Return to Transcripts main page

The Lead with Jake Tapper

Delta Flight's Bird's Eye View Of Total Solar Eclipse; Trump Request Denied Over Hush-Money Trial; Palestinians Return To Khan Younis After IDF Withdrawal; Date Set For Rafah Ground Invasion; Former CNN Correspondent, Now Helping Children In Gaza; Speaker Johnson Faces Revolt By GOP Over Ukraine Aid Package; GOP Intel Chair: Russian Propaganda Uttered On House Floor; Total Solar Eclipse Crosses Mexico, U.S. & Canada. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired April 08, 2024 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:00:00]

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: The best views from today's total solar eclipse, and we're going to be joined by none other than Bill Nye, the Science Guy, to break down why this rare event is so important.

Plus, gas prices hitting a five-month high just ahead of the summer travel surge. And now a top economic forecaster is warning that surging oil prices could be the greatest threat to the U.S. economy right now, the possible impacts of the spike ahead.

And Israel announces plans to move forward with something the U.S. and other close allies have warned against, a ground invasion of Rafah in Gaza. What does this mean for the tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians who have sought shelter there? A former CNN reporter- turned-founder of an aid organization just left Gaza and she'll join us live to share what she saw in the hardest-hit areas.

But we're going to start with our eclipse coverage, someone lucky enough to get a bird's-eye view of the eclipse, the CNN's Pete Muntean. And Pete, you were on this special flight following the eclipse's path from Dallas to Detroit. What was that like?

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Been there, done that, got the t-shirt, Jake. This is it from Delta. It says, "Connecting the Cosmos," which is -- it's upside down, sadly, but sort of part of their slogan, a bit of a play on words. They also gave us all glasses on board. It was pretty amazing to see how dark it got on board this flight, Delta 1010, at 35,000 feet.

Remember, this flight took off from Texas, where there was a lot of anxiety today about whether or not people would see the eclipse just in general on the ground because of the severe cloud cover there. We were above it all, and I have to tell you, it got incredibly dark on board before we got to totality.

We were able to turn twice, left and right. The captain and the flight crew organized that with the FAA so we could see that. And I want you to listen now to one of the passengers on board. Some folks, especially those in the middle of the aisle, weren't able to totally see totality, but they said it was really more about the vibe and the experience of this than anything. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: The air gave you an entirely different perspective. When you're on the ground, the biggest impact of an eclipse is when it starts to get dark, and all the nocturnal creatures, the animals, the birds, they start to hear all of that. When you're in the airplane, you're not going to experience that, but you're going to get an entirely different visual because you can see so far.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MUNTEAN: Delta poured over the weather leading up to this, and there was some concern that we would hit some clouds, although we were just on top of a little cirrus layer of clouds there to be able to see this in totality. It was a really incredible experience, Jake. A bit of science meets a bit of spirituality.

Even some people got engaged on board this flight. A really incredible, almost trifecta. I just talked to the couple who got engaged. The groom-to-be says it would have been a disaster if she said no, but it was amazing to do this on this flight, this once-in-a- lifetime experience, and she said yes, the icing on the cake for all of us.

TAPPER: Yeah, that'd be tough. You'd be stuck on the plane with her for a while there after that rejection. What part of today's experience was the most memorable for you, Pete?

MUNTEAN: The silence on board, Jake. When we did those turns in totality, really, everyone was faces pressed against the window, something you really don't see very often on a commercial flight. And air travel in 2024 has become so mundane for so many people, this was maybe just a sprinkle of the romance that there used to be in aviation.

People are calling this a once-in-a-lifetime experience, maybe a twice-in-a-lifetime experience. Delta, even in some of its materials that they handed out to us, this goodie bag for all the Avgeeks on board. They said, maybe see you again in 2044.

TAPPER: And 2044 is when there's going to be an event that's seen in Montana and the Dakotas. You're going to have to wait until 2045 for it to be across the country. Are you going to do this again when the eclipse returns in either of those years?

MUNTEAN: I'd like to do it in my airplane, Jake, you know. I have to say, looking at this from a 14-inch-tall Airbus window is a little difficult, and the pilots had to bank the airplane pretty steeply so we could see totality. The sun was almost directly above us. My airplane has a bit of a skylight, so it would have been perfect for this today. Maybe that's the plan in 2044 and 2045.

