Trump Confirms Call with Putin

28:08And so I wanted to give them something real and time tested and not falsely optimistic, but ultimately encouraging to hang on to. Yeah, that sounds like a great balance to strike. Looking forward to checking this out. Jodi Kanter, thank you so much for being with us. A pleasure. Thank you. Later here on The Lead, we'll talk more about today's Supreme Court decision with Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock. Plus, are there cracks in the MAGA movement led by President Trump? CNN's John King is asking that question in rural Ohio as part of his All Over the Map series next.

28:56Back in our law and justice lead, all six conservative Supreme Court justices were at last night's state dinner honoring King Charles. And the three liberal justices, not present. It's unclear whether they were invited. But the optics fly in the face of what we often hear from Chief Justice John Roberts. that the court he leads avoids even the appearance of a political divide. CNN's John King is joining us now, along with Sarah Isker, who has a new book out, Last Branch Standing. It's an inside look at the Supreme Court's inner workings and what's motivating the nine justices. And you, Sarah, you're also the editor of SCOTUSblog, which is just, I mean, necessary.

29:39We were busy today. Very busy. What do you make of the moment where you have the six conservative justices attending last night, none of the liberal ones? That's funny. I was texting away last night because it was so surprising to me that the chief went for all the reasons that you just said. He is the main institutionalist of the court. I'd be shocked if he went if they hadn't been invited. But like you sort of insinuate there, I'm surprised he went even with them invited with that appearance. the court has worked very hard to make clear that there is no red team or blue team at the Supreme Court.

30:15Their decisions bear that out. The data bears that out. But here we have a state dinner where, in fact, it was the six Republican appointees at the White House. It'll be very interesting if we can figure that out. So hard, that sort of black box that is the Supreme Court. John, today's decision, this is huge, right? This is monumental. And it centers on these two two majority blacks and minority minority districts in Louisiana. It hands a big win to Republicans, ruling that the map should be redrawn, that there shouldn't be the second of those two. How much could this serve as a bellwether for other states?

30:54Number one, this is a giant, essentially, stop in the whole civil rights conversation. This has been a legacy of the civil rights movement, the Voting Rights Act to protect minority populations. Now the court's saying, no, can't do it that way. So there's a huge civil rights conversation to have. In the here and now about House districts and redistricting, Louisiana is in the middle. Its primary is coming up just a couple of weeks. So can they redraw that map for this year? Probably not. They're going to take a look at it, see what they can do. Probably not. Tennessee is thinking about trying to redraw their map already.

31:22Mississippi and Alabama will look at this. South Carolina will look at this. A whole number of states, most of them in the South, are going to look at this. How much can you do in 2026? My bet is not that much. Just because they're already primary scheduled and early voting in some of these states already, Maybe a little. But this guarantees that, number one, the voting rights, the civil rights issue carries over into 2028. And so does all the map redrawing. And guess what? If those southern states are going to redraw minority districts and try to wipe them out and turn them into red districts, well, then New York and Colorado and other blue states are going to jump back into Illinois like we saw this year.

31:53So what we've seen is Trump started it this year with Texas go, then California get in and it's been a domino effect. That right now is probably about a draw. Florida has a new map that will help the Republicans maybe three or four seats. A lot of people have thought this is messy. Guess what? There's a huge civil rights debate to continue, and this is going to go on into 2028 and now probably beyond. It's like a race to the bottom, right? We can get this back and forth, back and forth, that we can look forward to continuing. You're also out with a great new edition of your All Over the Map series, and you've been looking at shifts in the MAGA movement.

32:25What did you find? Well, I got to go to the state of Ohio, which tells you everything, that there are big questions in places that Trump won three times by big margins. Democrats in Ohio, Bree, think that they can win the race for governor and maybe even flip a red Senate seat blue.

32:43Most of Ohio is rural, and rural America is Trump country. But rural also means you drive a lot. High gas prices hurt. Farms dot the rolling hills of Albany in southeast Ohio. This one is unique. The chickens are your supervisors? Yeah. 400 or so sheep on 100 grassy acres. Lambing season. These sheep are pregnant. 200 to 250 more little lambs do any day. Stay till it. Stay. Stay. Bill Crusling doesn't need much diesel or any fertilizer, so he's shielded from the Iran war cost spikes hitting many other farmers. He does okay, but is saddled by huge medical deaths. His biggest complaints about Washington are corruption and deficit spending.

33:30Trump promised to change the health care system, and he hasn't. He promised to reduce the debt, and he hasn't. Well, it takes time. He had four years, but he was new to Washington. I don't blame Trump. I blame the Congress. Where am I riding? Right here. I'm going to take the dog's seat? Yeah, she's coming no matter what. Crustling says no politician understands this life. And he's mad at both parties for not solving problems. But he will vote Republican in November because he's conservative and because he loves Trump. For the very reason so many people can't stand Trump. He seems to like the fights.

34:08Oh, he loves a fight. He loves a fight. And that's great. That's why I voted for him. This world's got way too many pearl clutchers. It's like, come on, people, give me a break. Back on the road heading south, Portsmouth is in Scioto County, along the Ohio River across from Kentucky. Trump won 74 percent here last time. Dale King was already wavering on Trump. The Iran war, the last straw. King opened this Portsmouth gym 16 years ago after returning home from two tours in Iraq. It's crazy because that's like 20 years ago. King voted for Trump in 2016, again in 2024. But he's voting for Democrats in 2026 because he believes the country needs to send Trump a midterm message.

