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The Lead with Jake Tapper

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) Officially Resign From Congress; Journalist Detained In Kuwait After Post Of U.S. Fighter Jet Crash; Airline Mega Merger; Soon: Clay Fuller Sworn In As Newest Member Of Congress; Palace Reveals Details Of King Charles' Upcoming U.S. Visit. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired April 14, 2026 - 18:00   ET

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

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN HOST: Welcome to The Lead. I'm Phil Mattingly in for Jake Tapper.

This hour two members of Congress now have their jobs after getting engulfed in sex related scandals.

[18:00:04]

Eric Swalwell and Tony Gonzales officially resigning today just moments before their colleagues started the process to try and kick them out of the House. But there are still many more members or maybe more members forced out. What we're learning tonight about those efforts.

Plus, a Kuwaiti American journalist has been detained in Kuwait six weeks after he posted a video of a U.S. Air Force fighter jet that crashed inside his country. Now, his friends going public about his case, hoping the pressure will convince officials to release him.

Also, as we head into the busy travel season, a new report reveals the head of the United Airlines pitched President Trump on a mega merger between United and American Airlines. But what would this actually mean for your travels and your wallet?

And Buckingham Palace just revealed details about King Charles' upcoming trip to the United States. What we're learning about the pomp, the circumstance from a garden party to a fancy state dinner, and a trip to New York City.

The Lead tonight, bipartisan resignations from two scandal-ridden congressmen rocking Capitol Hill, Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell, Republican Congressman Tony Gonzales, both resigning this afternoon under the threat of an imminent expulsion vote.

Now, last month, Texas Republican Tony Gonzalez acknowledged an affair with a former staffer who later died by suicide. He's also facing allegations of sending a former campaign staff member lewd text messages, which, to this point, he has not addressed.

Swalwell's resignation and withdrawal from the California governor's race comes following varying sexual misconduct allegations from several women, including sexual assault accusations from a former staffer who describes instances of non-consensual sexual contact with him after nights of drinking. Swalwell denies the allegations.

We start things off with CNN's Manu Raju who is on Capitol Hill, where he's heard this afternoon from a former close ally of Eric Swalwell's. Manu, what are you learning?

MANU RAJU, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. This comes in the aftermath of this stunning news that just not only shocked the -- some of his closest allies on Capitol, including Senator Ruben Gallego. He's an Arizona Democrat, someone who actually chaired Swalwell's presidential campaign in 2020.

And there had been a lot of questions about whether any of this was known ahead of time, particularly to some of his closest allies, like Senator Ruben Gallego. But Gallego called in a group of reporters into his office this afternoon and furiously denied having any knowledge whatsoever about some of these very serious allegations of sexual assault, including an alleged rape, something that Swalwell denies.

But what Gallego said, he saw no evidence that this happened during the course of their relationship, but he did say that there were rumors about flirtatious behavior that Swalwell was involved with over the years.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. RUBEN GALLEGO (D-AZ): We all heard rumors in Washington, D.C., about Eric Swalwell for many years. And my family again was with him all the time, with his wife, with his kids, and we saw a different side of Eric.

RAJU: Should you have acted when you first heard these rumors several years ago?

GALLEGO: The rumors are heard were that he was just a flirty social guy. That's it.

When you're out with a man, when he is, you know, taking his kids to baseball games, when you see them together, you know, you start creating in your head, like that's not the person you hear. And, again, I was lied to and, you know, it clouded my judgment. Our friendship clouded our judgment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: Now, I asked Hakeem Jeffries, his Democratic leader in the House, if he had urged Swalwell to resign. He declined to comment on that, saying that he would not talk about his private conversations. And I asked him why not call for him to resign publicly, all Jeffries would say is that he made the right decision.

Now, the speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, has not called -- did not call on Tony Gonzales to resign in the run up to his decision to step aside today. He did not call for him to step out of this race for reelection, which Gonzales ultimately did. But the decision by Swalwell and Gonzales to step aside after a couple of special elections, which we expect to go a certain way, means that Johnson could still only afford to lose one Republican vote on any party line vote, which shows you how significant every resignation is in this narrowly divided GOP-led House. Phil?

