Iran & U.S. Trade Shots, Iran Attacks UAE

25:09We were talking about this. This is a rarity in terms of convincing a sitting senator to switch parties. But just because he has friends that are Republicans, Jake, doesn't mean the guy all of a sudden is a conservative. No, but I think Matt hits the point, which is like he says things that bother people, even if he votes the way. But they need to get over it, Jake. Who cares? He's a reliable vote for them. Who cares? So, well, you know, you say that, and yet President Trump and a lot of Republicans are now trying to defeat— I don't blame them. —trying to defeat Congressman Tom Massey of Kentucky.

25:40And Massey of Kentucky drew attention to this new ad released by his Republican primary rival, a Trump-endorsed candidate named Ed Galrain. Take a look. Thomas Massey caught in a throuple in Washington. He's cheating with the squad on the America First movement. Massey voted with the squad against Trump's tax cuts. Massey voted with the squad against finishing Trump's wall. He voted with them against hiring new border agents. Well, this is worse than adultery. It's a complete and total betrayal of President Trump and Kentucky conservatives. On May 19th, fire Thomas Massey. Now, obviously, there's not actually a throuple going on, despite that AI video, which is, I have to say, very believable.

26:30I thought it was effective. If you're sitting there and you're not really paying much attention and you see pictures of Massey holding hands with AOC and Ilhan Omar, you might think it's real. You definitely might, and it's a characteristic Trumpian understatement here. The throuple thing, it's insane and ridiculous. But it is an example of what we've got to worry about in our politics with AI Because to your point, I think a whole bunch of voters are going to think those images are real. They're completely fake. And we're starting to see this in a lot of different ways with people's use of their voice, saying things they never said.

27:01And this is a real warning for all of us to be careful about this stuff. Yeah, I mean, this does get into a question about, like, what should be allowed, given the fact that those are not real images. I didn't see anything big that said AI created or, like, don't believe this. We're just tongue in cheek. What do you think about this going after Tom Massey thing? Mainly, I guess it's because of the Epstein files, right? Yep, absolutely. The president's not very happy about that. Thomas Massey has also been very outspoken on a litany of other issues that Trump is just not happy about. So I'm not surprised by this.

27:35But I think that ad, it sort of targets some of the ardent Trump supporters. You think about how tribal everything is. And so from the perspective of the average lay voter, he appears disloyal. And Republicans, just like Democrats, they want representatives who are going to stick it to the other side, not someone who's working with the other side. I mean, it goes back to our Fetterman conversation, unfortunately. And so I could see this absolutely working against him, unfortunately. I don't always agree with Thomas Massey, but I think having autonomy to speak out a little bit is an important part of dialogue in the country in terms of legislating.

28:07So, first of all, let me just say, like John Fetterman, he votes with his party more than 90 percent of the time. He does. Incredibly conservative guy. Yeah, 90 % of the time. Let's turn to another fascinating issue today. Congresswoman Nancy Mace, Republican of South Carolina, posted on Twitter, her ex, quote, the results of my subpoena of Congress's sexual harassment slush funder in nine members, 1 ,000 pages. We're reviewing every page. We will name all nine. She then went on to list names of members of Congress, many of them former members of Congress. CNN has not verified them independently, so we're not going to list them.

28:41But obviously, it is certainly worth getting our hands on the thousand pages she got. Where do you see this going? Just real quick. I mean, I think it's a good thing. Now, Matt said something, and I'll let him say what he said to me before we came on. And I didn't consider what you mentioned to me when I said this is a very good thing. I don't think taxpayers should be paying for the bad deeds of the people who should be in Congress representing us with a high moral and ethical bar. But I can understand your point how there could be ramifications to this. Right. I don't know if this is the case, but it's possible that this could get in the way of criminal investigations.

29:14And if that's the case, then they, you know. What, releasing them or the House settling them? Well, maybe both. But I certainly agree that, like, if this is happening, taxpayers should know about it. And what we've seen recently with Gonzalez and Swalwell is incredibly horrifying conduct on the part of these members. And apparently it's pretty widespread. And while I'm often skeptical of Nancy Mace, in this case, she may be right. All right, everyone stick around. We've got a lot more to talk about. I want to squeeze in a quick break, but I also want to talk about the fight for 2026. More states jumping into this redistricting, gerrymandering cold war that we're in, pushing to withdraw their congressional maps.

29:54Stay with us.

30:06STICKING WITH OUR POLITICS LEAD, THE GERRYMANDERING ARMS RACE IS ESCALATING, NOT EVEN A WEEK SINCE THE U.S. SUPREME COURT DECISION MAKING RACE IN CONGRESSIONAL MAPS RACIAL CONSIDERATION UNCONSTITUTIONAL. TODAY, HOUSE DEMOCRATIC LEADER HAKIM JEFFRIES IS NOW PUSHING FOR NEW YORK TO CHANGE ITS CONGRESSIONAL MAPS TO GIVE DEMOCRATS MORE OF AN ADVANTAGE. ALSO TODAY, FLORIDA GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS SIGNED THAT STATE'S NEW CONGRESSIONAL MAP INTO LAW. would give, theoretically, it could give Republicans four additional House seats. New maps benefiting Republicans could also be coming in Tennessee and Alabama, with special sessions in those states now set.

30:42Louisiana, the state faces a new lawsuit after putting its U.S. House primaries on hold just days before early voting was set to begin. The panel is back, and boy, this is a mess. Matt, is this gerrymandering arms race just going to continue until the last possible moment? they can squeeze out one more vote? Yeah, apparently. I mean, we're in this horrible race to the bottom. I voted for the Virginia bill to change the maps because we had to, you know, because Democrats. Yes. I didn't want to, though. I mean, this is not how we should be doing this. We should be doing it every 10 years after the census comes out by a commission that does nonpartisan gerrymandering everywhere.

