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The Lead with Jake Tapper

High Volume Airports Brace For Flight Cuts; Tesla Shareholders Approve $1 Trillion Pay Package For Musk; Heritage Head Apologizes For Insulting Tucker Carlson Critics; Nancy Pelosi Won't Seek Reelection To The U.S. House; Armed ICE Officers Chase Teacher Into Preschool In Chicago; Cowboys Marshawn Kneeland Dies In Apparent Suicide At 24. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired November 06, 2025 - 17:00   ET

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

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[17:00:10]

KASIE HUNT, CNN HOST: All right, one update before we go. While were in that commercial break, that trillion dollar Musk pay package was in fact approved by Tesla shareholders. So now, of course, it's up to them to build that kind of value. But it is on the table as a possibility.

Thanks to my panel. Don't forget, you can now stream the arena live. Wherever you catch up in the CNN app, just scan that QR code below on your screen. The Lead with Jake Tapper starts right now.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Hundreds of flights already canceled ahead of tomorrow's deadline. The Lead starts right now.

Delta, United, Southwest Airlines all announcing today they're preemptively canceling flights ahead of the Trump administration's plan to reduce air traffic starting tomorrow because of the government shutdown. The number of cancellations for tomorrow already in the hundreds as air traffic controllers get another paycheck for $0 due to the shutdown.

Plus, the first and only Madam Speaker announces plans to retire from Congress after nearly 40 years in the House. So what comes next for Nancy Pelosi and how much power will she have in choosing who leads her party forward, especially as we head into the midterms and 2028?

And this just in, Elon Musk is now poised to become the world's first trillionaire. Moments aboard -- moments ago, the Tesla board overwhelmingly approved his brand new pay package. There are some clear hurdles that the company has to get through before Musk sees that money.

Welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper. We're going to start with breaking news. The crazy air travel delays we've been seeing across the nation since the government shutdown began 37 days ago. Well, it's about to get even crazier.

Starting tomorrow, if no shutdown deal is reached, the Trump administration says they will cut the number of flights at 40 different U.S. airports, including major hubs in New York and Chicago and Atlanta and Houston and Los Angeles and Phoenix and many more.

The president today saying the reductions are to ensure travel remains 100 percent safe. And already we're seeing airlines canceling hundreds of flights in anticipation of these reductions.

Now, if you're wondering about the odds of the shutdown ending this week, well, today the speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, said this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R) HOUSE SPEAKER: I can tell you honestly, I'm less optimistic this morning than I was yesterday.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: It gets worse. Because even if the shutdown does somehow end, let's say, tomorrow, well, the head of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association said the ripple effects will still cause Thanksgiving travel headaches. Remember, air traffic controllers whose job it is to keep us safe in the skies. They have been working without pay today. They just got their second paycheck with this number in it, 0.00.

Those zeros aren't going to put gas in the car or pay for childcare. So a lot of controllers are taking two jobs, which makes them tired or they can't make it to work. All of this taking an unprecedented toll on an already overworked system.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICK DANIELS, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS ASSOCIATION: Controllers are resigning every day now because of the prolonged nature of the shutdown. We hadn't seen that before. And we're also 400 controllers shorter than were in the 2019 shutdown.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Let's get to CNN aviation correspondent Pete Muntean. What are you hearing about how many flights could actually be cut tomorrow and what this is going to mean for travelers?

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: This is going to be thousands of flight cuts, Jake. And one has to ask if the Trump administration is inflicting this travel pain for political gain. As we speak, airlines are posting their flight cancellation. Southwest Airlines just told us it will cancel about 100 flights tomorrow, comparing it to a normal bad weather day. Delta Airlines tells me it'll cancel about 70 flights starting tomorrow, mainly regional flights. United Airlines says it will cancel about 200 flights tomorrow, then again on Saturday, then again on Sunday.

But let's zoom out here. This is now the most direct consequence of the government shutdown on air travel that really blindsided airlines with this mandate from the Trump administration. I'm told carriers were given less than an hour's notice that the FAA would order flight reductions nationwide starting tomorrow morning. Here is the reasoning from the Trump administration.

Air traffic controllers, as you mentioned, just got that zero dollar pay stub, or second of this government shutdown. And Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says that has built stress into the national airspace system to a point where it's no longer safe to operate airline schedules at full capacity.

