VP JD Vance Joins to Discuss Iran Agreement

24:30Mike Pence:Well, I'm hopeful. And again, I don't want to prejudge this. We're all hopeful, but do you believe it? I spent a lot of time in the situation room. And then I heard people talking on the outside who didn't know what was really happening. So I want to give the president, I want to give his team the benefit of the doubt here. We did eliminate much of the leadership of Iran, but the fact that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard is now seemingly in the lead. I mean, this was the organization that literally was responsible for the death of over a thousand American service members in Iraq, in Afghanistan.

25:09Mike Pence:And look, I just think we need to be eyes open on this. I want to hope for the best. I welcome the end of hostilities. But unless we have a completely verifiable, accountable structure that results in the dismantling of the nuclear weapons program, dismantling of the missiles program, and a public renunciation of their decades of supporting terrorist groups across the region, then I think we ought to just simply allow our armed forces to move forward and finish the job. All right, former Vice President Mike Pence, stay right there because we've got so much more to talk about, including the conservative blueprint that you're laying out in your brand new book, What Conservatives Believe.

25:55We'll be right back.

26:04We're back with our politics lead. Former Vice President Mike Pence is with us now to tell us about his new book. He calls a modern take on Barry Goldwater's The Conscience of a Conservative, aiming to define the values of the Republican Party for a new generation. It's called What Conservatives Believe, Rediscovering the Conservative Conscience. It's out right now. It's been out for a week or so, a couple of weeks rather. So the biggest theme you tackle is the rise of populism within the modern Republican Party. You write, quote, popular opinion is fickle. Principles are final. The challenge for conservatives today is to hold fast to our principles.

26:39This means believing in personal and economic liberty. It means standing up to evil regimes and standing with the friends of freedom on the world stage. It means conducting ourselves with dignity and civility. Above all, it means respecting the Constitution. Well, I mean, with all due respect to our president, that, you know, he violates a lot of those. I don't know that he's always civil. He doesn't always stand with the Friends of Freedom on the world stage. And in terms of personal and economic liberty, I have seen a lot of people objecting to the way that he has tried to get the government to have a percentage of some of these companies.

27:16What do you think?

27:17Mike Pence:Well, I think for decades the Republican Party has been defined by that broad mainstream conservative agenda, which embraces America's role as leader of the free world, limited government, the right to life, traditional values. And our contest has been through the decades with a traditional liberal Democratic Party. But I think our politics have changed in two respects. Number one, I think the Democratic Party has been overrun by a progressive left that embraces socialism openly, that actually questions long-term alliances, including with our cherished ally Israel, and even tolerates leaders who engage in anti-Semitic tropes.

27:59Mike Pence:But on the Republican side, the reason I really wrote the book was to inform people who share those conservative principles that there's also another threat from the populist right that would advance isolationism, protectionism, marginalized values like the right to life. And while they've had some success with the Trump administration, I want to be clear. I think the new Trump administration has gotten a lot right. I mean, the$1.5 trillion national debt, the issue we just talked about, taking on Iran directly, standing with Israel, extending all those Trump-Pence tax cuts, and also in the main taking on the radical left with their kind of radical gender ideology and social agenda.

28:44What about the radical right? I mean, I see a lot of...

28:47Mike Pence:But look, I stipulate to you that the populist right has gained some purchase in this administration. I would say so. I would say the stops and starts on Ukraine are evidence of the appeal of the populist right that would have us pull back from our commitment as leader of the free world. I would say issues like broad-based tariffs, nationalization of American businesses, price controls, and something important to me, the marginalizing of the right to life that's taken place, those all emanate out of the populist right. And so I thought it was important to put down on paper a book that just reminds people in our movement what conservatives believe, and I hope it starts a real debate.

29:28Another thing that conservatives used to believe is in law and order. And I wonder how you view that$1.8 billion fund that the president has tried to start. A judge recently indefinitely blocked it, but Trump has said he wants to bring it back one way or another. This would be to pay out people who have been victims of weaponization by the government, Trump says. because, you know, and a lot of them are like people who were prosecuted for beating up cops on January 6th. And a lot of those people actually were calling to hang you on that day. And the president wants to pay them. How does that square with conservative values?

30:10Mike Pence:Well, it just doesn't, Jake. I wrote a chapter on conservatives who always believed in law and order from the neighborhood to the border. We just have. And the fact that there would even possibility be a fund that would give taxpayer money to people that assaulted police officers or vandalized the Capitol, I think is deeply offensive to millions of Americans, me included. I'm glad the administration has signaled they're walking away from that. But again, this goes to part of the course of the populist right in the party that seems to want to set aside our traditional commitments and conventions and standards.

30:53Mike Pence:But I think the overwhelming majority of people that ever vote for Republicans, and that would be Republicans, independents, and many Democrats, still embrace these traditional values, these traditional principles and ideals like the rule of law. And I'm hoping in the days ahead to be a voice for those things in our movement and in our party. Before you go, I know you have a son and a son-in-law who are in the military. And I'm sure that this war has not been easy for your family. And please thank them for their service. We really appreciate it. Well, I will, but I want to thank all of our troops.

31:27Mike Pence:I think that our military has responded in Operation Epic Fury with historic professionalism. And if this memorandum of understanding does not achieve those core elements of progress, I think we ought to let our armed forces go forward and finish that job. What conservatives believe it's available now. Former Vice President Mike Pence from the great state of Indiana. Thanks so much for being here. Really appreciate it. Good to see you as always. The B-52 bomber just crashed shortly after takeoff at California's Edwards Air Force Base. What we're learning about the accident and the fate of the crew on board.

31:58That's next.

32:06I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta, host of the Chasing Life podcast. We're talking to Dr. Alexander Moskop. He's author of the book called The End of Migraines, and he's the founder and director of the New York Headache Center. He's going to tell us why headaches hurt, what's really happening in your head, and what you can do about it. What is the first thing you sort of recommend then in terms of lifestyle?

32:30Mike Pence:So sleep deprivation is number one, and people are busy not getting enough sleep. That's probably part of the reason headaches have gone up, just because we're getting less and less sleep. You're right. Diet is a very important factor as well. Lowering your carbs can definitely help. Three out of four migraine sufferers suffer from reactive hypoglycemia, which means you eat something sweet or carbs, sugar goes up and then plummets. Listen to Chasing Life, streaming now, wherever you get your podcasts. You ever have somebody offer to come home with you from the hardware store? I am giving away a room makeover.