31:22And Democrats would support a bill in Congress to do that. Republicans won't. But look, both sides are doing it right now. And it's pretty awful. And the one that started it this midterm, like, as I said, gerrymandering's been around since the beginning of this country. Yeah, a long time. Gerrymandering's named after a founding father, in fact. But this, doing it in the middle of the decade is what's new about it. And in his Truth Social Post on Sunday, President Trump, who started this when he told Texas to do it, he wrote, quote, we cannot allow there to be an election that is conducted unconstitutionally simply for the convenience of state legislatures.

31:56He's basically saying legislatures need to reconvene to create these new maps. If they have to vote twice, so be it, he said. He added, the byproduct is that the Republicans will receive more than 20 House seats in the upcoming midterms. I mean, this idea that primarily - Presumably. I mean, you look at, not to cut you off, Jake, but just look at Texas. Like, the presumption was that we would gain all five of those seats. And I have friends who are strategists in Texas, have been for a long time. And we may gain three out of the five. Some estimates, if Democratic turnout is really high and Republican turnout is suppressed because of the Senate race going on right now, that could have ramifications down ballot.

32:31That's suppressed, suppressed, but demoralized. But demoralized, correct. Let me be clear on that. We could lose three out of the five. So it's not guaranteed that gerrymandering will absolutely net you the seats. And this is on both sides here. You're not guaranteed to win every single one of those seats. And so to your point, this is a race to the bottom. This is not good for the country. It creates a distrust in our institutions. People don't trust their political leaders. And so what happens? The result is they pull back. They retract. They don't want to be involved. Younger people don't want to run for office anymore.

33:01All negative things in the long run. And in your home commonwealth of Virginia, it's also possible that this new map will be found unconstitutional according to the Virginia Constitution because there are all sorts of rules that this, I mean, the allegations are that this new map went at the end of the election went around those rules. There are. And like in Louisiana, they're literally voting right now. And there are like handwritten signs saying like, don't vote in these races. It's crazy. It's totally bananas. But I think to Michael's point, it's really important to emphasize what we have now is politicians choosing their voters.

33:35Right. And it's supposed to be the other way around. And this whole thing is nonsense. So what do you make of the fact that they're actually delaying primaries? Like people were voting. I don't. I just Republican, Democrat alike, I'm just not happy about this. I think the American people have a lot on their plates right now. And the one thing, at least in the past, was you could vote for someone that you assumed would represent your interest when they came into this town. That's no longer the case anymore, Jake. And that's what worries me about the long run. You see that across the globe, the democratization is at an all-time low.

34:09Fragmentation, hyper-partisanship is rising steadily in our country. and we're the leader of the free world here. If we set the standard and the example, man, we're not setting a good one today. So last week I spoke with the attorney general of the state of Alabama, Steve Marshall, about that state's effort to redraw its congressional maps prior to the primary election there. Take a listen to just part of his argument. Alabama ought to have the opportunity, as we've seen Virginia, as we've seen California, we've seen New York, to draw districts that are consistent with those who are seeking that representation.

34:44Alabama is a conservative state and they deserve conservative representation. That would mean, what he's saying is, the one congressional district that Democrats have in Alabama should go because Alabama is a conservative state. I live in Virginia. I voted differently from you, Matt. But a lot of Democrats are doing the same thing in our state. There would only be one Republican congressional district. So I'm not surprised that Republicans say, well, look at Virginia, look at California. And then Democrats are going to say, well, look at Texas, look at Florida, look at Alabama. But there's an important point about Alabama as well, which is the Voting Rights Act, which the Supreme Court just gutted.

35:23And what it did was protect the ability of minority voters in places like Alabama. That's what it was written for, to ensure that they had some representation in Congress. And now they're not going to. All right. Thanks to both of you. We have some breaking news here in Washington, D.C. now. The US Secret Service says one person was shot by law enforcement just blocks from the White House right near the Washington Monument. And CNN's Brian Todd is on the scene. Brian, what are you learning? Right, Jake. We can tell you that this incident began at about 3.30 p.m. Eastern time, where according to Matthew Quinn, the deputy director of the Secret Service, it started down this way.

35:59We're near the intersection of 15th Street and Independence Avenue. It started down this way near the White House complex, according to Matthew Quinn. That's where he says that plain-clothed Secret Service officers spotted a man with what he called a visual print of a weapon. That the man then fled briefly, and he must have fled basically from the White House complex, which is down there, up this way. This is 15th Street right here, up this way toward Independence Avenue. At this point, somewhere around here, the man, according to Matthew Quinn, withdrew his weapon and fired at officers. They fired back and engaged him.

36:39They injured him, but also a bystander was caught in the crossfire. The bystander, according to Matthew Quinn, was a juvenile who was injured with non-life-threatening injuries and transported from the scene. The suspect also transported from the scene. This is basically where it ended over here, over my right shoulder. 15th Street and Independence Avenue is the general area where this incident ended. He also said, of course, Matthew Quinn did say that Vice President J.D. Vance's motorcade passed through here very shortly before this incident unfolded. I asked him whether the Vice President was in the motorcade.

37:12He said, yes, he was, but that this incident really did not involve the motorcade. I asked if this was an attack on the motorcade. He said, no, it was not. So those are the details we have. It was he was first spotted by plain clothed Secret Service officers, Jake. It was uniformed Secret Service officers who engaged in gunfire with the suspect, wounded him, transported him from the scene. But also a bystander who was a juvenile was also wounded with non-life-threatening injuries, also transported from the scene. Matthew Quinn was asked if this was at all related to the other attempts on President Trump's life, and he said he really couldn't speculate on that.