Here is what Secretary Duffy said on Fox News this morning. And he says this is not a political move. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEAN DUFFY, TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: My mission number one is to keep people safe. That's one. Number two is gridlock in with the traveling public. That's a secondary issue. Delays are a secondary issue. Safety is primary. And so this is not politics for us. Again, politics are around what's happening. But this was not a political decision.

This was a data driven decision to make the right calls to get ahead of any issues that could happen, you know, in the airspace that could have negative consequences.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MUNTEAN: Here are the details in this new directive. If there is no deal to reopen the government the FAA is mandating airlines reduce flights by up to 10 percent at 40 of the country's busiest airports. Multiple airline officials now tell me the Trump administration will start this off at about a 4 percent cut tomorrow, then ramp this up to 10 percent through next week.

Where will this be? Well, this is the map of the preliminary map of the airports everywhere from Florida to Albuquerque, including some airports with no airline service. Interestingly Teterboro, New Jersey, a hotspot for private jets. I've been cautioned that this could change because this will most likely at least include all the FAA's so called Core 30 airports, the busiest airports, most operationally critical airports nationwide. But nothing final here.

All preliminary and the FAA has not published a final order yet to airlines which is leaving airline scrambling to adjust. All four major carriers say they're complying with this directive giving passengers ways to change their flights free of charge.

And then there is this reaction from Frontier Airlines CEO Barry Biffle in which he called this unsustainable, saying you can't run the national airspace system like this. He even suggested to travelers to consider booking a backup ticket on a completely different airline.

So this has not been well received by the aviation industry. As you can tell it's not a small tweak. Aviation, a multibillion dollar economic driver. Airlines telling me they're dealing with this like would deal with mass cancellations during a snowstorm. There are a few though saying that this is the right move. And NTSB

chair Jennifer Homendy posted today that scaling back flights is the right thing to do. Although you have to think about all the travelers who are going to be caught in the middle of all of this. Jake.

TAPPER: All right, Pete Muntean, thanks so much. Let's discuss with Captain Jason Ambrosi, he's president of the Airline Pilots Association. Thank you so much for being here, Captain. If the administration cuts flights by 4 percent starting tomorrow, what does that mean for from a logistical standpoint for travelers and for pilots?

CAPT. JASON AMBROSI, PRESIDENT, AIRLINE PILOTS ASSOCIATION: Well look, bottom line, we need to reopen the government. Right. So these cuts are going to result in disruptions for travelers, disruptions for the shipping public.

As you said, it's like a bad weather day, but it's going to be a sustained bad weather day. These air traffic controllers, transportation safety folks at the TSA, other inspectors, they're forced -- they're for over four weeks now without pay.

So as you said, so well, these people are asked to keep our skies safe and secure, yet they don't know how they're going to put gas in the car or they're going to worry about how they're going to get groceries in the next one. That's an unprecedented level of risk that the system, it puts, it stresses the system beyond where it should be.

TAPPER: Yes. And this, look, this is the longest government shutdown in the history of these United States. Do you think what the Trump administration is doing here is necessary for safety?

AMBROSI: Well, look, the people in Air Traffic Control have been saying as this drags on that the only way to keep the system going is to start reducing the number of flights. The system's got a toll on it. It's an unprecedented toll with these folks that are being true professionals going to work day in and day out to keep the air travel rolling that this is only going to get worse as this shutdown continues.

TAPPER: So unlike air traffic controllers, pilots are being paid. Yes, I'm sure it's incredibly stressful time and an uncomfortable time. What are you hearing from your fellow pilots?

AMBROSI: Well, our fellow pilots, you know, I represent 80 -- over 80,000 pilots and airline pilots in general, we stand with the professionals in ATC and TSA.

TAPPER: Air Traffic Control and Transportation Administration. Yes.

AMBROSI: We completely understand what they're going through right now. And, and we stand with them. They're professionals. We feel safe. But we -- as the professionals and the final arbiter of safety, if we don't, we'll stop the operation. So, I would encourage both sides come together. Let's find a way to end this shutdown. Let's, let's get these troop professionals paid and get the skies, you know, fully reopened.

TAPPER: So we had the chief of the Air Traffic Controllers Union here yesterday. He said, unlike previous shutdowns, air traffic controllers are now resigning. They're now quitting because this is just not sustainable for them. They have to be able to put food on the table. They have to be able to put gas in their car.

Big picture, this shutdown will end at some point. But already there was a shortage of air traffic controllers.

[17:10:00]

AMBROSI: Yes.

TAPPER: So this is going to have long lasting impacts.

