Talks To Fund DHS Ramp Up As Airport Lines Grow More Unpredictable

24:09The allegations here is that Rivera lobbied Marco Rubio, among others, when Rubio was a U.S. senator. By the way, Rivera got$50 million, allegedly from the state, from the country of Venezuela, to lobby about things that have to do with Nicolas Maduro. Would he remain in power? Would he be eased out of power? Oil rights, sanctions. And so Marco Rubio is a key witness because the government alleges he is one of the key public officials who was illegally lobbied. He did nothing wrong, but the allegation is David Rivera was improperly trying to influence Marco Rubio. I want to get to the bizarrely connective tissue between this case and what we've seen just since, I believe, January 5th.

24:48But just to start with, I think today was the day that I learned that this is the first sitting cabinet member to testify in a criminal trial since Raymond Donovan testified in a 1983 Mopka case. You didn't know that offhand? There's our nugget for the - You probably did. No. If you're a defense lawyer and you're trying to cross him, how do you navigate that? So I think he's a great witness, first of all, for the prosecution, right? You put him out there, you say, here's this distinguished sitting secretary of state, former senator. And basically, you say, you would elicit from Rubio that this guy told me, tried to influence me and influence us on policy with Venezuela.

25:25Straightforward. If you're the defense lawyer, you have to be really careful because you really have two ways you can go with any witness. One, this guy's a liar. Or two, this guy's a truth teller, but he has good stuff for us. You can't go down into a federal courtroom in Florida and call Marco Rubio a liar. I don't think he is a liar. So I think what the defense is going to do is try to pick out items, factual items that favor you. In other words, I think the gist is going to be, you, Marco Rubio, and this guy, you are old friends. You are roommates. And so he wasn't lobbying you if you guys had a conversation.

25:50You had a lot of conversations with him. You talked about things. You talked about politics. You talked about the world. And that doesn't count as capital L lobbying and therefore is not a crime. I think that's where the defense is going to go with him. This happens, I think, ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is going to be back in New York court this week. Thursday. What are you watching there? So, again, by the way, the combination of these two things in two separate administrations is, like, wild to me. But the guy who was responsible for the government that was paying, allegedly paying David Rivera, now in the U.S.

26:20after being extracted from his home country, and he's going to be in court. It's all connected. So one of the big questions is, can the country of Venezuela pay Nicolas Maduro's legal fees? Maduro wants them to. The country of Venezuela apparently wants them to. But prosecutors are saying, no, that would violate sanctions that we have on Venezuela. The big thing I'm watching for Thursday, will this judge, Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who I appeared in front of many times, will he move this thing along? I can't believe how slowly he's moving it. It's been two and a half months since the arrest. They've accomplished very little.

26:49We don't even have a trial date yet. So if I'm the judge, I'm saying this is important. We got to get this thing on tap for a trial. So I want to see how quickly the judge accelerates this case or doesn't. OK, last one that I have to ask, because I'm in the chair, which means there's a Federal Reserve issue. Of course. That is in your bailiwick that I want to ask you about. A federal prosecutor admitted to a judge earlier this month at his office didn't have evidence that Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell had committed a crime related to that renovation. Again, the subpoenas have been quashed.

27:18Janine Pirro is appealing vociferously slow based on her press conference. You've read the transcript. What was your read on it? This is exactly why Judge Boasberg took the very rare step of quashing Jeanine Pirro's subpoenas, which she then had a press conference and was quite angry about. Because when you're a prosecutor, I used to have a stack of subpoenas in the corner of my desk, right? And you can issue subpoenas quite readily. You don't need much evidence at all, but you need something. You can't have nothing and you can't have a bad reason for issuing a subpoena. And so when a prosecutor is pressed by a judge and says, what's your reason?

27:51What's your evidence? and he says, we have none, that's how you reach the rare point where a judge is going to quash a subpoena. So I think it's a really telling moment. There's a space between smoking gun and none. A lot of space in there, yes. And if you're at none, then you got nothing. Stacks of subpoenas on the corner. You must have been fun at parties. Thank you, my friend. Great, as always. Well, are the ICE agents deployed to U.S. airports some kind of practice run for the upcoming midterm elections? How a question from Steve Bannon. Let's make you wonder. Here at Next.

28:24The relationship between the FBI director and the president has always been complicated. Unravel the complex dynamic in the CNN original series, Standoff, the FBI, Power and Paranoia. Now streaming on the CNN app.

28:40In our politics league, we've seen a number of Democrats who are calling out President Trump's decision to put ICE agents in America's airport. That includes Maryland Governor Wes Moore. He told CNN's Dan Abash today the move is about much more than easing long security lines. Listen. I continue to see him using ICE and, you know, this variation of their ICE to go and patrol neighborhoods, even though they are sending people in neighborhoods who are untrained and who are unqualified and who are unaccountable. There is a there is a much larger plan. I think these are all tools of how the president is trying to think about a much larger plan, which is if you cannot hold on to power through Democratic elections, then adjust Democratic elections.

29:24T.W., do you see a much larger plan? No, I find that commentary wildly irresponsible. I think to draw a through line from TSA agents being overworked and understaffed because the Democrats are holding up a bill in the House to fund it, and then drawing that to the SAVE Act and then drawing that to taking over elections is such a broad leap. Look, the president did the right thing. We are at a standstill in Congress, much to my chagrin, and I think the chagrin of millions of Americans. And he sent immigration and customs officers to aid in that. ICE, by the way, which Democrats have a problem with, is funded for the next several years.

30:06That ain't changing regardless of what the Democrats say. And I wonder if Wes Moore even knows that CBP, Customs and Border Patrol, are at every single international airport every day working there as well. I think this was a wise idea by the president. I'm glad it's bringing down lines. But that rhetoric is, I think, irresponsible at a time like this. Mo, I think sometimes the reason why that has caught on more than just with Wes Moore in the airports now, as TW was talking about, but in prior months where there's legitimate concern when you talk to Democrats. And in part, it's because of people like Steve Bannon, who has talked about the idea of this, including mentioning it just recently.