37:46Jake? All right, Brian Todd with the breaking news down near the Washington Monument. Thank you. Coming up, the intelligence report publicly revealing tightened security around Russia's leader, Vladimir Putin, over fears of a possible attempted coup. Is the Kremlin in crisis?

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38:43Returning to our world leader gaping hole in the side of an upscale high-rise apartment in Moscow, showing where a presumed Ukrainian drones struck overnight. City officials say nobody was hurt and other drones were intercepted before they hit their targets. The attack highlights the growing threat to top Russian officials caused by the Vladimir Putin war in Ukraine. And as CNN's Nick Payton Walsh reports for us now, the resulting fears, if not paranoia, go all the way to the top. It is a rare pointed insight into one of the starkest secrets in Russia, President Vladimir Putin's security protocols.

39:18And it, a detailed intelligence report given to CNN by a source close to a European intelligence agency, portrays, predictably, a Kremlin in deep crisis. Cooks, bodyguards and photographers working with Putin must have surveillance systems installed in their homes, it says. Putin has stopped visiting military sites this year entirely, it says, in contrast to last year, often spending time in fortified bunkers and keeping clear of some of his main lavish residences like Valdai. A tactic aided by many of his appearances, and he is in the media a lot, being pre-recorded. His staff cannot use smartphones or public transport, the report adds.

40:00Visitors must be searched twice. Not all of this information is new, some of it rumoured or evident before, but the massive detail is striking, as is the decision by a European intelligence agency to release a report like this. Clearly an information salvo designed to stoke strife and paranoia at a time of perceived weakness in the Kremlin. The dossier also suggests something staggering, that the measures may be designed to protect Putin from a potential coup, something he had a narrow miss with in June 2023, when mercenary boss and former chef to Putin, Yevgeny Pregosian, led a failed march on Moscow.

40:43The risk of a coup, it says now, is from another former confidant, Sergei Shoigu. Once his Minister of Defence, but now Secretary of the Security Council, he retains significant influence within the military high command, it says. The report says a coup is more likely after Shoigu's former deputy and close associate, Ruslan Salikov, was arrested in March, which it calls, quote, a breach of the tacit protection agreements among elites. But the report doesn't provide any evidence or explain why it has made this risk public, warning the Kremlin. It claims the new security measures came after a series of assassinations among the Russian top brass, likely by Ukraine, at an urgent meeting last year after the killing of Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov in Moscow on December 22nd.

41:32The release of the report has convenient timing, four years into Russia's invasion of Ukraine, at a time when doubts about Russia's ability to sustain its war effort and its economic impact are growing. Of major internet blackouts, growing internal criticism of Putin himself and continued successful Ukrainian bombardment of targets deep inside Russia. Especially ahead of the May 9th Victory Day parade, scaled back dramatically this year for security, there are plenty of reasons European intelligence would seek to destabilise the Kremlin. And much of this is hard to corroborate. But it is rare detail and a confident presentation of a Kremlin in crisis that matches a moment of peaking criticism of Putin internally.

42:20Jake, the Kremlin have not responded to our requests for comment, but even just today we are hearing about potential internet mobile phone blackouts in the period ahead of this Victory Day parade, really a sign of a city, Moscow, potentially the Kremlin on edge. Jake? All right, NPW, thanks so much. Welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper. This hour, is the ceasefire between the US and Iran still operative? Is it in jeopardy? The two militaries are both firing shots in the Strait of Hormuz today as President Trump warns Iranian forces will be, quote, blown off the face of the earth if they target US ships.

42:58I'm going to get a reaction from a former Secretary of Defense in moments. Plus, three cruise ship passengers are dead and others are sick after a suspected Hantavirus outbreak on board. What we know about the Hantavirus and how it spreads as the nearly 150 people on board are stuck at sea right now. Also, the U.S. Supreme Court today temporarily allowing patients to once again get an abortion drug by mail, but it's far from their final decision. So when could that come and have the justices given any hints as to how they might rule on that.

43:33The lead tonight, a warning from President Trump as both the U.S. and Iran exchange fire in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump telling Fox in a phone interview that Iranian forces would be, quote, blown off the face of the earth, unquote, if they attempt to target U.S. ships in the Strait of Hormuz or in the Persian Gulf. A threat that comes following a post on Truth Social where the president touts the U.S. shooting down seven small Iranian boats after Iran took shots at U.S. ships in the strait. The attacks jeopardizing the already quite fragile ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, with peace talks remaining at a standstill.

44:06And also adding to the anxieties of the oil industry and U.S. consumers, who could be staring down gas prices as high as$5 a gallon if traffic in the strait stays bottlenecked. Let's bring in CNN's Nick Robertson, who's live in Islamabad, Pakistan. Nick, what is the status of the ceasefire?

44:26Yeah. And interestingly, the Iranians today, later on this evening, denying that they'd fired these missiles into the UAE, what the UAE described as cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and drones. So quite a serious salvo injuring those three people there. But perhaps even more intriguingly, just this tweet coming in from Iran's foreign minister, just literally in the last couple of minutes here, Jake. So I'm going to read it to you. Events in the Hormuz, in the Strait of Hormuz, make it clear that there is no military solution to this political crisis, he says. As the talks are making progress with Pakistan's gracious efforts, the mediators here, of course, the U.S.