AMBROSI: Well, let's think about the fact that we're thousands of controllers short of where we should be. Secretary Duffy has pushed the ATC modernization, rightfully so. And we're starting down that road. They're doing max hiring to get the right number of air traffic controllers. And now something like this basically is like setting us backwards. You know, one step forward, two steps back.

We need to get it, get the, get the government open so that we can get this ATC modernization, get more controllers and press forward.

TAPPER: All right, Captain Jason Ambrosi, thank you so much. And a reminder for all our viewers out there. While air traffic controllers and TSA agents are not being paid, every single member of Congress is being paid during the shutdown that they have caused.

Break in just moments ago, the high stakes vote that could make Elon Musk the world's first trillionaire. At the same time, 42 million Americans are going hungry from lack food stamps because of the government shutdown. We're going to break it all down with Kara Swisher, next.

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TAPPER: In our Tech Lead, while 42 million Americans are facing the risk of going hungry amid the longest government shutdown in American history because of food stamps being put on hold.

[17:15:05]

Tesla shareholders just voted to give Elon Musk a potential trillion dollar pay package. That's $275 million per day over the next 10 years. How would you even spend that? This comes after Musk reportedly threatened to walk away from the company if they refused his raise.

The payment will be in the form of more than 420 million shares of Tesla stock. There is a big caveat here. Tesla has to reach an $8.5 trillion market value that's almost five times higher than it is today.

Joining us to discuss CNN contributor, host of the podcasts On and Pivot, the great Kara Swisher. Kara, $1 trillion. That's an obscene amount of money. Are you surprised that he asked for that much?

KARA SWISHER, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: No, not at all. Not even slightly. I mean, let's be clear. He's not getting this money until he does a bunch of things. He's got to get the shares up to a certain amount. It's about 1.4 or 5 trillion. It's got to get above 8. He's got to sell a million robots. It's not just -- he doesn't have to just get the stock up because that's been easy. It's a meme stock right now worth, well, more than it's worth really.

But he's got to also sell cars or subscriptions or get EBITDA up. So he's got to have actual performance linked to his efforts as well as get the stock to a higher valuation.

TAPPER: So 75 percent of Tesla's shareholders voted in favor of this trillion dollar package. Do you think they made the right choice?

SWISHER: Yes. Well, they didn't have another choice because he would have walked. There's no question he sort of has Mark Zuckerberg envy. He wants control of this thing. He already does. I mean, the board is such a -- it's a doormat. It's the most doormat board in the history of tech that I've ever seen.

But he really wanted actual control. And without him there, it would be valued at what it's worth right now. And sales are declining. There's all kinds of secular issues around Tesla right now. And without him there keeping it as a meme stock, it would have crashed to the floor. It would have been like one of his rocket launches. He just had a good one recently, but he's had a lot of rocket crashes.

TAPPER: Walk me into the brain of Elon Musk, who took such joy when he was you know, as a consultant to President Trump and --

SWISHER: He did.

TAPPER: -- heading up DOGE took such joy in firing people.

SWISHER: Yes.

TAPPER: How does somebody like that look at the joy that he took from, you know, ruining people's livelihoods? I mean, again, trimming the size of government is one thing, but this was like he was gleeful about --

SWISHER: Yes.

TAPPER: -- firing people that and demanding a trillion dollars. Like, how does he square the circle on that?

SWISHER: Well, you know, in that case, it wasn't joy, it was cruelty, you know, with the chainsaw and everything else. And he laughed like a 12 year old, essentially, which was, and it didn't, by the way, he failed in that endeavor. So he did a bad job there and probably shouldn't have been paid, and he wasn't paid. But he cost the United States government quite a lot of money in the end. That's what we'll find out. In this case, he is the key man in this company. And again, if he wasn't there, this stock will be valued at what it's worth, but it's 300 and sometimes -- it's a PE ratio, price earnings ratio of 300 and some. Apple is at 30. So without that, the reason it is at that is because of Elon Musk. It's not because of sales. Sales are declining.

And so without him there, this stock -- the shareholders were voting in their best interest by keeping him there. If they had removed him or caused him to leave, it would crash and it would be worthless. The company would be virtually worthless.

TAPPER: Tesla stock, as you've noted, suffered for a while when Musk was taking this public role, when the Trump administration with DOGE. Do you think that is recoverable for the company? I mean, I see Tesla's on the road that have a bumper sticker that says, I bought this before Elon went crazy.

SWISHER: Yes.

