Hegseth: Ceasefire “Is Not Over” Despite Mutual Attacks

23:51And one of the through lines we found, Jake, me and the team, including Allison Gordon, Casey Toland, and Isabel Chapman, is that a lot of these were very young women who were just starting off in their careers, especially in Democratic politics. And one of the women said, you know, on one hand he would say, what do you want for your future? And then would send me a message asking, what are you wearing? You know, one of them said that on his stories on Snapchat, he would have his congressional professional stories, what he was doing, and then he would be sending a sexually explicit picture or video privately.

24:22What do you mean by sexually explicit video? Like what? Well, a dick pic and a video of him masturbating. A video of him masturbating. And then it disappears because it's Snapchat. But this woman, one of the women we spoke to, who I want to note on this occasion, this was a consensual relationship, she said, this was right before he ran for governor. That same month, he sent this video of him masturbating to this woman. And she actually took a screen grab of it, was able to record it. And CNN will just say verified that video without going into further details. And then actually, even after he ran for governor, this woman said that he was still trying to meet up.

24:58But you have these other women, Jake, who were young. They were on Capitol Hill as an intern. One of them told us, and her mom corroborated this, that he slipped his number into her back pocket that he put on a card. He found one woman served him at a restaurant. It was just her first name, she told him. And he tracked her down on LinkedIn. And she says, sent her messages that she found predatory and flirtatious and strange. And as we were reporting out this story, Jake, some of the women said that he reached out to them at 2 in the morning. and asked them why they were sharing their snap messages with CNN.

25:33Now, I want to note his lawyer, Sarah Azari, has said that he denies each and every allegation of sexual misconduct. He categorically, unequivocally denies those. But she did say he's not denying having extramarital contacts. We know he's also under criminal investigation in California as well as New York. after our reporting about his former staffer who said that he sexually assaulted her, he has denied the allegations of sexual assault. And Kate, in just the last few months, we've seen multiple members of Congress get accused of sexual misconduct. So the Me Too movement started in 2017, and you'd think that creepy old men would learn a lesson of like, you can't get away with this anymore.

26:18Apparently not. Apparently they haven't learned a lesson. Right, that's exactly right. And the conversation that we've been seeing on Capitol Hill over the last month is honestly the biggest reckoning since the Me Too movement. We've seen a lot of outspoken lawmakers, particularly women lawmakers in the House that are pushing for reforms, that are pushing to make it easier for women and staffers to report sexual misconduct and sexual harassment from members of Congress. I mean, one of the big issues right now, the House Ethics Committee, the body that investigates these types of claims, One, they're a notoriously slow committee.

26:49It takes years, if not months or years to finish out an investigation. And then also you're reporting one of your, a member to a panel of their colleagues. And a lot of survivors have some concerns about that and are afraid of being blackballed. So there are conversations on the Hill right now about making some changes to how the system works and how there could be better accountability for members of Congress. Kate Sanzal is from Axios. Pamela Brown from CNN. Great to have you both. Thank you so much. Keep up the great reporting. Ahead, a mother's compelling words about grief after her son was killed by Hamas in a tunnel in Gaza.

27:23What can we learn from her tragic loss? That's next.

27:33In our world lead, Israeli-American Hirsch Goldberg Polin was taken captive by Hamas on October 7th, 2023. he was kidnapped from the Nova Music Festival and held in Gaza for 328 days. And for 328 days, his loving parents, Rachel and John, were working tirelessly to bring him home. Among the efforts, they came on our show, they came on Anderson's show, they came on lots of shows. They delivered a moving speech pleading for his return at the Democratic National Convention in 2024. just eight days after that moment, Hirsch and five other innocent hostages were killed in a tunnel in Gaza. Today, Hirsch lives on in a very moving new memoir from his mother, Rachel Goldberg-Poland, called When We See You Again.

28:24It tells the story of her continuing grief and her love for her son and who he was. And Rachel joins me now. Rachel, I'm so sorry. You and I have not spoken since the horrible, horrible news came. The book is remarkable. It's compelling. It's beautifully written. It's very, very moving, obviously. The way you process your grief from losing your son in this horrific way, it's so gut-wrenching. It's so visceral, but it's also so tangible at the same time for anyone who has lost a loved one in any circumstance. You write, quote, grief can change shape over time for people, but it will be ever present.

29:05It nestles and entangles itself in for the long haul. How are you doing now? How after writing this book and putting it all out there?

29:19It's a really reasonable, innocuous question to ask how, how anyone's doing or how I'm doing. I always have this very unfortunate sort of reflex of, I don't know how to answer this very simple, kind, normal, civilized question. I think I'm not unique. There are millions of people all over the world who have buried their children. But there is something that when you put part of your DNA into the ground, I think it actually changes who you are in this world. And I actually don't think that you truly recover from that. I think people desperately want us to get better, to be resilient, to heal, to make progress.

30:07But I think that that's really a form of the newest great term I've just heard, which is toxic positivity, which I think of as like being emotionally barbaric, almost not allowing people to go through this tragedy. tragedy and to wear it and and to carry this grief it's okay to carry grief it's okay to be broken it doesn't mean you're not gonna experience joy and and recognize the blessings in your life but but we are broken in a way that we will always carry so that's the long answer to how are we doing actually think the longer answer is the book yeah um i should just note um i wear this every day this is a uh a band a rubber band um for um my friend um daryl my best friend for 40 years um his son milo died uh of uh cancer when he was 18 and so i'm familiar with some of the things you talk about in terms of just through daryl about toxic positivity and people who want you to recover and want you to be better and want, they want to not have to worry about you and they want everything to, there's no closure.