45:06should be wary of being dragged back into the quagmire by ill wishes. So should the UAE. Also goes on to say Project Freedom is Project Deadlock. You know, if there's some kind of disconnect in Iran between the foreign minister who's sort of been running point on the negotiations, he was the one here, he went to Oman, he went to Russia, and the hardliners, perhaps this explains this sort of discontinuity of Iran saying that they didn't fire these missiles into the UAE, didn't go toe-to-toe, ship-to-ship with the U.S. Navy in the Strait of Hormuz today. But I think your question is, is there really a ceasefire?

45:55I think that's in the balance. Is there a diplomatic process underway here? Yes, I think there is. I have strong reason to believe that there is. The Iranian foreign minister today was working on Iran's response to the White House response to their position that the White House put back to the mediators to Iran over the weekend. So there is, I can say, this reasonable assurity right now that there is some efforts at negotiations and talks going on. How successful, that really isn't clear. And Nick, what more are you learning tonight about the flow of traffic along the Strait of Hormuz? Yeah, so you have the CENTCOM saying that a guided missile destroyer did get through the Strait of Homoz into the Gulf today.

46:51The Iranians saying, no, that didn't happen. Also, we understand from CENTCOM that two U.S. civilian merchant ships were able to get out of the Gulf through the Strait of Homoz, carry on with their precious cargoes. Again, the Iranians are denying that. the Iranians had claimed to shoot up a naval vessel. CENTCOM said that didn't happen, but they did shoot on those Iranian small attack craft or boats, whatever they were, fishing boats, remnants of their small Navy vessels, sinking six of them. So it does appear that this track, This narrow maritime track, as CENTCOM calls it, is open, but it does have the guidance of CENTCOM, which comes in the form of Apache gunships and SH-60 Seahawk helicopters as well.

47:46All right, Nick Robertson in Islamabad, Pakistan, thanks for the update. I want to bring in former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. Mr. Secretary, good to see you. Amid this exchange in fire between the U.S. and Iran, how concerned are you that the ceasefire might be over?

48:02I think there's a real concern. You know, Jake, I think the reality is that we may have crossed a line here. We aren't involved in a anymore in a six to eight week war that was going to end in a few days. I think this is beginning to smell very much like a forever war in which, you know, each side seems to be overconfident about themselves. Each side is afraid of appearing to be weak. Each side thinks that time is on their side and each believes that the other is a paper tiger. That's not a good prescription for ending the war. It's a prescription for a forever war. Do you see an off-ramp for a diplomatic solution or a ceasefire extension before fighting escalates further?

48:59You know, if I had more confidence in the administration's ability to exercise diplomacy, then I'd say yes. Because, look, there are ways to put additional diplomatic pressure on Iran. After all, closing the Straits of Hormuz impacts on India, impacts on China. So a diplomatic effort that brings other countries into this and puts pressure on Iran to move towards opening up the Straits of Hormuz. I think that, you know, that's in the cards if you're willing to commit to negotiating and if you're willing to commit to working with other countries as well. This administration has not shown that they're willing to work with other countries to try to get the Straits for Moos open.

49:52On Saturday night, President Trump was asked if he had seen the new peace proposal from Iran. I want to play the interaction with a reporter that transpired. Take a listen. I'm looking at it up here. I'll let you know about it later. but uh well i wouldn't have to i didn't say that i said that if we left right now it would take them 20 years to rebuild but we're not leaving right now we're going to do it so nobody has to go back in two years or five years i don't know how well you or any of our listeners could could hear but the reporter said mr president last night you said we might be better off not making a deal with Iran.

50:33And the president said, I didn't say that. He had, in fact, said what the reporter said. Take a listen. I'm so busy with the Iranians calling, trying to make a good deal. We're not going to let that happen. But got to make a bad. They've got to make a bad deal. But if they make a deal at all, because frankly, maybe we're better off not making a deal at all. Do you want to know the truth? Because we can't let this thing go on. I mean, not only did he say maybe we're better off not making a deal, he got applause for it. Now, when he does this, obviously it's confusing for journalists. It's confusing for Americans.

51:08Does it have an actual impact on the war? I don't think there's any question that when he sends a signal that we all may be better off not having a deal, then what's the alternative? The alternative is more war. And so you've seen Iran take additional actions with missiles and drones. You've seen the U.S. use our destroyers to try to go through the Straits of Hormuz. We've blown up, what, six of the Iranian small boats. You know, what you're left with is continuing to try to use military action in order to make the other side blink. And the reality is that right now, neither side is blinking. And so we are in a war that, as far as I can see, has no end.

52:13Former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, thank you so much, sir. Appreciate it as always. Nearly 150 people, including 17 Americans, are stuck at sea on a cruise ship tonight after a suspected outbreak of what's called Hantavirus on board. What you need to know about this virus and how it's transmitted next.

52:37In our health lead, three people are dead and at least three others are sick after a suspected outbreak of what's called Hantavirus aboard a cruise ship. Now, the vessel is currently anchored off the coast of Africa with nearly 150 people on board while health officials try to figure out next steps. Here's CNN's Larry Medoa. A suspected outbreak of Hantavirus on board this cruise ship crossing the Atlantic Ocean. The MV Hondias, operated by ocean-wide expeditions, departed Ushuaia on the southern tip of Argentina over a month ago. Details of the suspected outbreak emerged as it was anchored in Praia, the capital of Kivverd, an island nation off the coast of West Africa, on Sunday.

53:17One American travel blogger on board issuing this tearful message. We're not just a story. We're not just headlines. We're people. People with families, with lives, with people waiting for us at home. There's a lot of uncertainty, and that's the hardest part. All we want right now is to feel safe, to have clarity, and to get home. Cape Verdean authorities have refused to allow anyone to disembark. However, local health authorities visited the ship and assessed two symptomatic crew members requiring urgent medical care, Oceanwide Expedition said in a statement. There are 17 Americans among the 149 people on board, according to Oceanwide.