TAPPER: I mean, literally, they're printing this.

SWISHER: Right.

TAPPER: Do you think Tesla's reputation, its name will ever be back what it was before he joined, you know, he became so political, so publicly.

SWISHER: Right. You know, I have a different take on this, that definitely caused a problem with the sales of those cars. But I think he hasn't been innovative. This is someone who was innovative and created the Tesla. But they're, I mean, their big innovation was the cybertruck, which is possibly the worst product rollout in history. He was going to make a reboot van, he was going to do all these robots, he was going to have autonomous cars.

This time he has to actually put up or shut up. You know, he's getting the money only when he actually accomplishes something. And he hasn't sold robots. He hasn't done the things he's promised to do in this company, at least.

And so the question is now, he's done it before, so can he pull, as Scott Galloway said, you know, this, you know this rabbit out of a hat here and make happen -- make it happen again. And it's not just smoke and mirrors, which it is right now. That stock is a smoke and mirror stock. But it will stay up as long as people keep believing in Elon. But they have to believe now, or else the stock declines precipitously.

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TAPPER: All right, Kara Swisher, thanks so much. Always great to have you on.

SWISHER: All right. Thanks.

TAPPER: The head of the Heritage Foundation, a powerful conservative think tank here in Washington, D.C. he's now apologizing and trying to reverse course after vociferously defending Tucker Carlson's interview with white nationalist, white supremacist neo Nazi Nick Fuentes. The new messy details are next.

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TAPPER: In our Politics Lead, a debate over antisemitism and whether it's appropriate to platform Nazis continues to divide conservatives. Heritage foundation leader Kevin Roberts reversing course now apologizing for his previous vociferous defense of Tucker Carlson's interview, if you can call it that, with white nationalist Nick Fuentes posting this video now his third on the fallout this came yesterday.

[17:25:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEVIN ROBERTS, PRESIDENT, THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION: Everyone has the responsibility to speak up against the scourge of antisemitism, no matter the messenger. Heritage and I will do so even when my friend Tucker Carlson needs challenging.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: One conservative political commentator is warning that all of this could have negative impacts on the GOP. In the Wall Street Journal, commentator Ben Shapiro writes, quote, if Republicans cower before Nazi apologists and their popularizers, the GOP will lose and deserve to, unquote. And here now is Ben Shapiro, co-founder of the Daily Wire. Ben, what was your reaction not only to Kevin Roberts' apology, but also just how he's handled all of this?

BEN SHAPIRO, CO-FOUNDER, "THE DAILY WIRE": Well, I mean, I think that Kevin Roberts, I know Kevin. I think Kevin is a good man. I think that Kevin really screwed things up last week when he decided to inject himself into this controversy with his vociferous defense that contains some rather charged language. I think he's doing the right thing by pointing out the obvious, which is that if somebody glosses Nazis on the air, that person probably should not be associated with a conservative think tank and that everyone should have a duty to say that is a bad thing to do. So I'm grateful to Kevin for doing that. I think it's a very good thing that he did that.

The real issue here is, I think that Tucker Carlson's morphing from, I would say a very edgy right wing political figure on Fox News, but certainly within the mainstream, into a conspiracist, a person who ideologically launders antisemitism, who ideologically launders all sorts of anti-Americanism on his show and then airs it for the public to hear with interviews like the ones he did with Nick Fuentes, which was essentially a massage of Nick Fuentes. You know, I think that took a lot of people by surprise, probably including Kevin.

TAPPER: The Washington Free Beacon obtained and posted video of yesterday's Heritage Foundation staff meeting where Roberts apologized for how he's handled Tucker's conversation with Nick Fuentes. Here's part of what Roberts had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: I didn't know much about this Fuentes guy. I still don't, which underscores the mistake. I can tell you with a clear conscience and not making any excuses that those were my intentions to fix all of that. And obviously I didn't. I made them worse.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: We reached out to The Heritage Foundation for comment about the video were referred to Kevin Roberts social media post from yesterday. What's your reaction? And let me just note that Nick Fuentes has been fairly notorious for years now, including when he dined with President Trump at Mar-a-Lago.

SHAPIRO: I mean, I think that's true, but I think that really in order to experience the full wonders of the Nick Fuentes catalog, you really do have to spend some time going through the receipts. I did that earlier this week on my show. And the truth is that most people don't watch politics all that granularly. Even people who are in politics don't spend a lot of time on sort of the fringe edge. Lord. Right. The way that Fuentes is.

