zealand's northern coast, when a great white shark pulls up right on top of him. >> great white. >> great white. >> great white shark. >> cutting the live bait off. this. i'm out of here. >> great white shark. 19 year old matt wells says. yeah, he's just fishing with live bait during that close encounter. says he noticed a swirl behind his kayak that ballooned to the width of three cars, sending shivers down his spine. he was a good hour's paddle away from dry land, but he did make it safely after the shark eventually went about its way. you like sharks? >> i do. >> like sharks. did you think about that happening? >> it's not surprising at all. humans aren't the only animals that are smart. don't get. >> me some academic thing. would you be, like, scared? >> uh, i don't want to say what i do on tv because my mom watches this show, but they're actually not really that interested in people. chances are, if you're seeing a shark

in the water, you're not in any danger because they're ambush predators. they'll come up and surprise you. the lead with jake tapper. not surprising us. it starts right. >> now. >> might a. >> partly doge. >> funded check. >> be. >> headed your way soon? >> the lead starts. >> right now. >> cut jobs. >> save the government money. >> send americans. >> a check for the difference. >> that's the trump. >> plan being floated. >> at least. but is it realistic? >> is it feasible? >> and might. >> it hurt your wallet more than it would help? one of trump's most controversial picks, kash patel, has now been confirmed by the u.s. senate to head the fbi. coming up, the key republican senator who helped push him over the line and. an iranian an iranian drone rolled out for a conservative audience near d.c. cnn was invited for an exclusive up close look as iran hawks try to convince a skeptical maga crowd that the tehran regime is a serious threat. welcome to the

lead. i'm jake tapper, with brand new polling suggesting that much of president trump's early agenda is unpopular with a majority of the american people and with even largely compliant congressional republicans today distancing themselves from trump's embrace of putin and attacks on ukrainian president zelenskyy. top administration officials came to the white house briefing room today to tout and try to defend their boss's first month. and yes, i know it seems impossible, but it has only been one month. here's what we learned today. trump's national security advisor, former florida congressman mike waltz, who has long been hawkish on russia, saying, for example, in 2023 that, quote, putin is to blame for the war in ukraine like al qaeda was to blame for 9/11 came before the crowd today. waltz's new boss has the upside down view that zelenskyy is the dictator, not putin, and

that ukraine is responsible for the attack on ukraine. so here was the new national security adviser, mike waltz, this afternoon. after the. president's post on. truth social yesterday. need to know. >> who does he think is more. >> responsible for. >> the russian invasion of ukraine? putin or zelenskyy? >> well, look, his his goal here is to bring this war to an end period. uh, and there has been ongoing fighting on both sides. it is world war i style trench warfare. his frustration with president zelenskyy is that you've heard is multifold. >> no, stated trump. frustration with putin was aired today, despite the fact that then congressman waltz in 2022 assailed putin's, quote, despicable war crimes by launching strikes against children's hospitals, civilian centers and executing civilians without cause. at today's press briefing, the trump team was

also pressed on what they are doing to make life more affordable for americans. they recently floated an idea to give taxpayers 20% of savings identified by doge or the department of government efficiency. today, the administration dismissed the argument from some economists that this could lead to more inflation. perhaps in discussing potential economic action, they're reading the proverbial room, highlighted in a brand new cnn poll today, suggesting that 62% of americans say trump is not doing enough to address the high prices of everyday goods. his campaign promise to add the end the affordability crisis, of course, was was a huge part of why he won over many. non maga votes. today's trump approval rating tilts negative. it's 47%. it still lands above the level he reached at any point in his first four years in office. the devil is, of course in the details because the poll shows signs of fleeting optimism over trump's return to office. in just a moment, we'll have a much deeper dive on how americans are

grading trump's actions so far. but let's go right now to cnn's jeff zeleny is at the white house. and, jeff, tell us more about something of a show of force at today's white house briefing from trump officials. and what what we learned about the trump administration's stance on the russia, ukraine war and the economy. >> jake. >> it was. >> the trump. administration is trying to celebrate. >> their first month. >> in office, marking it. >> with. >> all of the executive orders they've signed, all of the actions they have done. you saw some of the top advisers there. >> in. >> addition to the national security advisor, also the top economic advisor, as well as stephen miller, who, of course, has his fingers and hands in most of the domestic policy that's been going on. but it is the the challenges of the second month now are coming in a much sharper view. of course, russia, ukraine is at the very beginning of that and again asked directly, mike waltz, as you said there, a former florida member of congress who once believed that ukraine was the victim in this. now not saying that at all. asked directly again, if the president believes it was putin or zelenskyy responsible for this, did not

answer the question. but jake, he said something that was very instructive to how the president really believes this. he said this we could argue all day long about the things in the past. well, of course the things in the past are going to help us set the predicate going forward here. so that is one of the challenges the president has not repeated something he said for the last couple of days that does. zelenskyy is a dictator, in his words. he has an event coming up in the east room of the white house here shortly. we'll see if he says it there. he is giving a speech tonight here in washington. we'll see if he sort of escalates this. but no doubt that is front and center here. even as the economy remains the central biggest challenge of this administration, at least on the domestic front. you mentioned that 62% of americans say the trump administration has not done enough to sort of express concern about the growth of prices. that is something that the administration has blamed on the biden administration. we heard that again this afternoon. kevin hassett, the top economic advisor here, he said that the biden inflation will not be solved in a month. well, jake,

