe some other cartel is going to want to take over. That's when it can get very sticky. So, therefore, they're just weighing out their options at this point. How did you learn about all this happening?

49:07How did you hear about the killing of the cartel leader? How did you hear about the unrest in the street? So we have some friends that we were traveling with, along with my cousin, and his dad was actually stranded on a road in Guadalajara, Jalisco. And he's like, wait, something's going on. And then that the lady or some lady there was telling them that there was fires around here. So then we were trying to take an Uber because we were going to fly out yesterday. Yesterday, we were flying out, but the Uber would take seven minutes, 12 minutes until we got a notification saying there's no available drivers at this time until the lady that works in the lobby in the resort across the street said, if you guys love your life, if you guys love yourself, basically, do yourself a favor and do not go to the airport at this time.

50:01And it was probably the best thing because we would have been stranded there like a lot of people. I've been seeing videos and everybody was just stranded there. David Miranda, thank you so much. Stay safe. We hope you get back home soon. Thank you. President Trump leveling a new threat at Iran this afternoon, promising a, quote, very bad day for that country if they don't negotiate a new nuclear deal with the U.S. So are we moving closer to U.S. military strikes against Iran? Are we moving closer to war? I'm going to ask a top Republican lawmaker next.

50:40In our world lead, President Trump today attempting to squash reports that his top general, Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Raisin-Kane, is advising him against striking Iran. writing on Truth Social that Cain, quote, like all of us would like not to see war, but if a decision is made on going against Iran at a military level, it is his opinion that it will be something easily won, unquote. The president goes on to say that he is the one that makes the decision to take military action and, quote, would rather have a deal than not. But if we don't make a deal, it will be a very bad day for that country.

51:12Here to discuss Republican Congressman Mike Turner of Ohio. He's the former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. So thanks so much for being here, Congressman. Axios and a lot of other outlets have this report today about the Joint Chiefs Chairman, Dan Raising Cain, warning the president and other officials that a military campaign could carry major risks of a drawn out conflict. What do you think is most likely here? You know, I think Raising Cain is raising good issues if he is, in fact, giving the president that advice. And what do you make of the president posting that he's denying these reports?

51:46Well, Jay, I think what's important here is that the president has, I think rightly so, taking action to hit Iran's nuclear weapons program. Many presidents had on the table that option, and many presidents had made the statement that Iran will not be allowed to have a nuclear weapons program, understanding the risk to our country, to our European allies, and to Israel. And then as we've done the assessment as to what is Iran doing now, what has been taken out, what is the effects, what are they attempting to pursue, and have now, with the president's decision, to enter into negotiations with Iran.

52:25Iran has a choice to enter into those negotiations, have a declaration as they have before. Where is their program? What are they doing? There is a calculus for Iran to take. And I think certainly the president understands that in making statements like this, he is making it clear to Iran that there's a risk if they don't proceed with negotiations. Now, we're all hoping, and certainly I do, that Iran comes to the table in a valuable way and abandons any attempt to continue their nuclear weapons program. And in doing so, that we have a resolution of this, and that certainly there would not be then a conflict.

52:59When protests broke out last month in Iran against the regime, polling showed very limited support in the U.S. for the U.S. military to take action. 33 % were in favor in the CBS News poll. Support was at 27 % among independents, only 60 % among Republicans polled, which is a relatively low number considering how much Republicans usually rally behind President Trump. What do you expect the president is going to say tomorrow night as Americans wait to see if he's going to actually use force again? Well, of course, that issue is a completely different issue than the nuclear weapons program that the president took action before.

53:34Whether or not to get involved because of the democracy protests. Right. So the issue of whether or not the regime is crumbling or whether or not the regime is taking action in killing its own people and whether or not there would be any military action to try to defend or take an action to protect those people is completely separate. And I don't anticipate that the president is going to, in the speech tomorrow, make any statements with respect to those protests, other than that Iran should stop killing its own people, which is absolutely horrific and is true. The issue of their nuclear weapons program, though, has been consistent throughout Republican, Democrat administrations and what the president has done.

