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The Lead with Jake Tapper
Trump: U.S. Will Soon Make A Deal With Iran; Pope Leo: "Woe To Those Who Manipulate Religion"; Trump: Israel And Lebanon Reach 10-Day Ceasefire Deal; Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA), Is Interviewed About House Dems Threaten Contempt Against Former AG Pam Bondi; NYT: Denmark Was Ready To Blow Up Airfields In Greenland To Stop The U.S. From Invading; Medical Marijuana Use Among Women On The Rise. Aired 5-6p ET
Aired April 16, 2026 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KASIE HUNT, CNN HOST: All right. Thanks very much to my panel. Really appreciate you all being here. Thanks to all of you at home for watching as well.
Don't go anywhere. "The Lead with Jake Tapper" starts right now.
[17:00:37]
JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Yet another fragile cease fire. The Lead starts right now.
A new cessation of hostilities, at least temporarily brokered by President Trump. How long can this one hold? And how long will the president's rift with the Pope keep going? Both men speaking their truths yet again today. Plus, tragedy in Virginia, former Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax killing his wife and then himself according to police.
His teenage son was the one to call 911. What a judge said just last month that might have served as a sign of serious trouble. And nearly one week after splashdown, we're hearing from the four astronauts who went to the far side of the Moon and are now back on planet Earth.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REID WISEMAN, ARTEMIS II COMMANDER: We are just -- we are bonded forever. I mean, that's the closest four humans can be and not be a family. So it was just an amazing adventure.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: Love those guys. CNN's also speaking with them about their mission to the Moon.
Welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper. We're going to start with breaking news in our world lead. It's now 5:00 p.m. Eastern time, which means that a 10-day ceasefire is now in effect between Israel and Lebanon. President Trump announced the deal this afternoon after holding calls with the leaders of both countries.
He's also invited them to the White House for what the president calls the first meaningful talks between the two countries since 1983. Israel's continued attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon had been a sticking point for Iran in the overall ceasefire in this war because Iran claimed Lebanon was included in the deal, while the U.S. said Lebanon was not included. So where do things stand in this main ceasefire that is set to expire on April 22? This afternoon, the president said the next in person talks between the United States and Iran could come as soon as this weekend. And the president gave an update on negotiations.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Iran wants to make a deal and we're dealing very nicely with them. We've got to have no nuclear weapons. If we do, that's a big factor. And they're willing to do things today that they weren't willing to do two months ago. If it happens, it'll be announced fairly soon and that'll give us free oil, free Hormuz strait.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: Free oil. This morning at a Pentagon briefing, the Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth warned Iranian leaders that U.S. troops in the Middle East are rearming during the ceasefire. Hegseth also said the blockade of Iranian ports and economic pressures would continue if Iran, quote, "chooses poorly."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETE HEGSETH, DEFENSE SECRETARY: To Iran, choose wisely. The world watched and so did you as the U.S. military moved seamlessly from major combat operations to a world class blockade. We can make that transition again. We are locked and loaded on your critical dual use infrastructure, on your remaining power generation and on your energy industry.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: That headline however on the war was far from the most attention grabbing remarks in this briefing. Instead, the former weekend "Fox and Friends" cohost invoked the Pharisees quote, "the so called and self-appointed elites of their time there to witness, to write everything down to report" who, quote, "even though they witnessed a literal miracle, it didn't matter. They were only there to explain away the goodness in pursuit of their agenda."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HEGSETH: Our press are just like these Pharisees. Not all of you, not all of you, but the legacy Trump hating press. Your politically motivated animus for President Trump nearly completely blinds you from the brilliance of our American warriors. The Pharisees scrutinized every good act in order to find a violation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: No one's doubting the warriors. I think the skepticism is of the leaders of the warriors. Hegseth there likening the news media to the Pharisees, opponents of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. So in Hegseth's analogy, doubting Donald Trump is like doubting Jesus Christ and covering the war on Iran with skepticism of Trump's claims and Hegseth's claims, many of which have to be kind not proven accurate is, I suppose, the same thing as doubting the miracles of Jesus. What a warped view of what the news media is supposed to do and what a view he seems to have of this war.
