Search and Rescue Underway After Venezuela Quakes Kill at Least 188

23:27Appreciate it. The headlines from the second Trump administration can feel chaotic, but collectively, we're wondering whether there should be a warning sign about something to come, something having to do with upcoming elections. We're tracing potential clues of that next.

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24:31Here he is just this month. They rigged the election, the second election, as you probably hear and probably know. Most of you know that happened and now it's been proven. and it will be proven as time goes by even more so. We have things that you won't believe. When we release the full files, you're not going to believe how crooked the second 2020 election was. It has never been proven, of course. Court after court after court, election board after election board, secretary of state after secretary of state, his own attorney general, never proven. But remember what those lies wrought. A violent attack on the Capitol that resulted in five dead on January 6th, more than 140 law enforcement wounded or maimed several dead.

25:14And remember, the president was looking to have the will of the American people obstructed that day, to stop the counting of actual electors and have fake electors make him the president. It's a plot that failed, but not for lack of trying. And more than five years later, not only has President Trump never produced this long-promised evidence, there are currently questions about what might happen in 2026 or 2028. Now, today, as we learn in Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan's new book, Regime Change, a key former foreign leader sought to use Trump's obsession with the 2020 election to save himself.

25:54As tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela heated up in 2025, President Trump sought to use Tucker Carlson, a conservative commentator, as a go-between between himself and then-president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro. From the book Regime Change, quote, As bait, Maduro had claimed to Carlson that he could furnish proof U.S. voting machines were tampered with in 2020, a transparently calculated appeal to Trump's unfounded stolen election grievances. And Maduro had told Carlson he wanted warmer relations with Washington, unquote. Now, since then, of course, Maduro was captured by U.S. forces, and Maduro currently sits in a New York detention center.

26:34Given that he was all ready to make false claims of evidence about Venezuela helping to rig the 2020 election in order to ingratiate himself with Trump, what might Maduro be willing to say now? To get out of jail, perhaps. To no longer have to spend the rest of his life behind bars. For that matter, what might the U.S.-backed replacement for Maduro, Delcey Rodriguez, what might she be willing to say or do? And what is President Trump willing to do with those possibly pending false claims? Well, the book Regime Change also details the Trump White House discussing President Trump's suspending habeas corpus.

27:16That's the fundamental legal concept which prevents the government from indefinitely detaining people without evidence. It's an extreme measure that Trump has openly discussed on several occasions, including when he wanted to bypass courts on immigration enforcement and deportation matters. There's one way that's been used by three very highly respected presidents, but we hope we don't have to go that route. But there is one way that has been used very successfully by three presidents, all highly respected. That was a reference to possibly suspending habeas corpus. In regime change, we learn how, quote, deeply alarmed some White House officials were about these discussions.

27:59Quote, many inside and outside the White House agreed, with some calling the push to suspend habeas corpus insane, believing it would roil the country and cripple the Trump presidency. But the president was interested, unquote. The book also talks about the possibility that the Trump administration was thinking about invoking the Insurrection Act, which allows the president to use U.S. troops for domestic law enforcement, something that is generally prohibited. Regime change notes that after the deaths of Alex Preddy and Renee Good at the hands of immigration enforcement agents in Minnesota five months ago, after that, Vice President J.D.

28:36Vance, quote, got right to the point. He wanted to talk about the situation in Minnesota. In his view, they needed to swiftly invoke the Insurrection Act to crush the unrest. It would be painful in the short term, he said, but in the long term, it was the right thing to do. unquote. President Trump also expressed how he viewed the act as a tool that can be used to fight against judicial rulings constraining his power. Everybody agrees you're allowed to use that and there's no more court cases, there's no more anything. We're trying to do it in a nicer manner, but we can always use the Insurrection Act.

29:10Now, President Trump is currently and And constantly trying to push the boundaries of his power with very little, if any, pushback from those surrounding him in the White House or the administration or from Republicans in Congress. Currently, the postmaster general is threatening to not deliver mail-in ballots to states that don't turn over their voting rolls. We have a new, unqualified acting director of national intelligence who, as housing chair for the federal government, used government documents to pursue Trump's political opponents. We have seen the seizure of Dominion voting machines in Puerto Rico in 2025 and in Atlanta, Georgia in 2026.

29:51And now we have these latest data points. Maduro's false election hacking claims, habeas corpus being possibly suspended, the Insurrection Act being possibly invoked. what might this all be leading up to? Well, we're going to continue to follow it all. Coming up next, the internal battle playing out among establishment Democrats and the more far left wing of the Democratic Party. Is it time for the two sides to part ways and do their own thing?

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31:36In upcoming primary races in Colorado next Tuesday at battleground states of Michigan and Wisconsin later this summer, we're about to hear two different perspectives on what this split might mean for the party, the Democratic Party, ahead of November's midterms. First, we're going to talk to Ashik Sabik. He's co-chair of the DSA. Ashik, thanks so much for joining us and congratulations on the victories. Here is how New York City DSA co-chair Gustavo Gordillo sees the relationship with the Democratic Party. He said, quote, we run as Democrats. We're on the Democratic Party line and we contest the primaries.

32:07And when they're in the legislature, they're part of the Democratic caucus. But we don't agree with the way the Democratic Party establishment organizes. He goes on to say, quote, in terms of the agenda, there's a problem in the Democrat Party where they are funded by billionaire donors. And at the same time, they're trying to represent the working class. And in our opinion, you have to choose, unquote. Now, those remarks have been interpreted as him saying we're using the Democratic Party in order to get elected. We'll work with them when we can. But ultimately, the Democratic Party is our is that is our host in order to us to get to power.

