Iran’s Retaliatory Strikes Strand Travelers Across Middle East

26:45We really haven't seen that yet and it's absolutely vital, I think, to protect the country. Let's turn to Iran. You're joining with other Democrats to force a vote on the War Powers Resolution tomorrow. That would force any future U.S. participation in hostile actions against Iran to have to be authorized by Congress. Are there enough Republicans that are going to join you for it to pass? I don't know is the short answer. I would certainly hope that we'll have enough bipartisan support. And look, I mean, we are at war with Iran. Bush had his Iraq war. Trump now has his Iran war. Our service members tragically have been killed.

27:23Others' lives are on the line. The president needs to come to Congress and make the case and seek an authorization. I made this point in our closed session. I asked, what is the imminent threat that justified going to war with Iran and got the same conflicting explanations, one which contradicted the president from just today. That is, we had to go to war with Iran because Israel was going to, and if we didn't, then Iran might attack us. The president said, no, he didn't have his hand forced by Israel. He forced Israel's hand, so which is it? And the other argument made by Secretary Rubio that we had to go to war now because in years from now, Iran may pursue a bomb.

28:07And if we let their domestic missile production continue, it will be more difficult to take out their bomb later. So if that's the argument for an imminent threat, that is a threat that is years away that we need to neutralize now, that is the antithesis of imminent. So I hope we have the votes tomorrow. But we're going to keep at this because, sadly, this president has grown way too fond of war. And unless the Congress stops him, we're going to see this over and over and over again. Democratic Senator Adam Schiff from California, thank you, sir. Appreciate your time. Coming up, the splinters among the president's MAGA base as he pushes ahead with the war in Iran.

28:57Sitting in traffic. Folding a fitted bedsheet. Listening to your co-worker talk about his fantasy team. Digging a hole. Digging an even larger hole next to that original hole. Unfortunately, Tax Act's filing software can't make taxes fun. But Tax Act can help you get them done. Tax Act. Let's get them over with. And our politics lead as President Trump presses ahead with his war in Iran. he faces a chorus of prominent MAGA voices expressing a very least skepticism. They're questioning the merits of the war, how it aligns with his America first mantra, why now? Even some of Trump's biggest cheerleaders like Tucker Carlson or Megan are breaking with him.

29:40Here's Kelly just yesterday.

29:43Jake Tapper:Our government's job is not to look out for Iran or for Israel. It's to look out for us. And this feels very much to me like it is clearly Israel's war. Obviously, President Trump does not want to say we did it because of Israel. The panel joins me now. Jonah Goldberg, what's your reaction and how concerned do you think Republicans should be about either this criticism or maybe more significantly, this split in the Republican world about the Megyn Kelly, Tucker Carlson wing and others? Yeah, well, first of all, I just want to say, as someone who's been told you have to agree with everything Donald Trump does, or you're not a real conservative by these very people for 10 years.

30:24I welcome them to their newfound independence. Look, I think what Rubio said yesterday was bad and feeds a lot of this. About how the Israel, we attacked because Israel was going to attack and then Iran was going to attack the U.S. Basically saying that Israel forced our hand, right? And he's tried to claw it back. Trump's tried to claw it back. I think Rubio's earned enough grace that if he had just said, you know, I messed up and here's what I meant to say. He would have gotten away with it. But this whole never apologize, never correct thing is getting them into trouble. That said, look, a lot of these people are basically the entertainment wing of MAGA.

31:00And if you actually look at polling, our friend Brad Todd was on in the previous hour talking about this. You look at polling, sort of normal Republicans, rank and final Republicans are pretty in favor of all of this. And it's the people thinking about what the post-Trump era is going to look like, who are obsessing about Epstein files and Jewish conspiracy stuff. So I don't think the GOP needs to worry about it too much. But it's not a great trend either. How do you think Democrats should play this?

31:28Jake Tapper:Yeah, look, I think there's an opportunity to drive a wedge here because there are legitimate questions. You can legitimately say, yes, the dictatorship in Iran was evil and what they did was wrong. However, the White House and this administration has not been able to put forward a consistent, important word, coherent explanation about why we had to do this right now. Was this the right way to do it? And now you have six Americans who have been killed. And we're just at the beginning. And when you have the president saying things like, yeah, the people that I thought would be best to take over are dead.

32:03Jake Tapper:Okay, well, then what's the plan? So I think there's an opportunity for Democrats to, it's actually very similar as we did, we're able to recapture the narrative in 2006 around the Iraq war. So what's the plan? And how are you protecting our men and women in uniform and Americans who are now stranded around the world? One quick point on this, the people that we thought we could replace the leadership with are dead. He's talking about people who were killed in the same room, the Ayatollah, which does suggest, and he said other things along these lines, that their model is Venezuela, which is to replace an obstreperous dictator with a more pliant dictator.

32:42That's not regime change. Right. And that's one of the things that's kind of getting them into trouble. Yeah, there's a national security person who told me they can't Delce Rodriguez in Iran. It's just different. J.D. Vance, one of your favorite politicians, Jonah, the vice president. He's seemingly done something of a 180. Look, it's a tough position for him to be in. But in 2023, he penned an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal when he endorsed Trump as a senator. Trump's best foreign policy, not starting any wars. Underneath, he writes, he has my support in 2024 because I know he won't recklessly send Americans to fight overseas.

