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The Lead with Jake Tapper

Trump Declares Opening Days of War With Iran a Major Success; Israel Launches New Wave of Strikes Against Iran; Oversight Committee Votes to Subpoena A.G. Bondi in Epstein Probe. Trump Teases Endorsement In Texas Senate Race To Avoid Runoff; Civilians Stranded By War In Middle East Express Frustration. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired March 04, 2026 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:00]

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to the Lead. I'm Jake Tapper.

We're going to start with breaking news in the widening war with Iran. Moments ago, Republicans rejected a move that would have required President Trump to seek Congressional approval for any future U.S. military action against Iran. The House of Representatives is expected to take a similar vote tomorrow. Ahead of the vote, President Trump defended the expanding conflict, claiming tremendous progress is being made.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: The missiles are being wiped out rapidly. Their launches are being wiped out.

If we didn't hit within two weeks, they would've had a nuclear weapon. If we didn't do the B-2 attack a number of months ago, they would have a nuclear weapon. And when crazy people have nuclear weapons, bad things happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: This comes as we get video of a U.S. submarine using a torpedo to sink an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean. This marks the first time the U.S. sank a submarine in international waters since World War II.

NATO air defenses shot down an Iranian missile headed toward Turkey. This is believed to be the first time NATO forces intercepted an Iranian missile traveling towards a NATO member country's airspace.

And Israel continued to target Iran-backed terrorist group, Hezbollah, in Lebanon. Video captured the moment an Israeli helicopter fired a missile over the border into Lebanon.

The ongoing strikes in Lebanon have triggered an 18-hour traffic jam as thousands heed Israel's order to immediately leave the country south and move north of the Litani River.

Let's go straight to CNN's Erin Burnett. She's live from Tel Aviv. Erin, what else is happening in the region right now?

ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Jake, I want to put a pin in what you just showed with those images of the lines, just to sort of capture the sort of fear, the paralysis that is across this region and that the Americans, hundreds of thousands of them who perhaps are trying to get home now, are feeling.

But, you know, you've gone through some of the crucial things here today. The Joint Chiefs of Staff General Caine giving an update that I think is very important, saying that the United States and Israel are striking progressively deeper into Iranian territory, along with what the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, said that this is very early in this war.

We do understand today, Jake, that there have been overtures for the first time that we're aware of from the Iranians and the foreign minister there, perhaps for some sort of an off-ramp, not just through Oman, but through Qatar, but that those were hastily rebuffed, at least for now, but it's important to mention them in the context here of where we are because it's the first time I've been able to tell you that.

It's also, though, when you look at the missile situation coming this way, Jake, yes, there have been missile strikes, we have had the alerts, we have had the missiles, but fewer than yesterday, and that fits with what the Defense Department says, which is they say a dramatic degrading of Iran's ability to fire ballistic missiles.

Now, that certainly appears to be true. It is unclear though, how much of that is a degrading of their ability, and how much of that is perhaps the possibility of a strategic decision that they're making to hold certain sorts of missiles, hypersonic, or others strategically. It's unclear, but there has been a dramatic degrading of their missile-firing capability, and that is true.

And then also, Jake, the astonishing number of people who have been killed in Iran, you have American soldiers who have so tragically died in this war. You have death, civilian deaths here in Israel and in other countries. But in Iran, it is where the toll is by far the highest, exponentially so. The U.S.-based human rights group, Jake, is saying at least a thousand people are dead. And those images out of that all girls' school, I think, should break the heart of anyone who sees them. You talked about the torpedo on that ship, at least 150 sailors killed on that, which, in addition to what you just talked about in Turkey, with that missile interception dramatically expands the theater of this war all the way to just off the coast of India and Sri Lanka, where that was struck.

And I will say, Jake, to end where I said I would here, when you were showing those lines in the north here, the borders and people trying to get out. Yes, the State Department has said we're improving it, we're trying to in four countries, including where I'm standing in Israel, also in Saudi Arabia and Qatar and the UAE. Register. We're going to try to help you to get out.

Just to give you a sense of the situation for some, in the United Arab Emirates, usually, it's a quick border to Oman. I've been over that border. It's about four and a half hours from Dubai to Muscat. You go through a border, beautiful border, not hard.

Right now, Oman Air, one of the few trying to operate flights to help people get out of Muscat, the capital there, Jake, they are saying, show up at that border with at least 12 hours to cross the border.

