Minnesota Sues Trump Admin Over Twin Cities Immigration Operation

23:48But essentially, Kelly arguing that he is not backing down from this fight when he filed this lawsuit earlier today against the Defense Department. Jake. All right, Lauren Fox, thank you so much. We're going to talk more about the pressure on Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell coming from the president himself. Why it's so much different than when we've seen pressure on previous Fed chairs. That's coming up. Plus, when AI goes horribly wrong, complaints about the chatbot Grok creating sexual deepfakes of real people, sometimes even children, what Elon Musk is saying in his chatbots defense and a confession from the man authorities say set fire to a synagogue.

24:28Coming up, the video that shows the anti-Semitic arsonist in action.

24:49were answering the question, could Elvis beat up Trump or would Trump have the better of Elvis? And what is Trump's take on Bruce Lee? All of this and more. Have I got news for your ears? Check us out on Apple, Amazon Music, wherever you get your podcasts. Even better, you can watch the podcast on Spotify. In our politics lead, the president of the United States pressuring the chairman of the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates in order to help the administration politically. No, I'm not talking about President Trump and Fed Chair Jerome Powell. President's jawboning Fed chairs is not really that unusual.

25:30But in the case I'm about to tell you about in the early 1970s, the Fed chair acquiesced. Then-President Richard Nixon pressured Fed Chair Arthur Burns to ease the rates ahead of Nixon's 1972 re-election campaign. We know this because Nixon taped his White House conversations and we have recordings such as this one in which Nixon touts the success of his campaign, his pressure campaign against Burns during a telephone call with then OMB director George Schultz. You feel as far as our money supply, we've got that about as far as we can turn it right now, have we? I mean, as far as my influence on him, that's what I'm really asking.

26:10Well, you watch it and then remind me if I have to talk to him again and I'll do it. Next time I'll just bring him in. I'm sure we'll have to keep after him. Now, economists say Byrne's decision to bend to the political pressure on interest rates is ultimately responsible for plunging the U.S. economy into an extended period of high inflation and slow growth known as stagflation in the 1970s. But unlike Fed Chair Burns, current Fed Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell is refusing to bend and refusing to capitulate to President Trump's pressure campaign against him. One important note on the criminal investigation into Powell that we learned about yesterday, in a ruling last year, the U.S.

26:56Supreme Court suggested the president would only be able to remove Powell for cause, meaning the Trump administration would need a reason besides just not liking Powell's monetary policy. or, as Chairman Powell calls it in his statement about the criminal probe, a pretext. Let's discuss this with our panel. Shermichael, the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, French Hill, Republican, very conserved, MAGA supporter, says this investigation could, quote, undermine this and future administration's ability to make sound monetary policy decisions. We've heard from Senator Lisa Murkowski, also Republican, calling the probe, quote, an attempt at coercion.

27:37How do you view this? I think we have to be careful here. It's Congress's job to have oversight over the Fed chair. If the president doesn't like some of the positions the Fed has taken as it pertains to lowering interest rates faster, they have lowered them end of last year. I presume that we'll probably see additional rate cuts. Probably not this quarter, but certainly I would expect going into Q2 of this year. If the president is unhappy with that, we have a Republican-controlled House. go to them and say, look, you guys need to talk to this guy because I don't believe he's making sound monetary decisions.

28:11But if this were a Democrat doing this, I would certainly not be in support of it because I probably wouldn't be in support of how they view the economy, generally speaking. And so I want to be very, very careful about this. Also, I should mention, Jake, Powell is gone in May. Right. So I would say, Mr. President, let's just wait about 90 days and you can appoint whoever you want. And Chuck, Senator Tom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina and a key member of the Senate Banking Committee, says the criminal probe threatens, quote, the independence and credibility of the Department of Justice, not just what President Trump's doing.

28:44Tillis says he's going to block any Federal Reserve nominees until this is resolved. Do you think that there's going to be a groundswell of support for Tillis's side or are Tillis, Murkowski, French Hill pretty much going to be all we see? No, look, Republicans are going to fall in line behind this because they do care about the stock market and they care about money. That goes back beyond Donald Trump. Let me add. Fall in line behind who? Fall in line behind other Republicans. Other Republicans. Objecting. They do not want to see an economy tank or the stock market. Let me go and say what Tom Tillis just said about 15 minutes ago.

29:15He said he called this a vindictive prosecution. And he also said, because Tillis is aggravated. And he looked at the camera and he said, I don't know if this is Donald Trump or folks around Donald Trump, But the folks around Donald Trump and I quote, need to grow up and give the president better advice. And now that is a man that's frustrated who's on the banking committee, who doesn't want to wake up tomorrow when this really came to fruition and see thousands of points out of the stock market. Who's on the banking committee? So, Michael, we've seen a lot of pushback to this probe and people defending Powell.

29:45Economist Justin Wolfers from the great University of Michigan. Take a listen to what he had to say about this whole thing. It's the thing that tin pot dictators do right before starting a hyperinflation and destroying their own economies. The question is, does the U.S. have sufficient checks and balances to prevent its current leader from following down the path of those other tin pot dictators? What do you think? Are there enough checks and balances? Are there enough guardrails? Yeah, I think so. I think you're going to see more Republicans in the House and Senate. Say, Mr. President, let's just wait.

