Return to Transcripts main page

The Lead with Jake Tapper

Israel Resumes Combat Operations In Gaza; CNN Team Sees Rocket Fire In Northern Gaza; NYT: Israel Knew Hamas's Attack Plan More Than A Year Ago; House Expels GOP Rep. George Santos Over Ethics Violations; Killer Targeting Homeless People In Los Angeles; Felicity Huffman Says "Had To Break Law" In College Admissions Scandal To Give Her Daughter A Future. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired December 01, 2023 - 17:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:00:08]

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper this hour. Why she did it actress Felicity Huffman, the former Desperate Housewives star. Finally opening up about that college admissions scandal that landed her in the clink often says she was trying to give her daughter a future and she felt like she had to break the law.

Plus, Donald Trump's attempted defense today pushing to get his criminal case in Georgia dismissed arguing that the indictment against the former president violates his free speech. And leading this hour, unfortunately, the ceasefire is over. Israel is launching new strikes in Gaza accusing Hamas of violating its deal to hand over more hostages. The fighting resumed just hours after a report in The New York Times that Israeli leaders dismissed warnings of a pending Hamas attack.

Let's start with CNN's Jeremy Diamond who is near the Israel-Gaza border. And Jeremy, we've seen explosions and flares over Gaza all day. What is the Israeli government? What is the IDF saying about the renewed military operations?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jake, not only has the Israeli military renewed its military operation in Gaza, it is also expanding it, moving combat operations ground combat operations into the southern part of the Gaza Strip and also taking aim at key cities there including Rafah as well as Khan Yunis and Hamas has been responding in kind. And just the last couple of hours, Jake, we have seen dozens of rockets being fired from just behind me in the northernmost part of the Gaza Strip. I want to show you one of those moments just earlier when we first got some of those rockets being fired.

And you can see that there were multiple sirens going off. Dozens of rockets being fired in just one barrage. I counted 19 rockets being fired from a position right behind me that appears to be in the city of Beit Hanoun, which is the north eastern most city in Gaza. And what's remarkable about that, Jake, is that the Israeli military for a couple of weeks now has been claiming that they are in control of the northern part of the Gaza Strip. And yet, clearly, Hamas still has the ability to fire rockets from some of those positions.

It also of course, comes as they have had a week now to resupply, to regroup, which was one of the fears of military analysts here in Israel. But what is also clear is that the Israeli military is continuing to pound key parts of Gaza. And the result of that, of course, has also been heavy civilian casualties once again. We know that in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, it appears according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, that several 100 people have already been killed among them. They say many women and children.

TAPPER: What are the chances of a new pause and hostage experience?

DIAMOND: Well, what's interesting, Jake, is that even amid the renewed fighting those negotiations between Israel and Hamas mediated by the Qatari government with heavy assistance from the United States. Those negotiations are still ongoing. And sources have told us that if Israel is presented with a list of 10 women and children as they have been asking for in order to extend the truce today, that they would be willing to once again return to that pause and fighting in order to allow for the release of those hostages. It appears like Hamas is claiming that they simply don't have that number of women and children left in their custody in order to release. Some of that may have to do with some of those individuals, unfortunately, being dead. Some of it could also have to do with the fact that other militant groups hold other -- hold some of those hostages themselves.

But what is also clear is that at some point, these negotiations have to and are already starting to move towards the broader question of men as well as Israeli soldiers. Israeli political leaders recognize that getting those hostages out will come at a significantly higher price. And they also believe that these military operations that the military pressure on Hamas will help to lower that price, putting pressure on Hamas at the negotiating table as well.

TAPPER: What is the reaction in Israel, Jeremy, to the New York Times report, revealing that Israeli leaders had been given detailed warnings of Hamas attack plans, and yet they were dismissed?

DIAMOND: It's really been silenced, Jake. None of Israel's political leaders have commented on that report so far. What's also interesting is that it comes on the heels of in just the last week, a lot of reporting in the Israeli press about insider accounts of warnings from one intelligence officer, in particular, who has been named V in the Israeli press hear her warnings effectively about the very same type of attack that Hamas actually carried out which were ignored or dismissed in other cases as well. But what's clear is that the New York Times report goes further than those accounts with very specific blueprints that the Israeli military and its intelligence community appears to have obtained. But it's not changing the posture of the Israeli prime minister who has effectively said that all questions about this intelligence failure should be answered after the war ends. Of course, he is the only one really who has yet to take responsibility. Most of Israel's security leadership already has. Jake.

