Pentagon: About 140 U.S. Service Members Wounded In Iran War

23:02Jake Tapper:Absolutely not, Jake. And this is part of a trend because last month, DOJ executed a search warrant and seized hundreds of thousands of ballots out of Georgia. And now we see a subpoena seizing ballots again out of Arizona. And if you look at that search warrant affidavit from Georgia, DOJ conspicuously fails to name any particular individual who may have committed any specific crime. So they've not named any crime. It's hard to imagine, by the way, how they could prosecute anything more than five years after the 2020 election when the statute of limitations is five years. So I think we are seeing an unmistakable trend here.

23:35Jake Tapper:And I don't see this resulting in any type of meaningful criminal charges. Ellie, I also want to ask you about this investigation into former CIA director under President Obama, John Brennan. Prosecutors are facing increased pressure from Justice Department officials to bring some sort of criminal charges against John Brennan. We've seen these retribution prosecutions not pan out. There was New York Attorney General Letitia James, former FBI Director James Comey, and on and on, not even able to get an indictment from a grand jury, which is an achievement unto itself. Do you think this one might be different?

24:12Jake Tapper:Well, Jake, as a rule, anytime you have your political appointees in DOJ who are eager and pushing for a prosecution, but the career experienced prosecutors who are expressing hesitation, you're pretty safe betting on the career folks. And you're right. The record here has been atrocious. Judges and grand juries alike have rejected retributive prosecutorial efforts aimed at Letitia James, aimed at Jim Comey, aimed at Senator Mark Kelly, Alyssa Slotkin, on down the line. So if they proceed with this investigation of Mr. Brennan, we'll see where it goes, but count me skeptical. And Jake, all three of these stories that we're discussing today, There's three separate stories, but they have a common thread, which is DOJ intentionally and willfully shedding its years of institutional independence and becoming a political weapon for this administration.

24:59Jake Tapper:Ellie Honig, thanks so much. Coming up, those trying to escape Iran right now, including members of an Iranian women's soccer team, currently playing in Australia, the rather dramatic moment that left one member in tears.

25:17Jake Tapper:host of the Chasing Life podcast. What if caregiving doesn't just take from us, but what if it gives something back as well? Multitasking is the worst thing you could do as a caregiver because the presence is the currency. That's all you can really give. You cannot control outcomes. At the end of the day, the presence, and if you're multitasking, it's going to muddy up the whole thing. We also don't consider care as productive in our country. Her book is called When You Care, The Unexpected Magic of Caring for Others. Journalist Alyssa Strauss, The Magic of Caring for Others. Listen to Chasing Life, streaming now wherever you get your podcasts.

26:16In our world, the Iranian women's soccer team faced an unthinkable choice after completing a tournament in Australia. Return home to face U.S. and Israeli bombardment and Iranian repression. Or seek asylum in Australia and risk the Iranian regime targeting them and their families. CNN's Christina McFarlane reports on where these players ended up and how President Trump ended up playing a role.

26:46Jake Tapper:A last-ditch attempt by protesters to stop Iran's soccer team leaving. As the country's remaining members depart Australia, bound for a long journey to their war-torn home. Earlier today, players were seen being taken by the wrist onto a bus, escorted by police from their Gold Coast hotel. A source says seven team members who received humanitarian visas in the early hours of Tuesday morning were left behind. These women are tremendously popular in Australia. but we realise they are in a terribly difficult situation with the decisions that they're making. But the opportunity will continue to be there for them to talk to Australian officials if they wish to.

27:28Jake Tapper:With the families of all the players threatened in Iran by the regime, this was an agonising decision not to go back. And a reason why their teammates may have chosen not to join them. Fear for the players' safety began last week ahead of their first match of the Asian Cup. As US and Israeli bombs fell on Iran, the team did not sing its national anthem. Soon after, Iranian state TV labelled them as wartime traitors, a crime punishable with prison time or even death under the Iranian regime. The players then sang and saluted before their other matches. As Iran's first vice president insisted the government would guarantee the players' safety when they return, US President Donald Trump called on the Australian government to grant the women asylum.

28:20Jake Tapper:President Trump rang me this morning, just before 2am. We had a very positive discussion. He was concerned about the Iranian women in the soccer team and their welfare and their safety if they returned home. The Australian government says it has done all it can to support the Iranian players to make the toughest of choices. Seven will remain in Australia. Their teammates return home to an uncertain fate in a country at war. Christina McFarlane, CNN, London. And our thanks to Christina McFarlane for that report. Coming up next, the photo posted by New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani of a recently invited dinner guest during Ramadan that is drawing outrage from some quarters in New York.

29:10Stay with us.

29:20We have some breaking weather news for you now, something we're going to be watching tonight. Forecasters have issued the highest severe thunderstorm risk in months for parts of the Midwest. Right now, parts of central Texas, including Abilene and San Angelo, are under tornado watches. Severe weather just last Friday was to blame for a series of tornadoes that killed eight people in Michigan and Oklahoma. It goes a house. Moving on, in our politics lead, New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani is taking some heat from some circles after posting this picture with a high-profile Palestinian activist detained and released by ICE.

29:51The mayor writes, quote, we marked the one-year anniversary of detention. Rama and I were honored to welcome Mahmoud, meaning Mahmoud Khalil, Noor and their son Dean to Gracie Mansion to break our fast together. It is Ramadan. Mahmoud is a New Yorker and he belongs in New York City, unquote. Now, you might remember Mahmoud Khalil as the anti-Israel protester from Columbia University, to say the least. The Trump administration is working through an appeal to try to deport him for exercising his First Amendment rights. Let's discuss this and more with the panel. So today, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told The New York Post, No one should be fedding the anti-American pro-terrorist activities of Mahmoud Khalil, who made his name as a ringleader of violent anti-American and anti-Semitic university protests that harmed American foreign policy interests.

