Senate Holds Initial Vote On Iran War Powers Resolution

23:55General David Petraeus, we always rely and appreciate your expertise. Thanks so much. Always good to be with you, Jay. Republican Senator Tom Tillis will be here in studio next while he's calling on the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, to resign. And he's willing to block Senate business until she responds to his requests for information. Stay with us. The Act of 2002 expressly prohibits the Secretary of Homeland Security from restricting or diverting FEMA resources from the...

24:21Jake Tapper:Hey, I'm Jesse Palmer, host of The Bachelor, with some exciting news. After more than 20 years of drama, The Bachelor Mansion is getting... is getting... My bad. a makeover. Your favorite former contestants move back into The Mansion to spill their secrets, refresh rooms, and win the hearts of the judges. Bachelor Mansion Takeover. Bachelor Mansion Takeover, all new, Monday at 8 on HGTV. In our world lead, Iranian officials say that more than 100 grade school students were killed and dozens more injured in an airstrike that decimated a girls' elementary school in Iran. And as the death toll rises, so too are questions over which country is responsible for that deadly strike.

25:08Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was asked about this earlier today. All I can say is that we're investigating that. We, of course, never target civilian targets, but we're taking a look at investigating that.

25:22Jake Tapper:I mean, it's several days on now. So is there any clarity on whose munition this was? We're investigating it. Joining us now is Nazanin Bonyadi. She's a British-Iranian actress and activist. Naz, good to see you. What's your reaction to this tragic story? Good to see you, Jake. Look, any innocent life loss, particularly that of children, is abhorrent, and I'm glad it's being investigated. The numbers we're getting, of course, are being reported by the Iranian Red Crescent. The head of that organization is appointed by the regime in Iran. For whatever it's worth, we have a number of 1 ,000 civilians killed so far by that organization, meaning that is something that is confirmed by the regime in Iran.

26:08I am a human rights activist. I'm a peace and democracy activist. Any innocent life lost is abhorrent to me. But let's face facts, which are that just yesterday, a representative from the Islamic Republic's foreign affairs basically went to a school and did a press conference about attacks on schools. There's also plenty of images that we've received showing that the regime basically seeks cover at school grounds. So this is not a regime that cares about civilian lives or cares about children. They often put children in harm's way. And let's not forget, again, that tens of thousands of protesters, including thousands of children and teenagers and young adults, were slaughtered by this regime.

27:00Some at point blank at hospitals while seeking shelter and treatment. So this is, again, no bomb shelters in Iran, no coverage for civilians, plenty of defense and coverage for the regime. This is what we're facing is a country that doesn't care about its civilians. I spoke with you on Saturday following the initial strikes which killed Iran's supreme leader and dozens of others in the regime. You said it was a moment for celebration, understandably. We're now four days into this war. How are you feeling about it now? How concerned are you that whoever comes next in the Iranian leadership will be better or worse?

27:41We're all concerned about democracy, Jake. That's what we've been fighting for. And that's what the people want. They're yearning for. Again, I think many feel that they're pawns in an international game of, you know, politics. And we are well aware, the Iranian people are well aware that no country has their best interests at heart. Everybody has their own agenda. You know, one person wrote to me yesterday and said, look, this is that seems to be the first time where American and foreign interests seem to be aligning with Iranian interests. But if that's actually true, then we have to make sure that democracy prevails and we don't just leave the Iranian people with some remnants of the regime, which will absolutely crack down in the most horrific way.

28:29It'll be sort of an ISIS left to deal with millions of people who clearly don't want this regime. And for people who care about international law, as I do, I'm getting plenty of messages from colleagues in entertainment and saying, I'm so sorry in this moment what's happening to your people. Thank you. But where were you a few weeks ago when tens of thousands of Iranians were being killed by their own regime? This is a regime that has been violating international law for decades. Yeah, no, it's a great point because a lot of people in the human rights community and activist community, progressive activist community, who are very critical of other countries, the United States, Israel, the UK, etc.

29:10I haven't really heard a ton from them when it comes to Iran. And now Iran is firing missiles at Arab countries, Saudi Arabia, Oman, UAE, and on and on, Bahrain. and I mean if any other country did that I think there'd be a huge hue and outcry and like huge marches in the streets. Iran does it and there really isn't that result in the progressive community. What do you make of that? Look in 1979 progressives world over including in Iran were all too willing to sacrifice women's rights, LGBTQ rights and every other basic human rights at the altar of anti-imperialism. Are we going to do the same in this moment?

29:55Are we really caring more about whose hands are on the trigger? Or are we going to care about human lives, civilian lives? This is a regime that has violated human rights, international law, has wreaked havoc on the region, domestic oppression, transnational repression, hostage diplomacy, destabilizing the region, and now it's killing fellow Muslims in neighboring countries. Where is your outrage? Where are the college campuses? It's a great question. Naz Bonyadi, come back again. You know we love having you. Thank you so much. Thanks, Jay. Thank you. Late this afternoon, a bipartisan vote in favor to subpoena U.S.

30:35Attorney General Pam Bondi over the Epstein files. House Oversight Committee, run by Republicans. Why they say Americans still don't have the full picture, but first, Republican Senator Tom Tillis is here. here in studio, live, after calling on Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to resign. You failed at FEMA, and in fact, if I get to it, actually, why don't I cover this right now? The Homeland Security Act of 2002 expressed...

30:58Jake Tapper:It's wearing you in. You know how this works, Madam Secretary. In our national lead, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is back on Capitol Hill today, facing bipartisan criticism for her job performance. Yesterday, from senators, today, from House lawmakers. both often focusing on the aggressive, many would say overly aggressive, immigration crackdown in Minnesota and elsewhere. One Republican senator giving her a particularly harsh assessment. What we've seen is a disaster. Under your leadership, Ms. Noem, we're beginning to get the American people to think that deporting people is wrong.