[17:05:26] TAPPER: All righ. Jeremy Diamond, thank you so much. And this news just in the Biden administration and Israeli officials believe that Hamas continues to hold hostage a number of women who are approximately 20 to 30 years old, who were kidnapped meant many of them from the Nova music festival. The fear of course, that there is a specific reason why a group of terrorists would want to keep holding hostage a bunch of young women.

Let us return to the blockbuster New York Times report. The paper revealing that Israel knew of Hamas as attack plan more than a year ago, but Israeli officials dismissed it as aspirational and ignored specific warnings. This comes on the heels of an article in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz last week saying quote, "Over the past year, the Israel Defense Forces spotters situated on the Gaza border, all women warned that something unusual was happening. Those who survived the October 7 massacre are convinced that if it had been men sounding the alarm, things would look different today," unquote.

Now we thought of having an Israeli government official come on to respond. But frankly, we have been asking about intelligence failures, since the very beginning of the saga, starting with the horrific Hamas terrorist attack on October 7. And we've been getting the same answer over and over and over again, this one.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARK REGEV, SENIOR ADVISER TO ISRAELI PM NETANYAHU: Once again, all these questions can be addressed after the conflict. And I'd remind you, and you know, this better than most, that when we've had security mishaps or challenges in the past, we have known in this country how to investigate ourselves.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TAPPER: So instead of subjecting you to that answer, once again, I want to discuss this with Former Deputy Director of National Intelligence in the United States, Beth Sanner, who is a CNN National Security Analyst. First of all, Beth, obviously, the fault of the Hamas attack is Hamas. First, foremost, period, full stop. But that said, Netanyahu is government ignored warnings in one that cannot miss the fact that many of these warnings were from women. What is your reaction to this latest New York Times story?

BETH SANNERS, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, I think that there is multiple levels of failure here. It's never just one thing, right? It's multiple things. So you can start from the bottom, or you can start from the top. From the bottom, people did not listen to these young women, mainly young women. That's a cultural problem, right? Whether they were women or men, they didn't listen to junior officers.

Then you get all the way to the very top where Netanyahu had policies that literally moved resources away from Hamas, focused on Iran, Iran, Iran, and maybe Hezbollah, and actually put money into the settler movement, which stoked things and created policies that made Hamas and other adversaries say, hey, maybe now's the time, we need you to attack. So you can look at this in all directions, but they have a huge problem that they need to deal with.

TAPPER: And I have to say, what I read in The Times seems worse than that infamous Intel briefing memo Bin Laden determined to attack in the U.S. The detail on the New York Times articles incredible Hamas battle plan. According to documents seen by The Times of Hamas plan called for a rocket barrage to distract the Israeli military, using drones to knock out security cameras, automatic machine guns along the wall, separating guys in Israel breaking through the wall, and up to 60 locations, attacking us paragliders motorcycles on foot, target towns, as well as the Israeli military base at Re'im. All of that actually happened. And as you know, not only was the IDF focused on protecting these extremist settlers in the West Bank, Netanyahu himself was very engaged in trying to just weaken the judiciary and the country was politically very divided.

SANNER: Exactly. So you know, when you look at warnings, and whether you get these things right or not, there are two things you have to get right. One is the intent of an adversary to attack. And the other is the capability of an organization to attack. In 911, we got the intent, right? We warned UBL you know, red lights flashing is what Georgetown and head of CIA said, but we didn't get the tactical warning right. Here, they got both wrong, even though they had the blueprint. So they didn't get the intent right. They didn't believe that Hamas still wanted to be a terrorist or organization. They thought they had it cowed into this governing kind of body. And for that reason, they didn't even take a real hard shot at saying huh look at this blueprint. I wonder if they could actually do this. And so that is the double failure here.

[17:10:15]

TAPPER: So The Times article also cites a 2016 Israeli Defense Ministry memorandum that warns Hamas intends to move the next confrontation into Israeli territory. Such an attack would most likely involve hostage-taking and occupying an Israeli community, perhaps even a number of communities and the plan would involve hostage.