it raises the question here. just how long will it take for the president to address it? they know that is one of their biggest challenges that could define their presidency as well. >> all right. jeff zeleny at the white house for us. thanks so much. the panel is here. david chalian, cnn's washington bureau chief and political director. cnn's kasie hunt, who's going to anchor a brand new show that will air at this time slot starting march 3rd. that's a week from monday. it's called the arena with kasie hunt again, 4 p.m. eastern as the lead slides to the 5:00 hour. david, let me start with you. what's your big takeaway from cnn's polling out today about how americans are viewing trump's first month? >> yeah, my first big takeaway. >> is the honeymoon. >> is over, right? >> we saw. >> that he had some. positive remarks marks during the transition. and as you noted, jake, yes, this is numerically a high for him in cnn polling. >> on. >> an. >> approval rating, even through. >> the four years of his first presidency. but he is upside down, he is under water, and he is lower than any of his modern era predecessors at the beginning of administration. and i think we get at why here. we tested some of his actions that he's taken so far. and we've

asked folks, do you think it's a good thing or a bad thing? and if you just take a look at the chart, look at the left hand side there. good thing nothing gets rated as a good thing by higher than 37% of poll respondents. and that's ending government dei efforts. bad thing. if you look at the bottom three, there are a majority of americans in this poll who say it's a bad thing to shut down agencies to give elon musk a prominent role, and saying that the u.s. would take over gaza, that that really is a clunker of a policy. >> yeah. and i saw a washington post ipsos poll that had pardoning violence january 6th, defendants. >> not very popular. >> pretty unpopular, like 85% disapproval. and casey. today at cpac, vice president vance was asked what more needs to be done to make life more affordable for americans. here's part of his answer. >> but it's going to take some time to fix what. >> joe biden. >> broke over. >> four years. >> and and we know it is. >> it is. >> easy. >> unfortunately. >> to burn. >> the house down. it takes a

little bit of time to build it back up. >> today, national economic council director kevin hassett came to the briefing room and said inflation would not go away in a month. the administration has floated this idea of giving 20% of whatever savings comes from these slashings in the federal government size. the doge cuts to americans, and they've talked about also abolishing the internal revenue service. is any of this realistic or enough? >> well. >> is any. >> of. >> it realistic? >> certainly. >> that would be a big political. >> move, right? >> i mean, donald trump. >> did it in covid. >> signing the checks. remember, even joe biden acknowledged like. >> that. >> was a mistake. >> i passed this big. infrastructure plan. nobody knows. >> i did it. donald trump signed the checks. that was smart. >> biden thought that was his one mistake. >> well, he thought it was a mistake anyway. >> but so there are some. >> things here that i think potentially could resonate with people. i think the challenge is, you know, they're trying. to say this is all about biden. inflation was coming down at the end of the biden administration. the rate of inflation had been

slower for a while. >> and i. >> think, you know, david, you know this better than anyone. it's it's pretty classic, honestly. it's a classic mistake to overread a mandate that you have. right. and they have gone in all of these directions that i don't necessarily think americans were telling them that they wanted them to go. i mean, you can see i think there were people who had concerns about dei and the cultural shift in the democratic party, but they elected him to bring down prices like period, the end. >> and on that subject, david, the cnn poll shows us where americans think trump has gone too far. um, what are these areas and how might this impact trump down the road? >> yeah. so where he's gone too far are slim majority using presidential power. 52% say he has gone too far. they're cutting federal programs. 51% of americans say gone too far. i want to draw your attention to that bottom one, trying to reduce prices. only 11% of americans think he's gone too far. in fact, the flip of that, jake, i think, is the biggest number in our poll. you mentioned it at the top 62% of americans in the polls say he has not gone far enough. he has not done enough to bring down prices. and that that is the crux of how he returned to the

oval office a second time. and that's going to be a warning sign to this administration. >> so we see this this pattern playing out, casey, where doge tells agencies you need to cut. uh, and i think they suggested or at least they referred to the office of personnel management. get rid of probationary people who are not providing critical services. the agencies then slash and it comes out like, hey, you just cut all the people from the veterans crisis hotline. hey, you just fired all the people in charge of nuclear weapons. you just fired all the people in charge of tracking down pandemics that are about to break. where do you see? and those people are all, i believe, hired back, or at least a number of them. where do you see the biggest potential for a backlash when it comes to this? >> well, honestly, it's i'd have to be inside elon musk's head to know exactly what they're coming for next for this, i think that the broad funding freeze is probably the thing that affected the most people, uh, in one fell swoop in that it really highlighted the ways in which people interacted with the government, that they may or may

not focus on it actually being a government service. >> you mean the freeze on grants that they took back or the they. >> officially took back? no, the the initial funding freeze that came out in the first week or two. right. and that, you know, there are still reports, i mean, there's a lawsuit from the state of pennsylvania saying commonwealth, the commonwealth, excuse me. >> jake. >> we do call it the keystone state also. i mean, i did i did grow up. >> i'm sorry i got you off track. there's a lawsuit. >> there's a lawsuit that they're suing the federal government, and they're saying we this money that you say is not frozen, actually is frozen. we actually can't get the money that we need, the money that we deserve, that congress has given us. and this affected real people in their lives. and there are examples of places where it's still affecting people. i mean, i was speaking to someone, you know, that you i don't want to name them, but someone you would run across in the course of your daily life thinks you know someone you're talking to at the grocery store or your dentist or whoever. she was telling me that she's got a daughter in kansas city, missouri, who works at a small ngo that helps homeless people in her city, and she's not sure they don't know that they should disperse the grants that

they have, because they don't know if they're getting any more, and they're worried that nobody's going to be able to stay on the payroll. the idea that this is just and this is this goes to the cuts in, you know, the federal workforce that could lead to impacts on contracts and other things that the government has yet to pay out. right? the idea that it's just affecting the dmv, like this region, the beltway. >> no, no, no. >> totally wrong. >> that i think. >> is going to be the change. >> i think that's why we saw them rescind that initial funding, but they haven't done real quick. >> meals on wheels. >> i mean, i think it was just like, oh, this wasn't really thought through. >> one other quick note, jake. i think that there's a non-zero chance, according to according to the number of sources i've spoken to on the hill, that they will go ahead and shut down the government in march, perhaps for weeks, and that that will be used to try to further their goals of getting more people to quit and also impact more communities across the country. >> we ain't seen nothing yet. my understanding is that all these firings that are going on, this is stage one and there is a stage two coming that is going to be a bloodletting of sorts.

