Trump: “I Expect to Be Bombing” if No Progress in Iran Talks

26:41I sort of wanted someone to give me a guide as to how to even have this conversation without it all falling apart. Talking grief, building community. That's what the podcast is all about. This is all there is. Listen and follow wherever you get your podcasts. See a nation's enduring love for baseball when Shohei Otani and Japan's biggest Major League stars return home to play in front of their fans for the first time. Homecoming, the Tokyo series now streaming on the CNN app. We're taking a closer look now in our politics lead at the multiple scandals that led to the ousting of former Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-Darimer.

27:26There were allegations, for example, of personal trips disguised as business travel, allegations and a complaint of Chavez-Darimer having a sexual relationship with a member of her security team. CNN's Sunlin Cerfati takes a look now at the mounting investigations that led to her departure. The team that you have assembled is really an honor to serve with, so thank you, Mr. President. You're doing great. Thank you very much. Lori Chavez de Ramers' ouster as Labor Secretary follows a tumultuous tenure, plagued by allegations of misconduct, scandals, and a pattern of disturbing behavior. It is an honor to appear before you as President Trump's nominee to lead the Department of Labor.

28:11In January, reports surfaced that the agency's watchdog was investigating Chavez de Reimer for several things, including complaints that she was having a sexual relationship with a member of her security team, attempting to use business trips as excuses for personal travel, asking staff to design work trips to align with personal events in other states, a UFC fight in Chicago, and a Morgan Wallen concert, among others. And allegations that she was drinking on the job, sending staff to pick up alcohol, a source tells CNN. In one text message in a complaint obtained by the New York Post, the labor secretary asked her staffer to bring her a rosé wine to her hotel room while traveling on a work trip.

28:55Do they sell by the bottle, she asked. When the staffer says they are out, she writes back, how about the Josh Savvy? In a statement on X, Chavez de Reimer says she believes the allegations have been peddled by high-ranked deep state actors, which she claims are working to undermine the Trump agenda. And the former secretary's lawyer in a statement to CNN this afternoon says that the secretary is not aware of any findings that she broke any law and emphasized that she resigned to pursue projects in the private sector. In the meantime, it's very notable. This is the third cabinet secretary, all women, to go since last month following Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi.

29:37Jake. All right, Sondland-Safadi, thank you so much. Then there is today's resignation of Democratic Congresswoman Sheila Sherfalis McCormick. Can her departure pressure Republicans to take action against one of their colleagues who also faces very serious allegations? We're going to talk about that with our panel next.

30:26We'll be right back.

30:35After careful reflection and prayer, I have concluded that it is in my best interest and the interest of my constituents and the institution that I set aside at this time. Signed, Sincerely, Sheila Shariflis McCormick, Member of Congress. Translation, I'm resigning before I get kicked out. And our politics lead, that is the Republican chair of the House Ethics Committee, Michael Guest, reading a resignation letter submitted by embattled Florida Democratic Congresswoman, now former Congresswoman, Sheila Sherfalis McCormick, who resigned just hours before the committee was set to recommend a punishment, including possible expulsion from the House of Representatives.

31:14The lawmaker has been charged with stealing$5 million in FEMA funds and making illegal campaign contributions. She faces a criminal trial next year regardless. She denies any wrongdoing. Here to discuss is our panel. So the Florida lawmaker posted on social media, quote, rather than play these political games, I choose to step away so that I can devote my time to fighting for my neighbors in Florida's 20th district. I don't know how she's going to better fight for them. Not in Congress than from. Okay. But anyway, she goes on to say, we should be very careful about the precedent we're setting in this country.

31:46We do not punish people before due process is complete. I hear that, Sabrina, but by the same token, the standard for being in the House is not the standard for being found guilty or not guilty in a court of law, right? Right. I mean, I think everyone is entitled to due process. And if there was a pending court case, she is entitled to that. But this is something that was being taken up by the House Oversight Committee. And at the end of the day, I mean, she misappropriated funds and used them for herself. I mean, stealing them for her own campaign. That is illegal. That is something that she was held accountable for.

32:18I think this was a good moment for Democrats. We do hold our own accountable, and you also saw that with Eric Swalwell last week. But frankly, yeah, she shouldn't be representing her constituents. I don't know how she's going to better help her constituents not in Congress anymore. But that's not someone that was representing her constituents to the fullest if she's stealing funds from them. And now there is a question about what's going to happen with Congressman Corey Mills, Republican from Florida. Yesterday, Republican Congresswoman Nancy Mace of South Carolina, she introduced a resolution to expel Mills, who's facing a wide range of allegations that he denies, we should say.

32:51They include sexual misconduct, financial misconduct. CNN's Manu Raju asked Speaker Johnson if he was concerned about the allegations against Corey Mills today. Here's what Speaker Johnson had to say. We are always concerned when allegations of inappropriate behavior and certainly sexual misconduct are made against members. If you talk to Representative Mills, and he's entitled to do that, he has said that all of these allegations are untrue. He is working through that. There is a due process that he has allowed, and they're going through that process, as have all the other members. Now, we should note there is a matter of House math that is probably at play.

33:33If Speaker Johnson had a 50-vote margin, maybe he would have a different position than the very slender margin. I don't know that he would, but it's something to be considering. What do you make of it all? Look, this type of behavior leads to a level of erosion that I'm certainly not comfortable with. And as a conservative, not to get philosophical here, I'll bring up a little bit of moral relativism. So are people's moral values dependent upon what's in their interests? And so because due process and systems exist, morality and ethics should just go out of the door. I don't necessarily agree with that.