Anyway, what's interesting about this, 2016, seven years ago, I don't know how many people in the United States follow Israeli politics. But Netanyahu who has been Prime Minister than anyone in the history -- longer than anyone in the history of Israel, his whole pitch to Israel is, I will keep you safe. Even says like, you might not even like me, but I will keep you safe.

Here is a Netanyahu ad from 2015. Here's a little clip of it. It's a couple, a young babies waiting for a babysitter, they open the door. You got a babysitter. I will protect your children. I will protect your children. I can keep you safe, the others -- the others won't. Here's another ad from 2019. He's a lifeguard. Go to the right. Go to the right. I will protect you. Go to the rain.

It's his whole pitch. I will keep you safe. Do you think this is the end for him politically?

SANNER: Absolutely. I just don't see how you get out of that. And I think that the hostage families who really I mean, the heart of all Israel is with them. They have lost absolute confidence in Netanyahu and they will tell you think you had a person on yesterday who --

TAPPER: We had five families on there.

SANNER: Yes. And many of them said I -- my trust is with the IDF. But not with Netanyahu. They understand that these decisions come and they filter down. And they distorted society over this period of time in Israel. And I think that, you know, this whole idea of, you know, we can't look at Intel failures as just oh, you know, some guy didn't listen to a female officer. Yes, that's important. But it's part of a bigger cultural and societal issue that they need to ask and grapple with.

TAPPER: One of the other things, and it doesn't matter who gets attacked, who gets killed by Hamas. I mean, it doesn't matter their politics. But a lot of these people who lived near Gaza, were left- wing.

SANNER: Exactly.

TAPPER: And really did everything they could to work with the Palestinians. They opposed Netanyahu. They wanted peace. I mean, it also shows you how much none of this is about politics. It's about killing Jews for Hamas.

SANNER: It is. And unfortunately, in all of this, it has moved those are many of those people who really wanted peace really wanted coexistence and it's harden them. And we can understand why. If you see the films of what had happened -- what happened, you can understand why. But it means that a two-state solution is farther now from us than it has been in 30 years.

TAPPER: Perhaps. Perhaps. I got to hope.

SANNER: I'm always a buzzkill for you though.

TAPPER: I got to hope. Beth Sanner, thank you so much. Some sound bites from Donald Trump will go in history books, sound bites, such as this one.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP, FMR PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATE: So look, all I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more that we have. Because we won the state.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TAPPER: Not exactly asked not what your country can do for you. Still up next, the first signs of how Trump's attorneys are going to try to defend that call and other actions by Donald Trump in the conspiracy to steal Georgia's 16 electoral votes. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:17:50] TAPPER: And we're back with our law and justice lead. Attorneys for Donald Trump arguing in Fulton County Court today for the first time since Donald Trump was indicted in the Georgia elections case they argued that the charges against the former president should be thrown out based on his First Amendment right to free speech. It's an argument the judge has already ruled against for two of Trumps co- defendants is Sidney Powell and Kenneth Chesebro. CNN's Evan Perez and Tom Dupree with me now.

Evan, why would they use this First Amendment argument if he's already ruled against it?

EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think Trump's lawyers believe that he's got a different kind of argument to make that he has a nuanced version of this argument. Because he was president right? He was he was a sitting president. And you know, the judge, really what the judge was looking at in the Chesebro. And the Sidney Powell case was simply saying like, look, this is an argument that is left for you to make when you go to trial. This is a trial argument. And that is probably where he still will stand. But for now, obviously, this has been an all-day hearing that has been going on in Fulton County Court.

So for now, you know, he's listening to Steve Sadow, the Trump lawyer make these arguments of what, you know, potentially could be at stake in the coming months. Keep in mind, Jake, you know, part of the play here by the Trump team is to delay this trial. Right now, the prosecutors are trying to have it next August, right in the middle of the election. And they claim that that is election interference, which is something that judges is sort of having trouble with trying to decide what that -- what to do with that.

TAPPER: And, Tom, I want to play this moment when Trump's lawyers were asked if Trump could be tried in Georgia if he wins the election in November.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JUDGE SCOTT MCAFEE; FULTON COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT: If your client does win election in 2024, could he even be tried in 2025?

STEVE SADOW, ATTORNEY FOR DONALD TRUMP: The answer to that is I believe that under the Supremacy Clause and his duties as president United States, this trial would not take place at all until after he left his term of office.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TAPPER: So see in February 2029.