And so the sort of mainstreaming, the popularization and normalization of Fuentes by Carlson is significantly more important than just Fuentes existence. Obviously it was a seminal moment, I think when it comes to the right's decision as to whether Tucker himself is a source of truth or whether he is a destructive force inside conservatism.

TAPPER: So one of the things you've noted is that it isn't so much -- your problem isn't so much that Tucker Carlson had Fuentes on his show, but that he didn't push back at all on the neo Nazi, antisemitic, pro-Joseph Stalin rhetoric, et cetera.

I just wonder. Last week at a Turning Point event, Vice President J.D. Vance was asked by a student about antisemitic falsehood. This crazy notion that Judaism openly supports the persecution of Christians. It's not true, but J.D. Vance was asked about it. Instead of pushing back or correcting the questioner, he said this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: There are some significant theological disagreements between Christians and Jews. My attitude is let's have those conversations, let's have those disagreements when we have them. But if there are shared areas of interest, we ought to be willing to do that too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: What did you think of that?

SHAPIRO: You know, obviously in a vacuum, I think that answer is fine. I think as a response to the question which was asked, as you say, in a tremendously antisemitic way, the idea that Jews are persecutors of Christians is an absurd contention.

Obviously, I would have preferred more from the vice president. But I think the broader problem here is again that you have an enormous number of young people who are engaging with true white supremacist anti-Jew content and are taken in by it. And there do need to be more voices pushing back on that.

TAPPER: Ben Shapiro, we thank you for your voice. Thank you so much.

SHAPIRO: Thanks so much.

TAPPER: A federal judge today said that a U.S. Border Patrol official admitted that he lied about what happened during a confrontation between federal agents and protesters in Chicago. We'll talk about the latest on this melee, next.

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[17:33:53]

TAPPER: Our Politics Lead now, after representing San Francisco in the House of Representatives for nearly 40 years, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi today said it's time for her to step aside from Congress. She announced she will not seek reelection, ending a remarkable career for the first and only woman to ever wield the Speaker's gavel.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NANCY PELOSI, FORMER U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER: For these children, our children, and for all of America's children, the House will come to order.

TAPPER (voice-over): Nancy Patricia Pelosi, the first woman speaker of the House and one of the most powerful figures in national politics for decades, today announcing her time in Congress is coming to an end.

PELOSI: I will not be seeking reelection to Congress. I with a grateful heart, I look forward to my final year of service as your proud representative.

Of the state of California --

TAPPER (voice-over): Bringing to a close a remarkable career in Washington, D.C. that began nearly 40 years ago, during which she became perhaps the most powerful woman in American history. Born to a Democratic family, her father was the mayor of Baltimore. Here she is meeting with President Kennedy in 1961.

PELOSI: What this is about --

TAPPER (voice-over): Pelosi rose to national prominence during the administration of President George W. Bush, leading the opposition to the Iraq war.

PELOSI: I am a person who is committed to ending this war. It is a grotesque mistake. It is costing lives, limbs.

TAPPER (voice-over): After securing the Speaker's gavel for the first time in 2007, Pelosi became a key player on Capitol Hill, pushing through the Affordable Care Act under Barack Obama.

PELOSI: We have to pass the bill so that you can find what is in it.

TAPPER (voice-over): That fight cementing her legacy as a congressional leader that could push her caucus to accomplish big things.

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Because of the incredible leadership of Nancy and Harry, we got the ACA across the finish line.

TAPPER (voice-over): But it was during her second speakership under President Donald Trump, when Pelosi became an icon for many Democrats, standing up to Trump as one of his chief antagonists.

PELOSI: You should not have a Trump shutdown. You have him at the White House.

TAPPER (voice-over): Pelosi repeatedly battled Donald Trump, going so far as to rip up a printed copy of his State of the Union address in 2020. She later made Trump the only president to ever be impeached twice. The last impeachment of which occurred after rioters stormed the Capitol on January 6, breaking into and desecrating her office.

Pelosi's political successes made her a target. In 2022, her husband, Paul Pelosi, was viciously beaten in the head with a hammer during a home invasion at their San Francisco residence by a man looking for the congresswoman, leaving Paul Pelosi with a fractured skull.

Pelosi's decision to step away comes as calls grow louder for older lawmakers to make way for a younger generation to take office. The 85- year-old Pelosi was a key player behind the push to get Joe Biden to end his ill-fated reelection campaign in 2024.