david chalian, kasie hunt, thanks to both of you. again, casey's new show, the arena with kasie hunt, debuts monday, march 3rd at 4 p.m. eastern. that's a week from monday. the lead is going to slide. an hour later. we'll be on the air from 5 to 7 p.m. eastern every weekday. only here on cnn. and later today, if trump were to send you a check, a partly doge funded check, what that could do to the u.s. economy. we're going to break down the numbers. but first, the big announcement from republican senator mitch mcconnell today on his 83rd birthday and days after the u.s., russia get together in saudi arabia, top trump administration official met today with ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy. here. why? this face to face did not quite go as intended. stay with us. >> twitter. breaking the bird march 9th on cnn. >> love. >> love will. >> keep us together. >> now for something you can both agree on a sleep number. smart bed is perfect for

couples. the climate 360 smart bed is the only bed that cools and warms on each side, and all our smart beds. just the firmness for each of you. let's agree to agree on better sleep and now save 50% on the new sleep number. limited edition smart bed plus 0% interest for 48 months. shop now. >> one and next level clean swish with the whoa of listerine. it kills 99.9% of bad. >> breath germs for five times more cleaning power. >> than brushing. >> and flossing alone. get a next level. >> clean with listerine. feel the whoa. >> if you're living with dry amd, you may be at risk for developing geographic atrophy or g ga can be unpredictable and progress rapidly, leading to irreversible vision loss. now there's something you can do to. >> slow it down and get it going slower. >> ask your doctor about i survey. >> i. g a going slower.

>> survey is an a.i. injection. don't take it if you have an infection or active swelling in or around your eye. it can cause eye infection, retinal detachment or increased risk of wet amd eyes. or they may temporarily increase eye pressure. do not drive or use machinery until vision has recovered after an eye injection or exam. eye survey is proven to slow ga progression, which may help preserve vision longer. >> i they're fake. it's g going slower. >> so shift gears and get going. don't delay. ask your doctor about a.i. survey. >> ontario, canada. stable and secure. when the world around us isn't. you can rely on us for energy to power your growing economy and for critical minerals crucial to new technologies. we're here right by your side. >> time to. >> press rewind with. neutrogena rapid wrinkle repair. it has derm. >> proven retinol expertly. >> formulated to target. >> skin cell. >> turnover and fight not one,

but five. >> signs of aging. >> with visible results. >> in just one week. neutrogena. >> if you have wet amd, you never want to lose sight of the things you love. >> we get it. >> some things should stand the test of time. long lasting ilia hd could significantly improve your vision. more people on ilia hd had no fluid in the retina compared to those on ilia. at four months. ilia hd is the only wet amd therapy that helped eight out of ten people go up to four months between injections. after three initial monthly treatments. if you have an eye infection, eye pain, or redness or allergies to ilia hd, don't use eye injections like ilia hd may cause eye infections, separation of the retina, or rare but severe swelling of blood vessels in the eye. an increase in eye pressure has been seen. there is an uncommon risk of heart attack or stroke associated with blood clots. the most common side effects were blurred vision, cataract, corneal injury, and eye floaters, and there's still so much to see. if you are on ilia or a similar type of treatment, ask your retina specialist about

ilia hd today for the potential for fewer injections. >> you'll be back. >> emus can't help people customize and save with liberty mutual. >> gabe cohen and doug. >> well i'll be. >> only pay for what you need. >> liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty. >> closed captioning brought to you by book.com. >> if you or a loved one have mesothelioma, we'll send you a free book to answer questions you may have. call now and we'll come to you. >> 821 4000. >> president trump is obviously very frustrated right now with president zelenskyy. the fact that that he hasn't come to the table, that he hasn't been willing to take this opportunity that we have offered. >> now, if you're thinking at home when you hear the national security advisor mike waltz, saying that zelenskyy wasn't even invited to the us-russia talks in saudi arabia this week,

how could they fault them for not being at the table? you'd be right. but national security adviser waltz was probably referring to a different deal. this rare earth mineral deal, pushed by the trump administration, which proposes the u.s. taking 50% of ukraine's mineral reserves in exchange for u.s. aid that has already been given to ukraine, which apparently does not offer any guarantee of future assistance. so that's that deal, we think. let's get right to cnn's nick paton walsh in kyiv. and nick. trump sent his russia ukraine envoy to ukraine today to meet with president zelenskyy. tell us more. >> yeah, i mean. >> we don't know much about what happened in that meeting. >> there had. >> been a suggestion that maybe we get a press conference afterwards that appeared to not be the case. apparently, the american side asking for less press availability. we heard from zelenskyy suggesting the meeting had been productive, that it would indeed touch upon it had indeed touched upon that rare earth minerals deal. again, trying to suggest, i think ukraine wants to move forward in

finding a compromise there as well. and indeed, they discussed some of the elements of peace here, potentially, security guarantees, the return of prisoners of war. the issue really, though, is this whole visit, so long awaited by kyiv, has been overshadowed by the frankly horrific decline in u.s. ukraine relationship. trump calling zelenskyy a dictator. the zelenskyy suggestion that trump. lives in disinformation circle. and then the bizarre statement we heard from air force one last night that when bessent, the u.s. treasury secretary, came here to deliver that first draft of the rare earth deal that zelenskyy rejected, that when bessent tried to talk to zelenskyy, zelenskyy was sleeping. now, i'm sure zelenskyy slept at some point during the visit. but, you know, we've seen him in public twice during that. so a litany of mistruths, frankly, that has been levied by the u.s. president against zelenskyy that's damaged their relationship. certainly, it may have been aimed at damaging his standing inside of ukraine. i'm sure many ukrainians are desperate that their president enjoys a good relationship with washington. where do we go