30:39The Trump administration goes on to accuse him of leading activities aligned to Hamas. What do you make of this all? So, first of all, I get the point. He's defending like he was exercising his First Amendment rights. I get the talking point. Part of my problem is that we live in a culture now that the second you're discriminated against or face state action because you're doing, because of your First Amendment right exercises, it makes you a martyr, makes you kind of a hero. This guy's not a hero, he's a putz. The organization that he was part of just got into trouble at the beginning of this war by tweeting out, death to America.

31:20The organization was pro-Hamas. It was he and the organization defended the 10-7 attacks in pretty explicit terms. And this comes on the heel of this other controversy of Zora Mandami's wife being revealed to have liked a whole bunch of social media posts saying that the mass rapes were all a hoax and that Hamas was justified and all that kind of stuff. And Mandami's defense is, well, she's a private person. It's not anyone's business. And then they go out, the most social media savvy mayor in America by far goes out and posts them, fetting, fancy word, this guy who is an outright apologist for terrorism and made famous by a group that organized around intimidating Jews on Columbia's campus.

32:11And so, like, you can say that the deportation stuff goes too far and has legal issues. I'm fine with having that argument. But it doesn't make this guy a hero, and it doesn't make someone that you should celebrate inside of Gracie Mansion. What do you make of it all, Karen? So I think there's two pieces here, right? As Jonah was saying, there's the First Amendment piece. Separate and apart from this individual and how you feel about him and his organization. Like you said, I think First Amendment rights are important. We should stand up for that. Obviously, in the era of Trump, even more so. Right, but the Klan marching in Skokie weren't heroes.

32:44We didn't treat them as heroes for doing that. You're right. I don't disagree. We're there. However, there's a political reality to this where they're trying to say this whole, like, she's a private person. About his wife. Having worked for the most public private spouse in America, Hillary Clinton, you can't. Sorry. I mean, once you are elected and once you are in a in a role like this, people are going to be curious about your spouse. Period. Full stop. They're going to look through your social media. They're going to. And politically, yes, your spouse can be used against you. And, you know, I say this to candidates all the time.

33:25That's just the political reality we live in and how you handle that. Look, it's hard on families, but what strikes me about this is they're trying to defend this as she should get to do whatever she wants. Okay, but he's still going to be held accountable for some of that. In fact, let's roll what Mayor Mamdani said when asked about the story in Jewish Insider and the Free Press and the New York Times about her liking the social media posts you described. Here's Mayor Mamdani.

33:56Jake Tapper:my wife is the love of my life and she's also a private person who has held no formal position on my campaign or in my city hall i however was elected to represent all eight and a half million people in the city and i believe that it's my responsibility because of that role to answer any questions about my thoughts and my policies and my decisions so that was friday but you you would suggest that after yesterday's posting, that's not operative anymore? Yeah, to sort of tie these two things together, I mean, the problem is wanting to have it both ways. To say it's outrageous to make my spouse a political issue, how dare you, private person, all that kind of stuff.

34:35But then use that spouse for political purposes when you think it helps you or serves some sort of agenda. Now, I personally think posting this dinner picture doesn't actually help Zoran Mondami at all. I don't think it helps him with the people who don't trust him and all that kind of stuff. But he thinks it does. He thinks it helps him with his base. It gives him street cred. But regardless, you can't have it both ways. Either your spouse is a complete free agent and unrelated to your administration or not. But it can't be she's a prop when you want her to be a prop. And then if she does something that embarrasses you, or he, depending on the politician, all of a sudden say, oh, that has nothing to do with me.

35:15Once you're in, you're in. Yeah, I just think it's a political reality. Like I say, I've said this to candidates so many times. You may not think it's fair. It doesn't matter. This is reality. So let's deal with the reality that your spouse is people are going to investigate them, be curious about them. I mean, their fashion. Look at how Michelle Obama changed fashion in this country because she had those fabulous arms. I do not wear sleeveless dresses, but lots of people do. So point being, you know, particularly as the first lady of New York City, you know, largest Jewish population outside of Israel.

35:50Yeah. That comes with some new responsibilities, whether you like it or not. It just is the reality. Let's Mayor Mamdani is a very smart guy. And he had to have known that having Mahmoud Khalil, not because of the First Amendment issue, which I think we all probably agree with, like, you know, people have the First Amendment rights in this country. But the other issue of what he and his group did at Columbia University, what they stand for now, he had to have known it would upset people. Well, and I think that this is the other piece, just speaking politically again, given that you're exactly right.

36:24And it plays into the fears that people had before he was elected and an issue that he's dealing with in terms of the Jewish community. So I'm surprised he wasn't more prepared to acknowledge that and to acknowledge that it may be upsetting to some people. But whatever language you want to use, it's not unreasonable that people would raise a question and say, well, wait a second. Because, again, it plays into something you already know is a political problem. And, you know, again, one of my things I say to people, they're going to hit you. You don't have to give them the bat to do it. So the mayor's office, what if they were to say something along the lines of, look, it's Ramadan.

37:00We're posting a picture. Every one of these iftars, Mahmoud Khalil had his First Amendment rights trampled on. And the mayor, you know, is standing up for that. It's not about this other stuff. What would your response to that be? That's BS. Just insofar as, look, Zoran Mondami's own views on Israel-Palestine are pretty close to Khalil's. Maybe not as extreme. But the fact is, he knows that there was substance to what Khalil was saying in his First Amendment rights. This is not someone who had an obscene poster taken down. This is someone who organized for months around the proposition that Israel and those civilian Jews had it coming.

37:36He plays word games now about how he doesn't support violence against civilians. That was not the impression of that group. So Armand Dabi knows what this guy represents. He knows the organization that he's affiliated with. He knows the side of the argument that he's on. And he chose him because, not because he's a hero of civil liberties, but because he's a hero of the globalized, the intifada crowd. All right, thanks to all. And we are extending right now ad-libbing and impromptu an invitation for Mayor Mamdani to come on and discuss these issues. A special new project is rolling out today for a colleague here at CNN.

38:07She's going to join us to tell you about it. That's next.

