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The Source with Kaitlan Collins
U.S. & Iran Exchange Fire In Strait Of Hormuz; POLITICO: GOP Quietly Trying To Flip Dem Sen. Fetterman; Bezos-Backed Met Gala Draws Calls For Boycott. Aired 9-10p ET
Aired May 04, 2026 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[21:00:00]
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, ANDERSON COOPER 360: According to investigators, the driver suffered some cuts to his arm, because of broken glass. He was able to safely pull off the highway, which is incredible. No one on the flight itself was injured. The NTSB is investigating the incident.
At first, air traffic control didn't realize there was a problem with the landing. It was about a half hour later. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, they, they felt something over the threshold and they, there's a hole in the side of the airplane, so I'm going to get you on the runway here in a moment. They said it was right at the threshold, so it'll just be a minute.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: That's it for us. The news continues. "THE SOURCE WITH KAITLAN COLLINS" starts now.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, CNN HOST, THE SOURCE WITH KAITLAN COLLINS: Tonight, the U.S. and Iran are both firing shots for the first time in almost a month, as the President has declined to say if the ceasefire is still in place.
I'm Kaitlan Collins. And this is THE SOURCE.
Just three days after the President told Congress that, quote, Hostilities against Iran had terminated, he's just confirmed that the United States has struck at least six Iranian boats in the Strait of Hormuz. And sources say that some of his allies in Washington have encouraged him to restart the bombing campaign against Iran.
Tonight, the President declined to say whether or not that ceasefire that's been in place since April 7th still holds.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HUGH HEWITT, COMMENTATOR AND FORMER DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF THE UNITED STATES OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT, HOST, "THE HUGH HEWITT SHOW": Is the ceasefire over, Mr. President? Is it over? Are we going to hit them tonight?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Well, I can't tell you that.
HEWITT: All right, that's fine.
TRUMP: I mean, you -- you wouldn't -- if I answered that question, you'd say this man is not smart enough to be president of the United States of America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: One source in the region is describing the situation to CNN as, quote, Very bad and messy.
And the reality in the Persian Gulf today looks like this. A key port in the UAE burning after an Iranian attack, where officials say that air defenses, quote, Engaged 19 Iranian missiles and drones today.
President Trump is warning Iran's forces that they will quote, Be blown off the face of the earth if U.S. ships are targeted. And the head of Central Command says Iran has done just that. Admiral Brad Cooper told reporters today that Iran launched multiple cruise missiles, drones and small boats at U.S. Navy ships and commercial ships that were being protected by the U.S. military.
Despite that, this morning, the U.S. Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent insisted that the Strait of Hormuz is safe.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT BESSENT, TREASURY SECRETARY: Their Navy is not a navy anymore. It's a band of pirates. They are trying to cut off international freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, and the U.S. is opening that up.
So, we are saying, the Iranians do not have control of the Strait. We have absolute control of the Strait.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Now, Central Command says that the two U.S.-flagged ships have safely made it through the Strait of Hormuz. As one major shipping company says that one of its U.S.-flagged vessels, quote, Exited the Persian Gulf accompanied by U.S. military assets.
But the bigger picture that is taking shape tonight is that despite the President's announcement of what he is calling Project Freedom, his offer for the U.S. military help to get through the Strait doesn't appear to have a lot of takers yet. Movement in and out of the Gulf looks a lot like it has for the last two months, nearly non-existent.
If the Strait remains closed for another month, one oil analyst is telling CNN that gas prices will likely hit the $5 a gallon mark.
Now, the national average in the U.S., of course, for gas topped out at $5.03 under President Biden. And the potential political impacts of those prices returning to that level, something that obviously President Trump, when he was out of office, heavily criticized, is something that his administration is well aware of.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BESSENT: Again, we are cognizant that the -- that this short-term blip up in prices is affecting the American people.
KELLY LOEFFLER, UNITED STATES ADMINISTRATOR OF THE SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION: There's no question, Maria, that there is a short-term impact to this.
SEAN DUFFY, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION: That point is why the President has focused so hard on energy price -- pricing and American energy dominance.
TRUMP: Everybody was wrong. They thought that energy would be at $300, right? $300 a barrel. And it's like at a $100, and I think going down, and I see it going down very substantially when this is over.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: My first pair of sources tonight are:
New York Times White House and National Security Correspondent, David Sanger.
And retired Army Major General, James "Spider" Marks.
And it's great to have you both here tonight.
David Sanger, first with you. What are you hearing from sources about whether or not the Trump administration's -- Trump administration does believe that the ceasefire has collapsed?