33:09Where's the catch? Three days to complete this renovation. You have no say in the design, and we start today. Oh, wow. You're not just going to steal everything. Surprise! Ready to get your house cracked? For real. A little dated. It's time to turn this over to us. You guys got to get out of here. Got to get out of here. Crashers, all new Monday at 1030 on HGTV. Breaking news in our national lead, a U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bomber crashed shortly after taking off from Edwards Air Force Base in California today. CNN's Josh Campbell is monitoring the situation for CNN. Josh, have we heard anything about the fate of the crew?

33:51We have not, Jake, and that is a big question right now. But, you know, you look at these harrowing images that we're getting from our CNN affiliate where you see this large black burn scar along the side of one of the airfields there at Edwards Air Force Base up in the Mojave Desert, just north of where I am here in L.A. You can see just how catastrophic this was. But again, we are waiting for additional information from the U.S. military on what the actual fate of the crew is. Now, I spoke to a retired military pilot who has flown in and out of Edwards before and said that this particular aircraft does have the capability for ejection evacuation for members of the crew.

34:30But again, we still have no indication right now on whether that actually occurred or what the circumstances were here. What we are hearing from the Air Force is that just after around 11.20 a.m. local time, as this B-52 Stratofortress was taking off, that is when this crash occurred. And again, you can look at some of these images. It appears that there is just really nothing really left as far as the fuselage of that aircraft that we can see intact. This is a big, heavy bomber that has been used for decades across global missions. The U.S. Air Force says that it's capable of carrying numerous types of ordnance, including nuclear weapons, including precision guided weapons.

35:09But again, we don't know what the particular mission was here. was this training which occurs oftentimes with U.S. military across the country on a day-to-day basis. A lot of information we are still waiting to hear back. We do know that the last known fatal crash involving the B-52J, that was back in 2008 when one of the airplanes went into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Guam. All right, Josh Campbell, thanks so much. And we're waiting for the news and praying for survivors of that crash. Returning to our world lead now, the new agreement between the United States and Iran. This is supposed to open the Strait of Hormuz and end the U.S.

35:43blockade of Iranian ports, pave the way for further negotiations. I'm joined by Massachusetts Democratic Congressman Seth Moulton. He's on the Armed Services and China Competition Committee's congressman. We still don't know the text, the specifics of this agreement with Iran. But earlier today, President Trump predicted that there soon will be free sailing through the Strait of Hormuz. Do you agree? Well, we just don't know. And this is the administration that promised to be the most transparent in history. and yet they can't share a memo, a mere memo that's a page and a half long. And yet we're supposed to believe that this page and a half memo is going to reopen the strait, prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, stop, according to J.D.

36:25Vance's interview earlier, stop them from building ballistic missiles and supporting proxies in the region, return peace to the region, all in exchange for hundreds of billions of dollars of U.S. taxpayer money. I mean, Jake, you can't rent an apartment for an agreement that's a page and a half long, and yet you were supposed to trust this out of this memorandum of understanding? It honestly sounds like a surrender document. That's what it sounds like to me. I don't know the specifics of it. I think the payments, I think the money that's being discussed are Iranian assets that have been frozen and money, the reconstruction funds,$300 billion, I think, are coming from Gulf states.

37:00But again, that's my understanding. I don't know because they haven't released the documents yet. No, that's right. And just to put this into context, you know, in contrast, we got a very comprehensive nuclear deal under President Obama that prevented Iran from ever building a nuclear weapon, had 24-7 electronic monitoring, intrusive inspections, kept enrichment at a level much lower than where Iran is today. And all of that was in exchange for less than$2 billion. So we're just talking about a memorandum that says we will discuss the nuclear program in the future. And the number that's being thrown around is 12 times that.

37:41Yeah. President Trump is at the G7 summit in France of world superpowers. To say the least under President Trump, the U.S. relationship with the G7 has changed. What do you see as the G7's role going forward? Well, you know, under the historic nuclear deal under Obama, the G7 actually played a really important role in reinforcing this deal and holding Iran accountable. We had a very formal mechanism to snap back sanctions if Iran ever violated the deal, which is part of why even the first Trump administration certified that the Iranians were following the Obama nuclear deal. This is, of course, before Trump decided to just tear it up and start from nothing and allow Iran essentially to rebuild their nuclear program to a level that it never reached once Obama had dismantled it.

38:33And so we don't have any of that in a page and a half memorandum of understanding. You know, J.D. Vance says, oh, well, we're just going to trust that we can work with these guys. Does he recognize that the new Ayatollah is more hard line than the one that they replaced? I mean, we used to have an 86-year-old in failing health with a fatwa against producing a nuclear weapon in charge of Iran. They've now gotten a guy in his 50s who's more hardline. And in case he wasn't hardline enough, we killed his immediate family to just prove that maybe what he should do is focus on building a nuclear weapon.

39:07So none of this should give us confidence. Let me just ask you, because we're running out of time, another pressing problem for the G7 is the Russia-Ukraine war. and today a Russian attack on Kyiv, set fire to a nearly 1 ,000-year-old monastery complex and killed at least five people. Do you foresee any end to this ongoing destruction and loss of life? I mean, we've got to bring it to an end. But it's very important that it's a loss for Putin. Putin cannot come out of this thinking that he has a win. And that's why it's so incredibly dangerous what Trump is doing and continually, sometimes quietly, sometimes overtly supporting Putin's policy.

39:48Because if the message that Russia gets at the end of this war is that they can have a sovereign nation, they can go take over a free country like Ukraine, then we just have to ask which NATO country is going to be next. Democratic Congressman Seth Moulton, thank you so much. Appreciate it. The World Cup is in full swing with another match set to start in just minutes. But off the pitch, one of the best stories to emerge from this competition is the international tourists on social media going viral as they document their discoveries and their love of the American experience. One of those influencers is going to join us live ahead.

40:30America, can you please explain why this is so big? And our sports lead from Buc-ee's to fast food World Cup visitors are diving into the United States of America and going viral along the way. One Swedish fan raved about ranch dressing on X, writing, why did no one tell me ranch sauce is like crack? Europe, we need ranch ASAP. A German tourist even called Taco Bell the holy land. Meanwhile, some fans are bringing their culture here, such as these Scottish tourists in Boston waking neighbors with bagpipes at 6.30 a.m. Despite the early wake-up call, the Bostonians and the Scots have become lads.

