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The Lead with Jake Tapper
Supreme Court Sides With Trump on Two Major Immigration Cases; Search and Rescue Underway After Venezuela Quakes Kill At Least 188; U.N. Pauses Work in Strait of Hormuz After Ship Attack. Johnson To Send Housing Bill To Trump After White House Meeting; Tonight: Team USA Hopes To Win Third Match In A Row. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired June 25, 2026 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper.
This hour, the U.S. Supreme Court handing President Trump two major wins today on immigration cases. But with just a few days left to go, there are still multiple blockbuster cases to be decided. Our legal experts are breaking down what happened today and what's to come.
Plus, a massive search and rescue operation is underway tonight after back-to-back earthquakes crumbled buildings and homes. Nearly 200 people reported dead with hundreds of others injured or missing. I'm going to be joined by someone on the ground in Venezuela who experienced the quakes and is now trying to help with relief efforts.
Also, new numbers show just how many Americans continue to struggle under the weight of the current economy, but is anyone in the White House listening? I'll ask a Republican member of Congress what his party is doing to lower your costs, considering they have total control of Washington, D.C.
And Team USA takes the pitch tonight for its final match of this round of the World Cup, but will superstar Christian Pulisic be healthy enough to play? We're live outside the stadium in L.A. ahead.
[18:00:00]
The Lead tonight, the U.S. Supreme Court handing President Trump major victories on two key immigration cases. The court clearing the way for immigration officials to be able to turn away asylum seekers at the border, reviving a controversial policy. The justices will also allow the Trump administration to end temporary protected status, or TPS, for Haitian and Syrian immigrants. It's a program that more than a million rely on for legal protections so they can live and work in the U.S.
Court watchers are awaiting decisions on even bigger cases as soon as Monday, including one that could upend the mail-in ballot voting system ahead of the November midterms.
CNN's Priscilla Alvarez and Paula Reid join us now. Paula, can you break down the court's rulings today in these two immigration cases? PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, twin wins for the Trump administration here, both really supporting the president's efforts to curb legal immigration. Now, the first one, a temporary protected status. Here, the Supreme Court is allowing the administration to roll back these protections for Haitians and Syrians. Now, hundreds of thousands of people could lose their work authorization that they got under this program that was meant to help people who have left countries experiencing upheaval.
Now, Trump has rolled these programs back related to roughly a dozen different countries, but this was challenged, arguing that the specific decision related to Syria and Haiti was based on racial animus. But the Supreme Court instead saying, look, we cannot review this on non-constitutional grounds. So, these could be challenged through other means, but it's unlikely they're going to be successful, and that's why the Supreme Court here basically giving the administration the green light.
Now, they are also giving the administration the green light to re-up this controversial policy of physically blocking people from coming across the U.S. border, where they would be able to claim asylum here in the U.S. This is not a Trump-specific thing. This was begun under the Obama administration. It was formalized under Trump 1, rescinded under the Biden administration. And while the Trump administration does not rely on this policy, after today's ruling, they could begin implementing this again if they so choose.
TAPPER: And, Priscilla, the White House considering these major wins for their immigration crackdown, what do these rulings mean for their agenda going forward?
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And they are wins in that it allows them to advance their immigration crackdown on the border as well as in the interior of the United States.
I'll pick up where Paula left off with asylum at the border. It's true, right now border numbers are really low. There isn't a reason for them to have to use this policy, but Trump officials tell me they like to keep it in their back pocket if they want to.
While it doesn't have implications in the near term necessarily, I think we also have to look at this long-term. It essentially gives administrations a lot more latitude in terms of how they handle processing asylum claims at legal ports of entry. And the unintended consequence with that is that it could encourage people to cross unlawfully to try to make their claim. So, really interesting decision there.
Now, on temporary protected status, that is where we're likely to see those more immediate ramifications. Now, yes, this was about Haitians and Syrians, but this could affect people from 13 countries that the administration has tried to revoke the designation. So, that's a number of more than a million people. You see them there. That includes Venezuela, Honduras, Afghanistan, Cameroon.
And so I've been talking to officials about this, and what they see here is a way for them to advance their deportation agenda because when these nationals have these protections stripped from them, including their work permits, they're here legally and then they can't work here legally either. And so that allows -- that makes them vulnerable for deportation. And so that is where we'll see more movement in the coming weeks and months.