32:41And in a lot of ways, they're an obstacle to be maneuvered around. Is that an unfair characterization? Well, we're organizing to represent millions of working people in the United States who are feeling totally left out of the political system when they're having to work longer hours or multiple jobs to make ends meet. There are so many people who can't pay rent, who can't afford groceries, and they see the billionaire class getting richer and richer. They see Elon Musk becoming the world's first trillionaire, and they're seeing such a huge discrepancy. So that's who we're organizing. And many of these people are part of the Democratic Party voting base, but feeling increasingly left out.

33:18So we think there is a clear choice. There's a choice between the ruling class and the working class. And it's up to the leadership of the Democratic Party if they want to stand with very popular policies that represent millions of people in this country who are looking for something to be motivated by. We're looking for something credible that that's going to change our society for the better to represent everybody's needs. So there is a choice. If Democrats in power want to win and to serve the interests of working people, then we're showing the way forward. If they want to continue to cater to tech oligarchs, to fossil fuel executives, and to the 1 % of the 1%, then they can make their choice.

33:56but this is what most voters want. We're showing in New York City and Philadelphia and in Georgia and Kentucky and so many parts of the country, these are politics that resonate. And this is how we expand the electorate. There are so many people in the Democratic Party who want what we're talking about. And there's so many non-voters who are just, who haven't been voting for many years. So if we want to expand the electorate and represent so many Americans who are feeling totally checked out of this political system, this is how we do it. So I totally hear you on all the policies that you're talking about.

34:28One of the concerns we hear from Democrats in Washington, D.C. and elsewhere is that some of the candidates who have won will be used against all of, not just the DSA, but all Democrats. Let me just give you one example. One of the three New York City congressional candidates endorsed by Mayor Mamdani, who won on Tuesday, is Dario Liza Avila Chevalier. Earlier this month, CNN's K-File uncovered some now-deleted social media posts from her. One post from September 2021 said, quote, A world without borders, just like a world without prisons or police, is possible, necessary, and the only moral way forward.

35:06That same month, she also reposted, quote, Yes, literally abolish the border, and, quote, All deportation is wrong. In August 2020, she reposted a tweet responding to a post that said, Israel suddenly disappears. Your third emoji is your reaction. She replied, quote, trick question, Israel doesn't exist. So what about the concern that some people have that it's not about, you know, universal daycare, which is one of Mamdani's big positions and policies in New York? It's their fear of individuals saying no borders, no prisons, no police. Well, I think Dari Elisa's book and for herself. Those are things that she tweeted when she was a normal person who was not running for office.

35:52And I think when we prepare people to run for office to represent our movements and to represent millions of people, we're very serious about governing. So for us, it is absolutely about universal child care. It's about expanding public transit to be fast and free. It's about controlling the cost of housing. And we want to deliver on these things. And it's when we think about there's there's so many visions for how an ideal society would work. And I think for people on the left who've been not used to having power. We think about just the role we want to see in a very long term. There are all sorts of visions for that, but we're very concerned about how we deliver in our cities and in government.

36:34If we win federal power, we want to solve the problems that people have right now. So whatever the long-term vision that we're thinking about is, and there are all sorts of ideas about that, we want to run on credible platforms of expanding public services. We want to redirect from the trillions of dollars that are now being spent. We have a trillion dollar military budget. We have trillions of dollars in tax cuts to the already wealthiest. So there's such a huge disparity between how our system currently works, how our society is currently working for the interests of the already most powerful and wealthy people in the world.

37:04And we need to flip that in a fundamental way. So we're not going to apologize about that. And what it looks like in the long term is something we can, you know, lots of people have debated about for a long time, but we want to govern in the interests of people. And that's what we're talking about, expanding the quality of life for people right now. And that's something that we can do right now in cities all over the country. All right, co-chair of the Democratic Socialists of America, Ashik Sadiq, thank you so much for joining us. Really appreciate it. Let us know if you're in D.C. We'll have you in person.

37:32Let's turn now to Democratic Congressman Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey. Congressman, what's your overall response to what we just heard from Ashik Sadiq? Well, it seems pretty clear. The first thing you asked, are you part of the Democratic Party? It sounds like he was doing everything he could to avoid answering that question. And to the point that some have made, I think the socialists are just using the Democrats as a vehicle right now. And he seemed to confirm that. This is my bigger concern, I think the point here, that socialists aren't Democrats. I think they're not interested in actually seeing the success of the Democratic Party.

38:06And they've attacked our leadership. And as you just quoted, Jake, right, I mean, some of the positions, many of the positions are nowhere near what we believe. Right. I mean, no police, no borders, no prisons. It's that kind of rhetoric, which obviously belongs. And again, that's OK. That's their views. But it's in the Socialist Party, not in the Democratic Party. But what's your response to the other point that he made, which was that, you know, they are trying to argue for more popular policies than have been delivered by the Democratic Party, universal child care in New York, for example, increasing the minimum wage, and that they just don't think that one can take money from multimillionaires and corporations and billionaires and such and also represent the working class.

38:54I mean, that is that I think if you look at I think if you look at the Democratic Party, Jen, if you look at what leader Jeffries is pushing, along with so many of us here in Congress, is exactly issues related to affordability about child care costs. You're getting your utility bills down, getting your taxes down, making life more affordable for you. The cost of food, going after the Trump taxes and tariffs that he's put on people, which are working class people, which are brutal, and fighting back against those. And health care costs, which we worked so hard to get down, which of course got rejected by the administration.

39:27So obviously the Trump administration's in charge, and we've got a very clear agenda. But what's very clear also is we're Democrats. We're proud of being a common sense Democrat. And I'm not interested in bomb throwing and those who don't want to solve problems but want to sow chaos. And part of my concern with the socialist agenda is just sowing chaos and bomb throwing, not actually solving problems and getting things done. Are you worried about this impacting the midterms? I mean, I just listed off some provocative now deleted posts by Dario Liza Villa-Chevalier, who's likely to be a congresswoman.