forwards from now? well, it isn't clear quite what the product from that kellogg meeting was. are they going to meet again soon? what will kellogg take back to the white house to deliver from the ukrainians? are they going to sign that deal? it's such a repeated talking point. you heard a national security advisor mike waltz there talking about it yet again. he even went as far as to say that there's an aluminum foundry in ukraine, that if it was refurbished through u.s. investment, could supply the united states all the aluminum it needs in one year. now, that's an extraordinary level of detail for a national security advisor to be going into. it's not talk of peace or arms. and ukraine needs both urgently. jake. >> nick, are there any signs that zelenskyy may actually agree to this deal about the rare earth minerals? >> yeah. look, i think he's going to be left with very little choice, to be honest. what is totally staggering, jake, is what we've learned about what's in it, which is two pages of legalese and then a list of about a dozen pages of

specific assets the u.s. want their hands on. that's the first draft, and it was only about past aid that the biden administration had already given. it didn't talk about what they need urgently in the future and what security guarantees might come with it. so maybe a new permutation might have more of a reference towards that, or might be slightly more in ukraine's financial favor. zelenskyy said he rejected it because it was just so not ready as a document and out of their interests. we haven't seen the text, but it is extraordinary, i think, and a testament to the transactional nature of the trump administration. if you're being generous in your terminology, that ukraine, struggling to retain its own sovereignty, losing hundreds a day on the battlefield, is now in essentially a barter over how it gets aid from its main backer, jake. >> nick paton walsh and kev, thanks so much. we turn now to trevor rs. marine. you might remember trevor was arrested in russia in the summer of 2019. he was sentenced to nine years and served nearly three in a russian prison before his release was secured in 2022 by the biden administration in a prisoner

swap. after settling back home in the u.s., trevor went as a private citizen to ukraine to join ukraine's forces in battle against russia. he was injured fighting russians in their brutal invasion of ukraine. and trevor, thank you so much for being here. it's good to see you. good. um, what's it like for you to hear president trump calling president zelenskyy a dictator? and president trump saying that biden and ukraine started the war. uh, well. >> he says a lot of off the wall things. so that's not that surprising. but i mean, even for trump. you know, that's just outrageous that he would say that even if you don't support the united states sending aid to ukraine, i think all americans are smart enough to know that vladimir putin is the one who invaded ukraine and started that war. >> you you fought in ukraine, you went there as a citizen to join their troops in battle. you risked your life, you got

injured. um, there were other americans there, other people there that you fought alongside ukrainians and others. what do you think when you when you think about them and you think about president trump saying this about the battle that ukraine started it, biden started it. what do you think? >> uh, i think it has to be extremely disheartening for anyone who's over there currently fighting. a lot of my friends, um, are still fighting over there. i have a lot of other friends who have since left. i have some friends who are killed there, uh, some that have, you know, catastrophic wounds from from fighting there. and to hear, you know, the leader of of your country say that that was something that ukraine started or something that was ukraine's fault. um, you know, that's just got to be a real a real kick in the gut. >> yeah. and we talked to american soldiers who fought over there. american soldiers have been or veterans who have been killed over there. veterans. not soldiers. um, and a lot of them talking about how they see it actually as a much

more black and white, good and evil war than wars that they fought in in iraq and afghanistan. if president trump were watching right now, what would you want him to know? what would you want to convey to him? i'd want. >> to let him know that he has a unique opportunity here, um, to both help ukraine, but to also help the united states and by supporting ukraine. he would also be supporting the united states national defense. um, you know, putin is an evil dictator. he's a liar. whatever type of peace agreement you come up with with russia, they are going to violate it 100%. and the only thing that's going to keep russia from violating that is by the use of force or the threat of force or security guarantees for ukraine. so ukraine becoming a member of nato or ukraine receiving, you know, a guarantee that nato will put troops on the ground if russia invades again

for the third time. um, and president trump is in a unique position to do this, he's the only one that can do this. and i hope that he does for the good of our own country and also for the good of ukraine. >> i mean, putin already violated a peace agreement. ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons in the 1990s with an agreement with the united states. and, uh, and russia, we'll give up our nuclear weapons as long as you respect our territorial sovereignty. and putin obviously has not respected that at all. trevor reed, thank you so much. good to see you, sir. coming up next, the list circulating among republicans of generals and admirals who possibly will be fired by secretary of defense hegseth at the pentagon. are democrats willing to step in? we're going to talk to a senator on the foreign relations committee next. stay with us. >> welcome back. >> have i got news for you? news saturday on cnn. >> one second. >> grandma, this guy's. >> going to buy my car. >> okay. >> you need carvana entering. >> plate number.

>> no accidents. >> right? >> no generating offer. >> carvana can. >> pick it up tomorrow. >> that's an. >> amazing offer. >> sell your car. >> the easy. >> way with carvana. >> they want to take this place from us. >> my family. >> is in danger. >> my wife is lost to me, and i don't have time. >> anything worth. >> having is. >> worth fighting for. >> 1923 new season streaming soon. >> dear doctor k, i used to think i was never meant to be beautiful. i was teased because of my teeth. i didn't like the person looking back at me in the mirror. i never thought i could afford dental implants. you and your team work within my budget and help me feel confident in the plan we made together. i love my new smile. thank you. >> congratulations. you have a beautiful soul. >> cynthia. >> finance the smile you want for as low as 1.48 a month per arch. schedule a free consultation. >> liberty. >> liberty mutual is all she talks about. since we saved hundreds by bundling our home and auto insurance.