30:18The guy is going in 90 days. You have a slew of individuals. you can nominate. We'll make sure that that person is ultimately confirmed. What we don't want is going into midterms, is instability in the stock market. We just had the latest job numbers come out. We see that businesses are doing really, really well, but they're not hiring as quickly as we would like. That suggests to me that they probably want a little more stability in the longer run. So we're moving in the right direction. Let's not be disruptive to that. We want Republicans to be able to run on a strong economy moving forward.

30:46Chuck, you know polls, you know the public. How do, I mean, the American people are living their lives, right? They're worried about prices, they're worried about groceries, et cetera, et cetera. How much do stories like this break through? Maybe not individual stories, but in an aggregate, like you have all these investigations, James Comey, Letitia James, Lisa Cook, Adam Schiff, and on and on and on. Do they break through? You break up the best point. Now, most Americans, most American voters don't know who Jerome Powell is. Some of them know what he does, but they have no idea the power of the Fed because they're living their lives every single day.

31:18Yeah, they're worried about their kids. They're worried about their health, all that. This is just one more thing, along with Venezuela, along with ICE, along with whatever's not talking about what Schermacher talks about all the time, which is the price of beef or the price of daycare or whatever that is. That's what they really care about. And they see this as another thing that distracts from the reason they voted for him. And I think that's what hurts in the midterms. But does it hurt Democrats for bringing it up? Does it hurt the media for talking about it? Does it hurt Trump for doing it?

31:43I think it hurts Republican congressmen in the midterms because folks still haven't seen any relief on their prices. And I think just another distraction about whatever the thing is we're talking about today, distracts from what they really care about, which was the point you were making, is their everyday lives. And the other question, of course, would be you talk about how Powell's term ends in four months anyway, right? So does this, what President Trump has been doing and what, and about this DOJ investigation, does this hurt whoever replaces Powell? Like that person does not want to be seen presumably as a rubber stamp, as a sock puppet.

32:17Sure. Does it hurt that person? I don't think so. I think Wall Street, I think those who pay attention to the Fed, would like to believe that the Fed is independent in terms of setting a monetary policy that's predictable. Any business wants to know what their decisions should be over the next two, three, four quarters annually, right, in terms of how they should grow their business. where they should spend, where they should cut. Wall Street and those who follow Wall Street want to know, and when they're writing up their analyst reports that those of us who care about business follow, that they're looking at numbers and data that is accurate.

32:51And so I think all of those individuals who look at the Fed chief for sort of that decisive decision making want to believe that that person maintains autonomy and independence from the executive. And so I don't think you're going to see a lot of people question who the president ultimately nominates so long as that person asserts they're independent. And it's not Eric Trump, right? I don't think it'll be Eric Trump. I'm just joking. All right, thanks to all. Really appreciate it. I had explicit images digitally created. The complaints piling up about the chatbot Grok and how Elon Musk is responding.

33:29The relationship between the FBI director and the president has always been complicated. Unravel the complex dynamic in the CNN original series, Standoff, the FBI, Power and Paranoia, now streaming on the CNN app. In our tech lead at Grok, explain this. The AI tool embedded in Elon Musk's X or Twitter app is once again drawing controversy, this time for generating illicit images on demand, including sexually explicit content involving minors. In a world first, Grok has been blocked by Indonesia and Malaysia as international pressure against Musk mounts. CNN's Sadat Skoll looks into the latest allegations levied against the so-called everything app.

34:22Elon Musk defiantly defending his AI chatbot Grok's ability to digitally undress images of real people as countries around the world take action against the AI tool after Grok's X account was flooded with requests to create deepfake, non-consensual, nearly nude images of adults and in some cases, children. This is wrong. It's unlawful. We're not going to tolerate it. I've asked for all options to be on the table. It's disgusting. X has said it is taking action against those who prompted Grok to create sexually exploitative images of children and has since-restricted image generation request on Grok's X account to paid subscribers, though users can still digitally undress images by chatting with Grok directly.

35:05Meanwhile, Elon Musk repeatedly attacked UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on X and reposted AI-generated images of him in a bikini. They want any excuse for censorship, Musk wrote, and reposted a claim that no similar action is being taken against other AI companies, though no other major AI model is woven into a social media platform like Grok is with X. Musk's AI company is also facing challenges in Asia, where Indonesia and Malaysia are enacting temporary bans on the AI chatbot. Indonesia's digital minister sang over the weekend that the ban is meant to protect women, children and the broader public from the risks of fake pornographic content generated using artificial intelligence technology.

35:44Meanwhile, the United Kingdom's communications regulator Ofcom announced on Monday it is launching a formal investigation into X that could lead to fines or even blocking the platform in the country. The government is crystal clear. We want those images taken down. They are despicable. They are abhorrent. In the United States, the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security have said they will prosecute any producer or possessor of sexually explicit material of children. OK, there we have it. Last year, President Trump signed the Take It Down Act, which makes it a crime to publish non-consensual intimate deepfakes and will soon force platforms to remove such images within 48 hours of notice.

36:22Now experts on AI and the law say more needs to be done so AI companies can rigorously test their models and prevent them from producing such content in the first place. The laws don't have any exception for good faith testing or research type purposes. And so we found that there was a real fear of these laws that was impeding what are called red teamers, people who are trying to act as a malicious actor would, and test a model to see if it can be misused. from doing that kind of work in the context of child sex abuse imagery. Hadass Gold, CNN, New York. Welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper. This hour breaking news out of Minnesota.

