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The Lead with Jake Tapper

Video Released Of Fatal Shooting Involving 5 Chicago Police Officers; National Association For Intercollegiate Athletics Adopts New Transgender Policy; Rep. Greene Escalates Pressure On Speaker Johnson; Rep. Mike Lawler, (R-NY), Is Interviewed About Marjorie Taylor Greene, Mike Johnson; Whistleblower Claim Boeing Took Shortcuts In Manufacturing 777 And 787 Dreamliner Jets; Gaza Civil Defense: 381 Bodies Recovered After IDF Hospital Raid. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired April 09, 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: A former top transportation official weighs in on whether you should be worried about booking that next flight. Plus, a new college athletic policy that effectively bans transgender women from competing in sports.

And leading this hour in our law and justice league, Chicago police firing 96 shots in 41 seconds at one man in a deadly traffic stop last month that killed 26-year-old Dexter Reed. Newly released body cam video shows what led to this all. Police say they pulled Reed over for not wearing a seatbelt when officers approached his SUV. The situation quickly escalated. CNN's Omar Jimenez spoke exclusively to the family of Dexter Reed and has their reaction to seeing the body camera video that was just released a few hours ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What was your reaction to seeing that video?

PORSCHA BANKS, SISTER, DEXTER REEDS: It was terrifying.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): For Dexter Reed's sister, his mother.

NICOLE BANKS, MOTHER, DEXTER REED: Oh, Lord Jesus, please help me.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): And his entire family. What played out on newly released body camera video is nothing but pain.

N. BANKS: They shot him down like animal. Why did they shoot him many times? He's already dead. Why you started shooting him like that? They killed my son and they killed me, too.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): March 21, 2024, Chicago police are initiating a traffic stop on a driver, reportedly for not wearing a seat belt, according to the civilian Office of Police Accountability, a traffic stop being conducted by five tactical officers.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Roll the window down. What are you doing? DEXTER REED, VICTIM: I roll this one down.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Roll that one down, too. Hey, don't roll the window up.

REED: I'm not rolling up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Don't roll the window up.

REED: OK. OK.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do not roll the window up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Bleep), open the door.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Unlock the doors now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Open the (bleep) door.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): The temperature quickly escalates. One officer puts what appears to be his gun on the windshield. Reed then fires first, hitting an officer in the forearm, according to the initial investigation. Then chaos.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shot fire. Shot fire.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A St. Louis gun.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shot fire.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shot fire.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everyone (inaudible) that gun fire.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): Reed goes down. Then three final gunshots, 96 in total, according to investigators. The gun was later recovered from the front seat of Reed's car. Porscha Banks had just been on the phone with her brother in the minutes before it all happened. Then she turned on a police scanner at her shop.

P. BANKS: Listening to the police talking, like, saying, shots fired. But I can hear all the shots on the scanner. Like, I could have so many shots, so many shots, so many shots, but didn't know that it was my brother. So then to know later on that night that those shots that I heard and then the MLMs (ph) going past my shop was my brother, was the most heartbreaking thing that I could ever felt in my life.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): One of the family's attorneys argues this never should have happened in in the first place.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was a weapon recovered in his car. However, it started with an unconstitutional, pretextual, and unnecessary stop of Dexter Reed. And that's what precipitated the entire incident.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): And questions remain over why tactical officers initiated a traffic stop for a supposed seat belt violation. As part of a brief statement, Chicago police says this incident is still under investigation, but the stop is where it all began.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you don't stop my nephew, he'll be alive today.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): Reed's uncle sitting alongside his father.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When this happened to my nephew, I hope the police can understand that this is the same pain that they feel when an officer is killed in the line of duty.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): It's a pain that manifests in memories and pain that manifests in despair.

N. BANKS: They took my son away from me. He ain't got that no more. I don't know what I'm going to do without him.

P BANKS: And I just wish that I could talk to him one more time. But to see him gunned down, I never, ever thought that it would be him. I never thought that it would be him. I never thought that it would be him.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JIMENEZ (on camera): And just to hear the amount of gunshots in that video, it's difficult for anyone to hear, much less the family, which is a lot of what we talked about there. Obviously, from the inside, it is a pain that a family is dealing with. From the outside, initial investigation does show that Dexter Reed did fire first. And so, the response from police in the initial stages is less of what's in question here. It's more about why this stop happened and why the amount of shots continued in the way that they did, Jake.