41:06Even with all the competition the world cup seems to be serving as a global unifier let me bring in one of these great european social media stars german football youtuber fiago um fiago you were in chicago for the u.s versus germany sends off matched and you seem to enjoy the classic uh portillo's food chain not the sunburn though how would you rate your all-american experience so far correct jake i was in chicago and absolutely loved it first time for me um i was not familiar with the sun in uh in chicago i i forgot to put on my sunscreen the food was amazing um i definitely need to go back chicago really surprised me the atmosphere was great at the soccer game it was it was an amazing trip uh chicago is a great city another german soccer fan freddie has also been going viral on x he posted this photo of a custom welcome freddie banner with the German flag added to Louisiana's state welcome sign.

42:04What do you make of all the viral content coming out of this tournament and all the love for the European tourists from the American people as you show us our country with fresh eyes? Yeah, I mean, I know Freddie. He's a nice guy. He's from, like, close to me, so I've been talking to him. He's loving it. He's more touring the South. I did Chicago, and I think it's more like because in Europe, We have a lot of rather negative news about the Americans in the last five years, let's say that. And I think we are all enjoying the fact that this country is so great to visit. The people are amazing, so welcoming.

42:40The culture is amazing. Europeans are getting a new view of America right now, I think, also through our content. And that's cool, I think. That's wonderful. Were there any stereotypes about the U.S. or about Americans that you arrived with that turned out to be totally wrong or totally true? Yeah, I mean, a lot of Europeans think that Americans have no clue about soccer. Like, they don't like it. They don't care at all. But, I mean, I went to the friendly game, the send-off match, and it was a packed stadium, 60 ,000 plus at Soldier Field. Everyone was hyped. So many people recognized me as well for the videos.

43:17I got, like, a big community of U.S. followers. It was just all a really good vibe. And I can tell you, soccer is so big in the United States. Even though Europeans here don't believe that, they will soon. No, it's true. It's taken about 50 years, but it's pretty huge. And your very own Germany rolled over Curaçao 7-1 yesterday. How are you feeling about Germany's chances of winning a record-tying fifth World Cup? I mean, us Germans, we're known to be very skeptical, especially after the last two editions where we got grouped. That was a national humiliation, so we're a bit more low-key. But yesterday, I mean, it was a good result.

43:53It was the biggest win of the tournament so far, but against the smallest country that's ever qualified. So let's not make too much of it. But no, we're confident we can go far. I don't know if we can win the World Cup. I think we might go to the quarters or semis. That's going to be good. So you've been to, tell me if I'm wrong, you've been to Miami, New York, San Francisco, LA, Chicago. What city's next? Right. Right now I'm back in Germany because I've got a lot of work here. But I'll be back in New York in two weeks, in one and a half weeks. and then I'll probably go to Philadelphia for 4th of July.

44:27That's my hometown. You're going to love it. It's going to be great there. Fiago, you got to go to Tony Luke's for a cheesesteak or go to Reading Terminal Market. You have to, and you also have to check out Rita's Water Ice. Rita's Water Ice. I'll keep that in mind. I'll definitely do that. Like, I think I will love it. Americans told me it's the greatest celebration, 250th anniversary. And there's the Germany game, hopefully, against France. That's pretty likely. So I'll do that. And I'll also be in Nashville and Washington, D.C., probably. No World Cup hosts, but I'll just enjoy the culture.

45:00Now I'm really excited to see more of America. All right, Fiago. Well, thank you so much. When you're in D.C., come back because we're head. Come on our show. You can be in person and we'll show some of your. You will go through all your photos and stuff. All right. Safe travels.

45:14Mike Pence:Thank you so much. All right. Cool. Another World Cup story we're following tonight. Iran scheduled to play its first match of this tournament in just a few hours. Iranians living in the United States are divided on how much they should support this team. That's ahead.

45:34Welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper. This hour, President Trump is overseas. He's meeting with key allies at the G7 meeting of world superpowers, and he's lauding an agreement with Iran. Vice President J.D. Vance told me last hour it's a broad framework that leaves a lot of details to be worked out during future negotiations. So what does this all mean for U.S. troops? What does it mean for the Stradar Hormuz? What does it mean for your gas prices? We're going to discuss. Plus, the United Kingdom announced today that it is following the lead of its former Commonwealth, Australia, and banning social media for kids under 16 years old.

46:10This means children will no longer be able to access TikTok or YouTube or Instagram or Facebook and plenty others. I'm going to be joined live by a top Australian official to learn what changes they have seen in their country Since introducing that similar ban last year and which countries he thinks could be next Also the White House today declining to condemn the disgusting comments by a UFC fighter At last night's UFC event at the White House He used his post-fight speech to say that quote Michelle Obama is a man unquote Is it really that difficult to denounce such disgusting rhetoric? Our panel will weigh in ahead

46:50The lead tonight, President Trump telling reporters that the Strait of Hormuz is already partially opened and predicting it will fully open Friday when the U.S. and Iran are set to formally sign a memorandum of understanding. But while that is the main headline, we still don't know the details of what the U.S. and Iran are agreeing to. Vice President J.D. Vance told me this afternoon that the U.S., in his view, has the leverage. Most importantly, they're going to have a verifiable commitment to not building a nuclear weapon. But the good thing about the way that we've set this up is that we have the leverage here.

47:24We have the ability to welcome them into the world economy if they perform. We also have the ability to say, you know what, you don't get anything if you don't meet your end of the obligation. CNN's Caitlin Collins is in Geneva, Switzerland, just across the border from the G7 summit in France. Caitlin, what are you hearing from administration officials about this Iran agreement?

47:47And we know, Jake, that the vice president is actually expected to be here in Geneva on Friday for the ceremonial signing of this memorandum of understanding that was signed about 24 hours ago. Yet, despite that time period going on and the fact that this is only about a page and a half document, according to what the vice president told you, no one outside of those who have signed it and a key handful of people inside the administration have actually seen what's in this agreement that they are signing so far. We've heard from officials combating and batting down what's been publicly said about this deal, some by Iranian state media, but no one has actually publicly gotten to lay eyes on the text of this deal yet and no one really has explained why that is that it hasn't been released yet.