34:57I am pro-military. And I am, I am, we have a strong need to protect this country. I know there are threats and I know there are enemies that want to see the downfall of this country. But you can't, you can't be flippant about war. You can't. You cannot. Again, Bree, there, two-time Trump voter, including in 2024, saying in 2026 he thinks you need to send the commander-in-chief a message. Look, be skeptical about this. Trump won 81 of Ohio's 88 counties. He won Ohio three times easily. But half of those 88 counties are running ahead of the national average when it comes to are your costs outpacing your wages.

35:41The affordability crisis is real. And a lot of it is in those small rural counties where Trump runs up the numbers. So a lot of Trump voters are paying the price of this affordability crisis. And Democrats think and even Republicans concede they have a shot of winning the governors. They haven't elected a governor in 20 years. Sherrod Brown lost his Senate seat. He's trying to win back J.D. Vance's old Senate seat. So we'll see. But that that Ohio is competitive tells you everything. There are at least some cracks in the mega coalition. That's how I know I'm officially a veteran political reporter is that back in my day, You know, Ohio was competitive and it's not anymore.

36:17But that's fascinating what John is learning as he's talking to people there. And you know what state might be competitive here in 2026? Texas. You know, the new swing states always pop up. But I think we've nationalized our elections so much in the last 10 years. Congressmen no longer really represent their districts. They just represent the team, red or blue. And I think you're seeing these chickens, to use a term, come home to roost. Because if you actually represented your district, if retail politics was still a thing we were doing, they would know their voters, they would be able to talk to them about issues, legislation that they were proposing.

36:54None of that's happening. Instead, we're having negative polarization. You don't have to like me, but that guy over there wants to destroy your way of life. That's not going to work right now. And the question isn't how big the blue, sorry, whether there's a blue wave. It's how big it's going to be. What does that do to their ability to kind of be the quintessential politician, to be a retail politician, to get out there and glad hand and actually listen and talk to people? I mean, it's a dead art at this point. This is why Iowa and New Hampshire went first for these primaries. Look, one solution to this, by the way, that Ben Sasse talked about several times recently, George Washington wanted to cap the number of people a member of Congress could represent at 20 or 30 ,000.

37:36They're now representing 800 ,000 people. They can't do retail politics with 800 ,000 people. I don't know if America wants more congressmen, though, which would be what you'd get if you took that approach. But to your point, Bill Crossley, that farmer there, he's a conservative. He's going to vote Republican. But he says no politician understands his life. No politician ever comes to a small farm. Dale King, that veteran, lives in a small town just across the Ohio River from Kentucky. They don't show up there. They go to the big cities. They go to cities. But look, rural America is Trump country, right?

38:06That's how he wins in Ohio. That's how he wins in Texas. That's how he wins in Iowa. Guess what? Rural America, you drive more. You need diesel for your farm. You need fertilizer for your farm. Who has the Iran war hit the hardest? Rural Americans. Trump country. So I think there's a huge question as to whether places that we have just not even thought about visiting in the last, in the 10 years of Trump are now in play. I think anyone ignores them at their peril. if you really want to understand the country, you have to get out there. Whether you feel that they're your voter or not, you have to understand.

38:39You need some Casey's breakfast pizza from Iowa. Certainly. So before we let you go, I mentioned that your new book, Last Branch Standing, you look deep into the history of the Supreme Court in this, which is just such a fascinating time to do so. In today's ultra polarized environment, how does the court preserve its legitimacy as being a non-partisan entity. This is obviously so pertinent to this moment today. Exactly. You know, this was a decision that was 6-3 along ideological lines, but that's about 10-15 % of the decisions that we've been seeing lately. The vast majority aren't along those lines at all.

39:18In fact, last term, the same number of cases were with all of the liberals in dissent like we saw today. The same number were with all the liberals in the majority and conservatives in dissent. The biggest number of cases coming out of the Supreme Court are unanimous. There are things we need to do to help the Supreme Court maintain its independence from these political branches. Donald Trump's doing his part attacking them every day. We've seen that from Jefferson and Jackson and FDR and other presidents. We need this branch to protect the rights of free speech, of criminal justice. So we need to stop covering it like it's Congress and understand the branch, which is why I wrote the book.

39:54Awesome. Sarah, looking forward to reading it. John, thank you so much. What a wonderful report. And again, Sarah's new book is called Last Branch Standing. It's out now, so you can go and get it. CNN's Caitlin Collins coming up next with what President Trump told her today about his phone call with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, a rather long phone call he had today. Plus, how much the war in Iran is costing the Pentagon, A Navy veteran who now serves in Congress is here with his reaction. of President Trump's historic$1.5 trillion fiscal year 2027 budget. Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile, with a message for everyone paying big wireless way too much.

40:35Please, for the love of everything good in this world, stop. With Mint, you can get premium wireless for just$15 a month. Of course, if you enjoy overpaying, no judgments, but that's weird. Okay, one judgment. Anyway, give it a try at mintmobile.com slash switch. Upfront payment of$45 for three-month plan, equivalent to$15 per month required. Intro rate first three months only. Then full price plan options available. Taxes and fees extra. See full terms at mintmobile.com. Welcome to The Lead. I'm Brianna Keeler in for Jake Tapper. This hour, is President Trump any closer to a deal with Iran? Where do the negotiations stand right now?