[17:05:18]

TAPPER: All right, Omar Jimenez, thank you so much. We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TAPPER: Continuing with our law and justice lead and the newly released body camera video that we just showed you showing Chicago police firing 96 shots in 41 seconds in a deadly traffic stop last month that killed 26 year old Dexter Reed. Joining us now to discuss the case is Andrea Kirsten. She's the chief administrator for the Civilian Office of Police Accountability. Thanks for joining us.

What was your reaction when you first watched the footage that was released to the public today?

[17:10:02]

ANDREA KERSTEN, CHIEF ADMINISTRATOR, CHICAGO CIVILIAN OFFICE OF POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY: First, thanks for having me, Jake. You know, a big part of our job at the civilian Office of Police Accountability is to investigate each and every police shooting that occurs here in the city of Chicago. So, unfortunately, body worn camera footage and footage of these tragic outcomes is a routine part of the work that we do here at COPA. But certainly footage like this, you know, I don't think there's anyone that can watch it and not be impacted by it, but that can't prevent us from conducting an unbiased and fair investigation into everything that occurred.

TAPPER: So, the officers say they stopped Reed because he was not wearing a seatbelt. In the video, it looks like Reed's windows are tinted. Now, this is just from video. I'm not investigating the case. Would the officers have been able to tell whether he was wearing a seat belt through those windows?

KERSTEN: Every time we look at a shooting, we're looking at the totality of the circumstances. So that would include any of the interactions that led to officers interacting, you know, with Dexter Reed. And so we will specifically, in this investigation, be looking at what led to and precipitated the traffic stop in all facets. Yes.

TAPPER: So your office says, after reviewing preliminary evidence, that it appears that Dexter Reed fired first. That obviously would be a very significant finding. Was that determination made by reviewing the video and audio that your office released today and slowing it down and studying it? How did you reach that conclusion?

KERSTEN: Correct. The evidence we have at this time, obviously, Dexter Reed, having been fatally shot, cannot provide his version of events. And so the information that we have at this time is largely focused on interviews from officers, as well as, obviously, the audio and video footage.

However, I just -- you know, that moment is very important in this investigation, but as are every aspect of the interaction, starting from the traffic stop all the way through the conclusion of the 96.

TAPPER: So, her -- there she is. OK. Today you said that preliminary evidence confirms that the four officers returned fire approximately 96 times over a period of 41 seconds. Would that be considered excessive force?

Kersten, can you hear me?

KERSTEN: I can, yes.

TAPPER: Would that be considered excessive force? The 96 times and 41 seconds?

KERSTEN: Every time an officer uses force under CPD policy, that use of deadly force has to be necessary and proportional, and, objection -- objectively reasonable. So that's exactly what we will be determining in the course of our administrative investigation into this use of force.

TAPPER: All right, Andrea Kersten, thank you so much. Appreciate your time. Good luck with the investigation.

Turning now to our sports lead, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, which represents 241 smaller colleges and universities, they just approved a new policy banning transgender women from participating in most of its sports programs. The policy, which will go into an effect in August, says, quote, "Only NAIA," that's the organization, "Only NAIA student athletes whose biological sex is female may participate in NAIA sponsored female sports." Now, NAIA defines biological sex, the term they use as having, quote, distinguishing characteristics, and can be supported by birth certificate or signed affidavit," unquote. NAIA member colleges and universities have more than 83,000 student athletes among them.

Joining us now to discuss is journalist and author of "Fair Play, How Sports Shape the Gender Debates," Katie Barnes.

Katie, thank you for joining us. What do you make of the NAIA's new transgender participation policy?