>> it's pronounced liberty. >> liberty. >> liberty, liberty. nice try kid. only pay for what you need. >> liberty. liberty, liberty, liberty. >> at harbor. >> freight, we design. >> and test our own tools. >> and sell. >> them directly. >> to you. no middlemen. >> just quality. >> tools you can trust at prices you'll love. whatever you do, do it for less. >> at harbor freight. >> wow. incredible. amazing. >> my go to is lumify eye drops. >> lumify dramatically reduces redness. >> in one minute. >> and look at the difference. >> my eyes look brighter. >> and whiter for. >> up to eight hours. >> lumify. >> it's kind of amazing. >> see for yourself. >> ontario, canada. your third largest trading partner and number one export destination for 17 states. our economic partnership keeps millions of americans working. we're here right by your side. >> the thing about work, it's. always changing. >> but with the right perspective.

>> what seems confusing or. >> just. out of. >> reach can suddenly fall into place. >> if it's a work thing. >> it's a sherman thing. >> sherm. >> where are you headed? >> where am i headed? >> am i. >> just going to take what the market gives me? >> no, i can do some research. >> you know, that's backed. >> by jp morgan's leading strategists like us. >> when you want to invest with more. >> confidence. >> the answer. >> is jp. >> morgan wealth management. >> taxes was feeling so. stuck. now taxes. >> is a turbotax expert you think those phone guys will ever figure out how to keep 5g home internet from slowing down during peak hours? their customers have to share a wireless signal with everyone in their area. oooh. you know, it's kinda like when you bring a really big cake for your birthday, and then there's only a little, tiny sliver left for the birthday girl. aw. well, wish her a happy birthday. happy birthday... -it's... ...to her. -no, it's me. have your cake and eat it, too. don't settle for t-mobile or verizon 5g home internet. get super fast xfinity internet you don't have to share. forty's going to be my year.

dave's been very excited about saving big with the comcast business 5-year price lock guarantee. five years? -five years. and he's not alone. -high five. it's five years of reliable gig speed internet. five years of advanced securit. five years of a great rate that won't change. it's back. but only for a limited time. high five. five years? -nope. comcast business 5-year price lock guarantee. powering five years of savings. powering possibilities. comcast business. that shows you all your subscriptions in one place and you can cancel the ones you don't want with just a few taps. take control of your finances with rocket money today. march madness. >> it gives you. >> all the feels. >> you got the feeling. >> they are feeling it. >> you ready to dance? >> you don't know. >> whoa! >> can you believe this.? >> shou chew me. >> ice in the veins. a prayer at the buzzer. >> let's go. they're going crazy. >> sometimes i'm.

>> down. >> utter heartbreak. >> the emotions are on full display. >> this is what. >> march feels. >> like. >> i've got that feeling, baby. >> in our politics lead kash patel has been confirmed. the trump loyalist was confirmed by the u.s. senate to lead the fbi. it was a 51 to 49 vote, with republican senators collins and murkowski joining all 47 democrats in opposition. cnn's manu raju joins us now live from capitol hill. manu, senator mitch mcconnell, who we should note, the former republican leader, he voted against pete hegseth to be secretary of defense. tulsi gabbard to be director of the office of national intelligence and rfk jr., head of health and human services. mcconnell voted against all three, but he voted for patel. >> yeah, and we didn't know how he would vote until he actually came into the chamber in this afternoon for this vote. and it wasn't clear how collins and murkowski would vote until they both announced their opposition earlier today, citing kash patel

past political work in recent political statements as concerns that it could undercut the apolitical nature of the fbi director. but mitch mcconnell did put out a statement saying that, quote, the bureau's reputation in recent years has been plagued by high profile scandals that risk politicizing its critical work. director patel is committed to restoring americans trust in the fbi, and i hope and expect he will move quickly to reset the bureau with greater transparency, accountability and cooperation with the congress. now, mcconnell's statement, though, was pretty middle of the road, jake, and he has supported most of donald trump's other nominees. and when he has, he has put out statements saying that he is proud to support any given nominee. he did not say that with kash patel, which is perhaps one reason why he signals how he ultimately views this nominee, even though he did vote in the affirmative in helping getting him to the post. >> and manu mcconnell himself

made news on the floor of the senate announcing he will not seek reelection next year. how did his colleagues react? >> yeah, this was not a surprise. mitch mcconnell is 83 years old. he stepped aside from being the top republican in the united states senate, the longest serving party leader in u.s. history. that was at the beginning of this congress. and it had been widely expected that the 83 year old mcconnell, who has had health issues in particular in recent years, would step aside. but still, the decision was momentous. he is someone who has been instrumental in republican politics for decades and helped usher through a very conservative supreme court as one of his lasting legacy items. so, jake, a lot of republican senators and democrats saw this, that this was coming, but still reflecting on how significant of a moment it was. >> all right, manu raju, thanks so much. we turn now to democratic senator chris murphy of connecticut. senator. first, i want to get your reaction to mitch mcconnell announcing he's not going to seek reelection. i know you've disagreed with him on a number of policy fronts and

strategic pursuits by the conservative movement. he is one of the few republicans saying anything challenging at all about president trump. how do you think the senate will be different without him there? >> well, listen, i appreciate the votes that mitch mcconnell has taken. i appreciate the fact that over the last four years, he was willing to reach out to democrats. we got the bipartisan gun bill done in 2022 that has reduced gun violence rates in this country by 20%, because mitch mcconnell wanted to do something in a. >> bipartisan way on. >> the issue. >> of. >> violence in this country. but nobody's going to forget the fact that after the riots in 2021, he had the chance to vote to impeach donald trump and deny trump the chance to be back in the white house. had mitch mcconnell decided to vote for impeachment, enough republicans would have followed him to get that number above the requisite two thirds. so his legacy is going to be very mixed. he is the reason why donald trump is