34:05And third, I'll finally say that when you have people in power who aren't held to account at all, it does indeed reduce trust that the American people, Democrats and Republicans alike, have in our systems. And that's also not a good thing. And so I get the politics of it, but I've said this before as it pertains to the Congress out of Florida, Jake. He should deal with his issues outside of Congress. And I feel very strongly about that. Let's turn to Trump's cabinet, Jacobs. We have so many people being accused of corruption that I have to go one by one by one by one. I don't have time to soak over one.

34:37So the Labor Secretary, former Labor Secretary, Lori Chavez-Daremer, the latest to step down against misconduct allegations. Others could soon follow theoretically. There's been reporting about Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. He's facing questions from Congressman Jamie Raskin, a Democrat from Maryland. who's, he says he's allegedly profiting from the Supreme Court's ruling to strike down tariffs. Raskin wrote in a press release, quote, internal documents reviewed by Wired, that's a media publication, news media publication, revealed that Cantor Fitzgerald, a firm where Lutnick's son is chairman, apparently engaged in a scheme to pay 20 to 30 cents of the dollar on the dollar for tariff refunds, betting that the courts would reverse the administration's tariff policy and securing a staggering three to five fold return on their investment.

35:22Now, in a social media post, Caner Fitzgerald, denied the allegations. Quote, we want to reiterate that Caner Fitzgerald has never executed any transactions or taken risk on the legality of tariffs. What do you make of this all? Well, I think we're seeing many officials in this administration profiting and really expanding their wealth. I mean, it's not just Lutnik's sons, potentially. It's also, I mean, look at Trump's sons. Look at the business dealings that they're having. Look at their crypto and Bitcoin investments. Look at every time Donald Trump travels, he stays at, you know, a Trump property.

35:52That is money going back into the Trump infrastructure. And so I think to what Shermichael was saying earlier is people in power have to be held to the same conduct and standards that we do across the board, whether it's at companies or small businesses. And there are people in power abusing that. And I think this administration allows some leniency when it comes to members of their cabinet or their friends. And that's frankly not right. Lutnik's also expected to testify to the House Oversight Committee probe on Jeffrey Epstein next month. Pam Bondi was shown the door partly because of her mishandling of Epstein.

36:25Lutnik clearly said something about not having any contacts with Epstein that proved to not be true when some of the Epstein files were released. And it turned out he'd actually had lunch on Epstein Island with his family and Mr. Epstein showing that what he had said was a lie. Hey, look, I don't know if he did anything illegal, but I'll say this, as a strategist, you never want any person around the principal to bring their baggage, particularly with midterms coming up. We have a war in Iran we're trying to bring a resolution to. You have the economy that is, quite frankly, unstable for half of the country.

36:59And you have a president and a party that wants to keep power. And so for me, with all due respect to Mr. Lutnick and anyone else that may be a deal breaker for President Trump, I would say you got to go. You're too big of a distraction, and the president just frankly doesn't need it. All right. I would also note that President Trump earlier today said, quote, I would have won Vietnam very quickly. I would have if I were president. We don't have time to talk about that. But you at home, do a little panel with your family there. Thanks to both of you. Appreciate it. Breaking news. The indictment just announced by the Justice Department against the high-profile progressive civil rights group, nonprofit.

37:33Stay with us.

37:43Breaking news in the law and justice lead. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Cash Patel just announced moments ago an indictment of the progressive civil rights group, the Southern Poverty Law Center. What for? Let's bring in CNN senior justice correspondent Evan Perez. Evan, walk us through the allegations. What did the SPLC allegedly do here? Well, Jake, this is an indictment that has been filed in federal court in Alabama, and it charges the Southern Poverty Law Center with a number of charges, including bank fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering. And it all stems from a program that apparently has now been discontinued by the SPLC to infiltrate extremist organizations, white supremacists, neo-Nazi organizations.

38:35According to the Justice Department, though, some of that money essentially goes to funding these organizations. They cited one example of$270 ,000 that was paid to someone who essentially was a leader of the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, back in 2017. You'll remember that someone died in that rally during the violence in that rally. So one of the things that the Justice Department says is that essentially what the SPLC was doing was committing fraud when some of that funding. Here's the acting Attorney General Todd Blanche talking about some of these allegations. Listen.

39:21One troubling example is that the SPLC was paying a member of the leadership group that planned the Unite the Right protest in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017 that resulted in the death of one person and injured dozens more. This particular person being paid by the SPLC allegedly received approximately$270 ,000. And, Jake, the SPLC, which anticipated this, has issued a statement. They said, obviously, this is a five-decade-old organization that goes back to the civil rights era. And they said, we stood in the vanguard then and we stand in the vanguard today. We will not be intimidated into silence or contrition and we will not abandon our mission or the communities we serve.

40:13I should also note that this press conference, which is just now wrapping up at the Justice Department, Kash Patel, the FBI director, was there, and he responded to a story of The Atlantic from over the weekend, Jake, that accused him of drinking on the job. He says that those allegations are false, and he also said that he has never been drinking on the job. the acting attorney general also defended him, saying that these are allegations made up by the media and they're blatantly false. Jake. All right, Evan Perez, thank you so much. Thanks.

40:49Welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper. This is our President Trump says he is once again extending the ceasefire with Iran, erasing the deadline, which was set to expire tomorrow night. The truce, Trump says, will now continue until Iran submits a proposal to end the war completely. Apparently on their own time, the U.S. blockade against Iranian vessels is still in place, as is the Iranian closure of the Strait of Hormuz. We're going to go live to the region in moments. Plus, we are just one hour away from polls closing in the Commonwealth of Virginia for a special election with major midterm implications.