38:19And the national lead, one of our favorite CNN correspondents, Renee Marsh, is out today with a brand new children's book. It's titled The Nature of Change, Lessons of Determination, Resilience, and Hope from the Outside World. The book is beautifully illustrated. It follows a brother and a sister adjusting to a new home that initially feels strange and unwelcoming. But in their new backyard, they discover how nature adapts and thrives, offering guidance for resilience and hope and emotional growth. It's a way to talk to kids about how to deal with change. It's my pleasure to bring Renee Marsh back to the show.

38:55Thank you so much. Thanks for having me. Congratulations on this book from a HarperCollins imprint. You wrote it for kids, but you really also wrote it for anyone who maybe needs some reassuring on how to navigate changes that maybe they don't like.

39:11Jake Tapper:Yeah. You know what? This is intended for children. But really, I think we all at this point where I don't think it's a debate if you say the world is on fire. It literally is. And sometimes we all, even us adults, need to go back to the basics. and we need those reminders because it's all very overwhelming. And so I hope that this book is a tool for parents who need that reminder of what hope looks like, what resilience looks like, and that we can find those moments of inspiration in the nature just outside our homes, looking out our windows and move forward moment to moment after you receive those moments of wisdom from nature.

39:53Jake Tapper:but also for kids because, Jake, you know, I, as a mom, as we cover all that we cover every day, the question that I always wonder is, you know, of course there's the headlines, but are our kids okay? How are they doing? Yeah. Yeah. And, you know, some people may say, well, they don't understand the geopolitical situation that we're covering every day, but they do understand when mom and dad are stressed. I was speaking to a mental health expert who said, parents, you lend your nervous system to your child. So they pick up on those shifts. So are we as parents, are we as the adults in the room, helping these kids navigate those big changes that they are seeing, the shifts in emotions within their own household?

40:35Jake Tapper:Are we doing that enough? And are we really thinking about that? I hope this book will be a tool to help parents start those conversations. So your CNN family here, and the people who love you out there, who view the show, know about when you lost your beloved two-year-old son, Blake, to brain cancer. How did that inspire this book, if at all? It did. I mean, it was really the seed where this idea blossomed out of. I mean, after losing Blake, and anyone will know, losing a child is the most tragic, devastating thing that could happen to you. Yeah. And it happened to me. And I, when I think back at that time, I was literally paralyzed by my grief.

41:19Jake Tapper:But that paralysis enabled me to sit still enough and focus enough to notice things that I never noticed about nature. Wisdom messages that I had never paid any attention to. I always appreciated nature, but never did I feel a message in my heart the way I did when I saw a broken limb on a tree in my backyard after a really bad snowstorm. And that following spring, that same limb started to blossom. And in that moment, I realized that even in your broken state, you can still grow. In the fall, when trees are losing it all, they are down to their bare limbs. And there they are standing tall. So those are all the sort of messages that I received when I literally was just sitting there trying to process the world that I felt like I no longer understood.

42:11The most unfair thing that could happen to one of the loveliest people I know.

42:15Jake Tapper:Thank you. Well, you're great to have taken that and what you learned and to have turned it into something to help other people. I hope. Yeah, it will. It will. It is called The Nature of Change, Lessons of Determination, Resilience, and Hope from the Outside World. The author is Renee Marsh, and it is beautifully illustrated. And it is a wonderful book for anyone out there, mainly for kids, but also for adults. Also for adults. Renee, congratulations on the book. Thank you so much, Jake. This is CNN Breaking News. Welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper. The breaking news tonight. The United States has hit and completely destroyed 10 inactive mine-laying boats near the Strait of Hormuz.

42:55That's according to a post from President Trump earlier this afternoon. He adds there, quote, with more to follow, unquote, Iran's chokehold over the Strait of Hormuz is becoming more dire by the day. close to 15 million barrels of oil are stuck in the Gulf region, cut off from moving beyond this crucial water passage for 20 percent of the world's oil, with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warning any ship will be attacked. Sources told CNN earlier this afternoon that Iran had begun laying mines in recent days. Following those reports, President Trump posted, quote, if Iran has put out any mines in the Hormuz Strait and we have no reports of them doing so, quote, we want them removed immediately.

43:34If for any reason mines were placed and they are not removed forthwith, the military consequences to Iran will be at a level never seen before. If, on the other hand, they remove what may have been placed, it will be a giant step in the right direction, unquote. That post was only about 40 minutes before his announcement that the U.S. had destroyed the 10 inactive mine-laying boats. You've probably felt the impacts of Iran's grip on the Strait of Hormuz from 8 ,000 miles away or so here in the U.S. over the last 11 days, paying an average of 56 cents more for a gallon of gas from when this war began.

44:05The president and the White House are sticking to their script that those price hikes at the pump are nothing to worry about.

44:14The recent increase in oil and gas prices is temporary, and this operation will result in lower gas prices in the long term. Once the national security objectives of Operation Epic Fury are fully achieved, Americans will see oil and gas prices drop rapidly, potentially even lower than they were prior to the start of the operation. Let's bring in CNN's Caitlin Collins, who's at the White House for us today. Caitlin, the White House press secretary filled a bunch of questions today about the Strait of Hormuz and the rising price of oil. Yeah, Jake, I mean, these wild swings in the oil market have been top of mind here at the White House, certainly top of mind for their voters and really for all Americans, given the numbers that you were just showing and how much the prices at the pump have changed and just the swings that we've seen based on comments made by President Trump before the markets closed, after the markets closed, a tweet from the Energy Secretary, Chris Wright, earlier today, where he said and seemed to be announcing some breaking news that the United States Navy had basically taken and escorted a tanker through the Strait of Hormuz, something that the president has said for many days now is potentially an option here.

45:20But then quickly, Jake, that tweet was deleted, and the White House Press Secretary, Caroline Levitt, at that same briefing confirmed that the United States Navy has not escorted any tankers to the Strait of Hormuz yet. And so obviously that changed because it had made people quite optimistic that potentially we were going to start seeing some more traffic moving through there. And instead, Jake, only the opposite seems to be true with Iran and this reporting now that CNN has that they are laying new minds there with the president saying he has not personally seen reports of that, but threatening Iran should they continue to do so.