[17:20:00]

TOM DUPREE, DEPUTY ASST. ATTORNEY GENERAL, GEORGE W. BUSH ADMINISTRATION: Exactly. He will come back later for the trial of the century. Look, I think if that happens, if we're in that situation and you know kind of God -- God forbid we are where there's a sitting president who's on criminal trial, I think the Trump team actually at that point would have a decent constitutional argument that you cannot prosecute criminally a sitting president. I think the Supreme Court might likely look at that question from the perspective of his constitutional duties, would prosecuting a sitting president criminally interfere with his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed. Wouldn't surprise me if the Supreme Court under those circumstances said that this goes too far, and that the case does have to be even (inaudible).

TAPPER: Even if it is a state (inaudible)?

DUPREE: Even if -- well, you could already say arguably, especially if it states, because then that adds on the additional layer of the state supervising the federal government, which can't happen under our Constitution.

TAPPER: And Evan, we also saw this major ruling in D.C. federal court that Trump does not have presidential immunity over civil lawsuits related to January 6, because it wasn't in the course of his presidential duties. What does that mean for Trump?

PEREZ: Well, it's a pretty consequential ruling, at least when it comes to these lawsuits. These are lawsuits that were filed by members of Congress and Capitol police officer were claiming damages, right, for what happened on January 6. What this ruling means is that -- is that for now these lawsuits can go forward. The former president can still make this argument, Jake, when as this litigation goes forward. But the big, big question that is still hanging out there, right, and you can see it in reading this, this ruling today. We were all trying to, you know, parse it, because we're trying to see what the study the appeals court and ultimately, maybe the Supreme Court will do with the question of the presidential immunity with the criminal cases, right?

We know the President, the former president is going to make the same argument, right. That he's immune to Jack Smith's prosecution. He's trying to make that very argument. This is going to be a preview of that.

TAPPER: Would this, assuming this is upheld in whatever court it goes to because it's going to be appealed.

PEREZ: Right.

TAPPER: Would this impact the powers of the presidency?

DUPREE: I think it could. And that's one of the ironies of all of this litigation, Jake, is that on one hand, the former president is urging broad conceptions of presidential power a broad grant of immunity. But when the courts keep rejecting these arguments, I think it does have the effect of narrowing the President's powers, narrowing the scope of presidential immunity for future presidents.

TAPPER: All right, Tom, Evan, thanks for being here. Appreciate it.

Congress moves fast when it wants to. In the morning House members expelled George Santos by afternoon, the locks were changed on his office door. That wasn't the only move to erase his name from the halls of Congress. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:21:52]

TAPPER: And our politics lead. It's over those words from former Congressman George Santos who was expelled from the house today over ethics violations.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Congress, what's your reaction to the votes as they come in?

GEORGE SANTOS, U.S. REPRESENTATIVE FOR NEW YORK'S 3RD CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT: It's over. But, what -- what reaction?

UNIDENFIED FEMALE: I mean, you're expelled.

SANTOS: The House spoke, that's their vote.

UNIDENFIED FEMALE: Sure

SANTOS: They just set new dangerous precedent for themselves.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TAPPER: When it was all said and done, the resolution passed 311 to 114 with 105 Republicans voting in favor of expulsion. Reesulted in this, the unceremonious removal of Santos his nameplate within hours of the expulsion vote. Let's get into this with the panel.

We should point out in terms of people talking about the precedent set, the House Ethics Committee did an investigation. They concluded after a thorough investigation that his behavior and his conduct had been beyond the pale and they unanimously Democrats and Republicans voted to expel him unanimously. So it's not like it came out of nowhere. It was just Democrats or just Republicans. I mean, that is pretty rare.

Others expelled from the Congress voted, you know, fought for the Confederacy, and were convicted of crimes. But do you think that this is dangerous? Because he has not been convicted of a crime? I

ALICE STEWART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I do not. Look, here's the situation here. He will face his day in court. He's facing 23 indictments on a very serious charges. With regard to campaign finance, he will have his due process in his day in court. With regard to Congress there, believe it or not, they're actually standards and conduct of behavior that members of Congress have to meet. And they set those standards and enforce those standards. And when he was brought forth before the Ethics Committee, he had the opportunity to refute these charges or to set the record straight. He gave the ethics committee the middle finger and did not answer up. Now 311 of his colleagues gave that middle finger right back to him and said enough. You're an embarrassment. You're a fraud. And we're not going to have you hear anymore.