MATTINGLY: Yes, no question. And, Manu, kind of on that point, there was also efforts or discussion about potentially expelling two other members of Congress, Republican and Democrat. Where do those stand right now?

RAJU: Yes. That's Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick. She is a Florida Democrat. And Cherfilus-McCormick has been indicted on federal charges alleging embezzlement, alleging stealing COVID relief money, something that she has denied. But she has faced a House ethics probe that actually had a public hearing just a couple of weeks ago, and that Ethics Committee found her guilty on several charges.

[18:05:09]

Now, the Ethics Committee meets next week to actually make a formal recommendation in the widespread belief here on Capitol Hill is that it will indeed recommend her expulsion. Mike Johnson told me today that he supports seeing her expel from the House.

Now, Cory Mills is a separate different case. He has a laundry list of allegations that he is facing that the House Ethics Committee is investigating right now. And I asked Johnson whether he supports seeing Mills expelled from the House. He said that that House ethics probe still needs to conclude. He said he would look into it further before deciding whether to comment.

But that threshold, Phil, as you know, very high to expel a member of Congress, requires two thirds majority in the United States House, which explains to you why only six members of Congress in the history have been expelled. The most recent of which was George Santos, of course. And that happened just a couple of years ago. Phil?

MATTINGLY: Yes. Manu Raju with all the latest from Capitol Hill, thank you very much, my friend.

Well, Eric Swalwell's resignation today comes as one of his accusers speaking out on camera. Ally Sammarco, who was named in Friday's CNN report, told CNN's Pamela Brown that she connected with Swalwell on social media in 2021. She admired his politics and was surprised when he replied to her messages. He offered to help her with her own political career and invited her to visit the U.S. Capitol. She says they began texting and his messages there on Snapchat soon crossed a line.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALLY SAMMARCO, SWALWELL ACCUSER: The messages gradually became more inappropriate and they became later into the night times that nobody should be talking to a congressman or a congressman should be talking to a young girl. And he would say things like, what are you doing, what are you wearing, send me a photo of what you're doing right now. And then, eventually, one night we were talking and he just sent me a photo of his genitals. PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: Unsolicited?

SAMMARCO: Unsolicited, yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: Now, Sammarco says that she sees telling her story as the only way for Swalwell to face accountability.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAMMARCO: I will say we are not paid. We're not working with anybody. I didn't know any of the women before I came forward to tell my story.

He never should have ran for governor to begin with knowing what he knows, and nobody else is responsible for what happens to him. Eric Swalwell is responsible for Eric Swalwell, not the media, and definitely not the women.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: And a statement on behalf of Swalwell, he categorically and unequivocally denies each and every allegation of sexual misconduct and assault that has been leveled against him. The California Democrat and his legal team also vow to continue to fight what they call baseless accusations against him through every available legal remedy.

That as another new accuser is now coming forward with claims that Swalwell raped her in 2018 at a Los Angeles area hotel. Lonna Drewes said she met the congressman socially while working as a model and entrepreneur, and he'd offered to connect her with investors. She says the two were supposed to go to a political event together before the alleged assault took place.

CNN's Kyung Lah spoke to Lonna Drewes today after the news conference. Kyung, what did she say?

KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: Well, she sat down with us because she wanted to talk more fully, saying that she felt that the time to speak was now because of all of the women who you've been showing here on your program just now. She is another accuser who is coming forward and she is detailing something that happened in 2018. We have just heard from her lawyer that she has now filed a report, an official police report with the L.A. County Sheriff's Department that has jurisdiction over the area where she claims this assault took place.

Again, in 2018, she says that she met Swalwell three times. And on the third time, they met for dinner. She believes that he put something in her drink. That is her accusation. And she says, after holding the press conference, she sat down with CNN to detail a little bit more about what she says happened that night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) LONNA DREWES, SWALWELL ACCUSER: I can't believe that he felt so cavalier that he would just drug me and then rape me and then choke me.

I couldn't move my arm, so he was on top of me choking me, and all I could do was just watch.

And I passed out. I thought I was dead. I thought I died. And then I woke up at like 4:00 in the morning and he was next to me and I left.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[18:10:00]

LAH: Her lawyers have not provided corroborating information directly to the media, saying that they are first going to go with law enforcement, providing that directly to law enforcement. And, again, that report has now been filed with the sheriff's department.