41:24Will voters in Virginia agree to a new congressional map that could turn a 6-5 Democratic majority into a 10-1 advantage? Also, the FBI says it is now leading an investigation after at least 10 scientists tied to sensitive U.S. research died or disappeared in recent years. Lawmakers say they will also investigate a potential sinister connection between the cases. What in the world is actually going on here? And on the heels of the history-making Artemis II mission, a group of more than 100 former astronauts is banding together for a new reason. Astronauts for America is made up of Republicans, Democrats, independents, all of whom say their mission is patriotic, not partisan.

42:08So what is this mission? Well, two of the founding members will join us live for their first cable interview. Ahead.

42:18The lead tonight, just one day before the ceasefire with Iran was set to expire, President Trump says he is once again pushing the deadline and seemingly giving no real timeline or deadline at all. The president announcing on Truth Social that the truce with Iran will continue, quote, until such time as their proposal is submitted. And the discussions are concluded one way or the other, unquote. Just earlier today, President Trump warned that the U.S. would resume bombing Iran if a deal wasn't made by tomorrow night, adding that the U.S. military is, quote, raring to go. And Vice President J.D.

42:51Vance, we should note, remains in Washington, D.C. today, despite the president saying yesterday that Vance was already en route to Pakistan to negotiate with the Iranians. CNN's Jeremy Diamond is in Tel Aviv, Israel for us, and CNN's Caitlin Collins is at the White House. And Caitlin, let me start with you. I think the big question, of course, what changed? Why all of a sudden is the deadline replaced by the complete opposite of a deadline? Well, I think, Jake, Pakistan's prime minister asking the president to do this had a pretty big role in shaping this. They've obviously been playing mediator in all of this ever since the ceasefire was first announced a few weeks ago.

43:29And they've still had a pretty big role in all of this in terms of where the president's head is at. And now you're seeing the prime minister of Pakistan thank the president for calling this off and extending the ceasefire even longer than it already was. Even though just a few hours ago this morning, as the president was doing an interview, he said that he did not want to extend the ceasefire anymore and threatened to resume his bombing campaign in Iran. And so, Jake, when we look at what this actually means for what's going to happen right now, the president says they're still going to continue with the blockade of Iran's ports.

44:01Iran obviously still has the Strait of Hormuz closed and has been using that leverage as these talks have gone on. But it's a real question of what they were going to sit down to talk about should these talks have even gone on. Because, yes, the president is extending this ceasefire deadline yet again after saying repeatedly that he didn't plan to do so, Jake. But also what's not happening are the talks right now in person that we had expected to be happening basically any moment now with the vice president scheduled to leave Washington today to go to those. We had had a sense, obviously, that was likely not going to happen when we saw J.D.

44:32Vance here at the White House. He actually just left a couple of moments ago after spending the day here along with other top officials like Secretary Hankseth and Secretary Rubio. And so it's not clear, Jake, when those talks are going to resume in person. And also it's not clear how long this ceasefire is going to go on for. The president is kind of indefinitely extending it in his post. And, Jake, I'll just note one thing. In terms of where the president's head is at on this and how he's feeling about this, it's hard to think of an event in recent memory since this war started where the president has not talked about Iran.

45:02I mean, he's done it at International Women's Month events. He's done it when he was signing that executive order on Saturday on that new psychedelic drug here at the White House. Today, though, he just appeared in front of athletes here, and he did not bring up Iran at all and left the room without taking any questions. Hmm. Jeremy, was there ever any confirmation from Iran that they were going to go to Pakistan and attend these talks? No, Jake. Iranian officials never officially confirmed that they were going to be attending these negotiations. But there was a sense towards the end of last week, going into the weekend, that there had been some significant momentum in terms of the negotiations that were happening remotely between the United States and Iran.

45:45significant progress that ultimately culminated in Iran saying that it was going to allow the Strait of Hormuz to be reopened to lifting its blockade over that critical waterway. But what followed was President Trump insisting on maintaining his blockade of ships going to and from Iranian ports. And that seems to have been kind of the beginning of these negotiations beginning to break down And the possibility of those negotiations happening in the Pakistani capital seemed to grow further and further apart. And indeed today, you know, even just hours before President Trump ultimately made the decision to extend these negotiations, extend the ceasefire, just hours before that ceasefire was set to expire, We heard from the Iranian foreign minister, who once again reiterated Iran's position about this U.S.

46:38blockade, calling it an act of war on behalf of the United States, and making clear that Iran was not going to be bullied into a position that it was not prepared to accept. But there are also broader questions about what's happening inside of Iran, reports of potential power struggle between different factions there, of the negotiators on the one hand, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps on the other, although it's important to note that the Iranian Speaker of the Parliament, Mohammed Ali Baaf, has significant bona fides with the IRGC. But nonetheless, a lot of questions about what's happening in Iran, something that the president hinted to in his message about all of this.

47:17And so now, you know, this region, once again, Jake, just on a knife's edge about what could happen. And Caitlin, earlier today, President Trump said that the U.S. had intercepted a second, or actually, we're not sure which ship he was talking about, the first one or the second, but he said one of the ships was carrying a, quote, gift from China. He seemed to allude to this being something that China was not supposed to be sending to Iran. Any other details as to what that meant? No, Jake, we've asked the White House for what exactly the president was referring to, because obviously that came after CNN and other outlets reported that China was preparing to assist Iran, whether that's with weapons or intelligence in this war with the United States.