So he's not -- doesn't have the right to be a member of Congress. It is a privilege to do so. And if you don't meet the standards of behavior, fortunately, his colleagues said we're done.

KAREN FINNEY, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: And I think they would have set a different standard had they not voted to expel him which would be in the face of when his own constituents remember in the fall right after the election, when things started to come out started to they were trying to figure out, how can we get rid of them and there's no constitutional way for his own voters, right. They had to rely on the ethics committee. It would have set a standard that says we're going to protect our own even in the face of overwhelming evidence. And remember, that he actually admitted to some of this when it first came out.

The other thing though, if you think about the ethics committee, you know, it was formalized, I believe in 1967. And over the years, they have actually added rules and regulations as the times have changed. And as one of our colleagues said earlier this week, this is political catfishing, right? I mean, this is a person who created new ways, frankly, of scamming his voters that I also hope that the ethics committee takes a look at and says are there new rules and regulations that we need to add to make because we now believe this level of conduct is not appropriate if you're to be in public service --

TAPPER: Yes.

FINNEY: -- that they would adhere to going forward.

TAPPER: Yesterday, before Santos became an ex-congressman, he and Republican Congressman Max Miller, Republican of Ohio got into a testy exchange on the House floor. I want you to take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MAX MILLER (R-OH): I myself have been a victim of George Santos and as well as other members of Congress in terms of defrauding through public donations ad, received an ethics complaint from the FEC, which I had to spend tens of thousands to defend myself. You sir are a crook. I know it.

REP. GEORGE SANTOS (R-NY): Mr. Speaker, hypocrisy, as I mentioned, my colleague wants to come up here call me a crook, same colleague who's accused of being a woman beater.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Now, that is true, that accusation has been leveled against Congressman Miller. And I guess the point he's making is people in glass houses.

STEWART: Look, you know, Miller, had his day, you know, in the legal system with regard to those charges, and that has been resolved. What I think is disgusting about Santos, aside from the fact that he's a fraud and a crook, is the fact that what aboutism. Instead of owning up to what he does? He's like a four year old child. I know I did wrong, but what about you? What about --

FINNEY: Right. I know you are. But what am I.

STEWART: Exactly. And that's really challenged. And I'll tell you what, many Republicans that I spoke with in Congress, they were willing to look at the precedent this would set and vote to keep Santos in office. But when they heard that story that Max Miller was screwed over by Santos and his mother, they said, enough is enough. It's one thing it's bad enough to lie to your constituents, and they don't know any better than to elect you. But when you screw over a colleague, they were done.

TAPPER: I'm here to by the way to provide all the devil's advocate defenses of George Santos today.

FINNEY: Yes.

TAPPER: And I don't want anyone to think I'm doing anything other than trying to provide lively debate topics. Here is another lively debate topic. And I'm dipping into my barrel of defenders of George Santos. I'm plucking out Matt Gaetz.

FINNEY: Oh.

TAPPER: Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MATT GAETZ (R-FL): Mr. Speaker, whatever Mr. Santos did with Botox, or only fans is far less concerning to me than the indictment against Senator Menendez, who's holding gold bars inscribed with Arabic on them from Egypt while he is still getting classified briefings today. But he's not getting thrown out of the Senate. He's getting classified briefings under indictment for bribery. But well, what, because Santos was buying Botox and only fans, we got to throw him out?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FINNEY: Uh-huh. Yes. So when Matt Gaetz is your defender, you're in trouble.

STEWART: Exactly.

FINNEY: But let's talk about --

TAPPER: You're talking about -- you're not --

FINNEY: No, not you. Not you. Not you. People, George Santos --

STEWART: Anyone. Anyone.

TAPPER: One, one.

FINNEY: We want one that such a thing, right? Yes. No. We know you have your barrel of -- TAPPER: I'm just a devil's advocate. That's my job. That's my job.

FINNEY: The best job in the world. Now, but look, let's talk about the politics about -- of this for just a moment.

TAPPER: Yes.

FINNEY: I think this also this situation was so bad. It literally rose to the level that Republicans recognize with their existing baggage. They could not handle the additional baggage that Santos, you know, was keeping --

TAPPER: You're saying what do you have to do in this day and age to be so embarrassing that the Republican Party wants to kick you out?