48:28There are key Republican senators who have not seen what is in this agreement. They are not yet weighing in because basically everyone is just hearing from the administration on what exactly this deal is expected to do. We did hear from administration officials on background earlier today, briefing reporters on what the next few days should look like. They did tell us the full text of this agreement should come out in the next 24 to 48 hours. It's not really clear, Jake, why it's going to take that long for the text of this to come out. But presumably, we will get to see it before they actually do the ceremonial signing on Friday.

49:01And the other thing the administration has been making clear, Jake, is that this is not really the end game here. This is a memorandum of understanding. It's not a final deal to end this war because the key issues at the heart of this war of why the president went into Iran are still there and it's still something they've got to work out over the next 60 days that this kind of time period provides for. What they say is going to happen immediately is the Strait of Hormuz will open. The blockade that's been carried out by the United States is going to be lifted. And there's been a bit of a conflicting report on when exactly the Strait of Hormuz they expect to be at full capacity.

49:33The president has said Friday when that ceremonial signing is going to happen, but other officials have told reporters that it will take a while for that traffic to start to increase inside the Strait of Hormuz. Though, Jake, obviously one key concern has been the mines that Iran laid in that strait. And earlier an official did tell us they know where every mine that Iran laid is. And so we'll obviously see what happens there, the effort to demine the strait and get rid of those so tankers feel more comfortable going through it. all of those are still key questions that we're not really sure yet in terms of how it plays out.

50:05But one thing that was said earlier on this call, Jake, that stood out to me is basically the administration argued that this is going to be a trial period for Iran to see if they are engaging in good faith and what the terms of this still unknown agreement are. And that if they go well, then they'll see where this goes from here. But they did say pretty bluntly they'll have to reassess things in about two to three weeks. All right, Kaylin Collins in Switzerland. Thanks so much. And don't miss Caitlin on her show, The Source with Caitlin Collins. Her guests tonight include Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut.

50:33That's tonight at 9 Eastern on CNN. With us now, CNN National Security Analyst Alex Plitzis, along with Economic Policy Analyst Henrietta Trace. Alex, what are your sources telling you about what is exactly in this agreement and what is being left to negotiate later during the 60 days of negotiations? So I did speak to a number of individuals, including one of the mediators who has actually seen the document and it kind of tracks with what I've been hearing from the last couple of weeks. And that's largely that the substance of the agreement had been understood by all the parties and it was the sequencing that was the problem and largely with the Iranians looking for cash up front because they were having a liquidity problem.

51:10So it sounds very much that framework is the appropriate term. There's not a lot of meat on the bones and it really does push a lot off to phase two. There really isn't anything solid about tolls or taxation or some sort of fee that'll move into a phase two discussion. Straits of Malacca, I was told, is a potential baseline for discussion over that particular issue. There's nothing about the proxy forces in the region that'll likely be dealt with separately because the Iranians wouldn't sign on to that, and nothing about the missiles. All of those types of issues will be negotiated over 60 days, but it does provide for a framework for agreement on the nuclear issues, as well as for an opening of the Strait of Hormuz.

51:43And what I did hear separately from U.S. officials, who stressed very clearly, and I heard this again from regional mediators that this is a performance-based framework that the Iranians will have to comply before they sort of get anything. And that was a U.S. sticking point leading up to this. And having spoken to the mediators before the vice president's interview with you, the two pages that he cited, a page and a half, that's consistent along with the statements that he made. I'd heard very similar comments from regional mediators. So what the vice president's comments appear to be consistent with those I've spoken to who have seen the document.

52:13Henrietta, President Trump said today that the Strait of Hortmos will be completely open by Friday. A Trump administration official predicts it will take roughly two weeks to see a significant increase in traffic through the strait. Is that an accurate assessment, do you think? What needs to be done before things can get back to normal? Well, I think the urgency that we're seeing from the administration speaks volumes here. I've been with investors and some of the smartest energy analysts in the world throughout the day today. And some folks are saying that they expect crude prices to go to$60 because this will flow through very quickly.

52:45And the same conviction you can hear from other extraordinarily informed guys saying it's going to go to$150 crude if we don't reopen the strait immediately. And the story is the inventories. We are depleting our inventories as fast as humanly possible in order to prevent the obvious reality of lack of oil supply to the market, to the global market. The Strait of Hormuz is going to take a while to open up. It's at least weeks, if not months, to get it back to normal. There's another question about when do ships decide it's a good idea to reenter the strait, which is a whole different issue for insurers.

53:19But it's going to be quite some time. And the urgency at the White House to sign this deal before it's even released to the public tells me that we are running out of inventory and they are running out of time to keep gas prices below the$5 mark, which we are obviously succeeding at right now. But time is running out. Alex, Iran learned a lesson from this whole enterprise, which is that they can bring the world to its heels by closing the Strait of Hormuz. And this is with their military relatively decimated by the U.S. and Israel. What guarantees do we have that Iran won't close the Strait in the future after they've been able to rebuild their military?

53:57We'll have some sort of, obviously, economic incentives and things for them to be integrated in the community as the stick, but that's really about it. So in the lead up to the 12-day war last year, the Iranians had a clandestine nuclear effort, hadn't quite moved towards complete weaponization, but they had that as a means of strategic deterrence. What they learned during the 12-day war is that the ballistic missile program served as just as good a deterrence because they believe that the 12-day war ended in a conditional ceasefire as opposed to an unconditional surrender, which President Trump had posted on Truth Social as a result of those attacks.

54:26And now this time around, they've learned that very low-cost drones and some projectiles, which would be virtually impossible to destroy altogether, can produce the same effects without putting mines in the water. So in theory, they could do this again at any point of their choosing. And Henrietta, it's not just a matter of stopping the shooting, clearing mines in the water. What's it going to take for shipping companies and the firms that insure them to actually feel confident that this war is over and it's safe again? It just takes one. That is the phrase that really sticks in my mind when I speak with the biggest global insurers.

54:58it just takes one mine, it just takes one drone, it just takes one mosquito boat, and all of a sudden you're back to the new normal, which is that Iran has clearly demonstrated that it has control over the strait and it can disrupt any comfort that we have, any sense of normalcy almost immediately. And that gets back to this idea about trying to create a track record of consistent ceasefire that is going to need to hold for weeks, if not months, before your insurance rates will come down before they'll drop from the 300 % uptick that we've seen since the launch of this war. Henrietta Trez, Alex Plitzis, thank you so much.