president today, albeit with a record that also includes a lot of bipartisan accomplishment that he helped make possible during the biden administration. >> you said on the senate foreign relations committee, what is your reaction to hearing president trump calling president zelenskyy a dictator and suggesting that biden and ukraine are responsible for the war starting? >> yeah, there's no separation between the kremlin and the white house right now. the white house is a full time kremlin propaganda operation. the way in which they have blamed ukraine for starting the war, blaming the continuation of the war on zelenskyy, calling him a dictator. this is music to the ears of russia, who i think knows that it is probably months away from being able to own and control most, and eventually all of ukraine. it's a devastating moment for the free world, and i just think that the white house are fools. if they believe that putin will stop there. he is going to see a green light, to

continue to use force to expand russia's borders. and eventually i think there's a real probability that american troops are going to have to fight abroad to protect the global world order and our allies, and perhaps american sovereignty itself. >> cnn is reporting that the secretary of defense, pete hegseth, has circulated a list among republican lawmakers of dozens of generals and other officers that he intends to fire. apparently, this includes the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, general c-q brown. have you seen this list? have you talked to any republicans about it? what might that mean if these firings go through? >> so i haven't seen that list, but obviously this is, um, this is devastating. i understand these loyalty purges are playing out in a bunch of different agencies. they are likely unconstitutional. but the most worrying loyalty purge that could happen is at the department of defense, because the department of defense are soldiers, are generals, are supposed to defend all

americans, regardless of whether you are a republican or democrat. and this purge, i would imagine, is designed to root out anyone in the department of defense who is unwilling to implement an unconstitutional order from the president. you've seen some of the questions that are being asked today before you get a job in the trump administration. did donald trump win the 2020 election was january 6th, an inside job? who is your boss? um, the american people or donald trump? this is all designed to make sure that the folks in office, even at the department of defense, are willing to act in coordination with donald trump to corrupt the country for trump's enrichment and elon musk's enrichment. a really, really worrying development. i haven't seen the list, but i can only assume that it is part of this overall effort to try to purge people who are loyal to the constitution to keep in place people who are loyal only to donald trump and his financial

interests. >> democratic senator chris murphy of connecticut, thanks so much. appreciate it. coming up next, the warning from walmart, america's biggest retailer, and what that warning could signal about your money in the u.s. economy. >> cooked books, corporate fat cats. >> swindling socialites, doped up cyclists, and yes, more crooked politicians. i have a feeling we won't be running out of those anytime soon. >> a new season of united states of scandal with. >> jake tapper, march 9th on cnn. >> at fisher investments, we may look like other money managers, but we're different. >> how so? >> we're a fiduciary, obligated to act in our client's best interests. so we don't sell any. >> commission based products. >> then how do you make money? >> we have a simple management fee structured so we do better when our clients do better. >> your clients. >> really come first then, huh? >> yes. we make them a top. >> priority by getting. >> to know their finances, family, health, lifestyle and more. >> wow. maybe we are different. >> at fisher investments, we're. >> clearly different.

>> 7 million u.s. businesses rely on tiktok to compete. >> wwe of posting, i had over $25,000 in sales. >> i don't have $1 million to put towards marketing branding. tiktok was the way and it saved my company. >> we had a. >> video do really good this week. >> sales were up 29%. >> about 80%. >> of my. business right now. >> is from tiktok. >> small businesses thrive on tiktok. >> tiktok brings in so. >> much foot traffic. >> i need tiktok to keep growing. we have so much more work to do. >> i think we want to have. >> some. >> fun today. >> we know how to. >> make fun. yes. >> i hope you enjoy thailand. >> we usually. >> go. >> to the. >> caribbean. >> i almost died today. >> no, you didn't. >> something is off. >> got a really. >> bad. >> feeling. >> i'm a. >> little freaked out. >> i think. >> you survived. >> ontario, canada. stable and

secure. when the world around us isn't, you can rely on us for energy to power your growing economy. and for critical minerals crucial to new technologies. we're here right by your side. >> ever feel like a spectator in your own life with chronic migraine? 15 or more headache days a month, each lasting four hours or more? botox prevents headaches in adults with chronic migraine. in a survey, 91% of users wish they'd started sooner. so why wait? talk to your doctor. >> botox effects may spread hours to weeks after injection, causing serious symptoms. alert your doctor right away as trouble swallowing, speaking, breathing, eye problems or muscle weakness can be signs of a life threatening condition. those with these conditions before injection are at highest risk. side effects may include allergic reactions like rash, breathing problems, dizziness, neck and injection site pain and headache. don't receive botox if there's a skin infection. tell your doctor your medical history. muscle or nerve conditions like als, myasthenia

gravis or lambert-eaton syndrome, and medicines like botulinum toxins, which may increase the risk of serious side effects. >> chronic migraine may still keep you from being there. ask your doctor about botox today. learn how abbvie can help you save. >> you'll be back. >> emus can't help people customize and save with liberty mutual. >> dale ho. >> and doug. >> well, i'll be. >> only pay for what you need. >> liberty, liberty, liberty,

liberty. >> i told you. >> i don't need these anymore. >> i have. >> sling. >> okay. morning. i only let sling deliver the news. i need to stay informed. thank you very much. nice one. >> nope. >> sling gives us all the news we want in a quick and reliable manner. >> and at a wonderful price. >> this critical time calls for the critical news. >> coverage that. >> sling provides. >> okay. see you tomorrow. >> the most. >> important news at. >> the best price. >> sling lets you do that. >> president trump is considering a plan to send american taxpayers some of their money back. specifically, it would be a check funded by up to 20% of savings identified by elon musk's department of government efficiency. at today's white house briefing, cnn's kaitlan collins asked if the trump administration worries at all that these potential checks could drive up inflation. the short answer was no.