40:04I mean, in New York City, in that district, like winning the primary is basically it. She called for those things you just talked about, abolishing the police, the border, et cetera, et cetera. Do you think that's going to be held against not you per se, but Democrats in really tough battleground districts? Well, I think if you look at the majority of my colleagues, what they talk about is what I was just talking about. common-sense ideas to get things done for people and to get costs down for folks. They're not talking about things that were just being pushed in New York City, and that's not necessarily representative of a lot of the districts around the country.

40:36These are splinter views and loud views, and by the way, you always have some of those, but it's not broadly representative of our party. It's certainly not representative of what Leader Jeffries has been pushing all over the country as part of our broad democratic agenda, which is all about getting things done and solving problems for people and standing up to extremism. And let me just say, like, those views that you just heard from those tweets that were posts are extremist views, and, you know, it's really a declaration of war out of there on common sense instead of getting things done for people.

41:09And, you know, okay, those are those views, but I'll tell you where the majority of us are, and that's not there. Congressman Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey, thanks so much. Appreciate it. Coming up next, from a gun ban overturned, to big wins for the Trump administration in immigration. We're going to break down the big decisions today from the U.S. Supreme Court. Stay with us.

41:31Welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper. This hour of the U.S. Supreme Court handing President Trump two major wins today on immigration cases. But with just a few days left to go, there are still multiple blockbuster cases to be decided. Our legal experts are breaking down what happened today and what's to come. Plus, a massive search and rescue operation is underway tonight after back-to-back earthquakes, crumbled buildings and homes. Nearly 200 people reported dead, with hundreds of others injured or missing. I'm going to be joined by someone on the ground in Venezuela who experienced the quakes and is now trying to help with relief efforts also.

42:02New numbers show just how many Americans continue to struggle under the weight of the current economy. But is anyone in the White House listening? I'll ask a Republican member of Congress what his party is doing to lower your costs considering they have total control of Washington, D.C. And Team USA takes the pitch tonight for its final match of this round of the World Cup. But will superstar Christian Pulisic be healthy enough to play? We're live outside the stadium in L.A. ahead.

42:33The lead tonight, the U.S. Supreme Court handing President Trump major victories on two key immigration cases. The court clearing the way for immigration officials to be able to turn away asylum seekers at the border, reviving a controversial policy. The justices will also allow the Trump administration to end temporary protected status or TPS for Haitian and Syrian immigrants. It's a program that more than a million rely on for legal protections so they can live and work in the U.S. Court watchers are awaiting decisions on even bigger cases as soon as Monday, including one that could upend the mail-in ballot voting system ahead of the November midterm.

43:10CNN's Priscilla Alvarez and Paula Reed join us now. Paula, can you break down the court's rulings today in these two immigration cases? Yeah, twin wins for the Trump administration here, both really supporting the president's efforts to curb legal immigration. Now, the first one, a temporary protected status. Here, the Supreme Court is allowing the administration to roll back these protections for Haitians and Syrians. Now, hundreds of thousands of people could lose their work authorization that they got under this program that was meant to help people who have left countries experiencing upheaval.

43:46Now, Trump has ruled these programs back related to roughly a dozen different countries, but this was challenged, arguing that this specific decision related to Syria and Haiti was based on racial animus. But the Supreme Court instead saying, look, we cannot review this on non-constitutional grounds. So these could be challenged through other means, but it's unlikely they're going to be successful. And that's why the Supreme Court here basically giving the administration the green light. Now, they are also giving the administration the green light to re-up this controversial policy of physically blocking people from coming across the U.S.

44:21border where they would be able to claim asylum here in the U.S. This is not a Trump-specific thing. This was begun under the Obama administration. It was formalized under Trump I, rescinded under the Biden administration. And while the Trump administration does not rely on this policy after today's ruling, they could begin implementing this again if they so choose. And Priscilla, the White House, considering these major wins for their immigration crackdown, what do these rulings mean for their agenda going forward? And they are wins, and it allows them to advance their immigration crackdown on the border as well as in the interior of the United States.

44:57I'll pick up where Paula left off with asylum at the border. It's true. Right now, border numbers are really low. There isn't a reason for them to have to use this policy, but Trump officials tell me they like to keep it in their back pocket if they want to. While it doesn't have implications in the near term necessarily, I think we also have to look at this long term. It essentially gives administrations a lot more latitude in terms of how they handle processing asylum claims at legal ports of entry. And the unintended consequence with that is that it could encourage people to cross unlawfully to try to make their claims.

45:29So really interesting decision there. Now, on temporary protected status, that is where we're likely to see those more immediate ramifications. Now, yes, this was about Haitians and Syrians, but this could affect people from 13 countries that the administration has tried to revoke the designation. So that's a number of more than a million people. You see them there. That includes Venezuela, Honduras, Afghanistan, Cameroon. And so I've been talking to officials about this, and what they see here is a way for them to advance their deportation agenda, because when these nationals have these protections stripped from them, including their work permits, they're here legally and then they can't work here legally either.

46:08And so that allows, that makes them vulnerable for deportation. And so that is where we'll see more movement in the coming weeks and months. I will tell you that they are celebrating this, the Department of Homeland Security, Trump officials and Republicans have long said the temporary protected status was not temporary. It kept getting extended and became a permanent solution. So this is a major win for them and how they approach people already in the United States for deportation. And Paula, there were two interesting dissenting opinions today. Tell us about that. Yeah, let's first talk about the temporary protection status case.

46:39Their race was really the theme in that case. And in the majority opinion, Justice Alito said that, look, there were race neutral reasons for wanting to roll this program back related to Haiti and Syria. But then he went a little bit further and he said that statements by the president and the secretary that were referenced in the case, that they were not necessarily racially targeted. But in her dissent, Justice Kagan reminded us about some of the things that President Trump has said, specifically about Haiti. Let's take a listen. They're eating the dogs, the people that came in. They're eating the cats.