KATIE BARNES, AUTHOR, "FAIR PLAY: HOW SPORTS SHAPE THE GENDER DEBATES": Well, I think it is reflective of the times that we are in. In terms of, for the last three or four years, we have seen most policy updates when it comes to transgender athletes be reflective of restriction and in favor of more restrictive policy. And this seems to fall right in line with that.

TAPPER: There is a narrative that transgender female athletes have an advantage, that they always win, that the reason that men and women generally compete in separate gender categories is because it's not particularly competitive for men to compete against women. Do studies support that?

BARNES: Well, I think it depends on what you mean by support that. You know, for my reporting and having really reported this out for many years, the reality is that from a scientific perspective, we know that there are differences in sexes, and we know that the differences do tend to lead to athletic performance differences as well.

However, when we look at broad based restriction at all levels of sport, it's very challenging to say that scientifically that is supported in all cases. Meaning that something that might be appropriate for swimming does not necessarily apply to basketball when it comes to individual sports versus team sports as well as level of competition. And so the idea, I think, that transgender women have an advantage in all sports at all times, regardless of any kind of medical transition, I don't think that the scientific literature supports that at this time.

[17:15:33]

TAPPER: Would there be a way to come up with a rule that was more individual specific or sports specific that might not be -- I mean, it sounds as though you're suggesting, and if I'm putting words in your wrong, I apologize -- in your mouth, I apologize. It sounds like you're suggesting this policy is not necessarily fair, given how blanket it is. Is there a way to do something like this that would be more fair and more reflective of what is factually known about gender differences in different sports, etcetera?

BARNES: You know, I don't know if it's -- I don't know if it's right for me to say whether or not this particular policy is fair. I think that right now, where we are as a society is really grappling with what does fair and appropriate policy look like. And in general, most athletic organizations and many states across the country are embracing a blanket restriction. And I think there are a lot of people raising questions about whether or not that is fair and appropriate policy in all cases. And I do think that the jury is out on that, especially because when you look at the NAIA, there isn't necessarily a track record of transgender women competing in women's sports and dominating.

Right. It doesn't really seem like there is a particular problem, quote unquote, "to be solved" in this case. And so, in general, I think the real question is going to be what policy can withstand being tested and be accepted when a transgender woman does compete and win. And it seems like right now, the answer to that question is looking to remove any possibility of a transgender woman being able to participate and compete in women's sports at a variety of levels, and in this case, including collegiately.

TAPPER: Do we have any idea what the numbers are of transgender athletes that are participating in college or university athletics or even junior high or high school athletics? I mean, the amount of coverage and attention it gets is significant, and I don't know how many people we're even talking about necessarily.

BARNES: We're talking about a very small number of people. I think that's really important to acknowledge, especially now that 24 states have past restrictive policies will have passed restrictive legislation, excuse me, that affects K through 12 and often college sports. And so, in about half the country, transgender girls and women don't have access to girls and women's sports at this time anyway. And in those states where you still have transgender girls and women eligible to participate in girls and women's sports, the numbers that are doing so are not necessarily known. It's not a data set that is readily available.

But from the reporting that I have done over the years, the accepted number, so to speak, is very small and very few oftentimes in states where this has been debated and a number of athletes have come forward who are younger, who are talking about their experiences. We're talking about single digits in each state. And in the collegiate ranks, even though, like the NCAA, for example, supports -- sports that have about half a million athletes across 24 sports at all three divisions, you're still looking at a very small number. You know, probably -- I mean, we don't know it specifically, but I've been told from sources that it's well under 100. And so -- that are actively using the NCAA's policy.

In the NAIA, we don't really know how many known athletes there are, but it also is very small. And so we're not talking about thousands of athletes or tens of thousands of athletes. We're oftentimes talking about hundreds, maybe tens.

TAPPER: Katie Barnes, thanks so much. Really appreciate your time.