55:34Another country is moving to ban social media for children and teenagers under the age of 16. But should the government be making these decisions or should it be in the hands of parents? That's next. California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, says the Justice Department is now investigating his wife because he is a, quote, political enemy of President Trump. What CNN is learning about potentially related investigations Ahead.

56:03Our tech lead now. A new legal battle over social media and children is unfolding in the United States. Florida's attorney general is suing TikTok, accusing that platform of allowing children to create accounts, misleading parents about the content kids see, and using features designed to keep young users hooked. In a statement, TikTok says the app is, quote, built with safety at its core and that the company is quote prepared to defend our strong record on minor safety unquote. Also in our tech lead relatedly earlier today, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer unveiled a ban on social media for children under 16.

56:39Starmer says the restrictions are needed to protect young people's mental health and safety online. The plan would block access to platforms such as TikTok and Instagram and Snapchat with the ban expected to take effect next year, reaction from the young people it targets has been mixed. I kind of believe that he'd chicken out of it and give it more time or more consideration, but he seems pretty sure of it and I'm not sure if I agree with him. What are you most worried about? Not being able to contact my friends. Some teens are concerned. Others say the ban could be good for them ultimately. The The UK's action comes after Australia became the first country to implement a nationwide social media ban for children under 16, sparking a global debate over how far governments should go to regulate children's online lives.

57:33Joining us now is the premier of South Australia, Peter Malinowskis, who initiated that first ban, and we talked to him back then. And welcome back, sir. You've now had time to implement and live with the policy. What has changed the most for young people and families in South Australia? Jake, quite simply, kids are talking to people around them a lot more. We've seen a range of challenges emerge since the ban has been implemented that you'd reasonably expect. You know, kids are pretty intuitive. They find ways around these things. And a comprehensive survey was conducted only last month that was statistically significant.

58:10And it found 45 % of kids had done that, which is quite a high number. but really interestingly the ban has seen an uplift in sports participation by over 22 percent 77 percent of parents said oh we can actually now talk to our kids about what healthy social media use looks like in a way that they didn't before and the number that i was really sort of pleased with is 25 percent of kids are reading more so yes there's been challenges undoubtedly but all the uplift we were hoping for we've actually started to see real evidence of What about mental health for children or is it too early to tell? Look, I think, you know, if we're scientifically honest about it, it's a bit too early to tell before we've got a longitudinal study of positive impacts.

58:58But what we do definitively know, Jake, is when kids are talking to one another in a healthy social environment, when they're playing sport, when they're reading, when they're more attentive in the classroom, that will have a positive impact on their mental health. Only yesterday, I was at a significant public school in South Australia, where we also implemented the nation's first mobile phone ban in schools. And principals and teachers were all at one about talking how much more attentive kids are in class. And they're seeing less evidence of cyberbullying and the disruption that causes socially in the classroom as a result.

59:34One of the biggest concerns in the UK right now, and you just heard one of the young people from the UK just say this, is teens saying that they're going to lose contact with friends that they speak with and message with on social media. How have you addressed that issue? yeah look that is a real concern and that's the principal reservation that young people have so what's what's been telling here in australia thus far is for kids who had social media accounts that have lost them and that's over five million young people in australia so far which is a big number in a country of a population of 28 million people overall the kids that have lost social media they've tried to find ways around the ban but the kids that are becoming older and never had social media in the first instance, parents are stopping them from having it in the first place, even getting a phone later than what would otherwise be the case.

1:00:27The power of the ban, of course, lies in the fact that it is universal. So as kids come, you know, turn 13, 14, 15, as they might otherwise start to get a phone, they're not anymore. So it's not as though they've missed out on anything, Jake. For the kids that have lost social media accounts, that have actually complied with the ban, they're just finding ways to communicate with their friends in more traditional formats, going down to the local oval and kicking the footy, playing cricket, talking to one another in the classroom, riding the bike to see their mates, rather than just doing it via a mobile phone app.

1:01:02And that is decidedly healthy and something we're very happy with. Do you think there are other countries besides the UK that are going to follow your lead? Well, I was rapt to see Canada announce its intentions last week. We've seen the UK. France is on the precipice of introducing its ban. Denmark has led. Chancellor MERS in Germany has indicated that they support it. Interestingly, in the German instance, it's the centre-left parties that have expressed reservations, whereas it was centre-left parties in Australia that initiated this. So we are seeing Spain is also well down the track. Malaysia in South East Asia, they're now pursuing it.

1:01:44So this is, you know, in a way that we could have only have hoped when we initiated this in South Australia, this is truly going global. No one is suggesting for a moment or ever has that a ban is a silver bullet solution for the challenges we're trying to confront. But it is undoubtedly a powerful tool to put the power back into parents' hands to talk to their kids around what healthy social media and screen time looks like. South Australia Premier Peter Malinowskis, thank you so much. Good to see you again. Iran is getting ready for its first World Cup match tonight, but for Iranians living in the United States, many are deeply divided on the team representing their homeland and their heritage.

1:02:25CNN is outside the stadium hosting the match with this story next.

1:02:35A tragic update to the breaking news from our national lead. Eight crew members, eight, are believed to be dead after the B-52 bomber crashed shortly after takeoff from Edwards Air Force Base northeast of Los Angeles earlier today. Emergency crews responded immediately to the crash this morning. You can see the aircraft appears to be completely decimated as the runway was left with a large blackened scar. Our hearts go out to the loved ones of those involved. Turning now to our world lead, we are just a few hours away from Iran's World Cup debut against New Zealand. Iran will be the first time in World Cup history that a host nation is at war with one of the tournament's participants.

1:03:18Many Iranian-Americans are deeply divided. Some plan to watch tonight's match. Others plan to protest outside the stadium in Los Angeles. Protests are not permitted at FIFA events. CNN's Julia Vargas-Jones speaks to Iranian-Americans facing their most complicated World Cup yet.