54:21Certainly both should set back this program and Iran should think very, very carefully about not committing themselves to these negotiations. So let's turn to another hot topic. The president's been posting nonstop about the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to strike down his massive sweeping tariff policy. He wrote this morning, quote, as president, I do not have to go back to Congress to get approval of tariffs. It has already been gotten in many forms a long time ago. They were also just reaffirmed by the ridiculous and poorly crafted Supreme Court decision. You said on Friday that you don't, quote, support Congress further granting any president express broad and unrestrained tariff authority.

54:59What do you make of this assertion from him that he doesn't need Congress when, quite frankly, the U.S. Supreme Court just made it pretty clear. Yes, he does. Well, the Supreme Court decision was a statutory interpretation of the emergency act in which the president had previously taken an executive action. And they found in that statutory interpretation that the president did not have tariff authority under that statute that he had invoked. There have been calls to expand tariff authority for the president. And I do not agree that we should expand. I don't think there are other votes for that.

55:36No, absolutely not. And I think Gorsuch, in his opinion, he really gave a very nice warning that, you know, once given to the president, it's very difficult for the, you know, when Congress delegates its own constitutional authority to a president to ever get it back. And so I am opposed to us expanding delegations of those authorities. Now, the action the president has taken is currently under a specific statute that also is one from the 70s. It's a temporary tariff. It is a temporary one, right. And I'm certainly not for expending that either. All right. Republican Congressman Mike Turner from Ohio.

56:11Always good to see you, sir. Thanks so much for being here today. A House Republican called for one of her colleagues to resign over allegations of an affair that went really, really bad. We're going to go live to Capitol Hill for details next.

56:31Our politics lead house speaker Mike Johnson is under growing pressure, even from within his own party, to push Republican Congressman Tony Gonzalez of Texas to resign. Gonzalez is facing pretty serious allegations of having had an affair with a district staffer who later died by suicide. CNN chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju joins us now for this sad, ugly tale. And Manu, You asked Speaker Johnson about this controversy today. And if he agrees Gonzalez should resign in the wake of these allegations, what did he have to say? He wouldn't go that far, Jake. He did acknowledge how serious these allegations are, but says that the investigations need to play out.

57:07But this is totally caught Speaker Johnson by surprise and has come at an extremely delicate time for his speakership, where he is clinging to the House Republican majority by the narrowest of margins. He can only afford to lose one Republican vote on any party line vote. There are already several special elections set to take place. And if Gonzalez were to resign, it would tighten that majority even further. Right now, he is not going as far as Congresswoman Lauren Boebert, Congresswoman Nancy Mace, among the Republicans who came out today and said that Gonzalez should resign in the aftermath of these allegations of sexual misconduct.

57:44And when I put that question to the speaker, he did not go that far. Why should Tony Gonzalez resign given these very serious accusations?

57:56Jake Tapper:There are serious accusations, and it must be taken seriously. And I've told him he's got to address that with his constituents, and he's in the process of doing that. It's my understanding. There's an investigation in the state of Texas on these matters and has been going for some time. And the Office of Congressional Conduct has also been reported. They've been looking at it. All of that was news to me. But I think as in every case like this, you have to allow the investigations to play out and all the facts to come out. And Congressman Nancy Mace, one of those Republicans who called on Gonzalez to resign, told our colleague Alice Kim about Johnson's explanation, said that's the answer for everything in this place.

58:35That's why everyone gets away with everything here, which shows you the pressure that Johnson is under to do something or try to reprimand Gonzalez in some way. But Gonzalez himself is facing voters, Jake, in just over a week. March 3rd is a primary in his state. He is up against a conservative challenger who he barely defeated in the last cycle. And just today, the House Freedom Caucus, that far-right faction within the House GOP, its political arm put its weight and its support behind Gonzalez's challenger, another sign of his growing political challenges amid this growing scandal, Jake. And Manu, what exactly are the allegations?