BARNES: Thank you for having me. TAPPER: Spring break did nothing to break a simmering feud among some House Republicans. Fresh new drama today, including over the House GOP planned to send articles of impeachment of the Department of Homeland Security secretary over to the U.S. Senate. That story's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:24:02]

TAPPER: In our politics lead, members of Congress are back in Washington after a presumably refreshing two week spring recess. But the mood among House Republicans still does not reflect the sunshine and flowers on the grounds of the U.S. capitol. Georgia Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, for one, still in a fighting mood. Today, Greene is putting all her grievances with Speaker Mike Johnson, perhaps the most conservative House speaker in modern history and whom she called a Democrat last night. In a scathing five page letter to her Republican colleagues blaming Johnson for, quote, "throwing our own razor-thin majority into chaos by not serving his own GOP conference that elected him," unquote.

CNN's Melanie Zanona joins us from Capitol Hill.

Greene's letter, Melanie, also warns that she will not tolerate Johnson's upcoming push to put on the floor for a vote, a Ukraine aid bill. What exactly does that mean, she won't tolerate it?

MELANIE ZANONA, CNN CAPITOL HILL REPORTER: Well, Greene has been very careful not to draw any red line. She still has not said if and when she's actually going to force a potential floor vote on ousting the speaker, despite us repeatedly pressing her. But she has warned and suggested that if Johnson moves ahead with Ukraine funding, as he is going to do, that could lead to his ultimate ouster. Our Manu Raju caught up with Greene earlier today. Here's what she had to say.

[17:25:14]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-GA): If Mike Johnson wants to lead that after he voted no against funding 300 million to Ukraine just back in September, he's going to make my case for me and he makes it even easier for what I'm trying to do. I'm not laying out my red lines, my triggers, a date and a giant headline. That's not what this is about. This is about a process that has to take time, that needs to be done well, because so much is at stake.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZANONA: Now, some Republicans think that Marjorie Taylor Greene is just using this threat as a scare tactic to try to get her way on Ukraine. Others thinks that she's simply just doing this for attention. But if you're Mike Johnson, you cannot take anything for chance, especially given the razor thin House majority right now. And he has really struggled to rein in Marjorie Taylor Greene. He was hoping to speak with her over the recess break, but that call never happened.

And Marjorie Taylor Greene says she refused to speak with him because she wanted to speak to her constituents first at a ton hall yesterday. So far, they have not connected yet, though, which is a huge problem for Speaker Mike Johnson as he heads into this pivotal week for his speakership.

TAPPER: Melanie, what are you hearing from other lawmakers? Are there Democrats or Republicans who will go along and join Greene if she files a motion to vacate and remove him as House speaker?

ZANONA: Well, the House is still really scarred from that last motion to vacate. In my conversations with senior lawmakers here on Capitol Hill, there is a feeling that there's going to be enough Republicans and Democrats who join hands and table or kill a potential motion to vacate. But at the same time, Marjorie Taylor Green says she has some other silent Republicans who are on her side. There have been some who have not said where they stand yet. And Democrats have said they would only step in to save Johnson if he does, quote, "the right thing on Ukraine."

But that's really open for interpretation. And so it's a risky strategy for Johnson to simply rely on Democratic votes. And again, he cannot take anything for chance here.

TAPPER: There's also some new developments in the House. Republican's impeachment push against Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, they obviously already voted to impeach him. What comes next?

ZANONA: Yes. Well, initially, the House was going to send over those impeachment articles on Wednesday over to the Senate. But they just announced today that they are going to delay that to next week. And that is because Senate Republicans had been urging Mike Johnson to delay this step so that they could build more time to build a case for a trial. That is something that Democrats are planning to dismiss quickly.

Republicans want to have a strategy to counter that effort. But as of right now, Democrats still insisting that they're planning to dismiss that trial quickly.

TAPPER: All right. CNN's Melanie Zanona on Capitol Hill, thanks so much.

With us now, Republican Congressman Mike Lawler of New York. Thanks for joining us.

REP. MIKE LAWLER (R-NY): Thanks for having me, Jake.

TAPPER: So, I'm sorry that these are my questions, but I didn't create this drama and it's very real. And I'm not the one that agreed to a one person motion to vacate. That's you guys, not me. CNN was shown a copy of Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene's letters to her Republican colleagues. Did you get a copy?

LAWLER: I did. TAPPER: So, what did you think of it?