TAPPER: But would you have to wear those crazy glasses while you're flying the plane? MUNTEAN: Maybe we throw it on autopilot for a little bit. The FAA did

tweet today, passengers and pilots were wondering, is this legally considered night in aviation terms? They said, no, you have to wait until the sun actually goes down. Although the cool thing about this was, we got to experience that 360-degree sunset.

So, I was seated on the left side of the plane at seat 31A. You could see essentially what looked like sunset on the left side of the plane.

[17:05:01]

And if I looked at the windows across from me in the other row, the F seats, you could see sunset on that side of the plane too. It was really something special, totally something else.

TAPPER: Pete, what's that sweet eclipse rage you're at? What is that?

MUNTEAN: This is the party here. There are actually two flights that Delta offered, eclipse flights that landed here in Detroit simultaneously. The first one came in through that gate, A75. That was the flight that was offered back in February. It was sold out in less than 24 hours.

I was on the flight that came in through gate A77 there that was offered after that flight sold out. There were even some seats on it this morning the last I checked. Some of them were going for $950 or more in the main cabin. That's pretty steep for a ticket in coach and they were middle and aisle seats.

But there were even people intermixed between the Avgeeks and the people who wanted to see the eclipse, just people regularly traveling on the airlines. In fact, the guy two seats over for me, he's a mortgage broker. He was coming here to Detroit to try and close a deal.

TAPPER: $950 for a window or aisle. That's harsh. Pete Muntean in Detroit, thanks so much. Let's go to CNN chief climate correspondent Bill Weir now. Bill, what was today's experience like for you? You're a man who seeks totality all the time.

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Jake, I am so lucky in this job. I get to travel the world, see some really cool stuff. And to pay penance for that, I spent a totality in a studio next to Richard Quest. So, I am full of rage right now and resentment.

But no, actually it was, it was nice to sort of do the play by play of watching that shadow literally move people to mass weddings or proposals, to tears or cheers, to move animals, to huddle together at the Dallas Zoo. The penguins or the flamingos flocked for nighttime safety.

It moved me to see NASA doing these amazing experiments to try to understand our star, Jake, which a lot of people don't appreciate. We focused on it today. A solar storm would have enormous impacts on Earth. The power you saw coming out of that, the corona there, those eruptions, it's its most active now. And so, one step closer with data that was gathered today to be able

to predict space weather. When there's a solar storm, it takes only eight minutes for all that energy to reach Earth and has such an impact on our modern lives. But just the experience of it we saw was just universal awe and wonder. And it's such a novelty to have this sort of nonpartisan, a natural event that humanity can't control, can't speed up. You just have to absorb. Overall, what a cool day.

TAPPER: What questions are scientists looking to answer as they study this solar eclipse?

WEIR: Well, it is that solar weather piece of it to see how the corona, which is much hotter than the plasma surface of the sun, but it's really hard to observe because the sun is so bright. So, they're giving you that, that filter in the middle of the day, they can study that more closely.

Also, the ionosphere is the layer of the sky between our habitable atmosphere and deep space. And it's charged with all these electrical particles that come from the sun and it affects radio waves. It affects terrestrial communication. NASA also had not only flying planes up to measure the corona and the ionosphere, but shoot rockets up to measure these changes.

And there were even ham radio operators that were part of sort of citizen science experiments, bouncing their radio signals off the ionosphere to see how it's changing as that big shadow crosses overhead. It's really cool. I'm nerding out, as you can tell.

TAPPER: No, it's great. And it's going to be another two decades before we see anything like this again. In 2044, you could see it in Montana and the Dakotas, 2045 it will be across the country. You have this book coming out, "Life as We Know It Can Be." We're going to talk to you about it next week. It comes out a week from tomorrow. What do you hope your son, the book is a letter to your son? What do you hope your son learns when he's able to experience in 2044, 2045, what we saw today?

WEIR: Well, my little boy River was watching in Brooklyn. He had his little, you know, 3D goggles on, watching it. I want him to understand his connection to the universe in this way, that sense of awe, that connection. I really think this younger generation, we got to get them in love with the natural world, to understand weather patterns here on earth, how those things are changing, to fall in love with what's worth saving right now.

And the idea that a thousand years ago, people in the pueblo tribes saw the same phenomenon as he saw today. They captured it, they carved it into stone, best they knew how.