I will tell you that they are celebrating this, the Department of Homeland Security. Trump officials and Republicans have long said the temporary protected status was not temporary. It kept getting extended and became a permanent solution. So, this is a major win for them in how they approach people already in the United States for deportation.
TAPPER: And, Paula, there were two interesting dissenting opinions today. Tell us about them.
REID: Yes, let's first talk about the temporary protection status case. There, race was really the theme in that case. And in the majority opinion, Justice Alito said that, look, there were race neutral reasons for wanting to roll this program back related to Haiti and Syria. But then he went a little bit further and he said that statements by the president and the secretary that were referenced in the case that they were not necessarily racially targeted.
But in her dissent, Justice Kagan reminded us about some of the things that President Trump has said specifically about Haiti. Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: They're eating the dogs, the people that came in, they're eating the cats. They're eating the pets of the people that live there. And this is what's happening in our country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
REID: And when you hear that played back or you read it in the opinion, it is kind of calling to question what Alito said.
[18:05:00]
But we've seen this in a few cases recently, sort of two completely different concepts of race relations in the U.S. coming from sort of the conservatives versus the liberals.
Now, there was also in the asylum case, the dissent there, there was some real Supreme Court drama because Justice Sotomayor read her dissent out loud, and our colleague, Joan Biskupic, who was in the courtroom getting this great reporting for us said this really blindsided Justice Alito, who wrote the majority opinion and usually doesn't read his opinions aloud, especially because in her opinion, she said, because of what you've ruled here, more people will die.
So, clearly, some tension on the bench there coming to the surface during the reading of her dissent.
TAPPER: We know that there are a few more blockbuster cases to be ruled on. What are those?
REID: Yes. So, we're waiting for their decision on birthright citizenship, whether President Trump can limit that through executive order. Justices appeared skeptical.
TAPPER: Limit it or end it. He wants to end it, doesn't he?
REID: Well, this is a huge controversy. On our team of Supreme Court correspondents, there would be a lane for some people, but at a high level, yes, you could say end. But, really, on a technicality, it was severely limited.
But also questions about who we can and cannot fire. So, there's two cases about that, how close you are to the executive branch. And then there are two Trump adjacent cases. One, a question about transgender students participating in sports, and another really important case about mail-in ballots. So, can they be counted if they come in after Election Day? And what makes that so significant is depending on how they rule there, I mean, that could have ramifications for in-person early voting, all kinds of voting. So, that's one. Again, it's not a Trump specific case, it's Trump adjacent because of the impact that could have on the election.
So, we'll be watching Monday, maybe Tuesday.
TAPPER: All right. Get here early. Paula Reid, Priscilla Alvarez, thank you so much.
Today, a federal judge striking down Trump's order demanding that the U.S. Postal Service block mail-in ballots in states that have not turned over their voting rolls on the heels of the postmaster general's response to Michigan's Democratic Senator Gary Peters yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. GARY PETERS (D-MI): Yes or no if a state refuses to turn their absentee voter list over to the federal government, will the Postal Service still mail their ballots under this proposal?
DAVID STEINER POSTMASTER GENERAL: Under our proposed regulation, no.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: Here to discuss, Michigan's Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel. General Nessel, this is the second federal judge to rule against President Trump's executive order on mail-in voting in cases. In your state of Michigan, a court concluded that the Justice Department could not lawfully obtain Michigan's voter list, and in Massachusetts, a judge blocked the Postal Service from restricting the delivery of ballots to states that don't turn over voter rolls. What's your reaction to those decisions?
DANA NESSEL (D), MICHIGAN ATTORNEY GENERAL: Well, obviously, the courts have looked at these executive orders and have found them to be you know, absolutely illegal and in many cases unconstitutional. We know that it's the states that regulate the time, place, and manner for voting, and that they are best suited to administer elections. Certainly, it should not be the federal government who administers our elections.
And so, obviously, I'm grateful for the court's ruling, but I'm concerned about the misinformation and the disinformation that's been distributed by Donald Trump and by the federal government in an effort to undermine people's confidence in our election results.
And, you know, it's done for one reason and one reason only. In the event that Donald Trump's preferred candidates lose, especially for Congress, he wants to be able to say that, you know, there was something that, you know, people should be concerned about in terms of the election results, and nothing could be further from the truth.
TAPPER: The U.S. Supreme Court, as you heard from Paula, they're set to rule on a case that will determine if states can accept and count mail-in ballots that arrive after Election Day. 14 states and Washington, D.C., currently operate this way. They each have specific deadlines for several days after the election that the ballot will be accepted. All of them specify, of course, that the ballot has to be postmarked by or on Election Day. It's just a question of when they arrive at the office.