PELOSI: We're all encouraging him to make that decision because time is running short.

TAPPER (voice-over): Those comments, which ignored Biden's repeated insistence that he had already made that and was running, infuriated the Biden White House. But today, President Biden adopted a conciliatory tone, praising Pelosi as the, quote, best speaker of the House in American history.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The first woman speaker in our history, the gentlelady from California, Nancy Pelosi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TAPPER: Strategists from both major political parties are here with me. And Arshi, you know Pelosi very well. You were a senior policy advisor and counsel during Pelosi's tenure as speaker of the House. How influential will she be in retirement, do you think? Will she still be something of a kingmaker? Will she still come out and make comments, or do you think this is it? She's going quietly into the good night?

ARSHI SIDDIQUI, FOUNDER, BELLWETHER GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS: I think Nancy Pelosi is always going to be a force. And we saw that actually even as recently as this redistricting fight in California. Her fingerprints were all over that. She really was a supportive team player for Gavin Newsom in getting that over the finish line in California.

So I think we'll continue to see that. And there was that open question when she stepped down. So I think when you look at her legislative career and what she's been able to accomplish, she's always going to be a resource on how to get things done.

TAPPER: So former Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan posted, quote, while we rarely agreed on policy, I have a deep admiration for Speaker Pelosi's lifetime of public service. For decades, she advocated for her beliefs, blazed a trail for female lawmakers, and protected the House as an institution. Congratulations to Nancy on a storied career, unquote. It's almost like a statement from another world where people say nice things about the other party. I remember that era.

Doug, you worked very hard to unseat then Speaker Pelosi when you were comps director for the RNC. What did you learn while working in opposition to her, about her?

DOUG HEYE, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Yes, well, I actually brought a relic from the Fire Pelosi bus tour. This is my last bit of swag from the RNC. And I worked in the California delegation for six years and then House leadership. I've seen her up close for years.

And why we launched the fire Pelosi tour that took Michael Steele through the lower 48 -- all lower 48 states was because of how formidable she was. We launched it the day after the Obama bill or the night the Obama bill, Obamacare bill passed, because she got that through. No other Democratic leader was going to be able to do that. And time and time again, and I say this with nothing but respect for her, she always got what she wanted and she raised a ton of cash.

TAPPER: Hold up that cup. We didn't -- we didn't see it. The people at home --

HEYE: Nothing but respect for Nancy Pelosi and the job she did.

TAPPER: Right.

HEYE: And that's what Paul Ryan essentially spent. She is a winner. And I would tell friends who would, you know, ask from college or high school and talk about her being a San Francisco liberal. I said, you got that somewhat wrong. She's Nancy Dalessandro and she's a street fighter from Baltimore.

TAPPER: Yes, she's incredibly effective. Like it does -- whatever you think about her policies and her politics, she did not bring a vote to the floor if she didn't have the votes. She was just really good at it. Let me just ask you about this other issue.

But since Biden helped lead his party to defeat in 2024, there's been a generational debate among Democrats. Pelosi was interviewed here on CNN this week ahead of the passage of Prop 50, and she said this about her career.

[17:40:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PELOSI: My only reason I'm in Congress this term is to win the House for the Democrats to protect us from the poison of the Trump administration.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: In 2022, Democrats did an amazing thing in the House. They all the leaders, Pelosi, Hoyer and Clyburn, all voluntarily stepped away from power and led the way for a new generation. And a lot of Democrats think if only the President had taken that cue as well.

What do you think? Is it time for a new generation? Is this a cue for other House members in their 70s and 80s to check out the porch?

SIDDIQUI: I think we're already seeing that. And I think you also see what we're seeing on the ground in terms of this urgency for real change and for affordability and just reinvigorating the American dream and reimagining the American dream. So I think we're going to see more of that as time passes.

And I just wanted to make a point on the Affordable Care Act. I think what's interesting about Pelosi and the way she functioned is, you know, in the January before it passed in May, there was a real push to just step back and really filter it down and just take a small incremental step.

TAPPER: Yes, like just focus on children, Right.

SIDDIQUI: Exactly.

TAPPER: Yes.

SIDDIQUI: And she made a call and she knew it was going to cost her speakership. She knew that and the leadership knew it and the Democratic caucus knew it because were going into an election where it was a different vibe. And this long term investment in affordability and health care was not the right political move. But she put policy over politics, and I think you see that throughout her career.