47:17They're eating the pets of the people that live there. And this is what's happening in our country. And when you hear that played back or you read it in the opinion, it is kind of calling to question what Alito said. But we've seen this in a few cases recently, sort of two completely different concepts of race relations in the U.S. coming from sort of the conservatives versus the liberals. Now, there was also in the asylum case, the dissent there, there was some real Supreme Court drama because Justice Sotomayor read her dissent out loud. And our colleague Joan Veskupic, who is in the courtroom getting this great reporting for us, said this really blindsided Justice Alito, who wrote the majority opinion and usually doesn't read his opinions aloud, especially because in her opinion, she said, because of what you've ruled here, more people will die.

48:06So clearly some tension on the bench there coming to the surface during the reading of her dissent. We know that there are a few more blockbuster cases to be ruled on. What are those? Yeah, so we're waiting for their decision on birthright citizenship, whether President Trump can limit that through executive order. Justices appeared skeptical. Limited or ended? He wants to end it, doesn't he? This is a huge controversy on our team of Supreme Court correspondents. There would be a lane for some people, but at a high level, yes, you could say end. But really, on a technicality, it was severely limited.

48:35But also questions about who he can and cannot fire. So there's two cases about that, how close you are to the executive branch. And then there are two Trump-adjacent cases. One, a question about transgender students participating in sports. And another really important case about mail-in ballots. So can they be counted if they come in after Election Day? And what makes that so significant is depending on how they rule there, I mean, that could have ramifications for in-person early voting, all kinds of voting. So that's one, again, it's not a Trump-specific case. It's Trump-adjacent because of the impact that could have on the election.

49:08So we'll be watching Monday, maybe Tuesday. All right. Get here early. Paula Reid, Priscilla Alvarez, thank you so much. Today, a federal judge striking down Trump's order demanding that the U.S. Postal Service block mail-in ballots in states that have not turned over their voting rolls. On the heels of the Postmaster General's response to Michigan's Democratic Senator Gary Peters yesterday. Yes or no, if a state refuses to turn their absentee voter list over to the federal government, Will the Postal Service still mail their ballots under this proposal rule? Under our proposed regulation, no.

49:45Here to discuss Michigan's Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel. General Nessel, this is the second federal judge to rule against President Trump's executive order on mail-in voting in cases. In your state of Michigan, a court concluded that the Justice Department could not lawfully obtain Michigan's voter list. And in Massachusetts, a judge blocked the Postal Service from restricting the delivery of ballots to states that don't turn over voter rolls. What's your reaction to those decisions? Well, obviously, the courts have looked at these executive orders and have found them to be, you know, absolutely illegal and in many cases unconstitutional.

50:27We know that it's the states that regulate the time, place and manner for voting and that they are best suited to administer elections. Certainly it should not be the federal government who administers our elections. And so obviously I'm grateful for the court's ruling, but I'm concerned about the misinformation and the disinformation that's been distributed by Donald Trump and by the federal government in an effort to undermine people's confidence in our election results. And, you know, it's done for one reason and one reason only. In the event that Donald Trump's preferred candidates lose, especially for Congress, he wants to be able to say that, you know, there was something that, you know, people should be concerned about in terms of the election results.

51:15And nothing could be further from the truth. The U.S. Supreme Court, as you heard from Paula, they're set to rule on a case that will determine if states can accept and count mail-in ballots that arrive after election day. 14 states in Washington, D.C. currently operate this way. They each have specific deadlines for several days after the election that the ballot will be accepted. All of them specify, of course, that the ballot has to be postmarked by or on election day. It's just a question of when they arrive at the office. Now, Michigan's not one of those states, but what's your take on all of this?

51:50Are you rooting for one side or the other? I mean, you don't have that. Your ballots have to arrive by Election Day. But these other states, they do. So actually, the law just changed in Michigan to allow military voters more time for their ballots to arrive. We know that it takes longer for their ballots to come in to the clerk to be counted. So they have six days after the election for their votes to be counted. But you're right. Otherwise, we don't have those laws in place. But what it would do is disenfranchise a lot of different voters. And of course, what we've seen time and again is an effort for the weaponization of the U.S.

52:29Postal Service so that it moves as slowly as possible so that fewer ballots can be received by the eve of the election. And that's going to create a substantial issue for a lot of states and it's going to disenfranchise a lot of voters if that occurs. The Trump administration argues these policies are just ways to ensure states are complying with federal election law. Amid all the scrutiny and the conspiracy theories you refer to that float around about our elections, why challenge policies that are meant to make elections and voting safer? I don't see how it does make elections safer. If anything, it means that there's a lot of legitimately cast ballots by eligible voters that simply won't be counted.

53:12So it's just an effort to disenfranchise voters and nothing more. You know, try as they might, the Trump administration, some Republican attorneys general, the Heritage Foundation, a lot of different groups have tried to sow the seeds of distrust in our electoral system when really we have the most safe and secure electoral system imaginable. And there are so many safety mechanisms that we have in place. So we're not having an issue with this. But, of course, by trying to, you know, create barriers and obstacles to people voting, the hope by the Trump administration is that more of their candidates will win.

53:52Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel from the great state of Michigan, thanks so much. Thanks for having me. Horrific scenes of destruction in Venezuela after a pair of earthquakes struck that country last night. The second quake, the country's most powerful in more than a century. I'm going to talk to a man on the ground there who was at a kid's birthday party when the first earthquake hit, and he's now helping with relief efforts. Stay with us.

54:20In our world lead, we continue to follow the search and rescue efforts in Venezuela after the two devastating earthquakes there killed at least 188 people, a number that is sadly expected to rise as more are still trapped in the rubble. This health emergency compounds existing problems with Venezuela's health system. We are seeing damaged hospitals, overwhelmed hospitals with improvised wards in the hallways and on the street due to the huge number of people who were injured in the earthquakes. Joining us now from Caracas, Venezuela, is Yonkel Rosenwald, the humanitarian and emergency affairs advisor for World Vision Venezuela.