45:53One other thing that Caroline Levitt said earlier about this prospect of the Navy escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, Jake, was that it is still an option if and when necessary. If you look at the markets, they may argue that time is now because obviously that is what is affecting these prices. Why you're seeing so much concern over what this is going to look like going forward. But right now, Jake, we know that this still has not happened yet. We did see an update from CENTCOM just a few moments ago, Jake, as I was walking over here to the camera where they posted this video showing the U.S.

46:24military going after several Iranian boats, including some of the ones that they say are potentially going to be laying mines or dedicated to doing so in the Strait of Hormuz. You can obviously see what is happening to them here based on this video from CENTCOM. Caitlin, speaking of U.S. strikes, there remain a bunch of questions about who's responsible for that strike on the girls' grade school in Iran. Iran says it killed more than 160 kids and and also teachers. Did Caroline Levitt get asked about that today? Have they acknowledged what we increasingly believe to be the case, that this was a U.S.

46:59strike? Well, she was asked, Jake, about those curious comments that the president himself made yesterday, saying that a lot of nations have Tomahawk missiles, suggesting that Iran has some. We don't believe Iran has any that we know of. I'm talking to experts about this. They have said that they do not have them. Those are only a small number of countries, the United States, United Kingdom, Australia. that do have access to these Tomahawk missiles. So she was asked about that comment by the president, and instead Jake just argued that this is still under investigation and that the president will accept whatever the results are of that investigation by his administration, something that they have faced questions on now on a daily basis ever since this happened.

47:36But the reason it stands out, Jake, is that was not initially the president's argument to wait and see what the facts bear out. He said on Saturday when he was asked on Air Force One by reporters about this that he believed it was Iran, even though we have not seen anything pointing to that. The president said that's what he believed. Now he's saying he'll wait for the results of this investigation. She also accused the New York Times of harassing the administration by reporting on this, Jake, though obviously it is something that multiple outlets have reported on and is a key question in terms of accountability if the United States military was in fact responsible for this, which we just don't know or have confirmation of yet.

48:11All right, Caitlin Collins at the White House. Thanks so much. Don't miss Caitlin on her show. The Source with Caitlin Collins. Her guests tonight include Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut. That's tonight at 9 Eastern on CNN. Here with me now in studio, Mike Summers is the CEO of the American Petroleum Institute. Mike, good to see you. Again, obviously a lot going on in your world. The way most average Americans are feeling the impact of this war is at the gas pump. AAA has gas prices up more than 50 cents per gallon since the start of the war. The national average is now$3.54 a gallon.

48:45The president has maintained over and over that all this instability is just temporary, and ultimately this will result in lower gas prices. Is he right? Well, I think this is the nightmare scenario that we've been concerned about for three decades, that their Straits of Hormuz would get shut down as a consequence of a major issue within the Straits. That's 18 million barrels of oil every single day that are not coming to market. There's another 6 million barrels that are actually being shut in right now. The top priority for this administration after they take care of the issue in Iran is to get the straits back open.

49:18This isn't just affecting American consumers, but consumers all over the globe. So they talk about Navy escorts being offered for oil tankers, and the president saying basically to, he said, I think, quote, show some guts to the captains of the oil tankers. What's the response of your industry to that, that your tankers need to show some guts and go with the Navy through the Strait of Hormuz? Well, there's two things here. First of all, they did provide some kind of a backstop for insurance. That was an important step as well. And the escorts, of course, are going to be an important component of this.

49:54But this is an industry that is very focused on workforce safety. We've been focused on safety for decades and decades. We're not going to put our workforce in danger in the Straits of Hormuz. We have to get them open. We have to make clear that this is not going to be tolerated by the world market. And I think what we're starting to see now is other countries put pressure on Iran to get the straits back open as quickly as possible. Your industry, there's a lot of money in your industry. I'm sure that they don't just rely on what they see when they go into a strait or a passageway. They have security.

50:27They have some sort of surveillance. What are you hearing about the Iranians mining the Strait of Hormuz? Well, we can only say what we've been hearing from the administration itself. Our industry is working very closely with the Navy and the armed forces right now. They're an important component to ensure safe passage through the straits. So what we're hearing right now is we're not quite there yet, but we need to make sure that we get them open as quickly as possible because this isn't just about oil. This is about fertilizer and ammonia and food and potable water. This could be a real crisis if we don't get it open soon.

50:59And normally about 60 to 100 boats, oil tankers, get through the strait every day, and now it's zero? The last time a global conflict impacted oil prices was when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. And airfare prices shot up almost immediately because of the effect on jet fuel. So far, that has not been the case with this conflict. Do you expect that we will see that, though? We have seen a lot of volatility in the oil markets so far. We just don't know what the answer is going to be at this point. What I do know is that American production is serving as a buffer for world oil prices. When we were dealing with these kinds of situations 30 years ago, the United States was a net oil importer.

51:40Now we are a net oil exporter. That has provided the energy security that this country needs to make sure that we can have these kinds of conflicts and not see a lot of impact on the pump. But the longer this goes on, the more volatility there's going to be, and consumers are going to continue to see prices go up. What's the price right now for a barrel of oil? What is it? Right now, we're closed today about$80. $80? And how high do you think it's going to go? We just don't know. We can't predict future prices. But, of course, as an industry, what we're focused on is stability and security for these barrels of oil and for our workforce.

52:18But we're very concerned that if the straits remain closed for a few more weeks, there's going to be a significant impact. All right, Mike Summers of the American Petroleum Institute. Thanks so much. Appreciate it. Hundreds of thousands of people have fled their homes in Hezbollah-controlled areas of Lebanon. They're trying to escape Israeli strikes inside the country. Retaliation for Hezbollah attacks on Israel. CNN's Matthew Chance is live for us in Baylor, Lebanon. Matthew, what's the reality on the ground there in Lebanon today?