[18:05:00]

So, that would mean for anyone who even gets a flight, it's 16 to 18 hours to even get from Dubai to Oman, something that, as I think about those first days when I was leaving Ukraine, just goes to show the fear, the paralysis of war, the refugee feeling is something that is spreading palpably to more people than one could have ever imagined. Back to you.

TAPPER: Thank you so much, Erin Burnett in Tel Aviv Israel. Please stay safe.

Don't miss more of Erin's live coverage from Tel Aviv, War with Iran Live in the Middle East, right after our show. This starts at 7:00 P.M. Eastern right here on CNN. Erin, doing a great job over there.

The White House announced today that President Trump will attend the dignified transfer for the six service members killed so far by Iran in Operation Epic Fury. And we're learning new details about four of the fallen. 20-year-old Declan Coady was an Eagle Scout who loved video games, anime, and working out. His sister says, quote, the only thing I can think is that I wish I had called him one more time and told him I loved him.

Family members say that 30 5-year-old Cody Khork loved history and was always the life of the party. They say he was known for his infectious spirit, generous heart, and deep care for those who served alongside him.

39-year-old Sergeant First class Nicola Amor was just days away from returning home after her deployment. According to the Associated Press, she loved gardening and rollerblading and bicycling with her kids. She had two kids, a high school senior and a fourth grader.

Sergeant First Class Noah Tietjens and his family were prominent members of a martial arts studio back home in Nebraska. A fellow soldier credits his career to Tietjen's mentorship and says, quote, he was the kind of guy that was always around to help you.

We thank them and their families for their service and sacrifice. May their memories be a blessing.

During a press conference this morning at the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made the rather shocking claim that the only reason members of the news media report prominently on the deaths of those six fallen American service members is because of some sort of political vendetta that we in the news media have against President Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETE HEGSETH, DEFENSE SECRETARY: When a few drones get through or tragic things happen, it's front page news. I get it. The press only wants to make the president look bad, but try for once to report the reality.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Obviously, that's just false, and it represents a truly warped way of looking at the world and how Americans view the sacrifices made by these brave American service members. It's also, frankly, historically illiterate. The news media has always covered service members killed in action prominently because they paid the ultimate price for our nation regardless of what anyone thinks about the policy decisions or the president.

And that's true whether it was the Four Americans killed in Benghazi during the Obama administration, or the 13 service members killed during the Afghanistan withdrawal, during the Biden administration, or the many other American troops who have fallen. It is a tribute to those Americans. It's something that we continue to do and we have always done under Democratic presidents and Republican presidents.

In fact, I've never heard any veteran until Hegseth today say that the news media covers fallen service members too much and too prominently. It's a wild thing to say.

CNN's Kaitlan Collins asked White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt leadership later today whether Secretary Hegseth comments represented the position of this administration.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: That's not what the secretary said, Kaitlan, and that's not what the secretary meant. And you know it. You know you are being disingenuous. There is not -- we've never had a secretary of defense who cares more --

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: (INAUDIBLE) where tragic things happen, it's front page news. I get it, the press only wants to make the president look bad. But you know we cover the death of U.S. service members for every president.

LEAVITT: The press does only want to make the president look bad. That's a fact.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Actually, that's not a fact. It's an opinion. It's not particularly relevant to the question of whether we only honor fallen veterans because we want to make Trump look bad.

And, by the way, Hegseth was crystal clear on what he was saying. Just in point of fact, and anybody can Google it, we have covered fallen veterans under Bush and Obama and Trump and Biden, and now Trump again. And we will continue to honor troops by memorializing them and discussing their sacrifices.

The only difference is that Bush and Obama and Biden didn't have secretaries of defense who would petulantly complain about our coverage of fallen warriors.

[18:10:00]

I want to bring in CNN's Kaitlan Collins from the White House. Kaitlan?

COLLINS: Yes, Jake. Obviously that moment in the press conference today is just part of the many questions that this White House has been facing about what's next in Iran, what the United States wants to see next when it comes to leadership there, and obviously what the plan is for current service members that are in the forces in terms of what that's going to look like with the campaign. As they say, it's only accelerating whether or not there'll be boots on the ground.

But this premise of the question, given what the secretary said this morning, which was pretty blunt, Jake, and also, I should note, seemed to be coming from his prepared remarks, it wasn't a comment that Hegseth seemed to make off-the-cuff to the reporters who were gathered there at the Pentagon this morning, often one of the best press scores in town that asked the most questions about what exactly is happening here.