37:02Officials just announced minutes ago that they're suing the Trump administration over its ramped up immigration operations in the state. We're live on the ground in Minneapolis in moments with details about the lawsuit and what happens next. Plus, a growing number of Republicans are pushing back against the White House today after the Justice Department opened a criminal investigation into Trump nemesis, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. Powell says this is only happening because he's refusing to give in to Trump's pressure to lower interest rates. The White House response to that coming up.

37:33Plus, the FBI revealing new details today about the suspect accused of starting a fire at the largest synagogue in the state of Mississippi. Court documents claim the man started the fire because of the building's, quote, Jewish ties. What else the suspect allegedly said when he was confronted by his own father? And Democrats hoping to flip the House, maybe even the Senate in this year's midterms, but Senator Elizabeth Warren says that's going to require her party to, quote, read the room. What does that mean? And how easy will that be? We'll discuss.

38:11The lead tonight, a resounding statement of support today from all living former Federal Reserve chairs for the current chair, Jerome Powell, and his fight against the Trump administration. On Sunday, the Trump administration announced an unprecedented federal criminal investigation into Powell and his congressional testimony on the central bank's$2.5 billion renovation of the aging Fed headquarters in Washington. Powell responded in an equally unprecedented video message saying this is clearly not about the renovation. Take a listen. This is about whether the Fed will be able to continue to set interest rates based on evidence and economic conditions or whether instead monetary policy will be directed by political pressure or intimidation.

38:58I have served at the Federal Reserve under four administrations, Republicans and Democrats alike. In every case, I have carried out my duties without political fear or favor. CNN's Kristen Holmes is at the White House for us today. Kristen? Yeah, Jake, I mean, we're hearing a mixed reaction from administration officials as to how this is exactly going down. There are a number of officials who are loyalists to President Trump, who agree with his usual kind of going after his enemies in the court of law, although, of course, the White has denied that he ordered the Justice Department to do this.

39:33But there are also a number of people who are concerned about this, that this is going to negatively impact the markets. One thing to keep in mind here is that we know that there have been a number of officials close to President Trump who have urged him not to fire Powell because of the impact it might have on both the U.S. markets and the global economy. Now, Carolyn Levitt was asked specifically whether or not President Trump has directed the Department of Justice to do this. This is what she said. Did the president ever direct DOJ officials to open an investigation into Powell? No. The president has every right to criticize the Fed chair.

40:07He has a First Amendment right, just like all of you do. And one thing for sure, the president's made it quite clear, is Jerome Powell is bad at his job. As for whether or not Jerome Powell is a criminal, that's an answer the Department of Justice is going to have to find out. And while Jake, this is unprecedented, this is stunning, it is not that surprising if you actually look at what we've seen for the last several months. It was back in July in which Russ Vogt, the head of OMB, put out a letter to Powell accusing him of lying to Congress. It was around the same time that President Trump installed a number of loyalists into the National Planning Commission essentially for this issue to look into the budget surrounding this Federal Reserve complex and the updates.

40:50All of them telling me at the time, at least two of them telling me at the time, that they were going to look into whether or not he had committed a crime, whether or not he had lied. So now, obviously, you see where we've ended up. And of course, there are all these Trump nemeses who have just coincidentally ended up under investigation, whether James Comey or Letitia James or Adam Schiff. And obviously, Trump doesn't have to give explicit orders to his underlings as to how to go after his enemies. I mean, there's that famous story, Henry II, will no one rid me of this turbulent priest? And then assassins targeted and killed the priest, Thomas Beckett, the Archbishop of Canterbury.

41:31Isn't that more like how it works here? I don't think there's any lack of knowledge among his closest advisors that he would like to see Powell out. He has been threatening to fire him now for months and months. We've seen this kind of idea or this hinting, as I said, since July, that they were going to try and accuse Powell of lying to Congress during that testimony. So the writing has been on the wall here. And anyone who is close to President Trump or has been watching anything he said understands that he wants Powell out. Will no one rid me of this turbulent Fed chair. Kristen Holmes, thank you so much.

42:06Appreciate it. Let's go to CNN's Manu Raju on Capitol Hill. Manu, you've been catching up with lawmakers there. What are they saying about this? Jake, there are a lot of questions from Republicans and Democrats alike, but even House and Senate Republicans, they want more answers about what exactly is happening here and are worried about the implications for the independence of the Federal Reserve if this goes on for too long. In fact, one of the regular comments that I've been getting all afternoon from Republican senators in particular is that they want this done quickly. They want this investigation done quickly.

42:43They want to move on. And they're worried about the implications of political interference with this critical agency. That's a message that came from including one key senator, Senator Tom Tillis, who sits on the Senate Banking Committee, which would consider any nomination to replace Jerome Powell. And he's warning he will vote against Powell's successor if this is not done and done quickly. Do you think the White House is trying to stop the independence of the Fed? Somebody at DOJ? I mean, the president said he wasn't in the mix. Another example of an amateur hour, as far as I'm concerned. Should they drop the investigation?

43:19I'm not going to get into that. What I'm going to do is drop any consideration for any board confirmation until it's done. Are you concerned about that? Well, I support the independence of the feds, and I hope that this investigation wraps up very, very quickly. And what's the impact if it isn't wrapped up quickly? It will wrap up quickly. It needs to. And Powell has been actually on the phone with some Republican senators in the last 24 hours or so. Senator Lisa Murkowski, who aligned herself with the concerns raised by Senator Tom Tillis, said that she had spoken with Powell. Tillis also speaking with Powell.