33:18You know, and he is trying to explain his support for the president here. Yeah, look, it would take a heart of stone not to laugh at some of it. But let's cut him a little bit of slack. The job of vice president always requires eating a lot of crap, you know, and doing and defending whatever the president does. And that's what he's doing here. The problem is he had carved out this lane as the future of the restraint right or the isolationist right from people like Megyn Kelly and Tucker that you showed before. And now he actually has to mean he literally has to support Trump in this. And it's just not reconcilable to his more recent past position.

34:00And Karen, it wasn't just that op ed, of course. Take a look. Our interest, I think, very much is in not going to war with Iran. Right. It would be huge distraction of resources. It would be massively expensive to our country. I mean, that's specifically about Iran. And there's nothing different thematically today than there was 2024 in terms of the problems with Iran.

34:25Jake Tapper:A thousand percent. And look, part of the political problem that I see for Republicans on this is if you look at the polling, we know that young people are opposed to this. And particularly young men, many of the young men who went who were for Trump in 2024 are the most opposed to this. We're seeing this with black men. We're seeing this with Latino men. And we're seeing this more broadly just with polls and focus groups looking at where men stand on this over the last several days. So I think that's part of the problem. If you think about it, where to them, they were they'll think, wait a second, you said no war.

34:58Jake Tapper:Even your VP said we shouldn't go to war with Iran. And now you're saying we should. And they know they're the ones, if we do have to do boots on the ground, they're the ones we'll have to go. Yep. Thanks, everyone. Appreciate it. Today marks the first day of voting in several 2026 primaries. Texas, North Carolina, Arkansas, where a candidate for sheriff charged with murder is running. That and more ahead.

35:25Cue the election music for our politics lead for more. There it is. That sweet, sweet election jam today marks the very first day of primaries ahead of the November midterm elections. Voters are casting ballots for races in Arkansas and North Carolina and some big marquee races in Texas. That's where Republican Senator John Cornyn is fighting to keep his seat against Congressman Wesley Hunt and Texas State Attorney Jeff Penn Paxton in the Republican primary. While over on the Democratic side, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett is facing off against State Representative James Tallarico. both hoping to flip that Senate seat blue.

36:01In Arkansas, a race for sheriff or one candidate will soon be on trial for murder. Aaron Spencer admits he kills the man. He killed the man, he says, sexually assaulted his teenage daughter, but has pleaded not guilty. And as CNN's Bryn Gingrass reports, this primary could set up the unusual scenario of this Arkansas county prosecuting the man who could become its top law enforcement officer.

36:30Jake Tapper:Did you ever think that you would be running for sheriff? No. This is not a calculated step I've taken my entire life to get here. Aaron Spencer made national headlines when he launched his campaign to run for sheriff of Lono County, Arkansas. That's because he's also charged with second-degree murder. Thank you, man. When's your court date? Try not till later this spring. While he's pleaded not guilty, Spencer readily admits to shooting and killing 67-year-old Michael Fosler, his teenage daughter's alleged sexual abuser. At the time of the shooting, Fosler was awaiting trial on dozens of charges, including sexual assault and Internet stalking of a child, and had a no-contact order against Spencer's daughter.

37:12Jake Tapper:Ahead of his own trial, Spencer is advised by his lawyer to not discuss his case, But his wife previously said they thought their daughter had been kidnapped that night on October 8, 2024. It was the middle of the night when Spencer and his wife discovered that their daughter was missing. And court documents show he jumped in his truck to go looking for her, eventually finding her in this area right here. She was with Fosler, and this is also where the confrontation took place. According to court documents, Spencer said he observed his daughter trying to exit Fosler's vehicle. but it appeared Fossler grabbed her and stopped her.

37:48Jake Tapper:Spencer said Fossler then exited his vehicle with an unknown object in his hand and lunged at him, and that's when he opened fire. His wife saying we 100 % in the moment thought he had taken her to kill her because she was the only witness in Fossler's upcoming trial. And your daughter specifically, how's she doing? Things can be a little bit of a roller coaster at times. I think that's anybody who's dealt with trauma. Just over a year from that night... I'm announcing my candidacy to run for Lowen Oak County Sheriff. When you decide to do this, you already are facing charges. It was a very big decision, and it was a family decision.

38:23Jake Tapper:What was their reaction? And they were like, you're crazy, right? You know, that's wild. Why, why, why would we do this? Honestly, I think I was like a lot of other people where we didn't fully pay attention to what was happening in our local communities. the ramification and impact that these types of elections have at the home front here. Running against Spencer on the Republican ticket is longtime incumbent John Staley. I'm John Staley, your Lono County Sheriff. He's also the sheriff who oversaw Spencer's arrest. I don't think Aaron Spencer is a bad person. I think that he was trying to protect his child.

38:56And there's a lot more to this case that I can't even release that we've found, that we've worked on.

39:02Jake Tapper:How has this case just sort of, and the fact that he is running for sheriff, impacted this community? in your opinion. A lot of people are just saying, I would do what he did. I don't blame him. And although I can understand why people feel that way, you've got to separate your feelings when you're a law enforcement officer. To think you can just take the law into your own hands like that and then still think you can run for sheriff, it's just weird. What do you say to those people who are like, oh, he's just doing this to help his criminal trial? No, it definitely hasn't made anything easier.

39:34I did what any good father would do to save and protect their child.

39:37Jake Tapper:He doesn't have any law enforcement background. That doesn't bother you. Not one bit. No, he does not. When I was five or six years old, it was the first time I was molested. And that's why I want Aaron Spencer to stop things like that from happening. There were women there who were victims themselves of sexual assault. We've been hearing that. And you're the reason. Yeah, all year. Like, all year they have been reaching out to us. Are you prepared for all scenarios in your future? I would be lying to say I wasn't stressed or anything like that. And I think if you're going into office and you're not scared about it, or you're dealing with a trial and you're not a little scared about it, I think that's definitely the wrong behavior and attitude and thought process to have.

