Shows / The Lead with Jake Tapper
The Lead with Jake Tapper
CNN's lead DC anchor and chief Washington correspondent, Jake Tapper, hosts this two-hour long weekday afternoon program, with headlines from around the country and the world, the top stories in national and international news, politics, health, money, the environment, sports and popular culture. The Lead also concentrates on bringing stories that aren't found on front pages—buried leads—to the forefront.
Episodes
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
Trump Says No Decision Yet On Potential Iran Strike
Moments ago President Trump wrapped up his meeting with his top security officials after telling CNN that he has not yet made a final decision on whether or…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
Sources: Trump Considering U.S. Military Action In Iran
The President just wrapped up a meeting with his national security team in the Situation Room as he calls for Iran’s unconditional surrender. This as officials…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
U.S. Attorney: Minnesota Suspect Stalked Victims “Like Prey”
Authorities lay out for the first time just how Saturday’s attacks unfolded in the shootings of two Democratic Minnesota lawmakers. Plus, President Trump is…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
Iran Retaliates Against Israel With Missile Barrage
Iran has begun retaliating for Israel’s unprecedented strikes on its military leadership and its nuclear weapons program. Iran is now saying Israel is facing a…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
Sen. Padilla Forcibly Removed From DHS News Conference
An Air India jetliner crashed today, killing at least 290 people on their way to London. Miraculously one passenger did survive. Plus, footage shows Democratic…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
Officials Update Arrests, Charges After L.A. Protests
Los Angeles officials give an update about arrests and charges after a fifth day of protests. But, as these demonstrations spread across the country, what…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
Trump's Immigration Crackdown And CA Protests
A judge has just denied California’s request for an immediate block of Trump’s use of National Guard troops on the streets of Los Angeles. This as we see a…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
Sources: 700 Marines Being Mobilized In Response To L.A. Protests
First the National Guard, now the United States Marines are on the way to Los Angeles as President Trump defends his deployment, saying local leaders were…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
DOJ: Man Mistakenly Deported To El Salvador Has Been Returned To U.S. To Face Charges
The Trump administration has returned Kilmar Abrego Garcia back to the United States from El Salvador where he was not legally allowed to be deported. Abrego…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
Trump & Musk Feud Escalates With Personal Attacks
Elon Musk and President Trump’s relationship disintegrates in public view of the world as the two go after each other viciously and the fallout is ongoing…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
Gaza Aid Operation Pauses After Days Of Deadly Shootings
Despite Elon Musk trashing his bill, President Trump is moving on and meeting with Senate Republicans. Can he keep them all together? Plus, what Trump says…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
People Shot And Killed At Gaza Aid Site For Third Straight Day
Elon Musk blasts Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” as a disgusting abomination. The White House is responding and the President himself is singling out a senator…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
Boulder Suspect Charged With 16 Counts Of Attempted Murder
The suspect in yesterday’s horrific terrorist attack just made his first court appearance. This as we learn more about the 12 people who were injured including…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
Trump Announces 50% Tariffs On Imported Steel
Elon Musk exits the White House on the same day as a damning report on his alleged drug use. Plus, President Trump is in Pennsylvania touting a deal that aims…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
Appeals Court Pauses Ruling That Blocked Trump’s Tariffs
Trump’s trade war is back on for now after two prior courts briefly shut it down. The issue is on a fast track to the Supreme Court as the Trump White House…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
Trump Pardons Former Congressman Michael Grimm
Between pardons from prison to government jobs, President Trump extends a pattern of favor to folks who have long pledged their loyalty and today Trump says he…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
Two Of 10 New Orleans Escaped Inmates Still At Large
Dramatic new body camera video shows the dramatic capture of wanted inmates who escaped a New Orleans jail. The search is still on for two more from that…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
Zelensky: “America’s Silence” Encourages Putin To Continue War
Scenes of chaos and destruction in Liverpool, England after a man drove a car through a crowd full of people during a football club’s victory parade. The…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
Sources: Multiple National Security Council Staffers Put On Administrative Leave