54:05The company told CNN it is, quote, currently focused on the health and safety of passengers and crew. Humans most commonly get infected with Hantavirus through contact with rodents like mice or rats, especially their urine droppings and saliva, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC. Early symptoms include fatigue, fever and muscle aches, as well as headaches, dizziness, chills and abdominal problems. Human to human transmission is rare, the World Health Organization says. To have this many people clustered together on a ship, most public health officials would be looking and looking for human-to-human transmission.

54:44And I'm sure this is going to be investigated tremendously. But that would be where the arrows are pointing right now. So far, it's not clear how the suspected infections on the ship occurred. The first death on board this ship happened April 11. The body of a 70-year-old Dutch man was taken to the island of St. Helena, a remote island in the South Atlantic, according to South Africa's Department of Health. His wife later collapsed at an airport while trying to fly home and died in hospital. At this time, it is not confirmed that these two deaths are connected to the current medical situation on board, the operator said.

55:20The World Health Organization says it is facilitating between member states and the ship's operators on a full public health risk assessment, but added, quote, the risks to the wider public remain slow. There is no need for panic or travel restrictions. Larry Medowa, CNN. And our thanks to Larry Medowa for that report. Joining us now to discuss Dr. Megan Ranney, the dean of Yale Medical School. It's so good to see you again, Dr. Ranney. Last time you were here, we were talking about, I believe, a different virus altogether, the coronavirus. If Hantavirus is not normally transmitted from person to person, how is it possible, do you think, that multiple people on the ship have the virus?

55:59Yeah, a hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship was not on my top 50 or even 100 things that I would worry about for a cruise ship. I and other experts really think there are three possibilities here. The first is that a bunch of folks were exposed when they were traveling off the ship. Maybe they went to a cave or to a house that had rodent droppings that got aerosolized and they all got infected there. The second possibility, which would worry me if I were a cruise ship owner, is that there were mice or other rodents on the cruise ship that were running around and exposed a bunch of folks. The third possibility, and the one that most worries folks like me, public health experts, emergency physicians, is the possibility that there could be person-to-person transmission.

56:44And Jake, here's the important part. There has been a report of one strain of hantavirus in Argentina, known as the Andes strain, which is known to cause limited person-to-person transmission. Many of us are worried that it may be that strain that got onto the boat and that may be spreading, but it's far too early to know. So hantavirus is highly deadly. The CDC says more than a third of people who develop respiratory systems may then die. There's also no cure for hantavirus. So the passengers and crew who are being treated right now and they may have the virus. What does that care? What does that treatment look like?

57:24So we would care for them just as we would for anyone with a severe critical illness. If they're having breathing trouble, we might put them in a medical coma and put in a breathing tube. If their blood pressure is having trouble maintaining itself, we'd give them fluids and medications to support their blood pressure. We might treat their kidneys. We'd probably give them antibiotics. An important thing to know about a hantavirus diagnosis is that it is tough to make. It's almost always a lab that we have to send out of the hospital. It's not my first, fifth, or even tenth thing on my differential diagnosis.

57:59And so you want to treat folks for everything that could be causing their symptoms while waiting for that send-out test to come back. So passengers are not currently allowed to get off the ship. Once they finally dock, will there have to be some kind of extensive testing to make sure the virus is contained? What are the next steps look like? So trying to figure out what the next steps are as we speak, I will say this is where I am so grateful for other great public health experts and particularly for the expertise of the World Health Organization and other folks that work on pandemic preparedness.

58:34As Larry said, this is a very rare virus. We've had less than a thousand cases in the United States in the last 20 years. The fact that we have international experts working to figure out what's happening with spread and what we should do next is amazing. Most likely when folks get off of that ship, there will be some quarantine, but it is far too early to tell. We'll know a lot more in coming days as we start getting genomic data about whether this spread between people, where it came from and so on. All right, Dr. Megan Ranney, good to see you again. Thank you so much. More than a dozen women coming forward for the first time telling CNN about interactions they had with former Congressman Eric Swalwell, a Democrat, ones that made them uncomfortable in private.

59:20CNN's Pamela Brown has those details next.

59:31And our politics lead new details from a CNN investigation into former Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell, who resigned last month and dropped his bid to be California governor after a former staffer told CNN and the San Francisco Chronicle that he had raped her. Swalwell's attorney told us he, quote, unequivocally denies each and every allegation of sexual misconduct and assault. But now more than a dozen women have come forward to CNN describing interactions with Swalwell that made them uncomfortable over the last decade, from social media messages to in-person encounters to alleged attempts by the congressman to lure them into his hotel room.

1:00:08Here's CNN's Pamela Brown. So for the last few weeks, we've been digging into the sexual misconduct allegations against now former Congressman Eric Swalwell, after CNN reported a former staffer accused him of rape. Swalwell denied the allegation, but resigned from Congress and dropped out of the California governor's race. We wanted to know how far back Swalwell's questionable behavior went and how extensive it was. Now, more than a dozen other women have come forward and told us about how interactions with Swalwell, both online and in person, left them uncomfortable. So their story suggests a pattern of Swalwell using social media to contact young women, including congressional staffers, and eventually escalating into flirting or inappropriate messaging.