And so I wanted to follow up with the White House on that given obviously when the president goes and attends the dignified transfer of those six fallen service members, CNN and other media outlets will carry it, as we always do. It's an incredibly somber and solemn ceremony, typically where their families are present there in these moments.

And so I asked the press secretary if that was a viewpoint that the White House agreed with in terms of what the coverage of these deaths should look like. Here's more of what Karoline Leavitt said to me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEAVITT: I just told you that the president of the United States will be attending their dignified transfer, so please --

COLLINS: (INAUDIBLE) dignified transfer, that's not making the president look bad. That's showcasing that.

LEAVITT: We expect you to cover that, as you should. We expect you to cover that as you should, Kaitlan, but you and your network know that you take every single thing this administration says and tries to use it to make the president look bad. That is an objectable fact.

COLLINS: I don't think covering troop deaths is trying to make president look bad.

LEAVITT: If you're trying to argue right now that CNN's overwhelming coverage is not negative of President Donald Trump, I think the American people would tend to agree. (END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Jake, I think, it obviously goes without saying, as you just noted there, that covering the deaths of these service members has nothing to do with President Trump himself personally, just as it didn't with other presidents. I mean, they are the commander-in-chief. There are real questions about what's happening in Iran and what the United States is planning to do. But anytime a service member dies, we cover it, and we did so when it was President Biden at the Abbey Gate. I was standing here on the North Lawn when that happened, and I remember that, and also in President Trump's first term. And so it's just a fact of covering the Pentagon, covering Washington, and obviously covering the ultimate sacrifice that these U.S. service members have made here.

TAPPER: It really is the height of solipsism and narcissism to think that our coverage of fallen warriors has anything to do with our -- how we cover a president. I'm just utterly shocked that Hegseth and now Karoline Leavitt are saying this. It's -- I don't even really know what to say. It's so offensive. And not -- I don't care what they think about us, it's so offensive to the families who deserve coverage. There's one thing that you can say about the news media, like -- or just this country. We don't pay enough attention as a nation to fallen veterans. Like there should be more coverage whoever's in the building behind you.

Kaitlan Collins at the White House, thank you so much.

Don't miss Kaitlan on her show, The Source with Kaitlan Collins. Her guests tonight include former Vice President Mike Pence. That's tonight at 9:00 Eastern only on CNN.

We're going to have much more on our breaking news out of the Middle East ahead. We're also following breaking news on Capitol Hill tonight, a bipartisan group of House lawmakers have just voted shockingly to subpoena the U.S. attorney general, Pam Bondi. This is part of their Epstein investigation. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:15:00]

TAPPER: Some surprising news on Capitol Hill, the Republican-led House Oversight Committee this afternoon voted to subpoena the Republican attorney general, Pam Bondi, to get her testimony in their Jeffrey Epstein investigation.

CNN's Paula Reid is here with details. And, Paula, this was actually a bipartisan vote on a committee that usually only votes in partisan ways.

PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, divided by politics but united in their frustration with Pam Bondi's handling of the Epstein files. I mean, this is something that has become a political liability not just for Bondi but also for the president and the Republican Party, which is why we actually saw Republican Nancy Mace really pushing for this subpoena. And on X today she said, quote, Attorney General Bondi claims the DOJ has released all of the Epstein files. The record is clear, they have not. 3 million documents have been released, and we still don't have the full truth. So, it'll be interesting to see how she responds to this.

TAPPER: Very interesting. And we should note that the last hearing and that she's being subpoenaed to come on Capitol Hill. I don't know if it's for an open hearing or private testimony, but the last hearing didn't go so well for Bondi. She lashed out at a Democrat, calling him a loser lawyer. This was in the Senate. Do you think that she's going to approach this testimony the same way?

REID: It'll be really interesting to see, because that became part of the monoculture, right? There are all these memes, people even asked questions, what your, is your coffee order, and then pointing to the Dow, because that's how she handled questions about the Epstein files. So, I think if she has to do this again, she's going to have to do this in a much more serious way. So, she's likely consulting with her lawyers inside DOJ and trying to figure out, do I have to do this? If I do, can we narrow it down? And then what approach are we going to take? Because at the last hearing that she had, it turned into a circus.

TAPPER: And we should note that she started off by saying that they were going to release the Epstein files. They gave notebooks full of information that had already been released to these, you know, random right wing memers. And then she said on Fox, like, I have the Epstein files on my desk. Obviously, there are 6 million of them. She didn't have them on her desk. Then they were stonewalling for months. I mean, I can't think of anything that -- any release of documents that has been handled worse by this administration.