59:14Jake, the allegations are that he engaged in sexual misconduct and exchanged lewd text messages with a staffer who allegedly committed suicide in the aftermath of this exchange that he had. And she, her husband, has now provided some of those text messages to local reporters, which is shining a light on Gonzalez's actions a couple of years ago. Gonzalez has denied, he contended that this is blackmail, of sorts, Jake, but he hasn't said, he hasn't totally addressed some of these allegations. We've put questions to his office, put questions to him. He has not responded to some of our questions, Jake.

59:53Manu Raju, thanks so much. Appreciate it. New York City is dealing with the biggest snowstorm in more than five years. How long will it take for everything to be back up and running? We're going to have Mayor Zaran Mamdani of New York join us next.

1:00:12In our national lead, a complete northeastern United States shutdown. More than 40 million people are under blizzard warnings as another bomb cyclone slams the northern United States with near hurricane force wind gusts and extreme snowfall, knocking out power, making travel impossible. The worst of the snow is currently slamming southern New England. CNN's Michael Yoshida is in Boston, where a blizzard warning remains in effect.

1:00:42Jake Tapper:Wild winter weather slamming the northeast. We're sort of a foot, foot and a half under snow. It's a wicked nor 'easter. A massive bomb cyclone putting more than 40 million people under blizzard warnings and grinding travel to a halt. We need residents to really stay home and heed that warning. At least seven states have received a foot of snow or more, and at least four states have been buried under at least two feet. This is the worst storm in over a decade for us. The heavy snow and hurricane force wind gusts creating whiteout conditions, downing trees and power lines, leaving thousands in the dark.

1:01:16Jake Tapper:We had about 5 ,000, over 5 ,000 public workers, public utility workers across the state deployed. they're really getting people back up and online as quickly as possible. New York receiving the most snow from a single storm in over five years. Since last night, New York City has been in near blizzard conditions. Conditions have begun to moderate, but there is still more to come. As the storm tracks north, blizzard conditions wreaking havoc on much of New England. In Boston, heavy, wet snow, wind gusts over 40 miles per hour, and a quarter-mile visibility making navigation treacherous. Don't go out if you don't need to.

1:01:59Jake Tapper:As some enjoy winter wonderland. We look forward to it, and the town just shuts down completely. Others face a nightmare. We're just in the airport. We don't know what we're going to do. More than 10 ,000 flights have been canceled from Sunday to Tuesday, according to FlightAware, stranding travelers across the region. At a short time ago, Massachusetts issuing a partial travel ban impacting the south coast here in the state. That's an area hit especially hard by this heavy wet snow and these power outages. Officials saying it could take some time to get everything cleaned up. Jake. All right, Megaloshita, thanks.

1:02:34Stay safe. Joining us now to discuss the storm, New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani. Mayor Mamdani, thanks so much for joining us. The storm is New York City's ninth snowiest since 1869. Earlier today, there were reports of some power outages in some parts of your city. What can you tell us about that? And has anyone been hurt in this storm to your knowledge? So it's a real pleasure to be on, Jake. And I can just start with the power outages. So we were alerted to the fact about 10 ,000 New Yorkers lost power, mostly concentrated in the Rockaways. And this time about 8 ,000 of them have recovered that power.

1:03:11We sent out emergency personnel to inspect the conditions as well as opened up three warming centers to ensure that for any New Yorker who was without power, they had a place to stay warm and to stay safe. Because as you said, this is one of the largest amounts of snowfall the city has ever received. This is the first blizzard since 2016. And citywide, we saw about 19 to 20 inches. There were parts of New York City, like eastern Staten Island, we saw 24 inches of snow. Now, thankfully, that snow has come to an end at this time, and now it's a question of response. And I can tell you that we don't have any indications that anyone has lost their life.

