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The Lead with Jake Tapper
Trump Had To Leave Turkey On Old Plane Due To Security Concerns; Rep. Mike Flood (R-NE), Is Interviewed About Trump's Poorly Executed Priorities Pile Up, Iran, War, Feisty Town Hall Crowd Confronts GOP Rep Over Trump Policies; Death Of Former Afghan Ally In ICE Custody Ruled An Accident; Questions About McConnell's Health Remain Three Weeks Later; RPT: FanDuel Sent Video From Phillies Star To Gambling Addict. Aired 5-6p ET
Aired July 09, 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 to my panel. Really appreciate all of you being here. Thanks to you at home for watching as well. Really appreciate you spending some time with us. But of course, don't go anywhere because the one and only Jake Tapper is standing by for "The Lead."
Hi, Jake.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Hey, Kasie. We're going to look for more tomorrow in "The Arena."
HUNT: See you tomorrow.
[17:00:25]
JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Iran is firing upon U.S. bases. The Lead starts right now.
The U.S. and Iran trading strikes. Iran even targeting American forces in Bahrain and in Kuwait and in Qatar and in Jordan. We have reporters at the White House in Iran and on a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea. CNN covering this escalated action like no other network can.
Plus, a CNN exclusive. Epstein Survivors say that Lesley Groff, the former assistant of the dead pedophile, lied to Congress about them. And they're explaining exactly how. One of the survivors is going to be here on The Lead.
And how a video featuring Bryce Harper, one of the biggest names in baseball, ended up being sent to a VIP FanDuel user, one with a gambling addiction, the lawsuit involving the popular online betting app ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN Breaking News. TAPPER: Welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper. We begin with breaking news in our world lead. The U.S. ceasefire with Iran is over as fresh strikes further degrade the situation in the Middle East. Here is where things stand right now.
The Islamic Republic says it targeted American bases in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Jordan. The Jordanian government confirmed it intercepted Iranian missiles that triggered air raid sirens. Iranian state media also reporting that U.S. forces carried out a new wave of attacks about midday local time, saying the perimeter of a nuclear power plant and a pier for fishing boats were struck in a coastal province in Iran. However, the U.S. has not confirmed carrying out these attacks.
Still, these reports follow a major wave of strikes overnight into Thursday. The U.S. military saying it struck more than 90 targets. Iranian state media released images of several burned boats that Iran said were damaged by U.S. airstrikes. Plus, international shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has dropped again after these strikes began. All of this raising even more doubts about efforts to end the conflict.
Sources say mediators are working to get Washington and Tehran back to the negotiating table. CNN has live team coverage on all fronts of the conflict. Fred Pleitgen in Iran's capital city of Tehran. CNN operates in Iran only with the permission of the government there, but we maintain full editorial control of our reports. Betsy Klein at the White House covering President Trump.
Pamela Brown aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln in the northern Arabian Sea. Let's go to Fred first in Tehran.
So, Fred, you're in Iran. The U.S. strikes have started again. Tell us what the mood is like there, what you're hearing from Iranian officials.
FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Jake. Well, the Iranians are essentially saying that they're going to maintain their hard line that they have been pursuing over the past couple of days. Really over the past couple of weeks. The chief negotiator for the Iranians, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, coming out and saying that the United States needs to understand that if it hits Iran, it is going to hit back. And also saying that the Iranians are going to insist on those transit corridors through the Strait of Hormuz.
That of course, one of the big things that set off his tit for tat with the U.S. hitting coastal areas of Iran and the Iranians then hitting back. And you're absolutely right, Jake. As we went through the course of the day, it certainly seemed to be getting more and more kinetic between the United States and the Iranians. You mentioned that apparent strike on the outskirts of the Bushehr nuclear facility. The Iranians saying those were struck by U.S. projectiles.
The U.S. not confirming that yet. However, the Iranians also confirming that they launched 10 very powerful ballistic missiles towards a U.S. base in Jordan. The Jordanians also confirming that there were air raid sirens that were going off there. They say they picked those missiles off. Nevertheless, that also in itself an escalation as it moves all of this beyond the Gulf region to the wider Middle Eastern region with the Iranians trying to reach U.S. military facilities there in Jordan.