54:55Thanks so much for joining us, Yonkel. You actually experienced this earthquake. You and your family were on a rooftop at a two-year-old's birthday party. that must have been terrifying how are you doing how is your family what was that experience like

55:11oh well thanks for having me jake and for this opportunity really was i'm still in shock to tell you the truth uh we are just coming of the 18th hour after the or coming into the 24th hour from the event. And I still have flashbacks. I was with my six-year-old and my wife on a 10th floor rooftop in the Altamira area. And everything started moving. I was able to grab a hold of them and go to a corner, generate the safety triangle. But everyone else not having the education, the expertise in the area, it was just chaos. Screaming, yelling, crying, kids running around, mothers trying to get a hold of them.

56:13and elderly people just trying to stay on the ground and not falling down. And, well, it was complete chaos, really. You ventured out. You've seen more of the devastation. Give us a sense of how bad the destruction is, and what are you hearing from the area west of Caracas? Yes, well, it's been just a very difficult situation to see the faces of the affected people and, you know, having lost everything or just being in a state of complete shock after the situation, the experience is heartbreaking and also a call to action that is overwhelming. Beyond additional search and rescue teams, what sort of resources are most needed right now in Venezuela?

57:19Yes, of course. Well, in these situations, basic services usually collapse. So we are now facing difficulties for most of the affected areas to have access to safe water, to food security. Just yesterday, as I was moving through the city, I was seeing supermarkets with huge lines trying to get in and stock up for the days to come. As the aftershocks are, well, just part of this process, right? And we've been leaving them just since the big hit. We've had over 20 aftershocks or replicates. I know search and rescue is the priority right now, but looking ahead, how difficult do you think it is going to be to rebuild that which has fallen?

58:18What will it take?

58:24Well, right now it's a bit tough to put your mind into that stage, as you mentioned, Jake, because really the lives that are at stake need to be answered. We need to focus on having them attend and bring them into a safe space. But the aftermath, everything that is already happening with the psychological situation of the population, the food supply chain, and the access to a basic and life-saving resource, such as water, safe water, is going to be very difficult to really respond to all the needs that the population has. And it's part of what we're doing. We're focusing on WASH, bringing activities of WASH and having affected families improve their access to safe water and to hygiene services and reduce diseases that can come through the risk.

59:49Yes. All right, Yonkel. Also, the protection. Sorry, Yonkel Rosenwald in Caracas, Venezuela. Thank you so much. Stay safe. We appreciate your time today. New questions about the state of the agreement between the U.S. and Iran after reports that Iran attacked a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz today. What impact might that have on negotiations? That's next.

1:00:17Some fresh trouble in and around the Strait of Hormuz topping our worldly today. A U.S. official tells CNN that an Iranian attack drone hit a ship in the Gulf of Oman right next to the strait. Now, a special United Nations maritime unit has paused its work, assisting thousands of other ships evacuate the Strait of Hormuz as they reevaluate the safety situation. The attack is yet another test to the memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran to reopen the strait. Senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, Rebecca Heinrichs, joins us now. Now, let me just ask you a general assessment of the situation in the Strait of Hormuz.

1:00:52Who has the upper hand? Well, so I think that the United States still does, but it's because of our naval presence that are still in the region. So that corridor that's along the Oman, there's really two pathways along Oman, and it's nowhere near the Iranian side. The Iranians are still frustrated because they want every ship that passes through the Strait to still check in with them. They want approval from the Iranians. the United States is still saying that's not safe, come this way. So it's still being guarded by the U.S. Navy. So the way I look at this is it's a ceasefire and we're sort of living under this MOU, but it's not because both sides are really in agreement or really even have a mutual understanding.

1:01:30It's because the United States is still imposing its will, frankly, militarily, in the Strait of Hormuz to try to get ships moving. That MOU was a lot of TBD, frankly. I mean, there's a lot. There's a page and a half. I mean, I have longer for my questions for you. There seemed to be a lot of daylight between how President Trump and his top diplomat, Secretary Seat Rubio, are spinning the MOU. Here's Trump at the G7, followed by Rubio today. Take a listen. We're dealing with people that I think are very rational people. I mean, they were nice to deal with. They were strong people, smart people.

1:02:07I think actually they're smarter than the first and second group. But they're not radicalized. I mean, the Iranian system is led by clerics, radical clerics. That's what it's always been led by, and that's what it continues to be led by. I know who I think is right there. Who do you think is? Well, of course, Secretary Rubio is correct. It's still, I mean, essentially, we took out the several, many of the leaders in the Iranian government. But right now, it looks like the IRGC are the ones that are in control. And of course, they're still committed to the Islamic revolution. And they are the ones that are still firing into the strait.

1:02:42We don't even know if they are listening to some of these politicians who are negotiating because there's been a breakdown in the leadership. And so but clearly President Trump wants this thing to work or appear like it's working because he's primarily number one focused on getting oil through the strait before the election. That's his number one priority. Right. Rubio was also asked about the reconstruction fund for Iran, the so-called$300 billion that the Gulf states are going to hand over to the country and the region they hate more, maybe even in some cases, than Israel. Take a listen. In the meeting with the GCC allies, did any of them make any commitments to pay into this$300 billion reconstruction?

1:03:20No, it was not discussed. I mean, the reconstruction cut, that's way down the road, and that's something, you know, that'll be dealt with at the appropriate time in this process. but that was not discussed by anybody. Does that surprise you at all? It surprised me a little bit. No, I mean, so, and here's the brilliant thing about what the Abraham Accords did. It really threw the United States' weight behind Israel. So we would work very closely with the Israelis and then these Gulf partners had some predictability and then they would normalize relations with Israel. And then when Epic Fury happened, I really viewed it as the militarization of the Abraham Accords.