And we did reach out to Swalwell's campaign, his team. We have also reached out to his lawyer. We did not get a direct response, but we did get that response via social media from his attorney. That is, again, quote, Swalwell, categorically and unequivocally denies each and every allegation of sexual misconduct and assault that has been leveled against him. Phil?

MATTINGLY: Kyung Lah with the breaking news, all the latest, thanks so much.

Well, today, President Trump is hinting that talks with Iran could restart in the next few days, but how close is that to a reality?

Plus, what new inflation data out today says about the rising costs facing American businesses? Now, those costs could be passed on to you.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MATTINGLY: Let's get back to our top story, today's Resignations of Representatives Eric Swalwell and Tony Gonzalez from Congress.

[18:15:03]

Joining me now is Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz from Florida. Congresswoman, I really appreciate your time.

I want to start with something that your former House colleague, now Democratic Senator Ruben Gallego, said about rumors that he'd heard about Eric Swalwell. There's a lot of reporting or a lot of people saying that they had heard rumors about behavior in one shape or another. Had you heard those rumors? Did you have concerns at any point?

REP. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (D-FL): I have never heard any rumors about relationships that Eric Swalwell had, and those are outrageous, unacceptable, disgusting, and I'm thankful he did the right thing and resigned. And, frankly, Tony Gonzales resigning was also appropriate, but should have happened several months ago when the allegations against him that he essentially admitted came to light.

MATTINGLY: You're a member of the Crime Survivors and Justice Caucus, works in a bipartisan way to improve services and rights for crime victims. You know, Swalwell was also a member of the caucus. He's been a vocal advocate for the Me Too movement, against gun violence, you know, a lot of things that ideologically align with what you have been working on.

Now, I think one of the questions is, you know, when you think about it, is there a reckoning needed for that to even be possible, for somebody like that with these allegations coming out to be in the same space as trying to act like he's an advocate?

SCHULTZ: I mean, the fact that he could put himself in the same space shows you what a megalomaniac he obviously was. When someone gets so drunk with the power that they have, that they're perpetrating sexual crimes, alleged sexual crimes, and acting in a sexually, wildly inappropriate way with young staffers, that shows you that they've separated from reality and let the trappings of the job go to their head, really convincing himself that he was invincible, seemingly.

MATTINGLY: You mentioned the young staffers, Congressman Gonzales was facing the same issues. I'm not naive. I don't think the Hill has been some pure place that's different from society over the course of its time and existence, but like this is abhorrent. And young staffers being taken advantage of by members of Congress is something that -- like it's mind blowing to me that it could still happen. It's infuriating on some level. And I'm wondering what -- when you talk to other members, are there discussions about what could be done to prevent stuff like this from happening with younger staffers from being preyed on here.

SCHULTZ: You know, Phil, besides that, I am a member of Congress who employs young staffers, I'm a mom of two 20-something year old daughters who are also both young staffers in D.C. And so like the idea that they could be potential victims of this kind of abhorrent conduct is -- makes my skin crawl.

We have a process where members have to take sexual harassment training every year. It's an in-person class, and we are -- you know, we are walked through what is appropriate, what's not appropriate. It is -- that's something clearly that needs to be reviewed because it's obviously not fully penetrating what the consequences are and how, wildly unacceptable coming on and/or having any kind of relationship with your young female staffers or young staffers at all is.

And we also need to make sure we take a look at the consequence structure because the ethics process takes way too long to -- and a number of women members have been talking about this, when you're dealing with an urgent emergency situation, which clearly some of these young female staffers have been in, there needs to be a process to make sure the member accused gets due process, make sure that those young women are not going to be in harm's way any longer than they had already been exposed to.

MATTINGLY: That's a really important conversation. Please keep us updated as those conversations move forward.

Florida Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, I really appreciate your time. Thank you.

SCHULTZ: Thank you so much.

MATTINGLY: Well, turning now to our World Lead, President Trump says, quote, something could be happening over the next two days in Pakistan as the U.S. and Iran try to come back to the negotiating table. Separately, Iran's news agency quotes a lawmaker there is saying Iran will continue taking part in negotiations even though it doesn't trust the U.S.