1:00:54One woman described him cornering her as a young intern and slipping his private phone number into her back pocket. He then sent her flirtatious messages on Snapchat. Another told us about Swalwell initiating contact with her on LinkedIn after she briefly served him at a restaurant when she was 19. All of this was allegedly happening as Swalwell built a public persona in politics as a fierce defender of women's safety. I will always stand not only with the women in my family, but every woman in America to make sure they are always free from violence. But throughout his years in office, Swalwell was different behind closed doors from behavior described by younger women as weird and inappropriate to his behavior with his Capitol Hill staffer who said he raped her.

1:01:39No one protected me. Sorry. No one protected me, and I don't want someone else to suffer because I know what I know. Swalwell's alleged behavior runs in stark contrast to his work in office, where he pushed for transparency on members of Congress sexually harassing staff. I think we should unseal the names of anyone who conducted themselves this way to protect every woman who works on the Hill from working in one of these offices. In 2018, he voted to ban sexual relationships between members of Congress and their staff. And when Time magazine honored the women of the Me Too movement as the 2017 Person of the Year, Swalwell praised the decision.

1:02:25Good choice, Time, he wrote in a Facebook post touting his work to combat sexual harassment in Congress. Despite his professional reputation, young women were seeing a different side to Swalwell through his use of social media. There was the Eric that I would staff and most of the time business is normal and then there was the Eric that I would talk to on Snapchat and that was a different person completely. Early in his career as a congressman, Swalwell earned praise for his savvy use of social media to connect with young voters. In 2016, one media outlet dubbed Swalwell the Snapchat King of Congress, an app where messages disappear after they're read.

1:03:05But beyond the professional work, he used the app to add young women and send them personal messages from his verified account. Some of those messages, which CNN reviewed. Alyssa Marco described a similar playbook Swalwell used with her on Snapchat, where she says he once sent her a photo of his genitals. The conversation started out professionally. We were talking about how I could work on the Hill. He told me to send over my resume. From there, the messages shifted to much more personal, much more inappropriate and crossing a line. And while all this was happening, Democratic leadership was elevating his status in Congress.

1:03:45He eventually launched a bid for governor of California. One through line we learned in our reporting is that a lot of these young women were in the early stages of their careers in Democratic politics. and Swalwell would often offer to help move them up the ladder, highlighting the power imbalance that some of these women felt in their interactions with him. A lawyer for Swalwell said he doesn't deny having extramarital contact, but that he does categorically and unequivocally deny each and every allegation of sexual misconduct and assault that has been leveled against him. Pamela Brown, CNN, Washington.

1:04:22And our thanks to Pamela Brown for that report. Today, the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily restored access to abortion pills by telehealth or by mail. A final decision in the case looms. CNN's Ellie Honig is going to break down what we know ahead.

1:04:46In our world lead, a new book captures the human face of the global refugee crisis. It's also a reminder of the sacrifice so many of our Afghan allies gave when helping U.S. forces fight against the Taliban prior to the chaotic withdrawal in 2021. The book, Not Our Problem, The True Story of an Afghan Refugee and American Promise and the World Between Them, is out now. So let's bring in the authors, former Afghan interpreter for the U.S. military, Abdul Haq Sodeas, and U.S. Army combat veteran, Spencer Sullivan. Thank you both for being here, and thanks to both of you for your service. The book really tries to show the shared burden that a U.S.

1:05:28service member and their Afghan ally have. Spencer, why was it important for you two to write this memoir? Well, first of all, Jake, thank you for having us. I know you've been a supporter of the book for a while, so it's nice to come on the show and talk about it with other Americans. It was important because Abdelhaq asked me to help him tell his story, not only on his behalf, but on behalf of other refugees and other Afghans who were unable to tell their own story. We wanted to make sure that the American public and the Western audience in general were able to see very clearly the consequences of the war, how we treated our allies, and what came after the collapse of Afghanistan.

1:06:12The first line of chapter one is striking. Abdul Haq, you write, quote, when I die and meet God, I will ask him why he made me an Afghan, unquote. You go into detail about the difficulties of life under Taliban rule, why you decided to serve alongside the U.S. military, your struggle to flee Afghanistan. You were granted asylum in Germany, but now you're here in the U.S. Why was it important for you to highlight the plight so many refugees face even now?

1:06:46Yeah, as I had experience as a refugee, I mean in Germany, when I got in Germany, I thought it's a good chance for me to write a book about refugees because I found they don't have any voice. And after I talk with Spencer, please, can you help me to write a book about the refugee experience, not only about the refugee and also Afghan, Afghan center battle. And because as I saw in Afghanistan, work with other interpreters in Afghanistan, and they have a really tough time. I mean, and they faced with many challenges in Afghanistan. And yeah, your life wasn't risk. Yeah. Spencer, life for Afghan allies here in the U.S.

1:07:40has been anything but easy since the U.S. left Afghanistan in 2021. The Trump administration has halted the U.S. resettlement program for Afghans who helped the U.S. in the war. There are now reports that the Trump administration is considering resettling Afghans in the Democratic Republic of Congo. What was your reaction when you read that story or heard that news? MICHAEL KAPLAN, Ph.D.: Horrified, but unfortunately not surprised. You're referring to the 1 ,100 Afghans and their family members in Camp Asaliya in Qatar, 150 of which are directly related to U.S. uniformed service members. So to deport Afghans to a country they're not from and have never been to and have no way of getting started or settled there is not only turning our back on our wartime allies, it's also telling existing U.S.

1:08:33service members that your families do not matter, that they are subhuman and less important than others we consider worthy of coming into this country. So it's a terrible tragedy. And I would urge the State Department and the administration to act to bring those people home to America. Yeah, a few weeks ago, we interviewed a Marine, an Afghan American whose brother is in that refugee camp. Abdelhaq, this is a tough question, but given everything that you now know, do you regret what you did to help the U.S. in Afghanistan?