Now, Michigan's not one of those states, but what's your take on all of this? Do you -- are you rooting for one side or the other, given -- I mean, you don't have that. Your ballots have to arrive by Election Day, but these other states, they do.
NESSEL: So, actually, the law just changed in Michigan to allow military voters more time for their ballots to arrive. We know that their -- it takes longer for their ballots to come in to the clerk to be counted. So, they have six days after the election for their votes to be counted.
But you're right, otherwise we don't have those laws in place. But what it would do is disenfranchise a lot of different voters. And, of course, what we've seen time and again, is the -- an effort for the weaponization of the U.S. Postal Service, so that it moves as slowly as possible so that fewer ballots can be received by the eve of the election.
[18:10:06]
And that's going to create a substantial issue for a lot of states, and it's going to disenfranchise a lot of voters if that occurs.
TAPPER: The Trump administration argues these policies are just ways to ensure states are complying with federal election law. Amid all the scrutiny and the conspiracy theories you referred to that float around about our elections, why challenge policies that are meant to make elections and voting safer?
NESSEL: I don't see how it does make elections safer. If anything, it means that there's a lot of legitimately cast ballots by eligible voters that simply won't be counted. So, it's just an effort to disenfranchise voters and nothing more.
You know, try as they might, the Trump administration, some Republican attorneys general, the Heritage Foundation, a lot of different groups have tried to sow the seeds of distrust in our electoral system, when, really, we have the most safe and secure electoral system imaginable, and there are so many safety mechanisms that we have in place.
So, we're not having an issue with this. But, of course, by trying to, you know, create barriers and obstacles to people voting, the hope by the Trump administration is that more of their candidates will win.
TAPPER: Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel from the great state of Michigan, thanks so much.
NESSEL: Thanks for having me.
TAPPER: Horrific scenes of destruction in Venezuela after a pair of earthquakes struck that country last night. The second quake, the country's most powerful in more than a century. I'm going to talk to a man on the ground there who was at a kid's birthday party when the first earthquake hit, and he's now helping with relief efforts.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:15:00]
TAPPER: In our World Lead, we continue to follow the search and rescue efforts in Venezuela after the two devastating earthquakes there killed at least 188 people, a number that is sadly expected to rise as more are still trapped in the rubble.
This health emergency compounds existing problems with Venezuela's health system. We are seeing damaged hospitals, overwhelmed hospitals with improvised wards in the hallways and on the street due to the huge number of people who were injured in the earthquakes.
Joining us now from Caracas, Venezuela, is Jankel Rosenwald, the humanitarian and emergency affairs adviser for World Vision Venezuela. Thanks so much for joining us, Jankel.
You actually experienced this earthquake. You and your family were on a rooftop at a two-year-old's birthday party. That must have been terrifying. How are you doing? How is your family? What was that experience like?
JANKEL ROSENWALD, HUMANITARIAN AND EMERGENCY AFFAIRS ADVISER, WORLD VISION VENEZUELA: Oh, well, thanks for having me, Jake, and for this -- the opportunity. Really, it was -- I'm still in shock, to tell you the truth. We are just coming out of the 18 hour after the -- or coming into 24th -- sorry, 24th hour from the event. And I still have flashbacks. I was with my six-year-old and my wife on a tenth floor rooftop in the Altamira area.
And everything started moving. I was able to grab a hold of them and go to a corner, generate the safety triangle. But everyone else not having the education, the expertise in the area, it was just chaos, screaming, yelling, crying, kids running around, mothers trying to get a hold of them, elderly people just trying to stay on the ground and not falling down. And, well, it was complete chaos, really.
TAPPER: You ventured out. You've seen more of the devastation. Give us a sense of how bad the destruction is and what are you hearing from the area west of Caracas?
ROSENWALD: Yes. Well, it was -- it's been just a very difficult situation to see the faces of the affected people and, you know, having lost everything or just being in a state of complete shock after the situation, the experience, is heartbreaking, and also a call to action that is overwhelming.
TAPPER: Beyond additional search and rescue teams what sort of resources are most needed right now in Venezuela?
ROSENWALD: Yes, of course. Well, in these situations, basic services usually collapse. So, we are now facing difficulties for most of the affected areas to have access to safe water, to food security. Just yesterday, as I was moving through the city, I was seeing supermarkets with huge lines trying to get in and stock up for the days to come as the aftershocks are, well, just part of this process, right? And we've been living them. Just since the big hit, we've have had over 20 aftershocks or replicates.