I want to bring in Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois. She's an Iraq War veteran, Purple Heart recipient, and is also one of a group of six senators that has been pushing for legislative action to rein in President Trump's war powers. Senator, I really appreciate your time.

Just to start with the resolution would terminate hostilities against Iran unless Congress passes a declaration of war and authorization for use of military force, your conversations behind the scenes or over the course of the Easter recess, have you gotten a sense that bipartisan support may be starting to coalesce behind this?

[18:20:16]

SEN. TAMMY DUCKWORTH (D-IL): I do think that my Republican colleagues have become more and more uncomfortable as the chaos of Trump's war of choice has reached new heights. I'm hearing from colleagues that, you know, this process that we're going through of forcing a vote every single week is really putting them on the spot.

Basically, we're asking them to choose between their loyalty and their oath to the American people and the Constitution of the United States, or their loyalty to Donald Trump. Congress has to exert its power over the executive branch when it comes to issues of war. And so we are going to continue to call up these war powers resolutions every week until they choose the nation above Donald Trump. Mine is going to come up tomorrow.

But, yes, I'm starting to see Republicans become very uncomfortable with what is happening. You know, basically, Donald Trump, who ran on America first as his promise to the American people, has engaged us in a war that has made things worse with American people. Gas prices are through the roof. We haven't -- there's a new ayatollah in Iran that's worse than the old ayatollah, and now we're blockading the Strait of Hormuz when it -- there were, you know, ships could pass through it freely before.

So, something has to happen, and we're not going to wait for Republicans to grow a backbone. We're going to force them to vote on this every single week until they realize that their loyalty is to the United States before it is to Donald Trump.

MATTINGLY: Do you have any optimism with the ongoing -- I mean, obviously there were talks over the weekend. There were separately talks between Israeli officials and Lebanese officials today in Washington that there may be a diplomatic path forward here.

DUCKWORTH: Well, here's the issue, right? What happened in Washington was talks between the Israeli ambassador, the Lebanese ambassador. That's what Marco Rubio was going to. That is not a high enough level when it comes to international negotiations. And, by the way, Israel's problem is Hezbollah. And so I don't think that we're really getting true negotiations that's happening. And it's not something that can happen in a single day, for example.

Frankly, Donald Trump launched this war of his choice and, you know, a second lieutenant in her first weeks of training, I tell you, this is the consequences of what would happen if you launched attacks on Iran.

When you were back for -- again the Senate's been out of session for a couple weeks. What are you hearing from constituents right now? How are they feeling about either the war itself or kind of how it's having a direct impact on them?

DUCKWORTH: Well, number one, they don't want the war. They want us to get out of this war. Number two, they're telling me that they cannot afford to put gas in their cars. You know, we went from gas being $1 to $2 a gallon, to now it's well over $4, at least in Illinois and in other parts of the country, it's even higher than that. But they still have to get to work. They still have to drive their kids to school. They still have to put gas in the gas pump. My farmers are in planting season right now and they're seeing their input costs go through the roof. That's going to affect the harvest come this fall.

And so the consequences of Trump's war of choice is going to be hurting Americans for the long-term. You know, heating bills are going up, going through the roof, and yet Donald Trump has also, in addition to launching this war, proposed to eliminate the low income heating program, light heat in his next year's budget.

And so they're really feeling the pressure. They're saying that, you know, their lives, they're just hanging on when it comes to bills that they have to pay. And what are we doing in Iran? And, you know, we have 13 dead service members and hundreds of wounded Americans. They do not support this war at all.

MATTINGLY: Senator Tammy Duckworth, I appreciate your time, ma'am. Thanks so much.

DUCKWORTH: Thank you.

MATTINGLY: Well, a journalist is behind bars in Kuwait just weeks after posting video of a U.S. fighter jet crash inside the country. Is that the reason behind his detainment and what happens next?

Stick with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:25:00]

MATTINGLY: In our World Lead, a journalist who posted this video of a U.S. Air Force fighter jet crashing west of Kuwait City six weeks ago is apparently behind bars right now in Kuwait. Now, friends and allies of Kuwaiti American Journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin are going public with his detainment hoping it will help with his release.