43:53And the Senate Majority Leader, John Thune, also said that he wants this done quickly. He wants an investigation done quickly. He said he wants to make sure there is absolutely no political interference with the Federal Reserve. That was not the message, though, from the Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, who I asked about this. He said he would reserve judgment on these allegations. He said that if Powell is innocent, that he will essentially be proven innocent. And I asked him about concerns that the Justice Department could be weaponized, not that Powell is yet another political foe of the president who is now being targeted by the Justice Department.

44:28But Mike Johnson said that the Justice Department is not being weaponized, he said, under Donald Trump. Jake. All right, Manu on Capitol Hill. Thanks so much. Joining us now, former Trump White House Communications Director Alyssa Farrah Griffin and former Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger. Alyssa, Powell's term as Fed chair technically ends in May. This may actually, this move might persuade Powell to stick around even longer as a Fed chair governor. That wouldn't end in 2028. eight. What do you think is Donald Trump's strategy behind this making making this aggressive move now, not just waiting until May?

45:03And what do you think of Speaker Johnson saying that the Justice Department is not politicized? Listen, this is a very odd battle for the president to pick, and I suspect economic advisers around him have told him as much. As you mentioned, Jerome Powell's term does end in the near future. But I'd also note the president's gotten three rate cuts since he's been in office. He's hardly been a victim of an unfair or unhelpful Fed in terms of trying to stabilize the economy while we're still dealing with inflation in a year into his term now. Listen, a lot of these grievances go back to his first term, despite the fact that this was someone who he had handpicked for the role.

45:41And there's a lot of speculation that he wants somebody close to him like Kevin Hassett, the current NEC director, to be the next Fed chair. And for what it's worth, I think it's worth advisors of the president and the president himself to consider that even somebody who does have the credentials like Kevin Hassett, I think if they were confirmed for this role in the future, would also operate independently. That is just the role of the Fed chair. Congress has a key role in this, and it doesn't serve any administration, future, past or present, if you have a Federal Reserve chair who feels beholden to whatever president's in office.

46:13And Congressman, you posted a video saying this is more about Congress's power versus Trump's and also that Republicans need to step in to stop Trump from doing this. Speaker Johnson dismissed concerns, said that Trump is not weaponizing the Justice Department. What do you expect is going to happen and what should happen? It always blows me away that the speaker can just say stuff like that. Everybody knows he doesn't mean it, but he says it and, you know, whatever or anybody. Actually, that's what Paul. So look, I mean, what's going to happen is there's going to be a lot of concern expressed.

46:47There might be some tweets even expressing concern. You know, the senators even going, as I was listening to the package where they were talking, they weren't saying this is political, this should stop. The thing they say is they need to do this investigation quickly. And as politicians, they always try to find the middle ground where they can kind of be on the good side here, but also not completely take off President Trump. And that's what this do this quickly thing is. This is a very bad precedent, no matter what ends up happening, even if there's no indictment. what Republicans should do, and it's particularly in the House, even though this doesn't come through the House because there's like a two vote majority, is just say, hey, any number of these priorities that President Trump has, we are going to vote against them.

47:34We will shut down his priorities in the House of Representatives until he depoliticizes something as important as the Fed. But they won't do it. There'll be a lot of concerns and tweets and stuff. But where they have real power, they're always hesitant to actually exercise that. And Alyssa, obviously, this is just the latest Department of Justice investigation into a nemesis of Trump. You had James Comey, Letitia James, Lisa Cook, another Federal Reserve chair, Adam Schiff. So what do you make of this? I mean, President Trump ran against lawfare. And so many Republicans said, yeah, we, you know, the Biden administration politicized the Justice Department against him, and that's not fair, et cetera, et cetera.

48:15But they're pretty quiet now. So lawfare is OK. It's just it only needs to be done against Democrats or people that Trump doesn't like, including the Fed chair that he himself appointed. Well, and listen, the president telegraphed on the campaign trail that retribution was going to be on the table. And I told Republicans at the time and during the campaign that you could try to signal he doesn't actually mean that. He's going to be focused on the economy, immigration and other things. But we've seen it. We've seen it since day one. He gave his remarks in the Capitol Rotunda during his inauguration that largely stayed on topic.

48:51And then moments after he gave another speech where he started talking about political foes and retribution. This is something he can't shake from his system. But I would just remind conservatives the precedent that we set when we're in power can also once again be used against us when Democrats are back in power. And I'd also remind folks that any time a new investigation is opened by the Department of Justice, that is taxpayer dollars that are being used. And in this case, we've seen most of them thrown out in the case of James Comey and others. So I think it's incredibly hard for Republicans to defend.

49:20And it's House members and many senators who have to defend these things ahead of the midterms going into November of this year. They're the ones who are going to have to talk about it, not the president. And Congressman, I mean, presumably Donald Trump is going to leave at the end of this term. At least that's what the U.S. Constitution suggests. What is the calculus of the House and Senate Republicans that just keep quiet about any of these things? Do they think, well, I can just wait this out? I mean, do they not understand that they're going to be judged by history, including their kids and grandkids?