[17:10:00]

Now we have all these amazing tools, all this technology to capture this phenomenon and understand it and improve our lives for the better. So, anything that connects us with each other around nature, I'll take it, Jake. TAPPER: Bill Weir, thank you so much. And if we don't see you later

this week, which I hope we do, we'll definitely see you next week when your book comes out, "Life as We Know It Can Be." Pick yourself up a copy or pre-order right now. Thanks, Bill.

Another view of the total solar eclipse, this time in the view from a time-lapse camera in Dallas. You can see the crowd there at White Rock Lake in just 25 minutes time. You can see skyline go from light to dark. Clouds only blocked part of the view.

And one more time-lapse to share. This is from cameras looking high in the sky from Stowe, Vermont. Crowds were gathered to watch this event on mountain ski slopes below. This was one of the last moments of totality visible in the United States, hitting about 90 minutes ago. We're going to have more eclipse coverage ahead, including a live interview with the man who taught us to love science from a young age, Bill Nye, the Science Guy, coming to "The Lead."

Plus, an announcement from Israel today that is sure to make some allies uneasy as Israeli troops prepare for a ground invasion against Hamas in southern Gaza, one that U.S. officials have warned them not to do. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:15:29]

TAPPER: We have some breaking news for you now on our "Law and Justice Lead." A New York judge has just issued a ruling in one of the appeals that Donald Trump's lawyers are arguing in an effort to delay the hush money case involving former porn star and director Stormy Daniels. Let's get right to CNN chief legal affairs correspondent Paula Reid. Paula, they filed a couple motions here. What did the judge rule on?

PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, we are just a week out from this hush money case getting underway in Manhattan. And today, the Trump team filed a petition to stay or pause this case. Well, they argue why they believe that the venue of this trial should be changed.

Now, the Trump lawyers argue that pretrial publicity has resulted in a situation where Trump cannot get a fair trial. They said they did some sort of survey where over 60 percent of respondents think Trump is guilty.

But prosecutors punched back, saying, look, not all pretrial publicity is prejudicial. They also said it's too late to file a petition like this. The judge has denied this request. But as you noted, Jake, this is just the latest in a series of attempts to try to get this case delayed.

TAPPER: Paula Reid, thanks so much. Let's bring in a senior legal analyst for CNN, Elie Honig. Elie, what's your reaction to this ruling?

ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Well, Jake, as expected, I think it was 20 minutes ago or so, I said to you that I think it's unlikely Donald Trump succeeds on this venue motion. Now he has not succeeded for the time being, and for a couple reasons. First of all, as Paula said, this motion has already been made. It's too late to bring it up to an appeals court now.

And second of all, just looking at the propriety here of charging this case in Manhattan, this is where the crime occurred, the alleged falsification of business records. Prosecutors do sometimes play games and try to charge a case in a district where a small part of the conduct happened to get a more favorable jury pool. That's not what's happening here. This case almost had to be charged in Manhattan.

And finally, as judges often recognize, if there are jurors or potential jurors who are very biased against the defendant, that's what jury selection is for. It's a whole weeding out process. And so, it's no surprise that this judge, this one judge on the Court of Appeals has denied the motion for now.

TAPPER: Are you surprised by how quickly the judge ruled?

HONIG: Well, this was an emergency procedure. I mean, the argument started at 3:45. So I'll say yes, this is what are we an hour and change after that. This was quick, but I think it shows recognition by judges in New York state that this thing is meant to start April 15th and they seem to have very little patience for Trump's Hail Mary's here.

TAPPER: All right, Elie Honig, thanks so much. Congress is back to work. The men and women we Americans elected and pay to get stuff done. So, will members be able to find any common ground as they tackle a very long agenda in an election year? Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:22:19]

TAPPER: Now to our "World Lead," in an attempt to recover their hostages and to destroy Hamas following the horrendous October 7th terrorist attack, the government of Israel says it is primed and ready to make one of the most controversial moves of the war yet.

Today, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the date has been set for the invasion of Rafah, despite intense pleas from various allies, including the United States, to not proceed. CNN's Nic Robertson shows us the harsh reality on the ground in Gaza as Israel's withdrawal from another major southern city reveals complete and utter destruction.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): Khan Younis' highway of hell, shattered witness to four deadly months of Israeli occupation. Nothing untouched. The Jaffa mosque reduced to rubble.

