The Lead CNN

'They should be prosecuted. And the IDF officers should be questioned... they've got rogue settlers and rogue IDF officers who should be disciplined, and there should be an investigation.' Rep. Ro Khanna talks with @jaketapper about his claim that he was detained by Israeli settlers during a West Bank visit.

CNN's Daniel Dale fact checks Trump's baseless election fraud claims before Thursday’s prime-time address

'I heard him say, I tried to stop, and then they put him on the ground, and then I kept watching, and then eventually I saw that his stomach was no longer moving up and down. I knew he had passed away.' Daniel Boucher, a witness to the deadly Maine ICE shooting tells, @jaketapper what he saw.

Jake Tapper reports on Trump's crackdown on press freedoms

CatsOnACouch founder explains why she's suing Vice-President JD Vance

'Mainers are coming together. We all understand that the through line to control of the United States Senate runs through Maine, and that everything that we care about is at stake.' Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellow talks with @jaketapper about the process for selecting the next Democratic Senate Candidate.

Trump's firing of bipartisan election security officials is his latest move fueling election interference concerns

'It's entirely possible that either the Revolutionary Guard or the Ministry of Information and Security, the M.O.I.S., is continuing to plot Trump's assassination.' John Bolton weighs in on reports Israel shared intelligence with US of Iranian plot to assassinate Trump.

Jake Tapper reports on Trump's poorly executed priorities piling up

CNN's Pam Brown reports on The Lead aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln in Arabian Sea amid fresh strikes cnn.com/2026/07/09/wor…

'He was a loving husband, a father of 6 children, a brother, a person who stood alongside American troops in Afghanistan and fought alongside with them.' Brother of former Afghan ally raises questions after his death in ICE custody ruled an accident.

Watch the second part of @jaketapper's interview with Lyndsey Fifield here: cnn.com/2026/07/08/pol…

Watch the first part of @jaketapper's interview with Lyndsey Fifield here: cnn.com/2026/07/07/us/…

In the wake of Graham Platner dropping out of the Maine Senate race, watch @jaketapper's interview with Jenny Racicot here: cnn.com/2026/07/06/us/…

In an exclusive interview with CNN's Jake Tapper on Monday Jenny Racicot said that Graham Platner, the Democratic nominee for US Senate in Maine, entered her home without permission and raped her when they were in a casual dating relationship. Racicot said the incident happened five years ago while Platner was heavily intoxicated. Platner and his campaign denied the allegations, saying, "These allegations are troubling, serious, and false. Any accusation of non-consensual behavior is categorically untrue." Read more: cnn.it/4eXjpNt

A woman says that Graham Platner, the Democratic nominee for US Senate in Maine, entered her home without permission and raped her while he was heavily intoxicated five years ago when they were in a casual dating relationship – an allegation that Platner denies. "These allegations are very serious and Graham vigorously denies them," Platner's campaign said. See the full story on @TheLeadCNN with @jaketapper. cnn.it/4p2oEA4

'I have a long lineage of military service in my family... it's always been a special day." Navy Veteran Thomas Henderson tells @jaketapper about surviving and IED explosion 16 years ago on July 4th.