49:55That's the question I always have is, you know, history books are going to record their name in some fashion. But I think, you know, what it comes down to ultimately right now they have primaries. They're concerned about that. But Jake, I've come to believe that people more than they fear even death, they fear being kicked out of their tribe. Lose your social circles. You get the text that Alyssa and I have gotten all the time about people disappointed in us or mad or what have you become. And I think that frightens these people from making a decision. Keep in mind, Jake, too, when they leave politics, they're hoping to use their connections to make money afterwards.

50:29So that's why a lot of people that aren't running again still are hesitant to make the president mad because they want to have access in the job that follows. All right. Former Congressman Adam Kinzinger, Alyssa Farah Griffin. Thank you to both of you. Appreciate it. The breaking news tonight. Minnesota is suing the Trump administration over those ramped up immigration operations in the state. But the White House is already surging even more agents to Minnesota. So what happens next? We're live on the ground in Minneapolis in moments.

51:05The deployment of thousands of armed mass DHS agents to Minnesota has done our state serious harm. This is, in essence, a federal invasion of the Twin Cities and Minnesota, and it must stop. In our national league, just a short time ago, Minnesota's Attorney General Keith Ellison announced a lawsuit against the Trump administration over immigration enforcement actions in both Minneapolis and St. Paul, the Twin Cities. Over the weekend, mass anti-ice protests across major U.S. cities following the deadly ice shooting of 37-year-old Renee Good in Minneapolis. CNN's Ryan Young is at the scene of the shooting in Minneapolis.

51:43And Ryan, what are the main points behind the lawsuit filed by the state of Minnesota and the Twin Cities? Jake, they're calling this a violation of state rights. They say they want a restraining order to happen immediately to make sure these operations stop. Something to keep in mind here, they have about 600 officers in Minneapolis, 600 in St. Paul. And they say the surge of officers into this area is more than both departments. So they really believe this is having an impact and they're seeing more 911 calls come in because they believe the unlawful arrests that are happening throughout the city is really shaking it to its core.

52:24I cannot believe this is happening in our community, that Minneapolis used to be known as an open city, as a loving city, and now it is invaded. It's invaded by ice. Fellow Minnesotan was killed.

52:46I see order in our country, order in my state, falling apart. and it's not a time to sit on the sidelines. Jake, I want to show you something right here. They just started up this now saying, Say Her Name. You can see protesters who are showing up in numbers. This has been happening throughout the city all day long. As people remain energized by this, they do not want to forget her memory. You see all the signs and this growing memorial here. We've seen people from all across the state come to leave messages here that can't believe the city is now having more ICE agents and police officers. Of course, we're hearing about the strain on local police departments as well.

53:31As people are calling 911, scared at the fact that some of their neighbors have been snatched up and put in SUVs, not knowing where they are. The protesters at the federal building, a lot smaller than what they were in the last few days. But we've been talking to some folks who say they believe more protests will happen in the next few days. Jake? All right. Ryan Young in Minneapolis. Thanks so much. A new threat from Iran tonight as President Trump is weighing a series of potential military options amid deadly protests in that country. That's next.

54:05In our world leads, 16 straight days of protests in Iran against the regime there. 84 hours of an internet blackout. At least, at least 544 people killed. All this as anti-government demonstrations across our country continue. Top members of the Trump administration plan to discuss a potential response to these protests tomorrow after President Trump says Iran called to negotiate. But the Speaker of Iran's parliament warns his country will retaliate, targeting U.S. military bases, ships and personnel across the region if the U.S. intervenes in any way. I want to bring in Nazanin Bonyadi. She's a British-Iranian actress as well as an activist for Iranian people's rights.

54:49We've had her on the show many times. Good to see you again, Naz. So Iran's internet blackout has now persisted for four days. The countrywide communications shutdown is making it difficult to even assess what's happening on the ground. I know you have family in Iran. What have you heard from them, if anything? Thanks for having me, Jake. Yeah, I have family in Iran. I have been in touch for years with dissidents on the ground. And unfortunately, for the past four days, it's been a complete blackout. I mean, we're getting pieces in bits and audio bytes and clips of videos that are sent to us only because of Starlink.

55:25And even that's being jammed. It's not looking good. I mean, there's there's been 500 confirmed, more than 500 confirmed and documented killings by the state. But it's more likely in the thousands. That's what I'm hearing from the very little information we're getting from within Iran. And they're using military grade weapons is what I'm hearing. and close range shots. This is really a youth-led movement. And for the past few years, at least, there's always been some kind of a demand in every protest, whether it was the 2009 movements for reform and women's rights in 2022 and the Women's Life Freedom Movement.

56:07It's unequivocally an overthrow this time. And they're in the millions, even with a blackout and they shut out the electricity, leaving them in the dark and with no way to communicate with the outside world. They shine their phones in the air and create this wave of light showing that they're in the tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands and millions across the country. What do the dissidents, what do the people on the ground in Iran who want freedom, who want democracy, who want basic human rights, what do they want the West to do other than issue statements because I'm sure that's not enough.

56:46Yeah, it isn't enough. One dissident explained it in the most basic term possible. When a crime is happening to you or you're witnessing a crime, you call the police. We have someone to help us. On an international scale, we have failed the Iranian people. Who are they supposed to call? The criminal is the state. Who are they supposed to call? We go to the UN Security Council to get a multilateral approach to save them and defend their rights. And of course, it's going to be vetoed by China and Russia. How do we save these? How do we protect that and defend them? They need help and we need to do better.