30:44Take a listen. We can use what's happening with these ICE helping out at the airports. We can use this as a test run, as a test case to really perfect ICE's involvement in the 2026 midterm election, sir? Yeah, I think we should have ICE agents at the polling places because if you're an illegal alien, you can't vote, right? So just to be clear for people that don't live in this world, like Mike Davis is a connected individual inside the White House, very powerful outside actor in kind of the Trump MAGA sphere. Obviously, Steve Bannon, I presume most people know. Do you think what they're talking about is just red meat or is this something people should be thinking?

31:29I think we should take it seriously. And it's why I disagree with TW that, you know, it's a stretch to think that there's something bigger at play here because there has been, there's a history of a direct pipeline between things that are said on Steve Bannon's show somehow working its way into policy or at least the very least the discussions at the White House. The president has relied on ICE and you're You're 100 % right. This is the point Democrats have been making. ICE is funded. It's already taken care of. And so why Republicans not just separate it out, as Democrats have proposed, fund TSA and make the reforms that need to be made to ICE rather than just allow them to run amok and hold up these poor TSA agents.

32:19But that proposal's on the table right now. And Schumer came out today and said, no, now we want more. Democrats have been arguing consistently there are reforms to be made at ICE and we can pay the TSA agents. The proposal that was on the table just didn't address many of the reforms that Democrats have been saying, have been talking about. So there was no need to send ICE. You're right, CBP is at every airport, but they're not working the security lines. Having a bunch of ICE agents who are not CBP, having a bunch of ICE agents standing around, unable to operate the x-ray machines, completely untrained for the kind of work.

32:59That was nothing more than just a photo op. But this president has relied on ICE in ways that are not appropriate, in ways that is not their mandate, their remit. And it does beg the question, why? When we have other options, and we can get them funded. Why? But I think that falls on deaf ears in large part because the Democrats are once again holding the country hostage when the situation does not call for it. TSA should be funded. All of Homeland Security should be funded. The president with Tom Homan have made a number of reforms to ICE that have turned the temperature down drastically. And yet the Democrats won't change their tactics.

33:41So whether it's body cameras, whether it's the neighborhoods they go in and how they patrol. There have been serious reforms and done in conjunction with Democratic governors and local leaders. And yet the Democrats will still sit here and bang the drum that more and more needs to happen while people wait in line. The fact of the matter is we've seen that ticker. Wait times are going down because those agents are there. There is a customs component to their job. And I think it's been effective. And I think the American people are like, all right, this needs to end, fund it. Mo, can I ask, Markway Mullen was sworn in today.

34:17He will be the big boss of ICE. It's been interesting. I talked to folks on the Hill, R &D, including some Democratic senators, two of whom voted for him, who like him personally, feel like they can work with him, definitely don't want to get in a fight with him physically. Is this a change of the direction for DHS that's coming now after the Kristi Noem era, or is this going to be more of the same? We're about to find out. Look, I think there are people who feel like they can do, Democrats, who feel like they can do business with Secretary Mullen in a way that they couldn't with Secretary Noem.

34:51I think that is generally agreed. But at the end of the day, and he said some promising things during his confirmation hearing about how he would do things differently. But at the end of the day, one thing we know for certain about the Trump era is that it's the big, big boss who sets the direction, who sets the tone. And so unless the president changes his approach, it's questionable how much room Secretary Mullen actually will have. To that point, if you're Markway Mullen in this moment, knowing that this is the most important portfolio at the White House, it was the number one campaign promise, Stephen Miller has the oversight of it, how do you balance being a cabinet secretary and, I don't know, trying to do the thing that It just seems complicated.

35:38What's kind of the strategy? I think the dynamics in most administrations, there's tons of them, and it's sometimes complicated. Senator Mullen is a good man, a bright man, incredibly hard worker who understands the MAGA movement, is in a close relationship with the president, understands how that White House works. I think as it pertains to immigration and some of these issues that we're talking about today, I think he needs to follow the model that's been successful and don't do the model that hasn't been successful, i.e. Kristi Noem. We've seen how Tom Homan's found a lot of success. We've seen the portfolio move forward and us get back on mission.

36:13I think it's accentuating what's working and ditching what isn't working. And we talked about Steve Bannon. I think it's important to note here that when there were the tragic shootings by ICE officers of American citizens, it was Steve Bannon who was like, damn the torpedoes, full steam ahead, double down on it. And that lost out. That argument lost and fell on deaf ears to Donald Trump, and he changed course. Mullen understands the dynamics at play, and I think he's going to do a good job. Last one? I was going to say, Steve Bannon also floated the idea of sending ICE agents to airports a while ago as a test run for the elections, and lo and behold, the president did it.

36:54So he does still have sway. If he's now pushing harder on this ICE agents at polling places, we'll see. It is often hard to keep track of who's on the ear, who's effective in the ear. It depends day to day. It is the one through line of this administration. Guys, thank you very much. Appreciate it. Well, breaking news. A verdict is just coming in in one of two major lawsuits involving social media giants and younger users. A jury found Meta liable in a child exploitation case and ordered to pay$375 million. This is a big one. We're going to sort out all the details next.

37:34Breaking news in our tech lead. A jury in New Mexico has just found that Meta, the social media giant behind Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, violated the law in failing to warn users about dangers on its platforms and failing to protect children from sexual predators. This is a very big deal. Let's get straight to CNN's Claire Duffy, who's been leading all of our coverage on this. Claire, tell us more about the verdict. Well, Phil, this is a huge, really significant case. This case was filed back in 2023 by the New Mexico attorney general, accusing Meta of creating a breeding ground for child predators by failing to prevent bad actors from accessing its platform, contacting children they don't know and failing to warn teens and parents of these risks.