REID: Yes. No, she definitely has that superlative. And there is this history of making statements saying one thing and then doing another, or making a promise and then not following through.

[18:20:02]

She says, we've released all the documents. Well, clearly, that's not true. There are still millions that are being withheld.

We also see inside DOJ there is frustration the way this law was written, the amount of time that they had to release these files that they just said there was no way they were going to be able to do this properly. So, they don't feel like they were really given the opportunity to do this the way they would've liked to. But, clearly, the way they've handled it, even given that law, even given the larger circumstances, has drawn bipartisan criticism, which is why she is being called before the House to answer questions.

And like you said, I mean, this is bipartisan. This has become a liability not just for her but for the president, for the party. A lot of the reason we have this release is because of the groundswell, right? This matters to a lot of Americans and a lot of folks who support the president. That's why her hand was forced here. So, if this happens, it'll be really fascinating to see if she repeats that now infamous appearance a few weeks ago, that approach, because that's really how she is in person, sort of so flippant, so aggressive, or if she takes a different tact.

TAPPER: Yes. No, that's not what she's like in private at all.

REID: Yes.

TAPPER: Paula Reid, thanks so much.

Another issue, front and center on Capitol Hill today, Minnesota's welfare fraud scandal, billions of dollars stolen, hear the heated exchanges between Republicans and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:25:00]

TAPPER: In our Law and Justice Lead, Minnesota's shocking multi- billion dollar welfare fraud scandal was back on Capitol Hill today, and a heated hearing. House Republicans questioned Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who dropped his reelection bid amid the scandal. And they also questioned State Attorney General Keith Ellison and asking both men when they became aware of fraud in their state and what they did or did not do to stop it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. TIM WALZ (D-MN): If we did not provide food for our children, no one would steal from that program. But there would also be a lot of hungry children.

REP. JAMES COMER (R-KY): You do nothing about fraud, even though everyone in America sees --

WALZ: Our Medicare error rate is lower than your state.

KEITH ELLISON (D), MINNESOTA ATTORNEY GENERAL: We are leading the effort to prosecute Medicaid fraud in Minnesota.

REP. CLAY HIGGINS (R-LA): I'm not talking about Medicaid fraud. Don't hide behind that.

REP. NANCY MACE (R-SC): From 1 million to 343 million, what percentage increase is that?

WALZ: I'm not here to be your prop. Go ahead and tell me.

MACE: Well, are you governor of Minnesota or not?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: The scandal is back in the spotlight months after it intensified into a national political focal point, and federal agents swarmed the Twin Cities in that immigration crackdown.

CNN's Whitney Wild has been following this hearing. Whitney?

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: Jake, the first few witnesses highlighted the names of Renee Good and Alex Pretti as a way to showcase just how much was lost in the state through that several weeks-long stepped up immigration enforcement action. Much of the questioning focused on what Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison knew when they knew it and what they did to stop this huge flow of fraudulent money to this very long list of fraudulent schemes.

Republicans really drilled down on this idea that Governor Walz and Ellison. Had the authority and the obligation to do something, and they just didn't do enough. And they went so far as to say, Jake, that they've had whistleblowers come forward to the committee to say that when they tried to raise the alarm, they were retaliated against.

Governor Walz and Ellison flatly denied those allegations. They said when they learned about the fraud, they did try to stop it. They never retaliated against anyone and would not.

The tone of questioning really varied. I mean, some Republicans were quite spicy. It became quite fiery. Others were really calm and what sounded, you know, like sincere in the questioning. I mean, it sounded like there really was this sincere effort to try to get to the bottom of what was going on.

So, I want you to listen to a clip here that I think highlights those two different tones.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COMER: Governor Walz, when fraud concerns were raised, did your administration stop payments at that time?

WALZ: Childcare assistance program and the --

COMER: The answer is no.

And that's what the problem is, and that's what the Democrats are complaining about. Oh my gosh, Trump stopped payments. Well, my God you've lost billions to fraud in Minnesota.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Governor, what did we do wrong here?

WALZ: As governor, I've taken accountability for this. I'm not going to run again. I need to spend the time fixing this. There're some legal changes we need around Medicaid eligibility issues.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WILD: There were committee members who insisted that Governor Walz and Ellison should lose their jobs. We have no indication that either one of them plans to resign, but there has been pretty significant political fallout for Governor Tim Walz, Jake. He had planned to run for a third term as governor. He is now not doing so. Jake?