All of this, of course, in front of the backdrop of this massive funeral that's been going on for Iran's late supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Those services coming to an end in the town of Masha in eastern Iran and certainly the Omani. (Inaudible) definitely also a factor for that, Jake.
TAPPER: All right, Fred Pleitgen there. We had a little trouble with your audio there, but then again, you are broadcasting from -- in Iran.
Betsy, what are we hearing from the White House right now about the nature of these latest strikes and what could come next?
BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, notably, Jake, a U.S. official tells CNN that U.S. military is not currently conducting strikes in Iran. My gosh, really bad ideas. Anyway, but a lot of questions for the White House on the end game here for this conflict. President Trump says that Iran wants to make a deal very badly. The president has also said that he doesn't know if Iran is worthy of a deal or if they are going to be able to honor it.
[17:05:09]
So a lot of questions for officials like Steve Witkoff, along with Vice President Vance, Jared Kushner about what, if anything, they can negotiate going forward. Now, the cease fire and that 60-day negotiation period was the only clear off ramp that this White House had. The president now weighing his path forward. U.S. officials do believe that there is still some division among Iran leadership and that could provide an opening to see how the White House moves ahead here.
Now, reporting from our colleague Alayna Treene really did indicate that President Trump launched these fresh strikes because he was angry that the Strait of Hormuz, that critical oil thoroughfare, was still not fully reopened. He was also upset that Iran was putting these strikes forward while he was at that NATO summit. He's been frustrated by the pace of the nuclear negotiations.
But I want to take you back to comments the president made last month at a G7 summit. He said that he was going to -- he was justifying the negotiations on that peace deal by saying that he didn't want to be like Herbert Hoover. He was avoiding an economic catastrophe.
So what is he doing now going forward? Consumers had finally started to get some relief. Gas prices now back up another 5 cents today since this conflict reignited. And there are going to be a lot of questions. Republicans, with every day that this conflict continues, are really wondering how they are going to move forward in those November midterm elections, Jake. TAPPER: All right, Pamela, let's go to you now. You're aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln where jets have been rumbling onto the vessel throughout the day for flight operations. What are you seeing and hearing from those aboard?
PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR & CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: Well, I can tell you, Jake, today has been the busiest day yet since we boarded the USS Abraham Lincoln on Tuesday -- alert and they're making preparations here on board for potential strikes. They've been putting the armaments on the jets, some of which you see some of the jets behind me here. There's F-18s, F-35, there's E-2, growlers. They've been getting them loaded up. There have been drills from the pilots, all kinds of things being done here in preparation for potential strikes.
Now as of right now, the latest indication is that the strikes aren't happening in this moment. But things are very dynamic. They are rapidly changing. And here on the Abraham Lincoln they are ready for anything. So the pilots did conduct daytime operations as well as nighttime operations, largely doing defensive operations, taking out any threats, doing surveillance over the Strait of Hormuz to be prepared if traffic happens.
And let me just kind of take you along, Jake, and show you what's going on in this hangar. So right now this is a fuel cell that they put on the F-18s. It's very big, as you can see. So clearly it's been undergoing some sort of maintenance. This F-18 also going -- undergoing maintenance.
But as we talk about these fighter pilots taking out threats, Jake, take a look at this. These are markings of all of the different threats from Iran that this particular jet has taken out since the beginning of the war. You have drones, you have missiles, you have bombs. Look at all of this. So they have been hard at work intercepting those threats.
We know the Iranians have been trying to target the USS Abraham Lincoln on multiple occasions. And so the big role for these fighter jets is to go out and be a first line of defense, take out those threats. And then there is the destroyers as well, more than a dozen that are protecting this ship. It is considered a high value target. So we've been watching these planes take off.
And, you know, interesting fact here, Jake, that every time a pilot lands, even if it's for combat or whatever the case may be, they are graded on their landing and then there's a review. So everything here is very detailed down to each little landing and a lot of people are involved to make sure everything goes smoothly. Jake.
TAPPER: All right, Fred Pleitgen in Tehran, Iran, Betsy Klein at the very stormy White House, Pamela Brown aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. Thanks to all of you. Appreciate it.