57:25We need to reframe the way we look at these things. And what we have in place right now as far as international law is not helping them. We failed. So what should happen, do you think? What do you want to happen? I mean, there has been talk that President Trump is looking at potential military targets. Obviously, you know, he ordered the attack on Iran's nuclear facilities. So I'm sure it's not out of the question. What could he do that would that would help? I mean, the only thing that can help is that's what the Iranian people are calling for, which is, you know, stop the people who are killing us at close range.

58:04and they're in the thousands now. And if we don't stop them, then it's going to continue. And they've already shown that this is not a legitimate regime. It's not a regime that represents the people. And they want the right to have an internationally monitored, free and fair election. They want to choose their own fate and their own destiny. But how can they do that when they're being met with war bullets simply for asking for freedom? I mean, and so I'm not a politician, Jake. I don't know how that comes about. But all I know is that we can appeal to lawmakers and we can appeal to the international community to to do whatever it takes.

58:43As one dissident said, do whatever it takes to stop them and protect us. It's really that simple. I don't know what that looks like, but I'm calling on international lawmakers and and and really for a multilateral approach. everybody coming together. Please, the people of Iran are standing united shoulder to shoulder. It's a diverse country. They have their political differences. But there's one thing that they agree on. They don't want this regime. So how do we put that in place? How do we protect them? And for the day after, ensure that they have an internationally monitored free and fair election where they choose their own fate and their own destiny.

59:24That's really what they want. That's what they've asked me to relate. Amen. Nazanin Boniadi, thank you so much. Always good to have you on the show. Thank you, Jim. Tonight, the FBI is releasing new details about the suspect accused of setting a fire at the largest synagogue in Mississippi. We're breaking down the new revelations next.

59:49International leader, a suspect arrested and charged with arson for causing the fire at Mississippi's largest synagogue, with authorities not ruling out possible hate crime charges. Incidents of anti-Semitism, of course, are all on the rise nationwide. CNN's Rafael Romo has details of the unfolding investigation in Mississippi. Tonight, a confession from the men authorities say set fire to Mississippi's largest synagogue, this according to a new court filing. Surveillance video shows a man wearing a hoodie and a mask, pouring liquid from a can inside the synagogue. The man seems to be making an effort to douse every crevice and corner as he moves around the building.

1:00:30According to a criminal complaint filed Monday, Stephen Spencer Pittman confessed to his father to setting the building on fire after confronting his son about burn on his ankles, hand and face. The complaint also says Pittman laughed as he told his father what he did, later referring to the Jewish temple as the synagogue of Satan when interviewed by investigators. According to the Beth Israel Congregation president, there was significant damage to the temple's library and offices, as well as smoke and ash damage throughout the building. They had broken in through one of the windows from the outside with an axe, apparently, and then proceeded to pour gasoline or some kind of accelerant from a gas can.

1:01:13Two Torahs and other sacred scriptures were also destroyed. It's all gone. All of it. Beth Israel is Mississippi's first and largest synagogue built just after the Civil War and the only synagogue in Jackson. According to the synagogue's website in 1967, the Ku Klux Klan bombed Beth Israel in part because of the congregation's work in the civil rights movement. Several local officials have publicly expressed support for the congregation. We just want to let the Beth Israel community know that the city of Jackson is standing with this community. So attack against the synagogue is an attack against all of us.

1:01:56The fire comes amid a wave of anti-Semitic events across the country. The Anti-Defamation League documented more than 9 ,300 anti-Semitic incidents across the United States in 2024, a 5 % increase from the year before. The outreach of the community has been overwhelming. A lot of the churches in the area have offered their worship space as our worship space as we need it. Rafael Romo, CNN Atlanta. And our thanks to Rafael Romo for that report. I want to bring in Leora Rez. She's the founder and executive director of Stop Anti-Semitism. Leora, good to see you again. And so the complaint says that this suspect called this temple, Beth Israel, the synagogue of Satan, which echoes language that we've heard from right wing figures.

1:02:42Candace Owens comes to mind to describe houses of worship for Jews. What do you think that could say about the suspect? Hi, it's so nice to be back with you, Jake. So, I mean, this is the go-to language for, you know, just really controversial anti-Semitic figures on the right, such as Candace Owens, Nick Fuentes is another example. But if we look at decades going back, I mean, this is, you know, systematic vocabulary of the Nation of Islam and Louis Farrakhan. And, you know, this particular individual, we took a peek at his social media and he appeared to be a, you know, a promising baseball player, a student at a Catholic school and received some type of scholarship and or future possibility of playing baseball in his postgraduate studies.

1:03:39So we're not sure what exactly happened to him during his time in high school and thereafter. However, we are not surprised or we won't be surprised if we learn that his podcaster pool of favorites does include Nick Fuentes, Candace Owens and others. Yeah, who also they all cloak themselves in Christianity, even though it's not any form of Christianity. I recognize. It just seems like you can't go a day without there being some something anti-Semitic. There was a post, a GoFundMe that I saw earlier today from conservatives for the ICE officer involved in that shooting. And like in the language of the GoFundMe, it mentioned it said, you know, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Fry, who was Jewish, like.