[17:05:22]
And frankly, what better way to cap off a spring of sacrilege by the Trump team. To recap, late last month, during a religious service at the Pentagon, Hegseth recited a prayer for the troops that he said originated from a military chaplain.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HEGSETH: Give them wisdom in every decision, endurance for the trial ahead, unbreakable unity and overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: Overwhelming violence. A few days later, Pope Leo appeared to rebuke those remarks, saying, quote, "God ignores the prayers of leaders who wage war and have hands full of blood." Then came Easter Sunday with Trump's profane Truth Social post, quote, "Open the fucking straits, you crazy bastards, or you'll be living in hell. Just watch, unquote." He also said, with apparent sarcasm, "Praise be to Allah."
And somewhat predictably, a few days later, Trump went after the Pope in a long Truth Social rant, attacking the pontiff for not being tough enough on crime, among other criticisms. Then the vice president, a convert to Catholicism, he weighed in yesterday, saying this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think that it's important in the same way that it's important for the vice president United States to be careful when I talk about matters of public policy, I think it's very important for the Pope to be careful when he talks about matters of theology.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: So while J.D. Vance, who said that Haitians were eating their dogs and cats, apparently fancies himself a theologian who has the standing to reprimand the pontiff, Trump also seems to fancy himself a medical professional. That was his excuse, at least for posting this AI generated image of himself as Jesus Christ. After an avalanche of backlash, much of it from his supporters, Trump took down the post, claiming he thought it merely had depicted him as a doctor. And as if that wasn't enough, the president later posted another AI generated image of Jesus with his armed -- his arms draped around the president. A lot of evangelical Christians and conservative elites who normally support President Trump called him out on some of this.
Today, the Pope got another word in saying the world is being, quote, "ravaged by a handful of tyrants," unquote, who spend billions of dollars on war.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POPE LEO XIV: Jesus told us, blessed are the peacemakers, but woe to those who manipulate religion in the very name of God for their own military, economic or political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: Let's take a step back and talk about the war with CNN's Jamie Gangel and retired Vice Admiral John "Fozzie" Miller, a former commander of the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command.
Admiral, thanks so much for being here. So President Trump today said he finds the new set of Iranian leaders, quote, "very reasonable." I hope that's the case. But is there any evidence to suggest that they are, that they are going to agree to things that the previous regime wouldn't? Do you think this Iranian regime is reasonable?
VICE ADM. JOHN "FOZZIE" MILLER, U.S. NAVY (RET.): I think the jury's still out. Thanks for having me, Jake. The new regime are the same people that lined up women and children on bridges and around power plants last week in response to potential attacks by the U.S. So using human shields. They're also the same people who said that if we put a blockade into place then they would rain hellfire on the region.
And they haven't done that. So it's interesting to see which way they'll really go. I don't see anything in the new regime leadership that makes me think they're any different than the old regime. But I think maybe the jury's still out and maybe they will come to their senses and reach a reasonable decision here.
TAPPER: I certainly hope so. We all certainly hope so.
Jamie, the president was asked by reporters about a group of bishops that put out a statement saying the Pope was not exercising his opinion on war. He's preaching the gospel. Take a -- take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Well, I want him to preach the gospel. I'm all about the gospel. But I also know that you cannot let a certain country, which is a very mean spirited country, have a nuclear weapon. If they did, they would use it and I think they'd use it quickly and they would kill many millions of people. So, you know, the Pope could disagree with me on that, but certainly we're allowed to have that.
I'm all about the gospel. I'm about it as much as anybody can be. (END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: Putting aside the fact check on whether or not he's about the gospel as much as anybody can be, which I think that would -- anyway, moving on from that, what do you -- what did you make of that response?
[17:10:06]
JAMIE GANGEL, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: So, fact check, first of all, the Pope is not talking about being in favor of nuclear weapons. He is talking about peace and trying to come to terms through diplomatic means. So this is not about his support of Iran having a nuclear weapon. I do think what we saw today just a little bit, was Donald Trump backpedaling a little bit --
TAPPER: Really?