LAWLER: Look, I think it's a bunch of hogwash. I mean, at the end of the day here, the American people elected a House Republican majority to govern to serve as a check and balance on the Biden administration, not to fight amongst ourselves. It's mind boggling to me that after what happened in October, where eight Republicans teamed up with 208 Democrats to remove Kevin McCarthy and throw our majority into disarray, that we would be back in this situation where a member is bringing forward a motion to vacate.

To say that Mike Johnson is not a conservative, I would hate to know what she thinks of me then, because, you know, obviously I'm representing a district that Joe Biden --

TAPPER: Yes.

LAWLER: -- won by 10 points.

TAPPER: Right.

LAWLER: That's home to Bill and Hillary Clinton and George Soros. Mike Johnson's won of the most conservative districts in the country.

TAPPER: Well, not only that, I think he is just as a factual matter, at least in the modern era, the most conservative Republican, when you combine it with social issues to ever be speaker, ever.

LAWLER: That may well be with the smallest majority ever. And so, you know, for me, we have issues that are on our side, whether you're talking about the border, whether you're talking about the affordability crisis. You see the Democrats disintegrating on Israel before our very eyes. And, you know, Senator Schumer and Nancy Pelosi throwing Israel under the bus here. And meanwhile, you know, we have Marjorie Taylor Greene now trying to make this all about a motion to vacate.

We have to work together. We have to get the agenda of the American people, you know, passed. And that includes supporting our allies.

TAPPER: Like Ukraine.

LAWLER: China, Russia and Iran are not our friends.

TAPPER: Right.

[17:30:00]

LAWLER: They are not our allies. Ukraine is an ally. And the reality is, if Ukraine falls, Moldova and other former soviet satellite states will be in grave jeopardy. And you look at the situation in the Middle East, you see Democrats wanting to put conditions on aid to Israel. That cannot be. Hamas is a terrorist organization that seeks to destroy the state of Israel. And as far as I'm concerned, we have an obligation as leader of the free world to support our allies in this time of need. TAPPER: So speaking of Ukraine, I want to play for you something that Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier this week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRES. VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINE: If Congress does not help Ukraine, Ukraine will lose the war. And we need to find a public format for this. If Ukraine loses the war, other states will be attacked.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: If Congress does not help Ukraine, Ukraine will lose the war. What do people like? Marjorie Taylor Greene, how do they respond when you make the argument that this is about more than just her beef with Speaker Johnson, that this is actually about human lives and the future of other European countries?

LAWLER: Look, I think, as I just said, if Ukraine falls, you will see other former soviet satellite states fall with it. Some of my colleagues say, you know, there's corruption in these countries. Yes, we know that. For 30 plus years --

TAPPER: Corruption in New York?

LAWLER: New York is one of the most corrupt states in the country.

TAPPER: Right.

LAWLER: But when you look at these former soviet satellite states, they have tried to rid themselves of corruption, but it takes time. The Russian influence has been great for 30 plus years.

TAPPER: Well, speaking of Russian influence, let me interrupt there for a second because we've had both Chairman McCaul and Chairman Turner to puck, and then to me, respectively, talk about how Republican propaganda is finding its way into, I'm sorry, Russian sorry, I apologize, Freudian slip there. Russian propaganda is finding its way into the mouths of Republican members of Congress and not to mention primetime other news channels.

LAWLER: Look, I can't speak for others. I can speak for myself. Vladimir Putin is a vile dictator and thug. He, along with Iran and China, seek to undermine and destabilize the United States and the free world. Iran funds Hamas 93 percent of their budget. You know where they get the funding from? China. China is the biggest purchaser of Iranian petroleum. It's why I passed the SHIP Act through the House. Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats have refused to pass the SHIP Act. We all have to work together to combat the threats that are emanating from China, from Russia, from Iran. And I don't care which party it is or who wants to say that we should somehow be not supporting our allies. The reality is this, there will be a new world order if the United States fails to lead here, and that world order will include Russia, China, and Iran. We have a responsibility to stand up for freedom, for democracy, and the free world.