41:11CNN's Kaitlin Collins pressed the president on those very questions this afternoon. And about his lengthy phone call today with Russian President Vladimir Putin, hear what he told her in moments. Plus, a consequential day at the U.S. Supreme Court as the justices limit a key part of the Voting Rights Act. So what does this mean for the midterms and for the maps that decide your representation in Congress? Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia is here to weigh in. Also, former FBI Director James Comey surrendering to law enforcement and making his first court appearance after being charged with making a threat against the president.

41:50CNN's Caitlin Collins asked President Trump about that case today. Hear what he told her ahead. And King Charles and Queen Camilla heading to New York today on day three of their visit to the United States. The royals paying respects at the 9-11 memorial before holding events around sustainable farming and the importance of reading. What we can expect from their final events before they head back across the pond.

42:18The lead tonight, major developments in the war with Iran. The first, a nearly 90-minute call today between President Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, where the two talked about negotiations and the status of a potential ceasefire deal. He told me he'd like to be involved with the enrichment, if he can help us get it. He doesn't want to see them have a nuclear weapon either. But I had a long talk with President Putin. This coming as both Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Cain, testified on Capitol Hill for the first time since the war started two months ago.

42:56Hegseth slamming lawmakers opposed to the war in his opening remarks. The biggest adversary we face at this point are the reckless, feckless, and defeatist words of congressional Democrats and some Republicans. That hearing also revealing the cost of this war. The Pentagon revealing it spent$25 billion so far. And as the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports continues and the Strait of Hormuz essentially remains closed, gas prices here in the U.S. keep going up. Average gas prices nationwide,$4.23 a gallon. That is a four-year high. CNN's Natasha Bertrand and Caitlin Collins are here with me in studio.

43:42And Caitlin, you were pressing the president this afternoon about his phone call with Putin. What did he tell you? Yeah, we had just been taken into the Oval with the astronauts who were actually surrounding the president. So just while you're seeing this, but we had just learned that the president had finished a 90-minute phone call with President Putin. He said they talked a lot about the war in Ukraine during that call and that Putin was offering him help with the Iran war and with the enriched uranium, which the president, we know, wants to get out of Iran before this war is over. And the president told us that he actually said to Putin that he'd rather have finished with the war in Ukraine first before trying to help with the war in Iran.

44:17And so I asked the president which war he thinks will end sooner, the war in Iran or the war in Ukraine. On your call with President Putin today, do you think the war in Iran ends first or the war in Ukraine? Well, we talked about more about the war in Ukraine, but he would like to be of help. I said, before you help me, I want to end your war. So we had a good talk. I've known him a long time. But which war do you think ends first?

44:48That's an interesting question. You know, coming from you, that's very interesting. Which war would end first? I don't know. Maybe they're on a similar timetable. I think Ukraine, militarily, they're defeated. I believe he meant Iran there because he then went on to talk about their navy being destroyed. But obviously, I mean, that answer might be concerning for some of the president's supporters who see the$25 billion price tag that was put on it today by the Pentagon. Some people say they believe it's actually more than that, given the weaponry that's been lost there. But in terms of the president, I mean, obviously he wanted the war in Ukraine to end his first day in office.

45:21It has proven elusive since then to find anything to it. There are obviously two very different conflicts, but it does show the president is now viewing maybe they could end around the same time. The question is, when could that be? Yeah. And Americans know the cost when you look at gas, right? Every time they fill up their tank, they're feeling the cost besides that$25 billion. Trump's remarks today coming as Pete Hegseth, actually for the first time since the Iran war began, was up in the hot seat testifying before lawmakers. Yeah. And I think that point about how long this conflict is actually going to go on and the fact that it could be on the same timeline as the Ukraine war is really interesting in light of the fact that there was no conversation really today about the end game of the Iran war.

46:03Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Dan Cain, Secretary Hegseth, neither of them really had a good sense of what the actual objective is to actually end this war. And it certainly wasn't top of mind for Pete Hegseth, who spent a lot of the hearing primarily attacking lawmakers. It was very, very combative, very little substance overall, except for that 25 billion figure that we got, which does seem fairly low, we should note, because it was smaller than the$200 billion supplemental that the Pentagon indicated just a few weeks ago that it was going to be prepared to ask for Congress because of this war.

46:36In just the first six days of this war alone, officials from the Pentagon were estimating that it was costing over$11 billion just for that first week, essentially. And so I think there was a lot of kind of theater here overall and not a lot of answers about exactly what is going to come next here. In terms of the questions about Iran's nuclear ambitions, which has always been kind of the core of President Trump's argument of why they need to go to war with Iran, that was also fairly confusing. Secretary Hegseth started saying that Iran's nuclear ambitions have been completely obliterated, which contradicts what the administration has said previously about the justification for going to this war.

47:15But here's a little bit of the back and forth on that. Their nuclear facilities have been obliterated underground. They're buried and watching them 24-7. So we know where any nuclear material might be. Reclaiming my time for just a quick second here. We had to start this war, you just said, 60 days ago because the nuclear weapon was an imminent threat. Now you're saying that it was completely obliterated? They had not given up their nuclear ambitions and they had a conventional shield of thousands of... So Operation Midnight Hammer, a combination... ...nothing of substance. It left us at exactly the same place we were before.