[21:05:00]
DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL & NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST, WHITE HOUSE & NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT, THE NEW YORK TIMES, AUTHOR, "NEW COLD WARS": Well, it's pretty obvious from just watching what's happening that the ceasefire has at least been broken. That doesn't mean that it's collapsed. It doesn't mean that they couldn't put this back together again.
It is interesting that the administration has not leapt on the moment to resume a bombing campaign, and that's for a very good reason. President Trump knows that this is an unpopular war, and if it looks like he is back in it, full-bore, he's going to end up, not only with worse poll numbers. But going to China next week, having to explain to Xi Jinping, who's hosting him for a summit meeting, why it is that the world is not getting oil, fertilizer, helium, for semiconductors, going through the Strait.
He wanted to put off this trip, which he was initially supposed to take in early April, so that the war would be over by the time he got to Beijing. Clearly, that isn't going to be the case. And now, he can't really give us much of a sense, because I don't think he knows himself how long this will go on.
COLLINS: Yes, I think David makes a good point about all the factors at play here, the geopolitical factors.
General, from your view, I mean, if the United States could say, Hey, this is the -- the ceasefire being broken, and they're not resuming the bombing campaign as a result of this. Obviously, we saw what CENTCOM said today. What's your view of what they have said so far? What are you reading in between the lines there?
MAJ. GEN. JAMES "SPIDER" MARKS (RET.), HEAD OF GEOPOLITICAL STRATEGY, ACADEMY SECURITIES: Well, I think historically, every ceasefire has had challenges. Going forward, I think they are broken. As David indicated, they not necessarily have collapsed.
But you will have routine engagements with this rubric of a ceasefire. So, I don't think this is surprising. And we can control what that looks like, certainly. We can go after the small boats if they intend to engage, which the only purpose they have is to engage and to drop mines or to harass. And obviously, the U.S. Navy is going to continue to do that.
I think at this point, clearly, what Admiral Cooper is describing is that he has, with the forces he has available, he has options. He has options to maintain the blockade. He certainly has options to maintain an escort type mission or an opening type mission, and for tankers to get through, it's fair to say that the Straits are open. They're not necessarily open with a kind of an uncorking and now a flow of tankers through.
But I think we're going to see continued progress in that regard, with the presence of the Navy. There's only so much these small boats can achieve from Iran, the local ports that they have. It's very limited, but it's enough to give everybody pause, and that's what we're seeing right now.
But clearly, with insurance, and with some guarantees, and some experience and some with -- with examples of those tankers that have already gone through, I think we're going to see an increase.
But bear in mind, even if this thing was uncorked today, you're not going to see a relief in terms of pressures at home, domestically, for quite some time.
COLLINS: Yes. And, I mean, Secretary Hegseth, the Joint Chiefs Chairman, General Caine, they're both holding a press conference -- a press briefing tomorrow. Obviously, they're going to get a ton of questions about these hostilities.
But David, in terms of the President saying today, that he was going to blow Iran, quote, Off the face of the earth, should they -- should they continue targeting U.S. ships and in the U.S. military. He also said that Iranian negotiators, in his view, are being, quote, Far more malleable. I wonder how you square that, given with what we're -- what we're seeing today--
SANGER: Yes.
COLLINS: --and what the state of peace talks really are.
SANGER: Well, hard to know, except if you're truly on the inside what the state of the peace talks are.
The President has bounced between saying, The deal is done, The Iranians want a deal so much that they've agreed to everything. Remember, that was two weeks ago. And clearly, they had not. To threats to end Iranian civilization, or today, To blow them off the face of the earth and all that.
The President does this, because I think he believes that either coaxing them along or threatening them is going to seriously change their position. This position now is being run by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. It's essentially now a sort of military dictatorship that they are under, and they've been pretty consistent.
We do believe that their newest proposal may call for up to 15 years of suspension of nuclear activity. And if they got that, that would be more than President Obama got in the 2015 agreement. He got 15 years, but there was still some nuclear activity. So, I think, the President may be on the way to getting some kind of nuclear deal. But I think that's still a distance away.
COLLINS: Yes. We'll see where that goes from here.
David Sanger. Major General "Spider" Marks. Great to have both of your expertise here tonight.
[21:10:00]
My next source joining us tonight worked on national security at the State Department and the Pentagon. He is now a Democratic senator, representing New Jersey. Senator Andy Kim.
Thank you, Senator, for being here.
In your view, is the ceasefire still in place tonight?
SEN. ANDY KIM (D-NJ): No. I mean, I think right now we're seeing just the total chaos and the mess that is being done. I mean, look, if you're sinking more ships than you have had diplomatic talks, this is not a ceasefire.