TAPPER: So, briefly, if you can, you just got back from your congressional district in New York. What are you hearing from constituents? What do they think about what's going on in D.C.?

LAWLER: Well, look, most people are focused on affordability. They're focused on public safety. We just had Officer Jonathan Diller murdered in New York with career criminals, 21 felony arrests, 14 felony arrests, including illegal possession of a firearm released back onto the streets. That's what people are very frustrated about. They care about deeply. Obviously, the crisis at our border continues to be a major challenge. And Israel and Ukraine, people want to know that we support our Democratic allies. I stand by Israel. I stand by Ukraine. We have a lot of work to do in the coming weeks, and we can't be distracted by nonsense like a motion to vacate. And I'll say this, 208 Democrats voted with eight Republicans, including Matt Gaetz, to remove Kevin McCarthy. Hakeem Jefferies should make it very clear he's not going to participate in this.

Democrats are not going to team up with Marjorie Taylor Greene, someone who, like Matt Gaetz, they have derided for years. Why throw the country into chaos? Let's focus on getting the job done.

TAPPER: Congressman Mike Lawler, Republican of New York, thanks so much. Appreciate your time today.

[17:34:08]

Coming up, the frightening claim from a whistleblower who says Boeing took shortcuts when making two of its Dreamliner jets. And the risk could get worse as the planes get older. What you need to know before you get on that plane, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TAPPER: In our national lead, a Boeing engineer turned whistleblower claimed today that the company is cutting corners and how it builds some of its planes, specifically citing serious flaws in Boeing's quality control practices and production of the 777 and 787 Dreamliner jets.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I literally saw people jumping on the pieces of the airplane to get them to align, basically by jumping up and down. That's not how you build an airplane.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Indeed, Boeing responded to the whistleblower's claim specifically about the 787, saying, quote, these claims about the structural integrity of the 787 are inaccurate and do not represent the comprehensive work Boeing has done to ensure the quality and long term safety of the aircraft, unquote. Boeing has not responded about the 777 and how the Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the whistleblower's claims.

Let's bring in the former U.S. Department of Transportation Inspector General Mary Schiavo. Just noting that, Mary, does have ongoing litigation with Boeing concerning 737 Max jet crashes. Mary, the whistleblower claims that Boeing is more concerned about how fast they make their planes rather than how safe it is. What's your reaction to that?

MARY SCHIAVO, FORMER INSPECTOR GENERAL, USDOT: Well, my reaction is, you know, a lot of other people have also made that claim and the fact that the FAA is now maybe a little too little too late. But as FAA is now stepping in and saying, we're reviewing Boeing, they did a number of audits at different plants. They're looking at all the processes and the fact that they're taking this whistleblower, these allegations seriously and investigating is A, what the FAA is supposed to do and B, also a matter of important timing.

Maybe at other times when Boeing wasn't under the microscope, these allegations would not be so alarming and the FAA would not be responding so quickly. But I think the response says the FAA is taking them very seriously, as should Boeing. So I think the response was probably too early for them to say they're not concerned. They should be.

[17:40:18]

TAPPER: Well, he also claims that Boeing has a culture where employee concerns, when they express concerns about things, they're met with retaliation, which means theoretically, there could be other whistleblowers with damning claims too afraid to come forward. Can Boeing's leadership overhaul really change this type of alleged culture? I mean, that's really problematic. You want people to be able to come forward and say this is a safety issue without being worried they're going to get fired.

SCHIAVO: Well, and it's also the law. When I was inspector general, one of the things I had to do was take whistleblower complaints, and by law, you have to take them very seriously, obviously, between the federal government and in certain aviation industries and in the airlines. And, of course, the whistleblowers are entitled to protection. There are federal laws that protect them. So as they investigate this, I do think that other whistleblowers will come forward and they will recover or, you know, uncover whether they have been retaliated against.

And, of course, there was also the situation in North Charleston, at the Dreamliner plant in North Charleston, where a whistleblower was giving testimony and then was found after his testimony and his deposition in a parking lot deceased from a gunshot wound, that is still under investigation. There are so many whistleblower issues and complaints and so many have come forward that it really has reached a crisis point.