TAPPER: Do you think that she, I mean, she was a lightning rod. How effective a lightning rod she was, I don't know, but she was a lightning rod. Republicans tried to use her as a bad guy. Who replaces her? Mamdani, you think in New York?

HEYE: Mamdani is obviously the flavor of the day, but look, we have to see how he governs. What does Mamdani do when he has to sit down with the construction industry and the, you know, the design industries and all these things that you have to do in a very transactional town like New York? Republicans are going to try and obviously use him, but there's nobody who's been quite effective for Republicans and obviously for Democrats as Nancy Pelosi. Again, she's one of a kind.

TAPPER: She told me this really interesting story once. I'll just end it on this, which is before she became speaker, she and I think Harry Reid maybe, but she and someone else went and they met with Steve Jobs and they became focused on numbers and data in a way that no Democrat had ever been before in Congress. And that is one of the reasons why she was effective as she was.

Thank you so much. So breaking news. American Airlines has now canceled about 220 flights per day starting tomorrow through Monday. This is as the FAA is ordering mandatory flight reductions due to air traffic controller shortages. As the government shutdown is the longest in the history of the United States. We're going to have much more on this government shutdown, major impact on air travel. Ahead.

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[17:47:05]

TAPPER: In our National Lead, a federal judge says the top Border Patrol official in Chicago, a man named Gregory Bovino, admitted that he lied about being hit in the head prior to deploying tear gas. The judge today issuing a preliminary ruling to restrict the use of force by federal agents in Chicago after finding the Trump administration's evidence, quote, not credible in its portrayal of Chicago's protests.

This as the immigration crackdown in the city continues, local leaders now condemning ice's arrest Wednesday of a daycare teacher while she was inside a child care center. Joining us now, Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois. Senator, Congressman Mike Quigley said the daycare incident showed a complete lack of humanity by ICE.

A statement from a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson states, quote, officers attempted to pull over a vehicle which was registered to a female illegal alien with sirens and emergency lights, but the male driver refused to pull the vehicle over. Law enforcement pursued the vehicle before the assailant sped into a shopping plaza where he and the female passenger fled the vehicle. They ran into a daycare and attempted to barricade themselves inside the daycare, recklessly endangering the children inside, unquote.

Now, the post from DHS says the woman was arrested in the vestibule of the daycare center, not inside. What do you make of this event? What's your understanding of what actually happened?

SEN. AMY DUCKWORTH (D-IL): Well, what we know is ICE lies, and there's video of them actually. They were actually in the classroom going from classroom to classroom. They don't have -- they did not have a warrant to enter the daycare center. It's a private daycare center, by the way, Jake.

And so it was private property. This is exactly what ICE has been doing in Chicago, which is they lie repeatedly about what they are doing. Luckily, we have -- one of the things we've done in Chicago is that we have told the public, be peaceful in your protest, but record everything. And it's why ICE now is doing everything they can to kidnap people off

the streets who are recording them, even to the extent that they even also picked up two staffers of one of our aldermen whose only crime was to record them as they attempted some of these very egregious actions. It's horrifying what they did at this daycare center. And they terrified those children.

In fact, I talked to a mom, one of whose sons is -- one of the students of this particular teacher, and her kids are traumatized by this incident.

TAPPER: So let's shift to the government shutdown. Civilian Defense Department employees are among the federal workers furloughed or working without pay right now. Many of them spoke with CNN. They're military family members or veterans like yourself, who are now having to take out loans or find other jobs to support themselves.

The Trump administration found some funds to pay active duty service members. Do you think that they should be actively working to pay more of the Defense Department employees?

DUCKWORTH: Well, I think they should be paying their employees, but I got to tell you, they also need to be funding SNAP benefits. They have a $6 billion contingency fund for that.

[17:50:05]

And, you know, the way we solve this is President Trump could just come talk to Democrats and reopen government, but he hasn't sat down with us, not even once since before the shutdown happened. We haven't even had a formal sit down with Republican leaders. And the House of Representatives isn't even in office. So they could end this shutdown just by sitting down with us and talking to Democrats.

But they're choosing to inflict pain on the American people and on our great federal workers in order to do what? Score some sort of crazy political points.

TAPPER: Sources tell CNN that Senate leaders are nearing a potential deal, Republicans sitting down with Democrats. And theoretically, this could bring an end to the shutdown, would include an agreement for a date for a vote to extend the Obamacare subsidies. Would that be enough for you to vote to reopen the government, a promise that there will be on such and such date a vote to extend those subsidies?