1:03:55These Gulf states were working alongside the United States to counter incoming from the Iranians. So now the Gulf states are not interested at all in rehabilitating this Iran regime that's still determined to, yes, to fund terrorism and to continue to perpetuate it throughout the Middle East. So these Gulf states at this point are not indicating at all that they're willing to invest in reconstruction of the Iran regime at all. You and I both are of the opinion that the Iranians may use whatever money they get from the unfrozen assets or whatever to fund terrorism. That's a concern that Rubio has expressed when he was a senator and on.

1:04:28President Trump and Vice President Vance insist these unfrozen Iranian assets are being used to buy American soybeans. Democratic Congressman Adam Smith was on the show earlier this week, and he said he was pretty sure that they're just making that up. And Iran's chief negotiator also chimed in today, saying on X or Twitter, quote, America falsely claims our unfrozen assets will buy their agriculture. Interesting. The only crop we're harvesting is what you planted. Decades of mistrust. It's organic, abundant, and homegrown. But apparently the U.S. only exports GMO soybeans, broken promises, and trash talks.

1:05:00So what's your thought on that? Well, look, I mean, we've done this before. The Obama administration really tried this, to try to fence off some unfrozen funds to incentivize the Iranians to play ball and negotiate. But then those funds would be used to buy things for humanitarian purposes. The Iran regime doesn't care about its people. We've seen this time and again. Yeah, they kill them. Yes, they kill them. 30 ,000 estimates for killing. There are people most recently in the protests, but they conduct industrial-scale executions regularly. Because Epic Fury was so successful in degrading Iran's military programs, I would anticipate that any funds released to the Iran regime at this point would directly go to rehabilitating, reconstructing what the United States and Israel successfully degraded and funding terrorism.

1:05:44Of course, they're still funding Hezbollah that's attacking Israel. Rebecca Heinrichs, always great to have you. Thanks so much for being here. Also in our world, speaking of Secretary of State Rubio, he's headed home after visiting Gulf nations. That's him leaving Bahrain. It's worth noting the special guest who joined him yesterday in Abu Dhabi. That's where he posted this photo of meeting with the president of the UAE. It was a working lunch, clearly before the meal. Rubio says they discussed President Trump's memorandum of understanding with Iran, efforts to secure transit through the Strait of Hormuz and regional stability.

1:06:14Rubio said he thanked the UAE leadership for their unparalleled support and praised their courage and resilience in the face of Iran's attacks and reaffirmed a commitment to Emirati security and to a strong bilateral partnership. That's America's top diplomat doing his job, but also at that working lunch, the person all smiles sitting right next to Secretary Rubio is Michael Boulos. No, he's not a household name. He is an important person in Trump world because he's President Trump's son-in-law. He's married to his youngest daughter, Tiffany Trump. Boulos' family owns a business that sells trucks and heavy machinery in Nigeria.

1:06:49Michael Boulos is not a member of the Trump administration. His dad is, though, Mossad Boulos. He's Trump's senior advisor for Arab and African affairs. Now, reporters asked Rubio about the younger Boulos, again, not a member of the government, at the table and a phone call with him. Did you clarify what the role of Michael Boulos was today? Michael Boulos? Oh, he was there to see, his brother lives here. He was just there to see me catch up. Was there a way to call you? No, no, no. But there was a working lunch, right? There was, but he wasn't, but the conversations around him had to do with, he was just here because his brother lives here and I'm a good friend of Michael's, so we had a chance to catch up.

1:07:27All right, thanks, y 'all. Thank you. Good friends, chance to catch up. Got it. Coming up, more budgeting, less money to put into savings. That's a common theme among American families right now who are being walloped by high inflation. Up next, I'm going to ask a Republican lawmaker or whether President Trump is getting in the way of legislative efforts meant to give those families some relief. Stay with us.

1:07:53In the money lead, Americans are feeling the squeeze with pressure building on household budgets. Republican officials have urged the president to focus on affordability, but he seems to be ignoring those calls, abruptly pulling the plug on a housing bill that his own administration had touted as major legislation, refusing to sign it into law. Meanwhile, the financial picture for so many families is tightening. The personal savings rate has fallen to 3 percent. That's one of the lowest levels in 15 years. It's down sharply from 4.9 percent last year. Inflation has now climbed above 4 percent for the first time in three years, driven by higher gas prices and complicating the Federal Reserve's path to make any new potential rate cuts.

1:08:34And there's more. Let's We'll bring in West Virginia Republican Congressman Riley Moore. Congressman, thanks for joining us. So President Trump decided last minute to not sign the bipartisan housing bill yesterday. What might that bill mean for families in West Virginia should he sign it? Well, where we are right now on the bill is that the speaker, as of about an hour ago, is going to send the bill to the White House. It has been sent. So that 10-day clock has started on that bill. Now, the president's either going to sign or not sign. If it's not signed, it passes into law, as you well know.

1:09:11So the bill is going to become law, as you pointed out. This is a marquee piece of legislation that he had talked about to address affordability as it relates to housing. Now, housing in West Virginia, anybody who wants to move here, it's actually pretty cheap. But a lot of it around the country is obviously driven by supply. I mean, that's a big issue. And then not to mention that the interest rates and the pressures that that puts out there in terms of capital and the amount of money that you have to put down on homes with the size of interest rates that you have. Well, let's talk about housing, because according to Redfin, there are nearly 500 ,000 more sellers than buyers in the United States.

1:09:47What are you doing to fix the housing market and make homes more affordable in West Virginia and throughout the country? Well, I think one of the things that needs to happen, we need to have interest rates come down. Now, I will point this out. The 10-year T-note is about 4.41%, which, I mean, that's 200 basis points down, give or take, from where we were just a year ago. So that's moving in the right direction. But we do need the Fed to look at lowering the Fed fund rate, which drives Fed prime and the rest, right? And so that's going to make capital a lot cheaper for folks. And that's going to start to drive some of those prices down.