As this tension with Iran escalates, what we're learning now about the security concerns that led to President Trump switching planes on his way home from the NATO summit in Turkey. [17:09:18]
Plus Republican Senator Mitch McConnell, why has the 84-year-old been in the hospital for nearly four weeks? Is he coming back to work on Capitol Hill anytime soon? We're going to talk to someone who says he spoke with McConnell personally. That's ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TAPPER: In our World Lead, new questions tonight about last night's Air Force One switcheroo. Sources tell CNN that security concerns led to President Trump taking the old Air Force One when he left the NATO summit in Turkey rather than the jet he arrived on, the hastily retrofitted unconditional gift from Qatar to President Trump. President Trump later changed planes at a base in England. The New York Times reports that the older plane has systems that can blind an anti-aircraft missile and protect Air Force One from the electromagnetic effects of a nuclear blast. It's not clear if the new Qatar gifted plane has those capabilities.
President Trump did say this when asked why reporters had to close their window shades on the plane.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You're probably on a dangerous flight because of the sleazebags that we have to deal with.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you think that Iran was possibly thinking of trying to --
TRUMP: I mean, if they ask you to close your windows, probably they feel that way.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Were you aware of any credible threat by Iran against Air Force One?
TRUMP: Well, I have a threat all the time. I'm number one on their list before you. But if I go, you go, right?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: Retired U.S. Marine Corps Colonel Mark Cancian and CNN Correspondent Pete Muntean join us now to talk about this.
Colonel Cancian, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung tells us in a statement, quote, "As the president has said recently, there are many enemies of America who have their sights on him, and we use every tool at our disposal, including distraction and misdirection, to address those threats," unquote.
[17:15:09]
Do you think that's what this was? Purely distraction and misdirection, or did they realize that the new Air Force One didn't have what they needed to be safe since they launched fresh strikes starting last -- overnight?
COL. MARK CANCIAN, U.S. MARINE CORPS (RET.): I think it's almost certainly the latter. That is, the threat situation when they flew over was lower and they were able to use the, what they call the bridge, Air Force One, which has some capabilities, but not the full suite of capabilities that the former Air Force One did. But when they were over there, of course the strikes increased in the Gulf, the threat conditions increased and the Secret Service no doubt said, this is a little too dangerous. Let's bring over the aircraft with the full suite of capabilities. So they did that and then they switched in U.K. when the threat had reduced.
TAPPER: But shouldn't the President always be in an Air Force One that has the full suite of capabilities? I mean, one never knows what's going to happen in this dangerous world.
CANCIAN: Well, the Secret Service makes judgments, determinations about the level of threat. For example, flying around the United States is not terror --
TAPPER: Sure.
CANCIAN: -- threatening. And many foreign countries also have a low threat environment or have very good security. But there are times when that level of threat is going to be too high. I think they hit that level.
TAPPER: But like -- so last night there were fresh strikes. There aren't any right now, right this minute. If the president were flying internationally right now, wouldn't you recommend him still be in the plane with the full capabilities?
CANCIAN: If you were in the Middle East, if you were in Turkey, I would certainly recommend that. He was flying out of the U.K. back to the United States. I think that threat --
TAPPER: OK.
CANCIAN: -- was much lower.
TAPPER: Pete, what sort of extra precautions need to be taken to secure Air Force One to fly in or around any high risk areas internationally?
PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: The big unknown here is whether or not this new Qatari gifted jet has the same level of electronic countermeasures that the old Air Force One had. And so the keen eye observers will really point out the differences on the tail between the new planes at the very tail cone. The older Air Force One that are still in use have all of these different bumps that seems to be electronic countermeasures, infrared systems that would essentially throw off an air to air or ground to air missile, surface to air missile from its target. Also, the new Air Force One, at least according to this senior former Air Force official, says the new plane lacks chaff. And that's a system that essentially throws off explosions of metal -- TAPPER: Right.
MUNTEAN: -- that make it so -- that a radar guided missile would get distracted and essentially throw it off the scent. And so the fact that this new plane doesn't have this is pretty key. The idea is that the Air Force One should be the most hardened airplane --
TAPPER: Yes.