The (inaudible) gas station destroyed. Spreading out from the thoroughfare, a city size stamp of destruction. Almost every building in the southern Gazan hub once home to 420,000 Palestinians wrecked by Israeli troops searching for Hamas.

The scale testimony of the ferocity of the fight, the graffiti left behind. Venom, Gaza for the Jews, it reads. The IDF sudden departure over the weekend, opening the way for residents to return to what's left of their homes.

It is a shock, a shock what happened. It was not small. While coming here in the car, I saw things. The destruction is unbearable. Mohammed Abu Diab tells a cameraman, I'm going to my house and I know it's destroyed. I'm going to remove the rubble and get a shirt out.

Return is not victory here. It's resilience. Saleem going back to his destroyed home. I will put a tent on it. Even if they destroy all of Khan Younis, we will stay here and we are steadfast.

At first, just a trickle of people coming back. Many wary the withdrawal, not what it seems, and with good reason. A drive along the border fence where the troop pulled out showing just that.

ROBERTSON (on camera): We've just seen two huge explosions over there coming from Khan Younis area. Looking along the horizon, I can see other detonations and hear the fighter jets pulling off into the distance. It's clear this is still a very active battlefront.

[17:25:00]

(Voice-over): A mile away, scores of recently withdrawn tanks and fighting vehicles parked up. The IDF saying the surprise move marks an end of ground operations in Gaza in their current form. Warning though, troops out to recuperate and prepare for future operations.

HERZI HALEV, IDF CHIEF OF STAFF (through translation): The war in Gaza continues and we are far from stopping.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTSON (on camera): Well, the army chief of staff didn't spell it out like the prime minister, as you just told us there, Jake, making it very clear that the preparations will be, it appears to go into Rafah. He says the time is set.

Is this about placating the increasingly rancorous relationship he has with some of his hardline members of his cabinet who are criticizing him for pulling the troops out and criticizing him for indicating they might not go to Rafah? Is it tough on that line or is it just pressure on Hamas at those negotiations in Cairo? It's not clear, but no ambiguity now. Rafah will be the next place those troops and tanks will be going to if they're sent into battle soon. Jake?

TAPPER: All right, Nic Robertson in Jerusalem. Thanks so much. Joining us now from Egypt, someone you probably already know quite well, Arwa Damon. You know her work. She was an excellent CNN senior international correspondent who spent nearly two decades reporting from war zones for us. And now she's the founder and president of a nonprofit group called INARA or International Network for Aid, Relief and Assistance, which provides long term care to children impacted by human made and natural disasters.

Arwa, you just returned from Gaza. Not a lot of journalists are there, and though I know you're a humanitarian aid worker now, not a journalist. Put on your journalist hat for us for a second. What did you see there?

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It was impossible to explain, Jake. And I also do want to apologize. I'm in transit right now, so you might be hearing a bit of background noise. But the southern part of Gaza is this teeming mass of humans, just miserable, searching for everything from safety to food to baby diapers.

You know, you heard Nic's report there on Khan Younis. I was actually at a field hospital in Gaza yesterday when some of the bodies that had been dug out from underneath the rubble of Khan Younis began to arrive. These are bodies whose loved ones had not been able to reach them for about a week. And I say bodies, but it was more like body parts. There was also the corpse of a small child.

Every single person who you talk to there has a horrific, nightmarish story. There's quite simply not enough humanitarian assistance, and people are absolutely terrified, having lived with these drones and bombs and tragedies for six months now, terrified of what's going to happen if this impending Rafah invasion does take place. They don't know what to do. You really get the sense that you're moving among ghosts.

People are ghosts of themselves. They're ghosts of the people that were, and they're constantly haunted by the ghosts of everything that they've lost, Jake.

TAPPER: Yeah, I want to play a quick part of a video that you posted from Gaza. Let's take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAMON (voice-over): It's so beautiful to see the kids having so much fun, but it's like, you constantly hear the, like, sounds of explosions and flinches everywhere.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: What are the best tools to support the long-term mental health needs of the kids in Gaza for when this horrible war is over?

DAMON: Look, and that clip is from, you know, one of the small sorts of mental health programs that we have for children. We're working inside 13 shelters, and right now it's emergency mental health, which basically means creating some sort of a distraction for children and adults.