>> oh. >> absolutely not. >> because imagine. >> if we don't spend. >> government money. >> and we give it back to. >> people. >> then the, you know, if they. spend it all, then you're even. >> but they're. >> probably going. to save a lot. >> of it, in which case. >> you're reducing inflation. so what exactly might this money mean for you for the u.s. economy? cnn's vanessa yurkevich is here. vanessa, would this doge dividend be a good or a bad thing, ultimately? >> well, let's follow the money, jake. just take. >> a look at what's going. >> to happen. you're going to get a check, presumably from doge. >> that money. >> is going to come in. it's going to go into your bank account. >> you're going to decide. >> are you. >> going to spend it or are you going to save it? >> the white house. >> is banking on you saving it. >> but ultimately. >> most americans are probably going to spend. >> that money. >> you're going to buy something with it. you're going to buy products. >> and services with that money. >> so that is. >> driving the cost. >> of those products up because you have more people wanting those products. and then of course, you bring tariffs into the equation. that is going to place a higher premium on prices

and goods and services. so all of this together jake, you add it all up. you likely are going to get more inflation. >> inflation ticking back up would mean higher grocs for americans still struggling to put food on the table. this has been a big issue we've been covering now for years under biden and now under trump, a new cnn poll shows 62% of americans feel president trump has not gone far enough in trying to reduce the price of everyday goods. to be fair, it's only been a month, but is there anything president trump could be doing right now to combat inflation? >> there certainly could be. and let's just look at two key places where we are spending our money every single day at the grocery store. prices month over month at the grocery store were up about 4.4%. but look at the price of eggs. every american knows this story well. the price of eggs up more than 15% in january alone. the president and the administration has talked about an avian flu response. we have not heard what that is so

far, but that could potentially tackle the key problem with egg prices, which is the spread of the avian flu. also, fuel oil, what we use to heat our homes. that was up in january by 6.2%. so americans may be feeling that on their heating bill during these winter months. the president has said that he wants to boost u.s. oil production, to try to basically take us off our foreign dependance on oil. the problem with that, jake, is that energy companies here in the u.s. are not really looking to expand their oil production, and there's not necessarily enough refining capacity in order to basically lay out this plan and make it happen. so two good thoughts in theory, but putting them into practice basically a lot harder than it might look like. it might end up being, um. >> walmart, the nation's largest retailer in a place where shoppers go for for good deals. walmart is now expecting slower sales this year, they say. why? >> yeah. so this is what the dow

was down more than 600 points today on this news. and look at walmart's price today down more than about 6.5%. walmart is forecasting slower sales because they are reading the room. they are seeing that consumers are pulling back in spending. retail sales were down about 1% last month. inflation is heating up once again and there are big question marks around tariffs. what is going to be happening with that. so the cfo of walmart really laying it out in an investor call earlier today saying our outlook assumes a relatively stable macro environment, but acknowledges that there are still uncertainties related to consumer behavior and global economic and geopolitical conditions. so walmart can fare a little bit better than most companies, jake, but they're certainly not immune to all of these changes in the economy right now. >> all right, vanessa yurkevich, thank you so much. some breaking news coming in from israel. all busses and train service stopped

after reports of multiple bus explosions. what we're learning about this, that's next. >> this is. >> the whole. >> story with. anderson cooper sunday at eight on cnn. >> maya knows how quality. >> care can bring. >> out a smile. >> but it's been a few. >> dog years since she was able to enjoy a smile of her own. good thing aspen dental offers affordable, complete care all in one place. and new patients without insurance get $29 exams and x-rays, plus 20% off treatment plans for everyone. loving our patients unconditionally. it's one more way. aspen dental is in your corner. >> come and get your. >> love in. >> the. middle of suburbia. >> this owl is hoping to find a. lifetime of. >> happiness. >> that's promising. >> this is. >> life in your own backyard. the americas premieres sunday on nbc. >> and peacock. >> cidp is no walk in the park.

>> that's true. >> but i take. >> the same. >> it's the first major innovation. >> in cidp. >> treatment in over. >> 30 years. >> it has been proven to significantly reduce. >> the. >> risk of symptoms getting worse. >> and my cidp can be treated with once. >> weekly. injections that take. >> about. >> 30 to 90s. >> do not use if you have a serious allergy to any of its ingredients. serious allergic reactions like trouble breathing and decrease in blood pressure, leading to fainting and allergic reactions such as rashes, swelling under the skin, shortness of breath, and hives have been reported. the most common side effects are respiratory and urinary tract infections, headache, and injection site reactions. it may increase the risk of infusion related reactions and infection. tell your doctor if you have a history of infections or symptoms of an infection. >> i'm hitting fairways with. >> the fellas. >> i'm hitting the road with my number one. look at you. >> that's how. >> we live. >> vividly with. >> high visit live vividly.com or talk to your neurologist. >> home. >> it's where.

>> we do the things. >> we love with the people we love. >> celebrating. >> sharing. living. so why should aging mean we have to leave that in the past? what if we live tomorrow in the same place as we did yesterday? what if we stayed home instead? with help, we can prevent. >> and where i belong home instead for a better. >> what's next? >> todd takes prevagen for his brain and this is his story. >> hi. >> i'm todd, i'm a veteran. >> of. >> 23 years. i served. >> three overseas tours. >> i love. >> to give back to. >> the community. i saw a commercial and did some research on it. >> i started taking prevagen. >> about three years ago. i've told my coworkers and family since taking prevagen how much of a difference it's madeat cap

small businesses. >> ben thinks he's. about to compete in. >> a new reality.