31:36It's the exact opposite. The way you're going about deporting them is wrong. I read your book last week. And honestly, some of the parts of it impress me, but some of it distresses me. And I'll give you a good example of one that does. The passage where you talk about killing a dog that was 14 months old. You decided to kill that dog because you had not invested the appropriate time and training. And then you have the audacity to go into a book and say it's a leadership lesson about tough choices. And North Carolina Senator Tom Tillis joins me now live in studio. Senator, let me ask you, why bring up the story of her killing cricket?

32:17I mean, I thought it was a bizarre story, too, but, like, you think it's actually relevant. I think it's relevant because if you read it, I would recommend people do it. I bought the book. I got the audio book. I read it for the committee prep. But she tries to suggest that a 14-month-old dog that's only halfway through what most people who train dogs, particularly for hunting purposes, is necessary to have that dog be reliable. So she gets angry at a dog that she puts into service long before it should, and then goes and kills it in the backyard. And before that dog is dead, she made a bad decision there.

32:58She fielded it too soon without training. Then she goes back to the farm, grabs a family goat, and shoots it because it made her mad. That is not, that's a thought process. Look, the fact that she acted precipitously on limited information, not really understanding that she had put something into a situation it was not ready for, felt a lot like some of the decision making that was done in Minneapolis. Like calling Renee Good and Alex Preddy domestic terrorists. Immediately jump into that. So rationalizing, she was rationalizing killing a dog behavior because it didn't perform properly, but she was wrong.

33:36She could have had that dog perform properly. Her then rationalizing that these were terrorists was the expedient. It was the easy way out. I want leaders behind President Trump that do the hard work so that they're preserving the Republican majorities in Congress and the president's legacy. She's far from that. Well, one of the interesting things about the pretty and good situations is that she immediately came out and said things that were false, that we saw on video were not true. No, no credit. And look, the reason why I ask her who Tom Holman reports to, because I knew the answer. And she said he reports to the president.

34:14If there is no better example of a vote of no confidence is somebody who was in front when the Petty incident occurred. And now she, who is the head of Homeland Security, is replaced by somebody for a Homeland Security mission who doesn't actually even work for the secretary of Homeland Security. That's a vote of no confidence, in my opinion, by the president. So your Republican colleague, Senator Kennedy, was also critical. He was here earlier, and he was specifically critical about a multimillion-dollar ad campaign that DHS ran. And the secretary told him it had been a competitive bid process for the contractors who produced it, and the president had approved of the ad campaign.

34:52Democratic Senator Joe Neguse questioned her about the contractor that made these ads, Safe America Media, today. Tick a listen.

35:02Jake Tapper:Where is Safe America Media headquartered? I don't know. I don't know either, Madam Secretary. We can't find it. We can't find a website. The company is registered to a political operative in Virginia. Do you know, just by way of example, whether this company that received$143 million in taxpayer dollars, has it ever done work for the government before? I don't know. I can't. The answer is it has not. And do you know why we know that? Because it was incorporated eight days, eight days before this contract went out. You want the American people to believe that this is all above board? And we should know one of the reasons why one of the other reasons why people are so suspicious of this is one of the subcontractors affiliated with that contract is a company run by the husband of her former spokeswoman, Trisha McLaughlin.

35:52What do you make of all this? Well, look, I mean, let's also, I was sitting right next to John when he was asking the questions. And I don't think people picked up on how proud she was of making any decision over$100 ,000 in FEMA across her desk and any decision for Homeland Security over$15 million across her desk. How can you go from saying that you scrutinize everything in excess of 15 million and in the same 10 minute period say, I didn't know any of the details of a 200 million dollar purchase? This is somebody that is out of her depth and and apparently only situationally interested in transactions over 15 million, except when it involves her family members or friends.

36:35So one of the other things you asked for before you ran out of time yesterday, Charlotte's Web. That's the immigration enforcement operation in Charlotte, North Carolina, run by DHS. You have been waiting for more than a month for basic answers from her about this. You're a United States senator. Did she ever give you answers? No, even worse than that, an hour. One of the reasons why I was angry is that an hour before, after waiting a month, I was told I wasn't going to get the data. I asked for anonymized data that recorded the incidents, the outcome, whether a person was illegally present or not, were they detained.

37:13Just the oversight responsibility of the legislative branch. She says that she's got a world-class law enforcement organization. I could go to a small town in North Carolina and they could produce incident reports immediately for me. So she either doesn't have it or she doesn't like what it's going to say. And my suspicion is, is that she had a very low success rate. In that hearing, she made it a point to reserve the first few rows with victims of people, family members and survivors, angel families, for people who were harmed by these people that I want deported. She was trying to say that, but for her, that wouldn't happen.

37:50I think because of her, not enough of them are being apprehended because her and Stephen Miller are more worried about hitting artificial numbers that sound big. But when you dig below the surface, like I want to do with Charlotte's Web, I want to understand what their success rate was. And if they're successful, they should be moving heaven and earth to give me that information. The fact that they're stonewalling makes me really concerned with what I'm going to find. And if I don't get the information by March 19th, then I'm going to hold up more processes than I already am for Homeland Security.

38:21Senator Tom Tillis, Republican in North Carolina, thank you so much. Also, thank you for, you know, doing what the legislative branch is supposed to do. Thank you. We appreciate it as Americans. Coming up next, Israeli strikes in Lebanon taking aim at locations suspected of holding Hezbollah terrorists. CNN spoke with the owner of a hotel bombed who says the Israeli military picked the wrong target. Stay with us.

