Global Oil Prices Surge To $110 After Strikes On Energy Facilities

20 Mar 2026 · 1 h 30 min · 34 chapters

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Podcast Notes: The Lead with Jake Tapper - Episode on Global Oil Prices Surge to $110 After Strikes on Energy Facilities

Host: Jake Tapper Episode Title: Global Oil Prices Surge To $110 After Strikes On Energy Facilities Episode Description: This episode discusses the economic impact of the ongoing war in Iran, featuring insights from an oil executive and top intelligence officials.

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Key Takeaways

  1. Economic Impact of Conflict
  2. President Trump asserts that the economic pain from the war in Iran is temporary and manageable.
  3. Gas prices surged nearly a dollar in just one month, raising public skepticism about the "temporary" nature of economic distress.
  1. Recent Developments in the War
  2. Escalation of Military Actions:
  3. Israeli military's attack on Iran's South Pars natural gas field provokes a series of retaliatory strikes from Iran.
  4. Significant damage reported at Qatar's natural gas processing facility and missile debris fell on Abu Dhabi facilities.
  • Oil Price Surge:
  • Global oil prices reached $110 per barrel due to the tensions, with major oil-producing regions at risk.
  • Concerns about impacts on oil production and the increased threat to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global oil transit route.
  1. U.S. Government Response
  2. The U.S. administration is pushing for a coordinated effort to secure the Strait of Hormuz and stabilize oil supplies.
  3. Discussion about potential increase in Pentagon funding to address the conflict.
  1. Insights from Oil Industry Executives
  2. Mike Summers (American Petroleum Institute):
  3. Emphasized the importance of opening the Strait of Hormuz for stabilizing prices.
  4. Clarified that while the U.S. is a net exporter of oil, it relies on imported crude for refining.
  • Concerns Raised:
  • Attacks on energy infrastructure could lead to long-term disruption in oil production.
  1. Political Commentary
  2. President Trump’s comments on the war and economic implications appear contradictory and unclear.
  3. Intelligence officials express concerns over the separation of U.S. and Israeli objectives in the conflict.
  1. Broader Implications of the War
  2. The potential for Iran to respond with further asymmetrical attacks increases regional tensions.
  3. The discussion of military strategies raises questions about the future of U.S. involvement in Middle Eastern conflicts.

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Discussion Highlights

A. President Trump's Statements

  • Trump denies knowledge of Israel's plan to strike Iran’s energy facilities while simultaneously asserting control over U.S. military actions.
  • His remarks about economic stability contradict public sentiment shown in polling data which indicates widespread disapproval of his economic handling.

B. Oil Industry and National Interests

  • The role of oil executives in advising the government during crises emphasizes the intertwining of energy and national security.
  • The need for a comprehensive energy strategy to alleviate pressure on consumers amidst rising fuel prices.

C. Intelligence and Military Strategies

  • Intelligence officials have conveyed the complexity of evaluating threats and the implications of military action, reflecting a divergence in U.S. and Israeli strategic goals.
  • The potential for a shift in regional power dynamics as a result of ongoing military operations and responses from Iran.

D. Public Reaction and Concerns

  • Public anxiety grows as gas prices rise; the economic impact is felt directly in consumers’ daily lives.
  • Discussion on how political messaging around economic hardship and war needs to resonate more effectively with voters.

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Conclusion The episode of "The Lead" provides an in-depth exploration of the multifaceted impacts of the ongoing conflict in Iran, particularly focusing on economic ramifications, military strategies, and public sentiment. It highlights the importance of clear communication from political leaders and the need for strategic coherence in addressing both immediate and long-term national and global challenges.

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Additional Information

  • For further details and analysis, listeners can access the episode through the CNN app or website.
  • Ongoing coverage of this and related topics can be found on CNN's news platforms.

Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.

Chapters

Tap a time to open that second in VO

Escalation in the Iranian Conflict

2:16 to 4:30

Discuss the recent attacks on energy facilities and the implications for global oil prices.

“attacks on energy infrastructure are causing global oil prices, not to mention tensions to surge even higher.”

Impact of Oil Price Surge

4:31 to 6:04

Explore how the surge in oil prices affects global markets and U.S. consumers.

“Of course, global oil was already in crisis due to Iran effectively shutting down the key Strait of Hormuz, attacking and threatening to attack any ships, any oil tankers that pass through there.”

Expert Analysis: Energy Crisis Discussion

6:05 to 8:52

An expert from the American Petroleum Institute discusses the energy crisis and solutions.

“Vance joined the Trade Association's annual board meeting along with Energy Secretary Chris Wright and the Interior Secretary Doug Berman and a bipartisan group of Congress and governors.”

Government Strategies to Control Oil Prices

8:53 to 11:01

Discussion on U.S. strategies to manage oil prices and the Strait of Hormuz situation.

“And the president was right to raise concerns about it yesterday, because the concern is right now, of course, the Strait of Hormuz is closed.”

Updates on U.S. Fighter Jet Incident

13:12 to 14:00

Coverage of a U.S. fighter jet incident amidst rising tensions in the region.

“Their Navy's gone, their Air Force is gone, their anti-aircraft equipment is gone.”

Conflict in Lebanon: A Call for Ceasefire

14:00 to 16:42

Discussion on the urgent plea for peace and negotiations in Lebanon amidst airstrikes.

“aircraft brought down by Iran, obviously undergoing an emergency landing in this case since the start of this conflict.”

TSA and Airport Disruptions Amidst Shutdown

17:09 to 20:46

Reports on airport wait times and TSA worker frustrations during a government shutdown.

“As our guest David Pogue writes in his new book, 27 % of the world's population now uses Apple devices.”

Perjury Accusations Against Epstein's Attorney

20:47 to 22:00

Discussion of perjury claims against Jeffrey Epstein's attorney and implications.

“This programming note, we're going to talk to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.”

House Oversight: Document Access and Accountability

22:01 to 27:55

Debate over the withholding of documents and accountability from officials regarding Epstein's case.

“But House Democrats, well, they're not buying it.”

Subpoena and Oversight Committee Dynamics

28:00 to 29:22

Learn about the implications of the subpoena sent to the attorney general and the potential consequences of non-compliance.

“Are you worried about them backing away?”
Show all 34 chapters

Iran's Regional Response to Israeli Strikes

30:31 to 33:38

Examine Iran's capacity to retaliate against U.S. and Israeli actions in the region and its impact on global oil prices.

“Point boosters subject to exclusions and more terms apply.”

U.S. and Israeli Objectives in the Conflict

33:38 to 36:54

Understand the differing military objectives of the U.S. and Israel in their operations against Iran.

“There's, I think, a shipment of medical supplies that were destined for Sudan and Yemen.”

Regional Partnerships and Approaches to Iran

36:54 to 38:21

Discuss the importance of cooperation among Gulf states in addressing the Iranian threat and the potential for regime change.

“Maybe a little bit like Iraq in the 90s, Jake.”

FBI Leadership and Political Dynamics

38:21 to 40:07

Delve into the recent clashes between House Democrats and the FBI about staff firings and political influence.

“Coming up next, FBI Director Kash Patel is back on Capitol Hill.”

Documentary on FBI and Presidential Relations

40:07 to 42:00

Explore the dynamics between the FBI and different U.S. presidents through the lens of a new documentary series.

“Director Cash Patel often mirroring Donald Trump's own style with the president's perceived political enemies.”

Overview of FBI and Presidential Dynamics

42:00 to 43:04

Explore the complex relationship between President Clinton and the FBI.

“Louis Free had the guideposts of faith and family, and Bill Clinton had the guideposts of position and power.”

March Madness and Sports Betting Risks

43:32 to 44:27

Discuss the financial implications and addiction concerns of March Madness betting.

“More importantly, there is some serious money on the line.”

Congressional Hearing on Iran Threats

44:27 to 46:54

Insight into congressional questioning regarding threats posed by Iran.

“Top of mind for most House Intelligence Democrats today, the precise details of what led the U.S.”

Intelligence Community's Assessment of Iran

46:54 to 50:49

Explore the intelligence assessments regarding Iran's nuclear ambitions.

“All right, Kylie Atwood, thanks so much.”

Reactions to Director Gabbard's Statements

50:49 to 53:03

Congressman Crow's insights on Gabbard's responses during the hearing.

“So we really have to look at the situation that we've created for ourselves and how we might be worse off than we were just 30 days ago.”

Netanyahu's Updates on Iran Conflict

53:03 to 54:15

Hear about the latest from Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu regarding Iran.

“The New York Times and others are reporting that Joe Kent is now under investigation by the FBI for potentially having leaked sensitive intelligence.”

The Growth of Sports Betting in America

54:15 to 56:00

Analysis of the booming sports betting industry and its implications.

“In our sports lead, the first round of March Madness kicked off today as college basketball student-athletes vie to make the Final Four and become national champions.”

The NFL's Shift on Sports Betting

56:00 to 57:58

Explore the NFL's evolving stance towards sports betting and partnerships.

“How much money do you make on selling your data to the sportsbooks?”

Challenges of Gambling Addiction

57:58 to 59:49

Discuss the implications of in-game betting and gambling addiction risks.

“And he said, if you're a 49er fan, we want you rooting for the 49ers to win.”

The Impact of Gambling on Sports

59:49 to 1:00:38

Examine how gambling trends are reshaping the sports industry landscape.