31:26You know, there's, there's no end of it. And so I've, I've learned that from Daryl. You of course lost Hirsch in a, in a, in a special circumstance though, in something that was geopolitical. And when I read your book, it reminded me a lot of when I was, I guess, in eighth grade or ninth grade, and I read Elie Wiesel's book Night, which is his story about surviving the Holocaust with his father. And when I read that book, I wept, identified with Elie Wiesel, and pictured my father as Elie Wiesel's father. This time I read this book, and I'm picturing myself as you or John. But it was a very similar experience.

32:09right that was something that i was concerned about because recently um a few different schools reached out high schools reached out to say that they were going to incorporate this book into their curriculum for high school students and i had that fear of my gosh this is a horrible you know for me I'm too close to it I'm not objective at all I I've only read the book once um to myself and then I had to read it for the audio version out loud and it was like tearing my skin off so the thought that children might be even if they're older children teenagers might be reading the book I thought that must be insane and then I started to talk to some of these students and I find it really interesting that the same text can be read in such different ways by depending on who the reader is.

33:03One of the additionally awful things about the experience that you and your husband went through and your two daughters and everybody who knew and loved Hirsch is that even though you've very clear in your book and in all your public statements to acknowledge the pain in Gaza, the pain of Palestinians suffering, There is this world of people who deny the atrocities committed by Hamas against Hirsch and others, a world of people. I mean, we've just seen this renewal, this explosion of anti-Semitism and people on the left and the right in the United States willing to tolerate anti-Semitism. Has that made this worse or is it just so bad it doesn't even matter?

34:01Well, I'm really living in a different place than hearing that kind of vitriol. I do think that it's beneath us as human beings who are endowed with such wisdom and insight and intellect that we actually believe that there is an adversarial paradigm. You have to bifurcate and be on team A or team B, which is absolutely not true. We know we can hold multiple truths. We were saying that, obviously, since October 7th. I remember, actually, I think discussing with you that I am extremely worried and concerned about the innocent civilians in Gaza and not but, and I am worried about the innocent civilians in Gaza who were dragged there on October 7th.

34:53I can hold both of those truths and even more truths. And so I think when we create this construct of you have to be all in on side A or all in on side B, it is so hollowing out who we intellectually have the possibility to be.

35:17you filled this book which is very heavy obviously with lots of light um humorous even at moments her stories tidbits i felt like i got to know him um what's something about hirsch that still brings a smile to your face um even amidst your grief

35:42well all the time all day long he's bringing a smile to my face um i'm in a constant conversation with him which i'm sure sounds very strange to people who are looking at me from the outside but i feel very much that i have to teach myself how to experience him in his absence you know what I've learned from all of this is that, and I never knew this, maybe, maybe people do know this. I was not aware. Love is stronger than death. Love is stronger than time. So the love for him keeps growing. It's this unwieldy, amazing, frenetic experience of this love is continuing. It's not going anywhere. It's getting bigger and continuing to be ever present.

36:31And so when you ask, you know, what's something that brings a smile to my face? I mean, I was just thinking about how Hirsch always carried my handbag, whatever bag I had with me, if it was groceries, you know, anything heavy, obviously, but even the tiniest little thing that I was carrying, he would always do this. I think I actually mentioned in the book that he would have this sort of look and he would do this thing with his hand. And it reminded me of Fred Astaire when he would put out his hand to Ginger Rogers and he would say, mama, the bag. And he would take my bag. Well, I have to say there is a saying amongst our people that that I say all the time.

37:16And I think, I think it's just kind of become an American thing now, which is may his memory be a blessing about somebody that you've lost, lost. But I think Hersch's memory, it's not may it be a blessing. I think it is a blessing because of what you and John have done and your book. And it made me think of, you talk about in your book, I think it's John's father was a doctor and there was an incident at the hospital and somebody needed an EpiPen and they came and they got it and saved the person's life. And then like a day or two later was at a birthday party and somebody had peanuts with a peanut allergy, I guess peanut butter with a peanut allergy.

37:57And there just happened to be a second EpiPen there because of what had happened at the hospital. And from that near tragedy, there was now somebody else's life. It's not a direct metaphor, but I can't even think of the thousands, if not tens of thousands, if not more people that you're going to help with your book. And that is a blessing. That is Hirsch's blessing. So I hope you know that. I'm not saying it's consolation, but I hope you know that. I haven't heard that. And it really means a lot to me. And I know that you don't pull punches, Jake. So I really appreciate it.

38:40When We See You Again is available now. It's a remarkable book. And the author is a remarkable woman, Rachel Goldberg-Pollin. Thank you for joining us.

38:53Thank you for having me. We do have some breaking news for you in our politics lead. We're just minutes away from the first polls closing in the state of Indiana. The primary there will show whether President Trump's quest for revenge against sitting Republican lawmakers who bucked him on his desire to redistrict Democrats out of existence. Whether or not that worked, that story's next.