40:19Bryn J. Ingrass, thank you so much for that report from Arkansas. As the polls close today, look for special coverage tonight at 8 Eastern on CNN and on the CNN All Access streaming app. Coming up on The Lead, bunkers in Israel built for war as the country takes on Iranian missiles. See how staff had to jump into action when CNN cameras were rolling. That's next.

40:46This is CNN Breaking News. Welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Taffer. We're going to start tonight with breaking news. The war with Iran widening in the Middle East with no clear endgame in sight. France now sending its aircraft carrier to the Mediterranean. French President Emmanuel Macron criticizing the U.S. and Israel, saying that the Iran strikes acted, quote, outside international law. The situation on the ground in the Middle East growing more tumultuous by the day. Video shows the U.S. consulate grounds in Dubai are on fire, hit by a suspected Iranian drone. Three U.S. embassies now closed in Lebanon, in Kuwait, and in Saudi Arabia.

41:24And one day after urging Americans to get out of 14 Middle Eastern countries using essentially non-existent commercial flights, the Trump administration is now working, they say, to secure military aircraft and charter flights to get thousands of stranded Americans to safety. Explaining why there was no evacuation plan for Americans prior to Saturday's strike against Iran, the president said this.

41:51well because it happened all very quickly we thought and i thought maybe more so than most i could ask marco but i thought we were going to have a situation where we were going to be attacked asked earlier today what is the worst case scenario he planned for iran the president said this I guess the worst case would be we do this and then somebody takes over who's as bad as the previous person, right? That could happen. We don't want that to happen. It would probably be the worst. You go through this and then in five years you realize you put somebody in who is no better. That begs the question, of course, so what is the plan here and is it achievable?

42:36Let's go now to CNN's Aaron Burnett, who is live from Tel Aviv. Aaron, another round of Iranian missiles aimed at Israel tonight. It forced you and others to take shelter live on air. Tell us more.

42:48Jake Tapper:Yeah, Jake, I mean, that's sort of the way it's going here. And, you know, it's unpredictable when the missiles are going to come in from Iran. You know they're going to come, but you don't know when. I think it's that uncertainty in part that's just this country is obviously in a war zone, but that has kept it on such uncertain footing. But, you know, there's a warning that comes in on your phone. A few minutes later, you'll start to hear the sirens. And then people do move very quickly for safety because these missiles coming from Iran, when they're coming from that direction, as opposed to north from Hezbollah, these are cruise missiles, these are ballistic missiles.

43:19Jake Tapper:And there were some, whether they're shrapnel or parts of missiles themselves, that actually break through. And that has caused, you know, deadly impact here on the ground in Israel. You talk about the consulate, though, Jake, sort of the fire around the region, not just those embassies closing, but that consulate in Dubai being struck. You know, senior Emirati official I was talking to said obviously it was closed. And that's the lucky thing, that nobody was there. But the intelligence, the level of accuracy in the Iranian intelligence in terms of these, yes, low-tech drone strikes is still significant when it comes to knowing where American service members were staying at a hotel in other Gulf countries, to knowing exactly where this consulate was in Dubai, to knowing specific parts of the massive and heavily fortified compound in Riyadh for the U.S.

44:08Jake Tapper:Embassy, that there's been accuracy there. And those Americans you talk about trying to get out, you hear it here. You hear people talking, Jake, about getting on lists, trying to find a way to get out. It is very disconcerting to hear that and to see the note that we got here that said, you're on your own, there's nothing we can do from the U.S. Embassy. But also, Jacob, someone in Dubai telling me they're doing everything they can. They booked three different ways out of the country today. Every single one of them canceled. People are afraid. People are frustrated. And that's what's happening as you continue to see these images of fire on your screen.

44:41And, Erin, Israel is also launching strikes in Lebanon, targeting the Iran-backed terrorist group, the proxy for Iran, Hezbollah.

44:51Jake Tapper:Yes, they are. And we have seen that expand. Two things, Jake. One, where we're standing. we hear that fire go back and forth. And obviously, as you well know from having been here so many times, the proximity there is close. So sometimes you don't even get a warning when there's incoming coming from Hezbollah. But Israel has expanded that front. They started it about a day ago, but now expanding it to ground incursion, ground forces on the ground in Lebanon. So we're obviously watching that and experiencing that here as well. And, you know, I've been here, Jake, with Nick Payton Walsh and Jeremy Diamond.

45:23Jake Tapper:And Jeremy, when we talk about the warnings that we get when the sirens come in. Obviously, this is a country now that in some ways has been at war since October 7th when that first happened. And now with the full on war, the war maybe that people have always talked about and never knew if it would ever come, it's here. And they're at war with Iran. In a sense, there is a preparedness, right? Have the sirens. And also they are looking. You've been going out when when missiles get through. People are getting injured and there and people are dying. Absolutely. And no one is more prepared than Israel's emergency response services.

45:58Magenta Vida Doma visited their underground command center today. They moved into that command center about a year ago. And you can see as those ballistic missiles are coming in that early warning hits, they immediately have maps that start to ping potential strike locations and then immediately send their paramedics out to potential scenes. So all of that data is coming in on these screens right here. Definitely. The different screens We're inside the nerve center of Israel's emergency medical services. Magenda Vida-Dome's now fortified dispatch center. This was built about a year ago. When we were preparing for a multi-frontal war, we said we need to take our previous dispatch center, put it underground where we can assure the continuity of the EMS services.