1:04:31As if that was relevant at all to anything, I mean, Stephen Miller's Jewish, too. It's like it's completely irrelevant to any of this stuff. And as Rafael noted in that piece, FBI hate crime statistics show that hate crimes against Jews far exceed any other crimes against any other religious groups. Why? What's going on? So I have to tell you that GoFundMe that you just referred to after much uproar, thankfully, that note that the mayor was Jewish was removed. And there was absolutely no reason except to possibly vilify him by the individual who started that GoFundMe. Any other person's religion wasn't noted there.

1:05:15But again, just to vilify the mayor and note that, A, he was Jewish is just completely bizarre to us. Whether, you know, whatever side of this debate that you are on, the fact that the mayor is of a certain religion has no has nothing to do with anything. That being said, whether we're looking at the right, whether we're looking at the left, whether we're looking at Christianity, Islam, anti-Semitism and hatred of Jews is coming at us at every single angle. And we've been in touch with the DOJ and specifically Leo Terrell's office in regards to this individual, this, you know, lunatic who set Mississippi's oldest and largest synagogue on fire.

1:05:59The fact that he maniacally was laughing to his father as he was telling him about what he did is just a true testament to the problem that we are we're facing as a community right now. And Leora, I mean, speaking of synagogues, there was a demonstration outside of synagogue in New York City. And the group protesting, they labeled themselves pro-Hamas. Hamas being a group that the U.S. government designates a terrorist group. They kill Jewish civilians all the time. They kill American civilians. It was so stark that New York Mayor Zoran Mamdani, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, both of whom are very critical of Israel, Governor Kathy Hochul, other officials, all very quick to condemn.

1:06:43So as you note, it's coming from right, left and sideways. It is. And after Zoran Mamdani won the election, I just want to note that language that was so blatant right now to the rally that you had just noted was never so overly pro-Hamas. It was always pro-Palestinian. Now that Band-Aid was fully ripped off and they were literally chanting, we are Hamas without any fear of consequences. And it's just absolutely shameful. I will say also, we're not buying Zoran Mamdani's and AOC's, you know, disgusting claims of how awful this is. We firmly believe this is part of their voting base. And the fact that Zoran Mamdani refuses to this day to denounce, globalize the intifada, what does he think the intifada is?

1:07:35Sentiments and prayers. No, it's violence and rallies such as this one. Leora Rez with Stop Antisemitism. Thank you so much. Appreciate it. President Trump now says he regrets not having seized the voting machines after Joe Biden legally and completely legitimately beat him in the 2020 election. My panel weighs in next.

1:08:05And we're back with the Politics Lead. It's a new year and a new portrait for President Trump at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery with a new label that now leaves out that sentence about how he was impeached twice on charges of abuse of power and incitement of insurrection during his first term. That switch coming at the same time as the president's remarks to The New York Times that he regrets not having ordered the National Guard at the time to seize voting machines in swing states after his loss in the 2020 election. My panel's here. So here is exactly Congressman Dent, what President Trump told the Times when asked about whether using the military to impound voting machines was actually a viable idea.

1:08:47He said, quote, I don't know that they are sophisticated enough, meaning the National Guard. You know, they're good warriors. I'm not sure that they're sophisticated enough in the ways of crooked Democrats and the way they cheat to figure that out. So here we are, Charlie Dent, Congressman Dent, with the way this administration is dedicated to erasing the impeachments and rewriting the history of January 6th. Does this make you worried about what might happen in 2028? Well, sure, I'm concerned. I mean, look, it's a terrible idea to seize the machines. there was really no fraud to speak of in these swing states, including our state of Pennsylvania.

1:09:27So bottom line is, it just strikes me that this is another form of intimidation, sending maybe a signal to election officials that if he doesn't like the outcome of an election, he may seize your machines. And of course, that would set off a constitutional crisis like we've never seen before. But I guess when you're going to seize Greenland and do all sorts of things, You know, criminally charged, potentially criminally charged, the chairman, the Fed. You know, nothing surprises me anymore. What do you think? Well, I don't think it's even until 2028. I think it's preparing for midterms. So you think of a presidential election and there's some consistency across states because everyone is going to be voting for the president of the United States.

1:10:08Well, let's say Minnesota is the state that he wants to go in and seize and he starts doing it. There are claims that he's won it three times. He actually I'm aware of it. He's actually lost it three times. And so I think it is just a warning for people to be on alert, to think, to put in the necessary precautions at the state and local level to make sure that their systems and procedures are in place and that there's some bipartisan support on the state and local level because he's waving the flag like he did in 2020. I think what could happen, too, in a state like Pennsylvania, if the president calls out the National Guard and the governor ejects.

1:10:42That's right. The Guard is also under the jurisdiction of the governor. Yeah. Again, another crisis right there. So pushing the bounds of democracy. Senator Elizabeth Warren is trying to shape the Democratic agenda for the midterms as well as for 2028 with a speech this morning at the National Press Club. She sat down with my colleague Dana Bash to talk about her message earlier today. Take a listen. We can either say we are all in for American families and lay out in concrete terms. Here's how we're going to lower costs. Or we can say we're going to moderate that. We're going to nibble around the edges in order to be more attractive to billionaire donors who might help fund Democratic campaigns.

1:11:29At the end of the day, the money is not worth it if it causes us to narrow up our agenda. Do you think that that is the reason why Democrats in the past have moderated legislative ideas because of the billionaires that donate? Or is it because of voters in the middle or a combination of both? I think it's both, actually. I think that they're one thing Donald Trump has done is he has unearthed the sentiment that things are not working. And I think Democrats have an opportunity to say, you're right, they are not working. And this is the agenda in which we put forth to make them work for you, the American people, the middle class, poor people, folks who are trying to come up, first generation college students.