39:31Welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper. This hour, the final moments of voting and two key primaries testing the influence of President Trump. Will he exact revenge in Indiana? and is his coalition cracking at all in Ohio? We're standing by for the first polls to close. Plus, Pennsylvania's Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro is going to be here. He's leading a lawsuit on artificial intelligence accusing a company of letting its AI chatbots pose as doctors and give medical advice. Also, a CNN-exclusive learning of internal investigations into government employees who showed up to a vigil for Alex Preddy, the Minneapolis nurse, shot and killed by an ICE agent back in January.

40:13One woman investigated for going to this memorial is now talking to CNN.

40:23Lead to that Alexa music, election music, please. Thanks. CNN election jam. This hour, the very first primary polls are now closing in a series of races, certain to test President Trump's grip on the Republican Party as we know it. The president is backing challengers to seven of the eight Indiana Republican state senators. State senators, I'm talking, who voted to reject the congressional map that Trump had lobbied for in December. That congressional map that was rejected would have likely handed the two currently Democratic districts over to the Republicans. Indiana's eastern time zone polls close.

40:59Now the rest of the state closes in the next hour. It is also a primary day in Ohio, and a new map there means even more competition. especially in the Toledo area's District 9, held by Democrat Marcy Captor, though Trump carried it in 2024 by nearly seven points. A packed field of Republicans are looking for their chance to take Captor down. In November, polls close in Ohio in about 90 minutes. Let's bring in my panel and start with our bureau chief. David, these are the seven. Let's put them up there. Seven races to watch tonight. Seven Indiana state. I mean, the fact that we're talking about state.

41:36I was going to say exactly that. State legislators is unbelievable. But these are seven Indiana State Senate Republicans. They defied President Trump back in December, voting to reject a congressional map that would have eliminated two Democratic congressional districts. Tell us what you think is on stake. Well, I think as you noted, I think what's at stake here is Donald Trump's juice inside a Republican primary electorate in Indiana. And he may still have that juice, despite his unpopularity that we see going on with his standing with voters nationally. His allies put a lot of money into this in the revenge tour of going after these incumbents who rebuffed his request to redraw the districts mid-decade.

42:18And yet they may face the consequences. Donald Trump promised that he was going to go after them. Now, I will say, if they end up these incumbents winning and defying the president, I think there's going to be a lot of head scratching at the White House about, wait a second here, how much decay is there inside the Republican Party for Donald Trump's support? I don't know that we've seen a real example of that yet, so we'll have to see the results tonight. Mark, how much do you think, how much power, how much sway do you think a Trump endorsement holds in a primary for a state senator in a May midterm state-level race like this?

42:54Jake, I think it still has a lot. He's still in the upper 80s as far as approval amongst primary voters, Republican primary voters in Indiana. The resources that they can bring from a national race against a state senator, what he could offer in exchange, I think, is very lopsided. I think it'll probably be about 5-2 split, which Press will, I think, interpret different ways, but I think that probably the administration will view that as a win. 5-2 split meaning? Meaning that five of the candidates that Trump has endorsed will end up prevailing. Oh, is that right? So that's successful. I think there'll be a couple that withstand the onslaught.

43:29But, you know, I've talked to some friends there in Indiana today and the sense is that there's strong Democrat turnout in primaries. There's no doubt that Adrian's side is energized right now. And I think for the Republicans, there's a sense of there's been a lot of red on red carnage. And in many cases, these fights have not really been on the redistricting issue. That was not motivating voters. They've gone after other issues. And, you know, one of those state senators, a Republican who voted against banning men and women's sports. And so there's going to be other issues at play, but that'll be lost in the coverage.

44:00It'll just be which candidates did Trump win and not. And, you know, ultimately, there'll be a lot of dollars spent in Indiana. It is a state that's 7-2. I don't think they could have ever gotten to 9-0, maybe 8-1. So maybe you would have picked up one additional seat for this, and you're going to be left with a lot of carnage and Republicans, you know, having a bitter battle. How would you interpret it if Mark's prediction is correct that Trump is able to unseat five of the seven? Yeah, look, if it's a 5-2 split for the candidates that Trump has endorsed, that's a big win for Trump. And I think what it also means, Jake, is the Republican Party still remains the party of Donald Trump.

44:39He controls it, especially when it's in the primary. And it means that if you are a conservative Republican and you are trying to uphold what you think is the right thing to do, even if Donald Trump, the president of the United States, who is a member of your party, doesn't want you to do that, but you think it's the right thing to do, in this case it was redistricting, that it doesn't matter. You're going to get defeated. It's just simply where it is. MAGA still runs the Republican primary, especially in the primaries. If it does happen, David, then that would explain why so many lawmakers in Louisiana, Alabama, and Tennessee are now scrambling to change their congressional district maps to please President Trump, especially following the Supreme Court decision to weaken the Voting Rights Act.

45:24Do you think that if Mark's prediction is correct and Trump is able to defeat five of the seven, that his hold on the party is going to still be really tight? Not only his hold on the party, but to me, that will be, for those legislators, a green light to continue to try and grab as much power as they can, which is what redistricting is all about. By the way, on the Democratic side, post-Supreme Court because these red states are doing this. You see efforts in New York going for Democrats to try to redraw. So this is what redistricting is all about. It is a pure political power grab. Donald Trump started a year ago in Texas.