46:42Built for a war, just like this one. Oh, yeah. So, yeah, so our cell phone just received a notice that in the coming minutes, sirens will probably be activated. Another wave of Iranian missiles. Screens here light up with projected points of impact. This barrage of rockets, we have almost 80 potential hitting points. Within minutes, it's time to move. OK, so we've just learned that there is a potential impact as a result of one of these Iranian ballistic missiles, and we're going to jump in with the paramedics to the scene. Paramedic Ori Lazarevic hits the gas. We had one rocket that struck very dense areas.

47:32And this is a direct impact? Direct, apparently, still we haven't gotten there, but it seems like it's a direct impact. While speeding through traffic, Lazarevic is also processing a fire hose of information.

47:47So we have an update now that it wasn't a direct hit. It was a very big piece of shrapnel that hit the building on the highest levels. As soon as we arrive, he rushes toward the impact site. OK, so we just arrived on the scene, obviously very chaotic. So this isn't a direct impact, but nonetheless, you can see the damage just from shrapnel, a potential interception here. part of this roof caved in. A half dozen people are lightly wounded, but many more are shaken. Irina was in a bomb shelter across the street when she suddenly heard a sharp sound. And yet shock here is also matched with another realization.

48:29If it were to be a direct hit to this building, we'd be seeing at least five buildings with casualties inside. And debris not so easily swept away. And, Aaron, we were obviously talking yesterday about the fact that Israeli officials believe that having struck Iran's launch capacity so much over the course of the last 24 hours, that those numbers of ballistic missile launches are going to go down. And I spoke with an Israeli military official tonight who said that even though we're still getting those sirens, we're still seeing those alerts, the number of missiles being fired in those barrages is smaller.

49:02And it has been decreasing over the course of the last several days. So we're still getting sirens, although I think we got fewer today than we got yesterday, for example. But the number of missiles is still less. But as you can see in this piece, even when one of those missiles gets intercepted, that shrapnel can be so large to the point that it can cave in, partially at least, a roof of a home.

49:24Jake Tapper:And I know, you know, it's interesting. There's been reporting that maybe Israel and the U.S. think they've taken out half of the launchers. I mean, we don't know, but obviously there's been an impact. We don't know what we don't have. We obviously hypersonic missiles can be launched from portable sites for them. So take it obviously in the context, but still hugely significant. It may be what we're witnessing here. All right, Jeremy Diamond, thanks so much. And Jake, back to you. Thanks so much, Aaron Burnett and Jeremy Diamond in Tel Aviv. Thanks to both of you. Please stay safe. Don't miss more of Aaron's live coverage from Tel Aviv.

49:53War with Iran live in the Middle East starts at 7 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN right after this show. Top White House officials, just brief members of Congress on the war with Iran. Democratic Senator John Fetterman of the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania was in that briefing. He's going to join us live to react.

50:11And we're back with breaking news and our world lead U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says all U.S. personnel are accounted for after a drone attack from Iran hit the U.S. consulate grounds in Dubai in the UAE. Let's turn now to a Democrat who supports President Trump's operation in Iran, Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania. He serves on the Senate Homeland Security Committee. Senator, the Trump administration just wrapped up its Iran briefing for all members of Congress. Did they give any information that gives you any pause about supporting this war? No, nothing that I've heard. I mean, I think overall, I think the dynamic really is the same.

50:50And now, ever since, especially after 10-7, it's all been, every single senator agreed that we can't ever allow Orion to acquire a nuclear bomb. And now here we've had what's happened. It seems now this has made it virtually impossible to do that at this point. And that's also severely damaged their entire military apparatus. So I say that I think overall, this has been a very a big, big win for for global security, especially in the Middle East. Now, as a Democrat, I'm aware that if I happen to agree with something or support something from President Trump, but I mean, I think it's more important to be very, I think, honest here now that I thought we all agreed that we wanted to remove Iran from its possibility of acquiring a nuclear weapon.

51:48And now this has been by that. It seems like it's been absolutely successful and also destroying most of, if not all of their military capability. Do you have confidence that there is a plan here for when this war is going to end, what specifically the strategic objectives are and what comes next in Iran? Because obviously in that part of the world, it's possible that the next person that comes is going to be worse. President Trump said so earlier today. Of course, that's anything is theoretically possible. But what was going to happen is if we didn't do something about it, and that's acquiring a nuclear bomb.

52:31And what's also happened, that they are going to continue to strengthen those proxies and to continue to do things like 10-7 in the Middle East now, too. Why can't we just pretend that this isn't a good development overall? and after all of the kinds of chaos and the kinds of misery that Iran has underwritten for the last several decades. So I think this has been a significant development. And now it's just made it impossible as a Democrat to just maybe say, look, yeah, there are risks, of course, this, but I think the much bigger risk was to allow not to do anything. And now if every single senator here agrees he should never allow them to do these things, ask one of them, well, what are you willing to do then?

53:16You know, like, do you think it's sanctions? Well, that didn't work. OK, how about treaties? Well, that hasn't worked. And the other negotiations that hasn't worked going through other countries to convince them that never worked. So this this worked. And now I think I think I mean, that's that's a good it's a good development. Are there any other Senate Democrats who agree with you that you know of? in the senate i don't believe there is honestly i i haven't had that conversation and i think that with the the war powers act tomorrow i'll be i'll probably be the only democrat to vote against it because this is this is what i'm saying but for me if if you are only going to say well you know iran had a terrible regime and we can never allow them to acquire a nuclear their weapon it's like yeah well this is now that's happened right now you know can you why can't you say yeah that was a good thing this wasn't an illegal war i mean this isn't a dumb war or anything this you know this this was this is what was we all agreed we can't ever allow it to happen and that's happened and now there are other kinds of unknown things going out but i think after eliminating effectively most of of their leadership is a good thing and you know that's here we are.