DUCKWORTH: I don't have much trust in Republican promises. They've broken a lot of them so far this year. And as I said, we know that the Trump administration lies on a regular basis. So, you know, it's about let's sit down and have negotiations. That's the first step. Let's sit down with us. We'll talk with you.

I've talked to my Republican colleagues informally because they've not been empowered by President Trump to enter into formal negotiations. But I've talked to several of my Republican colleagues. I think we can find a way out of this. But again, first step is sit down. Let's talk.

TAPPER: Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois. Thank you so much. Appreciate it.

The sports world shocked today by the death of Dallas Cowboys player Marshawn Kneeland at the age of 24. Their tributes are pouring in. We'll discuss, next.

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TAPPER: In our Sports Lead, Marshawn Kneeland, a defensive end for the Dallas Cowboys, died today at the age of 24. The Cowboys honoring Kneedland as a quote, beloved teammate, a member of our organization. According to Texas police, Kneedland crashed his car on the Dallas Parkway after evading troopers during a police pursuit. While searching the scene, police say they found Kneeland with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. They're now investigating the incident as a suicide.

Joining us now is former NFL wide receiver Donte Stallworth. Dante, Kneedland was in the middle of his second season with the Cowboys. He just scored his first career touchdown three days ago. Officers had been informed that he had expressed suicidal ideations. What mental health resources does the NFL provide to make sure all their players are OK?

DONTE STALLWORTH, FORMER NFL WIDE RECEIVER: The NFL provides pretty good resources, actually. I think they've gotten a lot better over the years and obviously with a lot of the brain traumatic injuries, things have really picked up with the way that they respond to mental health issues and things of that nature.

So not only does the NFL which their own, every NFL team has their own person or has their people that players can reach out to that the teams are constantly reaching out to really try to make sure that guys are OK. But a lot of these things are, you know, they're tough because guys show up to practice and, you know, you never know what someone's really going through.

I played with Junior Seau, who unfortunately committed suicide as well. And he was always smiling in the locker room and playing his guitar and, you know, you just never know what's really going on with guys beneath the surface. Unfortunately.

TAPPER: Yes, that's true. Really tragic. Several shooting incidents involving football players have been linked to CTE. As you note, it's a brain disease caused by repetitive head trauma. In 2021, NFL cornerback Philip Adams shot and killed six people and then himself in an autopsy revealed he had stage two CTE. And then we all remember July of this year, a gunman, not a professional football player. He killed four people and himself at the NFL headquarters in New York. And he was found in the autopsy to have low stage CTE. I think he played in high school, not for the NFL.

Do you think the NFL is taking CTE seriously enough?

STALLWORTH: You know what, Jake, if you asked me that five years ago, 10 years ago, I would have said definitely not. But I do think since the players lawsuit, and I do think that the way that these brain injuries are repeatedly coming to the surface, coming up, you know, every single day in some kind of capacity, the NFL really can't ignore it.

And I think they, internally, at least, I think they've done a good job with trying to make sure that the players, current and former, actually have all of the resources that they can. And not just the NFL, like I said, the clubs and also the players union as well, has really done a good job of having available resources for current and former players.

TAPPER: You talked about how you don't really know what anybody's going through. And I assume in the NFL, which is a fairly macho environment, it might be -- there might be a stigma about talking about needing help or seeking help. What do you think? I mean, is that stigma still there? Still strong?

STALLWORTH: Yes, it's still strong. It's a macho sport. It's a, you know, we're the Spartans. We're the -- we're the new gladiators. Right? That's the way people portray us. But mental health really doesn't respect status or success. And we've seen that time and time again. Not just professional athletes, but other quote, unquote celebrities.

I think these invisible injuries, they can really be under the surface. But one of the things that we know is that when players are going through these things, they're not -- at least NFL players I can speak to, they're not really open to speaking out. But I think today, in today's society and today's game, it's much different than it was five, 10 years ago. The response is much different. And players are definitely more open to speaking out, but it's still tough.

TAPPER: Donte Stallworth, we appreciate you so much. Thanks so much.

STALLWORTH: Thanks, Jake.

TAPPER: And if you or anyone you know is struggling, you can always call or text the National Suicide Prevention lifeline. It's at 988. That's 988. There is help for you. There is love for you.

Welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper. This hour, a brand new chapter in the fight over SNAP or food stamp benefits. This afternoon, a federal judge ordering the White House to pay full benefits for the month of November after the Trump administration said after day --