TAPPER: All right. Whitney Wild, thank you so much, a shocking amount of fraud.

Israel launching a fresh round of strikes inside Iran tonight. Next, I'm going to be joined by Netanyahu's. opposition leader in Israel, former Prime Minister Yair Lapid, to get Lapid's take on the growing conflict.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:30:00]

TAPPER: We're back to our breaking news and our World Lead. Israel is launching a fresh wave of flyover strikes across Tehran, Iran. Israeli military confirmed this evening this is the 11th wave of attacks since the war began. The death toll continuing to climb in countries around the region as the devastation from the war ripples throughout the Middle East.

Joining me now is Israeli opposition leader and former Prime Minister Yair Lapid. Sir, thank you so much for joining us.

We have already seen civilian deaths in Israel as a result of Iran waging retaliatory strikes. What's been your reaction to the tragic loss of Israeli civilians in this war?

YAIR LAPID, FORMER ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Well, the other day, I went to the city of the Beit Shemesh to be -- and I went to the site in which the three children of the Biton family were killed together, next to them and mother and her child. And we need to keep in mind that, you know, there are casualties of war on both sides.

But the Iranians are doing this purposely. They are firing rockets and missiles into cities and villages, Israeli cities, Israel villages trying to hit and target civilians because this is the kind of regime it is.

TAPPER: Let's talk about the regime, because the body of clerics in Iran known as the Assembly of Experts, they're meeting to decide who is going to succeed the Ayatollah Khamenei. It is speculated that they might select his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, which would likely signal a continuation of the regime and its hard line policies. What would that mean for the future of Iran and what would it mean for Israel?

LAPID: Well, the question is not was what these 88 elderly clergy people will do. The question is what the people of Iran are going to do. Because this regime is not a government the way you and I think about governments. This regime is a terror organization that took hostage in entire country, an ancient country, an ancient culture, intelligent people, educated people.

[18:35:09]

We saw them last January taking to the streets trying to demand freedom, women rights, civil rights. It was -- I mean, I think the entire globe was filled with admiration to their courage. And the question is, what are they going to do now that the circumstances and the conditions for them to take their life -- the destiny into their own hands has improved significantly.

TAPPER: Prime Minister Netanyahu is up for reelection this fall and he is reaffirming his alliance with President Trump, and he believes that, and the strikes against Iran are both positive politically for him. Do you have any concerns that his motivation for this war could be driven by politics in any way?

LAPID: I don't care. It's good for Israel and I was an Israeli patriot long before I was a politician. I think usually elections are about the future, not the past. And I think people understand that basically this was the right war and there was a total unity within the Israeli society about this.

Jake, you know me. I think I've earned the title, the most bitter rival of Prime Minister Netanyahu, and yet I supported this operation, this war, because it's the right thing to do because the Jews had enough of waiting for somebody to kill them without doing anything about this. And I think the Israelis understand this as something that is ex-curriculum to the political arena. In election time, they will vote on the future, and I think we're doing pretty well.

TAPPER: Let me ask you something about domestic politics here in the United States. There are increasingly more and louder voices in both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party who do not like the Israeli government openly question whether or not the U.S. should even be allied with Israel.

Now, some of it is anti-Semitic and without question, but do you think all of it is? What do you attribute this rising chorus of voices criticizing Israel, not just criticizing decisions made by Netanyahu, but questioning whether or not Israel should even be an ally of the U.S.?

LAPID: Well, I think, as you said, there's two ways of looking at this. Oh, you know what? There are two groups. One is not something new and horrible that just emerge in TikTok. It is something very ancient that emerged a thousand years ago. This is pure anti-Semitism.

Now, I'm not the one -- I'm not one of those people who think that every criticism over Israel, over the Israeli government is anti- Semitism. Actually part of friendship is the ability to discuss differences. I think right now there is a weird coalition of the far right and the far left using almost the same terms against Israel and against this alliance that is critical for the security of Israel, but also I think contributes quite a bit to the security of the United States.

We are your Middle Eastern post and we are fighting alongside you, protecting values that, you know, the United States was the first to bring to the international table, freedom, justice for all, and the pursuit of happiness.

I keep telling people, you have to remember Israel always said two things about itself. We are the only democracy in the Middle East, and we are the strongest country in the Middle East. And the reason we are the strongest country in the Middle East is because we are the only democracy in the Middle East and we share values. And those people are just trying to find new ways to say the old thing is the fact that they don't like the Jews.