54:37And I think overall, they effectively just neutered Iran in just, I think it's 100 hours. The U.S. is urging Americans to leave if they are in any of 14 different Middle Eastern countries, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the UAE, and Yemen. They're urging people to use commercial flights, if they can find any. There are restricted flights in and out of the region. A lot of the air space is shut down. Earlier today, a reporter asked President Trump about sending in some evacuation flights. Take a listen.

55:23Well, because it happened all very quickly. We thought and I thought maybe more so than most. I could ask Marco, but I thought we were going to have a situation where we were going to be attacked. They were getting ready to attack Israel. They were getting ready to attack others. Do you find it troubling at all that there didn't seem to be any evacuation plans for Americans? Well, Secretary Rubio in this brief today said that I believe it's a substantial amount of people that are willing to take these calls and try to coordinate this and just to make sure and evacuate those people. I mean, that's certainly, that's been front and center at this point as a priority.

56:07And now here, it's that they have a dedicated resources now to facilitate that, to help Americans to evacuate from these nations. Democratic Senator John Fetterman of the Great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Thank you, sir. Always good to see you. President Trump weighed in today on who he would like to see become the next leader of Iran, but the U.S., does it have any sway in the decision? That's next.

56:32This just in, some sad news. The Pentagon just released the identities of four of the six U.S. service members who have been killed in this war. This specifically happened during an Iranian drone strike Sunday in Kuwait. The soldiers are 35-year-old Captain Cody Cork, 42-year-old Sergeant First Class Noah Tegens, 39-year-old Sergeant First Class Nicola Moore, and 20-year-old Sergeant Declan Cody. All four were assigned to the 103rd Command. It's an Army Reserve Sustainment Unit out of Iowa. We'll bring you more about the casualties when we get more details about them and their photographs. May their memories be a blessing.

57:12Our deepest condolences to their friends and family. Violence continues to spill over into neighboring countries following the U.S.-Israeli joint strikes against Iran and Pakistan. At least 22 people were killed, more than 120 injured in pro-Iranian demonstrations, including at the U.S. consulate in Karachi, where dozens of protesters stormed the ground. Video shows crowds breaking through security barricades and smashing windows before shots can be heard. It is unclear who fired the shots and how the six protesters died there. Also in our world lead, a source confirming to CNN that Israel today bombed the compound of the group responsible for electing Iran's next supreme leader.

57:49Later, Iran's semi-official news agency announced that the group, the Assembly of experts will now meet virtually to select the new supreme leader. This after Saturday's initial blow took out 49 officials, including the despotic supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. President Trump this afternoon was speculating to reporters about who might fill the void in Iran. I guess the worst case would be we do this and then somebody takes over who's as bad as the previous person, right? That could happen. Well, most of the people we had in mind are dead. I guess he is. Some people like him. It would seem to me that somebody from within maybe would be more appropriate.

58:31Joining us now, Arash Azizi is a historian and contributing writer for The Atlantic magazine. He's also the author of the book What Iranians Want. So, Arash, the Ayatollah did not have a declared successor. A new leader is expected to be announced soon. What is the impact of having so many of their leadership options taken out by these strikes? I think actually the main leadership options, as in Ayatollahs who could be leaders, are not really taken out yet. But also, Jake, I think actually who will occupy the post of the Supreme Leader might not be the most important thing. Iran effectively now has a collective leadership, effectively a bunch of military guys in the National Security Council.

59:12They're running things, and I think they'll be running things even after they pick the next leader. It doesn't matter who he is, and he might try to assert himself. But at least for the foreseeable future, the power would lay with people who are currently people like Larry Johnny, Hollywood and others who are in the National Security Council. CNN is now reporting that the CIA is working to arm Kurdish forces in order to spark an uprising in Iran. This is according to multiple people familiar with the plan. Sources say, quote, the Trump administration has been in active discussions with Iranian opposition groups and Kurdish leaders in Iraq about providing them with military support, unquote.

59:45What do you make of that development? It's a very concerning development. For long, many Iranians have been very worried about this, that this will lead into a state collapse and civil war. You know, many of people who support such plans amongst our Kurdish compatriots try to be optimistic about it. But the chances that this could go very wrong, that it could lead to a civil war, and it could end up being suicidal for them, is a lot. I'm actually sort of writing about that as well. And, you know, many Iranians that I spoke to believe that this will bring about a large coalition against such an effort, because Iran's territorial integrity is very important to many of us.

1:00:27And, you know, the regime will be able to master some forces. Iran has maybe up to one million uniformed members also that can be brought into action against such efforts. So it can end very badly. and you know the Kurdish groups also represent a relatively small part of the Iranian population 80 percent of Iran is either Persian speaking or Turkic so you know there might be mobilization by the central government against this and it can lead to very bad things and a civil war it's very concerning. What is the best case scenario here do you think there's any way this ends with a less oppressive leader of Iran, somebody who embraces human rights, somebody who embraces the freedoms that the Iranian people deserve?