FINNEY: Right. And you know, Matt Gaetz has his own troubles with the Ethics Committee.

TAPPER: All right, we're moving on, Karen Finney, Alice Stewart, thank you so much. Have a great weekend to both of you. It's so good to see you.

[17:33:47]

Just into CNN, please warning of a killer targeting the homeless leading one big city mayor to warn, do not sleep alone tonight. We're going to show you the picture of the possible suspect. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TAPPER: This just in to CNN, we now know that Derek Chauvin, who was convicted in the killing of George Floyd and attack last week in federal prison, was in fact stabbed 22 times in prison. The suspect is now facing a charge of attempted murder, and three other assault charges.

Official say Chauvin was in the Law Library when he was attacked and stabbed multiple times with an improvised knife. According to the federal complaint, the suspect told officers he had been contemplating attacking Chauvin for about a month, we do not yet know Chauvin's condition.

This also just in the CNN, a potential serial killer is targeting the homeless in Los Angeles. That's according to city officials who are warning those who are homeless to not sleep alone after three people have recently been shot and killed. Let's go to CNN's Nick Watt. And, Nick, this is obviously distressing news. Tell us more.

NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, an extraordinary press conference and a plea by city officials for help from the public to identify this person that they believe is targeting unhoused people. I'll quote Mayor Bass she says, this is a killer who is preying on the unhoused. A message to that killer, we will find you. We will catch you. And you will be held accountable.

They have released a picture of a vehicle that they suspect the suspect was driving. And they have released an image of the person they believe to be the suspect, a single man, a male, that is what they are saying. Now, three murders, Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, all of them in the early hours of the morning, all of the victims men who were sleeping alone on the street, one on a couch in an alley, one on a sidewalk and homicide detectives realized that there were common themes here and they connected these three murders.

They are now of course looking for any other unsolved murders of unhoused people in Los Angeles and in surrounding jurisdictions to see if perhaps this killer has struck other times. Now, the three locations we've noticed they're all within striking distance of the 110 freeway, a major artery running north-south through Los Angeles.

[17:40:16]

As you mentioned, unhoused people are being told do not sleep alone, easier said than done in Los Angeles. They're being told to find shelter, easier said than done in Los Angeles. The city is also hoping to open shelters for unhoused people that usually only open in times of bad weather.

So that is how seriously the city is taking this. But listen, there are more than 46,000 unhoused people in L.A. and it is a dangerous life. Four or five people die on the streets here every day from various, various reasons, including violence. Every elected official, we have promises to solve this problem. None of them have been able to do so including the current crop. But right now, they are trying to keep the unhoused people safe with what they believe, Jake, is, as you say, a serial killer.

They haven't used those words, but the crimes, the individual, it does all add up, the profile of a serial killer targeting unhoused people here in Los Angeles with a huge population of unhoused people. Now they say at risk, at grave risk, Jake.

TAPPER: All right, Nick Watt in Los Angeles for us, thank you so much.

Coming up, she started in "Desperate Housewives." Then she went to federal prison because of the college admissions scandal. Ahead, the actress, Felicity Huffman, on why she broke the law.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:45:45]

TAPPER: "Desperate Housewives" star Felicity Huffman is finally speaking out about her role in that college admissions scandal known as Operation Varsity Blues. Huffman, as you may recall, pleaded guilty to paying $15,000 to falsify her daughter's SATs scores. It's a crime that sent the Emmy winning actress to prison. Stephanie -- CNN's Stephanie Elam is here with the story. And Stephanie, Huffman says she initially thought her arrest was a joke.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, she did not think that anything this series would happen to her. And, you know, she was one of 33 wealthy parents who were using that wealth and their influence, to work to try to get their kids to cheat to get them into these top notch colleges. She says the way it went down, and this is the first time we're hearing from her, she really did not think it was a real deal. In fact, take a listen to what she told our affiliate KABC.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FELICITY HUFFMAN, ACTRESS: They woke my daughter's up at gunpoint, again, nothing new to the black and brown community. Then they put my hands behind my back and handcuffed me and I asked if I could get dressed. And I thought it was a hoax.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ELAM: She says hindsight being 2020, that she really felt like she was going to be a bad mother, if she did not go through with this plan, as it was all coming to her as she was hearing about this and that she wasn't going to be able to get her daughter into school without doing it. In fact, listen to a little bit more of how she explains her decision process to arrive where she did.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HUFFMAN: I had to give my daughter a chance at a future. And so it was sort of like my daughter's future, which meant I had to break the law. I kept thinking turn around, just turn around. And to my undying shame I didn't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ELAM: Yes, she talks a lot about her shame. She also apologized quote, to the students and families that sacrifice and work really hard to get to where they are going legitimately. In December 2019, she was sentenced to 14 days in prison. She also got a year of probation, 250 hours of community service on top of a fine of $30,000, Jake.