“These are structural improvements to the economics of in-play trading, and another way we're empowering our sportsbook partners to maximise their revenue.”

Israeli Prime Minister's Update

1:01:01 to 1:03:08

Insights on the Israeli prime minister's remarks about the Iran war.

“And we're back with breaking news in our world lead.”

Tragic News from Barcelona

1:03:08 to 1:05:14

Report on the discovery of an American student found dead in Barcelona.

“The prime minister once again said that for regime change to happen, the Iranian people need to actually rise up.”

Afro Man's Defamation Case

1:05:19 to 1:10:00

Discussion about Afro Man's legal victory against police for defamation.

“Now, if you don't know his story, you might recognize the name from this.”

Reflections on Personal Experiences and Resilience

1:10:00 to 1:12:09

The speaker shares personal experiences around resilience and the impact on family during a traumatic event.

“So after he tried to get me for four million dollars, flip me off, unapologetic about my my door, you know, you know, I'm still willing to work with him, but I'm singing these songs.”

The Lemon Pound Cake Phenomenon

1:12:10 to 1:13:36

A humorous discussion about the viral 'lemon pound cake' moment and its impact on the speaker's music.

“Like, I didn't get, I didn't feel no type of way until I seen Randy Walters waddle in his head, you know?”

ABC Cancels The Bachelorette: Behind the Scenes

1:13:37 to 1:16:17

Insight into the cancellation of The Bachelorette due to a domestic violence investigation involving a lead.

“Afro man, thank you and congratulations on your First Amendment victory.”

Rising Gas Prices and Economic Impact

1:16:18 to 1:19:03

Discussion on the implications of rising gas prices and how they affect the economy and public perception.

“Gas prices have risen 90 cents per gallon since the start of the Iran war.”

Political Messaging on Economic Pain

1:19:04 to 1:22:08

Analyzing the effectiveness of political messages in addressing economic concerns among citizens.

“people feel like you've called them to something.”

The Impact of Learning and Diet on Brain Health

1:24:00 to 1:24:20

Discover how learning and nutrition can profoundly affect brain structure.

“When you learn something new, you increase the number of synapses.”
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Transcript

Automatic transcript. May contain errors.

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1:01American consumers are taking quite the hit from Trump's war with Iran. The lead starts right now. I thought it would be worse, much worse actually. I thought there was a chance it could be much worse. It's not bad and it's going to be over with pretty soon. Our billionaire president's insisting the economic pain you're feeling because of the war is only temporary and not a big deal. But when gas prices are up nearly a dollar in a month, Is it temporary? Is it not a big deal? Gage for yourself, an oil executive who was in key meetings today will be here in minutes on the lead. And the norm-breaking Pearl Harbor remark that President Trump quipped in the Oval Office while sitting next to the Prime Minister from Japan.

1:47It made the sheriff want to put down his gun and cut him a slice. The rapper known as Afro Man on the lead, he was sued for defamation for a song he made that mocked the cops who raided his home but found nothing. We're going to talk to Afro Man coming up.

2:12Welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper. We begin with breaking news in our world. We lead a major global escalation in the war in Iran. attacks on energy infrastructure are causing global oil prices, not to mention tensions to surge even higher. Much of this escalation started last night when the Israeli military attacked Iran's South Parse natural gas field. It's the world's largest. It's also partially owned by Qatar, a U.S. ally. In response, Iran attacked major energy facilities in neighboring Gulf states, starting with Qatar's Raz Lafan natural gas processing facility, causing extensive damage.

2:49Then in Abu Dhabi in the UAE earlier today, gas operations at crucial energy sites were temporarily suspended after missile debris fell on the facilities. Saudi Arabia also intercepted drones. And Arab and Islamic nations are affirming their right to self-defense, calling on Iran to halt their attacks. Today, an Iranian missile struck an Israeli oil refinery in Haifa, according to three Israeli sources. Late last night on Truth Social, President Trump claimed he did not know that Israel was going to strike Iran's south parse field, the first one I mentioned. And the president also said Israel would not do it again.

3:29But then he warned that if Iran kept attacking Qatar, the U.S. would massively blow up the south parse field. Today in the Oval Office, the president again distanced himself from the actions of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu specifically over Israel's strike on Iran's gas fields. I told him don't do that and he won't do that. We didn't discuss. You know, we do, we're independent, we get along great, it's coordinated, but on occasion he'll do something and if I don't like it and so we're not doing that. Well, that clears things up. An Israeli source told CNN that Israel had carried out the attack in coordination with the U.S., contradicting whatever the president just said there.

4:17A U.S. source also told CNN that the U.S. was aware of the strike. This afternoon, Netanyahu said that Israel acted alone in the strike. Either way, this escalation has sent oil prices surging to$110 per barrel. Of course, global oil was already in crisis due to Iran effectively shutting down the key Strait of Hormuz, attacking and threatening to attack any ships, any oil tankers that pass through there. And with these latest attacks on actual oil facilities, oil production itself could now be impacted. This morning, several European nations and Japan issued a joint statement saying that they are ready to, quote, ensure safe passage through the state of Kormuz.

4:57What that means, they did not detail. Today, there was also a close call in the skies. A U.S. F-35 fighter jet made an emergency landing at a U.S. airbase in the Middle East after it was struck by what's believed to be Iranian fire, according to two sources. Luckily, the pilot is in stable condition after the plane landed safely, according to CENTCOM. To give you some perspective, that aircraft itself costs upwards of$100 million. Today, the president confirmed a report that he may seek$200 billion in new Pentagon funding for this war. Well, we're asking for a lot of reasons beyond even what we're talking about in Iran.

5:37And this is a very volatile world. And the military equipment, the power of some of this weaponry is unthinkable. So we want to be sure. And it's a small price to pay to make sure that we stay tippy top. Tippy top. I want to bring in a voice in the middle of these discussions. Mike Summers, we've had him on before. He's the president of the American Petroleum Institute. This morning, we should note, Vice President J.D. Vance joined the Trade Association's annual board meeting along with Energy Secretary Chris Wright and the Interior Secretary Doug Berman and a bipartisan group of Congress and governors.

6:15Mike, thanks so much for being with us. What was your biggest takeaway from the meeting with all these top government officials? And are you confident that the administration has a plan to tackle this energy crisis, especially if the war keeps dragging on for who knows how long? Well, what we were asking for was exactly what the vice president said, that their top priority is to get the Strait of Hormuz open as quickly as possible. And our focus, of course, was also on the president's agenda. The president has focused on energy independence and they put policies in place to advance American energy independence at this time.

6:50So our focus has been on the agenda to advance oil and gas and energy dominance in this country. And their focus has to be on getting the Strait open. That's the only way that we're going to provide relief to consumers over time. Can I just ask a point on that? When we talk about how the U.S. is now a net energy exporter, I think people out there don't necessarily understand that doesn't necessarily mean that the United States gets all that petroleum, right? That's exactly right. I mean, these are private companies. They sell it wherever they want to sell it. It doesn't mean we don't have to worry about we get it, where we get it from, because, you know, Exxon or whatever could be selling it all to theoretically, you know, Malaysia.

7:30Well, you got it partially right. Here's the truth. American refineries, about 40 % of American refineries refine crude oil that we don't produce in the United States. Why is that? Because the United States hasn't built a refinery since 1977. Oil markets in 1977 were much different than they are today. So 40 % of that refinery kit refines heavier quality crude than it's found here in the United States. That's why it's so important. There are some commentators that have been saying that we should put an oil export ban in place. We should keep it all right. But if you do that, there will be no place for that WTI, that sweeter crude that we find in the United States for it to go because we're importing a lot of our oil primarily from Canada, not from the Middle East.

8:14Only about 8 % comes from the Middle East. But that crude that we're getting primarily from Canada is built for the refineries that we have here in the United States. Yeah. My only point is that when we talk about how the U.S. is a net oil exporter, it doesn't mean like we don't have to worry about this. That is exactly right. Because it's a commercial market. Oil is set on the global level. Right. This is no longer, we should know, just about oil being held up in the Strait of Hormuz, which is a serious enough problem, is it is now oil fields, gas fields are being attacked, not just by Iran, but by the United States, or rather by the United States' partner in this war, Israel.

8:48Oil fields being attacked, that could impact oil production. Is that something that the oil industry is prepared for? Well, we're very concerned about it. And the president was right to raise concerns about it yesterday, because the concern is right now, of course, the Strait of Hormuz is closed. Right. But the infrastructure... And just to remind people, 60 to 100 ships full of oil normally go through that every day, and now it's zero ships. That's right. So that oil is not getting to market right now, or a portion of that oil is not getting to market. Remember, there is still an east-west pipeline going through Saudi Arabia that is delivering about 5 million barrels of oil a day.

9:23There's another pipeline that goes through UAE that's also delivering oil. There's about 10 million barrels, in our estimation, that has come offline. So if the world market is about 100 million barrels of oil every single day, about 10 of that is a lot. It's absolutely 10 percent. Why we've seen a significant price hike right now. The concern that we have about bombing oil and gas infrastructure right now is that that puts us in a position when this eventually ends, when the strait eventually opens. the oil can't get back online quickly because you've bombed out some of the infrastructure that's in place to make sure that we can get it to export markets.