38:14The jury sided with New Mexico on all counts in this case, accusing Meta or finding that Meta had willfully engaged in unfair and deceptive and unconscionable trade practices and essentially ordering Meta to pay three hundred and seventy five million dollars in damages here. And this is only the first phase of this case. There is another phase to be presented directly to the judge that could result in Meta having to pay additional financial damages and also make changes to its platforms. Now, Meta says it will appeal this decision, and I'll read you what a Meta spokesperson told me about this decision.

38:49They said, we respectfully disagree with the verdict and will appeal. We work hard to keep people safe on our platforms and are clear about the challenges of identifying and removing bad actors or harmful content. But Phil, just to take a step back here and talk about the significance of this moment, Meta for years has faced concerns from parents and lawmakers and advocates about the safety of young people on its platforms. And this is really the first time that we are seeing the company be held accountable in court for those concerns. And this certainly could set the stage for other states to follow the approach that New Mexico has taken here.

39:25And Claire, there's also the outstanding social media case in L.A., which I think also involves Meta. Where does that stand? So that case accuses both Metta and YouTube of intentionally creating addictive features that have harmed young people's mental health. In that case, we are in day eight of jury deliberation, still awaiting a verdict from the jury there. And it's not clear when that's going to come through. We have gotten some hints about where the jury might be leaning. Last week, the jury submitted a question to the judge about getting instructions on how to fill out the damages form, suggesting that maybe they've made a decision at least with regard to one of those two defendants.

39:59But then yesterday, they submitted a question about what to do if they couldn't come to an agreement with regard to one of the defendants. So sort of reading the tea leaves there on what that could mean, maybe a split jury with regards to Metta or YouTube. But obviously, that decision is not final until it is final. And we will be watching closely on that one, Phil. We certainly know you well. Claire Duffy has been leading in a tireless manner our reporting on this. Thanks so much.

40:25Welcome to Lead on Phil Mattingly in for Jake Tapper. This hour, as passengers wait for more than four hours in airport security lines, top Republicans say they've got their party and their president on board with a new proposal to end the partial shutdown. But will they get Democratic support? And how soon could it get across the finish line? We're going to be live on Capitol Hill and one of the busiest airports in just moments. Plus, investigators giving an update this afternoon on the deadly crash at New York's LaGuardia Airport, revealing the control tower couldn't track the location of the fire truck involved because it had no transponder.

40:59Will this tragedy lead to new safety measures at airports across the country? Also, gas prices nearing$4 per gallon on average due to the war in Iran. They're the highest prices drivers have seen since 2022. So how high will prices go? And could President Trump's comments on the war today impact what you're paying? And it's election night in America. Democrats are hoping to flip a seat down in Florida in a district that includes Trump's Mar-a-Lago residents. We're heading to the campaign trail for a reality check on their odds.

41:34The lead tonight, airport lines across the U.S. are unpredictable. TSA workers are days away from missing their second full paycheck, and President Donald Trump may not be fully on board with the solution being proposed by senators in his own party. I don't want to comment until I see the deal, but as you know, they're negotiating a deal. I guess they're getting fairly close, but I think any deal they make, I'm pretty much not happy with it. Now, Trump did say he wants to support Republicans and would look at the plan, which would fund DHS and therefore get those TSA workers paid. But it would not fund immigration enforcement, essentially what Democrats have said they wanted.

42:14Even if the plan does move forward, it is unclear when we'll see any movement. And one top TSA official today outlined just how desperate the situation is. We got folks sleeping in cars, folks having to essentially get blood drawn to afford gas to come to work. So the situation is dire. CNN's Lauren Fox is with us on Capitol Hill. CNN's Ed Lavender is at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. Ed, I want to start with you because I've just been watching you throughout the course of the last several days, tracking the four, four and a half, maybe five hours that people have been waiting.

42:53What are you seeing right now? Well, we're kind of reaching the point in the day where there's a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel. Remember, the line, we're in Terminal E. The line for this TSA security checkpoint is beyond over there. So where we're standing, where the passengers are, it's about an hour away. But the line actually, to get here, has started two floors below where we are now. But if you look now, this area down here was just about an hour ago filled with people. Now we're kind of getting toward the end of the day and clearly some relief here in sight. But the line, you know, to get from down there and the floor below it, you get up here and you actually have to make the line outside.

43:33That's the way it's been rolling. Then you get to come back inside here and get your way toward the TSA checkpoint or it's the promised land as I've been calling it throughout the day. But this is one of two TSA security checkpoints that is open here in this airport in Houston. And that's the problem. There's nine of them normally that keep passengers moving through all the various terminals. But all of the passengers getting shuffled through two security checkpoints. And you combine that with close to a 40 % callout rate that we've seen in days previous from TSA employees. And that is a recipe for problems here at this airport.

44:12No real sign that that is going to let up tomorrow and the days ahead. So we have been talking to passengers who are fully aware of the drama that is unfolding here every day and the lengths that they're going to to try to make sure they catch their flights. We've met people who are catching flights or showing up here at the airport seven or eight hours before their flight. I met one man earlier today, Phil, who was traveling to Trinidad, missed his flight yesterday. He showed up today almost 12 hours before his flight. He told me there was no way he was going to miss that flight again. So that is what so many of these passengers here are trying to navigate right now.

44:46Phil? It's wild. And Ed, you and your team have been the eyes and ears of people who are looking to where Lauren Fox is right now and saying, what on earth is wrong with you guys? Fox, walk me through this, because I've been trying to figure this out for the last 36 hours about where this alleged deal and potential solution to the people that are standing behind Ed have been looking for. What's the state of play here? I think a couple of things are true, Phil. Right now, there is not the kind of urgency that you might expect, given the lines that people like Ed Lavender are covering around the country.