52:47Jake Tapper:It's pretty grim if you're from one of those Hezbollah-controlled areas. We're talking about areas of South Lebanon, the Beka Valley in the east of the country and in South Beirut, the city from where I'm talking to you now, which is a long time Hezbollah stronghold. Those areas have been given basically broad evacuation orders from the Israeli armed forces saying you get out to protect your lives. We're going to be striking Hezbollah related targets there. And indeed, that's what's been happening. There's been a sort of incessant flow of airstrikes from our vantage point. We've been seeing here in Beirut in those southern suburbs targeting what Israel says are Hezbollah related kind of assets, individuals and buildings as well.

53:31Jake Tapper:And that's led to that enormous outflow of people seeking safety away from the front lines out of the firing line. We're looking at more than 700 ,000 people now across the country that are basically on the move. And you can imagine the enormous pressure, Jake, that that's put on the Lebanese authorities, that has lunged from crisis to crisis over the years. It now has this massive displacement of hundreds of thousands of people. And even with the backing of the various international and local aid organizations that are here in some force providing tents and food and soup kitchens and things like that.

54:09Jake Tapper:It's still a struggle to find people medical care, to find them food and to find them shelter. And so it's a big crisis. And I have to say, you know, there's a lot of animosity that we're hearing about amongst ordinary Lebanese people, you know, not from the Hezbollah areas, that that Iranian-backed militia has drawn this country into yet another conflict with Israel. So there's a lot of anger and frustration towards Hezbollah about that right now. All right, Matthew Chance in Beirut, Lebanon for us. Thank you so much. Stay safe. Is Russia giving Iran details about the locations and movements of U.S.

54:46troops in the Middle East during this war? A top White House official weighed in on this today, and he said, you can take Russia at its word. Is the White House really trusting Putin on this? Is that what he meant? That's next.

55:03Continuing with our world lead sources say Trump administration officials are discussing further easing sanctions on Russian oil as they try to combat the quickly rising prices due to the Iran war. The White House already loosened some of those sanctions, despite multiple sources saying Russia is providing Iran with intelligence about the locations and movements of U.S. troops, ships and aircraft in the Middle East. But during an interview with CNBC earlier today, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff says the Russians deny sharing such information.

55:36Jake Tapper:I can tell you that yesterday on the call with the president, the Russians said that they have not been sharing. That's that's what they said. So, you know, we can we can take them at their word. But they did say that. I want to bring in Democratic Congressman Sam Liccardo of California. Congressman, what's your reaction to what Steve Witkoff said? Well, it's laughable. Of course, we should believe the Russians. I mean, with enemies like us, why would the Russians ever need friends? Look, they were lying to us back in the fall of last year when we decided to impose these sanctions on the sale of Russian oil because they were claiming that they were working on getting to a peaceful settlement with Ukraine.

56:18Jake Tapper:Obviously, they weren't. So we imposed the sanctions finally. And now we're lifting them. Look, this makes no sense. This is clearly aiding our enemy. We had three separate sources tell The Washington Post, as well as additional sources telling the CNN that Russians were providing intelligence to Iranians. And there's certainly circumstantial evidence that Iranians are getting much better intelligence than they had naturally. Your state of California has some of the highest gas prices in the nation right now, an average of$5.29 per gallon. That, of course, includes some California state taxes added in.

56:56Is there anything that you or Congress can do in the short term to help constituents struggling with these spiking gas prices?

57:07Jake Tapper:Well, certainly there are many tools that could be considered. Last I heard, we have a pretty close relationship now with the new leadership of Venezuela. We have a strategic petroleum reserve. I don't pretend to be able to articulate every potential lever. But one thing I do know is we should not be rewarding the same Russian government that is helping our enemy kill American soldiers. We should have moral clarity about that basic issue, particularly in a moment of war. You and Senator Ruben Gallego, Democrat of Arizona, wrote a letter to the Treasury Secretary Scott Besant, demanding that the Trump administration immediately reverse the waiver on sanctions.

57:48The letter reads in part, quote, rather than performing the necessary contingency planning that would keep India and other allies supplied with alternative sources of oil, the administration's hapless approach has allowed Russia and other adversaries to profit from oil reserves previously constrained by sanctions supporting Russian efforts to harm U.S. troops and thwart U.S. intelligence, unquote. Have you or Senator Gallego heard back from the Treasury Secretary?

58:16Jake Tapper:Not yet, but we certainly look forward to the response. And frankly, I think the American people demand a response to that basic question. If we were planning to go to war, why didn't we plan for this? It was certainly foreseeable that the Iranians would seek to used the Gulf of Hormuz against us in this way. They're now laying mines in that channel. Of course, this would be a tactic of theirs. Why aren't we using some approach other than rewarding our enemies? In this case, Russians who are providing Iranians with intelligence to kill American women and men in uniform. Is there anything Congress can do to force the Trump administration to put those sanctions back in place?

58:57Jake Tapper:Well, certainly a majority of Congress could. Unfortunately, as you know, I'm not in the majority, but certainly I'm on a relevant committee, financial services, where I will be demanding answers and certainly urging my colleagues in the majority to get people into the hearing rooms to answer very difficult questions that I think both sides should be asking. Democratic Congressman Sam Liccardo of California, thanks for joining us today. Appreciate it. New York police releasing new details today about the two terror suspects accused of tossing makeshift bombs near Gracie Mansion, where Mayor Zoran Mamdani and his family live.

59:33That story's next.

59:46In our national lead today, the New York Police Department confirmed that explosives were found inside a Pennsylvania storage unit near the home of two suspects who are accused of tossing makeshift bombs outside the New York mayor's home Saturday. Police say that Amir Balat and Ibrahim Kayoumi, who are 18 and 19 years old, traveled to New York from Pennsylvania. They were targeting anti-Muslim demonstrations that were taking place outside the mayoral residence. Both men now facing five federal charges. They told police that they were inspired by the terrorist group ISIS. Let's bring in CNN's chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst, John Miller.

1:00:27John, where does the investigation stand? Tell us more about the suspects. Well, in some ways, Jake, this is a smoking gun case. You have video, allegedly, of the suspects passing the bombs between each other, throwing the bombs at police and the crowd. So from that standpoint, their initial charges are going to feel pretty solid. But there are questions. And what you raise here is, okay, so where did they meet? Where did they construct these bombs? And how did they know each other? Things like that that are still being developed. What does the FBI finding additional explosive devices in Pennsylvania tell you?