46:00Democrats said you got to fight fire with fire and came back to respond to it. And post-Supreme Court now, I think indeed if Donald Trump is successful tonight, these Republican legislators in the states that you mentioned will see that as like a carte blanche. Go for it. So let's game out the other possibility. What if Trump is not victorious, right? And like, let's say it's two to five. Do you think that that suggests that Trump will have more people bucking him? Probably, Jake, but I think it's going to be a longer process. Like, I think the Thomas Massey race will be the next big indicator.

46:34Kentucky House Republican in Kentucky. Coming up in a couple of weeks. And so that would be another big one. And, you know, obviously in Texas, he's ended up withholding his endorsement there. So it'll play out over several months. Louisiana with Letlow and Cassidy. We'll see that too in May. And Fleming. Yeah. Yeah. And Adrian, let's turn to Ohio because Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, she's held on to her seat in the ninth district near Toledo for decades. She has. She has been like the one Democrat standing while the Trump winds have blown. Exactly right. Now, Now, the new map adds more Republicans to her congressional district.

47:13Yeah. But it's still competitive-ish. Do you think she can hang on? Well, we will see, Jake. I mean, to your point about Ohio, her having a hold on that seat, I worked for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee during the 2006 cycle, and she was a relatively safe Democrat then. But we have seen, of course, the evolution take place in that state over the last 20 years. And, of course, now you see the redistricting, mid-cycle redistricting situation coming in that makes it even more challenging. But, look, I look at her almost as somebody like Sherrod Brown. Obviously, Sherrod Brown lost in 2024.

47:45He's on the ballot for the Senate tonight as well. He only lost by three points. Kamala Harris lost Ohio by 11 points in 2024, which is why I think somebody like Sherrod Brown has a real chance this time around to come back into power to win that seat back. And I think somebody like Marcy Kaptur could effectively ride on his coattails. David, let's talk about the Republicans who are in a race to take on Marcy Capter in November. Notable standouts among the candidates, former state representative Derek Maron, who lost to Capter by less than a percentage point in 2024. Former ICE deputy director under Kristi Noem, the 29-year-old Madison Sheehan, who quit her job at ICE a week after the killing of Renee Good in order to run for this seat.

48:29Tell us what some of the issues are shaping this race. I mean, I think when you talk to folks in Ohio Republicans, Maren is seen as the front runner here as a possible rematch. And as you noted, this went from a Trump plus seven district to a Trump plus 11 district in the redistricting. But Marcy Kaptur is one of those 13 Democrats that sit in a Republican district. And so what I would just note is that when it was a Trump plus seven district, that's the upper end of Democrats who sit in Trump district. So she is a fighter, no doubt. If indeed it is a rematch from last year, you know, you don't have Donald Trump on the top of the ballot this year.

49:07You have a totally different political environment than you had in 2024. It is Ohio. It has become more Republican. And it's clearly a target number one for the NRCC here to try and put some points on the board in what may be a tough year. But I don't think it's a guaranteed flip seat by any stretch of the imagination. Yeah, because of who turns out. If Republicans are demoralized, if gas is$5 a gallon, the Iran war is still going, etc. Who knows what will happen? Mark, Adrian, David, thank you so much. Keep it here for CNN Key Race Alerts as we stand by for the very first votes tonight from Indiana and Ohio.

49:40We're also going to go out to California ahead of tonight's CNN debate. Hear what our political insiders will be looking out for as the governor's race intensifies there. Plus, the new evacuation on that cruise ship after the outbreak of Hantavirus. But first, we're going to talk to Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro to discuss that lawsuit he's bringing against an AI company. All of that coming up.

50:12And we're back with the latest in our series, AI, friend or foe, a look at the benefits and the risks of this developing technology. Officials in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania say they are suing against one of those risks. They're accusing Character AI of unlawfully allowing an AI chatbot to pose as a licensed medical doctor and provide medical advice. In a statement to CNN, Character AI says, quote, We do not comment on pending litigation. Our highest priority is the safety and well-being of our users. adding, quote, the user-created characters on our site are fictional and intended for entertainment and role-playing.

50:52We have taken robust steps to make that clear, including prominent disclaimers in every chat to remind users that a character is not a real person and that everything a character says should be treated as fiction, unquote. Let's bring in the governor of Pennsylvania, Democrat Josh Shapiro. So, Governor, why are you bringing this suit, and are you aware of any Pennsylvanians who have been harmed when relying on this chatbot for medical advice? Well, look, this company has 20 million users, and these users trust the product that is coming to them. We challenged our Department of State that oversees this type of work, these types of investigations for us, to go and use this technology and see what kind of risks it posed to Pennsylvania children or any Pennsylvanian.

51:46Within just a few minutes, our investigators, by the way, Jake, using their official email addresses, they were not masking who they were, connected with a chat bot, Emily. that chatbot was held out as an expert in psychology or psychiatry. And within just a few minutes was dispensing medical advice and ultimately offering a medical ID number for here in Pennsylvania as really the authority to be able to issue that medical advice. Obviously, it was a bogus medical ID number, and the information that was dispensed was really dangerous. You've got millions of children across this country, including many here in Pennsylvania, who are relying on these chatbots for information.