And what we're trying to do is raise the funds to be able to ensure that we are ready for what we call the day after, the day when there is a ceasefire, the day when we can go in and begin implementing these longer-term medical and mental health programs that we have.

We have to recognize that the trauma, especially when it comes to children, I mean, look, adults can barely cope with this, right? Like, a child just can't even begin to process it. These traumas are coming from multiple different directions, and they are constant, they are daily, because there is no respite in this area.

And it's not just the constant fear of, you know, the bombs and the drones and all of it. It's also coupled with, you know, hunger, very extreme and very real hunger. And then you have to imagine the trauma that it creates for a child to turn to their parent and say, I'm hungry, or I'm sick, or I don't feel well, and their parent isn't able to reassure them. That also has a different sort of a lasting impact.

TAPPER: So, since President Biden leaned on Netanyahu on that phone call, and Netanyahu opened that crossing, the Erez crossing, from Israel into Gaza, more aid trucks have been able to get into Israel. Not enough, but still more. The State Department said 304 aid trucks entered Gaza yesterday.

CNN analyst Barack Ravid just reported that 419 aid trucks entered today. These are the highest numbers in a single day since the war began. Are you at all optimistic that the aid is going to continue to flow at this pace?

[17:30:17]

DAMON: You know, I'm going to quote what a young man from Gaza said to me, and he said, hope is a very dangerous thing. Gazans are so afraid to believe that aid is going to be coming in and be sustainable, that a ceasefire might actually be coming in. It's really all they want. Jake, everyone who you talk to just wants this whole thing to be over. But they've had their hopes crushed so many times that they really are afraid to hope at this stage and it's so needed.

Look, Jake, I was at a hospital two days ago. I saw a 10-year-old boy with a gunshot wound to the head. I've seen children whose limbs have been amputated. It's too much. It's too much for the population, for anyone to really cope with at this stage.

TAPPER: Arwa Damon, thank you so much. Good to see you. Please come back.

Coming up, members of Congress are heading back to Washington. What's on their to do list other than House Republicans fighting among themselves? That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:35:19]

TAPPER: In our Politics Lead, after a two week spring break, Congress is getting back to work. The busy agenda is a contentious one for House Speaker Mike Johnson. Johnson is trying to shepherd a narrow Republican majority and fickle members already known for pushing leadership out. Let's bring back our panel. Alice, let me start with you. I asked the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Mike Turner, Republican of Ohio, how worried should Speaker Johnson be about his job, given the fact that Marjorie Taylor Greene is talking about a motion to vacate just for letting there be a vote on aid to Ukraine? Here is what Congressman Turner had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE TURNER (R-OH): I don't think he's at any risk. I think that what, you know, what people have been referring to as the chaos caucus, those individuals who are seeking attention for themselves and trying to stop all of the important work in Congress, are now seen as merely disruptive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: So he's dismissing this effort by Marjorie Taylor Greene, but she's still taunting the speaker. On Friday, she wrote on Twitter, quote, Democrats are already saying they are ready to save Mike Johnson because he's doing such a great job for their agenda. We need a new speaker of the House, unquote. Of course, that's not what Democrats are saying at all. That is a lie. But, Alice Stewart, what do you think? Is his job in jeopardy?

ALICE STEWART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: No, it's not. Great interview with Congressman Turner and rational Republicans like him and ones that I speak with say Marjorie Taylor Greene is on an island. She is alone in this effort. Sure, she's got a few of her far right rabble rousers that will go along with her. But the majority of reasonable Republicans have more important things to do.

And look, Speaker Johnson is in a difficult spot. He wants to get things done. He wants to legislate. But he's dealing with the far right flank. And here he is trying to get things done. And Marjorie Taylor Greene is trying to just get in the way. Every time she goes out there and pushes back on him or calls him a Democrat or saying he's soft or saying that he is blackmailed, she does that to fundraise and to get attention.

And that's continuously what she's doing. But fortunately, there are a lot of Republicans out there that say, I agree with Johnson. Sometimes we might have to work across the aisle to get things done. And that's what they need to focus on, because right now, the enemy is not Speaker Johnson. The enemy is Joe Biden in liberal policies. That's what they need to put the focus on.