TAPPER: There are critics who look to how the settlers are treating Palestinians in the West Bank, all the loss of life in Gaza during the war against Hamas, and have very, very serious concerns about how the Israeli government is conducting itself.

LAPID: Well, I have very, very serious concerns about how the Israeli government is conducting itself, and I agree this is the people that -- these are hoodlums and hooligans and Jewish terrorists, and I'm ashamed that they're part of Israel, even though they are very, very small fraction. And, of course, I kept saying you threw out the war in Gaza. I think it's a just war still.

Nothing will harm Israel's ability to defend itself, if they say, you know what, we are really, really sorry, when children are dying in a grownup's wars. This is part of being humane. So, yes, I have criticism over the government. This is why I am the leader of the opposition and this is why we're going to run against them and trying to tell the people of Israel, there are better options.

But right now, in the current events, right now, Israel stands united opposite an existential threat that -- and that was -- we must have taken care of and taken care of it together.

[18:40:08]

TAPPER: Israeli Opposition Leader and former Prime Minister Yair Lapid, thank you so much for your time.

LAPID: Thank you, Jake.

TAPPER: Is President Trump finally about to wade into the very nasty and very expensive Texas Senate race? What he said today about a potential endorsement, that's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TAPPER: In our Politics Lead today, President Trump is teasing possible make-or-break endorsement as the Republican Senate race in Texas heads into overtime. Senator John Cornyn, the incumbent, and Attorney General Ken Paxton, are now going to face a runoff in late May after neither one reached the 50 percent threshold last night. President Trump never endorsed in the race, quite uncharacteristically. But today he posted on social media, quote, both John and Ken ran great races, but not good enough. Now, this one must be perfect.

I will be making my endorsements soon and will be asking the candidate that I don't endorse to immediately drop out of the race, all caps. Is that fair?

[18:45:00]

We must win in November, unquote.

But someone who still has no plans to endorse, well, Texas' other senator, Republican Senator Ted Cruz, who served with Cornyn since 2012 but said this today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX): John Cornyn is a good friend of mine. Ken Paxton is a good friend of mine. I have endorsed both of them previously. I've campaigned with both of them previously. And as I've said from the beginning of this race, I'm staying out of the race. I trust the voters of Texas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: The Republican winner will face State Representative James Talarico, who, perhaps surprisingly, beat Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett in the Democratic Senate primary in Texas.

Let's talk about it all with the panel.

So, Bryan, let me start with you. This has already been a very nasty race in Texas. And I say that as somebody who's covered many nasty races for -- for decades. I was going to say centuries, but decades. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R-TX): I refuse to allow a flawed, self-centered and shameless candidate like Ken Paxton risk everything we've worked so hard to build over these many years.

KEN PAXTON (R), TEXAS SENATE CANDIDATE: For too long, he stabbed our president in the back by trying to derail his presidential campaigns and supporting the Democrats' lawfare against the president. Those days are coming to an end.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: We should keep in mind that's what they're willing to say on camera. Imagine what the tv ads are like well, we've already run some of them. Do you think either of them is going to actually drop out if Trump endorses the other?

BRYAN LANZA, FORMER SENIOR ADVISER, TRUMP 2024 CAMPAIGN: I think it's going to be very hard whoever Trump doesn't endorse or don't have any oxygen to go forward. We've seen that when the president steps in, specifically in primaries in red states, it moves the needle a lot.

I have a bias. I hope it's Senator Cornyn that gets in, because I want to hold on to the Senate seat. But I think it would be -- it'd be extremely difficult for Ken to mount any type of race that builds momentum.

TAPPER: Corbin Trent, your first time here at the table. Welcome. Good to have you.

CORBIN TRENT, FORMER COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, REP. OCASIO-CORTEZ: Thank you for having me.

TAPPER: Which Republican do you think Talarico has a better chance of beating?

CORBIN: I'm going to say Paxton. I think --

TAPPER: I agree.

CORBIN : Yeah, absolutely. I think he's, you know, he's plagued with scandals. He's been -- he's kind of a wild man. He doesn't have a vision. He's not like, promoting any big ideas.

He's more or less. I support the president more than anybody. And, you know, I'm going to make liberals head explode on TV. I just don't think that's going to do great in the general.

TAPPER: Were you surprised that Talarico beat Jasmine Crockett?

CORBIN: I was, yeah. Yeah, I didn't see that. I thought she had a -- you know, I thought she had a really good shot of winning. And I thought that Texas was looking for that kind of fighter. Somebody that's going to go out there and sort of troll the opposition but looks like they're looking for, I think, a little bit more calm in the storm.