GANGEL: -- after all of the criticism just a little bit. Why is he getting into a fight with the Pope? I mean, I think he certainly has gotten the message that there was a recent NBC poll, the Pope in approval ratings is killing him by 50 percent difference. Maybe he's jealous about that, but the reality is he did say today, I'm not fighting with the Pope. The Pope can say what he wants.
That's a little bit different from, you know, accusing him and attacking him of weak on crime.
TAPPER: Yes. Speaking of blessed are the peacemakers, Admiral, what do you make of this ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, which is a U.S. designated terrorist group in an Iran proxy in Lebanon? Do you think that this could actually help achieve the overall peace plan or cease fire, permanent cease fire between the U.S., Israel and Iran?
MILLER: I think it's another step forward, Jake. We ought to not try to separate Hezbollah from the IRGC. They're one and the same. And so if the IRGC in Lebanon, AKA Hezbollah, has agreed to a cease fire, that's a real step forward. The kind of talks that we're having right now between Israel and Lebanon and Hezbollah presumably are unlike anything we've seen in decades.
And so, you know, any time there's an opportunity here to make the peace, to get Hezbollah disarmed, so it's not a threat to Israel, not a threat to the people of Lebanon any longer, I think that's a good thing.
TAPPER: Jamie, the President today was also asked about when U.S. gas prices could come down. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Well, they're not very high. If you look at what they were supposed to be in order to get rid of a nuclear weapon with the danger that entails. So the gas prices have come down very much over the last three, four days. The big thing we have to do is we have to make sure that Iran does not have a nuclear weapon, because if they do, you want to talk about problems, you'd have problems.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: So this is a new measure.
GANGEL: Yes.
TAPPER: They're not very high. If you look at what they're supposed to be in order to get rid of a nuclear weapon with the danger that entails. I'm not sure if there's a graph that has -- that takes that measurement into account. We have been hearing this line from Republicans since gas prices are still pretty high. How do you think it's going over with the public?
GANGEL: So you can't really see my phone, but I took a picture. I don't know if you can see it.
TAPPER: Five forty-nine for regular unleaded?
GANGEL: Five dollars and 49 cents in Washington, D.C. not in California where it's probably even higher. And that was for reg -- for regular. Look, President Trump is looking for an off ramp here. When I've spoken to national security intelligence sources, they say two things about where we want. He wants out.
TAPPER: Yes.
GANGEL: And he wants to be able to sell this as a win. The question that I keep hearing is are the Iranians on the same page? The Iranians, historically, they love to come to the table. They will talk and talk and talk until the cows come home. Are they ready to negotiate a deal?
President Trump says they're desperate to do it. Let's see.
TAPPER: All right, Jamie Gangel and Vice Admiral John "Fozzie" Miller, thanks so much. Thank you both of you for being here.
President Trump also took issue again with NATO allies not backing his war on Iran. Would he poll the U.S. out of the decades old alliance thought to be one of the most important and successful in the history of the world? Coming up, the reported backup plan forming now in case he does pull the U.S. out of NATO. But first, the horrific scene inside a Northern Virginia home right outside of D.C. the former lieutenant governor Justin Fairfax killing his wife and then himself.
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[17:18:14]
TAPPER: In our national lead, just a tragic scene in Northern Virginia. Justin Fairfax, the state's former Democratic lieutenant governor, shot and killed his wife overnight and then he killed himself. The tragedy just after midnight in the suburban home in Annandale, Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C. Their two teenage children were home. The older son is the one who called 911. As CNN's Brian Todd reports, the couple was going through what police call a messy divorce with a court date set for just next week.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A once high profile Virginia politician, former Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, dead from a self- inflicted gunshot after killing his wife Cerina in the basement of their Northern Virginia home.
CHIEF KEVIN DAVIS, FAIRFAX COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT: It all kind of culminated last night when Justin Fairfax shot and killed, shot several times and killed his wife, ran to a different part of the home and then killed himself with the same firearm.
TODD (voice-over): Police described the shootings as part of an ongoing domestic dispute, noting the couple was in the middle of a, quote, "complicated and messy divorce." Fairfax was recently served with paperwork associated with an upcoming court proceeding.