1:01:19That's what we all want. I think the best case scenario will be a democratic transition, the power passing into some figures inside Iran, people who are political prisoners who've shown a commitment to democracy. But it's hard to see how we can get there, frankly, because the regime security forces remain intact. They seem to continue to have the loyalty of the security forces. And those of us who are pro-democracy don't have our ranks organized. So it's not clear how we can get there. It's not clear what coherent plan there was ever, if that was the goal in the democratic transition. That's what we'll fight for.

1:01:55That's what will struggle. And forces from inside Iran, civil society, democracy forces will rise their voices, an advocate for that. But frankly, Jake, it's hard to see. It looks like it's going to be a contest with folks who have guns. And folks who have guns are either these armed ethnic groups or the security forces of the regime, which, as I said, unfortunately, I think actually they'll likely have the upper hand in such a confrontation. You can't, you know, air strikes, air support might not be enough for whatever armed groups, you know, master their forces. Maybe they'll liberate a small part of Iran or what they consider liberation a small part of Iran.

1:02:31But even that is just recipe for a state collapse, for civil war, for continued instability. It won't be good news for Iranians. It won't be good news for the region either. All right, historian Arash Azizi of the Atlantic magazine. Thanks so much as we stay on top of the breaking news overseas. We're also following major news here in the United States as the House Oversight Committee has now released video of the depositions of both Bill and Hillary Clinton. What we learned from those interviews. That's next.

1:02:59In our Law and Justice lead today, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has agreed to voluntarily give an interview to the House Oversight Committee regarding his ties to dead pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and his child rape trafficking ring. Lutnick has faced intense scrutiny and even calls to resign following mentions of him in the Epstein files and the revelation that he had not been fully honest about his contact with Epstein. This comes as the committee released video of last week's depositions with former president and former Secretary of State Clinton. CNN's MJ Lee has more on those videos. Did you ever witness Mr.

1:03:35Epstein sexually abuse or assault young women or girls?

1:03:38Jake Tapper:No. Former President Bill Clinton answering questions under oath about convicted child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Did you ever have sexual contact with any young woman or girl introduced to you by Epstein or Maxwell? As well as his own appearances throughout the Epstein files, including this photo of Clinton in a hot tub with a woman whose face is redacted. I don't know who that is. Okay, so you don't know? No, and then there were other people in the pool. Okay, so do you remember, were they under 18? No. We went out, I swam around, I sat in the hot tub for five minutes, I think, or whatever it was, and I got up and went to bed.

1:04:19And then I have to ask this, did you engage in any sexual activity with this person?

1:04:22Jake Tapper:The House Oversight Committee releasing almost five hours of video from the closed-door deposition of Clinton last week. He repeatedly insisted he never knew about Epstein's crimes. My conscience is clear. And also denied ever visiting Little St. James, Epstein's private island in the Caribbean. At least one of the survivors claims that you flew in a helicopter with Ghislaine Maxwell to the island. Did you ever? Then I did not do that. I've never been to that island. Clinton shared this thought about current President Donald Trump. The president never, this is 20-something years ago, never said anything to me to make me think he was involved in anything in profit with regard to Epstein.

1:05:05Jake Tapper:Clinton also described Trump telling him in the early 2000s about his falling out with Epstein. We had some great times together over the years, but we fell out all because of a real estate deal. And he said, I'm sorry it happened. Bill Clinton's testimony coming the day after his wife, Hillary Clinton, sat for an at times fiery deposition of her own. You ask the question, I'm going to answer your question. Neither Clinton has been accused of wrongdoing related to Epstein, and the presence of one's name in the Epstein files does not suggest wrongdoing. I have never been on his island, period. I've never been in his homes, his offices, his anything.

1:05:48Jake Tapper:The former secretary of state called on Trump to be deposed by the committee. Given what's in the files and given past and prior conduct, he would be on my witness list. MJ Lee, CNN, Washington, D.C. And our thanks to MJ Lee for that report. Joining us to discuss is Epstein survivor Danny Bensky. Danny, as always, how are you doing? This must be awful to talk about. Yeah, I mean, there's so much happening in the world right now, and it just is still looming. And it just feels like the deeper we go, the more I always said that this was a disconnect. And now it does feel like a cover up more and more.

1:06:33And I think that we're just on this roller coaster ride right now of how deep does it all go and how long before we see all of the files be released? I don't know. Bill Clinton, the former president, was asked if he looks at the photograph of him getting a massage differently. Now that he knows that the woman giving him a massage, her name, her first name is Shantai, is an Epstein survivor. Take a listen to his response.

1:07:03Now that you know that Jeffrey Epstein recruited girls as masseuses, does that reframe that photograph and knowing that there were girls on the plane that were being abused? She wants to know if I feel bad about it. Yes. I wish Shante had told me I liked her. But I didn't think it was anything unusual. What do you make of the former president's answer? I'm appreciative that he's answering anything. I think we've seen so many times in this case, people plead the fifth. And I think he set a very good precedent in actually answering honestly, or for the most part, that's what it appeared. But I do appreciate that.

1:07:45Yeah, he's showing up. What do you mean for the most part? He was honest. I mean, I think there are some things. I wish that he would speak a little bit more about the things that he saw there because I don't think that it's possible to be in Jeffrey Epstein's orbit and not see abuse on display. And whether you know that that's what you're looking at or not, I'm not fully sure, right? Because, you know, it could look, I don't know. You know, I think you'd have to be in those situations. But I do appreciate that he's answering. Well, I'm sorry to press on this. I don't want to make you feel any more uncomfortable than talking about any of this that makes you.