President Trump threatens huge new tariffs on Europe, claiming that negotiations with European Union countries are going nowhere. Plus, this weekend is the…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
Suspect In Shooting Of Israeli Embassy Staffers Charged With Murder
Investigators are revealing new details about the man accused of killing two Israeli embassy staffers in what the FBI is calling an act of antisemitic…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
Trump Makes Unsubstantiated Claims Of South Africa “Genocide”
Is Trump’s massive policy bill in peril? Republican holdouts were summoned to the White House this afternoon as party leaders push for a vote. We are learning…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
Trump Tries To Strong-arm GOP Into Moving Massive Bill Forward
The clock is ticking for Republicans with just hours until a key meeting and vote on a bill that contains tax and spending cuts. Some GOP hardliners are saying…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
Biden Diagnosed With Prostate Cancer That Has Spread To His Bones
President Trump works the phones and gets what could be a breakthrough in Russia’s war against Ukraine. According to Trump the two sides are ready to…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
Cassie Ventura Wraps Up Four Days Of Dramatic Testimony
An explosive day in the Sean “Diddy” Combs trial as the star witness, his ex-girlfriend, burst into tears. We look at the final testimony of Cassie Ventura as…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
Supreme Court Hears Arguments On Birthright Citizenship
The Trump administration did as they said and got the issue of birthright citizenship before the Supreme Court but could the ultimate decision be based on a…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
Court Wraps After Damning Day Of Testimony
20 years ago Syria’s now leader was known as a jihadist captured by United States forces but today he’s all smiles with the world’s most powerful man. This…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
Trump Makes High-Stakes Middle East Visit
A look at the serious concerns and efforts to cover up Biden’s cognitive health during his presidency. Plus, President Trump announces a jaw dropping plan to…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
U.S. And China Agree To Drastically Cut Tariffs For 90 Days
President Trump is en route to Saudi Arabia for both peace and tariff negotiations. He is warning that if there is no long term deal with China worked out…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
Some Businesses Are Already Passing On Tariff Costs To Consumers
Pope Leo XIV wraps up his first day on the job with a message not just to other Catholic leaders but to people around the world. Plus, a judge ordered the…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
Pope Leo XIV, The First American Pope, Was Born In Chicago
The Chicago born, Villanova graduate, Cardinal Robert Prevost becomes the first American to become pope after receiving more than two-thirds support of his 132…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
Fed Chair: “Possible To Imagine” Tariffs Worsen Economy
Black smoke up the chimney of the Sistine Chapel as day one of the conclave comes to a close. Surprising details emerge about the frontrunners who could be…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
India Launches Military Operation Inside Pakistan
India says it is launching a military operation inside Pakistan, hitting what India calls terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and the Pakistani region of…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
WH Says It Will Pay Undocumented Migrants To Leave U.S.
In a new chapter of Trump’s deportation crackdown, the White House now suggests that they will pay undocumented migrants a thousand or two thousand dollars to…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
Stocks Rally After Jobs Report, Signs Of China Trade Talks
A better than expected jobs report provides perhaps some economic relief. How long can the good news last? Economists are warning that higher prices are coming…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
Waltz Out As National Security Adviser
President Trump ousts his national security adviser after not one but two different Signal scandals. Plus, the financial report from McDonalds that might make…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
CNN Poll Shows Dismal Approval Rating For Congress
As new numbers show the United States economy shrink for the first time in three years, the President now says he is not to be blame at all. Plus, a major…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
Trump Speaks In Michigan To Mark 100 Days In Office
When the trade wars hit home, President Trump calls the founder and executive chair of Amazon peeved that the company would consider displaying the cost of…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
ICE: Operation Leads To Nearly 800 Arrests In Florida
Crackdowns on illegal immigration and Trump is digging in. We examine how his White House is defending deportations so far. Plus, a new CNN poll shows that…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
FBI Arrests Wisconsin Judge, Accuses Her Of Obstructing ICE
When immigration officials tried to arrest an undocumented immigrant in her courtroom, Judge Hannah Dugan allegedly tried to help him leave the building…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