1:03:40Mike Pence:It looks like that you have gotten used to the Persian culture. Almost every player on the suburban Los Angeles soccer team, the Aria Football Club, is Iranian. And these are the colors of Iran. Yes. We thought that we keep the excitement of those colors in our jersey as carrying the flag of Iran at the same time. And as the Iranian national team plays their first World Cup game here in Los Angeles, they are caught between their cultural identity, their politics and sports. Let's go, let's go, let's go, guys, let's go. Do you feel represented by this team? No. No, it's a definite no. I know that Iran could have better players in the squad, but they're not here for one reason or another.

1:04:28Iran's national team arrived in Tijuana, Mexico, under a cloud of immigration restrictions imposed by the U.S. from fear that Tehran would, quote, abuse this system to sneak terrorists into the United States under false pretenses, a U.S. administration official told CNN. This is an unprecedented situation where you have the host of a World Cup be actively at war with one of its participants. And your community, the Iranians who live here in the United States are caught in the middle of that.

1:05:01Mike Pence:Yes, it is a very hard situation. I don't know how the Iranian government is coping with that, and at the same time how the United States is coping with that. And you would say, why should this team be here? We are at war with them, right? A number of Team Iran staffers had their visas denied. And according to a spokesperson for the Iranian Football Federation, players would only enter the U.S. one day before the first match and two days before each of the next two matches to minimize their time in the country. At the end of the day, it is football time. Guys, guys, guys, get together, get together.

1:05:35But not every player here is so eager to embrace the mindset of football conquers all. Nice, not Mahmoud, Mahmoud. I'm not even supporting it. Any logo that has IRGC on it, to me, is a terrorist organization, and I have no room to support it. I don't care who they represent. Could soccer help give Iranians, at least here, a little bit of a reprieve, a little break? All the women and the girls and the teenagers that got killed in Iran in January, not a single blood is worth any soccer team. For me to actually go in front of a telly or buy a ticket to go support Iranian national team, that is not an Iranian national team, in my opinion, 100%.

1:06:20So, go Brazil. And Jake, here outside the Los Angeles stadium, we're seeing a steady stream of protesters. They're coming here with that very flag, the sun and lion flag, that is viewed as the flag that represents Iran for the people who are opposed to the Iranian government here. What they're saying, Jake, is despite, as you mentioned, protests not being allowed inside FIFA stadiums, is that they want to test that rule. They want to bring their protest inside by bringing this flag inside, which they say is the historical flag of Iran, and we'll see if they actually succeed. All right, Julia Vargas-Jones, thank you so much.

1:07:02Really interesting report. In a video posted on social media, California governor, potential Democratic presidential candidate Gavin Newsom says the Trump Justice Department is investigating his wife. But CNN or what CNN is learning about any potential related probes. That's next.

1:07:25Our law and justice lead now, California's Democratic governor Gavin Newsom says President Trump's Justice Department is launching an investigation into his family. that the governor says is purely political. And to Donald Trump, this country, this country does not belong to you. It does not belong to your cronies. And we're going to fight your lawlessness. And we're going to continue to remind the people of this country of your corruption. That same corruption our founders warned us against as we move to celebrate our 250th anniversary. That was earlier today. CNN's Paula Reid is following this for us.

1:08:06Paula, what are your sources saying about this investigation? What is it? So, Jake, we're told that there is no investigation directly into Governor Newsom, but there are investigations into people around him, including his wife. They are investigating for possible tax-related crimes. Now, a different source tells us that in recent weeks, there has been a flurry of activity from the FBI and the IRS. So we're talking about subpoenas for records, interviews they've conducted about the Newsom's, about their personal and professional activities. Now, there have not been any specific subpoenas for the governor or his wife or interviews with either one of them.

1:08:42But in his video today, Newsom said that President Trump is targeting him as a, quote, political enemy. Of course, Jake, as we know, the Trump Justice Department has an established pattern of pursuing the president's political adversaries. The president has also previously called for Newsom to be arrested. But we are told by a source that the Justice Department's political leadership, so we're talking about the people Trump picked to run this Justice Department, so Todd Blanch, Stan Woodward, Harmeet Dillon, that they are not involved in this investigation's origin. Instead, this probe was prompted by a whistleblower complaint and previous investigations.

1:09:19because also complicating this is the fact that Newsom's former chief of staff was indicted of November of last year related to charges on a scheme to steal campaign money. Now, she pleaded guilty to three of those charges last month. But look, that's a lot of smoke around the governor right now. And if anyone is investigating people that close to you, including your spouse, there is always a chance that investigation may find its way to you. But, Jake, we're going to continue to report this out and be really careful as we learn more details. Because as we know, there are a lot of political incentives on both sides of this when it comes to how this is being spun.

1:09:55Someone, of course, being on Trump's political enemies list. That's a great thing if you want to throw your hat in the ring for 2028. And of course, you get a lot of brownie points in the administration if you go after President Trump's political enemies. Paul Reed, thanks so much. Appreciate it. My panel joins me now. Lulu Garcia Navarro, Governor Newsom, also said this. Take a listen. Donald Trump isn't just coming after me because of my mean tweets. He's coming after me because I'm considering running for president, because he hates that I've consistently called him out over and over again for his lies and deceit.

1:10:30Life gives you lemons, make lemonade. I think Paula Reid is exactly right that we need to be very careful because this is preliminary. We first heard it from the governor and we're just understanding what this is about. But there is a pattern, of course, that we've seen with this Justice Department and with President Trump, where he does go after people that he doesn't like. He's already, as she mentioned, called for Governor Newsom to be put in prison. So it is concerning. However, we've also seen people be taken in for reasons that are legitimate. And we don't know yet which one this is. Yeah, this is kind of complicated.

1:11:05I mean, it started from a whistleblower. Presumably, I guess the whistleblower should be believed. leadership at the DOJ said, look, we're not directly involved in this. And one thing we know in the past, to the point that you've made, Lulu, they have been very direct about, no, we are investigating this person. That's not the case here. So, Jake, I get the politics, why the governor is doing this. He'll raise some money. But I think we need to wait and allow this to move forward before we can really make a determinative perspective on this one way or the other. Turning to Iran, a senior U.S. official says the president and vice president have both electronically virtually signed an agreement that would end the U.S.

1:11:40blockade of Iranian ports, start 60 days of negotiations, including over Iran's nuclear aspirations, and also reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Earlier in the show, I asked Vice President Vance specifically about one of those key factors, the Strait of Hormuz. Take a listen. So one of the reasons why I think actually they made this agreement, I don't think they'll ever say this, but one of the reasons why they made this agreement is because they recognize they're losing that leverage over the Strait of Hormuz. That's a card they can play. They played it once, but you can't play it every day indefinitely or you start to lose it.