And Boeing, to be able to recover, is going to have to instill confidence. And right now, they're in the course of changing leadership. And so they have to select those leaders very, very carefully. It has to be someone who's trustworthy and very knowledgeable, and they're in a crisis point right now, and not just because the whistleblowers, but the whistleblowers can provide helpful information of course. TAPPER: Yes. And as you allude to, Boeing is already facing scrutiny for its manufacturing practices following January scary door plug incident on that Alaska Airlines flight. How can the FAA ensure that Boeing actually follows safe and responsible protocols going forward?

SCHIAVO: Exactly. And that's what the FAA is supposed to be doing. Now the FAA has had a long lead up to this and many investigations, including the 737 Max 8 investigation that you mentioned, where I'm involved in that litigation. The FAA was really not involved, as it should be. And they admitted that. There were many hearings before the Senate, before the House, the NTSB investigated. The NTSB is investigating again, is going to have hearings again in, I believe, in August about what they're learning for the door blowout.

But there have been so many faults that the FAA has now said they're doing hands on inspection. Well, I think the American public thought that was happening all the way along and throughout the history of Boeing. But, you know, for example, on the 777, back when I was inspector general, Congress that had me investigate whether the FAA was really inspecting it. And our report concluded, no, they have, the Boeing is self-certifying approximately 95 percent of that plane or thereabout. I don't remember the statistic exactly, but they were self-certifying most of that aircraft, and that was 25 years ago. So the FAA is also really taking a lot of criticism.

And they have a real black eye in this, too, because they're supposed to be on top of it all and ensuring that Boeing does what they're supposed to do and has high quality control.

TAPPER: Mary Schiavo, thank you so much for your time and expertise, as always.

[17:43:40]

Coming up, what House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi says she's personally told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for years and why she thinks it really seems to matter right now. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TAPPER: And we're back with our World Lead, senior White House officials tell CNN that they don't think there's much behind Israeli prime minister's big announcement that a date has been set for a ground offensive in Rafah against Hamas. They believe it's bluster fueled by Netanyahu's tenuous political standing at home. And in a brand new interview with CNN senior political commentator David Axelrod, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi piled on. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID AXELROD, FORMER SENIOR ADVISER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA: Can this be resolved with Netanyahu as prime minister? Are you worried about that?

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), SPEAKER EMERITA: I don't think, I mean, I've said this to Netanyahu over the years. I don't know whether you don't know how to make peace, you don't want to make peace or you're afraid of peace, but you could be doing so much more instead of just throwing red meat to the crowd, you know, which is what he did. So I don't know that he, I don't, you know, I tried it, you know, looking at his family background, you don't know his family background, the rest.

AXELROD: Yes.

PELOSI: But he, no, I think that he's interested in one thing, his own survival, and that's it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: While various U.S. officials expressed frustration with Netanyahu, they have also not forgotten the horror inflicted by Hamas that started this war. Take a listen, for example, to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: So much of the understandable passion, outrage and anger directed at Israel for the plight of Palestinian civilians in Gaza. But some of that might also be reserved and directed for Hamas. It remains astounding to me that the world is almost deafeningly silent when it comes to Hamas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Today, Blinken also added a rare positive development in this war, saying the highest number of aid trucks since Hamas invaded Israel were cleared to enter Gaza on Monday, nearly 400 closer to the daily average before October 7th. And now CNN's Jeremy Diamond reports on the latest from Gaza and Israel after six months of war. We want to warn our viewers you might find some of what we're about to show you disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[17:50:21]

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As Palestinians pick through the rubble in the wake of a major Israeli withdrawal, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is vowing this reprieve in the fighting will not last.

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): We will complete the elimination of Hamas's battalions, including in Rafah. No force in the world will stop us.