52:40About 30 percent of teens use these types of chatbots. The kind of information that they are dispensing is incredibly dangerous, and we took action here in Pennsylvania to stop that kind of danger from coming after our children. So it's It sounds as though you don't have evidence that it has harmed somebody, but you're doing this prophylactically to make sure it doesn't happen. Do I have that right? No, that's not correct. I set up a task force that has both received complaints from parents and from others across Pennsylvania about these chatbots. And we engaged in this activity online to be able to prove that this particular character AI company, this particular company, I believe is preying on our children and creating real danger for Pennsylvania.

53:28So what do you say when this company says that they've taken robust steps to make it clear that these characters are fictional and intended for entertainment and role-playing that have prominent disclaimers? Do you reject that? I do. And I'd sort of say two things, Jake. I mean, number one, when was the last time you read one of those long disclaimers that comes up on an app? I'm sure you haven't, I haven't, and I'm sure our kids haven't, number one. And number two, remember, these chatbots go to great lengths. These technology companies push these chatbots out there to be as real as humanly possible, to make it feel like you're engaging with a human being.

54:11And in this case, a human being that holds themselves out to be a doctor. That's what this chatbot did. And so I think it's really dangerous. And I think, frankly, that's just a bogus response from this company. Just to prove the point even further, there's a station up in the Scranton area here in Pennsylvania. You may be familiar with it, with your roots here in the Commonwealth. WNEP, a reporter at WNEP today, read the complaint that we filed here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, went on the same company's app, really basically followed the same prompts that we had laid out in our complaint and got the same result.

54:51I think the only slight difference was they held themselves out in this case at the chatbot did as a medical professional from New York, not from Pennsylvania. So and that was done in just a few minutes by a smart reporter from WNEP. This is unfortunately the reality of what this platform provides. And we need to shut this down. We need to stop this. They are preying on our kids and what they're doing is incredibly dangerous. I say that not just as the governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Jake. I say that as a father of four, and I say that as someone who has heard loud and clear from parents and from students, from young people, about the need to rein in this AI technology that's preying on our kids.

55:34So, Senator Richard Blumenthal is a Democrat of Connecticut, and we talked to him last week for this series that we're doing. He's leading a bipartisan bill that would ban AI chatbots for kids. Now, AI companies could argue that their online services are protected under the First Amendment, that there's a lot of good that chatbots do for kids. Blumenthal does not agree. Do you think chatbots should be banned for people under 18 or 16? What's your take on that? Yeah, I mean, obviously it's in the purview of Congress. My view is that they either need to be banned or they need to be highly regulated.

56:11Hopefully the result of this lawsuit will be some real constraints being put on this company and others like it. I'd like to see the Congress of the United States step up more when it comes to technology and AI. So far, they have failed miserably to be a check on big tech. And I think they've got to do more. Hopefully there can be some bipartisan consensus in Congress. And maybe, just maybe, this president will stand up to his tech buddies and do the right thing and protect our kids. Before you go, I do want to ask you one political question. Politico's Jonathan Martin is reporting that there is a quiet but serious effort by Senate Republicans like McCormick, and Katie Britt to get Democratic Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman to switch parties, to become an independent and caucus with Republicans.

56:57What's your take on that? I mean, look, I don't know what Senator Fetterman is going to do. I know that Pennsylvanians voted for a Democrat to represent them in the United States Senate. And so I think he needs to honor that and continue with his service to Pennsylvania and hopefully get back to what he was elected to do and reflect the will of the people. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, thanks so much for your time today. Appreciate it. Thank you. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was the voice for the Trump administration today in the White House briefing room. We're going to tell you what he had to say about a transition phase in the war with Iran and how is that being received overseas.

57:37We're going to go live to the region next.

57:51In our world lead as U.S. officials today insist that the Iran war ceasefire is holding, despite the fact that Iran fired on U.S. forces more than 10 times, the Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisted that the U.S. is working to gain some level of understanding of what topics Iran is willing to negotiate on. We don't have to have the actual agreement written out, and one day this is highly complex and highly technical. But we have to have a diplomatic solution that is very clear about the topics that they are willing to negotiate on and the extent and the concessions they're willing to make at the front end in order to make those talks worthwhile.

58:26CNN's Nick Robertson is in Islamabad, Pakistan, negotiation land. Nick, what is the status of the negotiations amid this growing tension in the Strait of Hormuz? Yeah, I mean, look, what Secretary Rubio was laying out there is a real conundrum that the mediators have at the moment, that they're communicating with, and that's still active and ongoing, communicating with the key players in Iran about the response to the US proposal that came in over the weekend. However, are they actually dealing with the political figures, the elected figures, as Secretary Rubio was calling them, the ones we're used to seeing on the TV, or are they dealing with the IRGC, the hardliners there, the clerics?

59:14And it really seems very much at the moment that the engagement is with the moderates, and it's the hardliners that the White House is facing the biggest challenge from. And it's not clear that the moderates are going to be even able to put forward some kind of even very brief and short memorandum of understanding that can have the details that they'll commit to get into in the future. I think there's a real sense and hope that if the moderates could do that and the moderates could get around the table with U.S. negotiators, then a path forward could be made. But it really seems out with the reach at the moment of the mediators.