I want to bring in CNN's Clarissa Ward who is in south of Kuwait, in Riyadh Saudi Arabia. Clarissa, when was he detained and what has he been charged with here?

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Phil. This is some really alarming news coming out of Kuwait. Ahmed Shihab-Eldin is well known to many of us, a journalist who has written for Huff Post, made films for the BBC, for Al Jazeera, for Vice News. He is also well known for his passionate advocacy and activism around the Palestinian cause. He has a huge following on social media.

From what we understand he went to visit his family in Kuwait at the beginning of the war and has not been seen in public or also has not posted anything online since March 2nd. So, that is now six weeks.

Now, if you look at some of his recent posts, and I should add that his X account and his Instagram account have been taken down, but if you look at his Substack it appears the thing he shared most recently before his arrest was ironically a video verified and put out by CNN that showed a U.S. fighter jet as it was downed by friendly fire in Kuwait.

[18:30:02]

He didn't offer any commentary. There was nothing incendiary explosive about posting this CNN clip, but what this speaks to are these kind of draconian security restrictions that we have seen here in the Gulf since this war began. Hundreds of people have been arrested. Strict laws have been introduced about filming things, showing intercepts, things of that nature, because of all of the security concerns in the Gulf.

But the CPJ, the Committee to Protect journalists, is saying that some of this is really just an excuse to round up people who they think potentially are dissenting voices, although I should say we have absolutely no record of Ahmed speaking out against Kuwait in any way, shape or form. It does appear that he was just there to visit his family.

He now faces charges, Phil, potentially of spreading false information, harming national security, and misusing his mobile phone, which could be very serious indeed. Again, the CPJ saying, calling these charges vague and overly broad accusations that are routinely used to silence independent journalists. And the CPJ and all of Ahmed friends and journalists are calling Kuwait to release him. Phil?

MATTINGLY: A very important story. Clarissa Ward, I really appreciate your time. Thanks so much.

Well, could two of the United States' biggest airlines soon become one? A new report claims the head of United Airlines floated a merger with American. The potential impact for travelers, that's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:35:00]

MATTINGLY: In our Money Lead, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says, not so fast to those interest rate cuts President Trump has been pushing for. The reason, uncertainty because of the Iran war.

At an event with Semafor, Bessent said, quote, do I think rates should be lowered? Eventually. I think now that we have -- or I think now that we have to wait and see.

CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich is here. And, Vanessa, correct me if I'm wrong here, but that sounded like weirdly in line with something I heard from the chairman of the Fed, which can't possibly be true with a Trump administration official. Am I remembering that correctly?

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Phil, you are on to something. But after so long of a full court press by the president and his administration since the beginning of his term, really, for the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates, which they did three times last year. You are hearing correctly, one administration official, a secretary of the president's cabinet, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, actually looking like he is on the same page with Jerome Powell.

Jerome Powell, at the last fed meeting in March, very much said that it was too soon to make a call about where interest rates may go this year because of the war with Iran. Listen to what we heard from Jerome Powell in March and see if you can pick up on the similarities on what he said with the treasury secretary just today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEROME POWELL, CHAIRMAN, FEDERAL RESERVE: The truth is it's completely out of our hands and we just -- like everybody else, we have to just wait and see what happens. And it'll come down to how long, you know, the current situation lasts, and then what are the effects on prices, and then how do consumers react and that kind of thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YURKEVICH: Okay. So, he said, wait and see. That is pretty much exactly what we heard from the treasury secretary. But, Phil, listen, most investors on Wall Street do believe that the Federal Reserve at their next meeting later this month are going to hold interest rates steady. Just a very small percentage of investors believe that there could be a rate cut.

And at the last Fed meeting, Jerome Powell and other members of the board did pencil in one cut for this year. But even Jerome Powell at the time said it was nearly impossible to make that prediction just because of all the uncertainty, especially with the Iran War and what it means for inflation going forward. Phil?

MATTINGLY: Yes. It's all about duration of the conflict at this point, very complex picture. Thank you for explaining it to us.

Vanessa Yurkevich, you're the best. Thanks so much.