DIAMOND (voice-over): Netanyahu's bellicose rhetoric coming after he faced recriminations from his right flank. With Israel's National Security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir threatening to pull out of the government if the war ends without an invasion of Rafah. Overnight, Israel's military focus on threats from outside Gaza, fending off the latest attack from Houthi militants in Yemen. For the first time, Israel's C-dome air defense system, a ship mounted version of the Iron Dome shooting down a Houthi drone over the Red Sea. Tonight, Israel's security cabinet convening to discuss, start and stop negotiations over a potential ceasefire and hostage release deal. For now, a deal seems out of reach. In a statement, Hamas says Israel's latest position has not responded to any of the demands of our people and our resistance.

BLINKEN: The ball is in Hamas's court. The world is watching to see what it does.

DIAMOND (voice-over): Hamas continuing to insist on the total withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. An unfettered access for Palestinians seeking to return to northern Gaza. The ratio of Palestinian prisoners to be released in exchange for 40 Israeli hostages also still being negotiated. Amid the ruins of Gaza's largest hospital, Palestinian crews and U.N. agencies sift through mounds of dirt and shallow mass graves. Exhuming the bodies of dozens who were killed during the Israeli military's two-week assault on the hospital where Israel says it was battling Hamas militants.

Gaza's civil defense says 381 bodies have been recovered so far, in an effort to give some peace to the dead and their loved ones. Three weeks after Ghassan Qunaitta says his 83-year-old father was detained by the Israeli army, he has found what remains of his body.

We've been looking for almost a week since they withdrew from the area until this moment, he says. Five minutes ago, my nephew called me and told me they found the body over there.

That sense of closure is cold comfort for Hassan and his family. But others, like De. Nuha Swailem, are looking for just that. I came to look for my husband, she says, explaining that he is a doctor who was detained by the Israeli military. Now she does not know if he is alive or dead. Where are they? She cries. We don't know if they are arrested or detained underground or above ground. Where are they? Tell us where they are. Tell me where my husband is.

A search for answers that is far from over.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DIAMOND: And Jake, this week, much more humanitarian aid is also making its way into Gaza. More than 400 trucks per day, that's double the number of trucks making their way into Gaza on a daily basis last week, a sign that Israel is hearing the U.S., the pressure coming from the United States. But it's also a sign that Israel, over the past several months, as they've been saying that they could -- they've been doing everything they could to allow enough aid into Gaza, clearly an indication that they could have been doing much more. Jake?

TAPPER: Jeremy Diamond in Jerusalem, thanks so much.

[17:54:13]

The White House is getting set to roll out the red carpet. The new details we're learning about tomorrow night's state dinner, that's next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TAPPER: Let's take a look at our leads around the world. We're going to start with our Law and Justice Lead, 10 to 15-year prison sentences handed down to both the mother and father of the teenage gunman who shot and killed four students at Michigan's Oxford High School in 2021. James and Jennifer Crumbley were convicted of involuntary manslaughter for not doing enough to prevent the shootings, even though they knew their son, who is now serving life in prison, had a gun and fantasized about committing mass murders.

Now to a landmark court ruling overseas, an international court in France today ruled Switzerland violated human rights by failing to tackle the climate crisis. The ruling, which is expected to have impact on other European nations, came in response to a lawsuit by 2000, mostly elderly women who claim heat waves caused by climate change undermined their health and quality of life.

In our Pomp and Circumstance Lead, live pictures right now from the White House, where red carpet is out and President Biden and the first lady are about to welcome the prime minister of Japan and his wife. A little bit ago, First Lady Jill Biden showed off preparations for the upcoming fifth state dinner of the Biden administration. The dinner is tomorrow. It will honor the Japanese prime minister. The White House says the decor will celebrate spring with a garden of blooms native to both countries, including hydrangeas, sweet peas, peonies and, of course, cherry blossoms. There will also be glass and silk butterflies sprinkled throughout the decor to represent the transformative nature of the relationship between the two countries. I guess my invitation must have been lost in the mail.

[18:00:00]

You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, formally known as Twitter and on the TikTok at JakeTapper. You can follow the show on X at TheLeadCNN. If you ever miss an episode of the lead, you can listen to the show all two hours, once you get your podcasts, all two hours just sitting there like a big, giant delicious sushi. Our coverage continues now on CNN. I'll see you tomorrow.