1:10:26But yes, we have a supply problem. And a lot of it is, to me, I think has to do with regulation, particularly in states like California, where you have a lot of regulatory issues that are built into the price of the home itself. And then also the durable goods. I mean, you're right. Look, there's some inflationary pressures that have been added as it relates to energy. I mean, that's certainly happening. What are the financial strains that I was just talking about? What does it look like on the ground in West Virginia? Well, I mean, look, what everybody is dealing with, we're a little bit different.

1:10:59Housing doesn't affect us as much in terms of a price of a home, but what really drives affordability in West Virginia, which is the same throughout the country, is health care. Health care costs are just astronomical. And we in the House have looked at PBM reform and a number of different ways to try to address this, but more has to be done. Health care costs are just astronomical and continue to spiral out of control. And it's something that I think there's bipartisan support to certainly try to address that. You introduced a federal savings program creating tax advantaged accounts modeled after the 529 plans that help Americans pay for tools, certifications, startup costs for trade and vocational careers instead of just traditional college paths.

1:11:46How do you see this expanding access to jobs? Do you hope that this might address some workforce shortages? Yeah, I really hope that it does. And it's actually a program that I started in the state of West Virginia when I was state treasurer before I was in Congress. And myself, I started my career as a welder. I went to trade school after high school. That's what I did. And one of the roadblocks I ran into was being able to have enough money if I wanted to go start my own mobile welding business, which is at the time what I wanted to do. I'd probably be making more money right now if I would just continue doing that.

1:12:20But in any event, I created this Jumpstart Savings Program in West Virginia, and it allows people to buy tools, equipment, licenses, certifications, and new business startup costs because trade school itself is not really cost prohibitive. It's after you get out. Think about an auto mechanic has to buy tens of thousands of dollars worth of tools just to start their business or go even work at to shop. That's a really prohibitive cost. Then we're trying to alleviate some of those roadblocks and barriers to get people into the workforce as it relates to trades and vocations. All right, Congressman Riley Moore of West Virginia.

1:12:57Thanks so much, sir. Good to see you. Appreciate it. Some Republicans worry that Trump is holding up this key legislation and that will mean they get hurt in the midterms. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party appears to be going through a transformation of some sort that could also have big midterm implications. We're going to discuss with the panel next.

1:13:17Our Politics Lead Now, Speaker Mike Johnson says he will send that major housing bill bipartisan to the president's desk following a lengthy meeting at the White House today. The meeting came a day after the president abruptly canceled plans to sign the housing bill in an effort to push lawmakers to pass his Save America Act, an election reform bill that does not have the votes in the Senate to pass. Let's discuss with our panel. Kevin Madden, The meeting ran for hours, we're told, after the meeting both President Trump and Speaker Johnson called on House Republicans to unify and stop voting down rules.

1:13:48How can Republicans get out of this mess when it comes to the housing bill? Well, I think this is going to be a muted victory. They would have had a much better chance to use this and go on offense with it if they had a big signing ceremony at the Capitol and were able to go back to their districts and talk about how they're addressing affordability. But it is still a win. And so I think these these members are going to have to, you know, just do a much better job of working with the White House and telling them, communicating to them exactly what they need as far as political cover to address a lot of the big issues that voters care about back home.

1:14:20That's going to be key. I think the fact that Mike Johnson has to go down to the White House and they have to have meetings about getting rules passed up on Capitol Hill and coordinating announcements over major pieces of legislation that they pass a day after they should have had already had an unveiling. That's problematic at this stage of the 2026 cycle. You know, it's funny because I know some Democrats were wondering, why are we giving the Republicans and President Trump a victory? Why are we supporting this housing bill? But ultimately, they thought Americans need it. and so we're going to support it.

1:14:54And then, you know, President Trump gets in his own way, which does seem to be the theme of this year. A hundred percent. I mean, people want results. People are tired, they're frustrated, they think government isn't working for them, and they want results. Here they were just about to get it, and then the president swooped in and snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. Now, it will likely work out, and the American people will get those results, but they'll remember this. And this is something that you know better than I, a lot of Republican House members are going to be forced to talk about this whole episode and be asked about this whole episode out on the campaign trail.

1:15:32And none of them are going to be looking forward to it. So a lot of candidates or three running for House that mayors are on Mamdani of New York supported, won their races. Two of them are DSA, Democratic Socialists of America candidates. Two of the people defeated were incumbent Democratic members of Congress. Dana Bash just sat down with Governor Josh Shapiro to ask what that means for the Democratic Party, especially establishment Democrats, more centrist Democrats. Here's some of that. Those were races in individual districts in a whole other state. I think you're seeing very different looking congressional races and certainly different Democratic candidates here in Pennsylvania.

1:16:18I think what is important are the people who are making a lot of noise, who are engaging in these performative politics, have to now figure out how to deliver results. It's one thing to speak in platitudes during a campaign. It's a whole other thing to actually deliver for people who are genuinely hurting. I think we as a party need to find our way toward candidates who actually can deliver for people and make their lives better. No offense to Governor Shapiro, but actually one of those DSA candidates won my home congressional district in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The third congressional district, a guy named Chris Robb, who is now almost certainly, I think it's the most Democratic district in the country.

1:16:58In fact, it's certainly going to be elected. What are your thoughts on all this? I mean, it's really interesting to see where the energy in the party is right now. If you look at sort of the whole spectrum of contested primaries over the course of this cycle, these candidates, these DSA-type candidates, the far left, are winning in the safest blue seats, usually in the most urban of areas, like in Philadelphia, like in New York City. In races that are going to be more contested in the general election, sort of the swingier seats, they're losing, right? They won about 86 percent of the contested primaries so far in those safe blue seats and have lost about 86 percent of those primaries in the more swing seats.