45:21And yet, they are inching closer to perhaps finding a middle ground. That deal that Republicans unveiled yesterday and into the morning, it essentially funds everything except immigration enforcement practices by ICE. Now, that traditionally has been something Democrats have been calling for on the floor of the Senate. And yet Democrats say they want additional reforms in order to support that deal. What those reforms might be, I think that is the question right now. I'm told the Democrats are trying to draft a response to the Republican offer. But there's a huge question mark that hangs in the balance.

46:00And that is, will Donald Trump sign whatever Senate Republicans and Democrats can come up with? And is the House of Representatives going to go along? Earlier today, House Speaker Mike Johnson made clear that it was not his preference to break this apart and try to fund immigration enforcement later on through a complex budget process. Instead, he said he thought that they should keep this all together. But I will just tell you, Phil, that right now there are so many moving pieces, but people are starting to get the hint on Capitol Hill that this just isn't going to stand. And like you noted at the top of this hour, it is going to be another missed paycheck for TSA workers in just a couple of days.

46:41Phil. Lauren Fox, Ed Lavendera, great work, both of you guys. Thanks so much. Let's discuss with Democratic Congressman Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey, sits on the Financial Services and Intelligence Committees. Congressman, first, thanks for being here. I know you're always working behind the scenes, trying to find outcomes in moments like this. But just to start, the Republican plan, which, as Lauren was just explaining, funding DHS except for the small portion of immigration enforcement, seems like it's a pretty big concession for Democrats. Do you think your caucus will be on board with this?

47:13Listen, I think it's something we've got to get to because, let's be clear, we can't have another week or so of airports being a mess the way they are right now with long lines for families. You add to that the holidays coming up. and, of course, all these TSA agents who aren't getting paid and lots of people in Homeland who aren't getting paid right now, and that's just not okay. So we've got to figure this out. We've got to get DHS open. I think this is a reasonable solution and one where we could probably find some common ground. It seems we can get there. I think everyone's just got to stay at the table.

47:44If there are a couple issues we want to get through with some ice reforms, I'm not opposed to that, of course. I've been working on that for more than a month to try to find some reforms. But the best solution might just be this. Let's actually get DHS funded. Let's take ICE enforcement out of it, deal with that later and get everything back open at Homeland. I want to ask you about your work over the course of the last month, because I think it's really critical. And it's also I think whenever those talks happen in a real way on the leadership level, your work will probably be the basis for a lot of it.

48:19But before that, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer saying on the floor, this isn't good enough. We're holding out for the reforms. We'll send you something back. Do you think that was a mistake? Well, let's see what we asked for before I say it was a mistake. You know, I think if there are some things that we can get done, like you talk about maybe I heard identification being out there, which I think is important for the ICE agents and enforcement measures. And if you talk about certain training, other steps that need to be taken, body cameras being required for ICE agents and enforcement moments, you know, those are good things among other reforms that I think are necessary.

48:55But listen, if we have to take some of the comprehensive reform package, other reforms, and put those aside as part of a funding ICE enforcement package later, that's something that I'm open to. I think we've got to stay at the table, though. And for right now, the key to me is let's fund DHS. Let's get TSA funded and other parts of DHS, which are essential to protecting our homeland, and get this back open. Because I think the public, you know, it's not right to do to people at airports and other places, and it's certainly not right to do to our TSA agents and others in homeland. On enforcement reforms, the potential for enforcement reforms, something you've been working on at the table, at the front of, over the course of the last month.

49:36I believe, first off, you're kind of always the guy who's working behind the scenes on the potential legislative solutions to things. Mark Wayne Mullen, who is now the DHS secretary, was also that guy oftentimes in the United States Senate. I think you guys have worked together. Do you see outcomes here that can thread the needle between the parties on this very complex issue? I do. This is tough. And obviously, I'm not going to get into the specifics of my negotiations and discussions. But let me just say, I think Mark Wayne, Secretary Mullen, is somebody who is reasonable and willing to sit down and engage.

50:12I think that's somebody we can work with. Certainly a significant upgrade. And I have a lot of faith that he's going to hopefully be part of a process where we can get some good reforms done here. At the end of the day, though, you've got to look at this as part of two things. One, what are we going to do right now? and obviously what are we going to do with ICE reforms and other reforms that we've got to make at Homeland. Last one before I let you go, switching gears over to the Iran war, which is still, of course, very much ongoing. It's been tough to track where the U.S. is depending on the day where the president is on things.

50:48It seems like there's a genuine effort for diplomatic talks right now. Do you think that's the right path to go down? I think that's a very good thing. You know, listen, if we can come to a diplomatic solution here and still meet some of our objectives, obviously that would be a good outcome. The question is what's on the table? What are the outcomes that we'll get in any kind of diplomatic exchange and that matter? So it's a little hard to comment on it, but the bottom line is if we're at the table, that's a good thing. We've got to keep the pressure up. You've got a lot of issues. You still have a significant challenge that we've got to address on their ballistic missile program, as you know, on their drone program.

51:26We've got to find out what happens on the nuclear program. what happens on their funding of terror and terror proxies. So there are still a lot of questions out there. Who's going to be in charge? What's that look like in Iran? So a lot of questions, and especially because it's been a little unclear, as you said or as you said before, of the shifting objectives of this conflict. But let's see where this goes, and we should constantly be having these conversations, even as we keep the pressure on Iran, which remains the leading state sponsor of terror and a significant adversary of our country.

52:01Democratic Congressman Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey, always appreciate your time, sir. Thank you. Thanks for having me. We're going live to New York's LaGuardia Airport next, where investigators just gave an update on the deadly crash between an Air Canada plane and a fire truck. Why they say air traffic controllers were limited in their ability to track the fire truck just moments before it was hit.