1:08:26But like, when you say like, just to be in his orbit, you were in his orbit. So you were a victim of him. You were a survivor of him. Is it your contention that anybody that spent any serious amount of time with Epstein socially would have seen 15, 16, 17 year old girls and like just automatically had questions? Is that what you mean? I don't know if it was that blatant because my story really didn't interact with other people's stories. Right. So I was not at parties with six, you know, five, six, seven, 10 girls. So my story was much more about going to the mansion and walking through those halls.

1:09:01But there were so many people that did see me and there were so many things. You know, the massage room was off the hall and it was, you know, you could see it. And I think there were so many pieces of art that were... Erotic. Erotic is right. Yeah. And just, it was, you could feel it from the second that you walked in the door that there was something that was happening there that was not acceptable. And so I just wish that he would talk a little bit more about what he actually saw. Take a listen to Congresswoman Nancy Mace, Republican of South Carolina, what she told reporters when they asked if the committee has any plans to have President Trump sit for questioning regarding Epstein.

1:09:42Take a listen.

1:09:45Jake Tapper:Can I just say this? The Epstein victims have exonerated President Trump. This is a trope that you guys are a rabbit hole. You guys are going down. But he's been exonerated over and over again by Epstein victims. You're an Epstein survivor. Has President Trump been exonerated by Epstein victims? I want to be very clear that Trump has not been exonerated. I think that word means that we have gone through a legal process. We have not seen any legal process here. And also there are what we know now to be twelve hundred survivors. There is no way that you've spoken to all twelve hundred survivors.

1:10:19And I want to add here, it's really troublesome when we get a group of survivors together and on air, people will ask us, raise your hand if Trump has been complicit or you have been a part of or Trump has been a part of your story. And it's it's an impossibility because anybody that like raises their hand in that moment, you're facing defamation, you're facing safety risks, you're facing all of these very serious risks. Right. And so we are trying so desperately to move through this with legal channels and through the right ways. So we just need to make sure that we continue to investigate. I mean, that's why we need the release of the files.

1:11:00Right. We know that things are missing in the files right now that have his Trump, his name associated with them. So that is where you have to go back to the line of paperwork and just make sure that we're investigating every lead. Danny Bensky, thank you for your courage and for your time. Appreciate it. Another major story we're following today, it's election day in three states in these United States. One of tonight's races has set the record for the most expensive primary in the history of these United States. CNN is live on the campaign trail next.

1:11:31And our politics lead, it is, of course, time for those sweet election jams. Can we hear him? There it is. The CNN election jam. Thank you. I appreciate it. It's election day in North Carolina. where extended voting hours in one precinct may delay the results. We are less than an hour away from the polls closing in the rest of North Carolina as voters pick which Democrat and which Republican will face off for an open Senate seat currently held by retiring Republican Senator Tom Tillis. CNN's Diane Gallagher is live for us in Raleigh, North Carolina in the Research Triangle. Diane, former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper and former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Watley are favored to win their party's nominations.

1:12:10But you've seen a lot of enthusiasm from voters today. Tell us about it.

1:12:15Jake Tapper:Yeah, and Jake, the numbers back that enthusiasm up. According to the State Board of Elections, early in-person voting has jumped 25 percent from the last midterms. And the Associated Press has calculated that early voting for those who chose the Democratic ticket is up around 44 percent from 2022. Now, a lot of that enthusiasm does surround this open U.S. Senate seat. and the fact that Democrats do believe that after tonight, they will finally officially have their candidate. And that is, of course, former two-time Governor Roy Cooper, who in a 40-year political career has never lost a race. Now, on the other side of the aisle, Republicans are going to be choosing their candidate as well.

1:12:58Jake Tapper:Of course, Michael Watley, the former RNC and NCGOP chairman, is on the ballot and is expected to win tonight. He has the endorsement and, of course, was recruited personally by President Donald Trump. There are other candidates as well, though, who are vying for that, including former Navy JAG officer Don Brown, as well as a controversial North Carolina secretary of education candidate back in 2024, Michelle Morrow. But again, Watley expected to come through on that one. And we do think that Watley and Cooper will then engage in what could potentially be one of the most expensive and competitive Senate races in the nation.

1:13:38Jake Tapper:Democrats say they are cautiously optimistic. And Jake, some of that is because of recent history. The last time North Carolina sent a Democrat to the U.S. Senate was 2008. That's Kay Hagan. That means that there were babies born at the beginning of that year who ostensibly could have voted in their first election today. Why do you say things like that? That doesn't make me feel better. That makes me feel ancient i'm like a fossil amber all right diane golliger fascinating stuff thank you so much my fellow fossils are here with me on the panel well for yourself you remember 2008 all i'm saying is you remember 2008 but i don't have to look like i do you don't look like a fossil i wasn't saying i look like a fossil either and certainly i guess i'm the one that's no nobody looks like a fossil all right back to politics all right so we kind of know likely what's going to happen in North Carolina.

1:14:26Really all eyes are on Texas. President Trump has not endorsed any of the Republicans running in this competitive and contentious Senate race. It will likely go to a runoff. If you don't get 50 percent plus one vote, then you go to a runoff. It looks like it's going to be incumbent Senator John Cornyn versus Attorney General Ken Paxton. Here is Cornyn, asked if he thinks Democrats have a shot at flipping his seat. Take a listen. absolutely there's a chance of that and that's the only reason why talla rico and jasmine crockett are running jasmine crockett said if i'm the nominee democrats can't win yet she decided to run and i think she's doing that on the hope uh that ken paxton is a nominee with all the scandals and baggage i mean no lies detected right mike no i i look i i view today as kind of an election intermission on the Republican side because no one's going to get 50 percent of the vote.