TAPPER: Why she's speaking out now?

ELAM: That's what everyone wanted to know. It's like why now, like, why are we talking about this? Well, it has a lot to do with that community work that she started doing. She started volunteering at an organization called a New Way of Life. It's a nonprofit that helps previously incarcerated women get back on their feet with housing, clothing, job training, all of that.

And so she started working there, the founder of the organization said that she was just going to put Huffman at a desk. But instead she said no, I really do want to work. So she started coming up with exercise programs, she started organizing the donations that were -- they were getting and is now joined the board of directors, so really putting in the work and now trying to use her infamy in this case, to highlight the good work of this organization in South LA.

TAPPER: All right, Stephanie Elam, thank you so much.

[17:48:53] Coming up next, another well-known actor offering a different perspective on all the recent acts of anti-Semitism and hate that we're seeing in the wake of events in the Middle East, stay here for that fun conversation.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From the people in the 21st century, huh?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Aye.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Aye. The best. In our Pop Culture Lead, the Fonz has a brand new book out after a remarkable life and storied career. I spoke with Henry Winkler about it all just a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TAPPER: And joining me now, award winning actor, Henry Winkler, he's author of the new memoir of "Being Henry: The Fonz ... and Beyond." This is very surreal for me because, you know, growing up, I watched this guy every week.

HENRY WINKLER, ACTOR: So did I.

TAPPER: Tuesday nights.

WINKLER: Yes.

TAPPER: Tuesday nights at ABC.

WINKLER: Eight o'clock.

TAPPER: Eight o'clock ABC.

WINKLER: Unbelievable.

TAPPER: Every episode --

WINKLER: I wrote him fan mail.

TAPPER: And I would hit the jukeboxes, and it didn't work for me.

WINKLER: OK. Can I just say something?

TAPPER: Go ahead.

WINKLER: Jake, I swear to God, if you have a man named Pete behind the scenery, and he plugs it in, it will go like that.

TAPPER: So that's what I need it.

WINKLER: Unbelievable. I hit it he plugged. TAPPER: My friend Josh and I we used to joke all the time we go, Cunningham in my office. And we go to the bathroom every time.

WINKLER: Yes.

TAPPER: So you landed the role of "The Fonz."

WINKLER: Yes.

TAPPER: Or Fonzarelli.

WINKLER: Tight.

TAPPER: On happiness within two weeks of moving to Los Angeles.

WINKLER: Not moving, landing. I was only there for a month. I had $1,000 I was going home on my birthday when my money ran out.

TAPPER: Yes.

WINKLER: They called a Tom Miller called and said, do you want to play this character?

TAPPER: So you changed your voice for the character not to mention --

WINKLER: Change it in the audition.

TAPPER: Yes.

WINKLER: All of a sudden it was like I was overtaken by a devil.

TAPPER: Can you do it?

WINKLER: I can -- what are you talking about? You don't look at me buddy, you can look me in the eye, right, if you want to ask me a question you face that way.

[17:55:04]

TAPPER: You also created, aye.

WINKLER: Aye.

Yes and then I created, whoa, which I got from horseback riding.

TAPPER: But so to many people including me at the age I was watching --

WINKLER: Yes.

TAPPER: -- you as Fonz.

WINKLER: Yes.

TAPPER: The Fonz is the coolest, he's the epitome of cool.

WINKLER: Right.

TAPPER: But you write about when you were a teenager?

WINKLER: Yes.

TAPPER: Chasing the cool kids never feeling cool yourself.

WINKLER: That is exactly right. I always felt like I was on the outside looking in wanting to be over there. And then I realized that all of the children's books that I write are about children who always want to be over there, and try to figure out how to get there.

TAPPER: So was it surreal becoming the personification in the 70s of coolness?