MUNTEAN: -- out there. It doesn't have the same level of protections or commercial airliners don't have the same level of protections that Air Force One would have. They don't need it. But this is flying in the most sensitive, most dangerous airspace in the world. The bottom line is, does this actually have all of the proper protections?
Was this airplane rushed through its revamp, its update, as it was going through this after it was being gifted by the Qatari government? Those are some still big questions that are out there right now.
TAPPER: I think we know the answers. All right, Pete Muntean and Colonel Mark Cancian, thanks so much for being here. Really appreciate it.
[17:18:51]
From the security concerns with Air Force One to green algae glowing -- growing in the reflecting pool, to ballroom funding and more, the rollout of so many Trump priorities that have included some significant missteps. I'll ask a Republican member of Congress whether he finds that concerning at all. That's next.
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TAPPER: In our Politics Lead, we're just about one and a half years into Trump's second term and I'm hearing criticisms from Democrats and Republicans of a pattern of poorly executed priorities that's emerging. President Trump said the new Air Force One, an unconditional gift estimated to be about $400 million, was, quote, "appropriate for a president" with, quote, "all of the different bells and whistles." But today we know that there were security concerns that prompted Trump to leave behind that gift plane and fly back on the older presidential plane when he left Turkey yesterday because it didn't have the required bells and whistles for security. And this keeps happening, that big ballroom project. President Trump initially said this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: It's being paid for 100 percent by me and some friends of mine, donors, rich people and people putting up the money. Zero taxpayer dollars.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: In May, the Republican controlled Senate Judiciary Committee requested 1 billion taxpayer dollars for funding that could go to security related to the 400 million dollar ballroom. President Trump wanted to beautify the reflecting pool on the National Mall, paint it American flag blue. His administration hired a company in a no bid contract, paid them $14 million only to have the pool quickly turn green from algae. And the paint started peeling off the bottom, which the administration blamed on vandals. The pool was drained again on Sunday.
Trump surged immigration enforcement into Minnesota to allegedly catch the worst of the worst. Federal immigration officers ended up shooting and killing two Minnesotans. Shootings and alleged cover ups by Trump's Justice Department that led several prosecutors to quit.
[17:25:13]
Trump started the war with Iran, citing an imminent nuclear threat after he spent months last year claiming the nuclear program had already been wiped out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Those targets were obliterated. Iran will never rebuild its nuclear. From there, absolutely not. That place is under rock. That place is demolished.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: Trump also said the Iran war would be over quickly and that hastiness could have contributed to rushed decision making and bad intelligence leading to the horrific strike on the Iran elementary school, killing more than 160 innocent children, according to Iran's count.
Joining us now to discuss, Republican Congressman Mike Flood from Nebraska.
Congressman, I'm not -- forget the priorities for a second. I'm talking about the execution. One could argue this is the logical result when an administration is staffed with ride or die loyalists instead of experts and the best of the best. What's your response?
REP. MIKE FLOOD (R-NE): Well, look what we've accomplished so far since he became president, we've secured the border. For the first time in 50 years our border -- our border is the safest it's ever been. Violent crime is coming down. Ask the people in Washington, D.C. how much safer they are today than they were a year ago. Talk about the tax cuts that we delivered.
No tax on tips, no tax on Social Security, no tax on overtime. You could transfer your farm to the next generation without paying a unbelievably high estate tax bill. There are so many good things that have happened. You can talk about planes and you can talk about the reflecting pool. That's aesthetics.
I think as far as President Trump's vision has gone, you know, he just -- the guy needs about three more hours of sleep a night. He is constantly into everything. And nobody should be surprised, we've known this since he hit the stage in 2014.
TAPPER: Well, in fairness, I didn't only talk about reflecting polls and the plane. I also talked about the immigration surge in which Minnesotans were killed. And I also talked about the war in Iran. And let's talk about the war in Iran because President Trump's campaign promised no new wars. And it seemed to resonate with voters.
I'm sure it resonated with Nebraskans. That promise has not been honored. How can the Republican Party convince voters in these midterms that Republicans still stand for America First and no new wars?