38:59Jake Tapper:Talk of the teamwork. You can't be the render. They think that this design could be a contender. But when somebody wonders, what's the next step? AI helps you finish the rest. Bolts are tight. Now your plans refined. Run a smoother business when you're all aligned. Do that with Acrobat. Learn more at adobe.com slash do that with Acrobat. Back with the world lead and new video showing an Israeli helicopter firing a missile across its northern border into Lebanon. Overnight, an Israeli strike also hit a hotel in Beirut, part of a wider campaign against Hezbollah, the terrorist Iranian proxy, raising alarm that Lebanon could be pulled deeper into war.

39:39CNN's Matthew Chance reports for us now from Beirut, Lebanon.

39:46Jake Tapper:This is the Iran war coming to Lebanon.

39:54Jake Tapper:Israel says it's targeting the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia here in southern Beirut. The group launched revenge attacks on Israel after the killing of Iran's supreme leader last weekend. Any territory outside our Lebanese army I'm against. But the owner of the small Beirut hotel wrecked in that overnight strike insists just ordinary families were staying as guests. No Iranian citizens and definitely no Hezbollah, who she blames for the spiralling violence. So it was a pretty big explosion, wasn't it? It was. We had no one here. We had no... any Iranians or any Hezbollah armies here. And we are not that stupid to check them in.

40:48Jake Tapper:We are not that stupid. We live here. It's our home. How angry are you... I am angry, of course. ...with Hezbollah right now? I am angry with Hezbollah and Israel and Iran. But Hezbollah more, you know why? Why? Because they are Lebanese. They should be Lebanese. They are not. They are hurting us. They are hurting our homes, our children. And they are dragging this country into the Iran war. They are dragging us to war that we don't want and we're not ready. Across the Lebanese capital, tension and thick smoke is hanging over the city, with Israeli airstrikes pounding Beirut's southern suburbs, some dangerously close to the international airport, one of the few still operating in the war-ravaged Middle East.

41:33Jake Tapper:And as this U.S. and Israeli war with Iran escalates, Lebanon appears increasingly drawn in. Matthew Chance, CNN Beirut. This is CNN Breaking News. Welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper. We're going to start with breaking news and the widening war with Iran. Moments ago, Republicans rejected a move that would have required President Trump to seek congressional approval for any future U.S. military action against Iran. The House of Representatives is expected to take a similar vote. Tomorrow, ahead of the vote, President Trump defended the expanding conflict, claiming tremendous progress is being made.

42:17Jake Tapper:Their missiles are being wiped out rapidly. Their launchers are being wiped out. If we didn't hit within two weeks, they would have had a nuclear weapon. If we didn't do the B-2 attack a number of months ago, they would have a nuclear weapon. And when crazy people have nuclear weapons, bad things happen. This comes as we get video of a U.S. submarine using a torpedo to sink an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean. This marks the first time the U.S. sank a submarine in international waters since World War II. NATO air defenses shot down an Iranian missile headed toward Turkey. This is believed to be the first time NATO forces intercepted an Iranian missile traveling towards a NATO member country's airspace.

42:59And Israel continued to target Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah in Lebanon. Video captured the moment an Israeli helicopter fired a missile over the border into Lebanon. The ongoing strikes in Lebanon have triggered an 18-hour traffic jam as thousands heed Israel's order to immediately leave the country south and move north of the Latani River. Let's go straight to CNN's Erin Burnett. She's live from Tel Aviv. Erin, what else is happening in the region right now? All right, Jake, I want to put a pin in what you just showed with those images of the lines just to sort of capture the sort of fear, the paralysis that is across this region and that the Americans, hundreds of thousands of them who perhaps are trying to get home now, are feeling.

43:44But, you know, you've gone through some of the crucial things here today. The Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Cain, giving an update that I think is very important, saying that the United States and Israel are striking progressively deeper into Iranian territory, along with what the Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said, that this is very early in this war. We do understand today, Jake, that there have been overtures for the first time that we're aware of from the Iranians and the foreign minister there, perhaps for some sort of an off-ramp, not just through Oman, but through Qatar, but that those were hastily rebuffed, at least for now.

44:16But it's important to mention them in the context here of where we are, because it's the first time I've been able to tell you that. It's also, though, when you look at the missile situation coming this way, Jake, yes, there have been missile strikes. We have had the alerts. We have had the missiles, but fewer than yesterday. And that fits with what the Defense Department says, which is they say a dramatic degrading of Iran's ability to fire ballistic missiles. Now, that certainly appears to be true. It is unclear, though, how much of that is a degrading of their ability and how much of that is perhaps the possibility of a strategic decision that they're making to hold certain sorts of missiles, hypersonic or other, other strategically.

44:54It's unclear, but there has been a dramatic degrading of their missile firing capability. And that is true. And then also, Jake, the astonishing number of people who have been killed in Iran. You have American soldiers who have so tragically died in this war. You have deaths, civilian deaths here in Israel and in other countries. But in Iran, it is where the toll is by far the highest, exponentially so. The U.S.-based human rights group, Jake, is saying at least 1 ,000 people are dead. And those images out of that all-girls school, I think, should break the heart of anyone who sees them. You talk about the torpedo on that ship, at least 150 sailors killed on that, which, in addition to what you just talked about in Turkey with that missile interception, dramatically expands the theater of this war, all the way to just off the coast of India and Sri Lanka, where that was struck.

45:42And I will say, Jake, to end where I said I would here, when you were showing those lines in the north here, the borders and people trying to get out. Yes, the State Department has said we're improving it. We're trying to in four countries, including where I'm standing in Israel, also in Saudi Arabia and Qatar and the UAE, register. We're going to try to help you to get out. Just to give you a sense of the situation for some. In the United Arab Emirates, usually it's a quick border to Oman. I've been over that border. It's about four and a half hours from Dubai to Muscat. You go through a border, beautiful border, not hard.