Right now, they are not investing in the diplomacy, not investing in the talks, not investing in the work that is needed to be able to get a deal. And instead, you see Donald Trump, down at his golf resort, hosting a golf tournament there, while Americans are seeing their gas prices going through the roof. I mean, we're seeing what, the latest estimates, over $32 billion more spent by Americans since the beginning of this war on gas and diesel. I mean, this is something that's crushing so many families.
COLLINS: Do you blame the Iran or U.S., though, for breaking -- for breaking the ceasefire?
KIM: Well, look, I think first of all, the fact that we're even in this situation, where we are so much worse off than we were two months ago, where the Strait of Hormuz is continuing to be closed, and the President just continuing to declare that he won, declaring that we got everything that we need, we're holding all the cards. I mean, he's just blatantly lying to the American people on this front.
So look, I mean, right now, what we need is, we need commitment to diplomacy and find a way to end this war immediately. Otherwise -- you know, I was just back in New Jersey, talking to so many families there. One woman was telling me about her family's struggles. And she -- you know, she's hearing about all the different things going on with this war. And she just turned to me, and she said, What about us? What are we supposed to do? Having trouble being able to pay the bills.
I mean, 40 percent of Americans can't handle a $400 emergency right now. Yet, they're seeing the gas prices go up and up and up. I mean, this is something where we need to make sure that we're finding that off-ramp right now.
COLLINS: Do you think gas will hit $5 a gallon?
KIM: I think it could very well. And the problem here is it's not just about where it's going to peak, but the fact that this is going to go on for quite some time.
COLLINS: Well--
KIM: I mean, just what, the sheer amount of infrastructure that's been destroyed in the region, the disruptions to shipping, which is going to take months to be able to get back on track. I mean, this is something that is going to be long-term damage.
COLLINS: There's a quote from the President today at the White House. As he's talked about this war, he's called it several different things. And there was this quote from the President today, a description of the war, a new description, I guess I should say, because I don't think I've heard him describe it this way before.
Listen to what the President said today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: So we did a little detour, and it's working out very nicely. They have no navy. They have no air force. They have no anti-aircraft equipment. They have no radar. They have no nothing.
Our country is booming now, despite the fact that we're in a, I call it, a mini-war, because that's all they are.
(END VIDEO CLIP) COLLINS: Would you describe this, Senator, as a mini-war?
KIM: No. And despite the President finding a thesaurus, this is not something that the American people find funny. I mean, look, we're past -- we're at 66 days in this war. That's actually longer than the '91 Gulf War in terms of when Kuwait was liberated. 66 days is actually longer than the amount of time that George W. Bush took to declare Mission accomplished, and we saw what happened after that.
We're in a similar place with Trump here, where, you know, he is basically declaring victory, Mission accomplished, saying that we hold all the cards. But we don't know how this is going to end. And we have thousands and thousands of service members.
I mean, just the other day they announced this new project, Project Freedom. I don't know if you saw, Kaitlan, the CENTCOM release on that. 15,000 service members are a part of this project, that is meant to bring vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, the vast majority of these vessels, not American vessels. And so, we're risking U.S. service members? How long is that going to go on for? And again, to the woman that I talked to in New Jersey, What about us? We're giving all this relief to all these vessels, again, many of them not American ships. What about us? What is the American people going to feel about this?
So, this is a long time, and it's well beyond time for Congress to be able to act. But we just continue to see just this abdication of leadership from Republicans in Congress, just continuing to let Donald Trump defile and disgrace our Constitution and continue with this illegal war.
COLLINS: Do you think at some point that the Senate will vote on this war?
[21:15:00]
KIM: Well, I hope so. But first and foremost, I just need to point out, that is not how our Constitution works. This is not a situation where a president can start a war and then it's up to Congress to stop it. So, he should have sought permission and approval. I mean, with what I talked about in the '91 Gulf War, the 2003 Iraq War, even after 9/11, George W. Bush came to Congress for approval, even after our country was so brutally attacked on 9/11.
COLLINS: But your colleague, Rick Scott, we had him on the other night, and he was saying, the President doesn't need to come to Congress for authorization of this. We were talking to him on the 60- day mark of this war, on Friday, I mean, or on Thursday, right before it happened.
What do you say to him?
KIM: Well, I would say, again, let's look at the wording of the oath that we swore when we came in as senators. We swear an oath to protect and defend the Constitution. Not to protect and defend a president. Not to protect and defend a political leader. This is about our Constitution. This is about the American people who are struggling right now.
And I'm sure that the -- you know, that the people down in Florida are struggling as much as the people in New Jersey and elsewhere, when we see these sky-high costs, and everyone wondering, why aren't we focused on them and the costs and the challenges that Americans are facing, instead of just starting these wars that are costing tens of billions of dollars, you know, when we saw the price tag from the, in fact, Department of Defense, and as I said, also seeing, you know, $32 billion and rising of what Americans have paid more in gas and diesel, just in the last two months.