WINKLER: Surreal.

TAPPER: Not having actually felt cool yourself.

WINKLER: Surreal. Because, you know, people would talk to me, and I was thinking, who are they talking to?

TAPPER: Right?

WINKLER: They cannot be talking to me. They don't know who I am inside, you know. And it was amazing. I got to be my imagination.

TAPPER: So even though you went to Emerson College in the Yale School of Drama, two very fine schools.

WINKLER: Right.

TAPPER: You write about getting kicked out of class.

WINKLER: Right.

TAPPER: You struggled memorizing lines.

WINKLER: Yes.

TAPPER: You were diagnosed with dyslexia at age 31.

WINKLER: Yes.

TAPPER: And here you are a very successful author actor at 78.

WINKLER: Yes, that is true. You had to say that. But no, it is true. It became a second profession. But it was, it started as a time filler. I couldn't get hired as an actor. Someone suggested write children's books about your dyslexia, which then my son, Max, our youngest, said, dad, you've got so many stories you should write.

TAPPER: This is after "Happy Days?"

WINKLER: This is after "Happy Days." This is 2003 I started writing. TAPPER: You have so many anecdotes in your book, from your time on "Happy Days," one stuck out to me, Ron Howard, 10 years younger than you. He corrected you when you punch the script in frustration.

WINKLER: That is true.

TAPPER: He said, he said don't do so because the writers work so hard. How did that impact you?

WINKLER: I never did it again. He is a very wise human being. He was wise at 18. And I was frustrated. And I couldn't make a joke work. He said, you know, don't hit the script. They're working as hard as they can.

TAPPER: Yes.

WINKLER: I said, Ron, I will never hit my script as long as I live.

TAPPER: Not many people know --

WINKLER: Yes.

TAPPER: -- that your parents escaped Nazi Germany in 1939.

WINKLER: Yes, they did.

TAPPER: And all of your extended family was murdered by the Nazis in the Holocaust.

WINKLER: I did a show called "Better Late Than Never." We traveled all over the world. I was with Bill Shatner and George Foreman and Terry Bradshaw. And we were in Berlin. And I saw the toast stone of my uncle who I only heard about but never met. The every Jew that was taken has a silver plaque in the place where they were living, taken, born and what camp they went to.

TAPPER: We're obviously in a time where there is rising anti-Semitism. We're seeing it all over the world.

WINKLER: Yes.

TAPPER: We're seeing it all over the United States. How does it feel as somebody whose parents survived the Holocaust who escaped the Holocaust as somebody who's who has extended family.

WINKLER: History repeats itself.

TAPPER: Yes.

WINKLER: And as we really, really disrespect education even more in this country, people will not know and so it flowers again.

TAPPER: Henry, I know you a little bit you always contribute to my auction for veterans.

WINKLER: Absolutely. TAPPER: And you are literally the nicest person I've ever met like you --

WINKLER: What I am is grateful.

TAPPER: Just so people know this is not like an act. This is what he actually is like, on camera, off camera always to everyone he knows. The book is great. It's called "Being Henry: The Fonz ... and Beyond." I highly recommend it. And if you get a chance to meet Henry Winkler, I highly recommend that too.

WINKLER: No, and also let me just say there are a few pictures in there when you get tired of reading. OK.

TAPPER: Good to see you Henry.

WINKLER: Pleasure, Jake, really.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TAPPER: Honestly, just like the sweetest guy in the world, so it's a privilege to know him.

In our World Lead, a famous leaning tower in Italy may not be leaning for too much longer. It's not the Leaning Tower of Pisa instead, this one is in Bologna. City officials are planning for a sudden and unexpected collapse of the Garisenda Tower, which has been around since the 12th century. The tower was actually referenced in Dante's Inferno, which was published in the 14th century and it was already leading back then. The plan for a collapse includes evacuation and putting up a protective metal device with nets to contain the debris.

Coming up, Sunday on State of the Union, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina also Democratic Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal of Washington who's chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, that's Sunday morning at 9:00 Eastern, again at noon here on CNN.

[18:00:12]

You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, and on the TikTok at Jake Tapper. You can tweet the show at The Lead CNN. If you ever miss an episode of The Lead, you can listen to the show once you get your podcast.

Our coverage continues now with one Mr. Wolf Blitzer in The Situation Room.