46:15Right now, Oman Air, one of the few trying to operate flights to help people get out of Muscat, the capital there, Jake, they are saying show up at that border with at least 12 hours to cross the border. So that would mean for anyone who even gets a flight, it's 16 to 18 hours to even get from Dubai to Oman. something that as I think about those first days when I was leaving Ukraine just goes to show the fear, the paralysis of war, the refugee feeling is something that is spreading palpably to more people than one could have ever imagined. Back to you. Thank you so much, Erin Burnett in Tel Aviv, Israel.

46:48Please stay safe. Don't miss more of Erin's live coverage from Tel Aviv. War with Iran live in the Middle East right after our show. This starts at 7 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN. Aaron doing a great job over there. The White House announced today that President Trump will attend the dignified transfer for the six service members killed so far by Iran in Operation Epic Fury. And we're learning new details about four of the fallen. 20-year-old Declan Cody was an Eagle Scout who loved video games, anime, and working out. His sister says, quote, the only thing I can think is that I wish I had called him one more time and told him I loved him.

47:27Family members say that 35-year-old Cody Cork loved history and was always the life of the party. They say he was known for his, quote, infectious spirit, generous heart, and deep care for those who served alongside him. 39-year-old Sergeant First Class Nicola Moore was just days away from returning home after her deployment. According to the Associated Press, she loved gardening and rollerblading and bicycling with her kids. She had two kids, a high school senior and a fourth grader. Sergeant First Class Noah Tejins and his family were prominent members of a martial arts studio back home in Nebraska.

48:03A fellow soldier credits his career to Tejins' mentorship and says, quote, He was the kind of guy that was always around to help you. We thank them and their families for their service and sacrifice. May their memories be a blessing. During a press conference this morning at the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made the rather shocking claim that the only reason members of the news media report prominently on the deaths of those six fallen American service members is because of some sort of political vendetta that we in the news media have against President Trump. America is winning.

48:41Jake Tapper:When a few drones get through or tragic things happen, it's front page news. I get it. The press only wants to make the president look bad, but try for once to report the reality. Obviously, that's just false. And it represents a truly warped way of looking at the world and how Americans view the sacrifices made by these brave American service members. It's also, frankly, historically illiterate. The news media has always covered service members killed in action prominently because they paid the ultimate price for our nation, regardless of what anyone thinks about the policy decisions or the president.

49:25And that's true whether it was the four Americans killed in Benghazi during the Obama administration, or the 13 service members killed during the Afghanistan withdrawal during the Biden administration, or the many other American troops who have fallen. It is a tribute to those Americans. It's something that we continue to do, and we have always done under Democratic presidents and Republican presidents. In fact, I've never heard any veteran until Hegseth today say that the news media covers fallen service members too much and too prominently. It's a wild thing to say. CNN's Caitlin Collins asked White House Presbyterian Caroline Levitt later today whether Secretary Hegseth's comments represented the position of this administration.

50:16That's not what the secretary said, Caitlin, and that's not what the secretary meant, and you know it. You know you are being disingenuous. There is not. We've never had a secretary of defense. Who cares more? You don't get through where tragic things happen. It's front page news. I get it. The press only wants to make the president look bad. Yeah. As you know, we cover the debts of U.S. service members under every president. The press does only want to make the president look bad. That's a fact. Actually, that's not a fact. It's an opinion, and it's not particularly relevant to the question of whether we only honor fallen veterans because we want to make Trump look bad.

50:52And by the way, Hexas was crystal clear on what he was saying. Just in point of fact, and anybody can Google it, we have covered fallen veterans under Bush and Obama and Trump and Biden and now Trump again. And we will continue to honor troops by memorializing them and discussing their sacrifices. The only difference is that Bush and Obama and Biden didn't have secretaries of defense who would petulantly complain about our coverage of fallen warriors. I want to bring in CNN's Caitlin Collins from the White House. Caitlin. Yeah, Jake, obviously that moment in the press conference today is just part of the many questions that this White House has been facing about what's next in Iran, what the United States wants to see next when it comes to leadership there, and obviously what the plan is for current service members that are in the forces in terms of what that's going to look like with the campaign.

51:49As they say, it's only accelerating, whether or not there will be boots on the ground. But this premise of the question, given what the secretary said this morning, which was pretty blunt, Jake, and also, I should note, seemed to be coming from his prepared remarks. It wasn't a comment that Hegseth seemed to make off the cuff to the reporters who were gathered there at the Pentagon this morning, often one of the best press scores in town that asks the most questions about what exactly is happening here. And so I wanted to follow up with the White House on that, given obviously when the president goes and attends the dignified transfer of those six fallen service members, CNN and other media outlets will carry it, as we always do.

52:27It's an incredibly somber and solemn ceremony, typically where their families are present there in these moments. And so I asked the press Secretary, if that was a viewpoint that the White House agreed with in terms of what the coverage of these deaths should look like, here's more of what Caroline Levitt said to me. I just told you that the President of the United States will be attending their dignified transfer, so please, so please. That's not making the President look bad, that's showcasing that. We expect you to cover that as you should. We expect you to cover that as you should, Caitlin.

52:59But you and your network know that you take every single thing this administration says and tries to use it to make the president look bad. That is an objectable fact. I don't think covering troop deaths is trying to make the president look bad. If you're trying to argue right now that CNN's overwhelming coverage is not negative of President Donald Trump, I think the American people would tend to agree. Jake, I think it obviously goes without saying, as you just noted there, that covering the deaths of these service members has nothing to do with President Trump himself personally, just as it did with other presidents.

53:31I mean, they are the commander-in-chief. There are real questions about what's happening in Iran and what the United States is planning to do. But anytime a service member dies, we cover it. And we did so when it was President Biden at the Abbey Gate. I was standing here on the North Lawn when that happened, and I remember that. And also in President Trump's first term. And so it's just a fact of covering the Pentagon, covering Washington, and obviously covering the ultimate sacrifice that these U.S. service members have made here. It really is the height of solipsism and narcissism to think that our coverage of fallen warriors has anything to do with how we cover a president.