FLOOD: I've never been president of the United States, but I have to think when you sit in that Oval Office and you get the security briefings and you find out what the Iranian regime's up to, and you find out about their access to enriched uranium, nuclear weapons, dirty bombs, and you think about the threat to the homeland. It probably has your brain saying, OK, what do I need to do here to protect the American people? And this has gone on for 50 years. What has -- what has been so jarring about the situation over there is together with Israel, we have decimated the leadership. And next round we get another set of leaders.
They're martyrs. They are martyrs. And so every time we end up trying to get their attention, they break the rules that they have voluntarily signed up for. And then I think the president is right to use force. That's the only thing a bully understands.
That's the only thing that will get their attention. So I understand why this is going on. I don't want this to go on very long. But we also can't cut and run. You know, my barber, 85-years-old, he's like, how long have they been at our throats?
How long have they pledged death to America? Let's get this to a place where we don't live under their threat every single day.
TAPPER: You just had another feisty town hall. This time, Nebraskans seemed pretty upset when you tried to defend President Trump's Save America Act, which would severely restrict mail-in voting. Here's a little clip.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FLOOD: There are states in the nation where illegal immigrants are encouraged to vote.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: Now, the right leaning Heritage Foundation's database of confirmed fraud cases lists fewer than 100 examples of non-citizens voting between 2002 and 2022, amid more than 1 billion lawfully cast ballots. It should never happen, but it is extremely rare. The constituents who turned out of that town hall seem to not like the SAVE America Act. What do you say?
FLOOD: Well, you got to remember, these become performative for a certain number of very active Democrats to put on a show to send some false message that everybody in Nebraska is against the SAVE Act. The folks down at the VFW aren't going down to the town hall, but I do them because I think it's a bad idea if we stop trying to talk to each other. I can sit through the jeers, the boos and the disagreement of the few in that room that have those feelings if it allows me to talk to everybody else.
[17:30:04]
And I think there's a lot of people at home that hear, hey, why don't we just show an I.D. at the voting box or at the voting booth? You know, more than 75 percent of Nebraskans want that. That's our law.
And so I -- it's hard for me to understand why simply showing an I.D. when you vote is crossing a boundary other than Donald Trump wants it and anything that he wants. There's a certain segment of the population that want exactly the opposite.
TAPPER: I honestly, I think you should be applauded for having these town halls. Too many members of Congress don't do them. And too many members of Congress are afraid of being booed. I honestly, it's a -- it's great that you do them. Do you ever learn anything new from them? I mean, do you ever change your mind because of them?
FLOOD: Actually I do. So before each one, I sat outside and I shake everybody's hand that shake my hand coming in. And, you know, for a lot of those folks, I had an independent come up to me yesterday or the other day. And he said, you know, I don't agree with you on everything, but I vote for you because you do this. I vote for you because you come into the town square. I vote for you because I want to hear directly from you where you're out of these issues.
And you're not afraid to take a question. I always think it's interesting. Everybody always says, I'm going to go fight for you in Washington. Well, how can you -- how can you fight for somebody in Washington? If you can't stand in the town square in your hometown and, and handle a few people that want to get in your face, you know, like at the end of the day, some of these folks, you're like, I've seen them at all my town halls. We know each other. I know their kids names.
They have great t-shirts with my picture on them. We take selfies together. Like I'm -- this is like my summer club. You know, these folks have become friends. They're super nice when I shake their hand, but then they get in front of the cameras and it's -- there's a little acting that goes on there, but, hey, that's politics. I'm sure it happens on our too.
TAPPER: Republican Congressman Mike Flood from Nebraska. Thanks so much. Appreciate it, sir.
FLOOD: Have a good day.
TAPPER: Just in from Texas, brand new details about the fatal shooting of a Mexican man at the hands of an ICE agent. We're also learning about an Afghan national in Dallas who reportedly died after having an allergic reaction while in ICE custody. His brother will join me with details on this one. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[17:36:19]
TAPPER: And we're back with breaking news. In our National Lead, CNN has learned that Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, the Mexican national shot to death by a federal agent in Houston on Tuesday, was not the target of an ICE enforcement operation. A source says Texas authorities had notified ICE about two other people in a white van believed to be in the U.S. illegally.
A Homeland Security official told CNN that van was seen on Monday near the address of one of those targets, and that's when they tried to stop the vehicle. The source says the van was registered to Salgado Araujo, who agents determined to be in the country illegally. They say he tried to evade arrest as agents attempted to conduct that traffic stop, accusing him of ramming an ICE vehicle with his vehicle.