47:57And the president said that, and after those reports surfaced, that he had exchanged letters with the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, who he is traveling to meet with next month in Beijing. And he said that he believed they were not going to do so. And so when the president made those comments, obviously it did stand out in terms of what exactly he was referring to, because shortly after that, he talked about Iran using this ceasefire period to restock and also arguing that the United States has done the same when it comes to ammunitions and being prepared for this war to resume. So obviously those are key questions, Jake, and China has not been happy with the Strait of Hormuz being closed.

48:31They have talked about this. They've talked about the blockade. And so all of these are key questions in terms of exactly what we were just referencing, the president extending this ceasefire, how long this could play out. Because keep in mind, next week he is welcoming King Charles here to the White House for a state visit. It's shortly after that he is set to go and visit president to go visit China. And so key questions in terms of how long this war can go on for. It's already far exceeding the president's timeline initially when it launched. And Jeremy, President Trump had said that the U.S.

49:02military was raring to go against Iran, although now he has erased the deadline from tomorrow to never. No actual deadline. But I wonder what is the posture in Israel tonight? Is the Israeli military just sitting on standby? What's their position? Well, Jake, from the moment that this ceasefire was announced, the Israeli prime minister in that very first night said that Israel would keep its finger on the trigger. And I think it's safe to say that that has been the Israeli posture during the first two weeks of this ceasefire so far. It is tonight once again, and it will continue to be going forward.

49:44We know, of course, that before this ceasefire went into place, Israel and the United States were preparing new lists of targets, infrastructure and energy targets inside of Iran that they would strike should those negotiations fall apart. That target bank, I can tell you, Jake, is certainly ready to go for Israeli pilots to begin taking off and taking out those targets inside of Iran. So without a doubt, the Israeli military, with its finger on the trigger, should the diplomacy fall apart. And also, of course, key questions about what that will mean in Lebanon, where we've seen several violations of the ceasefire on both sides today alone, and real questions about whether or not that ceasefire could be maintained if the broader one between the United States and Iran falls apart.

50:29Remember, we're expecting key negotiations to take place between Lebanese and Israeli officials in Washington on Thursday. All right, Jeremy Diamond in Tel Aviv, Israel. Caitlin Collins at the White House, of course. Thanks to both of you. And don't miss Caitlin on her show. The source with Caitlin Collins, her guests tonight, include Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren, who had some sharp questions earlier for President Trump's Fed chair nominee. That's tonight at 9 Eastern, only on CNN. Is President Trump's pick to lead the Fed any closer to getting confirmed? That fiery hearing on the Hill today made it clear the vote will likely be held up.

51:01We'll explain why next.

51:09In our Money Lead, a high-stakes confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill for the president's pick to lead the Federal Reserve. Former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh was pressed today on whether he would succumb to President Trump's demands that the Fed lower interest rates and maintain the bank's central independence. Are you going to be the president's human sock puppet? Senator, absolutely not. Are you going to be anybody's human sock pup? No, I'm honored the president nominated me for the position, and I'll be an independent actor if confirmed as chairman of the Federal Reserve. The president never once asked me to commit to any particular interest rate decision, period.

51:51Still, there is a major roadblock in the way of Warsh's confirmation, the open criminal investigation into Fed chair Jerome Powell over the renovation of Fed headquarters. Today, a key Republican senator renewed his demand for the Justice Department to drop that probe. We have somebody who thinks a building project that went over by about$700 million with a lot of what seemed to be justifications for it are holding up this whole process. Let's get rid of this investigation so I can support your confirmation. Here with me now is CNN's Phil Mattingly. And Phil, Senator Tillis, a Republican in North Carolina, he's retiring.

52:33He's the deciding vote here. As long as he is refusing to support the confirmation of Kevin Warsh while the investigation into Jerome Powell is open, what does that mean? What happens? It means Kevin Warsh will not be confirmed to be chairman of the Federal Reserve. Jerome Powell's term ends on May 15th. President Trump has a very clear pathway to having his pick, his chair in place, replacing somebody he's wanted to replace since his first term when he nominated Jerome Powell the first time around. If the Justice Department drops the investigation that has already had quashed subpoenas by a judge, has no clear pathway forward, and that even Senate Republicans on the banking committee worshipers testifying in front of today have said they have not found any evidence of wrongdoing.

53:14Trump has made clear he's not going to take that off ramp. And Tillis has made clear he's not budging. He has nothing to lose. There is no hedging here. And I think what's important to note is in that committee, one Republican senator holds the entire future of Kevin Warsh in his hands. That's Tom Tillis. If he votes no, it's a deadlock, doesn't get to the Senate floor. There are procedural ways to try and backdoor the nomination without Tillis. All of them would require a supermajority. They don't have that. And even if it required a simple majority, the other Republicans would likely join Tillis.

53:43So there's one way to get Warsh through here. And to be clear, Tillis vigorously supports his nomination. Every Republican does. You talk to Democratic economists, they say, this guy, I don't like him necessarily. I don't support him. But he's qualified. But he is as qualified as you're going to get. The only thing standing in his way right now is the investigation. So there's this other question that Democrats are raising, which is whether or not Warsh is just going to be a rubber stamp or a sock puppet, as Elizabeth Warren put it. And Democrats didn't seem to buy it when Warsh denied that Trump had asked him to cut interest rates.