54:08I'm just utterly shocked that Hegseth and now Caroline Leavitt are saying it. I don't even really know what to say. It's so offensive. And I don't care what they think about us. It's so offensive to the families who deserve coverage. There's one thing you can say about the news media, or just this country, we don't pay enough attention as a nation to fallen veterans. There should be more coverage, whoever's in the building behind you. Caitlin Collins at the White House, thank you so much. Don't miss Caitlin on her show. The Source with Caitlin Collins. Her guests tonight include former Vice President Mike Pence.

54:45That's tonight at 9 Eastern, only on CNN. We're going to have much more on our breaking news out of the Middle East ahead. We're also following breaking news on Capitol Hill tonight. A bipartisan group of House lawmakers have just voted, shockingly, to subpoena the U.S. Attorney General, Pam Bondi. This is part of their Epstein investigation. That's next.

55:11Some surprising news on Capitol Hill. Well, the Republican-led House Oversight Committee this afternoon voted to subpoena the Republican Attorney General, Pam Bondi, to get her testimony in their Jeffrey Epstein investigation. CNN's Paula Reid is here with details. And, Paula, this was actually a bipartisan vote on a committee that usually only votes in partisan ways. Yeah, divided by politics, but united in their frustration with Pam Bondi's handling of the Epstein files. I mean, this is something that has become a political liability, not just for Bondi, but also for the president and the Republican Party, which is why we actually saw Republican Nancy Mace really pushing for this subpoena.

55:54And on X today, she said, quote, Attorney General Bondi claims the DOJ has released all the Epstein files. The record is clear. They have not. Three million documents have been released and we still don't have the full truth. So it'll be interesting to see how she responds to this. Very interesting. And we should note that the last hearing, she's being subpoenaed to come on Capitol Hill. I don't know if it's for an open hearing or private testimony, but the last hearing didn't go so well for Bondi. She lashed out at a Democrat calling him a loser lawyer. This was in the Senate. Do you think that she's going to approach this testimony the same way?

56:32It'll be really interesting to see because that became part of the monoculture, right? There are all these memes, people even being asked questions. What is your coffee order? and then pointing to the Dow, because that's how she handled questions about the Epstein files. So I think if she has to do this again, she's going to have to do this in a much more serious way. So she's likely consulting with her lawyers inside DOJ and trying to figure out, do I have to do this? If I do, can we narrow it down? And then what approach are we going to take? Because the last hearing that she had, it turned into a circus.

56:59And we should note that she started off by saying that they were going to release the Epstein files. They gave notebooks full of information that had already been released to these, you know, random right wing memers. And then she said on Fox, like, I have the Epstein files on my desk. Obviously, there are six million of them. She didn't have them on her desk. Then they were stonewalling for months. I mean, I can't think of anything that any release of documents that has been handled worse by by this administration. Yeah, no, she definitely has that superlative. And there is this history of making statements, saying one thing, and then doing another or making a promise and then not following through.

57:43She says, we've released all the documents. Well, clearly that's not true. There are still millions that are being withheld. Now also see inside DOJ there is frustration. The way this law was written, the amount of time that they had to release these files, that they just said there was no way they were going to be able to do this properly. So they don't feel like they were really given the opportunity to do this the way they would have liked to. But clearly the way they've handled it, even given that law, even given the larger circumstances, has drawn bipartisan criticism, which is why she is being called before the House to answer questions.

58:14And like you said, I mean, this is bipartisan. This has become a liability, not just for her, but for the president, for the party. A lot of the reason we have this release is because of the groundswell, right? This matters to a lot of Americans and a A lot of folks who support the president. That's why her hand was forced here. So if this happens, it'll be really fascinating to see if she repeats that now infamous appearance a few weeks ago, that approach, because that's really how she is in person. Sort of so flippant, so aggressive. Or if she takes a different tact. Yeah. No, that's not what she's like in private at all.

58:48Paula Reid, thanks so much. Another issue front and center on Capitol Hill today, Minnesota's welfare fraud scandal. Billions of dollars stolen here. the heated exchanges between Republicans and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. That's next.

59:09In our Law and Justice lead, Minnesota's shocking multi-billion dollar welfare fraud scandal was back on Capitol Hill today. In a heated hearing, House Republicans questioned Minnesota Governor Tim Walls, who dropped his reelection bid amid the scandal. And they also questioned State Attorney General Keith Ellison, and asking both men when they became aware of fraud in their state, and what they did or did not do to stop it.

59:37Jake Tapper:If we did not provide food for our children, no one would steal from that program. But there would also be a lot of hungry children. You do nothing about fraud, even though everyone in America sees... Our Medicare error rate is lower than your state. We are leading the effort to prosecute Medicaid fraud in Minnesota. I'm not talking about Medicaid fraud. Don't hide behind that. From$1 million to$343 million, what percentage increase is that? I'm not here to be your prop. Go ahead and tell me. Are you governor of Minnesota or not? The scandal is back in the spotlight months after it intensified into a national political focal point, and federal agents swarmed the Twin Cities in that immigration crackdown.

1:00:16CNN's Whitney Wild has been following this hearing. Whitney? Jake, the first few witnesses highlighted the names of Renee Good and Alex Pretty as a way to showcase just how much was lost in the state through that several weeks long stepped up immigration enforcement action. Much of the questioning focused on what Governor Tim Walls and Attorney General Keith Ellison knew when they knew it and what they did to stop this huge flow of fraudulent money to this very long list of fraudulent schemes. Republicans really drilled down on this idea that Governor Walz and Ellison had the authority and the obligation to do something, and they just didn't do enough.