1:01:07It tells us that the likely place that they allegedly made these bombs was probably the storage area. considering the odors, the chemicals, the drying process that is involved in the homemade creation of TATP. It's the kind of thing that would have been difficult to do at home with other people in the house, parents, siblings, and so on. So they may have found in that storage area, at least the storage area and most possibly the bomb making factory itself. The attorney for one of the suspects, Amir Balat, says that there's no indication that the two men knew each other before the incident. But both suspects admitted to be being inspired by ISIS.

1:01:52How might investigators figure out if they were recruited by ISIS or if they were self-radicalized or whatever the reality is? So, Jake, that's a fascinating question because you have the attorney saying, look, my guy barely knew the other guy. Well, that raises the question, if that is so, how is it that they travel, you know, a hundred miles into New York City, meet at a demonstration, and allegedly pass bombs between each other and then throw them? And these bombs were meant to go off when you look at the design of them. And the answer may be looking at prior cases. If you look at the case from a few months ago in Detroit, those individuals largely met online, then got together in a conspiracy there, working with two other individuals who were in Montclair, New Jersey, working with another individual who was outside Seattle.

1:02:40So these are people who, over a period of months, developed these close relationships in these chat rooms where they were sharing propaganda, self-radicalizing, and then teaming up. That is a scenario that could be why two people who weren't associated as friends by their parents, by their other friends, may have gotten to the point where they decided to do this together on a given day. The online radicalization thing is something that obviously they're extremely worried about in the current environment. John, you previously worked for the NYPD. What kind of conversations do you suspect they're having behind the scenes right now about the potential for other attacks?

1:03:21I know what kind of conversations they're having, Jake, and this is the same conversations that are going on across the street, you know, with the NYPD detectives and the agents at the FBI, which is the Iran conflict is going on. Where are the Hezbollah agents who have been planted here, even with the near destruction of Hezbollah, that wouldn't have affected their agents overseas in places like London, Paris, New York. Where are the Iranian agents from the Ministry of Intelligence who might be either the sleeper cells themselves or running sleeper cells recruited from criminal organizations? What they're looking at every day is, where are we missing it?

1:03:59And to put a point on that, and I'll close with this, you know, just last week they convicted Arif Merchant, who was an individual recruited by Iranian intelligence, paid money, who came from the criminal world on this side, who was recruited to kill President Trump when he was a candidate on the idea that after he was elected, if that came to pass, security would be too tight. So if anyone thinks that Iranian intelligence is not operating agents on U.S. soil. They should look at the recent cases. All right, John Miller, thank you so much for your expertise. Always great to have you. Some passengers were stuck in TSA security lines for hours this week.

1:04:37Those wait times might not get better anytime soon. We'll explain why next.

1:04:50Our national lead now. Now, you're looking at lines that stretched for nearly three hours just yesterday. This is at Houston's Hobby Airport. This is a result of TSA shortages due to the partial government shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, which is entering its 25th day. As you know, Senate Democrats are refusing to vote for that budget until the administration makes a number of changes to immigration enforcement. Here now is CNN aviation correspondent Pete Mantini. So, Pete, TSA employees are going to miss their first paycheck on Saturday. Are those lines going to get worse?

1:05:23Jake Tapper:The good news now is that the terrible lines that we saw in the really dramatic video there are subsiding, but we're not totally out of the woods just yet. Notably, Houston Hobby, which was among the worst nationwide for long lines Sunday and Monday, at times three hours long. Last check, the wait there is only down to seven minutes. So a huge change. But even still, this is the alert from Hobby Airport, which warns passengers to arrive three hours early for domestic flights, four hours early for international flights. The issue here for airports is that this is pretty hard to predict. Airports say TSA staff can vary day to day and shift to shift, which is not good for the millions of people heading out for spring break right now.

1:06:06Jake Tapper:We've also heard from union officials that represent TSA agents, and they say that TSA officers are facing major financial strain right now because they only got a half paycheck two weeks ago. This week, they'll get a zero dollar paycheck. I want you to listen now to what White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt just said about this during this afternoon's press briefing. And so to any American out there who is struggling without a paycheck, we know there's more than 100 ,000 of you across the country. to any American out there who is showing up to an airport and facing incredibly long wait times and lines, call your Democrat member of Congress and tell them to fund the Department of Homeland Security.

1:06:43That's what President Trump wants to do. And it's completely ridiculous that the American people are suffering as a result of these partisan games that are being played by Democrats on Capitol Hill.

1:06:53Jake Tapper:So clearly some blame and mudslinging there. But this some context here. This is a big political pressure point. It was TSA agents not reporting to work that was partially responsible for ending the 35-day government shutdown that started in 2018, stretching to 2019. We saw sick calls increase during the most recent government shutdown at the end of last year. That was a record-breaking one. The union of TSA agents says workers are getting desperate now. And it says some are resorting to donating plasma and picking up part-time work as door dashers. There have been efforts to make air traffic controllers immune from future government shutdowns.

1:07:27Jake Tapper:They're not impacted here, but the union of TSA agents says the same consideration needs to be made for them as well. So this does not happen again. All right, Pete Muntean, thanks so much. Appreciate it. Here now to help travelers navigate some of the challenges from this partial government shutdown and the war in Iran is the points guy, Brian Kelly. Brian, every airport's different, but we've all seen these insane security lines in Houston's airport. How much worse do you think the wait times could get if the shutdown continues and TSA workers don't get paid? Yeah, and it's not just TSA. I flew in last night to JFK Terminal 1.

1:08:03I have global entry. Of course, that program's also shut down, but I also have mobile passport control. And even that line, I was with my one-year-old and three-year-old, and it was an hour and a half, almost at a standstill. It was pretty excruciating after an international flight. And this is for verified travelers. So this could get a lot worse. And I guess that is the point of all of this, to put enough pressure on all sides of the political spectrum. So the war with Iran is causing volatility on oil prices in addition to the government shutdown, the partial shutdown. Drivers are already seeing higher prices for gas.