54:21I guess one of the questions is, does he even need to directly ask him, since he's out there, President Trump, conveying that he expects Warsh to do that? I think it's very clear the president's public commentary on this has not done his nominee any favors throughout this process. He has made clear, as recently as this morning, just an hour and a half before the confirmation hearing, that he has expectations that Warsh will cut rates, and he'd be very disappointed if he didn't. Now, Warsh was very particular in the language he used when he was answering these questions. No specific interest rate decision.

54:49My understanding is during their conversation, there was some kind of ambiguous back and forth that left White House officials believing Warsh was on board with an interest rate cut. Warsh making clear today he did not explicitly commit to an interest rate cut. He did make an important point, though. He doesn't get to do this unilaterally. If he's confirmed, when he's confirmed, he is a one of 12 people that are voting on the Federal Open Market Committee. He's going to need a majority to move forward. his real kind of mandate here is to get a majority for whatever he believes the right policy pathway is.

55:16They can't do it on his own. But also, just very, very quickly, it is true, though, that Warsh is picked because his views of the Fed more closely align with President Trump's. There's no crime there. I'm just saying, like, that's just true, right? No question about it. Okay. Phil Mattingly, thank you. And don't miss Phil's new streaming series at W's Friday. It's called CNN breaks it down. It's great for anybody trying to understand what's going on in this crazy world. You can find it at CNN.com slash watch. And that starts Friday. Joining us now, Republican Senator Kevin Cramer, Cramer for North Dakota, member of the Senate Banking Committee.

55:51So Senator, I want to ask you about a key moment from ranking Democrat Senator Elizabeth Warren, that she says she asked this to test Kevin Warsh's independence and courage. Take a listen. Did Donald Trump lose the 2020 election? We try to keep politics, if I'm confirmed, out of the federal reserve. I'm just asking you a factual question. I need to know, I need to measure your independence and your courage. Senator, I believe that this body certified that election many years ago. That's not the question I'm asking. It really isn't all that difficult to just state the fact that Donald Trump won in 2016.

56:32He lost in 2020. He won in 2024. These are just the facts that reasonable Americans understand. So Senator Warren is asking this question, and I'd like you to answer it. She says, how can the American people trust a Fed chair who's not willing to state the facts that way? Well, I think what he did is he didn't take the debate from Elizabeth Warren, where she could then spend the rest of the hearing saying, see, you are political. You do engage in politics. You can't claim independence. He didn't take anybody's bait on any question that could have trapped him into that argument. I think he did a masterful job of staying out of it, including questions about Supreme Court decisions and things that aren't under the Fed's purview.

57:17I think that demonstrates a very disciplined mind in Kevin Warsh. President Trump was asked about the probe into current Fed chair Jerome Powell holding up his nominee, Kevin Warsh, on CNBC Today. take a listen to what president from so how did this happen has did the contract to make three and a half billion dollars right you know i could back to go in a big i can't imagine but well i can't imagine that too late it's taken money construction i can't but it's possible so he's basically saying it's possible that the fed chair uh... is taking bribes um... Have you seen any evidence that the Fed chair did anything illegal here?

58:04And are you worried that President Trump's continued push for this probe is going to prevent you from getting the Fed chair you like and you support? Yeah, I like, I support. I like Jay Powell, although I do think that he's either incompetent or too arrogant to have done something when the cost overruns were so enormous. the fact that he didn't feel like he should inform Congress or that he should halt the project, do an investigation himself. That's problematic to me. Do I think he committed a crime? I do not. I've said that from the beginning. In fact, I think the best thing we can do for America's economy right now is to confirm Kevin Warsh and swear him in one second after the expiration of Jay Powell's term.

58:48So, no, I don't think he committed a crime, but I do think that he demonstrated bad judgment and arrogance. Well, if bad judgment and arrogance and incompetence were illegal, Washington would have some serious problems, Senator. Well, if misleading the Senate was illegal, we'd have to build more penitentiaries. So the reason why it's relevant is because your Republican colleague, Senator Tom Tillis in North Carolina, says he's not going to support Washington's confirmation, which he does support until the federal probe into Jay Powell is dropped. Have you talked to Tillis at all about that? Have you talked to President Trump about that?

59:24I've not talked to President Trump about it. I've talked to Tom a little bit about it. It is my hope that between now and the middle of May that there's an off-ramp where everybody can declare some victory. I do think we as a committee ought to look into the cost overruns, look into why they occurred, why they were allowed to continue, and whether there's something that can be done about it. But I don't think that we ought to lose the war to try to win a battle about Jay Powell when the real outcome we want is a new Fed chairman and a very good one at that in Kevin Warsh. Before we go, I do want to get your reaction to President Trump ending the deadline and extending the ceasefire with Iran as the potential peace talks remain muddy as to when they're going to happen again.

1:00:07What did you make of this move? Yeah, I thought it was a good move on his part. His instincts are generally right, and I think in this case they are. He sees a vulnerability in the fracturing of the Iranian regime itself, the disagreement between the IRGC and some of the so-called leaders, if we even know who they are. I think the advanced group that went to Pakistan to negotiate from Iran had more conflict within their own group than they did, it seems, with the United States or Pakistan. So I think the president sees that vulnerability. He's seizing on it right now. Hopefully they can get back to the negotiating table and find, at this point, what would be a peaceful resolution, at least going forward.

1:00:49So I think it was a good move. North Dakota Republican Senator Kevin Kramer, thanks for your time today, sir. We appreciate it. Always a pleasure. Thanks, Jake. At least 10 scientists with links to sensitive U.S. research have died or disappeared in recent years. Now there is a federal investigation trying to figure out what happened. That story's next.