1:12:15And I think they saw that that leverage point was getting weaker and weaker, which is why we've been able to strike this agreement. I mean, I guess we'll see. But as far as I know, ships are pretty scared to go through there because of all the mines that the Iranians have laid. Yeah, I don't buy that explanation. I don't think that that's true. I think, in fact, what's happened is that the longer this goes on, the more pressure there's been on the Trump administration. I mean, you've seen his poll numbers precipitously decline. You've seen inflation precipitously go up. It's a political problem in front of the midterms.

1:12:47And so I would say, in fact, that the pressure has been very squarely on the United States. And what has been surprising, I think, to many in the administration is how after so many concerted attacks after wiping out the top leadership of the Iranian regime, they have managed to withstand quite a great deal of pressure and not only withstand pressure, but exert it as well. And sure, Michael, this agreement is being met with a lot of pushback from your party, from the Republican Party. Senator Lindsey Graham, for example, said he's going to be watching for the details regarding Iran's nuclear program.

1:13:20He expects Vice President Vance to come and explain it all to Congress. We've seen some much harsher criticism from the likes of Eric Erickson and Mark Levin and others. How much faith do you have in this agreement, which we haven't seen the actual text of? I won an agreement before the election because of everything Lulu just stated. That said, though, I mean, Iran is in a much stronger position than they have ever been. For a long time, they were a regional nuisance causing chaos, conflicts with their partners, Israel, etc. And we sort of dealt with that, I think, as best as we possibly could from administrations, Republicans and Democrats alike.

1:13:56Now they have positioned themselves, in my opinion, to be like a quasi-dominant nation. Maybe they don't have nuclear capabilities. They may have the largest military with the technological prowess that we have or the Chinese or the Russians, but they do have one thing, the ability to exert economic pressure on the global economic order. And that is something that wars, missiles, planes, you can't have enough of them. It doesn't really matter. And so in my personal opinion, Even if you have an agreement here, how do we assure that the Iranian regime in the next two, three, four, five years doesn't repeat this?

1:14:29Because now they recognize they can use it as a real cudgel to get what they want. Especially as they reconstitute their military. Stick around, Lulu Shermichael. An ugly moment at the White House yesterday as a UFC fighter smears former First Lady Michelle Obama. So far, this White House has refused to condemn the comments. We're going to discuss all of that next.

1:14:52In our politics lead, a pretty ugly moment at the UFC event at the White House Sunday. Following his beatdown of Derrick Lewis, heavyweight Josh Hokett just decided to mark the moment by smearing a former first lady. Lastly, Michelle Obama is a man. Am I right, America?

1:15:16Mike Pence:Ladies and gentlemen, Josh Hokett. No, you're not right. Right. We heard a mixture of cheers and boos erupt from the crowd following Hokutena's comments. So what did the White House have to say about it? This morning, I reached out to White House Communications Director Stephen Chung and asked him if he had a comment. He said, quote, he had a great win last night. He showed toughness and the ability to pressure his opponent both on his feet and on the ground. So then I asked Stephen Chung how the administration's legitimate protests against people who insult First Lady Melania Trump, how that squares with their refusal to criticize Josh Hokett for his crass remarks about First Lady Michelle Obama.

1:15:56Stephen Chung responded, quote, He showed toughness in the ability to pressure his opponent both on his feet and on the ground. He'll definitely move up in the heavyweight rankings, unquote. My panel joins me now. Shermichael Singleton, I can't even imagine how Republican heads would be exploding if this were a Democratic event. Oh, if the roles were reversed, of course. It would, but it costs nothing just to say, like, we condemn those remarks. Yeah, just so this isn't reflective of the president. Move on. That aside, I've been looking at this on social media to see how people have been reacting, conservatives I follow.

1:16:31And some folks will say, well, I don't understand, you know, how this is steeped in racism. That's been one of the consistent things I've seen. I even had a couple friends have reached out and said, hey, can you just unpack this a little bit further from that? Oh, you're their black friend? Well, I'm sure they have more than just me, Louie. Sorry. But I said, sure, absolutely. There is a historic context here that I think a lot of people just may not be familiar with, whether it's Michelle Obama being a man or it's tennis star Serena Williams being too masculine. That was a thing when she was at her prime.

1:16:58Or the president tweeting out them as monkeys, right? Or even Winsome Sears, lieutenant governor, former lieutenant governor of Virginia, is being too angry. When you attach that historic trope contextually to black women, what it says is that, one, it dehumanizes them. And it does exert that you don't have to have the same empathy. And so what has been the cultural result of that? You look at medicine, for example, when black women say that they're in pain, they're typically not believed. This isn't my opinion. All of the stats say this. Maternity rates for black women, mortality rather, black women, white women, significantly tear worse.

1:17:34Dehumanization. So I think for people who don't understand why some black, many black people have said, hey, this is racist. you have to understand historical context that has been laid against women in my community and how those things have led to detrimental impacts and harms for generations and decades. It was inappropriate. It should not have been stated. And even Dana White, who is a big free speech guy. Let me read it. Let me read it. This was terrible. The CEO of the UFC, Dana White, had this to say. He said, quote, I understand that the Obamas are public figures, but I'm completely against saying nasty and false things about people's families.

1:18:06Everyone knows my position on free speech, but I hate that kind of nonsense. We also heard from Dave Portnoy, founder of Barstool Sports. He had this to say about the moment. Take a listen. When you have that on the White House lawn, an event you put down, I don't care what you think about the Obamas or anything, that has to be an immediate denounce. Like, wrong, doesn't speak for me. But why would the White House not do that? Why would the White House go out of its way to not condemn it? 100%. That is the question. Why wouldn't they? If you don't condemn it, then you endorse it. Because this happened literally on your front lawn.

1:18:50This happened in an event that you organized. And this happened in an event that was there ostensibly to celebrate the president's birthday and the 250-year anniversary of the founding of this country. So what on God's green earth are you doing if you're not condemning it? And this crap is just so divisive because it's supposed to be representative of the country's history. And I watched the fight. I wasn't able to go because I was with my family. And all of the other fighters, they thanked God. They thanked military soldiers, EMS. They said it's a great day for the country, etc. And you have one person, I don't know the guy, pretty classless behavior, my personal opinion, who maybe he thought this was funny, but funny to whom?