10:02That's the biggest concern that we have now. So we have to make sure that oil industry, natural gas fields that are in a region right now, that they are not part of this conflict. So today's national average of gas prices is$3.88 a gallon. That's up almost a dollar in a month, a dollar a gallon. We're a driving country. Whether or not we should be, that's a separate issue. That's what we are. A lot of people see these skyrocketing gas prices, have a lot of reason to worry. What's your message to them? Well, we certainly hope that it is temporary. The president has done a lot of things already to keep the prices as low as they can be, putting 400 million barrels of oil on the market from strategic petroleum reserves, doing a waiver of the so-called Jones Act, which doesn't allow us to ship interstate with foreign flagged vessels.

10:52They've done a lot of things already, but the truth of the matter is that they just have to get the Strait of Hormuz open as quickly as possible. Until then, there's not going to be a lot of relief at the pump. The Treasury Secretary Scott Besson today on Fox Business discovered one other so-called lever that the administration may pull to help control oil prices. Take a listen. In the coming days, we may unsanction the Iranian oil that's on the water. It's about 140 million barrels. So depending on how you count it, that's 10 days to two weeks of supply that the Iranians had been pushing out.

11:27That would have all gone to China. In essence, we will be using the Iranian barrels against the Iranians to keep the price down for the next 10 or 14 days. What do you make of that plan to unsanction the Iranian oil that's on the water? So interestingly, they've already done this with Russian oil. What's interesting about this, a lot of people think, well, Russia's going to benefit from that. Actually, that's not the case. The truth of the matter is Russia gets paid at the wellhead. Once it gets on the water, that is owned by a customer somewhere. So unsanctioning that oil allows for more of that oil to get to the world market.

12:05I think this is an appropriate step to take, both with Russia and Iran, to ease some of the pressure in world oil markets. All right, Mike Summers, thanks so much. Appreciate it. next. What sources tell CNN about the American fighter jet possibly struck by Iranian fire, plus Lebanon's message to President Trump about this conflict as it deepens in that country. And did the attorney who once represented dead sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein perjure himself in a deposition? A top Democrat making that claim is going to join us coming up.

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13:11We've obliterated there just about everything there is to obliterate, including leadership. Their Navy's gone, their Air Force is gone, their anti-aircraft equipment is gone. We're flying wherever we want, Pete. We have nobody even shooting at us. Continuing with our worldly, that was President Trump in the Oval Office earlier today, notably the same day that two sources tell CNN a U.S. F-35 stealth jet made an emergency landing at a U.S. airbase in the Middle East after it was struck by what is believed to have been Iranian fire. CNN's Nick Payton Walsh is in Beirut. Nick, do we know anything else about what happened to that jet?

13:50Yeah, I mean, the information is indeed limited, except that it was on a combat maneuver when it was thought to have been hit by Iranian fire. Now, that would make it the first U.S. aircraft brought down by Iran, obviously undergoing an emergency landing in this case since the start of this conflict. Remember too though, Jake, there were three F-15s that had their crews evacuated and crashed around Kuwait over a week ago now, and indeed the KC-135 refueling aircraft, which crashed in Iraq too. So a sign of the growing toll ultimately on US airmen, although it appears in this case obviously nobody injured.

14:29An aircraft over the F-35 worth$100 million, state of the art, fifth generation, unclear exactly what Iran had that was able to bring it down, Jake. And you're in Beirut, Lebanon. Beirut's obviously been hit by many airstrikes, as Israel targets Hezbollah, Iran's proxy, which was firing missiles at Israel. Israeli ground troops also have moved into southern Lebanon. You just spoke with the Lebanese prime minister. Yeah, an urgent appeal really for a ceasefire for peace here. Remember, Lebanon, its civilians ultimately caught in this exceptionally brutal problem here where the Iranian proxy Hezbollah are shooting at Israel.

15:09Israel are prosecuting a very aggressive case back to disarm and destroy Hezbollah. Over a thousand now Lebanese civilians caught, killed in that Israeli assault. And here's what the Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam had to say to President Trump. If you could deliver a message to President Trump now, directly, for one thing for him to do today, what would it be? To help put an end to the Lebanese conflict. And I would like to reaffirm to President Trump our readiness to enter into immediate negotiations. Negotiations with Israel. we know that this conflict can only end with negotiations. The US is a strategic partner to Lebanon and President Trump, more than anyone else, can play a decisive role in bringing this war to an end.

16:09An urgent plea here ultimately for immediate direct negotiations with Israel. We know the French have been involved here, suggesting ideas. Prime Minister Salam talked about speaking to U.S. officials as well. But ultimately, this all depends on the ability to find some kind of space for diplomacy as the bombs are still falling here. But quite clear, Prime Minister Salam, he wants to see a ceasefire immediately and direct talks happening to simply save lives of Lebanese here, Jake. All right, Nick Payton-Walsh in Beirut, Lebanon. Thanks and stay safe. Wait times at several U.S. airports are creeping back up this evening.

16:46What travelers and TSA workers are telling CNN as this partial government shutdown causes major disruptions nationwide.

17:04I'm CNN tech reporter Claire Duffy. This week on the podcast Terms of Service. As our guest David Pogue writes in his new book, 27 % of the world's population now uses Apple devices. That means if Apple users were a country, it would be the most populous in the world. As the company turns 50 years old this year, I wanted to take a look back at how Apple came to have such a huge influence in our lives. The Macintosh was completely different. It was the graphic interface. It was the first time the masses had a mouse and menus so you didn't have to remember the commands and windows that overlapped and you could copy and paste and little icons.

17:44Everything people know now. But at the time, it was revolutionary and opened up using computers to vast new realms of people. Listen to CNN's Terms of Service wherever you get your podcasts.

17:58Our national lead now get used to showing up to the airport three to four hours early because a top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Patty Murray of Washington, tells CNN that a deal to end this DHS shutdown is a, quote, long ways away. This after a group of Senate appropriators met with White House border czar Tom Homan on Capitol Hill today. The political stalemate is prolonging the financial stress facing TSA employees working without pay and extending the misery for travelers facing longer lines at security checkpoints. CNN's Ryan Young is at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, the busiest airport in the United States.

18:37Ryan, what have you been hearing from TSA workers and travelers today? Jake, I want to be clear here. The reason why you don't hear from a lot of the TSA workers, they're not allowed to talk to us, especially when they're on shift. But they have spoken to me on the side and they're really frustrated by what's going on in D.C. In fact, a lot of them are saying, why doesn't Congress take a break from getting paid and see how it is to live the life that they're living right now, especially with a lot of them living paycheck to paycheck. We're standing up here in the atrium at the world's busiest airport and the line at some point stretched beyond the elevators in that distance.

19:11This airport has been trying to do everything it can to keep those TSA agents happy. They've been feeding them all day here. So we've got a chance to watch them flow through here. At one point, the security line was over 90 minutes long. And we'll show you some of that video as well. But what we've been told by so many people, they were concerned about their vacations, getting home to their family. This has really put a strain on the airport. And as one worker told us today, you can't think about this as just a TSA issue. You have to think about this as a Delta issue. You have to think about all the background workers who work at this airport on a day-to-day basis.

19:45This is about the size of a city, so you understand how important this is on a day-to-day basis, especially to the city of Atlanta. If you look up here right now, the wait is about 21 minutes. On the pre-check side, it's about 11 minutes. But all day long, this has been a really slogfest for people who have been trying to come here. This morning, we know people had took an hour and 15 minutes to get through pre-check and clear. The longest line here, over 118 minutes. But as you can see, they've managed this really well. We're at the point where it dropped to two minutes at one point. Travelers have been telling us they are happy but concerned about the return home.

20:24And tomorrow they know there's probably going to be about 90 ,000 passengers coming through early in the morning rush hour. That's when they see the most difficulty between the hours of 6 and 9. And with no insight, Jake, people are going to get frustrated. Yeah, I agree that members of Congress shouldn't get paid if their dysfunction is denying paychecks to our federal employees. Ryan Young, thanks so much. Appreciate it. This programming note, we're going to talk to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. Look for that tomorrow. They're here on The Lead. Begins at 5 o 'clock Eastern here on CNN.

20:56Coming up next, tonight on The Lead, the perjury accusations against the attorney who once represented, now dead, convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, a top House Democrat making the claims. Coming up next.

21:13This week on The Assignment with me, Audie Cornish. George Chavaris, co-host of the podcast United States of Kennedy, which digs into America's enduring fascination with this mid-century Camelot. You know, I don't want to be too controversial about the Kennedy family overall. And part of it is the hunger for power and influence, of course. But the other part is he understood early on the intersection between entertainment and politics. Listen to The Assignment with me, Audie Cornish, streaming now on your favorite podcast app.

21:50And our Law and Justice lead Democrats on the House Oversight Committee to believe that Jeffrey Epstein's longtime attorney might have perjured himself in today's deposition. Darren Indyke claims that he had, quote, no knowledge whatsoever, unquote, of Epstein's wrongdoing and rejected any suggestion he had assisted or facilitated his former boss's crimes. But House Democrats, well, they're not buying it. Some Democrats are pointing out that Indyke helped various women in Epstein's orbit over the years to fix their problems, reportedly getting one woman an apartment, helping others with immigration issues.

22:25So let's bring in the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, Democratic Congressman Robert Garcia of California. Specifically, Congressman, what evidence do you have that indicates that this longtime Epstein attorney might have perjured himself? Look, I first didn't buy much of what he said. I think what's really important for folks to know is that Indyke was at the center and the facilitator of much of Epstein's crimes. He was his personal lawyer. He was on his defense counsel. We have heard from survivors, multiple survivors, that he was at the center of providing services to many of the women.