1:01:13In our Law and Justice League, two new federal investigations, one led by the FBI, one led by the House Oversight Committee, have just been launched into the deaths or disappearances of at least 10 different scientists who are tied to sensitive U.S. research. CNN's chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst John Miller joins me now. Now, John, what can you tell us about these scientists and what investigators are looking for? Is there something actually here? Well, it's hard to say, but what I can tell you about the scientists is most of them are associated in some way, at some point in their careers with the aerospace industry, defense, or NASA.

1:01:56They died or walked away or disappeared in what appear to be unrelated incidents. But the theory that has been crafted, and Jake, it's important to note right here, this is not something driven by the families as we see in the Epstein matter by the victims. It's not something driven by the different entities investigating either the deaths or the disappearances. This is something that comes in sideways from the House Oversight Committee and Congressman Comer that comes from Kash Patel at the FBI, Carolyn Levitt at the White House, all saying this must be looked into. So as conspiracy theories go, it's right out of the X-Files.

1:02:36Looking at the cases, it's hard to find a lot that's suspicious here. Turning to Mexico, two CIA officers were killed in a car crash. They were, we're told, returning from a counter-narcotics operation. Sources say the CIA had been collaborating with Mexican officials on this operation. What can you tell us about that? Well, the CIA's relationship with Mexico and the government there and counter-narcotics effort is long and not much told about. But these are two case officers who died in a car accident coming back from a raid on a methamphetamine factory, basically. The questions that have to be answered here are, let's learn more about this car accident.

1:03:21What kind of car accident? Did they drive off the road? Were they forced off the road? Were they hit head-on? What is the nature of that? Can't get much information on that through my reporting today. The other debate is on the part of the Mexican government saying were they authorized to be operating with state authorities on operations. But it's not uncommon, Jake, to have CIA officers who are involved in training and helping to guide these operations even if they are not actually involved in the gun carrying and arresting part. Yeah, it's an underreported story how much law enforcement officials die in car accidents because they are speeding away or speeding to something.

1:04:07It happens a lot more often than I think the public knows. John Miller, thank you. Go ahead, say what you're going to say. It's very sad. When I worked in the intelligence community, I never walked into or walked out of the CIA without stopping to look at that wall made of marble with those stars carved into it every time they lost an officer, and there'll be two more stars to be carved there because of this. Very sad. Very sad. John Miller, thanks so much. Coming up next, the new project launched today by more than 100 former NASA astronauts who are taking on a new mission, but this one's down here on Earth.

1:04:45In our out of this world lead today, more than 100 former astronauts from across the political spectrum are announcing a new project today called Astronauts for America. In a public letter, the group writes, quote, We view our oath to support and defend the U.S. Constitution as a lifelong commitment, and today with the launch of Astronauts for America, we take on a new mission to reinvigorate American democracy. They go on to say that, quote, in spaceflight, ignoring evidence costs scientific advancement, mission success, and even lives. In democracy, it costs trust, stability, international respect, and the health and well-being of the governed.

1:05:24Joining us now in studio to talk about their new project, former NASA astronauts Garrett Reisman and Steve Lindsey. Guerin, let me start with you. First of all, I should just do a little brag that you guys gave me. Yay. Hold it up. Astronauts for America. So working to protect democracy is a noble cause. It's, you know, you guys know rocket science. I can't say it's not rocket science. It's a lot uglier and there's a lot less logic. What does it look like in practice? What are you actually going to try to achieve here? Well, the main thing is, you know, democracy is not a spectator sport. So we want to have our voices heard and speak up.

1:06:02When we launched into space and walked out to that launch pad, we were wearing the American flag on our shoulder. And we were proud that we were representing a country which was a beacon of democracy and the rule of law throughout the whole world. We want to see it continue that way for 250 years more at least. And we're worried that we're heading in the wrong direction. Why are you worried? What are you worried about? Primarily what we're worried about is what we've observed, and this has been going on for decades, is partisan polarization. And we see it every day. The polarization, what is happening is we're concerned about the Constitution and the rule of law.

1:06:41Because of this partisan polarization, people don't work together. Our leaders don't work together to get things done. As a result, as an example, if Congress doesn't work to get things done, then there's a vacuum. The executive branch overreaches in that vacuum. We're very concerned about that balance of power. And, you know, the vision of the future we have are leaders that work together despite their differences to get things done for the American people. Because the government's about the people. It's for the people and by the people. And that's what we want to see. What does it mean in practice?

1:07:13For instance, you talk about democracy. Does that mean the Astronauts for America are going to support policies like we want to arm Ukraine? Does it mean that, for instance, the January 6th attack on the Capitol, like, we don't support pardoning the people who did that? Like, when the rubber meets the road, what does this actually mean in terms of positions you're going to advocate for? It's not so much individual issues or positions. What it's really about is making sure that our government stays within the framework of the Constitution and the rule of law. And that's where we see us straying now for decades.

1:07:51We've been straying from that, and it's getting worse. And it's also a respect for science and data-driven decision-making. And it's also trying to have a civil discourse, be able to talk about our problems. When we're on our crew together and we see something going wrong, we all feel comfortable speaking up. And we listen to each other. And we bring our differences together. And we work together as a crew towards a common mission. We don't see Congress today working for the good of the people. We see Congress today working for their party. They're not putting country over party or over their personal interests.