DAVIS: That may have been a spark. You know, detectives will figure that out that led to this tragedy here.
TODD (voice-over): The couple had separated but lived in the home together in separate bedrooms. In court documents obtained by CNN issued on March 30, a judge ordered Justin Fairfax to leave their home by the end of April and described his deteriorating emotional and mental state in recent years, withdrawing from his family and abusing alcohol. Police say the couple's two teenage children were at home when the shooting took place. Their son was the first to call 911 around midnight after finding his mom on the ground bleeding.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Caller stating that his dad might have stabbed his mom, saying that she's laying on the ground bleeding, can see holes in her shirt.
[17:20:02]
TODD (voice-over): Police say cameras set up throughout the home as part of the couple's ongoing divorce proceedings were used to clear assault accusations Justin Fairfax made against his wife earlier this year.
DAVIS: We were able to go to those cameras and determine that that never occurred.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So help me God.
JUSTIN EDWARD FAIRFAX, VIRGINIA FORMER LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR: So help me God.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Congratulations.
FAIRFAX: Thank you.
TODD (voice-over): Fairfax served as Virginia's lieutenant governor from 2018 to 2022 and was once considered an up and coming politician, often speaking out on the issue of gun violence.
FAIRFAX: I've lost a lot of friends to gun violence, to the prison system, to drugs, to gangs. And so I have myself also lived that reality.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anything to say to your accusers, sir?
TODD (voice-over): In 2019, explosive sexual assault allegations against Fairfax surfaced that led many to call for his resignation. Fairfax denied all the accusations.
FAIRFAX: I cannot begin to tell you the pain that these false allegations have caused me and my family. First of all, this --
TODD (voice-over): And when he ran for Virginia governor in 2021, he finished fourth in the Democratic primary. After his loss, Fairfax returned home to practice law. Today, neighbors are in shock and left wondering why this all happened.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think a lot about the children. Both parents are gone now. What does that do for them and their futures?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's the worst. I was talking to my wife about that. So we have two kids that are younger. That's scary. Yes.
I mean, did they see it? I hope not.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TODD (on camera): Now, according to Fairfax County police chief Kevin Davis, Justin and Cerina Fairfax's two teenage children are now being cared for by their grandparents and other family members with support from the Fairfax Police Department's victim services division. We can also tell you that according to court papers obtained by CNN from the divorce proceedings, the judge in that case had ordered Justin Fairfax to vacate this home by April 30th, two weeks from today. Jake.
TAPPER: All right, Brian Todd, horrible story. Thank you so much.
And out there, if you or anyone you know is considering suicide, please contact the national suicide and crisis lifeline. You can dial or text 988. The number again is 988. Someone's available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I promise you there is help for you.
There is love for you. We'll be right back.
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[17:26:20]
TAPPER: In our national lead, horrifying allegations of abuse, beatings, restraints, isolation, not in a prison overseas, but right here in the United States in shelters for migrant children. CNN's Priscilla Alvarez is here with the results of an exclusive CNN investigation. And tell us more, Priscilla. This involves a facility in New York? PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It does. And this is a facility that houses unaccompanied migrant children, that is children who cross the U.S. Mexico border alone or swept up in an ICE operation in the United States. And these allegations primarily stem from the treatment of migrant teenagers against what they called a stage specials unit that was akin to a security team and they would come in if there was a fight, altercation or some potential behavioral issues. Now I spoke with multiple sources and reviewed internal federal agency documents to understand the scope of these allegations and this is some of what I've learned. Beatings, one teen shared that he was thrown to the floor and hit.
That's again, according to an account shared with CNN. Restraints, they were used sometimes longer than his protocol for the safety of children and also being placed in isolation in a so called red room. It got that name because it's a small and there's red floor and red walls. And that was as a form of punishment.
Now, again, these are issues that at this facility appear to have predated the Trump administration. According to multiple sources I spoke with, concerns had been raised, including to New York authorities over recent years over some of these allegations that were being shared by the teens that were in -- that were being housed at this facility.