22:59Like services like what? Services like payments, services like helping them with immigration, services like helping them find places to live. And so questions that were asked today, I thought could have led us to better answers. I thought he kept weaving, not giving full answers. I don't believe all of this testimony. and more importantly, he should have way more information about what actually Epstein did and he didn't give any of that today. So, I mean, I guess theoretically you're saying that his argument was, look, I just did what my boss Jeffrey Epstein told me to do. These women needed money.

23:33I didn't know that it was sex trafficking. And do the women dispute that? I think when you ask the women who they believe are at the center of Epstein's crimes and help facilitate that. Two of the names that come up most often are Indyke and Kahn, who, of course, are the attorney and the former lawyer, personal lawyer for Jeffrey Epstein. Now, we just, of course, interviewed Richard Kahn last week. We've interviewed now Darren Indyke today. And we actually gained a lot of information. And I think that there are things that we are pulling from these interviews that are really important in putting together the timeline, understanding where information is, getting additional names of finances, who actually paid Jeffrey Epstein so he can commit all these horrific crimes.

Read the full transcript

24:18Every deposition brings us closer to the truth, and we actually gain really critical information, as we did today. Although you might not say that about Pam Bondi's deposition, right? You and a lot of other Democrats frustrated for not committing to honor her subpoena yesterday and sit for a deposition when pressed about it during her briefing yesterday. This is what House Oversight Chair Republican James Comer said about Democrats on the committee today. Take a listen. We have a lot of dead weight on this committee. And the behavior of the Democrats yesterday was unacceptable. And, you know, we're going to have to come back and talk as a conference, the majority, to see what we do moving forward.

25:06What's your response to that? I mean, that's ridiculous. It was Chairman Comer that actually insulted and called one of our members a derogatory name during the hearing. And let's be clear about what actually happened. Or he said she was bitching. She was bitching. Yeah, that's derogatory and disrespectful to one of the members. It's just a gerund. And she was very offended by that, as she should be. Look, I think we found out about this, what they called a briefing, 24 hours before the briefing. So the day before, they tell us that the attorney general is going to come brief us on top of our hearing that was scheduled.

25:40We don't know the format. We walk in there. It's set up like a hearing. She gives no briefing. She just basically says, OK, I'm here to answer questions. And so our first question was very simple. Attorney general, are you committing to coming back under oath as you've been subpoenaed to do so, to testify, transcribe, so that can be available to the American public? And she would not commit to that. So we're not going to play games in a fake briefing or hearing when she won't publicly commit to following the legal subpoena to have her come in and testify under oath. Congresswoman Stansbury was on the show yesterday, actually in the midst of your press conference.

26:15She came and talked to us. And one of the things she said is that Todd Blanchard, Deputy Attorney General, and Pam Bondi, the Attorney General, said that that's it. You've gotten all the files we're going to give you. Even though I believe there are 6 million files and they've given 3 million, and of those 3 million, obviously they were not redacted the way that they were supposed to have been redacted. Some names of people who are not survivors were taken out and all the rest. Is that true that they said, you've gotten all we're going to give you? And also, what do you do if an attorney general doesn't comply with the law?

26:50So one is they have said that they've released all the files that they can under the law. What we reminded them is that there is a law that does allow for some communications around interagency communication, ongoing federal investigations. You can withhold those documents. But there's also a subpoena that's been in place for multiple months on the exact same set of documents. The subpoena does not have those restrictions and does not have that language, which is why we did both a subpoena and the law. They both work together. And so they are right now illegally withholding approximately half the documents of the Epstein files that we need to ensure that we actually get justice for the survivors and get the full truth out to the American public.

27:32And it's ridiculous to continue to engage in this White House cover up of the remaining files. We're not going to stop till we get all the files. And as for the attorney general, the next step is for her to come in to that deposition. And if she chooses not to, I expect the Republicans to begin a contempt process just like we did for the Clintons. Well, you say that, but Republican Lauren Boebert said that she was embarrassed that she had voted to subpoena Bondi. Are you worried about the, I forget if it was four or five Republicans that had joined you on your efforts to subpoena Bondi. Are you worried about them backing away?

28:05Well, the subpoena's out. I mean, James Comer has already sent the subpoena to the attorney general. They'd have to come back, restart a hearing, revote. I mean, that would be outrageous, pretty unprecedented. The subpoena has been already sent to the attorney general. There's a tentative date of April the 14th. She needs to testify under oath, transcribed, and then that needs to be available to the American public. Last question. if she doesn't do that, if Republicans allow the administration to do what they're doing, not give all the files, not testify under oath for the Pam Bondi, etc., etc., and House Democrats retake the House in November, which is possible, what would you as a chairman of the Oversight Committee do?

28:47Well, one should be held in contempt immediately to not comply with the subpoena, to not turn over the documents. That would be number one. And if that were to continue, I think folks were talking about other more and stronger ways of either removing her or however the president would be impeaching impeaching her look that has to be on the table i think step one is a contempt process she has to show up to the deposition i think we in the majority will have direct subpoena power to get so many more documents not just from the doj but from the epsom state and other places that's going to be important democratic congressman robert garcia of california top democrat on the house overstate committee thank you so much president trump describes israel as acting alone on its attack on an Iranian oil field, but that's not what sources are telling CNN.

29:29We're going to get into that next.

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30:06Spring is here and the shopping list is long. Time to make a Lowe's run. Buy three bags, get three free of stay green one cubic foot garden soil. Plus, right now members can earn four times the points on an eligible purchase. Start spring off strong with these deals and more. Our best lineup is here at Lowe's. Ballot through 325. While supplies last. Soil offer excludes Alaska and Hawaii. Loyalty program subject to terms and conditions. See lowes.com slash terms for details. Subject to change. Point boosters subject to exclusions and more terms apply. One time only offer. Back to our worldly the war with Iran.

30:37President Trump today said that he has told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Netanyahu needs to stop attacking Iranian oil and gas facilities. But a senior Iranian security source tells CNN that the confrontation with the U.S. and Israel has now expanded into a regional war. And that Iranian official warns that Tehran has the capability and the will to keep responding. Iran already attacked one of the world's most important liquefied natural gas facilities in Qatar, which sent world oil and natural gas prices up. The Iranians are threatening future attacks, naming Saudi Arabia and Qatar and the UAE as likely targets.

31:15I'm joined by a panel of experts now. Now, Brett McGurk, Trump says he had no idea that Israel was going to start hitting Iranian oil and gas facilities. Sources tell us that, of course, Trump knew. Of course, he'd been informed. A couple of hours ago, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel acted alone in striking Iran's South Par's gas field, which is not necessarily a contradiction that the U.S. knew. Help us make sense of this. I think there's zero chance that the U.S. did not know. I mean, our military-to-military coordination, we have planes in the air at the same time. This is all very well coordinated.

31:49They say it's the best coordination. Yeah, so definitely the U.S. knew whether it reached the president, probably. I saw that statement last night. It's kind of a good cop, bad cop routine. It was like a message to the Iranians. Like, oh, the Israelis did this. It wasn't us. Don't hit energy infrastructure. Look, but what happened last 24 hours is important, Jake. The Iranians have been hitting energy infrastructure for the last three weeks. In the Gulf states. In the Gulf. The Israelis did this strike yesterday, kind of playing the asymmetrical game, saying, you're doing asymmetrics, Iran. We can do the same thing and hold you to account with your energy.

32:23And Iran, I have to say, they coordinated a response and hit with precision the LNG facility in Qatar and went after a few other things. So it demonstrated they still have some capacity. I mean, that is what I read from yesterday. And that gets into, like, Karg Island, right? If we were really—that's the heart of Iran's economy. The Iranian island where they have all their fuel, yeah. If we were to actually go after that right now, Iran still has some capacity to respond against the energy infrastructure in the Gulf, which is important. Now, I know CENTCOM is going after those missiles and drones, degrading it every day that goes by.

32:57But yesterday demonstrated Iran still has some capacity here. Iran is demonstrating their asymmetric capacity by also being able to shut that straight down. Now, I think the question that is, I think, now coming up is when the strait does eventually open, that's going to take a very long time. But what's going to take an even longer time is to rebuild some of these oil refineries that have been hit. It's not just going to be as easy as opening, you know, turning on a water faucet and suddenly the oil is flowing again. Some of these pipes are very badly damaged. So it's going to take a long time to rebuild, which is going to affect global oil prices, which is going to affect gas prices here at home.

33:32And because the strait is closed, you have to remember it's not just oil that's stuck there and gas. It is also medical supplies. It is food that is stuck there. There's, I think, a shipment of medical supplies that were destined for Sudan and Yemen. So there are vulnerable people that are going to be hurt very bad by this war, that are going to continue to be impacted. And unfortunately, you're going to see, I think, more attacks by Iran because they are showing that even if their attacks have lessened in days, they still have the capacity to inflict massive damage across the region. I want you to listen to something that the director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, told the House Intelligence Committee earlier today.

34:10What does the intelligence community assess Israel's goals in this war to be? And are those goals aligned with the goals of the United States? Are the goals aligned? The objectives that have been laid out by the president are different from the objectives that have been laid out by the Israeli government. Interesting. Explain that to us. Well, it's hard to explain because when you go to war with an ally and you have separate objectives, maybe you have separate military objectives, but the objectives together going into war should be the same. So I think it's a bit concerning that she said we have separate objectives because that is going to give everyone pause of when does this end?