TAPPER: I know search and rescue is the priority right now, but looking ahead, how difficult do you think it is going to be to rebuild that which has fallen? What will it take?
ROSENWALD: Well, right now, it's a bit tough to put your mind into that stage, as you mentioned, Jake, because, really, the lives that are at stake need to be answered to. We need to focus on having them attend and bringing them into a safe space.
But the aftermath, everything that is already happening with the psychological situation of the population, the food supply chain and the access to basic and life-saving resource, such as water, safe water, is going to be very difficult to -- yes, to solve, to really respond to all the needs that, that the population has. And it's part of what we're doing.
We're focusing on WASH, bringing action, activities of WASH and having affected families improve their access to safe water and to hygiene services and reduce diseases from -- that can come from the -- through the risk, yes.
TAPPER: All right. Jankel --
ROSENWALD: Also the protection, yes.
TAPPER: Sorry. Jankel Rosenwald in Caracas, Venezuela, thank you so much, and stay safe. We appreciate your time today.
New questions about the state of the agreement between the U.S. and Iran after reports that Iran attacked a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz today. What impact might that have on negotiations? That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:25:00]
TAPPER: Some fresh trouble in and around the Strait of Hormuz topping our World Lead today. A U.S. official tells CNN that an Iranian attack drone hit a ship in the Gulf of Oman right next to the strait. And now, a special United Nations maritime unit has paused its work assisting thousands of other ships evacuate the Strait of Hormuz as they reevaluate the safety situation.
The attack is yet another test to the memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran to reopen the strait.
Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute Rebeccah Heinrichs joins us now. Let me just ask you a general assessment of the situation in the Strait of Hormuz. Who has the upper hand?
REBECCAH HEINRICHS, SENIOR FELLOW, HUDSON INSTITUTE: Well, so I think that the United States still does, but it's because of our naval presence that are still in the region. So, that corridor that's along Oman, there's really two pathways along Oman, and it's nowhere near the Iranian side.
The Iranians are still frustrated because they want every ship that passes through the strait to still check in with them. They want approval from the Iranians. The United States is still saying, that's not safe. Come this way. So, it's still being guarded by the U.S. Navy.
So, the way I look at this is it's a ceasefire, and we're sort of living under this MOU, but it's not because both sides are really in agreement or really even have a mutual understanding. It's because the United States is still imposing its will, frankly, militarily, in the Strait of Hormuz to try to get ships moving.
TAPPER: That MOU was a lot of TBD, frankly. I mean, there's a lot. There's a page-and-a-half. There seem -- I mean, I have longer for my questions for you. There seem to be a lot of daylight between how President Trump and his top diplomat, Secretary of State Rubio, are spinning the MOU. Here's Trump at the G7 followed by Rubio today. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We're dealing with people that I think are very rational people, and they were nice to deal with. They were strong people, smart people. I think actually they're smarter than the first and second group. But they're not radicalized.
MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE: I mean, the Iranian system is led by clerics, radical clerics. That's what it's always been led by, and that's what it continues to be led by. (END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: I know who I think is right there. Who do you think is?
HEINRICHS: Well, of course, Secretary Rubio is correct. It's still -- I mean, essentially, we took out the -- several many of the leaders in the Iranian government. But right now it looks like the IRGC are the ones that are in control. And, of course, they're still committed to the Islamic Revolution, and they are the ones that are still firing into the strait. We don't even know if they are listening to some of these politicians who are negotiating because there's been a breakdown in the leadership.
And so -- but, clearly, President Trump wants this thing to work or appear like it's working because he's primarily number one focused on getting oil through the strait before the election. That's his number one priority.
TAPPER: Right. Rubio was also asked about the reconstruction fund for Iran, the so-called $300 billion that the Gulf states are going to hand over to the country in the region they hate more, maybe even in some cases than Israel. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: In the meeting with the GCC allies, did any of them make any commitments to pay into this $300 billion reconstruction?
RUBIO: No, it was not discussed. I mean, the reconstruction -- that's way down the road, and that's something, you know, that'll be dealt with at the appropriate time in this process. But that was not discussed by anybody.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: Does that surprise you at all? It surprised me a little bit.