1:08:36We have not seen the spike in fuel prices for airlines spike the way that we did right after Russia invaded Ukraine, which is the last time international affairs affected the market this way. How soon do you think it will translate to higher prices for jet fuel and thus for airfare? Yeah, and let's be clear, there are a lot of routes where airfare is through the roof. You know, when you think about it, the Middle East is a huge connecting point. All of those routes are now out for people who go to India, Southeast Asia. So we are seeing dramatic spikes on certain routes, mostly international. But as fuel continues to rise, generally the airlines hedge their fuel.

1:09:17So we're still a couple weeks out from seeing broader increases. United Airlines CEO came out today and said that they are likely. Air New Zealand, Scandinavian Airlines, they've already announced that they're going to be increasing. So it's just a matter of time at this point. How big have the increases been that you're talking about? And how big might they be here in the United States when and if it hits? Yeah, on certain routes, really the biggest routes that have been hit, we've seen 50 % increases Europe to Asia. Normally, the Middle Eastern carriers compete on that. And now that all of those routes are out, demand is through the roof for much fewer seats.

1:09:53But, you know, we're seeing U.S. to India. Those nonstop flights are now we're seeing up 20 percent. So while we haven't seen the domestic increases yet for international travel, we're seeing a lot. And this is why I recommend to people use your frequent flyer miles. Use them as a hedge. Most airline programs allow you to change or cancel for free. So, you know, you can use your airline miles for flights that look good. I recommend doing it because, you know, who knows how long this will go on and prices could continue to rise dramatically. All right. So that's one recommendation. Use your frequent flyer miles.

1:10:28I assume you also think we should take out the insurance. You tell me if that's a recommendation and also summer travels coming up. Should we be booking now or waiting? Yeah. You know, usually it's about six to eight weeks before travel for domestic and then three to six months for international. So if you're looking internationally, I would book now. And there's insurance. War is not covered under most travel insurance. So if you have a book or a trip that you want to book, cancel for any reason coverage is what you'd want to get, although it's very expensive. Also, get rescue insurance. It's crazy.

1:11:06We have to talk about this now. But most travel insurances won't rescue you if you're stuck somewhere. And so basically, yes, I'm a proponent of insurance. But just look at the details. All right, Brian Kelly, thank you so much. Appreciate it. It's election day in Georgia. Voters are choosing whom they want to replace, Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. Who on earth could ever replace her? Well, we're going to look into some questions here. Is Trump's candidate a shoo-in? Might a Democrat pull off an upset? How do voters choose between the nearly 20 candidates on the ballot? Our panel's going to weigh in next.

1:11:47Our politics lead now. All right, cue the election music. Doesn't it just get you excited? Democracy. Right now in northwest Georgia, we're in the final hour of today's special election. Voters there are deciding who will replace Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. And really, who could ever replace her? In five years, she transformed from a staunch Trump supporter and 9-11 truther to one of Trump's sharpest critics. Although I think she might still be a 9-11 truther. The race is a free-for-all. Nearly 20 candidates are on the ballot, including three Democrats and 12 Republicans, one of whom, former prosecutor Clay Fuller, has won President Trump's coveted endorsement.

1:12:31My panel joins us now. And Jeff Zeleny, you are here because you have reported extensively down in Georgia covering the race. You're not here to share an opinion. You're here to share facts. Who do you think has the best shot? And do you think it will likely head to a runoff?

1:12:44Jake Tapper:One of the few times I've been down in the district, one thing that is different there than here, Marjorie Taylor Greene is actually not hanging over this race much at all. Voters that I talked to were ready to move on. Even hardcore Republicans just told me again and again that she was sort of taking too much of the limelight. So this is effectively a jungle primary. So there's more than a dozen Republicans, as you said, also Democrats and independents on the same ballot. That almost assuredly means there's going to be a runoff if no one gets over 50 percent. So expect and watch for a Democrat named Sean Harris to actually probably get the most votes tonight because he ran against Marjorie Taylor Greene back in 2024.

1:13:22Jake Tapper:He got 135 ,000 votes, about a third of the vote. So he is likely to emerge as a runoff of contenders. So the other big question is who else will? Will Clay Fuller, who's endorsed by the president, or will someone else? And Colton Moore, who's a former state senator, has been a firebrand supporter of Donald Trump. But that's not what Speaker Johnson is looking for. They're looking for someone to fall in line, if you will. That's why President Trump endorsed Clay Fuller. He's much more of the establishment candidate, if you will. So the runoff is April 7th. So it's likely Sean Harris and one of the Republicans.

1:13:56Jake Tapper:We'll see if Trump's endorsed candidate makes it through or not. It is a close race, but also a special election at the beginning of March. Who knows what turnout will be? CNN spoke with some Georgians today about what's top of mind as they cast their votes. Take a listen. People need to listen to God. Okay. He stood for Israel, and we need to also. We need to literally work on the federal debt. I mean,$40 trillion is way too much. Box Populi, what do you think is top of mind for most voters? I like that guy. I'm with him. Anyone who wants to tackle the debt is good by me. I haven't heard the word debt in a long time.

1:14:38Yeah, I remember when people cared about it. Their own debt. Their own debt they care about. Yeah, I mean the federal debt. I know, I know. Yeah, I think this is one of these things where the day after the result, when the results are in, it'll be much easier to figure, to find a narrative for it. But it's such a hot mess right now, right? Because there are these different conflicting things going on. There is now, it's sort of like, you know, every six months they come up with another subatomic particle, the gluons and the quarks and this and that. Like, the MAGA coalition is breaking down into so many weird little sub-coalitions.

1:15:12Are you MAGA but not America first? Are you Trumpist but not MAGA? Are you this? Are you not that? And there are all these different flavors. And it is entirely possible that a district that elected Marjorie Taylor Greene wants another bomb thrower. And is another bomb thrower the establishment guy? or another bomb thrower, someone who's going to out-MAGA Trump and be more like Marjorie Taylor Greene? I have no clue. If Trump's candidate, his Olympic candidate, the more establishment guy, Clay Fuller, prosecutor, wins the seat, does that signify that Republicans are still in line with MAGA? Oh, well, I'm sure all the Republicans will say so.