34:47If the United States meets our military objectives or whatever Trump lays out each and every day, when does Israel stop or vice versa? And so that's what I think you're going to see, I think, concern in the markets because what does that mean for the strait? When is it actually going to open up if Israel is going to continue to conduct strikes and all of a sudden the United States pulls back? So that statement was really confusing. I wonder if we're going to see some clarification from this administration later today, tomorrow. Brett, what do you think? How do you explain that? I think the Israeli operation is very consistent with, there's kind of a Venn diagram, but the Israelis would like to see a regime change if they can get it.

35:26We've talked about this, Jake. I think that is extremely difficult to do by using military force, particularly from the air. But the Israelis are targeting with effect. the leadership structures of the entire apparatus of the regime, including the security apparatus that led that crackdown earlier in January. And they're going to continue doing that. I think at the end of the day, when we think our objectives have been met, I think President Trump can pick up the phone and call Netanyahu and say, you know, we've achieved our aims and this is the end of it. But yeah, just look at the targeting.

35:57We are going after defense industrial base and military type targets. The Israelis are going after the leadership structure. I don't know if they will necessarily listen, though. I mean, you know this, too, from when we were in the administration together. I mean, they met many of their objectives when they were prosecuting their war against Hamas, and they were taking out some of those leadership targets day after day, and even in Lebanon. And they continue to continue that war and still continue that war. So I don't know. I mean, maybe Trump will be able to pull Netanyahu back, but I also wonder if that will be the case.

36:27There will be an inflection point. The 12-day war was when we basically said that's it. But I do think, look, at the end of the day here, I think a U.S. with Israel and hopefully with other partners, a long-term containment of Iran, if this just ends in which we just back off and you still have a hardline regime and they're able to eventually reconstitute their capabilities, that's not a good outcome. So we need to be thinking now, and I know there's a lot of consultation in the region and with partners, of what the long-term containment of Iran looks like. And that will probably include continuing with whether it's American pilots, Israeli pilots, other pilots over the skies of Iran for the foreseeable future.

37:01Maybe a little bit like Iraq in the 90s, Jake. Let me ask you a question about what the Gulf states could do, because obviously they have an interest, even though they don't advertise it particularly, in there being a stable, democratic, possibly even secular Iran. We know that the Israelis have been able to penetrate Iran in terms of intelligence and assets. it seems to me like the Saudis and the Emiratis and the Qataris would be able to do that possibly even better because they probably blend better and know the language better than Israelis I don't know I mean Israelis are pretty good at this different languages but you know we went into this without partners and we have to be developing those partnerships now for the what but I'm just saying if we're going to try to like change if if not we if there is going to be an effort to try to change the leadership, that's done with infiltration.

37:51There has to be a regional agreement to do it. Yeah. And some type of investment. And send in spies and send in people and compromise. Over years. Over years, yeah. Years and years and years. But I'm just saying, like, but where are our Arab allies in that effort? I know that Arabic and Persian are not the same language, but there's some overlap in terms of... We've got to be talking now, Jake, about exactly that. Once this is over, how are we all working together to make sure we contain Iran, hopefully see a new regime in Iran. I hope they've been talking before now. Thanks to both of you. Coming up next, FBI Director Kash Patel is back on Capitol Hill.

38:25His response when pressed about agents recently fired from the bureau.

38:38And the people you fired, those 12 people, they were experts on Iran, were they not? I don't believe so. They worked in counterintelligence, did they not? I'm taking you at your word, sir. I'm not familiar with every single word. You're the chief director. I'm not. You should know the answer. You fired the people. Where did they work? FBI Director Cash Patel today clashing with House Democrats on the Intelligence Committee about recent firings at the FBI. Patel avoided saying that the 12 agents and staff members have been dismissed due to their involvement in the classified documents investigation into President Trump.

39:11Instead, he blamed ethical violations. CNN previously cited two sources saying that that's the reason they were fired, the investigation into Trump. This all comes as a new CNN original series called Standoff. The FBI power and paranoia explores the complex relationship between various presidents and their respective FBI directors. The series unravels the complicated dynamics and occasional clashes between the president and the FBI, which impacted several administrations. And CNN's Josh Campbell, who has worked for three different FBI directors, takes a closer look. Thanks to your brave leadership and the mandate you were given by the American people, not only defend the homeland, but crush violent crime.

39:51It is a new era at the FBI. We are thankful for President Trump's steadfast leadership, and this FBI will fearlessly follow in his footsteps. One of the nation's premier law enforcement agencies, which once prided itself on strict independence from politicians, now taking shape as the political arm of the president. Director Cash Patel often mirroring Donald Trump's own style with the president's perceived political enemies. What I am doing is protecting this country and combating the weaponization of intelligence by the likes of you. But the history of the bureau has been marked by frequent clashes with the White House.

40:28That intense conflict is the topic of a new CNN original series documentary, exploring the fragile and high-risk relationship between FBI directors past and the presidents they served, as the FBI's quest for independence was pushed to the brink. It was never going to work between us. The president did not trust him. Donald Trump wanted an FBI director who he could count on in the political sense. You have two men who have radically different visions engaged in a standoff over who is the FBI beholden to. James Comey's announcement, it absolutely hurt the Trump campaign, and I believe it was intended to.

41:07The major development here this evening at the White House, the President of the United States has terminated the director of the FBI, James Comey. It felt otherworldly. This is just the beginning of a complete change in everything that's going on. I mean, it is seismic. Numbness, confusion, because I really not expected to be fired. It was a great honor for me to fire. I will tell you this, a great honor to fire James Comey. I often joke I'm the relationship that Trump can't get over. To understand the FBI, and really to understand the 20th century, American democracy, you have to understand J.

41:45Edgar Hoover. Hoover started keeping tabs on anyone he didn't like, and he didn't like a lot of people. He was cunning, right? Tactical, terrorizing, vindictive, secretive. Closed off? Yeah, he was a tough customer. I'm glad I didn't have to work for him. Louis Free had the guideposts of faith and family, and Bill Clinton had the guideposts of position and power. We're conducting a criminal investigation of the President of the United States. I hadn't even unpacked my materials yet. Bill Clinton comes to hate his director of the FBI. And the feeling is mutual. Outside of current issues involving national security concerns that the president of the United States should have little or nothing to do with the FBI.

42:34The FBI has a lot of power and put to the wrong ends. Those capabilities can be devastating.

42:46Josh Campbell, thanks so much. The new CNN original series is called Standoff. The FBI power and paranoia. Back-to-back episodes are going to premiere this Sunday night at 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. Eastern here on CNN. Then on the next day, you can watch it on the CNN app. Welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tiber. This hour, the U.S.'s top intelligence officials were back on Capitol Hill today, pressed about the biggest threats facing the United States and what they are doing to stop them. On the list, the war with Iran, dealing with Putin, the FBI raid at a Georgia elections office, and more. a member of Congress who questioned these officials today, joins me live in moments.

43:26Also, March Madness is officially underway, and boy, are my brackets busted. High point? More importantly, there is some serious money on the line. More than$3 billion is going to be wagered on the tournament this year, leading addiction experts to warn about the serious risks that come with sports betting. CNN's digging into those numbers. Plus?

43:54turns out he he did go to court rapper afro man celebrating a major legal victory against his local police after a raid of his home in 2022 afro man made videos and songs mocking the officers involved those officers claimed they were being defamed a jury this week disagreed have you heard about this story? It's incredible. Afro Man will be here to tell us all about it live.

44:26The lead tonight, Trump's top intelligence officials undergoing another round of questioning from lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Top of mind for most House Intelligence Democrats today, the precise details of what led the U.S. and Israel to strike Iran starting on February 28th. But the director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, was still not really answering questions in detail, especially how imminent was the threat from Iran. Gabbard, along with CIA director John Ratcliffe and FBI director Kash Patel, dodging for the most part when asked about Iran's nuclear ambitions and what the future assessments could look like.

45:02Let's get right to CNN's Kylie Atwood, who's been monitoring these hearings. Kylie? Yeah, what we heard from director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, is that it was her job to provide the intelligence community's threat assessment to the president, what she called the objective analysis of the threats that Iran posed to the United States, and asked specifically about the imminence of those threats. She really doubled down on what we heard from her and other members of the intelligence community yesterday during briefings, saying that it is up to President Trump to determine that question over imminence of those threats.

45:36Listen to a heated back and forth with a Democratic lawmaker on this topic that she had during that hearing today. Only person who can determine what is an imminent threat is the president of the United States. Do you stand by that statement? Yes, I do. Director Ratcliffe, do you agree with that assessment? that the president is the only person that can determine if something is an imminent threat or not? The president's commander-in-chief gets to make a decision about what's an imminent threat. The intelligence community... Reclaim my time, but if the president can determine and ignore what you're doing, why do you guys even have a job?

46:18Now, Tulsi Gabbard also specifically said that it is the intelligence community's assessment that the son of Ali Khamenei, who is the current Supreme Leader of Iran, is more hard-lined than his father was. She said that the ban that his father had in place when it comes to developing nuclear weapons in Iran, the United States doesn't know if that ban is going to stay in place. When she was asked by Congressman Crow if the United States knew more about the Iranian regime's intentions before these strikes, before this war began, she said that would be correct. And of course, that is of concern for Democratic lawmakers, for regional sources I have talked to who are concerned that this military adventure, this war could actually make Iran more determined in the future to develop a nuclear weapon, something that previously they'd been building up their nuclear capacity, but they hadn't actually made that decision to pursue a nuclear weapon.