COLLINS: Senator Andy Kim, thank you for taking the time to join us tonight.
KIM: Thanks so much.
COLLINS: Up next. Speaking of Senate Democrats. John Fetterman insists he is not switching parties. But ahead of the November midterm elections, apparently some Republicans are pushing to try to make that happen. My next source has the story.
Plus, the Bezos backlash. Why he and his wife are facing protests the night they are taking center stage at the Met Gala on the red carpet.
And also the latest, on the investigation underway, after a plane hit a delivery truck, as it was landing at Newark International Airport.
[21:20:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: As a nationwide redistricting war is now raging ahead of the midterms that will determine which party controls the House of Representatives. POLITICO is reporting tonight on a quiet effort by Republicans to try to shore up control of the Senate and, in one part, attempting to flip Democratic Senator John Fetterman to become a Republican.
Now, the Senator maintains, to POLITICO, he's not changing parties. But GOP sources tell POLITICO's Jonathan Martin that, quote, President Trump "Has made the sell, offering his patented total and complete endorsement plus a financial windfall to the Pennsylvanian," and that, quote, "A handful of Senate Republicans are also gently feeling out Fetterman and responding to his concerns over the prospect of defecting from the Democratic Party."
Now, this comes as Fetterman has repeatedly gone on Fox News, sometimes to criticize his party, saying this in his latest appearance just a few days ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN FETTERMAN (D-PA): There is a resurgent about the socialism, and that's becoming more and more a part of it. And now there's more, it's like a marriage of the Palestinian, the anti-ICE, the abolish ICE, and now turning it in to like an orgy of socialism here. And that's sad.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Now the reporter, on that piece, is making his debut here tonight, on THE SOURCE.
Jonathan Martin is the Politics Bureau Chief at POLITICO, and the host of the On the Road podcast.
And it's great to have you, J-Mart.
JONATHAN MARTIN, POLITICS BUREAU CHIEF, POLITICO: Kaitlan, thank you.
COLLINS: Tell us what you -- what you learned as you were reporting this out.
MARTIN: Well, what a treat to join you. Thank you so much for having me.
Well, that clip that you just showed there, of Senator Fetterman, says a lot. He knows what he's doing when he goes on Fox, and talks about anti-ICE and Palestinian and socialism. He has all the buzz words down, because he understands that that's the way to get publicity these days, and that he can keep doing that and sort of be at the center of the action as a Democrat, willing to criticize Democrats. That's the name of the game today, when it comes to our tribal politics.
Now, his voting record, as he points out, is still generally fairly close to the party line. He's found some issues, obviously, the war in the Middle East, immigration being another, in which he's a much more of a moderate to conservative Democrat, but he largely toes the party line.
Here's where it gets interesting. He's isolated from his own party, in Pennsylvania and in Washington, socially. And a lot of your viewers know that the Senate is kind of like a high-school cafeteria, and where you sit matters a lot. And increasingly, Kaitlan, he's sitting with the Republicans.
There's a pair of senators, Katie Britt from Alabama, your home state, and then Dave McCormick from Pennsylvania, who have really taken him under their wing and, I think, are part of this effort to try to see if Fetterman is up for changing parties.
He says no, today. But let's see where this thing sits after the midterms, especially, Kaitlan, if Democrats pick up four seats, are on the verge of having 51, what happens then? Can Senator Thune, President Trump, go back to Fetterman and say, OK, if you give us that crucial seat to deny Democrats the majority, keep us in power, what do you want? What's on the table?
[21:25:00]
COLLINS: I mean, when I hear you say that, it makes me wonder what else you heard when you were reporting this out, maybe privately about these kind of conversations that he's been having. Because, I mean, he's telling you why he's not changing.
MARTIN: Yes.
COLLINS: But do other people seem to be under the impression that that is -- that he's gettable, I guess?
MARTIN: Well, I think the view on the Hill is that he's unlikely going to become a full-fledged Republican, that the more likely scenario is that he become an Independent. And that, we've seen this in the past, where people become Independent but caucus with one of the two parties. Bernie Sanders, famously, has been an Independent for decades now, and obviously still caucuses with Democrats. And I think that is something that I think is more attainable. I still think it's unlikely. I think the most likely scenario is he doesn't run again for re-election in 2028, and stays a kind of maverick Democrat.
But I'm telling you, if this Senate is split 50-50, or even 51-49 after Election Day, you know, Democrat, I think this is going to get really interesting. And the question of, how could you -- could you beat an Independent who's a total Independent? Would you have to caucus with the GOP? Would you just vote for John Thune for a leader, as the first vote of the new Congress, and then you're a free man, free agent? I mean, all those are up for grabs, and potentially really crucial, depending upon what happens in the midterms.