59:50It's not clear where it's going to land at the moment. So as you know, Nick, earlier today, Iran said that its armed forces have not carried out any missile or drone attacks against the UAE in recent days. But of course, the UAE says that Iranian attacks resulted in three injuries yesterday. How is this going over in the region, given that there is still supposedly a ceasefire? Yeah, it doesn't sit very well with the UAE at all. 19 missiles, I think 12 ballistic missiles, three or four crews, and the rest were drones. It's not insignificant. They had the port facility Jifah Jara set an oil installation there on fire.

1:00:30Also, it's unlikely to sit well in Israel, where there's a feeling clearly that Iran remains an existential threat. And the United States can pick and choose, obviously, when it returns, when it considers a ceasefire broken or not broken, when it's just their forces being targeted. But for the U.S. allies in the region, it's going to sit less well when they're hit and nothing happens. So at the moment, I don't think anyone really takes what Iran says at face value. Certainly everyone can check satellite data, intelligence data to see where the missiles came from. But in essence, the president has blinked because he really wants to try to go down that diplomatic track.

1:01:16if there's more of that type of escalation from the IRGC, which is just the sort of thing that they threaten. In fact, they threatened the UAE not to retaliate against Iran, telling them that that would drag them into the quagmire as well. But it does leave a great feeling of uncertainty about what happens if and when Iran escalates in this situation. If the U.S. isn't going to step in, that will entice, you know, the UAE and allies perhaps to do more. All right, Nick Robertson in his Lamaabad, Pakistan. Thanks so much. Here in Washington today, new charges against the suspect accused of trying to assassinate President Trump at the White House Correspondents Association dinner.

1:02:03And only about two and a half hours to go before tonight's CNN debate in the California governor's race. Seven candidates will be on stage, including five Democrats, two Republicans. why tonight matters so much. Who needs a breakthrough moment the most? We're going to Cali next.

1:02:28In our politics lead, just over two hours to go until these seven candidates on the screen take the stage and make their best case for why each should be the next governor of California. Tonight's CNN primetime debate comes at a critical moment in the race. Ballots just started hitting mailboxes across the Golden State. And according to the latest polling, former Health and Human Services Secretary under Joe Biden, Javier Becerra, and Republican former Fox News host Steve Hilton, they're leading the pack. Billionaire Tom Steyer just released a new ad that takes aim at Becerra. Take a look.

1:03:08So you saw it? Absolutely did. I had no sight on that. I was aware of the payments that were being made. I had authorized them. I had no role in those things. How were you not aware of that? I knew what was being paid. I had no sight on that. That was done separately. There is this specter of these unknowns that swirl around Javier Becerra. This scandal is not completely resolved. The chyron there says the last thing Democrats need is another candidate involved in scandal. Let's bring in some California insiders. Melanie Mason, what is Tom Steyer getting at in this ad? And is Becerra vulnerable on whatever the scandal is?

1:03:46Please explain. It's fascinating, isn't it? There's no details in that actual ad. But what he's referring to is a case that came about last year that involves Governor Newsom's former chief of staff, who also was very close to Javier Becerra. And she and Becerra's former chief of staff were accused, and Becerra's former chief of staff pled guilty to essentially stealing from his campaign in order to pay the former chief of staff additional money. So Becerra has not been accused of wrongdoing in this case. But it's fascinating in this ad that there's just this implication of wrongdoing or a surprise lurking around the corner.

1:04:23And I think the Steyr camp thinks that could be enough to perhaps bloody him up a little bit. Very interesting new ad from Democrat Katie Porter. Take a look.

1:04:57preparations and stepping on some toes along the way. Now, could you guys please get out of my shot? Ron Brownstein, this is Katie Porter leaning into the idea that she steps on toes and even ends the ad with a humorous reference to an unfortunate viral video showing her yelling at a staffer. Is this effective, do you think? Well, you know, Jake, last time we talked about the California governor of race when you were out here, we were at the moment of maximum Democratic freakout, the existential fear that they would be locked out of November. The two Republicans will finish one, two. That concern has really dissipated, I think, for both because Trump chose to endorse Steve Hilton and reduce the odds of him and Bianco splitting the Republican vote evenly, but also the Swalwell got out and left more of the two-thirds of the voters who are Democrats for the remainder to divvy up.

1:05:50So the real question now is not whether I think a Democrat that's going to make it to the finals, but which won? And Porter was the early front runner, but she slid significantly because of that, those viral videos that she alludes to in the ad. That's what prompted Steyer really and Swalwell to get in the race, I think above all. She's kind of stuck in the murky middle now. I mean, she probably doesn't have enough money to really impress herself upon voters. And she is a candidate primarily of the left at a time when Steyer is overwhelmingly defining himself on the left. They are both kind of in each other's way, as Becerra proves to be a little more acceptable to voters in the center.

1:06:33And Melanie, the spread in ad spending is pretty dramatic. Billionaire Tom Steyer has spent nearly$150 million. No other candidate comes remotely close to that number. Melanie, how much is ad spending proving to have an impact so far? Well, look, money obviously matters, especially when you're in a state like California, where it is so expensive to communicate with voters. But I think what's very interesting about Steyer's trajectory is I think he might be a case of maybe the limitations of how much money can help, because he has spent so much money and he still seems to be stuck around 15 percent, 17 percent.

1:07:09And I know there's a lot of chatter among insiders here. Has he reached his ceiling, even with all of this money? Is there a point where all of that money reaches a saturation point and then it sort of glazes over voters? And if that's the case, then what do you really do? Because you can't double down with more money. And so I think that obviously it's an advantage that he's a billionaire, but there are clearly limitations to that advantage. And it's kind of surprising, or not surprising, but it is notable, Ron, how much Javier Becerra, the former HHS secretary, how much he rose in polls leading up to tonight.