47:54So much so that we had to start a war. Their facilities were bombed and obliterated. Their ambitions continued. So Secretary Hegseth, his spokesperson, Sean Parnell, President Trump, they all said last year after that massive bombing campaign of the nuclear facilities that Iran's nuclear hopes and ambitions had been completely obliterated as well. So they've done pretty much 180 on that. Yeah, really interesting. Natasha, Caitlin, thank you so much to both of you. And don't miss Caitlin on her show, The Source with Caitlin Collins. Her guests tonight include Democratic Congressman Jason Crow tonight at 9 Eastern on CNN.

48:28I want to bring in Democratic Congressman Chris Deluzio of Pennsylvania. He sits on the House Armed Services Committee. He's also a Navy veteran. Congressman, today we heard General Cain say the number of service members killed in the war now actually stands at 14. I want to play for our viewers a part of your exchange with Secretary Hegseth during the hearing. You were actually pressing Hegseth on the March 1st Iranian drone strike in Kuwait that killed six U.S. troops and injured dozens of others. There is not a single additional thing you could have done to protect those troops who are now wounded, six of whom are dead.

49:06I'm telling you that as a department, we did every conceivable thing at my level and every echelon down to ensure the maximum force protection for our troops. We live in a dangerous world, in a dangerous place against a determined enemy that can't have a nuclear weapon. And that requires sacrifice and risk. And tragically, in this case, it meant six Americans lost their lives and others were wounded. Do you believe that everything was done that could be done to help protect those troops in Kuwait? Well, Brianna, it's not really what I believe. It's what the troops who were wounded are willing to talk about it say.

49:41And they say they were left defenseless. I asked the secretary about the T-walls that were there. That's to protect against mortar fire and indirect fire. There was nothing to guard against the overhead drone strike. risk, which is the exact thing that happened that took those six Americans' lives and wounded others. He had a really basic opportunity. I gave him several chances to say they didn't do enough to protect those troops, and he couldn't do it. And again, what he and his press secretary have said several times is that the reporting and what those troops said was dishonest. And I asked him bluntly whether he's calling them liars, and he refused to answer the question.

50:15I think that's a disgraceful thing. The Pentagon says that it spent$25 billion on the war so far. You probably just heard our reporting that is seen by many as a low number, a low estimate. The White House is seeking about$1.5 trillion for its defense budget in the upcoming year here. Will you approve that funding? Well, I think the estimate is low, as you say, and I don't think we should be funding this war. The secretary, Pete Hegseth, today said, well, we all expected that he'll be coming back to the Congress, the department will, to ask for more money, additional supplemental funding. And so to not have any understanding of the real cost, again, this is their initial estimate, $25 billion.

51:01We think it's higher. To not have a full counting, and yet they're coming to the American people in the Congress for more than a trillion dollars and telling us they're going to come for more for this war. So I have way too many questions that are not answered before I'm willing to give any more money. I don't think we should be giving more money for this war. It's a war we should end, and we should bring the troops home. What do you make of President Trump saying that President Putin offered to help in the war with Iran, specifically on enriched uranium? Moscow, by the way, has previously proposed taking control of Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium to mirror its role in the 2015 JCPOA.

51:37What do you make of that offer today? Look, it sounds like a lot of the kind of, you know, spin that Putin has done that this president seems willing to listen to. The basic reality of where this Iran war is, it's not where anyone who is in this administration could have thought it would go. It gets to me to the point that they didn't think about what would happen in this war. And the basic thing, again, I come back to is there was a nuclear agreement in place under President Obama that Donald Trump got us out of, that whatever flaws it had is better than the current situation. No one, I think, around here wants to see a nuclear Iran, and yet we are seeing a worse situation in the region than the status quo before.

52:18You've got the Strait of Hormuz closed. You've got oil markets in crisis. You've got gas prices and diesel prices at home spiking. All very predictable consequences of this war that Donald Trump started and seems to have no clear avenue out. Democratic Congressman Chris Deluzio of Pennsylvania, thanks for taking the time with us this evening. We appreciate it. You bet. Thank you. So that was a Democrat's take on today's big hearing. Next, I'll speak to a Republican congressman who also questioned Secretary Hegseth today about how long the Strait of Hormuz could be closed as gas prices continue to rise here at home.

52:51Stay with us.

52:59We are back with the world lead, President Trump confirming he spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin in a 90-minute phone call today, both on the U.S. war with Iran and also Russia's ongoing conflict with Ukraine. I suggested a little bit of a ceasefire, and I think he might do that. He might announce something having to do with it. Even if it's a little ceasefire, there's so many people being killed, it's so ridiculous. I want to bring in Congressman Carlos Jimenez, a Republican from Florida who sits on the House Armed Services Committee. Congressman, you mentioned today in this hearing with Secretary Hegseth how you continue to support U.S.

53:37efforts to help Ukraine in its war against Russia. As the president spoke with Putin today about a brief ceasefire, are you hopeful that that could actually happen? I mean, hopeful that it could actually happen, yes. Do I think it will actually happen? I have my doubts about that. You know, the president and I don't see eye to eye as far as President Putin is concerned. And I have always supported the efforts of the United States to help the Ukrainians fight this invasion and this bully. And so I will continue to support Ukraine in their fight against Russia. Is it a problem that Ukraine was not part of this ceasefire discussion?