1:00:59And they went so far as to say, Jake, that they've had whistleblowers come forward to the committee to say that when they tried to raise the alarm, they were retaliated against. Governor Walz and Ellison flatly denied those allegations. They said when they learned about the fraud, they did try to stop it. They never retaliated against anyone and would not. But the tone of questioning really varied. I mean, some Republicans were quite spicy. It became quite fiery. Others were really calm and what sounded, you know, like sincere in the questioning. I mean, it sounded like there really was this sincere effort to try to get to the bottom of what was going on.

1:01:38So I want you to listen to a clip here that I think highlights those two different tones.

1:01:44Jake Tapper:Governor Walz, when fraud concerns were raised, did your administration stop payments at that time? Child care assistance program. The answer is no. That's what the problem is, and that's what the Democrats are complaining about. Oh, my gosh, Trump stopped payments. Well, my God, you lost billions to fraud in Minnesota. Governor, what did we do wrong here? As governor, I've taken accountability for this. I'm not going to run again. I need to spend the time fixing this. There's some legal changes we need around Medicaid eligibility issues. There were committee members who insisted that Governor Walz and Ellison should lose their jobs.

1:02:20We have no indication that either one of them plans to resign. But there has been pretty significant political fallout for Governor Tim Walz. Jake, he had planned to run for a third term as governor. He is now not doing so. Jake. All right, Whitney Weil, thank you so much. A shocking amount of fraud. Israel launching a fresh round of strikes inside Iran tonight. Next, I'm going to be joined by Netanyahu's opposition leader in Israel, former Prime Minister Yair Lapid. Do you get Lapid's take on the growing conflict?

1:03:00Back to our breaking news and our world lead. Israel is launching a fresh wave of flyover strikes across Tehran, Iran. Israeli military confirmed this evening this is the 11th wave of attacks since the war began. The death toll continuing to climb in countries around the region as the devastation from the war ripples throughout the Middle East. Joining me now is Israeli opposition leader and former Prime Minister Yair Lapid. Sir, thank you so much for joining us. We have already seen civilian deaths in Israel as a result of Iran waging retaliatory strikes. What's been your reaction to the tragic loss of Israeli civilians in this war?

1:03:40Well, the other day I went to the city of Bechemesh, and I went to the site in which the three children of the Beaton family were killed together, next to them, a mother and a child. And we need to keep in mind that, you know, there are casualties of war on both sides, but the Iranians are doing this in purpose. They are firing rockets and missiles into cities and villages, Israeli cities, Israeli villages, trying to hit and target civilians because this is the kind of regime it is. Let's talk about the regime, because the body of clerics in Iran, known as the Assembly of Experts, they're meeting to decide who is going to succeed the Ayatollah Khamenei.

1:04:25It is speculated that they might select his son, Mos Taba Khamenei, which would likely signal a continuation of the regime and its hardline policies. What would that mean for the future of Iran, and what would it mean for Israel? Well, the question is not what these 88 elderly clergy people will do. The question is what the people of Iran are going to do. Because this regime is not a government the way you and I think about governments. This regime is a terror organization that took hostage an entire country. An ancient country, an ancient culture, intelligent people, educated people. We saw them last January taking to the streets, trying to demand freedom, women rights, civil rights.

1:05:11It was, I mean, I think the entire globe was filled with admiration to their courage. And the question is, what are they going to do now that the circumstances and the conditions for them to take their life, the destiny into their own hands has improved significantly? Prime Minister Netanyahu is up for re-election this fall, and he is reaffirming his alliance with President Trump. And he believes that that and the strikes against Iran are both positive politically for him. Do you have any concerns that his motivation for this war could be driven by politics in any way? I don't care. It's good for Israel.

1:05:51And I was an Israeli patriot long before I was a politician. I think usually elections are about the future, not the past. and I think people understand that basically this was the right war and there was a total unity within the Israeli society about this. Jake, you know me. I think I've earned the title the most bitter rival of Prime Minister Netanyahu and yet I supported this operation, this war, because it's the right thing to do because the Jews had enough of waiting for somebody to kill them without doing anything about this. and I think the Israelis understand this as something that is ex-curriculum to the political arena.

1:06:34In election time, they will vote on the future, and I think we're doing pretty well. Let me ask you something about domestic politics here in the United States. There are increasingly more and louder voices in both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party who do not like the Israeli government, openly question whether or not the U.S. should even be allied with Israel. Now, some of it is anti-Semitic and without question, but do you think all of it is? What do you attribute this rising chorus of voices criticizing Israel, not just criticizing decisions made by Netanyahu, but questioning whether or not Israel should even be an ally of the U.S.?

1:07:16Well, I think, as you said, there's two ways of looking at this. Oh, you know what? There are two groups. One is not something new and horrible that just emerged in TikTok. It is something very ancient that emerged a thousand years ago. This is pure anti-Semitism. Now, I'm not one of those people who think that every criticism over Israel or the Israeli government is anti-Semitism. Actually, part of friendship is the ability to discuss differences. I think right now there is a weird coalition of the far right and the far left using almost the same terms against Israel and against this alliance that is critical for the security of Israel, but also I think contributes quite a bit to the security of the United States.

1:08:03We are your Middle Eastern post, and we are fighting alongside you, protecting values that the United States was the first to bring to the international table, freedom, justice for all, and to pursue happiness. I keep telling people, you have to remember, Israel always said two things about itself. We are the only democracy in the Middle East, and we are the strongest country in the Middle East. And the reason we are the strongest countries in the Middle East is because we are the only democracy in the Middle East and we share values. And those people are just trying to find new ways to say the old thing is the fact that they don't like the Jews.

1:08:43There are critics who look to how the settlers are treating Palestinians in the West Bank, all the loss of life in Gaza during the war against Hamas and have very, very serious concerns. about how the Israeli government is conducting itself? Well, I have very, very serious concerns about how the Israeli government is conducting itself. And I agree, these are hoodlums and hooligans and Jewish terrorists. And I'm ashamed that they're part of Israel, even though they are a very, very small fraction. And of course, I kept saying throughout the war in Gaza, I think it's a just war still. nothing will harm Israel's ability to defend itself if they say, you know what, we are really, really sorry when children are dying in grown-ups wars.