COLLINS: Yes, I mean, we could potentially be in a scenario where -- I mean, we've seen these moments before with a Manchin or a Sinema--
MARTIN: That's right.
COLLINS: --or certain senators have used their leverage in a real way--
MARTIN: Right.
COLLINS: --that doesn't always sit well with their own party.
MARTIN: It sure doesn't. And obviously, Manchin and Sinema are the most recent examples of that in the Senate.
But we've seen also play out, in modern American history, after elections, when a state Senate or a state House flips, or is close to flipping, and you see the parties sort of get into almost an auction mode, who can get the better offer, trying to pick off legislators who would ensure they have the majority, or keep the other side from attaining a majority? This would not be a new development. But the stakes will be significantly higher.
I'll just give you one issue, for example, and that is a Supreme Court vacancy. Because of the fact that we now can confirm Supreme Court judges with the bare majority, it's not a filibuster question anymore, because of the arms race on judicial nominations. It's possible that Thune, having the status of Majority Leader or not, could decide whether or not a justice gets confirmed in President Trump's final two years, if there is a vacancy. So, it does have real big-picture implications. COLLINS: Yes.
J-Mart, as always, excellent reporting. Thank you for joining us tonight.
MARTIN: Thanks, Kaitlan. Go Tigers. Appreciate it.
COLLINS: Roll Tide.
I mean, I want to talk about this some more though. We've got my top political sources here tonight, including:
Van Jones, who's a former Obama administration official.
And David Urban, who is a former Trump campaign adviser.
David, you know the State of Pennsylvania incredibly well. What do you make of, of what J-Mart is hearing?
DAVID URBAN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, FORMER TRUMP CAMPAIGN ADVISER: Yes, look, I like J-Mart with the tie on. If he puts me in a little -- if I had known he was going to wear one, I would have put a tie on for J-Mart.
But listen, great reporting. Jonathan is a great reporter. He's got it exactly correct. I've had three discussions with Senator Fetterman, personally myself, where I have -- I've asked him, I said, Look, can we get you on the team? Can we get you to switch over? And he has said, flat-out, No, he wasn't intended on switching, he would not switch.
To Jonathan's point about, I said, Well, then how about becoming an Independent? Maybe caucus in with the -- you can caucus with your party. Have one foot out the door. Maybe vote for Thune, as was pointed out. And he didn't even seem interested in doing that.
And Kaitlan, I'll point out, this is -- my discussions with him were as late as last weekend, at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. He and I went through the magnetometer together, and I chatted with him there.
A little bit of history, Kaitlan. As you remember -- you probably don't remember. Our viewers don't remember. But I was Arlen Specter's Chief of Staff, a 100 years ago, in Pennsylvania. We had -- we had Jim Jeffords switch parties back then, as you recall.
COLLINS: Yes.
URBAN: And my former boss was widely derided in Pennsylvania, right? He was a Republican, but hated by the Republicans, largely, and admired by Democrats. Kind of the reverse of what John Fetterman is seeing. He's incredibly popular in the state. I think that if he were to run as an Independent, he would get elected as an Independent in Pennsylvania. So, a lot will be on the table. Lot to be -- lot to be played out here yet. But I don't think he's switching to be a Republican. COLLINS: Van, what's your take on all this?
VAN JONES, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, FORMER OBAMA ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Look, I think he is a moderate Democrat, and that should not be illegal in this party.
[21:30:00]
My God, you have to agree on a 100 percent of a 100 percent of the Berkeley, California agenda to be a Democrat? It doesn't make any sense. We've always had more moderate Democrats, progressive Democrats. We've always had some people who didn't fit the mold, from Manchin, going back in the day, Scoop Jackson.
Like, what the heck? Like, it just shows you how nutty things have gotten, that somebody who wants to stick up for Israel and doesn't want an open border is somehow now has to be a Republican. That's completely insane.
I think that John Fetterman would not fit in the Republican Party any better than I would. He is 93 percent on the Democratic side. 93 percent. How --
URBAN: But your party doesn't want him, Van.
JONES: No. Hey, listen, I think -- I think, a lot of this stuff is just what people do to throw shade and criticism.
John Fetterman is a great man. He's a great American. He's a maverick. We need people like that in this party, and we need more people who speak their minds. I don't get it. He's not going to be a Republican. And he should be able to be a Democrat and not get a bunch of nonsense thrown at him.
COLLINS: Van Jones. David Urban. Don't go anywhere, because I have a lot more questions for y'all.
That is because not just talking about Pennsylvania tonight, we're also talking about California. We're going to be hosting a debate here, tomorrow night, featuring Democrats and Republicans, all running for governor in a primary system that could actually lead to two -- that will lead to two candidates from the same party, or could lead to two candidates from the same party on the ballot in November.