HEINRICHS: No. I mean, so -- and here's the brilliant thing about what the Abraham Accords did. It really threw the United States' weight behind Israel, so we would work very closely with the Israelis, and then these Gulf partners had some predictability, and then they would normalize relations with Israel. And then when Epic Fury happened, I really viewed it as the militarization of the Abraham Accords.
These Gulf states were working alongside the United States to counter incoming from the Iranians. So, now the Gulf states are not interested at all in rehabilitating this Iran regime that's still determined to -- yes, to fund terrorism, and to continue to perpetuate it throughout the Middle East.
So, these Gulf states at this point are not indicating at all that they're willing to invest in reconstruction of the Iran regime at all.
TAPPER: You and I both are of the opinion that the Iranians may use some -- whatever money they get from the unfrozen assets or whatever to fund terrorism. That's a concern that Rubio has expressed when he was a senator and on. President Trump and Vice President Vance insist that these unfrozen Iranian assets are being used to buy American soybeans.
Democratic Congressman Adam Smith was on the show earlier this week, and he said he was pretty sure that they're just making that up, and Iran's chief negotiator also chimed in today, saying on X or Twitter, quote, America falsely claims their unfrozen assets will buy their agriculture.
[18:30:02]
Interesting. The only crop we're harvesting is what you planted, decades of mistrust. It's organic, abundant, and homegrown, but apparently the U.S. only exports GMO soybeans, broken promises, and trash talks.
So, what's your thought on that?
HEINRICHS: Well, look, I mean, we've done this before. The Obama administration really tried this, to try to fence off some unfrozen funds to incentivize the Iranians to play ball and negotiate, but then those funds would be used to buy things for humanitarian purposes. The Iran regime doesn't care about its people. We've seen this time and again.
TAPPER: Yes, they kill them.
HEINRICHS: Yes, they kill them, 30,000 estimates, for killing their people, most recently in the protests. But they conduct industrial scale executions regularly. Because Epic Fury was so successful in degrading Iran's military programs, I would anticipate that any funds released to the Iran regime at this point would directly go to rehabilitating, reconstructing what the United States and Israel successfully degraded, and funding terrorism. Of course, they're still funding Hezbollah that's attacking Israel.
TAPPER: Rebeccah Heinrichs, always great to have you. Thanks so much for being here.
Also in our World Lead, speaking of Secretary of State Rubio, he's headed home after visiting Gulf nations. That's him leaving Bahrain. It's worth noting the special guest who joined him yesterday in Abu Dhabi. That's where he posted this photo of meeting with the president of the UAE. It was a working lunch. Clearly before the meal, Rubio says they discussed President Trump's memorandum of understanding with Iran, efforts to secure transit through the Strait of Hormuz, and regional stability.
Rubio said he thanked the UAE leadership for their unparalleled support, and praised their courage and resilience in the face of Iran's attacks, and reaffirmed a commitment to Emirati security and to a strong bilateral partnership.
That's America's top diplomat doing his job. But also at that working lunch, the person all smiles sitting right next to Secretary Rubio is Michael Boulos. No, he's not a household name. He is an important person in Trump world because he's President Trump's son-in-law. He's married to his youngest daughter, Tiffany Trump.
Boulos' family owns a business. It sells trucks and heavy machinery in Nigeria. Michael Boulos is not a member of the Trump administration. His dad is though, Massad Boulos. He's Trump's senior adviser for Arab and African Affairs.
Now, reporters asked Rubio about the younger Boulos, again, not a member of the government, at the table, and a phone call with him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Can you clarify what the role of Michael Boulos was today?
RUBIO: Mike was just -- Michael Boulos?
REPORTER: Yes.
RUBIO: Oh, he was there to see -- his brother lives here. He was just there to see me and catch up.
REPORTER: But why was he involved in your conversations?
RUBIO: No
REPORTER: But there was a working lunch, right? So --
RUBIO: There was, but he wasn't -- but the conversations around him had to do with -- he was just here because his brother lives here, and I'm a good friend of Michael's, so we had a chance to catch up. Okay? Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: Good friends, chance to catch up, got it.
Coming up, more budgeting, less money to put into savings. That's a common theme among American families right now who are being walloped by high inflation. Up next, I'm going to ask a Republican lawmaker whether President Trump is getting in the way of legislative efforts meant to give those families some relief.
Stay with us.