54:18It was Trump and Putin. Well, I mean, it's a discussion between the President of the United States and Vladimir Putin. And if he's asking, please, let's see if we can have a ceasefire. I don't see where there's a problem with having a ceasefire. Do I believe there's going to be a ceasefire? Probably not, because I don't believe anything that Vladimir Putin says. And so, again, while I'm hopeful, I don't think it's going to happen. Hopefully, I'm proven wrong. I do want to play part of your questioning of Secretary Hegseth this afternoon about U.S. goals in Iran. Here it is. Would you also agree that now another goal of ours is to make sure that Iran never blockades the Strait of Hormuz, never has control of the Strait of Hormuz.

55:03Would that be an objective of ours? What they're doing right now is effectively piracy. It's terrorism. It's threatening international shipping. And our blockade is signaling to the world that we actually control that Strait. Can the U.S. achieve that goal without a long-term presence in the Middle East? Well, it all depends on what the outcome of the Iranian war is. Look, my number one criteria for success in the war against Iran is to make sure that Iran never possesses a nuclear weapon and never has the capacity, capability to build a nuclear weapon. And we have to stop that because, you know, they've been shouting death to America and death to Israel for the last 47 years.

55:47I actually believe it. And if they do actually obtain nuclear weapons, I think the world is going to be a much less safe place, especially for America and for Israel. as far as the Straits of Hormuz, that will all come out without what the outcome of this war is. And if, in fact, we can't get that guarantee, then yes, the United States is going to have to have a presence in the strait, as well as our allies are going to have a presence in the states, because actually they have more to lose with the blockade or shipping not being allowed to go through the strait than America does. As you emphasize this goal of making sure that Iran never blockades the Strait of Hormuz, Iran had not blockaded the Strait before the war.

56:31And there are signs the administration was not prepared to respond to Iran blockading the Strait when it did. Is making sure Iran doesn't blockade the Strait a goal that has actually been created by this war? No, actually, I think that, thank you now that we understand now the pure threat that Iran poses to the world. Can you imagine now a nuclear-armed Iran now blockading the strait and then demanding a toll in order to go through? Look, the Iranians aren't, you know, they're anything but they're very smart people. They would have figured that out pretty quickly, that now they have complete control, and then now they can really hold the world hostage once they attain that nuclear weapon.

57:16And so now the world sees exactly why Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, because they will hold the rest of the world hostage and they will try to extort large amounts of money from the rest of the world in order to keep the straits open. This week, gas is the highest average price nationwide that we've seen since the start of the war. It's astounding in some places where obviously because of local and state taxes, it costs even more. The secretary was asked about the cost of the war on Americans. Here's that exchange. You know how much it will cost Americans in terms of their increased cost in gas and food over the next year because of the Iran war?

58:02I would simply ask you what the cost is of an Iranian nuclear bomb. I'm going to give you that opportunity. I would simply ask you what the... You're playing gotcha questions about domestic things. I wonder what you think about your constituents, what you're hearing from them in Monroe County. Gas is, it's really mirroring that sort of national number that's$4.38 a gallon in Monroe County. Would they agree that the price tag is worth it when it comes to Iran not acquiring a nuclear bomb? Considering what we heard from the secretary today, he was saying that, yes, their nuclear program was obliterated, but their ambitions were not obliterated by midnight hammer.

58:43Do you really think that if Iran had a nuclear weapon and they were able to - This isn't a - I'm not asking you - I'm not asking you about what I think. I'm talking about constituents because I think sometimes when they're having a tough time paying bills, it's hard for them sometimes to think about geopolitical scenarios, right? Well, it's my job to make sure that they think about geopolitical issues because it affects their pocketbook every day. if Iran had a nuclear weapon, they could put a chokehold on the strait anytime they wanted to, and gas prices would be much, much higher. As a matter of fact, gas prices were much, much higher during the Biden administration.

59:19And I don't think I got too many questions about, gee, why is gas so high now? The reason gas was so high was because of the ridiculous energy policy of President Biden. Can you imagine if we had followed those policies and we wouldn't be energy independent today, those gas prices would be through the roof because we'd be dependent on the very gas that flows through the straits of our moves. We're not today. And so that's all due to President Trump and his policies. And constituents are receptive to that message? Oh, I should hope so. I mean, that's my job to make sure that that comes, you know, loud and clear as to what would have happened had the Democrats actually been in control and President Biden had been in control through gas prices and allowed Iran to have a nuclear weapon.

1:00:06We'd be in much worse shape than we are today. This war is going to end, and eventually the straits are going to be open, and gas prices are going to be lower, especially here in the United States, because we are now drilling, and we have a much greater supply here, and we are energy independent, unlike during the Biden administration where we were actually energy dependent. I'd rather be independent. Republican Congressman Carlos Jimenez from Florida, thanks for being with us. Thank you. New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani said there was one specific conversation he was hoping to have with King Charles today.

1:00:41So did the mayor bring it up when they met? We'll have that next.

1:00:50In our world lead, King Charles and Queen Camilla heading up to New York City after a lavish state dinner last night at the White House. On the agenda today, a 9-11 memorial event where the royal couple met with the families of some of the victims who were killed that day. CNN royal correspondent Max Foster is with us live. All right, Max, why was this such an important event for the king and queen to attend? Many Brits died there for a start and a royal hasn't visited, so it was a big moment in that context. It was also, you may have seen this speech yesterday, talked about Britain's role in Afghanistan.