TAPPER: So Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is holding a town hall in her district in Georgia tonight. She says she's going to lay out everything that's happening in D.C. On Twitter, she writes, quote, my district's voice represents most Americans. They are the heartbeat of America. What's your take on all this?

MEGHAN HAYS, FORMER SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO PRESIDENT BIDEN: I mean, I just disagree. It might be the heartbeat of Donald Trump's party and what they want to do, and they're just creating chaos amongst their caucus. And as Democrats, you can just sit back and sort of watch them unravel. But to remove Speaker Johnson from the speakership was just going to create more chaos again, and things just aren't going to get done. And I just -- I don't think that's where the American people are. So, you know, we want -- they want action.

TAPPER: Yes. And on the short list for Speaker Johnson, whether or not to provide funding to Ukraine or at least even just allow a vote on it, you know, you could, that's not the same thing necessarily of supporting it, just allowing Congress to vote on it, how to reauthorize FISA, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. There's a big fight between Jim Jordan and Congressman Turner on that. Also right for debate, the role of Congress and funding to rebuild the key bridge in Baltimore, it's a lot.

STEWART: It is. And look, on each of those issues, there is the valid concern amongst many of the fiscal conservatives that say, look, if we're going to spend money here, let's look at offset somewhere else. Let's look at where we can make reasonable cuts. And I think that is a valid argument for them to be making. But for them to be just so hell bent on no, on everything is not productive. I think they need to look at each of these issues individually and make the case for that. And many of them want to see more transparency with Ukraine. But I think Speaker Johnson and others recognize what we're giving for Ukraine. It's not charity. It's an investment in democracy. And if Russia succeeds in Ukraine, then what's next? Are they going to Poland and other countries and potentially America?

So I think it's important to look at this from the standpoint, what is the best investment in democracy and not just make everything about, if you don't go our way, it's going to be no way.

TAPPER: Of course, one of the other things Turner said to me was he agreed with his fellow Republican chairman Mike McCaul, who said that hears Russian propaganda on conservative primetime shows. And I asked him about that McCaul quote. And Turner said, I hear it from Republicans on the House floor.

HAYS: Yes, I mean, I think it's a real issue, right? Like, I think that to your point, that if they are not funding Ukraine, that is a huge step in not funding democracy. And I think that we need to move forward with that. I don't think people realize, again, Vladimir Putin's number one ally would be Donald Trump. So I think that's a huge focus that people need to realize that Marjorie Taylor Greene has an audience of one here with the former president. So I think that that's, back to your original question, I think that's one of the most important issues that we're going to have to look at.

[17:40:10]

TAPPER: And then on Wednesday, the House is expected to send the articles impeachment against homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to the Senate. They already passed to the Senate, where Democrats are expected to vote to dismiss the case quickly. Democrats, of course, have the majority there. Did that entire ordeal do anything for House Republicans other than chase out Republican Congressman Mike Gallagher, who was, you know, one of the bright lights of the Republican Party?

STEWART: Yes. Look, it certainly brought to light the issue of border security. And --

TAPPER: You think it did?

STEWART: It did.

TAPPER: The impeachment?

STEWART: The point is I think it did bring to light. Look, there's problems at the border.

TAPPER: Sure.

STEWART: We have a massive influx. But look, policy disagreements are not grounds for impeachment. And I think it was important to raise the issue. It's a valid issue, even Democrat, governors and mayors are saying we need to secure the border. That's a valid argument. But to make this about an impeachment, I think waters down. The real issue is that Biden's border policies have led to an influx at the border. And that is a real issue that Republicans could be running on instead of impeachment.

TAPPER: Thanks to both of you. Appreciate it.

Coming up next, more on that ominous warning about Russian propaganda and Republicans on Capitol Hill. We're going to get reaction from a former secretary of defense.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:45:32]

TAPPER: And we're back with our World Lead. The top Republicans on both the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Intelligence Committee say that some of their Republican colleagues have been infected with Russian propaganda. Listen to what House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner told me just yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE TURNER (R), CHAIRMAN, INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: We see directly coming from Russia attempts to mask communications that are anti-Ukraine and pro-Russia messages, some of which we even hear being uttered on the House floor. I mean, there are members of Congress today who still incorrectly say that this conflict between Russia and Ukraine is over NATO, which, of course, it is not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Joining us now, the former secretary of defense under President Donald Trump, Mark Esper. He serves on the border as a strategic advisor for a handful of aerospace and defense related companies. So you're a Republican, you're a Reagan Republican.