52:26We're back with breaking news in our national lead. The National Transportation Safety Board revealing new details in Sunday's deadly crash between an Air Canada plane and a fire truck at New York's LaGuardia Airport. The fire truck hit by the plane did not have a transponder on it. That's what allows Air Traffic Control Tower to track vehicles on the runway. And only two controllers were working inside the tower at the time of the crash. The Intest B chairwoman making it clear that accidents like the accident likely involves multiple contributing factors. We rarely, if ever, investigate a major accident where it was one failure.

53:05So when something goes wrong, that means many, many things went wrong. Pilot and CNN aviation correspondent Pete Muntean is here to break down some of what we know went wrong. Pete, again, early stages of the investigation, you know this stuff better than anybody. When you were walking away from today's briefing, what were the things that kind of stuck out in your head? There were a few things that stuck out, Phil, namely the fact that there was no transponder on board this lead fire truck that was responding to a different incident on the other side of an airport, a United Airlines 737 that had to abort its takeoff twice, and then the fire trucks responded to it.

53:44After that problem was cleared, the fire trucks were crossing, about to cross runway four here at Taxiway Delta, about halfway down the 7 ,000-foot-long runway. The fact that that truck, the lead truck, did not have a transponder means that the system designed to prevent ground collisions just like this was essentially blind to the danger that was unfolding here. That is a really significant finding. And then the finding from the NTSB as they dug into the staffing levels at the air traffic control tower here at LaGuardia that there were only two controllers, a controller and a supervising controller overseeing all the arrivals and departures, the ground movements and what are called clearance deliveries, meaning issuing pilots their full route of flight.

54:32Those two people were responsible for all of it. It is not an uncommon practice, according to NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy, given the late hour of the night on Sunday night. But she did say it may be a practice that is unsafe. It is something that she said their investigators, who are experts in air traffic control, have underscored in previous incidents that it's not maybe the best idea to have controllers doing multiple roles at the same time. Still so many details to come out here. Remember, this has only been the first 24-hour period that NTSB investigators have been here on the scene. They were caught up in the mess at TSA lines at airports across the country, just like normal travelers, and that has actually slowed down the pace of this investigation.

55:18So it will take some time for them to release even more details, but today is the biggest release of details we have seen about the fatal final moments of this crash yet. Pete, can I stick on the transponder thing for a second? because there's two pieces of this that are kind of mind-blowing to me. One, that this isn't mandatory at all. And two, that this probably isn't an isolated airport incident where there are no transponders on emergency vehicles. Do we know how widespread this is? And like, why isn't it mandatory? It is only a recommendation, an encouragement from the FAA that airport ground vehicles like the fire trucks here have transponders essentially transponding, showing their position to air traffic controllers through this ground proximity warning technology, this ground collision warning technology, which is so significant.

56:12It's not really clear why that's not required. And so something like that would likely take an act of Congress. They essentially function as the board of directors in some cases for the Federal Aviation Administration. It's something that National Transportation Safety Board investigators have pointed out would have maybe changed the course of this investigation, even based on what we know at this early phase. So it is really clear that more technology is better. And NTSB Chair Jennifer Hamady says it is something in 2026 that sort of boggles her mind that we don't have the best technology in the United States for air traffic controllers to do their job, especially when their numbers are so, so small and de minimis.

56:54The air traffic control staffing problem in the U.S., depending on the estimates you look at, range between 1 ,000 and 1 ,800 controllers short in the U.S., many of them working mandatory overtime, six-day weeks of 10-hour shifts. She said they need the best technology they could get. Real quick before I let you go, just pulling your pilot expertise for a second, the element of this where the NTSB said six seconds before the end of the cockpit voice reporting, the pilot transferred controls. Is that normal? It's hard to say yet whether or not that is significant. We only have the initial readout from the cockpit voice recorder.

57:32We don't have the audio. And so we're not really sure yet, totally, of the context of that. Pilots often exchange control from one to another using what's called positive exchange of controls. You say, you have the airplane, the other person responds, I have the airplane or I have the controls, and then the person handing off the controls confirms by saying you have the controls. That's a pretty standard practice. Still unclear whether or not that is a big red flag here. It's also unclear if the crew of that Air Canada Express flight saw the issue that was unfolding in front of them. According to the NTSB, there was no evasive measure taken, no evasive maneuver taken, and frankly, the pilots were pretty much out of options.

58:15They were going about 100 miles an hour, maybe even more, when this collision occurred. Tremendous force. And now we can see the plane behind us right now with cherry pickers and backhoes approaching it, ready to take some of that wreckage away. This will be just the start of a long, long investigation. It will probably take a year for the NTSB to determine all of the factors that went into this. You can't pin it on any one thing, Phil. Pete Muntean, invaluable as always, my friend, at LaGuardia Airport, New York. Thanks so much. Well, today, Minnesota sued the Trump administration, claiming it's withholding evidence related to the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Preddy by ICE agents.

58:54But what exactly is the state demanding here? That's next. New today in our Law and Justice League, the state of Minnesota is suing the Trump administration. The lawsuit accuses the federal government of blocking the state from accessing evidence related to three ICE-involved shootings. shootings that occurred during Trump's immigration crackdown in Minnesota, including the fatal shootings of Alex Preddy and Renee Good. CNN's Whitney Wild joins us now. Whitney, the lawsuit lays out in detail the timeline here. What does it reveal? Well, it reveals that there were multiple points for each of these three shootings where there had been some kind of at least a loose framework where local law enforcement believed that they were going to work in tandem with federal officials.

59:36And then abruptly, federal officials closed the door on that. And according to the complaint, it appears that that only came after intervention from D.C.-based officials. What the complaint makes clear is that they have sort of, you know, multiple core arguments, which include that this is very far outside the norm. I mean, these are agencies who are used to working together. The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension in Minnesota is used to working with the FBI. They are used to working with DOJ. They have filed multiple cases together. Sometimes those cases are in federal court. Sometimes the FBI helps with state cases.