1:09:37This is part of being humane. So, yes, I have criticism over the government. This is why I am the leader of the opposition. And this is why we're going to run against them and trying to tell the people of Israel there are better options. But right now, in the current events, right now Israel stands united opposite it, an existential threat that we must have taken care of and taken care of it together. Israeli opposition leader and former Prime Minister Yair Lapid, thank you so much for your time. Thank you, Jake. Is President Trump finally about to wade into the very nasty and very expensive Texas Senate race?

1:10:17What he said today about a potential endorsement. That's next.

1:10:29In our politics lead today, President Trump is teasing a possible make or break endorsement as the Republican Senate race in Texas heads into overtime. Senator John Cornyn, the incumbent, and Attorney General Ken Paxton are now going to face a runoff in late May after neither one reached the 50 % threshold last night. President Trump never endorsed in the race, quite uncharacteristically. But today he posted on social media, quote,

1:11:13But someone who still has no plans to endorse, well, Texas's other senator, Republican Senator Ted Cruz, who's served with Cornyn since 2012, but said this today.

1:11:26Jake Tapper:John Cornyn is a good friend of mine. Ken Paxton is a good friend of mine. I have endorsed both of them previously. I've campaigned with both of them previously. And as I've said from the beginning of this race, I'm staying out of the race. I trust the voters of Texas. The Republican winner will face State Representative James Tallarico, who perhaps surprisingly beat Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett in the Democratic Senate primary in Texas. Let's talk about it all with the panel. So, Brian, let me start with you. This has already been a very nasty race in Texas. And I say that as somebody who's covered many nasty races for decades.

1:12:04I was going to say centuries, but decades. Take a look. I refuse to allow a flawed, self-centered and shameless candidate like Ken Paxton risk everything we've worked so hard to build over these many years. For too long, he stabbed our president in the back by trying to derail his presidential campaigns and supporting the Democrats' lawfare against the president. Those days are coming to an end. Keep in mind, that's what they're willing to say on camera. Imagine what the TV ads are like. Well, we've already run some of them. Do you think either of them is going to actually drop out if Trump endorses the other?

1:12:44Jake Tapper:I think it's going to be very hard whoever Trump does endorse for them to have any oxygen to go forward. We've seen that when the president steps in. specifically in primaries in red states, it moves the needle a lot. I have a bias. I hope it's Senator Cornyn that gets in because I want to hold on to the Senate seat. But I think it would be extremely difficult for Ken to mount any type of race that builds momentum. Corbyn Trent, your first time here at the table. Welcome. Thanks for having me. Good to have you. Which Republican do you think Tallarico has a better chance of beating? I want to say Paxton.

1:13:14I think, you know, I agree.

1:13:15Jake Tapper:Yeah, absolutely. I think he's, you know, he's plagued with scandals. He's kind of a wild man. He doesn't have a vision. He's not like promoting any big ideas. He's more or less, I support the president more than anybody, and I'm going to make the liberals' head explode on TV. I just don't think that's going to do great in general. Were you surprised that Tallarico beat Jasmine Krakow? I was. Yeah, I didn't see that. I thought she had a really good shot of winning, and I thought that Texas was looking for that kind of fighter, somebody that's going to go out there and sort of troll the opposition, I think a little bit more calm in the storm.

1:13:51Jake Tapper:And it's probably good. I think it's going to be, I think Tallarico's got a good shot. If anybody's got a good shot at flipping Texas in the ceiling, I think it's him. Do you think Tallarico could beat Paxton? Oh, absolutely. I don't think he could beat Cornyn. I think Cornyn walks away with it probably with a double-digit victory. But Tallarico can absolutely beat Ken Paxton. And that is scary to think about. And we should note, I mean, looking at the results last night, Republican voters in Texas seem feisty. They seem very unhappy with the status quo. Not only is Cornyn headed to a runoff, this is the incumbent senator, long-term incumbent senator, didn't get 50 percent.

1:14:25Incumbent Republican Congressman Dan Crenshaw, a war hero, lost by a double-digit margin, 15 percentage points. Republican Congressman Tony Gonzalez is heading to a runoff with a conservative activist named Brandon Herrera. How did Democrats harvest this Republican dissatisfaction with the status quo in Texas and anywhere else?

1:14:46Jake Tapper:I mean, I think they realize that it's legitimate, that the dissatisfaction that voters are feeling, that Americans feel generally is long lasting. It's been building and building for decades. And I think too many of the folks in the Democratic Party want to return to 2008, 2016. I don't know when they want to go back to. Right. But pre-Trump. And they think that I believe they think that if we could just get over Trumpism, then we'd be OK. And I think that the the fact is, is that America has been looking for different directions for quite some time. And they need to internalize that. I mean, Pelosi, she famously said when Trump won the first time is that Americans aren't looking for a new direction.

1:15:23Jake Tapper:The Democratic Party need not change. And so I think they've got to internalize. And you disagree with that. It's just a hundred percent disagree with that. That's like your life's goal. That's my life's goal is to disagree with that sentiment. You know, I believe that America wants to see something different. That's why Trump won the first time. That's why I won the second time. You know, there is a desire to see this country have more to offer its citizens and more to offer the world than just war and decline. Do you agree with that? That if Democrats harnessed some of that populism that Trump has been able to tap into, that Bernie Sanders and AOC have been able to tap into, it could be good for them?

1:16:00Jake Tapper:I think the problem that Democrats have is, yes, there's something in the harness, but it's their policies that are the scary thing. If we're talking about affordability, there's no democratic policy that makes life cheaper for them. And actually socialist policies make things more expensive. So I think there's that energy there. And I think it's driven by economics. And that's why you saw Trump come back the way he did. But I don't think the country wants socialism. Well, what do you think about that? I mean, one of the things that's interesting about Trump, and if he, now we have a war, but if there weren't all these other distractions, Greenland and whatever, there would probably be more focus on it.