MARK ESPER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Right. Absolutely.

TAPPER: And you went to West Point. You're from the 80s, the whole thing. What's your take when you hear, you know, like-minded Republicans, conservatives saying some of our Republican colleagues are repeating Russian propaganda on the floor of the House?

ESPER: Yes, look, it's troubling. It's very troubling. And those are both very serious lawmakers. I know them both. And it's true. I mean, we've seen the intelligence reporting over the years that Russia is trying to influence the social discussion in America. They're trying to influence our policy. And arguably they are influencing the policy when it comes to Ukraine funding.

And of course, Moscow is not the only ones. We got Beijing doing the same thing. So it's a big issue. I think social media and these types of operations are the Achilles' heel of our democracy.

TAPPER: Ukrainian President Zelenskyy also said this weekend that Ukraine is going to lose the war without that aid that has been denied them. And then you have far right Republicans like Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia saying that if Speaker Johnson even puts a bill on the floor that provides that aid, along with aid to Israel and Taiwan, that she will make a motion to vacate and that she has other Republicans who support her. How worried are you that this kind of sentiment in the GOP is ultimately going to cause Putin to win?

ESPER: Yes, look, I am concerned because the numbers have been growing, certainly in the House and arguably in the Senate as well. Now, look, I don't think she can do that right now. But we do know Zelenskyy is trading terrain for time right now. He's trying to hold off until hopefully the Congress votes here, maybe this week, maybe next week, on a spending package that will get him the arms and ammunition. Because if the United States does not do it, if it's not done this year, then I fear that he will run out of time. He could be forced to the negotiating table with Moscow in a much stronger position. And he faces the fact that if Trump gets elected in November, when Trump comes into office in January of 2025, all the funding will be completely pulled out. So we're down to a few critical weeks here.

TAPPER: There's been a lot of talk, and we've been covering for the October 7th attack was six months ago yesterday. We've talked about all sorts of ways to look at this conflict, done all sorts of reporting. I want to play some sound from a rally in Dearborn, Michigan, on Friday where there were several anti-Israel protesters who were speaking and many shouting death to America because of the United States support for Israel. Here's a little clip.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TAREK BAZZI, DEARBORN, MICHIGAN ACTIVIST: And this is why Imam Khomeini, who declared the International Day of Quds, this is why he would say to pour all of your chants and all of your shouts upon the head of America. The Black Panthers, used to say that the United States is the backbone of all oppression in the world.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through audio translation): Death to America.

CROWD: (through audio translation): Death to America.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through audio translation): Death to America.

CROWD: (through audio translation): Death to America.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through audio translation): Death to America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: So, and just for those watching who don't know, Imam Khomeini, who he invoked, who came up with this Quds day for the Palestinians, that's the Ayatollah Khomeini, who was the one who became the supreme leader of Iran in 1979, there were the 52 American hostages who were kept 444 days. He's the one that killed his own people.

ESPER: Right.

TAPPER: He's the one that issued the fatwa against Salman Rushdie. That's who he is invoking.

ESPER: Right. It's terrible. It's horrible. Look, I'm offended when somebody drags our flag across the ground, right, the American flag. But to say death to America, I do not understand this at all. And in many cases, these are activists who said, well, we lived in Ramallah, we lived in Gaza, and we know what they're suffering under there. Well, guess what they're also suffering in Ramallah and Gaza. No free speech, no democratic vote, you know, no free press, all those things. And yet they're here in the United States, Americans saying, death to America. I don't get it.

[17:50:14]

But, you know, Jake, what's even worse, nobody's out there condemning it. There are no local leaders, no state leaders, no national leaders who are going out there saying, no, that's wrong. You can criticize the policy. You can criticize Joe Biden, whatever you may want to do, that's free speech. But somebody's got to say that's too far when you start chanting death to America.

TAPPER: Yes. All right, Secretary Esper, good to see you. Thanks so much for being here. Appreciate it.