1:08:25And that's fundamentally what we think is wrong. So what does that mean in terms of, let's say, OK, so you talked about presidential overreach, executive branch overreach, because Congress is advocating its duties. Does that mean Astronauts for America is going to say, hey, if this war in Iran goes any longer, you need to get buy-in from Congress? Does it mean you're going to say, hey, the Supreme Court ruled that the tariffs are unconstitutional? you need to go to Congress to do that. Like, is that what it means? I think that's exactly what it means for us is, as Garrett said, we're not focusing on, we're never going to come out necessarily with a position on a specific issue, but we will be looking at that issue in the context of the Constitution, the rule of law.

1:09:08You know, if there's a presidential responsibility and congressional responsibility and a court responsibility and the laws that are already established in this nation, we want to see those, the due process, and the rule of law followed. And in your example of the Iran war, we started this action. War Pilots Act in 1973 says it has 60 days before Congress has to legitimize it or I think the president can go back for another 30 days. We're looking at that in the context of the rule of law and making sure that's followed because the whole foundation of our country and our opportunities are based on rule of law, individual rights.

1:09:46And we really want to focus on that. Very quickly, you also talked about advocating for science. President Trump's new proposed budget cuts a lot of money out of the NASA budget. The NASA administrator said he supports the cuts. He can work within them. Are you guys going to be advocating for that money to be restored or not? What about that? Jake, we're always going to advocate for NASA. We love NASA. And we're always going to want NASA to be fully funded and to be able to accomplish all of its ambitious missions. having said that you know the fact that the science budget has been cut quite a bit and that was a proposal on the last skinny budget request and that is persistent to today that is definitely a cause for concern because we want to see science investigation we want America to lead the world in scientific endeavors and if we don't fund it it's not going to happen alright Garrett Reisman and Steve Lindsay thanks so much and good luck with astronauts for America there you are thanks so much really appreciate it we're just minutes away from polls closing in Virginia.

1:10:44They have a special election there that could have a major impact on the midterms. We're going to go live to a polling site after this quick break. Stay with us.

1:10:58Breaking news in our politics lead. We're just minutes away from polls closing in the great Commonwealth of Virginia, where voters will decide whether or not to redraw Virginia's congressional map. It is a big decision. It could impact which party controls the House come November. If the Democrat-backed referendum passes, it could net the party four additional seats. After Republicans kicked off a mid-decade redistricting race in Texas last year, this all became set into motion. See you next, Jeff Zeleny is live outside a polling place in Alexandria, Virginia, what's called the People's Republic of Alexandria.

1:11:35And Jeff, Both parties expect this to be close. Well, Jake, there is true suspense hanging over this race here. Even in the final minutes of voting, there's about 15 minutes or so left of voting. And for the last few hours, there have been a steady trickle of people voting here. But even before the polls opened this morning, about 1.4 million Virginians had cast their ballots on this referendum. And Virginia, as you said, is the latest front in this gerrymandering war, a very unprecedented one that started last summer in Texas when the president said, I deserve five more seats there. Well, that touched off a nationwide set of referendums, one, of course, in California, which netted Democrats five more seats.

1:12:17But this vote here in Virginia is being so carefully watched. House Speaker Mike Johnson, very invested. Hakeem Jeffries, also the Democratic leader, very invested in this. But the arguments as we talk to voters are strong and succinct on both sides. It's gerrymandering any way you slice it. I think that the solution to gerrymandering done by Republicans is not more gerrymandering done by Democrats. So I voted no. I voted yes. You know, it's too bad we're in this fight, but we didn't start it. And it's what goes around comes around. And so I don't have a problem with it. And I'm glad that people in Virginia took on the challenge.

1:13:00It's hard to do. So the sentiments from those voters that really sum up some of the arguments here that Virginia voters have been facing. But again, right now the state is relatively split. Six Democrats and five Republicans in the House of Representatives delegation. This would switch to 10 Democrats most likely and one Republican. So there are questions hanging over this race tonight. Are Democrats overreaching here? Or is there enough anger because of what the president has done to justify this? So, Jake, it certainly will be one more piece of this gerrymandering puzzle. Florida is also watching all of this because that is the last state to potentially weigh in after these results next week.

1:13:42All right, Jeff Zeleny and Alexander of Virginia, thanks so much. Here in studio is the panel. So CNN's Manu Raju asked the head of the House Republicans Congressional Committee, Congressman Richard Hudson, how tough it would be to keep the House if this referendum passes and Democrats have 10 to 1 congressional seats advantage there instead of 6 to 5. Here is what Congressman Hudson had to say. You know, it hurts when you've got an illegal gerrymander that violates the state constitution, draws a divided purple state 10 to 1. That makes it harder. So last July, I mean, this was, President Trump didn't invent gerrymandering.

1:14:22Right. But usually it takes place, you know, at the end. It's a good old fashioned American way. We do it only once a decade. No, no. Right. Exactly. That's a good old fashioned American way. It happens every 10 years instead of in the mid decade. Right. But just, I mean, the proud tradition of gerrymandering is so old that like, look up who Jerry was in Wikipedia and you'll see. I think it's actually pronounced Gary Mandarin. Yeah. And it was a founding father. Right. So anyway. Right. But Trump said this is a blatant partisan power grab. That's what Trump says about what's going on in Virginia.

1:14:57Is that really different from what he was doing in Texas? Well, let's just throw things out there. Do two wrongs make a right? I mean, that's exactly what we've got at play here. The problem in Virginia, and as a Virginia resident, I'm going to make this plea, is that the voters went twice for a constitutional, or to create a commission. Nonpartisan. A nonpartisan commission. They did it the last two elections. We finally have that. It's approved. And this is what the, you know, they say a temporary measure. This is nothing but a blind power grab by the Democrats. So whether or not that happened in Texas or not, I'm just saying in Virginia, the voters voted and the legislature didn't listen to them.