1:09:15I would like to say short sentences. When I worked as an interpreter in Afghanistan, it was in Zobel. province 2013 when IED blew me up. And after second day, we supposed to go on that mission. And I didn't refuse the missions. I mean, but unfortunately, US government refused my case more than 13 years. Yeah. but I was so lucky that that I leave Afghanistan I had just two choices two options I must leave Afghanistan or if I stay in Afghanistan I was dead man and after I decided to leave Afghanistan and I faced with many challenges when I get Germany, my journey and take seven I spent in jail, two, three times in jail.

1:10:23And also I got captured by police, border police, more than 12 times. 12 times. I was so lucky. And also one of my friends, he worked as interpreter. He got killed by Taliban, Sahih. Yeah. And same group when we work in Afghanistan as interpreter. Yeah. The book, Not Our Problem, The True Story of an Afghan Refugee. and American Promise and the World Between Them is out now. Spencer Sullivan and Abdul-Hak Soudalius, thank you so much. Thank you, Jake. Is the White House trying to make amends with the Pope? What we're learning about Secretary of State Marco Rubio's expected meeting with Pope Leo later this week.

1:11:05That's next.

1:11:15Abortion is back atop our law and justice lead. The U.S. Supreme Court today temporarily restored access to abortion pills, but a lower court ruling could severely restrict sending these drugs through the mail. CNN senior legal analyst Ellie Honig is here to help us understand what's going on. So, Ellie, the U.S. Supreme Court has been asked to restrict abortion medication before, but that case ended on a legal technicality having to do with standing, and it didn't really address the big issue, right? Right, Jake. So back in 2023, shortly after the Supreme Court overruled Roe versus Wade, the FDA during the Biden administration adopted a new set of regulations that basically did two things.

1:11:53One, it said patients can obtain mifepristone by telehealth, by meeting with a medical professional over Zoom or remotely rather than in person. And two, it allowed mifepristone to be sent through the mail. Now, a group of doctors and anti-abortion activists challenged that. It went all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court, where the court ruled unanimously 9-0 against the challengers. But as you said, that was a technical ruling based on what we call standing, meaning the court said basically, we're not ruling on the legality of these regulations, but we are saying you're the wrong plaintiffs.

1:12:24You don't have enough of a stake in this. So if some other plaintiffs come along, they can try again. And that's exactly what's happening now. So get us up to speed. There was a ruling out of the Fifth Circuit Court on Friday, than action by the U.S. Supreme Court today. What's going on? Yeah, so new plaintiffs come along, the state of Louisiana, which argues these FDA regulations conflict with our Louisiana's state laws against abortion. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers the territory, including Louisiana, agreed with the challenger, said those regulations are unconstitutional.

1:12:54This is on Friday, and therefore people cannot get Mifepristone through telehealth, cannot be mailed. Today, however, just a few hours ago, the Supreme Court put the pause on everything and said, hang on, we're going back to the status quo. So as of this moment, women still can get mifepristone through telehealth. They still can be sent through the mail. And Justice Alito, who issued this one-page ruling today, said, we're putting everything on hold. I want briefing by Thursday. And the hold only lasts till the week from today, Monday. So I expect the Supreme Court to give us a more substantive ruling, really within the next handful of days.

1:13:28Let's turn to the suspect in the White House Correspondents Association dinner shooting. He had been placed in severe lockdown, was on temporary suicide watch, requiring a padded cell, no access to phone calls, books, etc. A federal magistrate judge today said that that was not based on any known medical assessment. And he actually apologized to the suspect, saying it was partly the court's role to ensure inmates are subjected to fair conditions. It's, well, I was surprised. What did you make of it all? Yeah, I did a triple take when I saw that story, Jake. This is a ridiculous statement by this judge.

1:14:00First of all, to compare this would-be assassin of the president to the January 6th defendants is ludicrous. The January 6th defendants should have been prosecuted. That was rightful. However, most of them were prosecuted for misdemeanors, for nonviolent crimes. Even the most serious January 6th defendants were not charged with using a firearm in the course of violence like this individual. We're certainly not charged with attempted murder or attempted assassination. So that's a ridiculous comparison. Second of all, it's perfectly fine for judges to make sure that inmates are being held under humane, reasonable conditions, but to apologize as this judge did on the record to a person who just tried to essentially decapitate the leader of our entire government of our executive branch, that's ridiculous.

1:14:43This person is entitled to due process. He's entitled to a fair trial, but not an apology from anybody. Yeah, and the manifesto made it clear that he didn't think he was going to survive what he was trying to do. So that's the reason that he was put under suicide watch. Ellie Honig, thank you so much. Appreciate it. My panel joins me now. Mike Dubke, there is a new story in the Wall Street Journal. The anti-abortion movement is turning on Trump. And it says, quote, the ubiquity of abortion pills during the second Trump administration has frustrated anti-abortion advocates. What are you hearing from pro-life sources?

1:15:15No, I think what was reported in The Wall Street Journal is exactly what you're hearing, that there's this frustration level. There's a frustration level with the Trump administration and the position that they've had in terms of this issue, especially with the president saying, I'm the most pro-life president that's out there. Having said that, we also have to look back and look at the reasonable steps that have been taken by the FDA and others after the Dobbs decision, after the overturning of Roe v. Wade. And I think from a purely political view, they view the status quo as a better place for the party to be and a better place for the administration to be.