>> show. >> but it's all completely fake. >> all right. >> see how ben. >> handles this? >> he is trying so. >> hard and everything is going wrong. >> it is hard to stay in character. >> she's got the giggles. >> this show is. wild and i feel like i'm going insane. >> oh. >> this is so good. >> boy, do i hope. >> we're all friends. after this. >> the joe schmo show all new tuesdays at nine on tbs. set your dvr now. >> it's the breaking news in our world. lead. israel is stopping and inspecting all bus and train operations across the country. after reports of explosions involving several busses near the city of tel aviv. israeli police are calling this a suspected terrorist attack. no injuries have been reported as of this minute. officials urge the public to remain alert the public in israel. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu netanyahu is expected to give a security assessment shortly, and we'll have more on that coming up. also in our world, lead the

terrorist group hamas returned the remains of four israeli hostages in a cruel handover ceremony ceremony earlier today. shiri bibas was 32 years old when hamas kidnaped her and her two young sons, four year old ariel and nine month old kfir oded lifshitz, was. his remains were also returned. he was a longtime peace activist. he drove palestinians to hospitals in israel. this is the second time we should note that hamas ignored president trump's deadline and demand that they release all of the hostages by a date certain. as israel mourns the four hostages returning home, israeli prime minister netanyahu is vowing revenge against hamas. cnn's nic robertson reports. >> in a convoy freighted with the pain of a nation, the bodies, hamas says, are the youngest. october 7th hostage victims and their mother on their final journey home. and in the fourth red cross vehicle,

what hamas says are the remains of one of the oldest october 7th victims. oded livshits. in the early morning handover, beginning against the backdrop of hamas propaganda turning dignified with a short service as the four caskets handed over to the idf. a moment of closure beginning for the families and a nation hostage to the fate of the bibas. shiri bibas fear clutching nine month old kfir and four year old ariel, etched in israel's collective memory. the young family from nir oz became icons for hope over despair. israelis riding an emotional rollercoaster over their fate, worryingly, shiri, kfir and ariel not released with 105 other hostages freed during

the first pause in fighting. november 2023. >> oh. >> sherry's husband jordan's fate was also unknown. he too disappeared october 7th. believed taken to gaza. the first news of shiri and ariel coming late 2023, when hamas claimed they were killed in an israeli air strike, releasing a propaganda video exploiting emotional sensitivities of yarden, blaming the israeli government for their deaths. the idf called it psychological terror. months later, this security camera video captured by the idf, appearing to show shiri soon after her abduction. but until this day, the idf, unable to confirm the fate of the family, cautioning against hamas statements. when yarden

was finally freed by hamas three weeks ago, everyone in israel understood the heartbreaking news awaiting him, his father and sister consoling him against the near certainty of his loss. along the convoy route thursday, flag waving israelis paid their respects hostage. square, somber, not celebratory. as with previous releases, white vans carrying the four on the last leg of their journey to a forensic institute for final. identification. the country, the bibas and the lifshitz fears closer to realization. salama maroof and jake, we're learning tonight those fears for the lifshitz family have been realized. a forensic institute say they have identified oded's body. one of his sons saying this ends 503 agonizing days.

they say they hope for a better outcome. indeed. last weekend i was speaking with one of his daughters, and even then, just a few days ago now, she was still hoping oded, her father, was still alive. the family now say that they can begin their grieving. jake. >> all right, nic robertson, thanks so much. we'll be right back. >> welcome back. >> have i got news for you? news saturday on cnn. >> aveeno introduces new daily moisturizing cream. it's clinically proven to moisturize dry skin for 48 hours and instantly strengthens skin's barrier for softer, smoother skin. aveeno the power of oat for sensitive skin. >> kate made progress with her mental health, but her medication caused unintentional movements in her face, hands and feet called tardive dyskinesia, or td. so her doctor prescribed austedo xr, a once. >> daily. >> extended release. td treatment for.

>> adults. >> with unstable. >> austedo xr significantly reduced kate's td movements. some people saw a response as early as two weeks with austedo. kate can stay on her mental health meds. >> oh hi buddy. >> austedo can. >> cause depression. >> suicidal thoughts or actions in patients with huntington's disease. pay close attention to and call your doctor if you become depressed or have sudden changes in mood or have suicidal thoughts. don't take if you have liver problems or taking reserpine, tetrabenazine or valbenazine. austedo xr may cause irregular or fast heartbeat or abnormal movements. seek help for fever, stiff muscles. problems thinking or sweating. common side effects include inflammation of the nose and throat, insomnia, and sleepiness. >> as you. >> ask your doctor for austedo xr. >> so problems with gray hair? not anymore. with the new alpecin gray attack, an easy to use shampoo for darker and thicker looking hair. day by day, fight for your hair with the new alpecin gray attack. available at amazon.

>> when i was diagnosed with hiv, i didn't know who i would be. >> but here i am. >> being me. >> keep being you. >> and ask. >> your health care provider about the number. >> one. prescribed hiv treatment. >> biktarvy. >> biktarvy is a complete. >> one pill, once a day treatment used for hiv. and many people, whether you're 18 or 80 with one small pill pick derby fights hiv to help you get to undetectable and stay there. whether you're just starting or replacing your current treatment, research shows that taking hiv treatment as prescribed and getting to and staying undetectable prevents transmitting hiv through sex. serious side effects can occur, including kidney problems and kidney failure. >> rare, life threatening side effects include a build up of lactic acid and liver problems. don't take biktarvy if you take dofetilide or rifampin. tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines and supplements you take. if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or have kidney or liver problems. if you have hepatitis b, don't stop taking biktarvy without talking to your health care provider. common side effects were diarrhea, nausea, and headache. >> no matter where life takes you, big tavi can go with you.

talk to your healthcare provider today. >> ontario, canada, your third largest trading partner and number one export destination for 17 states. our economic partnership keeps millions of americans working. we're here right by your side. >> want a. >> next level clean? swish with the. >> whoa of listerine. >> it kills 99.9% of bad breath germs for five times more cleaning power than brushi desi

needs. we got you. connect with the provider at. >> closed captioning brought to you by book.com. >> if you or a loved one have mesothelioma, we'll send you a free book to answer questions you may have. call now and we'll come to you. >> 882 one 4000. >> welcome to the lead. i'm jake tapper. this hour, a cnn exclusive you're going to see right here on the lead, an up close look at an iranian drone brought onto american soil in an attempt to convince maga

co