Harry Enten is here to break down the numbers on what we know, next.
[21:35:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: We're less than 24 hours away from a high-stakes California Governor primary debate, right here on CNN. I'll be moderating that debate, alongside my colleague, Elex Michaelson, tomorrow night. As seven candidates are going to square off in a rare all-party primary battle to replace the term-limited current governor, Gavin Newsom. Tomorrow night is going to be one of the final opportunities for voters to actually get to hear from the Democrats and Republicans who are fighting to lead the most populous state in the nation.
CNN's Chief Data Analyst, Harry Enten joins me now.
And Harry, obviously, there's going to be a lot of names on stage, tomorrow night. What did the numbers that you're seeing tell you about where these candidates stand going into this debate tomorrow?
HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Kaitlan, it's an absolute mess. I mean, that's really the terms I would use for it, an absolute mess. Because you mentioned the seven folks. And getting seven different candidates, their polling numbers on a screen is quite difficult, but I was able to do it.
But the reason I wanted all seven is because how close they are to each other. I mean, just take a look at the top choices for California governor. It's the recent CBS News/YouGov poll. The top candidate was the Republican, Steve Hilton at 16 percent. But Tom Steyer, a Democrat, was at 15. Now, Xavier Becerra was at 13. Then you got Bianco at 10, another Republican. Katie Porter at 9. Mahan at 4. Villaraigosa, the former Los Angeles Mayor, at 4. All within 12 points of each other.
And you were hinting at it, when comes to the break, the top two advance to the November general election. You could easily see two Republicans, 16 and 10 advance. You could see two Democrats, 15, 13, 9, could advance. So, the bottom line is that debate tomorrow is so important because this race is so freaking close.
COLLINS: Well, and you mentioned Tom Steyer, you have him at 15 percent in the polling there. He's obviously one of the frontrunners, given those numbers. He's a billionaire. He's a Democrat. People remember likely when he ran for president. How is his money working, as he is trying to woo voters?
ENTEN: Well, I'll just tell you, if I had one dream in my life, besides having the love of family, it would be to have the amount of money that Tom Steyer has and has been able to spend in this governor's race so far. Because just look, take a look at this. OK, Ad spending for California Governors, Top candidate spenders.
Tom Steyer has already spent $145 million. I almost sound like, feel like, Dr. Evil, saying that, $145 million. The next closest is Mahan. As a candidate spender, he has spent just $6 million. You don't have to be a mathematical genius to know that $145 million is way more than $6 million. It's $139 million more. Even when you take into account the outside groups that are spending, the top outside groups spending for Mahan, it's spending, get this, $23 million so far.
So, Tom Steyer is spending more money than anybody I could possibly imagine spending to want to be the Governor of California. But hey, it's a great state, I guess.
COLLINS: Well, I mean, talk about spending a lot of money. We've just been talking about gas prices with Senator Andy Kim over in New Jersey. Here, in California, gas is already expensive. The war is only adding to that. How are we seeing that play out, Harry?
ENTEN: Yes, I mean, let me just tell you, the amount of -- the amount gas costs in California, top in the United States, $6.11, that's the top state. The national average is just $4.46.
And I will tell you that when you talk to Californians, they see this difference, and you can see the impact of gas prices. I mean, take a look, Difficult or financial hardship among California voters because of gas prices. 57 percent of all voters. Then you see the rare trifecta, 63 percent of Republicans, 57 percent of Democrats, and 51 percent of Independents.
I think there are going to be a lot of interesting answers, tomorrow night, when it comes to the cost of living in California, including gas prices. And that's why, I'm going to be tuning into you, Kaitlan.
COLLINS: Good. Hopefully we do get some interesting answers to interesting questions.
Harry Enten, thanks for breaking those numbers down.
[21:40:00]
And Van Jones and David Urban are back with me.
Van, this race was scrambled when Eric Swalwell dropped out of it. There is no clear frontrunner, as you just looked at what Harry was laying out there. What are you watching for in the Democratic candidates on stage, tomorrow night?
JONES: Well, this is the first time that on a major stage, we're going to see all of the -- all of them together.
Tom Steyer, very impressive. I've known him for a long time. Big climate guy. He's spending a lot of money to get his word out there.
But when you're standing on stage, shoulder to shoulder with people, you never know what's going to happen. Mahan has been coming on strong. I think he represents a little bit more of a conservative Democrat vote. He's more of a tech guy. He's done a great job with his state -- with his city as a mayor. And so, right now, you got to imagine, Tom Steyer has bought his pathway to the one -- the top two. The question is, can anybody else get in there with him?