1:15:22And what you pointed out in terms of the runoff on May 26, we're most likely going to have that runoff. Republicans have already spent$100 million for today. They're going to spend another $100 million for May 26. And whether or not Corning comes out the victor, Paxton comes out the victor, you're going to wounded Republican going into the November election. And I think We're just hoping and praying they're facing Crockett because she's less likely to win in the state, we think. But who knows anymore? What do you agree? I mean, like if you could, let's assume that Ken Paxton is the nominee. OK, because I think even a wounded John Cornyn is still favored.

1:16:02Is a much better bet. Yes. Ken Paxton, incredibly controversial. That's the nice word. That's the nice word for it.

1:16:09Jake Tapper:Yeah. Do you think Tallarico or Crockett has the better chance? I understand both arguments for, you know, Tallarico more can probably win more Republicans or people in the middle. Crockett maybe can get more enthusiasm and maybe bring new voters. Who do you actually think has the better chance of beating Paxton? You know, I'm going to avoid it. Keep going. Keep going. Sorry. That's OK. I'm like, hey, it's your airtime. No, no, no. Keep going. Let's talk about Kay Hagan. Right. No, legitimately, I think that Jasmine does. And here's why. It's something I've said before. in part because part of Tallarico's argument has been to, you know, he's going to work across the aisle.

1:16:49Jake Tapper:I don't think that, A, people want that right now, and B, I don't think they believe, and certainly a Ken Paxton candidate, I think people would think, well, that's not going to be somebody you could work with anyway, right? So I think what people are looking for, and that's the other dynamic, you've seen Paxton kind of say things like, hey, you know, Trump doesn't need another Republican he's got to fight against, right? And I'm with Trump and Cornyn's not been with him. So in that dynamic, well, then I think you're looking at someone like Crockett because people are going to say, no, we want a fighter.

1:17:22Jake Tapper:We want somebody who's going to stand up. We don't think we can work with these guys on the other side right now. Why do you think President Trump hasn't endorsed? He went into Texas. He did an event. Cornyn wrote on Air Force One, which is not an endorsement. And he did endorse a bunch of people. I mean, there was a worry that he was going to co-endorse, which I think would have been worse for Cornyn if he had done that when he flew down to Texas. Because it's at least a stamp of approval on Paxton. Exactly right. Look, Paxton, I think he hasn't endorsed Cornyn because he secretly likes Paxton and being a fighter.

1:17:54And, you know, Paxton goes, well, I was impeached and I know another guy that was impeached too. I mean, I think Trump really helped prevent him from being removed from office. Yes, he did. And I think he likes that kind of rhetoric. On the flip side of this, the team that Paxton has behind him is the same team that DeSantis had. And there is no love loss between the White House team and that team. So there's a lot of push and pull here on why he won't endorse and hasn't endorsed. Were you surprised that Vice President Kamala Harris endorsed Jasmine Crockett?

1:18:28Jake Tapper:I was not. I mean, Jasmine was part of her campaign and had been a supporter of hers for a long time. And look, I think it was helpful, frankly, because A, we follow this. I know you love the music, but a lot of people aren't paying attention to the fact that there's a primary there today. I hate to say that. It feels scandalous. They went to the Beyonce concert together. So that's why. But I think it reminded people there's a primary. We got to come out for Jasmine. And look, vote numbers in terms of A, the enthusiasm among Democrats and And when you break that down even farther, it looks pretty good for Jasmine, I have to say.

1:19:07Jake Tapper:I think it'd be close, but I actually think she may pull it out. CNN's Arlette Saenz spoke to a Texas voter who explained why he voted for Tallarico over Crockett. Take a listen. I mean, she's a better alternative than the Republican side, but just felt like Tallarico sort of may resonate with a broader kind of part of the electorate. So do you agree with that? I mean, do you now I am so tired of hearing electability as a reason for voting for somebody? I'm actually I'm kind of with you on on this. And this is where I think we may see Paxton and Crockett get. Well, you're going to have it. You're going to have an answer tonight.

1:19:44I'm sorry. But I the electability argument, you know, it sounds great in a primary, but I think it generally falls short when we get to the general. Well, the biggest argument against Trump in 2016 was he can't win. That's right. The voters get a say. They get a say. The voters get a say. Mike Dubke and Karen Finney, thanks so much. CNN's going to have coverage of tonight's competitive primary races from Texas to North Carolina to Arkansas. That starts at 8 p.m. Eastern, only here on CNN. That's not true. It's going to be all swell, but it's best to watch it here. We're following breaking news out of the Middle East tonight as the war with Iran expands.

1:20:17We'll see you next time. We'll see you next time. We'll see you next time. We'll see you next time. We'll see you next time. We'll see you next time. more information, including photographs of four of the six of the six U.S. service members that were killed Sunday in Kuwait during this war against Iran. You see there a 35-year-old Captain Cody Cork. He's from Winter Haven, Florida. 42-year-old Sergeant First Class Noah Tegens. He was from Bellevue, Nebraska. 39-year-old Sergeant First Class Nicole Amour. She was from White Bear Lake, Minnesota. 20-year-old Sergeant Declan Cody from West Des Moines, Iowa.

1:20:57all four with an Army Reserve unit based in Iowa. Again, to their family and friends, our deepest condolences. May their memories be a blessing. Erin Burnett out front is in Tel Aviv right now, and you should watch Live from Israel. Starts now.