Well, also on our Money Lead, from heated rivalry to mega partnership, Reuters is reporting that United Airlines CEO pitched a major proposal to President Trump earlier this year, merge United with American Airlines. And while this potential deal is far from official, it hasn't actually started yet at this point, it would create, hypothetically, the biggest airline in the world.

So, what exactly would that mean for you and your bottom line, particularly at a time when the Iran war has sent jet fuel prices skyrocketing?

Obviously, we are going to ask The Points Guy. Brian Kelly is going to tell us all of the answers to something that hasn't actually happened yet but does raise a lot of questions about what it would mean for the marketplace.

And, again I want to -- I'm being very serious when I say caveat with all the things. This is not a process that has started. If it does start, it would take a long time. There'd be all sorts of things going on. But in terms of consolidation in the industry, one of the things that I think naturally comes to mind is, okay, if you merge these two airlines and create the mega airline, do consumers benefit? What's your sense of things?

BRIAN KELLY, FOUNDER, THE POINTS GUY: I have a very simple answer for you. No. We've seen a lot of consolidation in the industry, and, in general, you know, less choice for consumers. What we've seen with the U.S. airlines is, you know, increase in fares, but also devaluation in loyalty programs. You know, American and United have two of the biggest loyalty programs. So, combining them into one does not mean more value for the consumers. So, overall, this would be awful for consumers.

MATTINGLY: What about -- are there more flight options? Does this expand route opportunity on some level? What are the pluses here to the extent there are any?

KELLY: Yes. I'd really struggle because right now United has the largest route network of any airline. And I'd also like to mention it's not just U.S. regulators that would have to give approval.

[18:40:01]

Certainly, E.U. regulators would probably have a really big issue with this tie up. And, really, you know, what I'm hearing is what's more likely is that United will eventually buy JetBlue.

And, you know, my personal opinion on this is Scott Kirby's -- you know, this got leaked to create us talking about it right now, so that when they actually want to acquire JetBlue, which would be much more likely, it seems much more normal. Like, okay, they won't do that crazy thing, but JetBlue, it makes sense.

And I will say for the smaller carriers, like JetBlue, Spirit is almost out of business, has been in bankruptcy twice, there is something to be said instead of letting carriers go out of business to have them live on, you know, through a merger acquisition. So, I think that's the most likely outcome here, is that United is actually angling for JetBlue, but this will, you know, help get that approved.

I love the 8D chess to the extent, well, neither of us are saying that's what happened here, but possibly, which brings the question, you know, it's interesting because you've heard from Trump administration officials who've made some comments about the potential for some type of M&A in this space. They seemed supportive of it, which I think raised my ears a couple of days ago when I think Sean Duffy was talking about that. Talk to me about a JetBlue merger. What would be the benefit for consumers? Why would that make more sense?

KELLY: Yes. So, United had made a pretty -- you know, a calculated misstep, in my opinion, of leaving JFK. JFK is a really important international hub for airlines, where JetBlue has a huge presence. And once you leave an airport, it's very hard to get back in.

So, strategically, for United, this would allow them to get back to JFK, arguably the most important market in the U.S. You know, I love JetBlue, but JetBlue has struggled for a long time to be profitable. And they pushed off investment in their planes. JetBlue's reliability is pretty bad. So, if United, which is a much better run airline, took over JetBlue, we could argue that instead of JetBlue going out of business or death by a thousand cuts, that it could live on and actually benefit consumers.

So, I would just like to say, I think Scott Kirby had mentioned that part -- a reason to do these mergers are because international airlines have an out outside share of long haul travel. And I would just push the U.S. Airlines. There might be a reason for that. Invest more in the actual product, the seats. You know, American Airlines doesn't even have T.V. screens on most of their planes. So, I would advise these airlines if they want more consumers invest in the actual product.

MATTINGLY: Yes. I say this in the most unbiased, just purely observational way. It is different when you are flying.

KELLY: Especially Asian carriers.

MATTINGLY: Oh my goodness. It is -- guys invest money. It makes a lot of sense.

Brian Kelly, I always appreciate you, my friend. Thanks so much.

KELLY: Thanks for having me.