1:07:45Why and how much do you think that means that so many of the Democrats on stage tonight, the CNN debate, are going to go after him? Yeah, I think it's pretty clear why he rose. It was a flight to safety after Swalwell. I mean, you know, the big fear among Democrats, which was intense in March and even April, was that the party might get locked out of the top two finish, and thus you'd have a Republican governor. Even though the two Republicans are splitting only consistently 35 percent of the vote in the polls, Swalwell was emerging as the frontrunner. And when he imploded, I think a lot of Democratic voters said, OK, Becerra is the safest choice that would ensure that we get a Democrat into the finals when they will be overwhelmingly favored in a state where Trump is only a 30 % of the vote and Hilton has refused to distance himself from Trump in any way.

1:08:34So I think Becerra has kind of taken the poll position, but it is not, you know, an insurmountable advantage that he has. As you say, Steyer is going after him. I think you'll see other candidates on stage go after him tonight, but it's not unlike what happened with Joe Biden in 2020, you know, after those early primaries, when it looked like Bernie was going to be the, you know, the candidate and Democrats worried that he couldn't beat Trump. there was kind of that flight to safety. And that's a pretty close analogy to what we're seeing here in California. Melanie, how important is it for any of these candidates to have some sort of breakout moment in this debate?

1:09:11I mean, it doesn't seem like there's any real leader in terms of the Democrats that anybody could really end up ultimately winning. Do you do you I mean, and I don't even know how you prepare for a viral moment. Right. I mean, I guess you come on that stage with one in your back pocket, you run the risk of it seeming completely canned and manufactured. Right. And the wonkiness about this top two primary is that there's both Democrats and Republicans on the stage. So I think part of the question is, like, who do you want to have your viral moment with? If you're a Democrat, it might be really satisfying to dunk on a Republican.

1:09:47But the truth is, is that if you're Tom Steyer or Katie Porter or Matt Mahan, you need to focus on Javier Becerra. So I think that that is what's difficult about trying to break out in these types of debates. Can't wait to watch. Ron Brownstein, Melanie Mason, thanks to both of you. Tonight's debate starts at 9 Eastern, 6 p.m. Pacific. CNN's Caitlin Collins and CNN's Alex Michelson are going to moderate. Look for it live on CNN, the CNN app, CNN International or CNN en Espanol. A woman detained in Russia getting some help from two women who were once in the same horrific situation. They'll be here in studio after making personal pleas today to the Trump administration.

1:10:30Our politics lead now another chapter in an ongoing tragic story that we've covered far too often here in the lead. Americans wrongfully detained in Vladimir Putin's Russia held in wretched conditions as bargaining chips for prisoner swaps. Today we're going to focus on Olga Jesler, who's been held since 2022 when she went to Russia to help her sister who had breast cancer. Olga voluntarily declared that she was carrying CBD supplements, something she had done on her previous trips. But in 2022, she was falsely accused of drug trafficking and she was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Here with us to discuss Olga's husband, Harold Jesler, along with two women whose names and stories you know, they were freed in previous prisoner swaps after being detained in Russia.

1:11:14also Kermasheva and Ksenia Karolina there in town to lobby the White House on Olga's behalf. Harold, first of all, I'm so sorry about what you and your family are going through. Tell us more about Olga. Thank you for having me, Jake. Olga is an amazing woman. She's been wrongfully detained in Russia for 1 ,408 days now. That's almost four years of her life, of our lives that we've missed out on, and over half of our marriage that she spent behind bars. And how often do you hear from her? How is she doing? At this point, we speak about once a week. We also exchange letters. She's hanging in there.

1:11:51She's staying strong, but it's definitely wearing down on her. And also, you were arrested in 2023, released in 2024. We had your husband and daughter on the show to talk about your case back then. Tell us about the conditions that you endured and how you're doing now. Thank you for having me. I'm so honored to be here and talk on behalf of Olga. I haven't met her. I can't wait for the moment to, when I give her the biggest hug, when she's back, she will be back, definitely. The conditions are very, very harsh there. And as we know, she is holding on. She is great. She never complains. But I know she's exhausted, she's tired, and the family is exhausted and tired.

1:12:36So we are waiting for her to be back anytime soon, hopefully. We are fighting for her. We will keep her name in the headlines. This is what helped me. This is what will help her. Remind our viewers your situation and how you're doing now. I was arrested on my trip to care about my mother. She needed care. She desperately needed my care, my help. I was arrested. My American passport was confiscated. I spent five months under house arrest and 10 months in prison. I was sentenced to six and a half years in prison for being journalist, for being American. And I'm doing very well now. It will be almost two years since my release.

1:13:18I'm still learning and my family is learning to live a new normal life. It's not that this will go away any time in my life, But I'm helping to advocate for imprisoned journalists in Russia and in other countries. And I'm helping the cases to advocate for people like Olga Jesler in Russia. Americans should be back home for sure. So important to pay it forward. And I remember I learned so much from Trevor Reed, another previously detained American, former Marine. And when we did an hour-long special after he was back, he insisted, he insisted that a sizable chunk of the special be about the others who were detained.