1:19:30I don't think you have to insult people or buy into tropes to dehumanize people to make a point. It just wasn't necessary. And I'm glad that some people have called it out and rightfully so. But again, contextually, I want people to understand historically why this is so hurtful to so many people. Michael, thank you so much. Thank you so much for being here. The new Apple TV series Widow's Bay, one of the surprise hits of the year. The season finale is coming up. Coming up next, creator Katie Dippel joins me to talk about why her show is delighting audiences and critics alike, also scaring us, to be honest.

1:20:13In our pop culture lead, perhaps it is fitting for America's 250th year that the season's best new TV show, as crowned by the New York Times, is Widow's Bay. Widow's Bay explores the past 400 years of history. On a small New England island, Widow's Bay, where a terrifying old curse threatens to destroy its population of quirky, complex seafaring people. After a few episodes dropped, word of mouth made it the number one show on Apple TV because, honestly, it feels like nothing else out there. And yes, it'll scare the daylights out of you, but then it will also make you laugh. I was talking to the guy on the ferry, and he said something odd.

1:20:53What was that? He said, bad things happen here. I find it charming myself.

1:21:02What town doesn't have a checkered past? Was there cannibalism? No. I don't think that's right. Joining me now, Kate Dippold. Katie Dippold, creator and showrunner for Widow's Bay. Okay, first of all, I love the show. It's so great. It has been picked up for a second season. That's great news for everybody who's watching it. So you actually wrote the pilot of this 20 years ago, but you kept refining it. You told The Hollywood Reporter you would bring a notebook to the East Coast when you would visit history museums, imagine what it would like if that were Widow's Bay. And in a way, you made history kind of like a character in the show.

1:21:42Yes. Yes, and we spent a lot of time in the writer's room thinking about the centuries of history. So when one outrageous event appeared, it would be just pop as fun. Do you know what I mean? Yeah. We wanted to ground it and make it feel as real as possible so it didn't feel too campy. Yeah. So yeah, a lot of work has been put in that history. I want to show a silent scene with a town mayor, played by Matthew Reese, from The Americans. He's looking through a board games collection at a haunted hotel. Now, these games are Daddy's Home, She Shouldn't Have Said That, Teeth, in which the accessory is a pair of pliers.

1:22:19Then there's a card game called Run. These are funny and unnerving both. It's a tough tone to achieve. You hit it out of the park, but it's a tough tone. No, you did. Because it is legitimately scary, but legitimately hilarious. That was the goal. Because sometimes it can get really muddy easily, and it can really fall off the rails. but I just, I wanted to do a show where when you laugh, you laugh, but when it gets scary, the scary is never silly. Like, I find terror delightful. Yeah. I mean, like, I'm delighted by a haunted house. You know, if you go to the movies, and someone has a really well-crafted horror scene, I love it when the audience screams, but then everyone starts laughing.

1:23:01Yeah. It just gets you. It's kind of like a childlike, dangerous excitement kind of feeling I was always chasing, so that was the goal. Is there like an archetype TV show or movie that when you think of like the horror comedy genre that was a goal or a role model for you? I mean, my favorite horror comedies are, I would say, American Werewolf in London. Oh, that's great. I love Cabin in the Woods and Shaun of the Dead and Sam Raimi movies. Cabin in the Woods is just scary, though, isn't it? Those are all very different from each other. Cabin in the Woods is terrifying. Right. Shaun of the Dead is funny and scary.

1:23:36American Werewolf in London, I feel like, does both really well. Like, they'll take a huge swing, but then they'll also terrify you of the subway sequence and the tube. So those were the ones I would think about a lot, even though they're very different for each other. So one of the best horror directors of all time, Guillermo del Toro, said, quote, Widow's Bay may very well be the best streaming series in a long time. Just series, not horror comedy series. Best series in a long time, and hands down one of the most mesmerizing acts of narrative prestidigitation in horror. That's easy for him to say.

1:24:09I want to ask about this horror because obviously you have it. You first kind of became notable when in 2016 you had a viral tweet. You said, throwback to Halloween when I dressed as the Babadook, but my friend's house had more of a grown-ups drinking wine vibe. Is that true? Is that an actual incident? That is an actual incident. And what the photo doesn't tell you, like, I sat there and watched a movie for about an hour and a half dressed like that. And nobody else was dressed? No. My one friend said he was going to dress up, but he came as someone from The Sopranos, so he just wore a tracksuit.

1:24:41I'm like, this is not a Halloween costume, okay? And so, yeah, we just sat there like that. And also, I was drinking red wine, so I had red wine teeth. Oh, bloody, bloody mouth. Against the white face. But that's the perfect combination of comedy and horror right there. Honestly, that photo is my soul, and it is the spirit of the show. So, if you Google Widow's Bay, you probably know this, there's an Easter egg where Google suggests a correction. Did you mean the next to Martha's Vineyard and definitely not cursed, that pops up. So if you were an unfortunate tourist in Widow's Bay, which character would you want to grab a beer with?

1:25:15Oh, my gosh, that's a great question. I mean, I guess you've got to grab a beer of Wick. But also Rosemary, I mean, she's going to be chain-smoking at that bar. She's going to have some stories to tell you. I mean, I love them all equally, but to grab a beer with, I've got to say Rosemary. Rosemary. Wick, too. It's close. It's close. It's very hard. Katie, thank you for bringing so much joy. Thank you so much. When I pitched this to my wife, I said, it's supposed to be great. I don't know anything about it, but it's supposed to be scary. And she hates scary. Yeah. She loves the show. So I keep hearing this from people.

1:25:51I have friends that hate horror, but I think the horror in this aims to delight you. Yes. Not make you feel bad. Right. It's bleak. But we are trying to scare you, but we want you to have a good time. You succeed. The clown, especially. The clown. Katie Dippel, thank you so much for being here.

1:26:05Mike Pence:Thank you for having me. If you ever miss an episode of The Lead, you can watch the show on the CNN app. Erin Burnett out front starts right now. And the season finale of Widows Bay, I think, drops tomorrow. Thanks for watching.

1:26:34Transcription by CastingWords