1:00:08This had been, for a long time, a very good working relationship. The other, you know, core issue here that is being raised is that they're highly skeptical of a real investigation by federal officials into these three shootings. And then finally, what the complaint makes clear is that this is a policy and practice that is going to continue if it is not stopped. They point out that, again, that they are being, you know, denied the ability to access this really crucial evidence in the shooting death of Renee Good in the shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa Solis and in the shooting death of Alex Preddy.

1:00:42And that completely tramples on the state's sovereignty and their ability to investigate and enforce Minnesota criminal laws. Those are the core complaints. Let's listen to Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty. I have to stress, friends, how absolutely extraordinary it is, how rare and unprecedented than it is, how completely unnecessary it is, if justice is our goal, for us to have to file this lawsuit. Minnesotans saw Renee Good and Alex Preddy die at the hands of federal agents. Julio Sosa-Seliz was shot, and ICE agents lied about what happened.

1:01:25Now Minnesotans are seeing their federal government hide evidence and obstruct investigations into these incidents. We will not sit by and let that happen. We are prepared to fight for transparency and accountability that the federal government is desperate to avoid. Phil, there were multiple, you know, sort of anecdotes in the complaint that highlight their real concerns. And so I'll leave you with this one. It was in the course of investigating the Renee Good shooting where initially there was a framework, both sides, federal and local, believed they were going to work together to investigate that.

1:02:01And so local law enforcement went to the federal building in Minnesota to invest, to interview federal agents there. And it was only when they got there that the door was slammed in their face. They were not able. And I don't mean that literally. I mean that, you know, metaphorically that they were not able to interview these agents and they were denied even basic information, Phil, like the names of the agents involved in that shooting. Phil. Winnie Wild for us with the latest. Thanks so much. Well, a new warning today from the CEO of United Airlines about how expensive your next flight could get if the war in Iran continues much longer.

1:02:35That's next.

1:02:42In our money lead, gas prices seem to go up every day. It's because they literally are at this point. The national average is a couple of pennies under$4 a gallon, according to AAA. More than a dollar a gallon more than just a month ago. So with that background, listen to what spokesman for Qatar's foreign ministry told CNN's Matthew Chance about a warning that went unheeded. We've said since 2023, escalation left unchecked in the region will lead to not only regional spell over, but the total regional war that will engulf all of us. And this is exactly what we are in right now. So you told Washington about the potential economic consequences, but they ignored you.

1:03:22What do you feel about that? They took the decision to go to war according to parameters that they think are related to regional security. This is their assessment. We're working very closely with them. Let's compare notes with the smartest economic household in America. Betsy Stephenson and Justin Wolfers join me now. Guys, I really appreciate your time. Justin, I want to start with kind of what I think Matthew is getting at there, which is everybody kind of knew where this would go if certain things occurred. And by that, I mean the day the Strait of Hormuz was pretty clearly effectively shut.

1:04:04All I could think about was this is going to get terribly bad terribly quickly, which seems to be playing out. and yet markets based off of truth social accounts or public statements are not pricing that in the way I'm thinking about it. You're smarter than me. Am I thinking about this wrong? Look, there's a lot here to worry about and we're seeing markets around the world bounce up and down based on what's happening. One important thing to realize is that the effect on foreign countries and therefore foreign markets is much, much larger than it is over here. But the reason you're seeing this on again, off again, up then down from markets is because the president is an unusual sort of a character.

1:04:47The real question is, are we there for, you know, four weeks, four months or four years or 40 years? These are really important questions. And the president's mood seems to change. He posts something. Normally, you'd be able to know something from a person's character, from their previous statements, from their policy positions. But really, it does feel like policies being made on the fly. Betsy, for people who are watching this, you know, to Justin's great point, duration is everything here. Like whoever can answer that and however quickly this ends will tell people what's going to happen next.

1:05:19You listened to Fed Chair Powell last week talking about how, look, in monetary policy, you're trying to look through an energy shock, not necessarily going to be reactive on a monetary policy side. At what point can you no longer look through it? At what point does it become anchored in the broader economy? that's a great question because in terms of just the energy shock itself that's exactly what the fed wants to do is look through it the problem is if people start to expect that this is going to lead to higher prices uh overall and that leads workers to try to negotiate for higher wages and that essentially what economists talk about is inflation expectations if we start to expect that we're going to have inflation running three or four or five percent a year.

1:06:07And so we start to act as if that's happening. That's when they're going to have to take action. They won't be taking action against the higher oil prices. They'll be taking action over the things we're doing to perpetuate ongoing inflation. The problem is that the U.S. has a slowing economy and the action they would take would be to raise rates and to to deal with the prices. But if you want to deal with a slowing economy, you need to lower rates. And that's the tough position that we're in right now and why Chair Powell described a rationale for somewhat restrictive monetary policy for right now.

1:06:47Why they're not cutting rates right now, despite the weakening labor market. If you're wondering what if what Betsy was just describing sounds really complicated for a Fed chair to try and navigate, you were right. That's their worst nightmare. I believe. Justin, just for people who are driving by their gas stations every single day now and thinking, I don't understand why this is continuing to go up. How long is this going to last? I guess the simple question would be, if the war ends, how long would it take for gas prices to come back down? Probably still another couple of months. So first of all, you can already look at futures prices where people are betting on the future of inflation.

1:07:26While the White House tells you that this is just a blip. According to futures prices, they expect oil prices to be high, actually, for several years to come. So that's people betting on the duration of this thing. But even if we woke up tomorrow, we hugged it out, told our Iranian friends were all good mates again. One of the problems is all the storage over there is full, which means they're actually having to put a lid on the oil wells. And this is doubly problematic when it comes to liquid natural gas. And then once you've got to get it in the boat, and then you've got to get through the straits and all the way around the world.