1:15:47I'm sure Donald Trump will say so. And it'll be interesting to see, actually, because Democrats have been very successful in special, these off-year special elections that we've had. We also saw, though, in the midterm election when Trump was last president, he didn't do well. And frankly, his endorsed candidates didn't do well. He didn't pick people like Clay Fuller, though. He picked a lot of... Fair. But again, what does his imprimatur mean to those voters, particularly when, I mean, I heard gentlemen talk about debt. People are worried about their own personal debt and their own and their own costs.

1:16:22So what kind of person do they pick in that instance? Jonah and I were talking before we came out here. I do think it's interesting. So first she was like the darling. She's MAGA. Then when she split, she tried to say, well, I'm not MAGA, but I'm America first. Then the sort of talking point became, well, no, no, you have to be MAGA and America first to truly be a Trump supporter. So I agree with Jonah. It's interesting to see how it's breaking itself down. And we'll find out if this guy doesn't when I'm sure Donald Trump will have some reason why it was Democrats fault that I can predict. Why did she quit?

1:16:56I mean, like, I understand not running for reelection, but like she, she resigned after I think part of her pension hit the right deadline. I mean, it's a, it's kind of an odd thing to do if you don't have it. Like I understand some people quit because they, some amazing job. Yeah. You know, lucrative pops up. I don't, I don't know that she went to anything.

1:17:15Jake Tapper:It's somewhat of a pension thing, but she was only in Congress for five years. So we're not talking about that much money. And she came into Congress actually with quite a bit of wealth for a member of Congress. Look, one of the reasons she quit was that she was in this feud with the president. She was worried about her safety, her family's safety, and she just said, I'm done. But I think the thing to look for tonight is Democratic enthusiasm. Yes, this is largely a Trump district, there's no doubt. But are Democrats and independents going to be sort of enthused about this? We'll see. But she did not endorse in this race.

1:17:43Jake Tapper:She's talked a lot in recent days about So we don't know if that's going to kind of spark any, you know, kind of people who have some issues with Trump. The other Republican candidates have not really talked about foreign affairs at all. But Colton Moore is someone who, once upon a time, to your point, he would have been a Trump endorseee back in 2018. He's the firebrand. He was arrested. He was at the jail at the same time that Trump was. He was thrown out of the Georgia State Senate. But that's not what Speaker Johnson is looking for. They're looking for someone desperately to fill the seat to fall in line.

1:18:14Jake Tapper:So that is why this is so interesting. I love the fact that in this era, like, having been arrested is now something you put on your CV to be the manga. Well, right. For civil rights leaders, it was a different kind of... That's not what I'm talking about. No, no, no. So, I do want to note that, like, we are reaching... We are, like, not unprecedented, but I don't think there have been this many retirements from Congress since, like, 1930 or something, right? I mean, like, and most... The majority of them, not all of them, but the majority of them are Republicans. A lot of the Democratic ones have to do with age, not other things.

1:18:44How bad are these headwinds expected to be for Republicans this November? Well, the relevant thing is that they don't have to be that bad for the Democrats to take the House, right? The majority is so thin right now. Two votes or something. And, like, you talk to a lot. Karen probably has a better answer on this. But I talk to a bunch of Democratic insiders who say they expect an actual wave, not just the historic norm, but above that. But it could be half of what the historic norm is, and the Democrats still take back the House. Well, I think when you, I will say, when you talk to insiders, but also when you talk to civil rights leaders and the people who are actually doing the work of democracy, and by that I mean working on, can people, will we have a free and fair election?

1:19:26Will people be able to vote and have those votes counted? There's a lot of concern, because particularly going back to Georgia, that raid of Fulton County, very troubling. Trump talking about nationalizing the elections, very troubling. And the return of this talk about 2020 having been stolen, very troubling because it's a cover, we know, for him trying to take a whole host of actions from the federal level to control these elections. And so there's a lot of concern about it. I think people do expect a wave if we have a free and fair election, and people are concerned about that. All right. Thanks, everyone.

1:20:02Appreciate it. The tornado watch is in effect for parts of the Midwestern United States right now as a potentially dangerous evening of severe weather starts to take shape. That's next.

1:20:17We're following the breaking weather news. Forecasters issuing the highest severe thunderstorm risk in months for parts of the American Midwest. Nearly six million people now under tornado watches tonight. The latest tornado watch covers Oklahoma City and the north and central parts of Texas, which include the heavily populated Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area. On top of tornadoes, much of the Midwest could see softball-sized hail, not to mention damaging wind gusts that could top 80 miles per hour. And our last leads tonight, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey granted clemency today to murder accomplice Charles Burton after 30 years on death row.

1:20:59Though this rare move spares him from the execution that was scheduled for Thursday, Governor Ivey announced that she could not proceed in good conscience because Burton was not the actual shooter. He will now receive the same punishment as the shooter, life in prison without parole. In our money lead, a federal judge today scolded the U.S. Justice Department and Live Nation attorneys for secretly negotiating a settlement while the trial was underway. The antitrust trial centers around allegations that the ticket giant operated as a monopoly. More than 30 state attorneys general are also part of the case against Live Nation, but they claim they were only given one day to decide whether to join the settlement.

1:21:39Most of these attorneys general have not signed on, raising questions about whether the trial will indeed proceed. We end our show today with some good news in our out of this world lead. It now appears that the massive space rock, once deemed the riskiest asteroid ever observed, will not hit the moon after all. Last summer, you might remember, scientists worried that any impact on the moon could prevent satellites from running smoothly and impact any moon infrastructure built over the next few years. But now, scientists seem pretty confident that that scenario is off the table. You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, threads, blueskyx, and on the TikTok at Jake Tapper.

1:22:21You can follow the show on X and on Instagram at The Lead CNN. If you ever miss an episode of The Lead, You can watch the show on the CNN app. Aaron Burnett out front, live in Tel Aviv, starts now.