1:03:46as a result of this blizzard. We have been using every tool we have to try and get homeless New Yorkers inside over the course of this snow where they can be safe and they can be warm. The storm's also, of course, having a major impact on air travel. The last flight to depart New York's LaGuardia Airport was a Southwest Airlines flight to Nashville at 8.19 p.m. last night. Do you have a sense of when airlines might feel it will be safe to resume travel? You know, I can't tell you an exact time. I can just tell you that we're going to be using every tool that we have to make sure that it is safe to travel, whether by air, whether by bus, whether by train, whether by bike, or whether by foot or by car.

1:04:23And frankly, we're very lucky here in New York City that we have the incredible men and women of the DSNY, our Department of Sanitation. You know, I began my day-to-day with them at around 6.30 a.m. seeing their Blade Runner 2.0 system, where they showed me that by 5.30 a.m. this morning, they had hit more than 99 percent of our city's streets with a first plow attempt. And that continues through the day as they have 2 ,500 hardworking men and women on every single 12-hour shift. Right now, actually, there will be about more than 2 ,000 who are returning from a shift, more than 2 ,000 about to go on another shift.

1:04:56Your city's urgently hiring emergency snow shovelers to help remove snow and ice from public areas, offering people$30 an hour. House Republicans are criticizing you for requiring workers to bring multiple forms of identification to sign up for that job. They tweeted, quote, let's get this straight in Zoran Mamdani's socialist utopia. It takes two forms of ID to shovel snow, but no ID to vote. Make it make sense, unquote. What's your response to that, sir? Well, here in New York City, we follow the law, and it's federal law to require certain forms of identification in order for someone to actually be paid for this kind of a job.

1:05:35And so that's what we're asking for, two forms of identification. It's a longstanding city program. It's a long standing city policy. And thanks to the hard work of DSNY, they've expanded their capacity for how many New Yorkers they can supervise at a time, now up to 1 ,800 per shift. And so these hardworking men and women who've signed up over the course of the last few days and last few weeks, they've joined the work that sanitation has been doing and they're clearing crosswalks, bus stops, fire hydrants, helping our city get back on its feet. President Trump today briefly brought up the snow shoveling situation in your city.

1:06:06Take a listen. It's so crazy. You know, the mayor of New York, and he's a very nice person. I met him, but his ideology is not too good. But we're having a massive snowstorm right now.

1:06:21Jake Tapper:And I've heard that he's asked people to come out and help shovel the snow. Okay. So you get a shovel and you start shoveling, right? What the hell? You're not going to help too much, but you can help The president actually praising you in there for being nice while kind of dismissing your snow-shoveling plan. Have you talked to him at all about the snorm if you need federal assistance? How often do you talk or text with him? You know, I will keep those conversations private. However, what I will tell you is that the conversations that I have had in the past with the president, including that at the Oval Office, as he had shared right after, we're always focused on New York City and how we can make sure that we are actually helping New York City.

1:07:07And frankly, this emergency snow shoveler program is one that allows every single sanitation worker to be on the plows, to be on the salt spreaders, to get this city back up and running. It's why they've been able to disperse about 50 million pounds of salt. And then these snow shovelers are the ones who supplement the work, frankly, of the department. And what we've seen is here in New York City, as is the law, property owners have to clear the sidewalk in front of their property. They have to clear the crosswalk that's abutting them. And yet there were about 4 ,000 violations in the last storm of this.

1:07:37Our interest, frankly, is not in issuing violations. It's in finding compliance. And so this is also work to assist in that. While I have you, there are a couple of things going on in your city I want to ask you about. Starting this month, New York City is hosting a rental ripoff hearing in each borough to address so-called bad landlords and predatory management companies. What will the city do in response to serious complaints? Obviously, it's not nothing to allow venting and allow people to bring things to the attention of authorities. But what are the authorities going to do with that? Is there going to be legal action?