Now, one of these allegations reached the federal officials and in an ad hoc monitoring visit by those officials in January, they found, quote, significant child welfare concerns that resulted in then stopping the placement of additional children there and transferring all of those who were there, the migrant children, to other facilities. Now, to give you a sense of numbers, There were about 50 children who were there over the last year. They can accommodate, they being the facility known as Children's Village, 187 children. Now, a spokesperson for Children's Village did get back to us and they said, quote, "They have zero tolerance for any form of punishment." They went on to say that, quote, "Allegations of employee misconduct are deeply distressing and if received, we make an immediate report to the authorities.
We take all necessary steps to ensure that any staff member found to have engaged in misconduct is addressed appropriately and without hesitation."
Today, Jake, however, they do not have unaccompanied migrant children there because of these allegations that prompted this visit and an internal federal review.
TAPPER: So, if memory serves, these facilities are run ultimately by the Department of Health and Human Services, right?
ALVAREZ: Right.
TAPPER: What does HHS have to say?
ALVAREZ: So this is a department that cares for migrant children, they fund a network of shelters all over the country. They said that they take all allegations and a quote here of "misconduct involving children in its care extremely seriously." They also provided a little more information as to how we got here. They said, quote, "Upon receiving an allegation related to this facility, ORR acted immediately to transfer all unaccompanied children to other locations and referred the matter to the appropriate federal investigative authorities."
I will tell you I spoke to former HHS officials who called these allegations disturbing and concerning and said under no circumstances should any child in care be receiving the treatment that they received here at the Children's Village.
TAPPER: All right, Priscilla Alvarez, very important investigation. Thank you so much.
[17:29:42]
It has now been two days since former Attorney General Pam Bondi was supposed to sit for a deposition over her handling or mishandling of the Epstein files and answer questions about the Justice Department and those documents. Are lawmakers ready to hold her in contempt of Congress? I'll ask the top Democrat on the relevant committee, considering that very move next.
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TAPPER: In our Law and Justice Lead, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee are threatening former Attorney General Pam Bondi with contempt of Congress for failing to show up for her deposition about the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. Here now is Congressman Robert Garcia from California. He's the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee. Congressman, thanks for joining us. So, the chairman, Republican James Comer, he posted this response, "We will work with her personal attorney, Bondi's personal attorney, to reschedule." Then he said, "Ranking member Garcia's outrage is purely performative." Your response?
REP. ROBERT GARCIA (D-CA), RANKING MEMBER, OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE: I mean, look, I'm not sure if Chairman Comer is joking or what his position actually is because from our understanding is Pam Bondi's personal counsel has made no contact, actually, directly with either the Republican or Democrats on our side. And so we have heard nothing from James Comer. We have no idea if he's talking to the personal counsel. We've reached out to Pam Bondi and the DOJ. No response.
[17:35:06]
So there has been zero actual communication as far as we are aware between Pam Bondi, her lawyers, and the oversight committee. She was supposed to show up with a subpoena that was legally set in place by the entire committee in a bipartisan vote this last week. She skipped it. She continues to avoid our committee. We're going to hold her in contempt.
We are writing up the contempt charges over the course of these next few days. She's made aware of what she needs to do. She has to negotiate coming in front of our committee. She has no other choice, and so we are going to hold her in contempt.
TAPPER: If you have the votes, right? Because the reason I ask is because last month, Republican Congressman Tim Burchett of Tennessee, he voted to subpoena Bondi, but he now doesn't seem to be supportive of holding her in contempt. He told "The Hill," "She's out. Let's get somebody in that knows what's going on." Do you have the votes to bring contempt charges against her?
GARCIA: We're obviously talking to a couple of key Republicans that have been very involved in holding the attorney general accountable. We think if this makes the floor, that we can actually build a bipartisan coalition to hold her in contempt. And what's also really important at this moment is she has to understand that the reason we need questions answered is because not only are we asking for this testimony, but so are the survivors.
And both Republicans and Democrats should want to hear the truth from the A.G. She's no longer a member of this administration, but she still has important information about our investigation. Why are 50 percent of the files still not in our possession? Why has there been this cover up? Why was this called a hoax? Only she can answer these questions. So she needs to do the right thing and sit in front of our committee.