47:15Jake. All right, Kylie Atwood, thanks so much. Let's bring in Colorado Democratic Congressman Jason Crow. He's on the House Intelligence Committee. So, Congressman, you were among those who pressed Director Gabbard on the timing, the imminence of potential threats from Iran shown in intelligence assessments. I want to play some of your questioning. Take a listen. Did any of them show that there were attacks anticipated within the next 90 days from Iran? It's too simplistic of a statement to say that because it depends on various scenarios occurring or not occurring. Did those assessments show timelines for the threats that Iran posed to the United States?

47:53The totality of threats, yes. There were timelines involved where it applied and where that information was available. But again, to your question about the determination of imminence, the president makes that determination based on the totality of information and intelligence. The bottom line is there was no imminent threat and you know that and there's no product that shows that. What was your reaction to her answer there? And as somebody on the House Intelligence Committee. Traditionally, is there in these reports by the DNA or others an expression of imminence? Yeah, Jake, she's clearly covering for Donald Trump stumbling into another reckless war.

48:35This is very common stuff in the intelligence community. You assess what types of threats are out there, where the threat is originating from, the severity of the threat, and then timelines of the threat. Those are the basic components that policymakers need to make decisions to assess how quickly decisions need to be made, how imminent it is. And this DNI and the CIA director and Kash Patel included are refusing to stand by their own intelligence, which is very chilling because we are now stumbled into a situation where the threat, as we also heard, might have increased, very likely has increased as a result of this war.

49:15You also questioned, Director Gabbard, about the intelligence community's assessment of this new Ayatollah, Moshtaba Khamenei. He's considered to be even more of a hardliner than his father was, which I don't even really understand. I guess that would be related to his determination to make a nuclear weapon. Did Gabbard give you any assurances today that the war has put the regime in a better position, a stronger position, I should say, than before it began? And how can one be more of a hardliner than the late Ayatollah? Yeah, I mean, to be clear, I'm not mourning the death of Ayatollah Khamenei, who was a very bad man and threatened troops, killed American troops.

49:58But there are worse alternatives. The United States has a long history of regime change and nation building operations where the alternative becomes worse. I mean, we spent 20 years, trillions of dollars to replace the Taliban in Afghanistan with the Taliban. We spent over a decade in Iraq, thousands of American lives. And the second we pulled out, ISIS took over. And here we are now with a younger son, the junior Ayatollah Khomeini. And he's more hard line in terms of his willingness to use cyber capabilities, his willingness to enact violence on the Iranian people, his willingness to attack civilian and diplomatic facilities, and his inclination to move out and proceed with the development of nuclear weapons.

50:43Across almost every factor that we'd look at when we look at extremism and how hard line he is. In fact, he was considered to be too hard line for even many people within Iran and by his own father. So we really have to look at the situation that we've created for ourselves and how we might be worse off than we were just 30 days ago. I want you to take a listen to your Republican colleague, Elise Stefanik, asking about the resignation of Joe Kent. Kent, obviously the former head of the National Counterterrorism Center. He resigned earlier this week. He blamed the Iran war on Israel as well as the Israel lobby.

51:20He also blamed the Iraq war on Israel and the war against ISIS in Syria on Israel. Take a listen. Do you agree or disagree with what this letter was put out by former Director Kent? He said a lot of things in that letter. Ultimately, we have provided the president with the intelligence assessments, and the president is elected by the American people and makes his own decisions based on the information that's available to him. But do you agree with, does that statement he made, blaming Israel, concern you? Yes. What did you think of Joe Kent's letter, Congressman? And what did you think of Director Gabbard's response?

52:02Well, listen, I don't put a lot of stock into what Joe Kent said. Joe Kent has come to me. He's lied to me in front of committee hearings before. He's fabricated data and information. So, you know, I just take anything he says with a grain of salt, to be honest with you. It would be very disturbing if other countries, allies or others are calling the shots or dictating the terms of our national security. That should be our decision. It should be focused on what the American people need and what they deserve in terms of our national security. No other country should be calling those shots. But I don't purport to understand what's going on in Donald Trump's mind or in his administration.

52:39They're not briefing us. They're not providing information to Congress. They're stonewalling members of Congress, members of the Intelligence Committee and the Armed Services Committee. We simply are not getting the information that we need to do our jobs to represent the American people and the information that the American people deserve to have a vote and a say in this reckless runaway war, which is dissolving and devolving every single day. The New York Times and others are reporting that Joe Kent is now under investigation by the FBI for potentially having leaked sensitive intelligence. It's an investigation that reportedly preceded his resignation, thus calling into question why he actually resigned.

53:20Is there anything you can tell us about that? Yeah, I am not aware of any such investigation, so I'm not going to opine on it. All I can say is I've gone head-to-head with Joe Kent in the past because I don't think he's been candid and honest with Congress. And again, I take with a grain of salt what he says. What is true is that Americans are not interested in another war in the Middle East. You know, I'm a national security Democrat. I have no trepidation using our military to keep Americans strong, to keep America safe. But what we know is people are fed up with 24 years of endless conflict.

53:58And it's time for Congress to get involved and to make sure we put guardrails in place. Democratic Congressman Jason Crow from Colorado. Thank you, sir. And thank you for your service. As always, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu just gave an update on the war with Iran and the U.S. involvement in the military campaign. And Netanyahu answered a question from CNN's own Jeremy Diamond, who's going to join us live in Israel next.

54:25In our sports lead, the first round of March Madness kicked off today as college basketball student-athletes vie to make the Final Four and become national champions. Well, I wish that athletics and athleticism was what this next story was about, but let's try that again. In our money lead, an estimated$3.3 billion will be bet on the NCAA tournament this year. $3.3 billion. In the NFL, an estimated$30 billion was wagered last season. Sports betting is exploding across the country. But who's making the money? CNN's Nick Watt takes a look at how the NFL, the most bet on league in the country, is cashing in.

55:09distances, speeds, times, individual player stats. That data means we can now bet on pretty much anything and everything. So they pulled out the BetMGM app and put together a live parlay. Live during a game. BetMGM Sportsbook. Make it legendary. The ads are everywhere and leagues like the NFL are making a lot of money selling that data to sportsbooks. I'm in favor of the legalization of sports gambling. That's not what this is. This is AI technology taking a known addictive product, delivering it at light speed in ways that couldn't be done without the leagues being complicit partners. If you're gambling on sports with higher frequency, there's going to be a much higher likelihood that you have gambling disorder.

55:57A year or so ago, I made a documentary about sports gambling, sat down with an NFL executive VP. How much money do you make on selling your data to the sportsbooks? We have a licensing deal with Genius Sports that then sends it to the sportsbook. But how much money do you make? I don't think we necessarily disclose that, but we don't make anything bet on any individual bet. It's just a typical licensing deal. Well, not exactly. The NFL actually owns a chunk of Genius Sports by taking shares in exchange for data. so they won't tell us how much. SEC filings show at least 6 % right now. Let's take a look at BetVision.

56:34This is Genius Investor Day in December. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is front and centre. A lot of talk of BetVision, a new genius product that allows fans to place a bet live by tapping a player. The end result is an immersive, intelligent, interactive tool to convert traditional fans into high engagement in-play betters? The NFL, let's be clear, has invested in a company whose stated mission is to convert their fans, not only get them to gamble, but convert them, turn them into live in-game betters, which are most profitable for the gambling industry. And most problematic from an addiction point of view?

57:19Without question. The NFL declined an interview for this story. This partnership allows us to monitor betting patterns, identify suspicious activity and take action to safeguard the integrity of the game, a spokesperson wrote in an email, adding, We work with experts and community partners to address and mitigate gambling risks. During the battle to legalize sports betting, Goodell argued very strongly against all this. Back in 2012, the NFL and others sued to stop it. Asked under oath about the greatest threat to the integrity of football, Goodell said gambling would be number one on my list.

57:58And he said, if you're a 49er fan, we want you rooting for the 49ers to win. Not to lose, but I win my bet. We're investors also. Goodell has changed his mind dramatically. Genius posted his Investor Day interview on YouTube. So you're happy with the relationship the first five years? Yes, we are very happy. Our goal is simple. We build products that help sportsbooks increase handle, improve margins and engage and retain players. Handle is the amount of money the public gambles. An estimated$30 billion was wagered on the NFL last season and... And the US market is expected to nearly double over the next five years.

58:40The goal is a live stream where you can bet 100 % of the time that you're watching that game on a live feed. Tell me how I should behave to do it properly, responsibly, to enjoy it, but not be overwhelmed by it. Place all your bets before the game starts and no more bets. That's it. Really? Yep. And the goal is going to be eliminating, I think, some of the very high-risk things. Live betting and parlays. Gambling disorder had one of the highest rates of suicidal thinking. we classify it in the same chapter that we do with all the other addictions, tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, opioids, cocaine. The NFL's investment in Genius grows with gambling well beyond the gridiron.