Then in Dallas, we're learning new details today about an Afghan man who died in ICE custody. Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal fought alongside U.S. Special Forces in Afghanistan. One day after arriving at a detention center back in March, Paktiawal died of an allergic reaction. And we're only learning how he died because of his death certificate, which lists the manner of death as an accident.
I want to bring in Paktiawal's brother, Naseer. First of all, I'm so sorry for your loss. The Dallas County medical examiner is ruling it an accident. What do you make of it all?
NASEER PAKTIAWAL, MOHAMMAD NAZEER PAKTIAWAL'S BROTHER: Thank you so much. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak about my brother. My brother was Mohammed Nazeer Paktiawal. He was much more than a headline. He was a loving husband, a father of six children, a brother, a person who stood alongside American troops in Afghanistan and fought alongside with them. So thank you for that.
TAPPER: His death certificate lists the date of injury as March 12th. But your brother wasn't taken into custody until March 13th. What do you make of that?
PAKTIAWAL: There's been a lot of question about that because my brother, he was arrested on March 13th. But when I read that news that it says March the 12th, March the 12th, we were sitting together. We, that night, we had a lunch, a dinner together. And it's kind of confusing that they're putting wrong information on their certificates and not providing me what exactly happened to him.
TAPPER: Your brother had asthma, I'm told. And your brother's wife, Zeba, reportedly tried to give him an inhaler while ICE was taking him into detention, but ICE would not accept it. Is that true?
PAKTIAWAL: That's exactly the truth. My sister-in-law, she called and asked that Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal is dealing with asthma a little bit. And he's using inhaler, which is you can purchase over the counter in any store, which was not provided by the medical or doctor or prescripted by anyone, was you can choose anywhere you want, any store. And he -- she was rejected. And she -- they didn't listen to her. And they just grabbed him and put him in the car and drove away.
TAPPER: Why did they take him into detention? He was in the country legally, right?
PAKTIAWAL: Exactly. He was vetted, then evacuated by the American troop from Afghanistan. He was not here illegal, across the border. He was evacuated when the previous government collapsed to the Taliban. And he was still impending. He applied for the asylum and his case is still under impending. And we did not receive either. He did not receive any rejection, any letter from the USCIS. And that's the question that I've been looking for to someone answer me, why did they arrested my brother? For what reason?
[17:40:02]
TAPPER: Why did they take him into custody? Why didn't they allow his wife to give him an inhaler? And how did he die?
PAKTIAWAL: Exactly. That's the question not just me, every war veteran needs to know. Every American, the American people, the great people of this nation needs to know. My family needs to know. His children, his wife needs to know. My siblings needs to know. Why did he die in that custody in less than 24 hours?
TAPPER: I don't know how many innocent people the Trump administration's immigration enforcement has to kill before Republicans in Congress start to ask some serious questions. But I hope at some point they're going to do their job. Naseer Paktiawal, thank you so much for joining us today.
PAKTIAWAL: Thank you for having me.
TAPPER: Coming up, a firsthand account on the condition of a Republican senator who used to be the Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell. He's been in the hospital for more than three weeks now, and there's been very little explanation as to why.
Plus, a video featuring baseball star Bryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies ended up being sent to a VIP FanDuel user, one with a gambling addiction. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[17:45:18]
TAPPER: In our Politics Lead, do voters have the right to know more about the health of Republican Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky? He has been in the hospital for three weeks, his office says. Neither he nor his team are explaining exactly why he's there.
The 84-year-old has faced a series of health issues in recent years, including suffering from a concussion and broken ribs after falling in March 2023. Also that year, he froze mid-sentence during two separate news conferences. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): This week has been good by bargain cooperation and a string of --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Running for re-election in 2026.
MCCONNELL: I'm sorry.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you hear the question, Senator? Running for re-election in 2026.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: I want to bring in someone who says he recently spoke with Senator McConnell, a former senior advisor to him, Scott Jennings. Scott, thanks so much for joining us. So you said McConnell called you on Tuesday. You said that you two spoke for about 17 minutes on a wide range of topics.