1:16:32But he has done a lot of, not a lot, he's done some populist things when it comes to pushing pharmaceutical companies to lower the prices of medication. That's just one example. But I still don't know how Republicans are the ones that pass into law no tax on tips.

1:16:47Jake Tapper:Or how it is Republicans and Trump that took ownership of some private companies to, you know, golden shares. Right, right. Talk about socialism. Don't even get me started. So, I mean, I think if you look at health care, for example, we spend$6 trillion a year on health care. We know that that's not sustainable. You know, we talk about a trillion dollar a year war budget or military budget, but$6 trillion on health care. And we've got 80 % of counties in this country that are in health care deserts. So we know that that's fundamentally wrong and it's not working. But when you look at the solutions to it, if you go back to the 70s, we had about 50 % of the hospitals and clinics were owned by counties, cities, states, and other forms of government.

1:17:27Jake Tapper:So, you know, you can say it's socialism, Brian. You can say that it's - His eyebrows are saying it's - But it's very much - My pocketbook will say the same thing. It will not. The health care was more affordable in the 70s, 80s and 90s. And it was more. With taxes where the tax rate was 70 percent on somebody who's creating jobs. You're right. If that's the message you're going to make. American people could afford life. One working person could support a family. You know, that's the thing that we've lost. Affordability has gotten so out of control that it doesn't even seem like a dream that we can have.

1:17:57Jake Tapper:But you guys are asking for more taxes. That makes things more expensive. I don't know what I don't think there's that many people asking for more. I just saw the new governor of Virginia ask for more taxes. Against billionaires. No, for packages delivered to people's homes. She has to tax that. I mean, your party's asking for more taxes. That makes things inherently more expensive. I think. And none of your policies actually make it cheaper. Look at Obamacare. It's driven over the cost at an astronomical rate. You're blaming Republicans. But the policy has failed that it has to be bailed out.

1:18:23Jake Tapper:Yes, Romneycare was a bad idea for the ACA was not the way to go. It absolutely, you know, right now. And it failed. It failed. You think that they should have done Medicare for all? There's no question. A public option at the minimum. But it's not just about the insurance and who pays the checks. It's about who delivers the care and who owns the delivery of that care. All right. Great stuff. Thanks, guys. Really appreciate it. As thousands of people remain stranded in the Middle East, Israel is hoping to reopen its main airport for some flights tomorrow. How quickly will other airports follow suit?

1:18:52That's next.

1:19:02Sticking with our world leader, the Iranian state media is reporting that Iran has targeted an Amazon data center in Bahrain with a drone attack. Iranian drones have also targeted two Amazon facilities in the United Arab Emirates. Under the threat of bombs, it could drop any moment in closed air spaces. An estimated 6 ,000 U.S. citizens are stuck in the Middle East, among them reality TV influencer Oliver Sims. Sims was headed home after attending a wedding in India when his flight was forced to land in Qatar. CNN's Bijan Hosseini caught up with Sims and others in Doha.

1:19:38Jake Tapper:We took off and about an hour into the flight, I noticed on the map that we had turned around over the Persian Gulf. Oliver is one of thousands of travelers stranded as tensions escalate across the Middle East. Have you heard any of these interceptions or any of these attacks from Iran? Yes, I have. I actually was woken up out of my sleep from it. Here in Qatar, authorities say 8 ,000 transit passengers were unable to continue on with their journeys. In addition to all those passengers who were caught during transit, there's also these two cruise liners at Doha's old port behind me. This big one right here, that's the MindShift 5.

1:20:15Jake Tapper:We know that they have a capacity of 2 ,500 passengers and 1 ,000 crew. That itinerary finished on March 1st, but we know that passengers are still on board waiting until they can fly out. Some tourists, however, are trying to make the most of an unexpected delay, venturing out to explore the city even as officials urge people to stay indoors. Others are far less relaxed about the situation. This group of Polish tourists say they've had little communication from their government about when they might be able to leave. And how is everyone feeling? Are you feeling okay? Are you feeling scared? No, we are very sad.

1:20:49Frustrated, just frustrated that we cannot. There is no information and we just need to wait.

1:20:55Jake Tapper:with up-to-the-minute safety and security information. The United States is urging its citizens abroad to register with the State Department and to reach out if they need assistance. But for travelers like Oliver, help has been limited. I went to the number that they had provided, and I called it. If you're calling about the crisis in the Middle East, please press 1. Yeah, so then this music was on. And whenever this music was on, I was waiting for like 30 minutes. they eventually answered and they said, you know, just sign up for the STEP program. We really don't know what we can do. For now, thousands of tourists remain in limbo, waiting for tensions to ease and flights to resume.

1:21:38Jake Tapper:Bijan Hosseini, CNN, Doha. And our thanks to Bijan Hosseini. Sad news in our sports lead as we go off air today. Lou Holtz, the College Football Hall of Fame coach who led Notre Dame to the 1988 National Championship. Lou Holtz has died at the age of 89. Holtz won 249 games over 33 seasons, becoming the first and so far only coach to lead six different teams to bowl games. As a coach and a commentator, he captivated fans with his self-deprecating wit and his folksy personality. University of Notre Dame says that Holtz died surrounded by his family. May his memory be a blessing. You can follow me on Facebook, on Instagram, on Threads, on Blue Sky, on X, and on the TikTok at Jake Tapper.

1:22:26You can follow the show on X and Instagram at The Lead CNN. If you ever miss an episode of The Lead, you can watch the whole show on the CNN app. Aaron Burnett out front is live in Tel Aviv. It starts right now. Take it away, Aaron.