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[18:35:00]
TAPPER: In the Money Lead, Americans are feeling the squeeze with pressure building on household budgets. Republican officials have urged the president to focus on affordability, but he seems to be ignoring those calls, abruptly pulling the plug on a housing bill that his own administration had touted as major legislation, refusing to sign it into law. Meanwhile, the financial picture for so many families is tightening. The personal savings rate has fallen to 3 percent. That's one of the lowest levels in 15 years. It's down sharply from 4.9 percent last year. Inflation has now climbed above 4 percent for the first time in three years, driven by higher gas prices and complicating the Federal Reserve's path to make any new potential rate cuts. And there's more.
Let's bring in West Virginia Republican Congressman Riley Moore. Congressman, thanks for joining us. So President Trump decided last minute to not sign the bipartisan housing bill yesterday. What might that bill mean for families in West Virginia should he sign it?
REP. RILEY MOORE (R-WV): Well, where we are right now on the bill is that the speaker, as of about an hour ago, is going to send the bill to the White House. It has been sent. So, that ten-day clock has started on that bill. Now, the president's either going to sign or not sign. If it's not signed, it passes into law, as you well know.
So, the bill is going to become law. As you pointed out, this is a marquee piece of legislation that he had talked about to address affordability as it relates to housing. Now, housing in West Virginia, anybody who wants to move here, it's actually pretty cheap, but a lot of it around the country is obviously driven by supply. I mean, that's a big issue. And then not to mention that the interest rates and the pressures that that puts out there in terms of capital and the amount of money that you have to put down on homes with the size of interest rates that you have.
TAPPER: Well, let's talk about housing, because according to Redfin, there are nearly 500,000 more sellers than buyers in the United States. What are you doing to fix the housing market and make homes more affordable in West Virginia and throughout the country?
MOORE: Well, I think one of the things that needs to happen, we need to have interest rates come down.
Now, I will point this out. The ten-year T-note is about 4.41 percent, which, I mean, that's 200 basis points down, give or take, from where we were just a year ago, so that's moving in the right direction. But we do need the Fed to look at lowering the Fed fund rate, which is, drives Fed prime and the rest, right? And so that's going to make capital a lot cheaper for folks, and that's going to start to drive some of those prices down.
But, yes, we have a supply problem, and a lot of it is, to me, I think, has to do with regulation, particularly in states like California, where you have a lot of regulatory issues that are built into the price of the home itself, and then also the durable goods. I mean, you're right. Look, there's some inflationary pressures that have been added as it relates to energy. I mean, that's certainly happening.
TAPPER: What are the financial strains that I was just talking about? What does it look like on the ground in West Virginia?
MOORE: Well, I mean, look, what everybody is dealing with we're a little bit different.
[18:40:00]
Housing doesn't affect us as much in terms of a price of a home, but what really drives affordability in West Virginia, which is the same throughout the country, is healthcare. Healthcare costs are just astronomical. And we in the House have looked at PBM reform and a number of different ways to try to address this. But more has to be done.
Healthcare costs are just astronomical and continuing to spiral out of control, and it's something that I think there's bipartisan support to certainly try to address that.
TAPPER: You introduced a federal savings program creating tax advantaged accounts modeled after the 529 plans that help Americans pay for tools, certifications, startup costs for trade and vocational careers instead of just traditional college paths. How do you see this expanding access to jobs? Do you hope that this might address some workforce shortages?
MOORE: Yes, I really hope that it does, and it's actually a program that I started in the state of West Virginia when I was state treasurer before I was in Congress. And myself, I started my career as a welder. I went to trade school after high school. That's what I did. And one of the roadblocks I ran into was being able to have enough money if I wanted to go start my own mobile welding business, which was, at the time, what I wanted to do. I'd probably be making more money right now if I would've just continued doing that.
But in any event, I created this jumpstart savings program in West Virginia, and it allows people to buy tools, equipment, licenses, certifications, and new business startup costs. Because trade school itself is not really cost prohibitive. It's after you get out. Think about an auto mechanic, has to buy tens of thousands of dollars worth of tools just to start their business or go even work at a shop.
That's a really prohibitive cost that we're trying to alleviate some of those roadblocks and barriers to get people into the workforce as it relates to trades and vocations.
TAPPER: All right, Congressman Riley Moore of West Virginia, thanks so much, sir. Good to see you. I appreciate it.
Some Republicans worry that Trump is holding up this key legislation, and that will mean they get hurt in the midterms. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party appears to be going through a transformation of some sort that could also have big midterm implications we're going to discuss with the panel next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:45:56]
TAPPER: Our politics lead now, Speaker Mike Johnson says he will send that major housing bill, bipartisan, to the president's desk following a lengthy meeting at the White House today. The meeting came a day after the president abruptly canceled plans to sign the housing bill in an effort to push lawmakers to pass his Save America Act, an election reform bill that does not have the votes in the Senate to pass.