Fact-Checking Trump’s Claims About The Prices Of Groceries & Gas
Russia is dropping its deadliest bombs in months on Ukrainian civilians as Trump insists he is putting pressure on Russia to end the war. 12 people were killed…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
Trump, Besset Soften Tone On Trade War With China
The word from the White House today is that there is opportunity for a big deal as Trump and his treasury secretary signaled potentially backing off of the…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
WH: Trump Allowed To Express Displeasure About Fed Chair
The White House is firmly backing defense secretary Pete Hegseth at least publicly even after admitting to sharing sensitive military information in a group…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
Pope Francis Dies On Easter Monday At Age 88
New details from the Vatican about the pope and the special request he made before he died. We look back on some of the defining marks the pope left on some of…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
Judge Calls Emergency Hearing Over Trump Deportation
We are learning new details about the condition of the undocumented migrant deported in error to El Salvador from the Democratic senator from Maryland who sat…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
Police: Suspect In FSU Mass Shooting Is Son Of Sheriff’s Deputy
Two individuals were killed and six were hospitalized after a mass shooting in Tallahassee, Florida at Florida State University. Officers shot the suspected…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
Senator Goes To El Salvador To Push For Deported Man’s Return
A Pentagon source has described a purge at the Pentagon after a third Pentagon employee has been placed on administrative leave in the past 24 hours. Plus, a…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
Palestinian Student Detained By ICE At U.S. Citizenship Interview
A look at President Trump’s new threat to Harvard University and the White House’s demand for an apology. Plus, in his first television interview, a government…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
Trump: Open To Sending “Homegrown” Criminals To El Salvador
Despite admitting their own mistake and an order from the Supreme Court, the Trump administration says it will not bring back a man mistakenly deported to El…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
Trade War Escalates As China Raises Tariffs On U.S. To 125%
Markets are currently closed at the end of a tumultuous week for the United States economy. China fired back today starting a new chapter in the trade war…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
Five People Pulled From Hudson River After Helicopter Crash
A helicopter tragically crashed into the Hudson River in New York. Officials just announced that all six people onboard, including three children, were killed…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
Markets Rebound But Not To Pre-Tariff Announcement Levels
President Trump announces he is putting a 90-day pause on most of his tariffs after Wall Street loses nearly 6 trillion dollars in one week. He is, however…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
Trump’s Tariffs Expected To Send Coffee, Produce Prices Soaring
President Trump just took his trade war with China up a notch by hitting Beijing with a tariff rate at a staggering 104%. As American consumers and companies…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
Trump Remains Defiant After Volatile Day For U.S. Stocks
A mixed finish on Wall Street after the ups and downs jolted by Trump’s tariffs. How will this wild ride end? Today, new recession warnings from JP Morgan’s…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
Stocks Plunge As Trump Trade War Batters Global Markets
It was a brutal end of the week for United States markets with the Dow losing more than 2,000 points today alone. What does President Trump think of the…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
Trump’s Massive Tariffs Rattle Markets, Fuel Recession Fears
An absolutely brutal day on the stock market, threats from some of America’s closest allies, and now a new assessment on how close we could be to a recession…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
Trump Escalates Trade War, Announces Global Tariffs
President Trump steps up his massive global trade war and announces sweeping new tariffs against countries around the globe. President Trump called it a…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
Races Test Power Of Musk & Trump
Checks and cheeseheads collide on April Fools Day for an election that is no joke. Americans are voting right now in three key races including a state supreme…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
Trump Now Says Reciprocal Tariffs Will Target “All Countries”
As Trump plans to enact his tariffs, counties around the world respond including some United States allies now planning to respond with China. Will there be…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
Stocks Plunge Amid Tariff Fears
A hard Friday tumble was brought on by tariff fears as stocks fall and Wall Street braces for President Trump to follow through on his threat to impose a…
- The Lead with Jake Tapper
Judge Orders WH To Preserve Chat Messages On Military Strikes
The same judge that blocked Trump’s deportation flights is overseeing a lawsuit in court regarding the Signal group chat with a journalist accidentally added…