Coming up next, we're breaking down today's spectacular solar eclipse with someone we all know and love, the man who taught us all about science, Bill Nye, The Science Guy, live next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TAPPER: In our Out of this World Lead, the great total solar eclipse of 2024 has come and mostly gone. And for the next couple of nights, there will be a tiny sliver of a new moon right after the sun goes down. Bill Nye, "The Science Guy," is here with us. He's in Texas, so as to see, in the best way possible, the path of totality. Bill, thanks for joining us. So the path of totality is where people could see the moon completely covering the disk of the sun. I didn't see that. I saw about 90 percent here in D.C. People on T.V. saw it, the bright line around the edge of the moon. Tell us, if you can, what exactly is that bright light around the rim?

[17:55:30]

BILL NYE, SCIENCE EDUCATOR: So that was something that we saw here in Fredericksburg, Texas, the Planetary Society's Eclipse-O-Rama, that I'd never seen, so at least not this clearly. So there were clouds, a lot of clouds, and there was anxiety that we would be weathered out, as the saying goes. But it cleared just enough to see the moon completely covering the sun. And then because it was completely covered and because we had the filter of clouds, we could see this prominence, as it's called, this blast, this solar flare style jolt of a huge magnetic field and charged particles off the sun that be very difficult to observe even with sun filter on, because the sun is so bright. But with the cloud cover, it was just this extraordinary pink salmon color around especially. But from our point of view, the lower right edge of the moon, it was fantastic.

TAPPER: Here in D.C., like I said, the sun was somewhere between 80 and 90 percent covered. It looked like it was -- we were about a minute away from totality, although we never got there. Landscape got kind of dim. But it is surprising how just 10 percent of the sun, it's still too bright to look at directly in that way, even with 90 percent covered.

NYE: Absolutely.

TAPPER: Why is that?

NYE: Yes, the sun's a bright object. Thanks, Bill. Yes, the sun is a very bright object. And our eyes are just not up it. Now, you know, we've all, I claim we've all who's able bodied have glanced at the sun. You know, I played the outfield. And so a fly ball you'll be look up at the sun for a moment, but when you really want to observe the eclipse, you just, human nature being what it is, you just want to stare at it. And so that's where there's danger, you know. But here in Texas, we all had our official size and weight, solar eclipse glasses.

TAPPER: Nice.

NYE: And it was a great time was had by all.

TAPPER: So the moon goes around the Earth every month. So why are solar eclipses so rare?

NYE: So rare is a relative term. First of all, the main reason which I think you're driving it, the Earth orbits the sun in what we call the plane of the solar system, the plane would be ecliptic. That's all the traditional planets are in about the same tabletop in space, but the moon is a little tilted relative to the Earth's equator, relative to the Earth's tabletop motion around the sun. And so it has to line up with the moon, the sun, and Earth where you are so that you get this total eclipse.

Now, the word rare, there are total eclipses every year and a half or so, but they're usually in the middle of the ocean. And sure enough, there are hardcore eclipse chasing people that get on ships and go out there every couple years and make sure they see a total eclipse. And it's a worthy, spectacular thing. But what was wonderful about the eclipse today was it went right across Mexico, U.S., and Canada in a great big diagonals. It was really marvelous because 40 million, 50 million people got to experience it.

TAPPER: Yes, it was very cool. There won't be a total eclipse over the United States for years. In 2044, it will be visible potentially in Montana and the Dakotas. It won't be until 2045, until the coast to coast possibility. Where on earth will the next total eclipse be, though, and when?

NYE: Spain is the one everybody here is talking about. Now, this is on land in 2026. That's what people hear today. I'm going. I'm booking a ticket right now because it is a spectacular thing. And I know people have told you this, Jake, and it's all good. But 90 percent is one thing, totality is another thing. When it goes completely dark, it is a different thing. And I saw a couple things today which I'd never experienced before. Way off in this to the east, you could see sunlight at first, and then it went dark.

And then the other thing that happened, like, there's a breeze right now here in Texas, but during the -- during totality, the breeze stopped, like there was some effect with cold and warm air that the breeze was held up. It was cool. It was spectacular --

[18:00:07]

TAPPER: All right, Bill --

NYE: -- with science.

TAPPER: You, me, Spain, 2026, a case of that Fredericksburg, Texas, wine. It's a date.

NYE: All right.

TAPPER: I'll see you there. Bill Nye, thanks so much.

NYE: See you there.

TAPPER: If you ever miss an episode of The Lead, you can listen to the show once you get your podcasts. Our coverage continues now on CNN. See you tomorrow.