And it's probably good. I think it's going to be -- I think Talarico has got a good shot. If anybody's got a good shot at flipping Texas in the Senate, I think it's him.

TAPPER: Do you think Talarico could beat Paxton?

LANZA: Oh, absolutely. I don't think he can beat Cornyn. I think Cornyn walks away with it probably with a double-digit victory. But Talarico can absolutely beat Ken Paxton, and that is scary to think about.

TAPPER: And we should note, I mean, looking at the results last night, Republican voters in Texas seem feisty. They seem very unhappy with the status quo.

Not only is Cornyn headed to a runoff, this is the incumbent senator, long term incumbent senator didn't get 50 percent. Incumbent Republican Congressman Dan Crenshaw, a war hero, lost by a double digit margin, 15 percentage points. Republican Congressman Tony Gonzales is heading to a runoff with a conservative activist named Brandon Herrera.

How did Democrats harvest this Republican dissatisfaction with the status quo in Texas and anywhere else?

TRENT: I mean, I think they realize that its legitimate, that the dissatisfaction that voters are feeling, that Americans feel generally is long lasting. It's been building and building for decades. And I think too many of the folks in the Democratic Party want to return to 2008, 2016. I don't know when they want to go back to, right, but pre- Trump.

And they think that I believe they think that if we could just get over Trumpism, then we'd be okay. And I think that the -- the fact is, is that America has been looking for different directions for quite some time, and they need to internalize that. I mean, Pelosi once, she famously said, when Trump won the first time is that Americans aren't looking for, you know, a new direction. The Democratic Party need not change and so I think they've got to internalize.

TAPPER: And you disagree with that. It's just the --

TRENT: A hundred percent disagree with that

TAPPER: That's like your life's goal.

TRENT: That's my life's goal is to disagree with that sentiment.

TAPPER: Yeah.

TRENT: You know, I believe that America wants to see something different. That's why Trump won the first time. That's why he won the second time. You know, there is a desire to see this country have more to offer its citizens and more to offer the world than just war, and decline.

TAPPER: Do you agree with that, that that if Democrats harnessed some of that populism, that Trump has been able to tap into that Bernie Sanders and AOC have been able to tap into it could be good for them?

LANZA: I think the problem the Democrats have is, yes, there's something to harness, but it's their policies that are the scary thing is, if were talking about affordability, there's no Democratic policy that makes life cheaper for them. It actually socialist policies make things more expensive.

So I think there's that energy there. I think it's driven by economics. And that's why you saw Trump come back the way he did. But I don't -- I don't think the country wants socialism.

TAPPER: Well, what do you think about that? I mean, one of the things that's interesting about Trump, and if he were -- now we have a war, but if there weren't all these other distractions, Greenland and whatever, there would probably be more focus on it. But he has done a lot of -- not a lot. He's done some populist things. When it comes to pushing pharmaceutical companies to lower the prices of medication is that's just one example.

But I still don't know how Republicans are the ones that passed into law. No tax on tips.

TRENT: Or how does Republicans in the -- in Trump that took ownership of some private companies to, you know, golden shares --

TAPPER: Yeah, right. That's -- let's talk about socialists. LANZA: Don't even get me started.

TAPPER: Right.

TRENT: So I mean, I think if you look at health care for example, we spend $6 trillion a year on health care. We know that that's not sustainable. You know, we talk about $1 trillion a year war budget or military budget, but $6 trillion on health care. And we've got 80 percent of counties in this country that are in health care deserts. So, we know that that's fundamentally wrong and it's not working.

But when you look at the solutions to it, if you go back to the '70s. We had about 50 percent of the hospitals and clinics were owned by counties, cities, states and the other -- in other forms of government. So, you know, you can say it's socialism, Bryan. You can say that.

TAPPER: His eyebrows are saying --

TRENT: It's very much.

LANZA: My pocketbook will say the same thing.

TRENT: It will not -- the health care was more affordable in the '70s, '80s and '90s, and it was more in taxes with --

LANZA: The tax rate was 70 percent on somebody who's creating jobs. If that's the message you're going to make --

TRENT: Is the American people could afford life, one working person could support a family? You know, that's the thing that we've lost. Affordability has gotten so out of control that it doesn't even seem like a dream that we can have, you know?

LANZA: But you guys are asking for more taxes. That makes things more expensive.

TRENT: I don't know -- I don't think there's that many people asking for more taxes.