But you never know. I mean, tomorrow night, everybody needs to tune in. If something could happen that completely upset the applecart, and I think people in California do not know who should be leading us. Villaraigosa you're showing there, great mayor in Los Angeles, very well-respected. This can go anyway. Anything's possible in California right now.
COLLINS: Well, I mean, speaking of anything being possible, David. It has been two decades since a Republican was last elected governor here. We've got two on stage tomorrow night, Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco. What are you going to be looking for from the Republican side?
URBAN: Yes. I don't know Chad.
I know Steve pretty well. He's an impressive character. I think he'll do extremely well. Former television personality. He's going to be purpose-built for this debate, as long as you don't beat him up too badly.
Listen, it's going to be interesting to see how far they try to distance themselves from the President, right, and from this administration, which is widely viewed, I'm sure, as completely unpopular anywhere in California. Maybe Orange County, it's popular. But most of the state is -- President Trump is viewed as being responsible for high gas prices, the war lack of affordability, wildfires, blame -- pick something, Californians don't like Trump. And so, it'll be interesting to see how Steve Hilton gets away from that.
COLLINS: Well, I mean, and Van, on that note. When you look at this, there's 61 people that I think are going to be on the ballot when voters are getting them. Obviously, there's going to be seven that have qualified for our debate on stage tomorrow night.
But there are some scenarios that Democrats would not be happy about, where maybe two Republicans could be on the ballot, come November, based on how this works, or it could be two Democrats potentially on there.
JONES: Well, I mean, this has been the panic in the party, the past two months, is this fear that we're going to mess around with too many people on the ballot, too many strong Dems on the ballot, and we cannibalize ourselves, and somehow, both Republicans sneak on through.
I think that's less likely now that Swalwell is out. I think it's kind of like, you know, before you had, you know, he has the name ID, Steyer's got the name ID. Even Katie Porter, who's kind of fallen quite a bit, has the name ID. Do you just wind up cannibalizing this party and handing it over?
And, I mean, there were a lot of meetings in California, there was a lot of begging people to drop out, that kind of thing. But listen, if you're a Villaraigosa who's very well-respected? If you're Mahan who's coming on as a rising star? It's hard to tell anybody to get out. And basically nobody did.
COLLINS: Yes, and a lot of them think they can still be the candidate after Swalwell exited.
David Urban. Gavin Newsom has not endorsed anyone yet in this race. He told Mark Leibovich over at The Atlantic, he would do so only in a break-glass scenario. What happens if he does that?
URBAN: Yes, again, so I spent a little bit of time with Governor Newsom, this past weekend, and I think, you know -- again, there's baggage, right? If you're -- if you're Governor Newsom, you endorse somebody that may not help that person. Van has a better view of this. He's a Californian, and is a Democrat. And Gavin Newsom isn't widely loved by everybody in the state. And so, if you get a big bear hug from Gavin Newsom, that may help you with some people and may drag you down with others in the state. And so, I think it's why -- it's why he's probably sitting it out, doesn't want to -- doesn't want to hurt the people that he might hurt, and doesn't want to help others.
COLLINS: Yes.
JONES: I see itself -- I see it just somewhat differently, because I think if you had the two Republicans floating up, I think a Newsom bear hug would actually probably elevate somebody. The fact that he doesn't have a handpicked successor is interesting at this point. But we'll see.
COLLINS: Yes.
JONES: Look, people should tune in tomorrow. It's going to be a decisive, major thing, tomorrow night.
COLLINS: Van Jones, I--
(CROSSTALK)
URBAN: Take it easy on him, Kaitlan.
COLLINS: People should tune in tomorrow. It's going to be a great debate between --with Elex and I, there moderating.
JONES: Yes.
COLLINS: Van Jones. David Urban. Thanks for being here tonight.
[21:45:00]
And as Van noted, you can watch the CNN California Governor Primary Debate. It will be live here from Los Angeles, tomorrow, 09:00 p.m. Eastern, 06:00 p.m. Pacific on CNN. You can watch also on the CNN app. We will be covering it and our takeaways right after.
Speaking of tonight though. Right now, the Met Gala is underway in New York. There is fashion. There is also controversy, this time, over Jeff Bezos.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[21:50:00]
COLLINS: Tonight, some of the biggest stars in the world are gathered inside New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art for the annual Met Gala. We just saw all the extravagant looks on the red carpet tonight, as movie, TV, music, sports, stars, everybody, showed up for the biggest night in fashion, dressing for the theme, which this year is, Fashion is Art. Now, while the event always generates some controversy. This year, a lot of that backlash has centered on the fundraiser's main sponsors. Amazon co-founder and billionaire, Jeff Bezos, and his wife, Lauren Sanchez Bezos.