1:07:59So at a minimum, a couple of weeks before we get a ton of relief. But there's a real possibility we're stuck with higher oil prices and therefore higher gasoline prices for months and possibly years. Betsy, last one before I let you guys go. As you're kind of looking forward right now, given the uncertainty, given kind of the inability to put timelines on things or actions at this point in time, what are you really keyed on from a data perspective that maybe people could look at to help understand where the economy is going directionally? Well, I think it's important not to take your eye off of just what's happening with employment and just the sort of broader macro economy.

1:08:41Are people getting jobs? I think I'm more pessimistic than Justin. I think gas prices are going to stay high for a while. airfares are going to stay higher. You know, the CEO of United said we may end up leaving demand on the table, but we'd rather be prepared for$100 oil through the rest of this year. So, you know, we're stuck in this for a little bit. So I think we're going to see people making some strategic cuts in their spending. It's an, I don't know, it's a, I'm trying to think of a word to describe this moment right now. As somebody who covers the economy of my day job, and I'm having a difficult time with it, but it certainly doesn't lack for interest on a day-to-day basis, which people really care about it, of course.

1:09:27Thanks to you both. Despite Justin's connections to the University of Michigan, I still like you very much and find you extremely informative. Absolutely. Thanks, guys. Well, it's election night in America, and we're headed to the campaign trail in Florida next, where Democrats are hoping they can flip a seat in a district that includes Trump's Mar-a-Lago home. Stay with us.

1:09:53We're back with our politics lead because it's election night in America, and this is Jake Tapper's show. We do what Jake does. Cue the music.

1:10:03Polls in Palm Beach, Florida are closing in moments as voters cast their special election ballots in a district that includes Mar-a-Lago. But does that give the Trump-endorse candidate an advantage? CNN's Randy Kaye is on the campaign trail in the Sunshine State. Because if we do not all fight on what's going on in this country, we are going to go down in flames. That's Susan Yaffe. She's one of many Democratic voters here in Florida's District 87, hoping to flip the statehouse seat from red to blue. President Donald Trump won this district in 2024 by 11 points. If it were to flip to blue, what would you make of that?

1:10:37I'd be a little surprised. The president's Palm Beach, Florida home, Mar-a-Lago is located in this district. So he's one of the 180 ,000 or so residents who can vote in this special election. In fact, Palm Beach County records show Trump did vote and he voted by mail. Are you kidding me? I had no idea. Voting by mail to me is terrible unless you have a disability. So do you think President Trump shouldn't have voted by mail? Correct. I think he shouldn't have. If he's against something, why are you doing it? Trump has long railed against mail-in voting, claiming without evidence it's a significant source of election fraud.

1:11:14We don't want to have mail-in ballots where they're mailed in from all parts of the place. Mail-in ballots are crooked as hell. Just yesterday, he claimed that, quote, mail-in voting means mail-in cheating. It's just another example of his hypocrisy. What can I say? And he is working to make it harder and harder for people to vote. I just am appalled. I don't care how he votes. He's voting. That's great. And so we got to get it done. And what do you think about the fact that he voted by mail? Well, hypocrisy comes to mind. Trump endorsed Republican John Maples in this race. He's facing off against Democrat Emily Gregory, a business owner and first-time candidate.

1:12:00Candidates have made affordability the key issue, but there's also the Trump factor. How important is Donald Trump's endorsement of John Maples to you? Fabulous. Anything Donald does, I do. If the Democrats do flip this seat, it will only add to a string of victories across the country. Since the start of Trump's term, Democrats have flipped more than 20 state legislative seats. What do you think it would mean if the Democrats are able to flip this district from red to blue? Oh, my gosh, what is that? Heaven. I think that the message would be loud and clear. that everything about this administration is appalling and even his neighbors believe that and phil just getting back to the president's mail-in ballot we asked the white house for comment on this they issued a statement to cnn saying as everyone knows the president is a resident of palm beach and participates in florida elections but he obviously primarily lives at the White House in Washington, D.C., and they went on to call this a non-story.

1:13:05Phil? Randy Kayforce, great reporting as always, my friend. Thanks so much. My panel joins me now. T.W., the president's like back at Mar-a-Lago a lot. So like, you know, he's not only in Washington, D.C. I think the thing I always get stuck on with the mail-in balloting is, one, Florida Republicans do not want to cancel mail-in ballots. VBM was like the Florida Republican strong suit for a long time. But, too, that Trump keeps voting by mail. Why? Because he lives at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. He's at Mar-a-Lago more than he's at the White House. He's at Mar-a-Lago a lot, but I think as this war has taught you, things change, and the plans have to change, and Donald Trump can't just jump in his car and drive over to a local polling booth.

1:13:51There's a lot of stuff that happens with it. I agree. Hold on a second. Are you saying that sometimes it's hard to get to the polling place in person and therefore voting by mail? If you're the commander in chief, that's why we give, by the way, that's why there's carve-outs for the military. That's why there's carve-outs for people who are out of town or doing certain travel. They're in SAVE Act. There are carve-outs for people. And many people think the commander in chief should also have a carve-out. However, I do think it would have been a nice symbol to vote in person. But I don't know the president's schedule.

1:14:21He's the most powerful man on earth. Give him a break. All right. We'll give a break on this one. Arlette, you are a resident Texan and our expert in all things Texas, mostly cuisine, but I'm going to pull on your politics expertise, which is just as elite. The Senate primary, I thought there was going to be a pick. John Cornyn, Ken Paxson, every Republican of the establishment ilk is saying he's about to back Cornyn. It's going to happen. It's going to happen. It hasn't happened yet. What is happening? Yeah, we are almost three weeks since President Trump said that he was going to weigh in on this race.