59:22Genius has more than 650 global sportsbook partners. On some of those deals, Genius takes a share of revenue, not just a flat fee. More than 400 leagues and federations sell their data through Genius, including England's Premier League soccer, where bets are now live 97 % of the time in games, and AI odds setting has improved the margin for one sportsbook by 23%. These are structural improvements to the economics of in-play trading, and another way we're empowering our sportsbook partners to maximise their revenue. Revenue, that's what the gambling industry calls it. You will not hear me use that word, because what we're talking about are losses, how much the public loses.

1:00:08This is not what the American people asked for. We liked our sports before it became the equivalent of a nonstop slot machine. So I reached out to Genius Sports for comment. They referred me to the NFL and the NFL told me, listen, once this became legal, we had no choice but to engage with it. We need to see the betting patterns. We need to keep an eye on anything that might be suspect and we need to deal with it. You know, they also flagged their education, prevention and support initiatives to help problem gamblers. But Jake, when I asked them about this issue of converting fans into high engagement in-game betters, they didn't really answer that question.

1:00:48Jake. Goodell, man. Goodell. I'm just going to bite my tongue. Nick Watt, thanks so much. Brand new video just into CNN shows an Iranian missile strike on a major refinery in Israel. We're going to go live to Tel Aviv next.

1:01:12And we're back with breaking news in our world lead. You're looking at the aftermath of an Iranian ballistic missile strike a few hours ago on a major refinery in northern Israel. Emergency teams are at that refinery right now assessing the damage. Also, just a few hours ago, the prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, gave his country an update on the Iran war, saying that Iran no longer has the capacity to enrich uranium or make ballistic missiles. But Netanyahu also said that it's too soon to tell if Iranians will take to the streets and take their government back from the regime. CNN's Jeremy Diamond is in Israel.

1:01:44Jeremy, what else did the prime minister have to say about how the war is proceeding? Well, the Israeli prime minister certainly touted what he views as the successes of this military campaign so far. He insisted that the U.S. and Israel are making the world a safer place by continuing to carry it out. But, you know, we've heard numerous experts now question the kind of strategy of killing all of these senior Iranian officials. And I pressed the prime minister on that notion today on whether killing so many of these officials, including the former supreme leader, is ultimately just emboldening the hardline elements of the regime.

1:02:18Here's what the prime minister told me. We're seeing some defections. We're seeing fear and trepidation in the IRGC units that are manning the ballistic missiles. You know why? Because they're afraid to die. They're not all suicidal. In fact, most of them are not. So we're seeing cracks, but we're going to hit them again and again.

1:02:47And the Israeli prime minister also cast doubt on who is actually leading Iran. He pointed out once again that we haven't yet seen the new Supreme Leader, Mashtaba Khamenei, in person. And he said that he is seeing some cracks, not just among the rank and file, those people manning the ballistic missile launchers, but also at the very top. There is a real question, though, about whether that is actually the case. The prime minister once again said that for regime change to happen, the Iranian people need to actually rise up. But he made clear that he knows that that is not a guaranteed outcome of this campaign.

1:03:21Jeremy Diamond in Tel Aviv, Israel, thanks so much. An American college student who disappeared on spring break in Spain has tragically been found dead. What we're learning about the investigation into this horrible story, that's next. We're back with breaking news out of Barcelona, Spain, and I truly wish I had some better news for you. James Gracie, the 20-year-old American college student who disappeared during his spring break trip earlier this week, has been found dead. Police found his body today. CNN's Melissa Bell is in Barcelona. Melissa, just horrible news. Where did police find him?

1:03:53Jake, this is such a sad story. Jimmy, as he was known to his friends and family, had come here to Barcelona only on Monday. It was here at the Chaka Club on Barcelona's waterfront that he was last seen in the early hours of Tuesday morning. About 3 a.m., he got separated from the friends he'd come here to visit during his spring break. And the desperate search to find him had been on ever since. His father had flown over to Barcelona to try and get any news he could of his son. And the latest we've just heard from earlier this evening from authorities here in Barcelona is that they'd found this body earlier tonight.

1:04:27Initially, we didn't know if they confirmed it was his identity. Now we understand they have confirmed that it is the body of James Gracie, just 20 years old, the oldest of five siblings, a keen hockey player, also the chaplain of his fraternity, a man with his whole life ahead of him now confirmed dead by barcelain authorities jake where does the investigation go from here i think uh melissa might have lost uh ifb in any case horrible news melissa bell in barcelona spain fresh off a major legal victory the rapper afro man is here next for an interview you are not want going to want to miss

1:05:14In our Law and Justice lead, a significant verdict this week in the case of Afro Man. Now, if you don't know his story, you might recognize the name from this.

1:05:31His 2000 hit, Because I Got High. It was a banger back then. It's a banger right now. Now, in August of 2022, Adams County, Ohio police executed a search warrant of Afro Man's home for evidence of drug trafficking and, believe it or not, kidnapping. They found no such evidence, but they did manage to break his gate, kick in his front door and cut his security camera cords. And Afro Man, well, he decided to get revenge the only way he knew how, through music. The Adams County Sheriff kicked down my door Then I heard the glass break They found no kidnapping victims Just some lemon pound cake Lemon pound cake.

1:06:20After hearing the many songs written by Afro Man at their expense, believe it or not, the police officers who broke into his house, sued Afro Man for defamation in 2023. Does it paint you in a false light? Yes, that my wife is cheating on me with Mr. Foreman. But we all know that's not true, correct? I don't know. Wait, you don't know if your wife's cheating on you or not?

1:06:49The jury ruled in favor of Mr. Foreman, a.k.a. Afro Man, and his music, and here now to talk about his case and his First Amendment victory, Joseph Foreman, also more commonly known as Afro Man. Mr. Foreman, how are you feeling after this decision by the jury?

1:07:12Rejoiceful. I feel great. I feel real good. I feel good. I'm happy that freedom of speech and common sense is still around. When did you decide that you were going to make songs mocking the police who raided your home and destroyed your gate and your door and all the rest? Was that an immediate decision or how did you come across that decision?

1:07:44My ex-wife put me on a FaceTime with Randy Walters, the guy they was asking about his wife. And I asked Randy Walters if I was under arrest. He said no. I asked him if there were any charges. He said no. And then I asked him if he would help me put my door back on the hinges. And he smiled and he waddled his head. And he said, we're not required to do that. I didn't want to get in a verbal exchange with him. So real quickly, I said, thank you. And it was at that moment when he was unapologetic and he was kind of celebrating the fact that he vandalized my property. That's when I went into thought.

1:08:37I didn't know what I wanted to do, but I knew I wanted to do something. Did anyone from the police department reach out to you after the raid to apologize or to offer to help repair your door or your gate?

1:08:53Randy Walters, the guy, you know, that you had, I think you had, they was asking about his wife. He came up to me after the trial and he apologized and he told me he was a Christian and everything. And I told him, you know, like, I told him he wasn't a Christian when he kicked down the door. He wasn't a Christian when I asked him to help me put it back up on the hinges. And I told him he wasn't a Christian when he was flipping off my surveillance cameras. and I told him that I forgave him. I told him I didn't want him to burn in hell. I didn't want nobody to beat him up. I told him I didn't want nobody to shoot him.

1:09:41I told him I didn't have nothing against him, but I told him I was still going to sing the songs I wrote about him. And I kind of thought about like when a guy kills somebody, he can go apologize to the family. He can really mean it, but he still has to go do his time. Yeah. If you understand what I'm saying. So in my mind, like I had to spend my money to repair my house. So after he tried to get me for four million dollars, flip me off, unapologetic about my my door, you know, you know, I'm still willing to work with him, but I'm singing these songs. I'm promoting them. I'm, you know, he has to pay for, you know, being unapologetic and being impolite when he was wrong.

1:10:28But that's it, you know. I just want to sing my song. I don't, you know, that's, hey, I just want to sing. That's what you do. I want to rap. That's what you do. Yes. You said your kids were traumatized during the raid. How are they doing now? they're real good they're happy they're proud of me um you know i hate they had to see it but you know sometimes a man gotta be a man i mean you got people running around your house with ar-15s uh you know you got to make a stand and do something about i can't run around their house with ar-15s uh they can't run around my house with ar-15s you know so i had to do whatever I could to stop that.

1:11:12Do you think that these officers have any idea that by suing you, they were going to make the songs and you even more famous and popular? You know, I'm from, I'm from the, you know, I'm from the ghetto. I'm from the hood. And one thing we learned in the hood and ghetto is as little kids you don't let the other little kids know something hurts your feelings because they really do it yeah and it's like these guys they they come off like brats that that always got their way and when it couldn't go their way they threw a major tantrum now a kid throws a tantrum in walmart but this was like an adult tantrum everything had to go their way.

1:12:03They had to be right even when they was wrong. They couldn't eat some humble pie and be like, you know what? I was wrong. I'm sorry. Let's make it right. This, that, and the other. Like, I didn't get, I didn't feel no type of way until I seen Randy Walters waddle in his head, you know? Speaking of humble pie, tell us about the lemon pound cake that you mentioned in your song? Yes. You know, when I was watching the raid, I was mad about, you know, I was watching the door. I was angry. And one of my fans just happened to put in the comments, watch him watch the lemon pound cake. And then I looked at it and it was kind of funny.