MATTINGLY: Well, a new chapter today in Democratic efforts to push back against President Trump. Our panel weighs in next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:46:36]

MATTINGLY: In our politics lead, Georgia Republican Congressman Clay Fuller is about to be sworn in as the newest member of Congress, replacing Marjorie Taylor Greene. It gives Speaker Mike Johnson just a little bit of breathing room in the Republicans very narrow House majority.

That majority may not last too long after a special election in New Jersey on Thursday to replace the seat held by Democratic Governor Mikie Sherrill.

I'm back now with the panel.

Speaking of balance of power, Eric Swalwell, Tony Gonzales both resigning. Here's what Speaker Johnson said today about the possible expulsion of two other members that's being discussed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: I do think certainly on Cherfilus-McCormick, the Ethics Committee has gone through all of its processes and they've found some alarming facts. I think the facts are indisputable at this point. And so I believe it will be the consensus of this body that she should be expelled.

With regard to Mills, I'm not sure the status of the Ethics Committee investigation. And that's one of the things I'll be looking into today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: So just for context, last month, the House Ethics panel found Democratic Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick guilty of 25 counts of ethics violations for embezzling millions from FEMA.

Cory Mills is a reference to a Republican congressman who was accused by his ex-girlfriend of threatening to release sexually explicit images and video of her.

Both members deny any wrongdoing.

I think, Shermichael, my question is, if ethics comes back with a similarly damning outcome for Cory Mills, what does Speaker Mike Johnson do?

SHERMICHAEL SINGLETON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think the speaker is going to be consistent with his personal, moral and ethical values, and that is to ask the congressman to resign. I think the speaker clearly understands the political ramifications of losing another member. But one thing I think Mike Johnson has been very clear about is that he does have a Christian ethos. And I know some folks have not always liked where that leads him on some issues, but he tries, I would argue, to stay in sync with those values. And I think Cory Mills is not an exception.

MATTINGLY: Hakeem Jeffries has not called the expulsion -- has not -- there have been Democrats in the House who have particularly frontline members. Why not?

KAREN FINNEY, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yeah, I don't know why not, but I agree. Look, I think you got to let people have their day in court or their day with the Ethics Committee and make that decision for themselves. Obviously, I think the two, gentlemen who just stepped down, I think that was the right decision.

And it's not just about -- I mean, there's two things, right? There's the balance of power and the politics, like we saw with George Santos, where he kind of got to skate a little bit in order to keep the numbers where they were on the same.

By the same token, we have to be mindful that also the public is looking at this and saying, wait a second, if you're doing these things, how can you be leading this country? And I think it becomes particularly important, given that we have a president who acts so immorally at times to have people in Congress who are holding up those values and holding up that oath, actually.

So, look, I think if the facts lead to someone's guilt, then you should call for them to resign.

MATTINGLY: Okay, I want to -- I've been wanting to ask you about this. This isn't the same as last hour when I was recounting, thinking about Shermichael in my office. At a point, I just didn't --

SINGLETON: You didn't get it right. But, you know, we got there. We got there.

MATTINGLY: I feel like we did.

Jamie Raskin, top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, introduced a bill setting up a 25th Amendment process to remove President Trump from office.

[18:50:02]

If the bill passes, it would set up a new commission that would determine if a president is fit for office on the following conditions -- physical illness or disability, mental illness or deficiency, alcohol or drug use, or any other condition or contingency, rendering the president unable to execute the powers and duties of the office of president.

There has been a shift for Democrats publicly on both 25th Amendment and the idea of pursuing impeachment if they retake power that I never thought I would see after the first term. Why?

FINNEY: What we have been witnessing over the past almost two years is unprecedented in ways that are such -- are contributing such deep damage to this country. I think Democrats have felt -- you can't -- we just can't ignore it anymore. The kinds of behaviors that were seeing -- these late night screens that get posted and the fact that it feels like there's no check on his power.

I mean, he's -- particularly just think about the way he's conducting himself around the Iran war. I think that is forcing people to a point to say, maybe we need to take this more seriously. I worry that it not become a distraction.

Look, I think the presidents mental health and his health in general is a whole issue that's worthy of consideration. At the same time, we've got to figure out how do we do that and make sure you keep the main thing, the main thing, which is what the people are most concerned about their cost, their health care, their lives. So I want to see that balance.

MATTINGLY: The thing that's won Democrats like 15 or 16 or 20 special elections in a row.