My source tonight is CNN's Senior Style Reporter, Rachel Tashjian, and is here to explain why.
Rachel, obviously, as soon as they had announced that Bezos and his wife were going to be the main sponsors this year. That immediately, I believe, started so much of this controversy. Tell us what happened and what you saw tonight so far on the red carpet.
RACHEL TASHJIAN, CNN SENIOR STYLE REPORTER: Well, what was really surprising is that we did not see Jeff Bezos on the red carpet. So, I went to the press conference this morning for the Met Museum's exhibition as well, and he was not there either. And he did not appear on the red carpet. It was just Lauren Sanchez Bezos by herself.
And my best guess here is that it seems as if, you know, Jeff has always wanted to move into the world of fashion. He's made a number of attempts with Amazon to kind of legitimize his luxury business. But I think he sees the charm and charisma of his wife as his way into this world. And I think for her, this is kind of a big coming-out moment, cementing her friendship with Anna Wintour, of course, kind of having this Cinderella time at the Met Gala. And so, perhaps he wanted this to be her night.
COLLINS: Yes, that's a great point. I didn't even think about that when we saw her on the red carpet earlier, and he was not there.
The other person that wasn't there is the Mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani. Typically, I believe, the mayor has gone before in New York City. What do we know about why Mayor Mamdani did not go tonight?
TASHJIAN: Right. So, there were a lot of rumors and speculation over the past couple of weeks about this, but then he did indeed confirm that he wouldn't attend. And he gave kind of a -- he demurred a bit, he didn't exactly say why he wasn't coming. But he essentially said, Look, my responsibility is to make New York City more affordable, and that's what I'm focused on right now.
And I think that showed an awareness that there is concern, particularly in New York City, about income inequality, and that even though, of course, this is a charitable fundraiser, it raises a lot of money for the Museum, that there is a sense of, perhaps this is tone- deaf, or that he would be rubbing shoulders with billionaires and that that wasn't the best look for him.
COLLINS: Yes, I mean, it actually generates a ton of money for the Museum. I was reading your write on it earlier on CNN.com, when you put it in comparison to some of the other biggest fundraisers in New York. I mean, you realize the scale of what tonight is also.
TASHJIAN: Right. I mean, this year, it raised $41 million, which is a record amount of money. If you look at what other fundraisers in New York City typically raise, I mean, the New York Philharmonic's kind of biggest Gala raises about $3.5 million, or at least that's what it raised last year. So, this is really a marquee event on a charitable and -- you know, sort of in the charitable circle or -- cycle of New York City philanthropy.
COLLINS: Yes.
TASHJIAN: And it goes to preserving The Costume Institute. It's a lot of money to keep these garments in presentable order.
COLLINS: And obviously, what everyone, who everyone is always looking for, but obviously has not been on the red carpet in a decade, is Beyonce.
TASHJIAN: Of course.
COLLINS: She's a co-chair tonight. What did you see in that?
TASHJIAN: So, we saw a lot of references to art history, and, of course, to the body, which is what the exhibition is primarily about. The body and the dressed body throughout art history. This is an incredible dress by Olivier Rousteing that, I guess, sort of traces the skeleton of Beyonce with rhinestones.
And of course, this is major for her, because we haven't seen her at the Met Gala in 10 years. She's probably our most elusive celebrity at this point. And so, to see her in this kind of grand statement-making dress was quite a surprise, even though, of course, we expected her to be there.
COLLINS: Yes.
Rachel Tashjian, thank you for watching the red carpet for us, and thanks for joining us.
TASHJIAN: Of course. Thanks for having me.
COLLINS: Up next. There are major questions that still remain after a terrifying moment that was caught on camera. It's that United plane hitting a delivery truck, seconds before it was landing.
[21:55:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Tonight, the National Transportation Safety Board is now investigating that United Airlines flight that hit a streetlight and a truck, as it was landing at Newark Liberty International Airport, injuring the driver of that truck.
[22:00:00]
Now, no one on the plane was hurt. But look at this stunning new picture. You can actually see the exact moment that the plane's landing gear hits that truck. The driver of the truck had his dashcam on, and it captured the plane's landing gear's tires hitting the truck, as this moment happened, as you can see here, it's just stunning. The father of that driver told our CNN affiliate, WJZ, that he is at home recovering, after he sustained cuts to his arms from broken glass. Luckily, it wasn't worse than that.
An NTSB investigator interviewed that flight crew this morning, and we are told that they will analyze the Cockpit Voice Recorder and Flight Data Recorder as part of its investigation. We'll keep you updated on that.
Thanks so much for joining us here tonight on THE SOURCE.
We'll see you tomorrow night for our debate.
And "CNN NEWSNIGHT WITH ABBY PHILLIP" starts now.