TAPPER: This week, the acting attorney general, former Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, was asked about Trump's truth social post from last September, where he appeared to be pressuring then Attorney General Bondi to investigate his political opponents, James Comey, Adam Schiff, Letitia James. Here is what Todd Blanche had to say about that. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TODD BLANCHE, ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL: That type of communication from President Trump should make every American happy because it means that there's an executive, a chief executive, that is making sure every one of his cabinet members are working as hard as they should.
It's not just him that does that. Citizens do that all the time. Agents do that all the time. That's exactly how cases are made. Cases are made by individuals, by organizations, identifying people they think are committing crimes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: What was your reaction to that?
GARCIA: I think first it's important to remind folks that Todd Blanche is the former personal lawyer of Donald Trump. And the second thing that's important is the DOJ does not work for the White House. It should be out there doing the work of the American people and the Constitution. And what Todd Blanche is saying is completely against the spirit of the Constitution and the relationship between the DOJ and the executive in the White House.
We've got to be focused on the truth and transparency. The DOJ is focused on weaponizing the government and going after Donald Trump's political enemies. So anytime Donald Trump goes out and posts on a social media platform or says something crazy about who he believes are his enemies, the DOJ begins acting.
That's not the way that the government is supposed to work. And that is actually government corruption. It's happened in the Epstein files. It's happening as Trump goes after members of Congress and the court. So we've got to continue to call it out. And Todd Blanche should not be confirmed as A.G. if he's put forward.
TAPPER: Before you go, just very quickly if you could, what was your reaction to the First Lady calling a press conference and talking about how she has no connection to Epstein, et cetera?
GARCIA: I mean, look, it was obviously very strange and bizarre and very unexpected. I think the First Lady, if she really wants to help this investigation, she can turn to her husband and ask him to release the rest of the files. But it's also clear that unlike her husband, she does not believe that this is a hoax.
She actually believes it's an active, real investigation and that that should continue. And so if the First Lady is watching or wants to help, ask the president to release the files and tell Pam Bondi, her friend, to come and testify before the committee.
TAPPER: Congressman Robert Garcia, Democrat of California, thank you, sir.
[17:39:10]
Coming up, President Trump's deepening frustration with NATO allies, what we heard from him today. It makes us wonder if the 77-year-old alliance might be soon over. My next guest has unique insights as the former secretary general of NATO. Stay, coming up after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TAPPER: Returning to our World Lead, as he was leaving the White House this afternoon, President Trump once again expressed disappointment over NATO not contributing to the U.S. military action against Iran.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They've had problems over the years we were there. When we asked them to get involved on a very minor skirmish by comparison to what it could be, they weren't there. So I don't think they'd be there for a large skirmish, and therefore I think they've got themselves a problem.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: "Wall Street Journal" is reporting that Europe is accelerating a fallback plan for NATO in case President Trump ultimately decides to pull the United States out of the alliance. According to "The Journal," "The plans first conceived last year underscored the depth of European anxiety over U.S. reliability. They accelerated after Trump threatened to seize Greenland from fellow NATO member Denmark and are now gaining fresh urgency amid the standoff over Europe's refusal to back America's war on Iran."
With us now to discuss former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. He's now Norway's finance minister. Also, we should note, he's author of the brand new book, or it's not brand new, I guess, but new-ish book, "On My Watch: Leading NATO in a Time of War." What do I call you now? Minister? Secretary General? I don't even know.
JENS STOLTENBERG, FORMER NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: Minister.
TAPPER: Minister. Minister Stoltenberg, thanks so much for being here. So let me start with this split over Greenland before I get to what's going on today. Because last month, "The New York Times" reported that during military exercises in Greenland, January, with other European nations, including Norway, Denmark sent blood supplies, live ammunition, explosives to blow up airfields in the event of an actual U.S. invasion. So what can you tell us about those military exercises? How worried were you that President Trump was actually going to militarily seize Greenland?