1:01:23And you may remember President Trump said that British troops held back in Afghanistan, which caused huge offense in the UK. And that's why many MPs wanted this whole visit canceled. So it was about remembering the victims primarily and seeing the amazing project that they've got there, but also showing that we were shoulder to shoulder with the United States in the reaction going to Afghanistan. And Britain suffered in a huge way, not just from the attack, but also from the fighting. Yeah, huge. New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani met with the King today and he had said that there was a conversation that he hoped to have with him but that he didn't get to.

1:02:00Tell us about that. Wow, that's interesting. So before meeting the King, he said, if I didn't get a chance to speak, I want to get the Koh-i-Noor diamond repatriated. So one of the centerpieces of the crown jewels in the UK is the consort's crown. and in that is the most spectacular diamond in the world. It's the most famous diamond in the world, Koh-i-Noor. The Brits took it from India during colonial rule. India's been asking for it back ever since. Britain says we got legal ownership of it and that it's part of our heritage. So it's a huge controversial issue and it's central to the crown jewels and he was going to ask the king about that.

1:02:43He's still on that sort of mission, as it were. David Cameron as prime minister said you know we can't give it back because we own it but also we'd have to empty all of our museums because so much of it was stolen. Well there you go this is such an interesting visit it's such an interesting time and even though U.S. UK relations have been strained that personal relationship between the king and Trump is very amicable. I mean you saw I saw that on display yesterday. I wonder how has it been, how have folks in Britain, how has the British press, how have people watching from Britain seen the king's reception here in the U.S.?

1:03:23Has it defied any expectations? Well, it's turning into a bit of a rock star. I mean, not just in the U.K., but within Europe, because he stood up for the transatlantic alliance, stood up for liberal democracy in a way, challenged some of the concerns that Europeans have about the political direction of America. And he's got the president's ear, which is extraordinary. I mean, he's got this particular bond with British monarchy, and it seems unbreakable. And there were very many pointed moments in that speech, and the president didn't seem to have a problem with any of them. Yeah, he said that today, that he had a good speech.

1:04:00He might be one of the only people who could kind of get away with it. Yeah, it's interesting, isn't it? That sort of liberal voice in the president's ear. He didn't mind. Max Foster, it's great to see you in person. Great to be here. Here in real life. I love it. You are real. Yeah, you are too. It's wonderful. Good to see you. Today, the U.S. Supreme Court limited a key part of the Voting Rights Act. It's an act, of course, championed by Martin Luther King Jr. And next, I'll ask Senator Raphael Warnock, who now leads Dr. King's former church, for his reaction to this decision.

1:04:39In our politics lead a decision in a landmark voting rights case today, the Supreme Court voting 6-3 to toss out Louisiana's long-contested congressional map. The conservative majority ruled the state's map was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. Critics are calling the ruling another blow to the Landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965 as it opens the door for states to redraw maps to eliminate majority black or Latino districts. We're joined now by Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia. Senator, thank you so much for being with us. Civil rights groups, as you are well aware, are condemning the Supreme Court's ruling.

1:05:17Reverend Al Sharpton called it a bullet in the heart of the voting rights movement. What is your reaction to the court's decision today? Great to be here with you. It is an awful decision, and today is a devastating day in the history of our fight for a democracy that looks like America. The decision of the Supreme Court is deeply disappointing, but we will not lose hope. We will continue to fight. But let me be really clear. as the pastor of the church that Martin Luther King Jr. led. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is the crown achievement of the civil rights movement. And it is an achievement that is consecrated in the blood, quite literally the blood of martyrs.

1:06:11Those who stood up, like my own parishioner, John Lewis, who took a beating and was assaulted on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, Amelia Boynton, who was gassed, so many others who lost their lives fighting for this. And we should be really clear that this extreme Supreme Court sided with the opponents of that movement today, and I think we're going to see, as a result of that, at least the peril that we will see a Congress that looks less and less like America. What does this mean for Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy? Well, the legacy is under assault and today was not the opening salvo. This extreme Supreme Court has been at this for a while.

1:06:59In 2013, it began with the awful decision of Shelby versus Holder that severely hobbled Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, which required states and districts with a history of discrimination to pre-clear any changes that they would make through the Justice Department. And Ruth Bader Ginsburg said when they made that decision that we were removing the umbrella from us in a rainstorm because we're not getting wet. And that proved to be prophetic. In spite of what Robert said at the time regarding that decision, the truth is since 2013, the racial gap in voter turnout has actually grown wider over the last several years.

1:07:55And today's decision would make that worse. My hope is in the voices of the people. Their voices are being squeezed out of the democracy. And the answer to that, quite frankly, is more democracy. We need people to turn out like never before. Those who are the adversaries of diversity and inclusion have seen your power. They're coming for your voice. And it's up to the people to say, oh, no, you don't. This will not happen on our watch. And we have to turn out in massive numbers and say no to what happened today. Very quickly, Georgia Republicans called on state lawmakers to redraw the state's congressional maps.