1:14:57And really, this entire contest is simply frozen because he has not decided to do that just yet. There is some belief that President Trump and his advisers were frustrated by these leaks out in the press that he was leaning towards endorsing Cornyn. And that might be one of the reasons that he's pulled back a little bit. But you've seen both Cornyn and Ken Paxton really try to attach themselves to this SAVE Act because they know that that's something that's a top priority for President Trump. But you're also seeing these candidates still trying to court him in different ways. Cornyn, you know, trying to show his support for the SAVE Act, even suggesting eliminating the filibuster to do that.

1:15:34Ken Paxton is running TV ads in Mar-a-Lago in West Palm Beach almost every weekend in March to try to... I thought he was in D.C. That's why he had to vote by mail. Well, that is, I mean, he has been down in Mar-a-Lago. And so Paxton's team is running these ads to try to argue that Cornyn has betrayed the president. So you're still seeing both of them angling for this. But there's no question if the president decides not to weigh in on this contest in a little over two months, that it's going to be a very messy primary between these two men and a very expensive primary, which is something Republicans have worried about.

1:16:07Mo, I've gone down the turning Texas blue road many times in the last 50 cycles. How are Democrats looking at this right now and their candidate, James Tallarico? I think they feel like this is going to be a competitive race. And by all indications, it will be competitive. Look, I am not one of these, for the past decade plus, I've stopped making predictions. And I think everyone is wise to stop making predictions. But if you see an opportunity where you've got a potential nominee in Ken Paxton who is incredibly weak and you've got a strong candidate like Jim Tallarico, you get behind it and you throw in, you give it your best shot.

1:16:51And I think that's how most Democrats are looking at it. At the very least, it is going to force Republicans to spend money to defend a state they normally wouldn't have to defend or spend money to defend. I want to play some sound from Gavin Newsom talking about kind of how Democrats should position themselves heading into the mid Travis. Take a listen. Fight fire with fire. And I know two wrongs don't make a right. But with all due respect, we'll lose this country as we try to win that argument. And Democrats are constantly trying to be right. The other side is ruthless. And with respect, my party needs to be more ruthless about winning because if we don't win back the House of Representatives, we may not have a fair and free election in 2028.

1:17:30And I really believe that. I honestly only wanted to pull that clip because of J Mart's new podcast, where he literally just goes and eats food at great restaurants with politicians. It's a good job. It's like the best racket I have ever seen. It's also excellent and outstanding. Well, I want to get to what he said in a second. But when you talk to Democrats, is that how they're thinking about this right now? Is that because I know it's sometimes it's bifurcated in terms of like, OK, how do we approach this moment? What's kind of the consensus? Yeah, well, I think that you hear from a lot of Democratic voters who feel that they need to see their candidates fighting more, need to see their politicians up on Capitol Hill fighting more.

1:18:05But there will be questions as these campaigns start to evolve and whether that is the right approach, especially if you're thinking about a state like Texas, where they feel like you need to appeal to like a bit of a more middle of the road to ensure that you're getting candidates on both sides. But certainly Democrats right now feel that they do need to be in this fighting position and at least show that they're trying. For a portion of the last year, there were many Democratic voters who felt that Democratic politicians just weren't doing enough. And so arguments like this, I think, are things that they hope will resonate with people.

1:18:39TW, you think the participation trophy, just trying, is going to be enough in the midterms? No, I'm not even particularly sure what that looks like. Is it putting out a bunch of videos where you drop an F-bomb or you try to put out some edgy tweets? Is that what you're looking at for fight? Is it creating long lines of TSA by not getting behind a DHS funding bill and totally misrepresenting the situation? I have a hard time understanding what that looks like. And I think the Democrats set themselves up for a problem if they try to be more like Trump and some of the MAGA folks, because I think it'll backfire when people see it's not genuine.

1:19:13Donald Trump is a one of one. A lot of his acolytes and people in Congress are one of ones. They're unique that they've built over time. So that's sort of how I feel about it. That's a really interesting point that I think is important for people to recognize. Like, you're not going to out-trump the guy. And I don't know that we're ever going to see anybody like him or that cuts his particular character path ever again, certainly never did before. How do you navigate that if you're a Democrat? I have one piece of advice for Democrats. I think what the country is looking for is not necessarily a fighter as much as an alternative.

1:19:47And that's what Democrats need to do a better job than we have in the past. These special elections are great. And I think that there is so much opportunity for Democrats. And in these special elections, we have proven time and time again that we know how to seize that opportunity. But when we get to that stage, that fight, that competition, we need to be an alternative. People know that they dislike the Republican Party right now and they dislike this president right now. Show them what they get in return. You guys are the best. Thanks very much. We'll be right back.

1:20:23In our Earth Matters series, the Trump administration will pay nearly$1 billion taxpayer dollars to a French energy company to not build wind farms. Instead, the White House is asking the company to pursue fossil fuel projects inside the U.S. The$1 billion will be reimbursements for leases the company purchased under the Biden administration to build two offshore wind farms off of New York and North Carolina. Well, you can follow the show on X and Instagram at DeleteCNN. If you ever miss an episode of The Lead, you can watch the show on the CNN app. Aaron Burnett out front. Starts now.

1:21:16I'm CNN tech reporter Claire Duffy. This week on the podcast, Terms of Service, there's a growing category of products aimed specifically at addressing women's unique health needs. These tools and services are sometimes known as femtech, and they can provide big opportunities and benefits, but they can also come with some risks. To walk us through all of this, I spoke with Bethany Corbin. Bethany is an attorney and CEO of Femme Innovation, where she advises startups, clinicians and health care organizations. In my opinion, what it really does is gives us a collective language to talk about women's healthcare innovation and the tools that are out there so that we can take control of our healthcare experiences and know how to advocate for ourselves in a system that's probably not been designed to advocate for us.

1:22:03Listen to CNN's Terms of Service wherever you get your podcasts.