1:15:56But the pro-life forces definitely are not happy. How do you see the politics of this playing out? Yeah, I don't think that this is good for Republicans. Abortion, if we'll remember in 2018 after the Dobbs decision came down, basically animated the Democratic base. The fact of the matter is we've seen abortions actually go up after the Dobbs decision because of the ability and the focus on being able to get it through telehealth and through mail. And so that is actually what's upsetting the pro-life people, the fact that despite the legal win, the huge legal win that the right got on this issue, the fact of the matter is it hasn't really made a...

1:16:38It hasn't had a net effect. It hasn't had a net effect. And so I think Democrats... And more women are doing it with these abortion pills, right? With these abortion pills. We should say these abortion pills are safe. They are effective. That has been said over and over again. And so to restrict them, you really have to say, what are you restricting them for? What is the reason other than you want to stop women from actually having abortions? And, you know, ultimately, they put this matter to the states. I mean, this was the entire decision that happened. This is up to the states to regulate. And so to come now and say, hey, you can't do this, I think is going to be a tall order for the Supreme Court.

1:17:10That said, you know, this is something that Democrats can run on. So Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to meet with Pope Leo on Thursday. This obviously comes after some of the back and forth between the Pope and the president, the president calling him soft on crime, awful on foreign affairs, etc. Is this part of an effort to shore up support among Catholic voters for the president? Well, I think that it is. It's also, you know, Secretary Rubio is playing the role of peacemaker here between two Americans. Americans, weirdly. Never thought I'd say that about the Pope, but he's going there.

1:17:44And I think he's probably also going to reach out and say, look, there are other things in South America, for instance, that we can agree on. Venezuela, Cuba, we need to focus on some of these other items. But we're about to hit the one-year anniversary of the Pope being elected. And I think this is an opportune time to try to smooth over that rift. I'm more interested in the fact that it was Rubio that's being sent there and not J.D. Vance. Both Catholic. Both Catholic. And J.D. Vance is the most... J.D. Vance is a convert. Converts are Catholics. Yeah. No, of course. Of course they are. Mike.

1:18:20Oh, my goodness. What are you suggesting? Nothing at all. I just think if you're going to have a conversation about finding common ground, you might as well send in the guy that is really on the front lines of Venezuela and Cuba and other items. Come on. Come on. This is about this. You know, people reading the tea leaves of this say that it actually shows that it's a slight towards J.D. Vance. And they're pushing Rubio into this because, you know, he might be more effective. You can shake those tea leaves as many times as you want. So, Lulu, you had an interview with former Fox host, podcaster Tucker Carlson.

1:18:59He's getting a lot of attention. Two hour interview. Is that like that? Yeah. I mean, I sat down with him for three, but what we put out was about two hours. So here's just one clip that's getting a lot of attention. You've been talking on your show about whether Trump is the Antichrist. I have not said that. On your show, the day after Easter, you noted he did not put his hand on the Bible during his swearing and ceremony as president. You said, and I'm quoting, maybe he didn't put his hand on the Bible because he affirmatively rejects what's inside that book. And then on a recent show, you went further saying, here's a leader who's mocking the gods of his ancestors, mocking the god of gods and exalting himself above them.

1:19:36Could this be the Antichrist? I actually did not say, could this be the Antichrist? He actually did say. He did say, yes. That could this be the Antichrist? And here he is saying it.

1:19:50Here's a leader who's mocking the gods of his ancestors, mocking the god of gods, and exalting himself above them. Could this be the Antichrist? Well, who knows? I mean, I know. The answer is no. He's not the Antichrist. Anyway. Sorry. I mean, I was surprised that he denied it because when we sat down, he had just said it like a few days before. So it sort of was surprising that he was trying to deny that he said it. Also, he's been saying stuff like this. He's been circling around that particular narrative for quite some time, suggesting that Trump has supernatural powers, suggesting that he has this ability to, you know, to sort of sway the people around him in a supernatural capacity.

1:20:35So I was surprised that he denied it. I don't know why he denied it, because I think he has been trying to message to the millions of people who watch his podcast and listen to him and his various outlets that Trump is really sort of a Machiavellian figure who is, on the one hand, completely beholden to Israel, and on the other hand, you know, has this power over everyone around him. Quick question. Is Tucker running for president? Do you think that's what's going on here? No, no. And especially not when you deny something that's already... Who denies things anymore because everything's on tape?

1:21:12This man lives on video. Why would you say... President Trump does. Well, he does it too. That's a different calculation. We showed an example of it just earlier in the show. Thanks to both of you. Really appreciate it. What we're learning tonight about the health of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani after the 81-year-old was admitted to the hospital. That's next.

1:21:36In our last leads, we start with our health lead. Rudy Giuliani is breathing on his own today, we're told, after being hospitalized for pneumonia over the weekend. Giuliani's spokesperson shared that the 81-year-old former New York mayor remains in critical condition after being put on a ventilator yesterday. He went on to say that Giuliani had been previously diagnosed with a restrictive airway disease after being at ground zero in the aftermath of 9-11. In our national lead, nice shout out for a friend of the show, Miami Herald reporter Julie K. Brown, who won a special citation from the Pulitzer Prize board today.

1:22:09Julie was honored for her investigative reporting on Jeffrey Epstein. stretching back nearly a decade. Her perversion of justice series is credited as helping to lead to the arrests of Epstein and his accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell. Our congratulations to Julie K. Brown on this well-deserved honor. You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, threads, exbluesky, and on the TikTok at Jake Tapper. You can follow the show on X and Instagram at The Lead CNN. If you ever miss an episode of The Lead, you can watch the show on the CNN app. Aaron Burnett out front starts now.

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1:23:18There's so much bad information that the really good information gets drowned. The new CNN original series, Kara Swisher Wants to Live Forever, now streaming on the CNN app.