LANZA: I just saw the new governor of Virginia ask for more taxes.

TRENT: Against billionaires.

LANZA: For packages delivered to people's homes. She asked the tax that.

I mean your party is asking for more taxes. That makes things inherently more expensive. I think none of your policies actually make it cheaper. Look at Obamacare. It's driven up the cost of an astronomical rate. You're blaming Republicans, but the policy has failed, that it has to be bailed out.

TRENT: Yes, RomneyCare was a bad idea for -- the ACA was not the way to go. It, absolutely, you know, right now --

LANZA: It failed.

TRENT: It failed.

TAPPER: And you think that they should have done Medicare for All?

TRENT: There's no question. The public option at the minimum. But it's not just about the insurance and who pays the checks. It's about who delivers the care and who owns the delivery of that care.

TAPPER: All right. Great stuff. Thanks guys. Really appreciate it.

As thousands of people remain stranded in the Middle East, Israel is hoping to reopen its main airport for some flights tomorrow. How quickly will other airports follow suit? That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:56:41]

TAPPER: Sticking with our world lead, the Iranian state media is reporting that Iran has targeted an Amazon data center in Bahrain with a drone attack. Iranian drones have also targeted two Amazon facilities in the United Arab Emirates.

Under the threat of bombs that could drop at any moment, and closed airspaces, an estimated 6,000 U.S. citizens are stuck in the Middle East. Among them, reality TV influencer Oliver Sims. Sims was headed home after attending a wedding in India when his flight was forced to land in Qatar.

CNN's Bijan Hosseini caught up with Sims and others in Doha.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OLIVER SIMS, AMERICAN STRANDED IN QATAR: We took off in about an hour into the flight. I noticed on the map that we had turned around over the Persian Gulf.

BIJAN HOSSEINI, CNN INTERNATIONAL SENIOR PRODUCER (voice-over): Oliver is one of thousands of travelers stranded as tensions escalate across the Middle East.

HOSSEINI: Have you heard any of these interceptions or any of these attacks from Iran?

SIMS: Yes, I have. I actually was woken up out of my sleep from it.

HOSSEINI (voice-over): Here in Qatar, authorities say 8,000 transit passengers were unable to continue on with their journeys.

HOSSEINI: In addition to all those passengers who were caught during transit, there's also these two cruise liners at Doha's old port behind me. This big one right here, that's the Mein Schiff 5. We know that they have a capacity of 2,500 passengers and 1000 crew. That itinerary finished on March 1st but we know that passengers are still on board, waiting until they can fly out. HOSSEINI (voice-over): Some tourists, however, are trying to make the most of an unexpected delay, venturing out to explore the city, even as officials urge people to stay indoors.

Others are far less relaxed about the situation. This group of Polish tourists say they've had little communication from their government about when they might be able to leave.

HOSSEINI: And how is everyone feeling? Are you feeling okay? Are you feeling scared?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, we are very, very sad and --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Frustrated. Just frustrated that we cannot. There is no information and we just need to wait.

MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: With up to the minute safety and security information.

HOSSEINI (voice-over): The United States is urging its citizens abroad to register with the State Department and to reach out if they need assistance. But for travelers like Oliver, help has been limited.

SIMS: I went to the number that they had provided and I called it.

OPERATOR: If you are calling about the crisis in the Middle East, please press one --

SIMS: Yeah. So, then this music was on, and whenever this music was on, I was waiting for like 30 minutes. They eventually answered and they said, you know, just sign up for the step program. We really don't know what we can do.

HOSSEINI (voice-over): For now, thousands of tourists remain in limbo, waiting for tensions to ease and flights to resume.

Bijan Hosseini, CNN, Doha.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TAPPER: And our thanks to Bijan Hosseini.

Sad news in our sports lead as we take go off air today. Lou Holtz the college football hall of fame coach who led Notre Dame to the 1988 national championship. Lou Holtz has died at the age of 89. Holtz won 249 games over 33 seasons, becoming the first and so far only coach to lead six different teams to Bowl Games.

As a coach and a commentator, he captivated fans with his self- deprecating wit and his folksy personality. The University of Notre Dame says Holtz died surrounded by his family. May his memory be a blessing.

You can follow me on Facebook, on Instagram, on Threads, on Bluesky, on X, and on TikTok @jaketapper. You can follow the show on X and Instagram @TheLeadCNN. If you ever miss an episode of THE LEAD, you can watch the whole show on the CNN app.

"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" is live in Tel Aviv that starts right now. Take it away, Erin.