1:17:43So the energy is different. If you're in a safe Democratic district, energy veers towards the left. If you're in a more competitive district, energy veers towards maybe the centrist or the establishment or whoever is seen as more electable. The key to what Governor Shapiro was saying for the establishment Democrats, they actually have to be the ones to prove that they can deliver results or else this thing could spread. We'll know more after Michigan and Minnesota. Those upcoming primaries will tell us a little bit more. But people are frustrated not with the center. They're frustrated with the establishment because they don't believe the establishment's been delivering for them.

1:18:22So it's not just about finding those candidates. It's about once those candidates get elected, they have to step up. They have to push back the fringe in their parties, and they've got to deliver results. Speaking of Michigan, it's not just the DSA candidates who are questioning the current Democratic leaders, Schumer and Jeffries. On Stephen A. Smith's podcast, Senator Alyssa Slotkin, Democrat of Michigan, I think she's widely considered something of a centrist, certainly has a national security background, maybe even contemplating a presidential run. This is her call for new leadership. Take a listen.

1:18:58I'm a big believer in just new leadership, significant change. When you say new leadership, what do you mean by that? You're not just talking about Trump being out of office. You're talking about leadership within the Democratic Party as well, are you not? Absolutely. Absolutely. I mean, I think since Biden was in, like, we need new leadership in the White House, the House and the Senate, and on both sides of the aisle, that includes Democrats. Senator Slocken, you do know, I want to make sure that I give you cover here, let everybody know, let me make sure you're clear. When you talk about new leadership, well, Hakeem Jeffries is the Democratic leader in the House and Chuck Schumer is the Democratic leader in the Senate.

1:19:39When you talk about new leadership, that would mean they're out in favor of somebody else. If people can't understand that the game has fundamentally changed and they can't adapt, then they need to let others lead. It's a big comment. This is a big challenge, and I think we are going to see this with Shapiro and Slotkins across the Democratic Party, is knowing that this energy is on the left, knowing that this energy is with the folks who are probably the angriest, and the angriest are the ones that are the most vocal inside the party. They're going to continue to be pulled into these type of comments where they're trying to placate that sort of faction in the party.

1:20:15Interesting stuff. Thanks to both of you. Appreciate it. We're just a few hours away from Team USA's final match of this round of the World Cup. All eyes are on whether one of their team's stars is healthy enough to play. That's next.

1:20:32Sports lead now. The United States national team is getting ready to take the pitch tonight. They face Turkey in the final match of the World Cup group stage. The Stars and Stripes have already secured a spot in the next round with two consecutive wins, a first since 1930. So what are the chances that they can win all three? Andy Scholz is in Los Angeles. Listen, Andy, I think the biggest question for soccer fans is, will Christian Pulisic play tonight, or are they going to rest him? Well, Jake, Pulisic says he's ready to go. You know, he missed his second-half win against Paraguay and that win over Australia with that left calf injury, but he says he's good to go.

1:21:08He's expected to get some minutes tonight against Turkey. Now, while Pulisic's probably going to play, we're not going to see a lot of the other team stars. Fleron Balligan, Tyler Adams, Chris Richards, Anthony Robinson, all are going to sit because they've got a yellow card. Coach Pochettino say doesn't want to risk it. Of course, if you got a second yellow card, you'd miss the round of 32 games. So better safe than sorry. But no matter who is on the pitch tonight for Team USA, they say they want to keep up the momentum. Just because we're through doesn't mean we have to let our foot off the pedal.

1:21:39We have to keep on going with that same confidence, same rhythm, and keep showing each other and the world what this team's made up. Yeah, now for the first time ever in a third group stage game, the U.S., they don't have any stress. They've already won Group D. They know they're going to be going to Santa Clara, California for the round of 32 next Wednesday. And I tell you what, all the fans I've been speaking to out here, they couldn't be more optimistic about the team's chances the rest of the way. Take a listen. U.S.A.! Oh, I feel fantastic. We've never been in this position. We've never played so well.

1:22:13And we're going to rest all our yellow cards, but we're still going to win. We are so excited. We're out of town. U.S. is a send-off party. Top of the group, baby. We are ready. Let's go. USA! USA! USA! I'll really be excited when we get to New York City for the final and we're going to bring the World Cup home.

1:22:38Yeah, so Jake, a lot of fans think that the U.S. actually can win this World Cup and there are no stakes for this game here tonight against Turkey. But I tell you what, that hasn't stopped the optimism around this team. They are as pumped up as ever, and the ticket price is reflecting it. The given ticket price for this game, Jake, no stakes, more than$1 ,700. Just incredible. Andy, you need to put on one of those outfits. I'm a little disappointed by the lack of red, white, and blue. Yeah, Apollo Creed. Yeah. All right, Andy Scholes in L.A. Thanks so much. You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, threads, blue sky, X, and on the TikTok of Jake Tapper.

1:23:12You can follow the show on X and on Instagram at The Lead CNN. And if you ever miss an episode of The Lead, you can watch the show on the CNN app or you can listen to our podcast. Aaron Burnett out front starts now.

1:23:27Hey, I'm Anderson Cooper. On my podcast, All There Is, we explore grief and loss in all its complexities. Everything that he did and why. I realized how much he had to take on that I just wasn't really aware of. It does make me wish that I could just go back and be a little bit more understanding at that time. Her name is Michaela Schifrin. She's 31 and is considered the greatest alpine skier of all time. Her mom, Eileen, is an integral part of her team, and her dad, Jeff Schifrin, was too. He was an anesthesiologist who first put Michaela on skis when she was three. What was he like? this is maybe kind of weird but like he was really handsome since he passed away i've actually become him i've totally become the scheduling person in our family talking grief building community that's what the podcast is all about this is all there is listen and follow wherever you get your podcasts