1:08:08Are there going to be new policies developed? What will it ultimately actually mean? So it's exactly that, Jake. It's actually to inform a lot of the new policies we're going to be putting together. We want to make sure that those policies are reflections of what so many tenants have had to go through time and time again, whether it be the kind of absurd junk fees they're forced to pay or the kind of conditions that they're forced to consider to be habitable when they know that they are anything but that. I mean, when I was running for this office, I remember standing in front of a building where the landlord had been found guilty of having a beehive that was not actually addressed over the course of many, many months.

1:08:45This is what many tenants are living through. We're going to have one of these in each borough to make sure that when we are putting together our comprehensive housing plan, when we're putting together our accountability mechanisms for bad landlords, that they're actually a reflection of what tenants are having to live through. We've also seen in recent weeks anti-Israel protests take place in New York City right outside synagogues. One explicitly pro-Hamas, which the U.S. government considers a terrorist group, and it's a group that has killed innocent Americans. In response, the new speaker of the New York City Council formally introduced a bill to allow the police department to ban protests within a perimeter of up to 100 feet from any houses of worship to protect congregants' rights to peacefully pray and avoid, quote, injury, intimidation, and interference from demonstrations.

1:09:33A hearing on the bill is scheduled for Wednesday. What's your position on the bill? so you know i've said time and time again that this is a city where we can hold many things at the same time one of them being that this is a city where every single new yorker that includes jewish new yorkers as well as muslim new yorkers christian new yorkers new yorkers of any faith or no faith at all can be able to go and worship freely in a house of worship and it's also a city where new yorkers should be able to exercise their first amendment rights so upon becoming the mayor of our incredible city i directed my law department and my police Department to investigate the legality of this specific proposal as well as other related ones and to come back to me with a review.

1:10:13And what I can tell you is that my police commissioner has shared some concerns about the way in which this legislation was initially written as per its actual operability. All right, New York Mayor Zoran Mamdani, thank you. Good luck with the storm. We appreciate your coming on the show today. Absolutely. Thank you for having me, Jake. Real pleasure. On this fourth anniversary of Russia's war in Ukraine, CNN's Clarissa Ward is live in Kiev, as you saw earlier in the show, and she's speaking to innocent Ukrainians who are still being bombarded by Russian attacks. She's going to bring us her story next.

1:10:52Turning back to our world lead as the Russian invasion of Ukraine enters its fifth year as of tomorrow. Russia continues to intensify drone and missile attacks on the Ukrainian energy grid, knocking out electricity and heat for millions of innocent Ukrainians. CNN's Clarissa Ward spoke with Ukrainians about the devastating toll the past four years of conflict has had on their lives. A warning to our viewers, you might find some of these images disturbing.

1:11:18On the outskirts of Odessa, at an abandoned railway station, the smell of death hangs heavily in the air. These railroad cars once carried cargo across the country. Now they hold the remains of thousands of Ukrainians. As repatriations from territory seized by Russia have increased, the arrivals have become more frequent and the numbers harder to comprehend. More than 80 ,000 Ukrainians are officially missing in this war, and the vast majority of those who are missing are believed to be dead. For thousands of families searching for their loved ones, the waiting has become its own kind of battlefield.

1:12:09Outside the city, we meet Snezhana Shistakova. Her husband, Alekh, a sergeant in the Ukrainian army, went missing on October 30, 2024, after a failed attack on Russian positions in Donetsk. What is this? Yes, Oleg is alive. It's the sign here that says, yes, Oleg is alive.

1:12:31Jake Tapper:I was watching and saying. Because you need to believe. Because you need to believe that it's true, that he's alive. Yes, I believe that he's alive. because he left, he said, whatever you said, don't believe anyone, I'm going to return.

1:13:01Jake Tapper:We're waiting for him.

1:13:16He still sits in the hallway. Snezhana spends her days going through their messages to each other. I have a nice day today, this is my soul. Wait and meet my loved ones. Can you help us understand the pain of living with not knowing? It is one thing to go through the pain of grieving, but the agony of not knowing is a unique form of cruelty.