1:15:39I just noticed Mike's cute I voted sticker. Did everybody catch that on his logo? It's right there. Usually he has a Buffalo Bills up in. Same color. Bad white and blue. That's it. I voted. What do you think? I mean, his argument is two wrongs don't make a right. And I could see voters hearing that. We certainly heard from one of them earlier today. I do think it will be close. I do think Democrats will win because I think that they see that Donald Trump is doing a power grab and they're trying to level the playing field now in Virginia. They went to Texas. They're in Florida and Louisiana and Missouri.

1:16:08So I just think Democrats are trying to level the playing field here. And I think that people in Virginia are going to see that and they will see it as temporary. I agree with you that we should not be changing congressional seats once, well, but for once a decade. But I think that we need to level the playing field. But I would love to make clear, Donald Trump started this because he had failed policies and he knew he was going to lose the House. So he knew he had to do something to try to save that problem. And it's backfired in his face because now the Democrats responded. So speaking of backfiring, following a series of controversies related to religion, including posting and then kind of being forced to delete an AI-generated Jesus-like image of himself, and of course criticizing Pope Leo.

1:16:46Just moments ago, we got this video of President Trump reading a Bible verse from 2 Chronicles in the Old Testament. Take a listen. If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. What do you think? Well, first of all, let's be clear. He did not pick the verse that he read. And this is part of a much larger exercise right now of trying to get people to turn back to the Bible and talk about bring more religion into America. Whether or not we should have elected officials doing that, we can have that debate.

1:17:37But, you know, I don't have any intrinsic problem with the president or other cabinet officials or other elected officials participating in this. And I feel like we're turning into a political football right now because of that meme that was posted a week ago. What do you think? Yeah, I mean, he also has a really interesting relationship with the Bible in general. He sells Bibles for$60 that are made in China. He couldn't answer what his favorite testament or Bible verse was. And I don't really agree that he didn't pick this. He's the president of the United States. he could have said, no, I'm not reading this particular verse.

1:18:09But that's neither here nor there. I just think that there's a separation of church and state here for a reason. And I just, it just is going too far. And I worked for one of the most religious presidents in our past modern history. And you would have never seen this happen. You did not see him talk about his faith. You're talking about President Biden. Correct. And you did not see him talk about his faith. This is a man who went to church every week. I just think around his wrist. And I just, this is a man who is trying to use faith in a really disgusting way. And I just, I don't think that most people who are religious, even by what he's saying, I think it just comes off as fake.

1:18:38Again, it's part of a bigger program, and I just don't have the same issue with it. Yeah, look, reading the Bible, to me, it's just part of our founding. But you don't think public fake, you don't think elected officials should read from the Bible? No, I don't think that. I don't think he should be doing it from the Oval, and I just think it falls on deaf ears. I don't think Donald Trump is a man of faith who, like, is believing what he is saying. He's not been to church. He went once on Inauguration Day, hasn't been since. and now all of a sudden he's putting out memes that he's this godlike figure.

1:19:06I just think that it's a little too... You think it's insincere. Exactly. You don't actually have an issue with it. No, I just think that there should be a separation here. And also, you don't believe what you're reading. You don't believe in these values of the Bible. You don't believe in peace. You don't believe in doing good upon your neighbor. So it's hard for me to get behind him reading the Bible. I think she's wrong. Okay. Okay. Where do you want me to go with that? I mean, I think, look, we disagree on that. But that's a, you know, we disagree. We can disagree without being disagreeable.

1:19:41Thanks to both. We appreciate it. We have some sad news also from Virginia. Senator Mark Warner, a Democrat of Virginia, says that his daughter Madison has passed away. She was only 36 years old. She's pictured here in a family photo on the far right. She was constantly by her father's side. You would see her on the campaign trail with him and at other events. You see him there with him in 2015 when he was sworn in to the Senate after winning re-election. Senator Warner says his daughter had a decades-long battle with juvenile diabetes and other health issues. In the statement, the senator called this a profound loss, saying in part, quote, she filled our lives with love and laughter, and her absence leaves an immeasurable void.

1:20:20Our deepest condolences go out to the Warner family and all of her friends. May her memory be a blessing. Our last leads now start in our money lead, where President Trump seems to be throwing cold water on a potential airline mega merger. The president responding, I don't like it, when asked today about the idea of United and American Airlines joining forces. Trump added, in general, he's a fan of mergers and he wouldn't mind if another company bought Spirit Airlines. And our sports lead, President Trump hosted more than 100 NCAA collegiate national champions at the White House this afternoon.

1:20:53The athletes represented sports from golf to volleyball, soccer and tennis, bowling, even mixed rifle, and attend schools all across the nation. And our pop culture lead a decade after his death. Prince's hometown of Minneapolis announced it will host a five-day celebration of the life of Prince to commemorate his legacy. Paisley Park will host the celebration June 3rd to June 7th, which would have been Prince's 68th birthday. Minneapolis will turn the town purple for block parties, sing-alongs, and free concerts. You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram threads, X, and on the TikTok at Jake Tapper.

1:21:28You can follow the show on X and Instagram at The Leap CNN. If you ever miss an episode of The Leap, you can watch the show on the CNN app. Our good friend Erin Burnett and her show, Erin Burnett Upfront, starts right now. See you tomorrow.

1:21:51I'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. Influential journalist Kara Swisher is taking a hard look at the longevity industry. There's so much bad information that the really good information gets drowned. The new CNN original series, Kara Swisher Wants to Live Forever. now streaming on the CNN app.