FINNEY: Yeah.

MATTINGLY: The funny thing is -- funny is probably not the right word for it. When you view the Raskin -- what I just read off, it kind of makes a lot of sense. Like, sure, that sounds good.

Obviously nothings happening in isolation here and, of course --

SINGLETON: We know why.

MATTINGLY: We think about it through the Trump lens, but like it's not a terrible set of conditions to like maybe the leader of the free world.

SINGLETON: Broadly speaking, I don't disagree, right?

But I think we know why, whether its the impeachment, Democrats have tried this before and the successes that you just highlighted in the 20 plus special elections, state legislative victories, the governor's mansions that they have won from Virginia to New Jersey. It's because they focus on the things that many voters, a lot of independent voters, maybe even some Republicans, might think we haven't quite delivered on.

And that goes back to can I go out to the grocery store and afford everything? When I'm pumping gas and putting it in the car? Do I have enough money to take my kid to their special activity and say, here's a little extra money to buy the snack after the fact?

People are factoring those things in and they're saying, okay, Democrats, we didn't like what you guys did over the last four years of the last administration. We thought we were going to give Republicans and president Trump an opportunity because we remember the first term. We don't like what were seeing. So, we're going to give you another shot again. But don't go back to the past stuff. Just focus on my now, the immediate. If they do that, I think they'll do well. But to go back to what they've tried before, Karen, I think would just be a political mistake.

FINNEY: Well, here's the thing we have to remember were talking about this in the context also of Joe Biden and what we learned after the fact. And I think it has raised real questions about maybe we need to think about this, and maybe we do need to set some standards, because now we're seeming to have this back to back. And we got to do better and --

MATTINGLY: Important points. Nothing tops the teleportation waffle house story but --

FINNEY: Fair.

MATTINGLY: I appreciate you guys very much.

(LAUGHTER)

MATTINGLY: Shermichael Singleton, Karen Finney, thank you both.

Well, despite pressure to cancel his trip, King Charles is set to visit President Trump in just a few weeks. And the palace just revealed exactly what is on the agenda for that trip. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:57:45]

MATTINGLY: Breaking news in the national lead a nasty pileup on I-70 in Colorado. This is near the Loveland Ski Resort, about 50 miles west of Denver. The sheriff's office estimates more than 75 vehicles are involved. Authorities have the interstate shut down while they searched for anyone injured. Try and clear all those cars.

Well, turning to our world lead, Buckingham Palace just revealed details of King Charles upcoming visit to the United States, including a joint address to Congress and a state dinner at the White House.

CNN's Max Foster has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: Phil, the key moment in this visit will be King Charles's address to a joint meeting of Congress. Only the second time a British monarch has had that honor. The last one was given by his mother, Elizabeth II, in 1991. The only insight we've had on the king's speech this time is that it will address the challenges both countries face.

One of those challenges, you might think, is the state of the so- called special relationship between the U.S. and the U.K. after weeks of repeated attacks from President Trump on Prime Minister Keir Starmer in particular for not offering more support to the offensive against Iran. Some British lawmakers even questioned whether Charles should go ahead with this visit to the U.S. but that's politics, and we've been reminded the king has a constitutional duty to stay above politics and out of the mudslinging.

He'll focus instead on the shared history of the two nations, including the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence from British rule under Charles's predecessor, George III, which was, of course, the ultimate low in relations between the two countries.

So when they arrive in the U.S., Charles and Camilla will meet away from the cameras with the president and first lady. There will be a garden party, a formal welcome ceremony featuring some ceremonial military reviews, we're told. There will also be a state dinner where both the king and the president will say a few words, and the royal couple will then travel to New York, where they'll commemorate those killed in 9/11 and other events as well there.

And they'll finish up in Virginia, where they'll meet the area's indigenous communities, we're told, and conservation groups -- Phil.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MATTINGLY: Max Foster, thanks so much.

Well, I hope you'll join me for my new video series, "CNN Breaks It Down". We're tackling the most pressing questions in business and politics. You can find the episodes on CNN.com/watch. You can follow this show on X and Instagram @TheLeadCNN. If you ever miss an episode of THE LEAD, you can watch the show on the CNN app.

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