1:14:00After four long years of war, Ukraine and its people are being stretched to the limit. Murals on the road into Kiev celebrate the heroism of Ukrainian soldiers. But inside many apartments, families are fighting a quieter battle against the cold. I don't know if you can hear, it's almost deafening now everywhere you go in Kiev, the sound of generators. Relentless Russian strikes on energy infrastructure have left residents facing constant power and heating outages during the coldest winter in years. Mamacita was Svetlana Kivirenko's dream. Hello, hi. Built from the ground up, a place where moms and their kids could escape the grind of war.

1:14:50It was pure plump. We had the snail salon, we had makeup here, we had a cosmetologist. So mom could take a break. A break, yes, and relax. Earlier this month, Svetlana finally had to close Mamacita.

1:15:08Jake Tapper:I died that time, really. I mean, because it's my heart. It's my dream. But it was just one day, generator broke, and that's it. You know, there's this idea that Ukrainians are just like superhuman superheroes. I mean, we are not superhumans. We are not robots. We are not super people. We are human and we are breakable, unfortunately. And do you think a lot of people are at breaking point? I'm sure. For Veronika Borominova, breaking down is not an option. She is raising her three-year-old daughter Masha on her own. Tonight, they will climb ten flights of stairs to reach their apartment.

1:16:01There is no power, and they do not trust the elevator, even with the emergency generator. After two months of outages, it has become a familiar routine.

1:16:18Inside the apartment, Masha shows us how they keep the lights on. That's so pretty. That is so pretty. And now you have light from a power bank.

1:16:30Jake Tapper:This. I have two power banks. Oh, you have two power banks. In the kitchen, they make tea by candlelight using a portable gas stove. Dinner is usually instant soup or noodles, but they are lucky that they still have heat. How long can you go on like this?

1:17:18As night falls, the city goes dark. In the end, Ukraine's greatest strength may have become its heaviest burden, a nation expected to endure without end. And Jig, just to give you a sense of the scale of loss that we are talking about here, A recent study estimates that by the spring, we will be looking at 2 million casualties on the Russian and Ukrainian sides. That is, people who have either been killed or injured or disappeared during this four years of war. And roughly 500 ,000 to 600 ,000 of those are Ukrainian. And when we spoke to President Zelensky and asked him about this figure, he said, listen, I'm not going to talk to you about specific numbers with regards to casualties, but I will tell you that I feel the loss keenly and I feel the loss deeply.

1:18:15At the same time, he said, when I said, do you have a responsibility essentially to end this war for the Ukrainian people? He said, yes, but I cannot end it in a way that sells out the sacrifice that so many have already made, Jake.

1:18:37Thank you so much. Another top CDC official is out just months after starting the job. That's next. Our last lead start in our health lead where the deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, is leaving his position after just over two months. After being sworn in, the agency's statement says that Dr. Ralph Abraham is stepping down due to, quote, unforeseen family obligations. Leadership at the CDC has had several changes since last year's abrupt removal of then-director Dr. Susan Menarez and recent shake-ups ahead of the midterm elections. In our sports lead, Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn revealing in a social media video today that her doctor saved her leg from amputation after her devastating fall during the Olympics.

1:19:21Despite tearing her ACL shortly before the Games, Vonn was hoping to persevere through her events. Instead, her Olympic run ended in catastrophe with multiple tibia, fibula and ankle fractures. While Vaughn is currently still wheelchair bound, Vaughn hopes to move to crutches within a few weeks, but it's expected to take a year for all of the bone fractures to heal. A reminder, CNN's going to have special coverage of the president's State of the Union address. That's tomorrow night. I'll be leading coverage here along with CNN's Andrews and Cooper. It all begins at 8 p.m. Eastern tomorrow here on CNN.

1:19:55Aaron Burnett out front. Starts now. See you tomorrow.

1:20:05Jake Tapper:New cycle making your head spin? The Have I Got News For You crew is here to help with a comic take on the week's headlines. New episodes, Saturdays at 9 on CNN and next day on the CNN app.