1:08:40Rick Jackson, who is running in Georgia's gubernatorial election, said in light of today's Supreme Court ruling, redrawing the maps must be added to the agenda. State Senator Greg Dolezal said, now is not the time for Republicans to be weak-kneed. It's time to be bold, redraw the unconstitutional congressional maps in the South. What is your response to that? I'm not surprised. When we saw the decision in Shelby v. Holder, when preclearance was removed, quickly we saw the same legislatures, the same states, the same districts that had a long and ugly history of discrimination respond in kind and do things they would not have been able to do with those tools in place.

1:09:26And so what the Supreme Court did today was they said, we cannot have majority-minority districts, but you can engage in all of the partisan gerrymandering that you would like. And so the result of that is that those who want to be able to push against a representative democracy, those who don't want to hear the voices of certain people have been emboldened. And that's what you hear coming from those who are running for office in Georgia. They have quite literally seen the power of our voice, which delivered me to the United States Senate, which has been a wave that has created opportunity, that created the Congressional Black Caucus.

1:10:16They're coming after that. And more and more, they are choosing the voices of the powerful over the voices of the marginalized. I submit that that is a blow not only to African Americans, it's a blow to the democracy. The democracy is better when it is a more representative democracy. Senator Raphael Warnock, thank you for being with us. Thank you. Former FBI Director James Comey making his first court appearance today after being charged with making a threat against the president. CNN asked President Trump about this case today. We'll have his response next.

1:11:01In our politics lead, former FBI Director James Comey in federal court today after getting indicted again by the Justice Department, all tied to an Instagram post, this one here, that prosecutors say threatened the president. The photo shows seashells spelling out 8647. Prosecutors point to 47 as Trump is the 47th president, saying 86, referring to get rid of something. Comey maintains he's innocent, but President Trump, not on the same page. You ever see the movies? 86 him. The mobster says to one of his wonderful associates, 86 him. That means kill him. I think of it as a mob term. People think of it as something having to do with disappearing.

1:11:51But the mob uses that term to say when they want to kill somebody, they say 86, the son of a gun. My panel joins me now. Adrian Elrod, to you first. I mean, Comey, he didn't enter a plea today. Where does this go from here? Well, look, I think we're going to see a similar situation to where we saw last time. I think legal experts are saying there's no there there. But we are also seeing Donald Trump do exactly what he's done many times before, which is trying to use the levers of the DOJ to seek revenge on his political enemies. Now, I'm not the person here, Brianna, who's going to defend James Comey for very obvious reasons.

1:12:27I was part of Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign. But I do think what we're seeing here is a pattern over and over again where there is no separation between the president of the United States, Donald Trump, and his Department of Justice where there is supposed to be a line of separation. He is using it to seek revenge, and we're seeing this happen again with Comey. I mean, is this just a circus? What do you think the president wants this to be, Mike? Look, it's part circus on the one hand. I frankly was surprised this isn't what they went after Comey the first time around. I mean, for James Comey to say, I didn't know what 86 meant.

1:13:01I mean, he spent the time picking out all those colored shells to match the colors up on 86-47. Wait, I thought he saw someone else's shells. They're not other people's shells. Look at the color coordination. he had going on there. He spent the time to do this. He knew exactly what he was doing. And frankly, that is a threat to the presidency, to the president. And I was surprised I didn't go after him for the first time. But to your point, yes. Is this a sideshow? Of course it is. But it is one of Comey's own making. He posted that Instagram. Is it a threat? That will be the question. In 1969, a 21-year-old named Robert Watts at an anti-Vietnam War rally said, I don't want to get drafted.

1:13:40And if I do, the first man I want in my sights is Lyndon Johnson. And that case went all the way to Supreme Court. The Supreme Court said it's political hyperbole, that the political arena is full of vitriol and passionate feelings. And unless there is evidence that it is an actual threat, you have freedom of speech to say things like that. You do, but one is the former FBI director who should know better, and the other is a young man who didn't want to be drafted. They both have the same First Amendment right. You think that was serious? You think he wanted to go out and kill him? No, he did not.

1:14:10I think he wanted to threaten him. I think it's wrong. I think it's wrong, but there's a difference between what's criminal and what's part of our liberty. The question is, do you indict or do you debate about it? Now, one thing I think we can all agree on, that's a beautiful beach, right? North Carolina has beautiful beaches. Beautiful shelves. And Republican Senator Tom Tillis, who represents that beautiful state, was asked about the Comey indictment today. And here's what he said. I just think it's another example of where we're going to regret this because we're setting a fairly low bar. And political physics, like I've sat around here for years, is what it is.

1:14:47For every action, there's an equal and opposite reaction. Unencumbered by re-election, he thinks it's regrettable. Yeah, I mean, look, I think Tom Tillis continues to be the voice of reason for the Republican Party and kind of represents the former conservative Republican Party before MAGA took over. But at the end of the day, I mean, he's exactly right. it does set a low bar and it says a very dangerous president going forward. We had the almost, and I think he's absolutely right about unintended consequences. We had the same thing happen when they brought Bill and Hillary Clinton in to testify on the Epstein files.

1:15:23That set a precedent where you can bring former presidents in to testify. I think that is going to bite this administration in the backside at some point. So you do need to be careful about these things. Well, we are on the topic of free speech and Terry, you were here. I have a question I want to ask you about, which, of course, you used to work at ABC. I did. And I wonder what you make of this ongoing feud between President Trump and Jimmy Kimmel. You have the FCC now. Jimmy Kimmel, he makes a joke preceding the White House Correspondents' Dinner, saying that Melania Trump has, I think, the glow of an expectant widow.