[17:45:24]
STOLTENBERG: There were concerns, but at the same time, I think all NATO allies really expected the U.S. to respect the borders of an ally. It's unacceptable to try to take the territory of another country, especially if that other country is a NATO ally.
TAPPER: Yes. You're sending blood supplies, live ammo, explosives. I mean, that says to me that you took it at least somewhat seriously.
STOLTENBERG: Yes, but I'm not able to speak on behalf of Denmark what they did and what they had plans for, I don't know. But what I do know is that Norway, and other European NATO allies, they have been very clear in stating the obvious, that Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. And that's for the Danes and the people of Greenland to decide their future.
I actually discussed this issue with President Trump back in 2019 when I was Secretary General. Then he raised the issue of taking over Greenland the first time. And then I told him that last time a country tried to take Greenland, it was Norway, my country.
TAPPER: Right.
STOLTENBERG: That was back in 1931. We annexed actually East Greenland. The Danes took us to the international court in The Hague, and we lost on all points. So if anything, there is a very clear international court ruling stating that Greenland is part of Denmark.
TAPPER: Do you think, as we're discussing this, this fallback plan, do you think that the U.S. is a reliable ally for NATO, for Europe?
STOLTENBERG: I think at least it is important that we do what we can from the European side to ensure that the U.S. is a reliable ally in the future and that we build on what we have created together over all these years. There are problems, there are questions asked, and that's fully understandable because there are disagreements on some important issues.
But the reason why I believe that NATO should and must prevail is that NATO is good for Europe, but it's also good for the United States. The U.S. is big, 25 percent of the world's GDP. But together with NATO allies, we are 50 percent of the world's economic might and 50 percent of the world's military might.
So the U.S. is safer with NATO than without. And in NATO, the U.S. has something Russia, China doesn't have at all, and that is more than 30 friends and allies.
TAPPER: You say that President Trump's threats to pull out of NATO need to be taken seriously and that NATO's future over the next decade is not guaranteed. Can you explain your thinking on these issues beyond what you just said?
STOLTENBERG: Well, my thinking is that NATO is an expression of political will, and of course the will has to be there to maintain NATO, and we don't have guarantees for that. But what we have is almost 80 years of the success of the strongest alliance in history. And of course there have been crises and problems, from the Suez Crisis in 1956 to when France left the military cooperation in the 60s or the Iraq War, but we have always been able to overcome those crises.
And that's because we realize that we are safer together than apart, and I believe that interest matters in politics, and my conviction is that it's in the U.S. interest to have NATO. I can just give you one example. This is not only about resources, but also about geography.
Norway is bordering Russia. On the other side of our land border, we have the highest concentration of nuclear weapons in the world, missiles, submarines, bombers. They are not directed at Norway.
TAPPER: Right.
STOLTENBERG: They are directed at the United States.
TAPPER: Yes.
STOLTENBERG: But we help you to track the submarines, to follow the bombers, and we hand over all that information to you. So the U.S. actually has early warning. It's part of your homeland defense to have Norway as an ally in NATO.
TAPPER: Even before the stress of Iran, even before the stress over Greenland, there was the stress over Ukraine, the tensions. And in fact, Vice President Vance just said the other day that it's one of his proudest achievements to end the U.S. funding for Ukraine.
In a massive drone and missile bombardment overnight, Russia strikes across Ukraine killed 18 people, injured more than 100. And the Trump administration has pretty much left the war on Ukraine up to NATO at this point, and the Europeans. Should the long-term aim, do you think, should it be to bring Ukraine into NATO?
STOLTENBERG: The long-term aim should be that. Then I think we need to be prepared that that will take some time. So in the meantime, we need to support Ukraine and to arm them and enable them to stop the Russian attacks on their country. I don't think we can change Putin's mind.
[17:50:06]
His ambition is to control Ukraine. But I do think that we can change President Putin's calculus. If the price he has to pay for that is too high, if he loses too many soldiers on the front line and the war creates too many problems in his economy, then he may be forced to sit down and negotiate a deal, an agreement, where Ukraine prevails as a sovereign independent nation. So military support to Ukraine is the best way to end the war in Ukraine.