1:12:42And then I put it up on my post. I took his clip. He put his clip in my comments. You know, he did it for me. He put his clip in my comments. So I downloaded his clip and I didn't really think it was a big deal, but I posted it and people was just going crazy, you know? I'm like, hey, you know. And every time I said Lemon Pound Cake, the comments would run up. It was like this magic word. So we made a song about it, named the album, and it's been working. I think it's great. I think it's two reasons for the Lemon Pound Cake. One, it's like, no you didn't have any kidnapping victims or a thousand pounds of of drugs you had a lemon pound cake and two that is a generously proportioned police officer looking at that that lemon pound cake he is hey i'm a i'm a i'm a generously proportioned person myself so i know what he was thinking you know what i'm saying hey all right hey me this town this town ain't big enough for the bobo.

1:13:45Afro man, thank you and congratulations on your First Amendment victory. We celebrate freedom of speech on the show and you are our hero of the week. Yes, sir. Major news. Thank you. Thank you. Major news in our pop culture lead. ABC says it's canceling the upcoming season of The Bachelorette just days before the show was set to premiere. It was set to star Taylor Frankie Paul, who rose to fame on TikTok and Hulu's series The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. CNN Entertainment Reporter Lisa Respers-France is here with the details. Lisa, Taylor Frankie Paul was just doing a promo for the show yesterday.

1:14:19How did we get here where they just canceled the whole thing? Yeah, we got here, Jake, because people who watch The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives from the first season, the actual first episode involved her getting arrested because of a domestic violence incident involving her now former boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen, who's also the father of her youngest child. And the headlines went out recently that she was being investigated, and we confirmed that she's part of a domestic violence investigation, ongoing investigation. We confirmed that with the Draper Police Department in Utah. But what happened today is TMZ, they published a video which shows an altercation between Taylor and Dakota from back in 2023 in which her daughter is present, her young daughter is present.

1:15:12And it's a really disturbing video to watch. And soon after that video, you know, came out, there was a lot of conversation about it on social media. And later on today, the ABC released a statement in which they expressed that they were going to cancel The Bachelorette, which was set to premiere. The season starring her was set to premiere on Sunday. And we have the statement from them in which they said, in light of the newly released video just surfaced today, we have made the decision to not move forward with the new season of The Bachelorette at this time. And our focus is on supporting the family.

1:15:49So it's clear, Jake, that ABC felt like they could not go ahead, given the very disturbing video that's now out there. And we also do know that Taylor's rep released a statement and, you know, she said that she's taking time for herself and she's very grateful to ABC for the support and that, you know, she wants to, you know, protect herself and her family. So that's where we're at now. All right. ABC is going to take a big financial hit for that decision. Lisa Respers, France, Thank you so much. Gas prices have risen 90 cents per gallon since the start of the Iran war. Hear what President Trump said today about the higher costs.

1:16:24That's next.

1:16:31Everything was going great. The economy was great. Oil prices were very low. Gasoline was dropping to, I mean, we had$1.99,$1.85. We had great everything. and I saw what was happening in Iran and I said, I hate to make this excursion, but we're going to have to do it. And I actually thought the numbers would be worse. I thought that it would go up more than it did. And our politics lead, President Trump thought it was the best of times for the economy before the war with Iran began on February 28th. A new Yahoo YouGov poll has some bad news for him. 61 % of U.S. adult surveyed say they disapprove of how Trump's handling the economy.

1:17:1232 % approved. Trump's numbers get worse when it comes to gas prices. 66 % said they disapprove. 27 % approved. This comes as gas prices continue to rise. Today's national average is$3.88 per gallon. Joining to discuss is the panel. So, Shermichael, you will recall, as a frequent guest on the show, that we were talking about high prices before the war with Iran. Gas was one of the silver linings, one of the things that the prices were going down, but groceries were up, et cetera, et cetera. Do you think that this is the right message for President Trump on the economy? Well, look, I think we're already here.

1:17:48So the question for me as a strategist, if I were in the political shop with the White House advising the president, we need to quickly gain control over the Strait of Hormuz. If you look at all the markets, it's indicating that there is just instability. So the traders, buyers are wondering how long as it's going to last? Is this going to have permanent implications six months to a year down the line? You also have to account for potential course correction within the marketplace. That stuff doesn't happen overnight, Jake. And so I'm not a military guy, but if I were advised and I'd say, hey, you got to get the Secretary of War on the phone and say, look, we got to figure this out probably within the next 30 days because summer is quickly approaching.

1:18:25That's where most people are doing a lot of driving, a lot of traveling. I think most people will really begin to feel that pain by that point. I don't think you can assume, let's say we did get control of the Strait of Hormuz, that gas prices are automatically going to go down quickly afterwards. I mean, think about COVID when prices went up and everybody said, oh, at some point they're all going to come back down. They didn't because guess what? Companies like to make money. So I don't think it's a, it's not a guarantee. I think part, this is another though example of having not done the work on the front end to at least prepare the American people to say, look, it's going to be a little bit of pain or I would not call it an excursion when we have people dying and being injured, by the way.

1:19:03Talk about it. I mean, bring people into why this is important so that when the pain is hitting, people feel like you've called them to something. That's kind of a politics 101 strategy. Some big races coming up. And it does seem as though politicians, especially Republican politicians, are having difficulty figuring out how to talk about the economic crisis. In a radio interview yesterday, former NFL sideline reporter, Republican candidate for Minnesota Senate seat, Michelle Tafoya, was asked about the big issues that she's hearing from voters as she campaigns. And she said affordability. And then she had to say she then shared this advice for Americans worried about rising gas prices.

1:19:44I know it's frustrating and I know it's hard for people. What I would say to them is we've lost some service members over there who have put their lives on the line to protect us. I think right now, at least just kind of keeping a stiff upper lip, maybe you take one less trip to Starbucks and so that gas goes a little further until this thing is over and these gas prices come back down again. Let's just try to be patriots about this. Well, if she just stopped with the service members that put their lives on the line to protect us, then like that would have been a pretty good message, I think. But then she went on to talk about one less Starbucks, stiff up her lip, try to be patriots.

1:20:24Yeah, she would have been just by, you know, I'm old enough to remember when Barack Obama was talking about arugula in Iowa. And we all kind of it was so cringy because it was just so not, you know, out of whack with where people really were. Most people don't go to Starbucks. No, they do not. It's expensive coffee. I do not go to Starbucks. I don't go much anymore. It's expensive coffee. But here's what's interesting about that. So speaking with American men, just been doing polling with young men, and interestingly enough, with one of the things they're seeing, the way people are talking about this is, why are we doing that when I can't afford gas and groceries?

1:20:59Why are we in Iran? Why are we worried about some of these other things, the ballroom, when? And so she would have just kept it to, here's what people are worried about. I understand that concern, and it's something I'll fight for when I get into, I'm not, you know, forgiving Republicans' advice, but don't talk about Starbucks. It's like when we talked about how many dolls, don't buy three dolls, buy two dolls. None of that. Don't assume you know people's lives. So, sure, Michael, take a listen to this, because Democratic Senator John Fetterman, who broke with his party to advance the nomination of Senator Mark Wayne Mullen, Republican of Oklahoma, for Homeland Security Secretary, he was asked on the All In podcast, who is the leader of the Democratic Party?

1:21:39Here is Democratic Senator Fetterman. I don't have one. I think the TDS, I think that's the leader right now. You know, right now our party is governed by the TDS. TDS, of course, stands for Trump Derangement Syndrome. What do you think? Look, Democrats got to figure out what their message is to the American people. That's definitely not it. Beyond Trump is just bad. They've tried that playbook over and over again. and it hasn't worked. Now, Karen just made a good argument in terms of how you communicate or should communicate to people about the economic pain that they're feeling. I think focusing more on that would probably benefit Democrats as a party, although I will acknowledge that in these individual special election races, they have seen significant success, and I have to acknowledge that.

1:22:26That said, I just want to address quickly this gas prices and affordability. There is a reason why we're in Iran, and I think sometimes in our country we forget the fact that our economic recovery has been greater than any other country in the Western world. We forget that the ability to keep raising inflation and printing more money, our military prowess, the respect that we have, is all because of the systems we built after World War II. This may seem complicated, Jake, but there's a reason we're there. One, stabilization in the region. Two, China. Okay, you've got 20 seconds, Karen. That's a better way to explain it than the president and any of his advisors have done over the last three weeks.

1:23:04I've always said, Shermichael has my vote. I know. Karen, will you advise if I run? I'm saying they should be listening. Like messaging. Thanks to both of you. Really appreciate it. If you miss the show, you can always watch it on the CNN app. Aaron Burnett out front starts right now.

1:23:29I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta, host of the Chasing Life podcast. Dr. Majid Fatouhi is a neurologist, a neuroscientist. He is author of a new book. It's called The Invincible Brain. What you're suggesting is that you can improve your brain throughout your life. Our brain has a repair kit in place just in case something happens. Tap into that repair mechanism and improve your brain in the absence of trauma or stroke. When you exercise, you increase the amount of BDNF. When you learn something new, you increase the number of synapses. When you eat a healthy diet, you reduce inflammation, and you can then increase the size of hippocampus.

1:24:11In other words, the improvements in the brain are not subtle. They're so prominent, they're so profound, that you can see it on MRIs before and after. Listen to Chasing Life. Streaming now, wherever you get your podcasts.

From the publisher

US billionaire President Trump insists the economic pain because of the war is only temporary. An oil executive who was in key meetings today joins. Plus, top intelligence officials were back on Capitol Hill today, pressed about the biggest threats facing the US. 
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