1:13:57Ksenia, remind us, remind our viewers who you are and your story and tell us how you're doing. Thank you for having me here. And my story is pretty similar to both Olga and Alsu. I went to Russia to visit my family, older grandparents, and then was detained and sentenced to 12 years in prison for a$51 donation to U.S.-based charity, supporting the ones affected by Ukrainian war. And then thanks to President Trump and U.S. Department of State and then other organizations, I'm here now. And I strongly, strongly believe that we would be able to do the same for Olga. Because, like, as you mentioned, like, once you've been there, you really want everyone out there.

1:14:43Because the environment you are there, it's just not good for humans. How are you doing? I'm recovering. I thought I was well. I wasn't so now I'm realizing how much I wasn't well so it's getting better now But it's I think it's a long way to recover. Yeah, it's a big deal what you went through. Yeah, you need to You know, you can't just gloss over it and think oh, I'm young. I'm fine like that's that's horrible So you're in Washington today to meet with members of the Trump administration to advocate for Olga's release How did those meetings go? Great this morning. We were at the SPIHA office.

1:15:20We met acting SPIHA Dustin Stewart as well as Mr. Adam Boehler. They were very gracious. We were able to deliver a petition from six families of the Russian hostages. And this evening, we're looking forward to meeting Dr. Gorka. How Sebastian Gorka, the counterterrorisms are. If you could say anything to President Trump or President Putin, and you can pick, what would you say? I will say to both, let Olga go. This is not something that a man would do. Keep an innocent woman in prison. Let her go. And you? What would you say? Pretty much the same. We talked about this also before this interview, and we both came to the, like, we want Olga back, and we believe that these two people can make it work.

1:16:08Well, we're going to do everything we can to continue to advocate and bring Olga's story forward until she's sitting right at that end of the table right there. Thanks all for being here. Really appreciate it. Hang in there. She will get back and it's so good to see you guys. Keep up the struggle and the fight. Thanks so much. We do have some breaking news in our world lead evacuation soon on that cruise ship suffering from that outbreak of Hantavirus.

1:16:39us. In our national lead, CNN has learned that the Department of Veterans Affairs conducted internal investigations into employees who attended vigils for Alex Preddy and other events. Preddy, of course, was the VA intensive care nurse who was shot and killed while filming federal immigration agents during January's protests in Minneapolis. CNN's Brian Todd has the exclusive details. And Brian, you spoke with someone who actually was investigated? Jake, this person's name is Becky Aliwa, a recreational therapist at the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center in Augusta, Georgia. On January 28th, four days after VA nurse Alex Preddy was killed in Minnesota, Becky went to a vigil for Preddy outside her VA facility.

1:17:24Becky is the president of the local chapter of the union, the American Federation of Government employees. That union and two other unions helped organize the vigil. While she was there, Becky did a short interview with a local TV station, telling them Freddie's death was terrifying to her. She says she made it clear at this event and in that interview she was not speaking on behalf of the VA. A few days later, though, Becky Aliwa learned that an internal investigation had been launched into whether she violated VA rules regarding employee interviews with the news media. As part of the probe, she was asked if she had gotten authorization to speak to the media from the VA's public affairs arm.

1:18:01Now, the VA rules state that employees who are not authorized to speak officially on behalf of the agency need to refer the media request to their administration communications office. And the rules say anyone not authorized to speak on behalf of the VA needs to make clear they are speaking in a personal capacity. Becky Aliwa says she didn't coordinate with the agency because she was very careful about not speaking on behalf of them, and also because this vigil was off the VA campus. She attended it in her off hours, and she did not wear her VA badge or any clothing with a VA logo on it. Here's what she said to me about the investigation.

1:18:36Why do you believe the VA investigated you? I think that it's a scare tactic, but truthfully, I don't intend to do much different. I intend to continue speaking up. I don't intend for this to stop me in any way. So if that was their intention or their thought behind initiating it, they were sorely mistaken. We contacted the VA for response to Becky Aliwa's claims. VA Press Secretary Quinn Slavin said he could not comment, citing privacy concerns. He said, quote,

1:19:25Also,

1:19:30Becky Aliwa is not alone. Several sources familiar with the matter tell CNN at least three other VA employees have been investigated for their interactions with the press, including at least one other person related to an Alex Preddy event. Jake? All right, Brian Todd, thank you so much. Our last lead starred in our law and justice lead. The man charged with attempting to kill President Trump at the White House Correspondents Association dinner has been indicted. Today's indictment adds one more charge to the original three. That new charge is assaulting an officer with a deadly weapon. The alleged gunman, Cole Thomas Allen, has not entered a plea on any charges and his arraignment is scheduled for next Monday.

1:20:07In our world lead, officials say three people aboard the cruise ship hit by the Hantavirus outbreak will be evacuated by air ambulances in the coming hours. All three, we're told, are clinically stable. About 150 people are still stranded on the ship that's currently anchored off the coast of Cape Verde. Three people have died. Several others have gotten sick. You can follow the show on Axe's Instagram at The Lead CNN. If you ever miss an episode of The Lead, you can watch the show on the CNN app. Our friend Erin Burnett and her show out front start now.

1:21:05Transcription by CastingWords information gets drowned. The new CNN original series, Kara Swisher wants to live forever. Now streaming on the CNN app.