You said his voice sounded strong. He seemed to be keeping up with the news. Can you tell me why he hasn't been more transparent with his constituents about what's going on, what's wrong with him, when he'll be back to work, and why he hasn't released a video of him talking to his constituents?
SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, I did talk to him Tuesday. And the answer is no, I can't tell you why. I could speculate, which is that he's always been pretty guarded about his own health issues, whether that has to do with some of the videos you showed just a moment ago or, you know, anything really throughout the course of his life. And so, you know, that's just been his general disposition.
A lot of politicians handle it differently. But that's how he's chosen to handle it. My personal view is that they do need to actually have a little more transparency with the people of Kentucky. I counseled him and his team as such. Frankly, I'm a voter in Kentucky and have been friends with Mitch McConnell since I was a teenager. So it pains me when I think he's hurting.
But I do think when you're in a position of public life like he is, some information is a good thing. And that hasn't been out there. My belief is I think the Senate goes back in on Monday. I'd be shocked if they didn't put out an update on him by Monday about whether he's going to be able to go back to the Senate next week. And I should say, I don't know whether he is or he isn't. And I'm not sure whether he's made that decision or not.
TAPPER: Have you spoken with him since Tuesday?
JENNINGS: I have not. I have been in touch with the staff. In fact, I was speaking with some of his senior staff today. And I know he was actually meeting with some of his staff late this afternoon about a few issues going on over at the Senate. And truthfully, it sounded to me like somebody who was preparing at some point to go back to work. Now, whether that means go back to work soon or go back to work eventually, I don't know. But I do know he was meeting with his staff today and getting some briefings on a few issues.
TAPPER: Yesterday, the governor of Kentucky, Andy Beshear, sent a letter to McConnell's office asking him to fully update Kentuckians about his health. He wrote, "As public office holders, we have made a commitment to our constituents to do our best to represent them and to always be transparent. I believe this requires clear communication about one's ability to serve."
McConnell's already missed some pretty high profile votes on housing affordability, Iran war powers. Do you think he's going to be able to finish out his term, which ends in a few months, ends in January?
JENNINGS: Well, based on what I know today, the answer is yes. And as you pointed out, his term is coming to an end. His career is coming to an end. He's not running for re-election this year and he's got just a few months left in the Senate.
And based on our conversation the other day, I know he's got a few votes and some issues regarding national defense coming up that he's quite interested in. So based on what I know today, yes, I have every reason to believe he's going to finish out his term and intends to go back to work at some point. Now, I don't know that the decision has been made on when that's going to be, but yes, I would expect him to go back.
And there are also some things he's going to do at the end of his career, I think, here that denote his time as Senate majority leader. I know, for instance, there's a portrait that they'll eventually hang in the Capitol and some other, you know, sort of ceremonial-type things, which I know he's been quite interested in. So yes, I think he's going to finish his term.
[17:50:01]
And I think, frankly, Jake, all the speculation about him, you know, being dead or being a vegetable or being an organ failure, all that's -- that's not true. I've spoken with him and I've spoken to people who have been meeting with him over the last few days, so I think all that speculation could be put to rest.
But I think it's -- frankly, I think it's up to them to tell the people of Kentucky when he's going back to work. I hope they do that by Monday, and I believe that they will.
TAPPER: Yes, I mean, I don't disagree with you on the wild speculation, but that stuff tends to thrive when there isn't transparency about what's going on.
JENNINGS: I couldn't agree more. I agree with you, yes.
TAPPER: Scott Jennings, thanks so much. Appreciate it. Yes, sir.
Turning now to our Sports Lead, a FanDuel customer is suing the betting app, claiming that its VIP perks resulted in a gambling addiction that lost him nearly $2 million. As Terry Thompson's financial situation grew more desperate, his FanDuel VIP host was plying him with gifts such as champagne, tickets to see his beloved Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl twice, and, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, this personalized message from Philadelphia Phillies superstar Bryce Harper.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRYCE HARPER, PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES: Hey, Terry. What's up, brother? Hey, man. Your host, Brittany, from FanDuel. Wanted to make sure your Thanksgiving was extra special, so I just wanted to hop on here and wish you and your family a wonderful Thanksgiving. Tell my -- I said hello. I appreciate all the support through the years, and I just hope you have a great day. Enjoy it, and we'll see you soon. Bye.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: The Philadelphia Inquirer's David Gambacorta joins us now. And David, we should just acknowledge up front that you and I are Philadelphia Phillies fans, and this is not a fun story to report on, but we're professionals as well. The customer, Terry Thompson, claims he spent nearly $19 million on FanDuel and lost nearly $2 million because of all these wagers.