1:12:13And this is how we do it. The research shows that when we talk about issues that way, moderate voters, centrist voters, and the far left, it's a progressive agenda is actually popular. It is when we start infighting with amongst ourselves and saying like the crazy radical left amongst Democrats is when the agenda gets a little weak and wobbly. So this is kind of the same debate. One 2028 contender for the Democrats, potentially former ambassador Rahm Emanuel, who's also a CNN senior political commentator, at least as of now, until he announces. He seems to agree that there's a split in the Democratic Party.

1:12:54He seems to be wanting to embrace the more moderate side as opposed to the more progressive side, if I can be simplistic in my characterizations there. And Rahm told Axios last week in Mississippi, quote, there's a resistance wing dominated by Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, and there's a renewal wing that will be as forceful in fighting for America as the other wing is in fighting Trump. What do you make of that? Well, Rahm Emanuel is ruthlessly pragmatic. I've observed that of him when he was chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. He was all about getting results.

1:13:32Rahm always struck me as a guy, he was not a popular, he's not an economic populist like some of these other characters. He is a serious guy. And I think that Rahm is on to something. He is about winning. And he has a good sense of how to find the political center. And I think that's what he is trying to articulate here, not just being a resistance party, but having ideas. So I think there's a lot to be said for Rahm. I know he's got his critics. A lot of people think his time has passed. But if I were a Democrat, I'd listen to what he has to say. What do you think? Well, I don't think... You have thoughts.

1:14:02I see it in your eyes. Just say it. I don't want to get a Trump on a Monday. No, I don't think people are looking for renewal. It kind of goes back to my other point. People are looking for something different. And so I would just encourage anyone who thinks that there is a split in the Democratic Party right now, I think that they are part of the problem. I think people should be listening to in order to win in this country right now, you actually can get progressives and moderates. It is actually something I would I would encourage the ambassador to remind what happened in 2008. There was like this old school Clinton branch and then there was this new wave of Obamaism and people didn't think it was possible.

1:14:39And then Obama was able to build this massive coalition. I think that is what people are looking for right now. Somebody that unites the factions of the... Yes. Of course, in 2008, Obama was actually able to get Republicans, too. That's right. He won Indiana and North Carolina. And I think we are in this moment where people are sick of parties and looking at R and D, and they're looking for a solution. Is there anyone in the Democratic Party today that you see who could unite the party and be that Obama character? Let's say without Indiana. Well, I think the ones, in my view, again, as a Republican, I would suggest maybe a Josh Shapiro, Andy Beshear.

1:15:16I think their challenges will be getting nominated in the Democratic Party, such as it is these days. But I think those two, I would even suggest Rahm is in that same category. But those are three that I would look at, maybe even a Governor Whitmer. Whitmer, Warnock. I mean, the list is long. The list is very long in Democratic contenders. But some of the hard progressive left, I think they're going to be a really tough sell in the general election. To be continued. Thanks, guys. Really appreciate having both of you here. How the Department of Homeland Security is hoping to use drones to keep it safe at the World Cup when the World Cup comes to the U.S.

1:15:52later this year. Stay with us.

1:15:59last leads now it starts internationally the department of homeland security says it is investing 115 million dollars in counter drone technologies ahead of the 2026 fifa world cup in the u.s drones have been a security concern for public safety for years and the tournament is expected to bring more than a million visitors into the u.s and our world leader swiss court ruled today that the owner of the ski resort bar that caught fire during a New Year's party, killing 40 people, must remain in custody. Court statement says Jacques Moretti will be held for a provisional period of three months. However, the court stated this could be reviewed if measures are taken to counter the risk of Moretti fleeing the country.

1:16:39In our money lead today, Mattel launched the very first Barbie with autism. The doll comes with a working fidget spinner and oversized headphones that reduce sensory overload and a pink tablet that represents her communication device. The doll is part of a new collection of Barbies with a range of skin tones and hair textures and body types and health conditions. Erin Burnett out front starts now. I'll see you tomorrow.

1:17:06Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile. I don't know if you knew this, but anyone can get the same premium wireless for$15 a month plan that I've been enjoying. It's not just for celebrities. So do like I did and have one of your assistant's assistants switch you to Mint Mobile today. I'm told it's super easy to do at mintmobile.com slash switch. Upfront payment of$45 for three-month plan, equivalent to$15 per month required. Intro rate first three months only, then full price plan options available. Taxes and fees extra. Default terms at mintmobile.com. I'm CNN tech reporter Claire Duffy. This week on the podcast, Terms of Service.

1:17:42There's a growing category of products aimed specifically at addressing women's unique health needs. These tools and services are sometimes known as femtech, and they can provide big opportunities and benefits, but they can also come with some risks. To walk us through all of this, I spoke with Bethany Corbin. Bethany is an attorney and CEO of Fem Innovation, where she advises startups, clinicians, and health care organizations. In my opinion, what it really does is gives us a collective language to talk about women's healthcare innovation and the tools that are out there so that we can take control of our healthcare experiences and know how to advocate for ourselves in a system that's probably not been designed to advocate for us.

1:18:23Listen to CNN's Terms of Service wherever you get your podcasts.