1:15:58And she took a lot of issue with that. Trump took a lot of issue with that. you now have the FCC ordering a review, an early review of ABC's broadcast licenses? Well, look, I think first, who said, if you want a friend in Washington, get a dog, right? You got to have thick skin in Washington, D.C., including if you're president. Now, I thought Kimmel's joke was unkind and unfunny. But let's remember our liberties once again. You know what I mean? He's got a right to make that joke. I think what Disney's going to do is de-escalate. They're going to stand up, because this case would not go forward in any court of law if it was challenged, but they're going to want not to rattle Trump's cage, because he does use the power of government at every opportunity to answer insults with arrests, to answer hurt feelings with smashing law firms or universities or whomever.

1:16:51Or consequences for corporate owners. For corporate owners. And I think Disney's got a new CEO. You know, Kimmel has been in trouble before. I don't think they fire him. But I think just like they leaned on the view to tone down the political content, I think they're going to lean on Kimmel. Yeah. What do you think? Well, look, this is different than what happened with Kimmel before. Because what happened with Kimmel before affected the other owners of ABC stations. This is about the owned and operated. It's only about the eight stations that ABC owns and operates. So that's why you don't see the Sinclairs and anybody else weighing in on this.

1:17:26This is almost an ABC itself fight. But, you know, there are consequences sometimes to words being said. But it's pulling it out of cycle, right? Totally out of cycle. It was earlier in the week. No, no, I'm saying the review is out of cycle. It would be an early review. Yes, which the FCC has done before, but not for many, many years. This was a wonderful conversation, all of you. Thank you so much. Seashells. Spirited seashells. Jimmy Kimmel, we covered it all. Free speech. True Americans. Thank you so much. Up next, CNN travels to the shark bite capital of the world to find out why sharks are swimming closer to crowded beaches as we go full circle.

1:18:20In our national lead, beach goers beware. Warmer waters are not always better for swimmers. Researchers in Florida tracking the migration of black tip sharks say these finned predators are migrating along the east coast farther north than usual. CNN's Randy Kay went to the shark bite capital of the world and spoke with the team responsible for tagging the black tips and has more on the potential risks that these sharks pose. Okay. Go for it. Toss it out. Spend an afternoon with Professor Stephen Kajira. Our goal today is to catch a black-tip shark. And you may get closer to sharks than you'd ever dream.

1:19:04All right, we're good. Go for it. You have your tag ready? Not long after we got on the boat, he and his crew of students hooked the first of four black-tip sharks. All of them were released. Hang on, kids. Hang on. We're rocking. Let him go. Oh, look at that. That's beautiful. Well done. Kajira is the resident shark expert at Florida Atlantic University. So release time is 3.19. And has been studying sharks for more than 30 years. He's been paying close attention to the migration of black tips. Gigi tag. Which he tracks by attaching GPS and a camera to their fins. As they're migrating, they are very close to the beach.

1:19:44and it's right in the same water where the beach goers are. Knowing more about their migration, it allows us to inform beach goers and say, hey, listen, the sharks are here now. Keep an eye out for them. Kajira says data shows sharks don't migrate as far south as they once did. The average winter water temperature has risen one degree Celsius in just 10 years. That's a full degree difference in only a decade. And these sharks are highly tuned to their environment. They have a preferred temperature that's comfortable for them. So they're truncating the southward leg of their migration. Which leaves more sharks farther north.

1:20:21In places like New Smyrna Beach, Florida, right along the migratory corridor for these sharks, this town's already considered the shark bite capital of the world. Have you ever met a shark? Not by name. Just about stepped on them before, walking offshore, going surfing. All kinds of bait fish swim here and surfers come to enjoy the surf break at the jetty. That sort of activity can be really attractive to sharks. It may be difficult for the shark to distinguish whether it's a shiny fish or just the shiny palm of your hand or the sole of your foot that's flashing. Kajira says the warmer waters are driving sharks farther north up the east coast too.

1:21:01Now you're getting more interactions with people in Long Island being bitten by sharks than they ever have historically. Weeks after our boat ride back at his lab at FAU. The shark is heading north. You can see it's swimming north. Kajira showed us video recovered from the shark's camera. And this is the shark doing its thing, you know, swimming along and exploring its world. They're going for a little shiny fish. And if the fish just sort of, you know, disappears into the gloom like that, but there happens to be a big, juicy hand, you know, that's going to stand out. And that's going to be attractive.

1:21:33And what might the jaws of a blacktip shark feel like? What I have here is a set of jaws from a black tip shark. Oh, wow. Oh, wow, right? Yeah. They're sharp as all get out. That's like a pinprick. Exactly. All the more reason to steer clear. Randy Kay, CNN, New Smyrna Beach, Florida. Randy Kay, with that hardship assignment, really taking one for the team, we appreciate your reporting. And you can follow the show here on X and Instagram at The Lead CNN. And if you ever miss an episode of The Lead, you can watch the show on the CNN app. We'll see you tomorrow on CNN News Central, starting at 1 p.m.

1:22:11Eastern. Erin Burnett Out Front starts right now.

1:22:22I'm Daniel Dae Kim. I'm going to South Korea to figure out how this small nation conquered the world with its culture. Join me and meet the artists and creators behind the phenomenon. K-Everything, streaming May 9th on the CNN app.