"He alleges that he covered his losses by taking out second and third mortgages on his home, which later fell into foreclosure, and then sold his shares of an investment company that he had run for two decades." Now, we reached out to FanDuel for comment on this story, and a spokesperson told us, "FanDuel employees are trained to recognize and flag signs of problem gambling and offer resources and tools, and we continue to review and strengthen our policies."
I'm not sure that I believe that statement. How did things become so dire for Terry Thompson?
DAVID GAMBACORTA, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER & EDITOR, PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER: Well, Terry's lawyers allege that when he began using some of these products offered by FanDuel and DraftKings, specifically micro-betting, which allows you to bet on almost every single play of a game, he spiraled into addiction, and as his losses mounted, he began to resort to desperate measures to try to continue funding that addiction.
TAPPER: So the video from Bryce Harper is shocking, and just to emphasize, there's no evidence that he has a partnership with FanDuel. There's no evidence he knew about Terry Thompson's addiction. His agent, Scott Boras and the Phillies and Major League Baseball, all declined comment to you and your story. They didn't respond to us ahead of this segment. Do you have any idea how this video came about?
GAMBACORTA: Well, as you mentioned, we tried reaching out to everybody connected to Bryce Harper, and we went as far as sharing that video with his agent, Scott Boras, and with the Phillies, and with Major League Baseball, and we're asking for the kind of clarity that you're talking about, and unfortunately, none of them were willing to comment to us. TAPPER: The Major League Baseball policy on gambling and sports betting has shifted quite a bit since the days of Pete Rose's lifetime ban in 1989, to mention another former Philadelphia Philly. Is Bryce Harper's video against policy? Is it against team ethics or anything?
GAMBACORTA: You know, I've read through the policy closely, and I don't see where this particular video would be a violation of what players are allowed to do in terms of engaging with sportsbook companies. But, you know, we consulted with a number of different experts, and each of them felt that the idea of this just raises ethical concerns about the overlap between professional sports, athletes, and gambling entities, and in this case, VIP bettors, who by definition are wagering large sums of money often.
TAPPER: Yes, and look, it is important to explain the context of Major League Football, Major League Baseball, all these leagues used to shun gambling in every way, and then they just, ultimately, the teams, the team owners, et cetera, and the leagues realized there was so much money, and that this was going to happen anyway, they decided to get a piece of it. What do we -- we don't know why Bryce Harper would have done this. I guess there's an innocent explanation that's possible. He has a relationship with somebody, and he was told, hey, this person's sick. I mean, what do you think is behind this?
GAMBACORTA: Well, I think at this point, it's probably incumbent on Bryce, or the Phillies, or his representatives to offer more of a detailed explanation of what happened here. But I mean, to your point, I went back and reviewed a deposition that Bud Selig gave back in 2012 when he was baseball's commissioner, and at the time, he was vehemently opposed to the idea of there being widespread legalized sports betting, and any sort of overlap with baseball.
[17:55:10]
He thought that it would lead to the ruination of the game. And clearly now, we're in a very different time, and a different era, and these partnerships exist, and they're quite significant, and I think are going to be a key part of the negotiations that are coming up, and actually I think are underway now between Major League Baseball and the Players Union. The next contract they have, I think, will have language that deals with how much players are allowed to engage with these companies.
TAPPER: Lie down with dogs, get up with fleas. David Gambacorta, thank you so much, appreciate it.
Coming up, a story only on CNN, Epstein survivors say Lesley Groff, the former assistant of the dead pedophile, lied to Congress about them, and they're explaining exactly how. One of the survivors is going to join us here on The Lead.
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[18:00:03]
TAPPER: Welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper. This hour Democrats in Maine are scrambling. They're officially on the clock to find a new --