Let's discuss with our panel.
Kevin Madden, the meeting ran for hours, we're told. After the meeting, both President Trump and Speaker Johnson called on House Republicans to unify and stop voting down rules. How can Republicans get out of this mess when it comes to the housing bill?
KEVIN MADDEN, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, I think this is going to be a muted victory. They would have had a much better chance to use this and go on offense with it if they had a big signing ceremony at the Capitol and were able to go back to their districts and talk about how they're addressing affordability. But it is still a win.
So I think these members are going to have to, you know, just do a much better job of working with the White House and telling them, communicating to them exactly what they need as far as political cover to address a lot of the big issues that voters care about back home. That's going to be key.
I think the fact that Mike Johnson has to go down to the White House and they have to have meetings about getting rules passed up on Capitol Hill and coordinating announcements over major pieces of legislation that they pass a day after they should have already had an unveiling, that's problematic at this stage of the 2026 cycle.
TAPPER: You know, it's funny, because I know some Democrats were wondering, why are we giving the Republicans and President Trump a victory? Why are we supporting this housing bill? But ultimately, they thought Americans need it, and so we're going to support it.
And then, you know, President Trump gets in his own way, which does seem to be the theme of this year.
MO ELLEITHEE, FORMER DNC COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: No, 100 percent. I mean, people want results. People are tired, they're frustrated, they think government isn't working for them, and they want results. Here, they were just about to get it, and then the president swooped in and snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.
Now, it will likely work out, and the American people will get those results, but they'll remember this. And this is something you know better than I. A lot of Republican House members are going to be forced to talk about this whole episode and be asked about this whole episode out on the campaign trail. And none of them are going to be looking forward to it.
TAPPER: So a lot of candidates or three running for House that mayors are on Mamdani of New York supported, won their races. Two of them are DSA, Democratic Socialists of America candidates. Two of the people defeated were incumbent Democratic members of Congress. Dana Bash just sat down with Governor Josh Shapiro to ask what that
means for the Democratic Party, especially establishment Democrats, more centrist Democrats. Here's some of that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. JOSH SHAPIRO (D), PENNSYLVANIA: Those were races in individual districts in a whole other state. I think you're seeing very different-looking congressional races and certainly different Democratic candidates here in Pennsylvania. I think what is important are the people who are making a lot of noise, who are engaging in these performative politics, have to now figure out how to deliver results.
It's one thing to speak in platitudes during a campaign. It's a whole other thing to actually deliver for people who are genuinely hurting. I think we, as a party, need to find our way toward candidates who actually can deliver for people and make their lives better.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: No offense to Governor Shapiro, but actually one of those DSA candidates won my home congressional district in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the third congressional district, a guy named Chris Rabb, who is now almost certainly, I think it's the most Democratic district in the country. In fact, it's certainly going to be elected.
What are your thoughts on all this?
ELLEITHEE: I mean, it's really interesting to see where the energy in the party is right now. If you look at sort of the whole spectrum of contested primaries over the course of this cycle, these candidates, these DSA-type candidates, the far left, are winning in the safest blue seats in the course of this cycle. These candidates, these DSA- type candidates, the far left, are winning in the safest blue seats, usually in the most urban of areas, like in Philadelphia, like in New York City.
[18:50:05]
In races that are going to be more contested in the general election, sort of the swingier seats, they're losing, right? They won about 86 percent of the contested primaries so far in those safe blue seats and have lost about 86 percent of those primaries in the more swing seats. So the energy is different.
If you're in a safe Democratic district, energy veers towards the left. If you're in a more competitive district, energy veers towards maybe the centrist or the establishment or whoever is seen as more electable. The key to what Governor Shapiro was saying, for the establishment Democrats, They actually have to be the ones to prove that they can deliver results, or else this thing could spread.
We'll know more after Michigan and Minnesota. Those upcoming primaries will tell us a little bit more. But people are frustrated not with the center. They're frustrated with the establishment, because they don't believe the establishment's been delivering for them. So it's not just about finding those candidates. It's about once those candidates get elected, they have to step up. They have to push back to the fringe in their parties, and they've got to deliver results.