TAPPER: Jens Stoltenberg, former head of NATO and the author of "On My Watch," thank you so much for being here.
STOLTENBERG: Thanks so much for having me.
TAPPER: I guess that brief affinity, the bromance, whatever it was, is over. This just in, why President Trump just said that New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is, "Destroying New York."
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[17:55:24]
TAPPER: And we're back with our Health Lead in the rise in the number of women using medical marijuana. We're paging Dr. Sanjay Gupta now for this one. He's traveled across the country for the latest documentary in his weed series. This one looks at a number of reasons why women, young and old, are turning to weed and what the latest research reveals about its impact on health.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Women of all ages, mothers and grandmothers, growing, selling, using cannabis. Women searching for a better, healthier, happier life.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was a soccer mom. Trust me, if we had all had an edible before those games, we would have been great.
GUPTA (voice-over): From menstrual cramps to morning sickness to menopause, women in Oklahoma and all over the United States are turning to cannabis for relief, now more than ever.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Women are largely underserved and underrepresented in medicine and for lack of any other option are more than willing to try cannabis and cannabinoid-based therapies.
GUPTA (voice-over): In fact, for the first time ever, women are outpacing men in the use of cannabis. These women say they are changing their lives and their health for the better. But in some cases, also potentially putting themselves in harm's way. The scientists searching for answers are all research pioneers. And perhaps no surprise, many happen to be women as well.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TAPPER: And Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us now. Sanjay, Oklahoma, it's not the first state that comes to mind when you think of medical marijuana. How did you end up there?
GUPTA: Well, this is one of the last states really to legalize medical marijuana, sort of in the heartland. But what was so interesting is that as soon as it was legalized, this is back in 2018, this green rush sort of began in Oklahoma.
And it's a state of 4 million people, about 400,000, about 10 percent have medical marijuana cards. And it was sort of a microcosm, I think, of what's happening around the country. And also, as you just saw in that clip there, so many of the dispensary owners and growers and sellers and all that are women. So that's really what's driving this tremendous growth right now.
TAPPER: Does the use of cannabis by women differ in any important ways from the use of cannabis by men?
GUPTA: Yes, I think so. This is really interesting. So first of all, when you look specifically at where this growth is coming from, again, women outpacing men for the first time in terms of use of cannabis. But if you drill down on that, it's -- the biggest growth is happening among women between the ages of 45 and 60, which I found really interesting. And when we talk to so many of these women, I mean, these are women who are in perimenopause or menopause, they're looking for something to help them with these symptoms.
And a lot of times, they just, you know, a lot of times their symptoms have been minimized, they haven't had good options with what's out there right now. So perhaps no surprise, they're increasingly turning to alternatives. So that's, I think, what's really driving it. Among men, it's more likely to be recreational. Among women, more likely to be medicinal. And again, that older age group in particular, Jake.
TAPPER: Interesting stuff. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thanks so much. And Sanjay is taking your questions on this subject. You can scan the QR code on your screen right now if you want to submit a question. And Sanjay will be back tomorrow to answer some of your questions. And don't miss Dr. Sanjay Gupta Reports Weed8: Women & Weed. That's this Sunday night at 8:00 Eastern, only on CNN. And then the next day, you can watch it on the CNN app.
Welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper. This hour, President Trump sounding optimistic about a potential deal with Iran, saying the U.S. has, "A lot of agreement with Tehran." U.S. officials also tell CNN that troops in the Middle East are rearming, ready to resume combat if these ceasefire talks fail. We're going to go live to the White House for an update in just moments. Plus, fresh off their history making mission, the Artemis II astronauts took questions this afternoon at the Johnson Space Center. The crew sharing their surprise at how much global attention their journey got, describing the moment their capsule went into free fall as like, "If you dove off a skyscraper backwards." CNN's Erin Burnett just wrapped up an interview with the astronauts. She's going to share more of that ahead.
[17:59:48]
Also, we're learning new details about the suspect accused of throwing a Molotov cocktail at the home of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Police say he also tried to break into the company's offices and was carrying a manifesto. Here are comments that the suspect made just a few months ago when he was interviewed on a tech podcast.