TAPPER: Yeah. Speaking of Michigan, it's not just the DSA candidates who are questioning the current Democratic leaders, Schumer and Jeffries. On Stephen A. Smith's podcast, Senator Elissa Slotkin, Democrat of Michigan, I think she's widely considered something of a centrist, certainly has a national security background, maybe even contemplating a presidential run. This is her call for new leadership. Take a listen.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
SEN. ELISSA SLOTKIN (D-MI): I'm a big believer in just new leadership, significant change.
STEPHEN A. SMITH, PODCAST HOST, STRAIGHT SHOOTER WITH STEPHEN A. SMITH: When you say new leadership --
SLOTKIN: Yeah.
SMITH: -- what do you mean by that?
SLOTKIN: So --
SMITH: It's not-- you're not just talking about Trump being out of office. You're talking about new leadership within the Democratic Party as well, are you not?
SLOTKIN: Absolutely. Absolutely. I mean, I think since Biden was in, like, we need new leadership in the White House, the House, and the Senate, and on both sides of the aisle, that includes Democrats.
SMITH: Senator Slotkin, you do know. I want to make sure that I give you cover here. Let everybody know. Let me make sure you're clear. When you talk about new leadership, well, Hakeem Jeffries is the Democratic leader in the House, and Chuck Schumer is the Democratic leader in the Senate. When you talk about new leadership, that would mean they're out in favor of somebody else.
SLOTKIN: If people can't understand that the game has fundamentally changed and they can't adapt, then they need to let others lead.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
TAPPER: It's a big comment.
MADDEN: This is a big challenge, and I think we're going to see this with Shapiro and Slotkin's across the Democratic Party is knowing that this energy is on the left, knowing that this energy is with the folks who are probably the angriest, and the angriest are the ones that are the most vocal inside the party, they're going to continue to be pulled into these type of comments where they're trying to placate that sort of faction in the party.
TAPPER: Interesting stuff.
Thanks to both of you. Appreciate it.
We're just a few hours away from Team USA's final match of this round of the World Cup. All eyes are on whether one of their team's stars is healthy enough to play. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:57:29]
TAPPER: Sports lead now. The United States national team is getting ready to take the pitch tonight. They face Turkey in the final match of the World Cup group stage. The Stars and Stripes have already secured a spot in the next round with two consecutive wins, a first since 1930. So what are the chances that they can win all three?
Andy Scholes is in Los Angeles.
And Andy, I think the biggest question for soccer fans is, will Christian Pulisic play tonight? Or are they going to rest him?
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jake Pulisic says he's ready to go. You know, he missed a second-half win against Paraguay and that win over Australia with that left calf injury, but he says he's good to go. He's expected to get some minutes tonight against Turkey.
Now, while Pulisic is probably going to play, we're not going to see a lot of the other team stars. Folarin Balogun, Tyler Adams, Chris Richards, Anthony Robinson all are going to sit because they got a yellow card. Coach Pochettino say doesn't want to risk it. Of course, if you got a second yellow card, you'd miss the round of 32 games, so better safe than sorry.
But no matter who is on the pitch tonight for Team USA, they say they want to keep up the momentum.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEJANDRO ZENDEJAS, USA WINGER: Just because we're through doesn't mean we have to let our foot up the up the pedal. We have to keep on going with that same confidence, same rhythm. And keep showing each other and the world what this team is made of.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: Yeah, now for the first time ever in a third group stage game, the U.S., they don't have any stress. They've already won Group D. They know they're going to be going to Santa Clara, California, for the round of 32 next Wednesday.
And I tell you what, all the fans I've been speaking to out here, they couldn't be more optimistic about the team's chances the rest of the way. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, I feel fantastic. We've never been in this position. We've never played so well. And we're going to rest all our yellow cards, but we're still going to win.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are so excited. We're out of town. U.S. is a send-off party. Top of the group, baby. We are ready. Let's go!
CROWD: USA! USA! USA.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'll really be excited when we get to New York City for the final, and we're going to bring the World Cup home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: Yeah, so Jake, a lot of fans think that the U.S. actually can win this World Cup, and there are no stakes for this game here tonight against Turkey. But I tell you what, that hasn't stopped the optimism around this team. They are as pumped up as ever, and the ticket price is reflecting it. The get a ticket price for this game, Jake, no stakes, more than 1,700 bucks. Just incredible.
TAPPER: Andy, you need to put on one of those outfits. I'm a little disappointed by the lack of red, white, and blue.
SCHOLES: Yeah, Apollo Creed.
TAPPER: Yeah. All right. Andy Scholes in L.A., thanks so much.
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