The Lead with Jake Tapper

Kyiv is now in a mandatory curfew as Russia’s unrelenting siege targets more innocent civilians and a city official in Mariupol says the Russian military is taking hostages inside a hospital. Plus, we now know what happened to that brave woman who snuck onto Russian state television to protest the war. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about yo...

Russian shelling continues to pummel Ukrainian citizens, cities, and towns. Two U.S. officials tell CNN that Russia asked China for military and economic help in their invasion. This as the U.S. national security adviser meets with a top Chinese diplomat. Former Deputy Secretary General of NATO Rose Gottemoeller joins to discuss Putin’s nuclear saber-rattling. Plus, she opened her home to a Ukrain...

Another Ukrainian city has fallen to Russian troops as U.S officials say Russians are making advances. This as fears grow around the world that Putin may be planning to use chemical weapons. Then, we talk to one mother about how the pain at the pump is much worse for some families. Plus, former Trump Attorney General Bill Barr joins to sound the alarm about his former boss’s temperament. To learn...

Mass graves are emerging in Ukraine as Putin continues his bloody assault. New and intense video shows what officials claim are Russian tanks being taken out by the Ukrainian military. Yet, in another Ukrainian city, so many people are being slaughtered by the Russians they are using trenches to bury them. Also, 1982 was the last time prices in the U.S. jumped this much. The cost of basic necessit...

Ukraine says Russia bombed a children’s hospital leaving a catastrophic scene in the wreck of a horrific air strike. Rep. David Cicilline of the House Foreign Affairs Committee answers if he thinks the U.S. should participate in a no-fly zone. Also, with fuel prices in the U.S. soaring above $4 a gallon, is any relief in sight? Colorado Governor Jared Polis joins to analyze the cost of gas as Bide...

After days of targeting towns, shelling homes, and slaughtering civilians, the Russian government is now proposing a new cease-fire. This as Putin claimed it would take only days to complete his “operation in Ukraine.” But, almost two weeks in, the 40-mile long Russian convoy hasn’t really moved. Plus, between 2,000 and 4,000 Russian soldiers have been killed. So, where does the invasion stand? To...

The horror of war is on full display for the whole world, with innocent Ukrainians running for their lives amid more evidence Russia is indiscriminately targeting civilians, many of whom are trapped. Plus, Putin's invasion is having a ripple effect on American wallets, with gas prices just a few cents away from hitting an all-time high. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit...

The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations today said the world narrowly avoided a nuclear catastrophe. Video shows Russian forces fired upon Europe’s largest nuclear power plant as they moved to capture it. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russian tanks also fired on the plant, potentially putting millions of live in danger. Foreign Affairs Committee member Rep. Adam Kinzinger join...

The United States is trying to ramp up the pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin by slapping a new set of sanctions on a new group of Russian elites. The goal is to maximize the impact on Putin and Russia while minimizing the harm to the U.S. and our allies around the world. President of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili joins to layout Putin's new plans and answer if Georgia could be the next c...

The Pentagon said the Russian push toward Kyiv and the Russian military’s massive 40-mile long military convoy are currently stalled due to a combination of logistical issues and unexpected resistance from the Ukrainian people. But, the Pentagon press secretary John Kirby also said the U.S. does believe that Russian forces are currently regrouping. Senator Bob Menendez joins to answer if he thinks...

A series of explosions were just heard around the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv. This latest attack comes as Volodymyr Zelensky sends a message to the world and the United States in an interview with CNN from a bunker in Kyiv. The Ukrainian president says the war is about more than bombing and missiles. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about...

Explosions rocked Kyiv, Ukraine this afternoon. Air raid sirens are becoming a familiar sound in Kyiv just as the Biden administration warns the Russian military could take a “more aggressive approach” to capturing that capital city. Mark Esper, former Defense Secretary under President Trump, joins to answer if he thinks Kyiv will fall to the Russian military.  To learn more about how CNN protects...

Despite courageous efforts by Ukrainians to defend their country, CNN sources familiar with the latest US intelligence say Kyiv could fall under Russian control within the next few days. That grim assessment comes as the White House plans to join its allies in imposing sanctions on Vladimir Putin. CNN correspondents in Ukraine's capital city report from the scene, with one describing the situation...

Jake Tapper and a team of CNN journalists spread out across Ukraine provide in-depth coverage of the unprovoked and violent Russian invasion. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the United States warns Ukraine that a full-scale Russian invasion is "imminent," CNN obtains new videos that show a further build-up of Russian troops and tanks, and the Pentagon says 80% of Russian forces are at a forward position ready to go, adding that Vladimir Putin has two dozen warships and special forces prepared to attack. And Russian state media reports that, according to a spokesman...

President Biden punishes Vladimir Putin with economic sanctions and Biden is warning there is worse to come if Putin takes even more of Ukraine. Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper joins to answer if Biden’s sanctions will stop Putin from annexing the entire Donbas.  Plus, gas prices are already soaring. Now, the Russia and Ukraine crisis could send even more prices surging.  To...

Russian President Vladimir Putin just ordered Russian troops into two separatist pro-Moscow regions in eastern Ukraine. This afternoon Putin signed documents officially recognizing two parts of Ukraine as independent territories. Then, health officials are discussing the timing of a possible fourth dose of the vaccine. Will a Covid-19 booster be the new flu shot? To learn more about how CNN protec...

President Biden is expected to make remarks this hour as the State Department says Russia is already carrying out false flag operations and a source calls the outlook bleak. Plus, the news a lot of parents do not want to hear as new clues emerge for why vaccines for children under 5 have been delayed and what scientists need to know moving forward. To learn more about how CNN protects listener pri...

America’s top diplomat today laid out how Russia could lie to try to justify going into Ukraine. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said it might be a mass grave or a fake chemical attack or a staged drone strike. Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor joins to discuss the looming threat of war. Also, two teenagers, one white, one black, got into a fight in a New Jersey mall. Why was only...

The Russian government claims it is starting a troop drawdown. But, does one quick Russian government video constitute sufficient proof? What the White House is now saying about Vladimir Putin’s plans to possibly invade Ukraine. Plus, CDC guidance on masking is coming soon. But, is it too little loo late as states and cities are continuing to pursue their own policies? To learn more about how CNN...

An American first for an American problem after a gun maker is held legally liable for the Sandy Hook massacre where 26 first-graders and six adults were gunned down.   Plus, moments ago, President Biden saying there is plenty of room for diplomacy but if Russia invades Ukraine, all options are on the table. Our experts are standing by. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit...

Since Russia is an energy superpower, gas prices could continue to rise if an invasion occurs leaving American consumers in the middle of this potential conflict. Plus, the U.S. is temporarily shutting down its embassy in Ukraine as the White House is getting briefed on an attack that could happen any day now.   A new study suggests Western California is experiencing its worst drought in at lest 1...

The White House says we are now in an urgent situation with the possible Russian invasion of Ukraine imminent. The Biden administration is telling people to leave immediately saying Russia could launch an invasion in Ukraine at any moment.  Canadian lawmakers are trying to get things moving across the border as U.S. auto makers are being forced to use charter planes to get much needed parts to the...

The trucker protests blocking several border crossings in Canada could be popping up in the U.S. in just a couple of days. What might this mean for the American economy? The committee investigating the January 6th attack on the Capitol says there’s a gap in Donald Trump’s phone records as the violence unfolded. What might Trump be hiding? To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visi...

President Biden denounced Florida Republicans for advancing a bill, which opponents call the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, that bans certain discussions about sexual orientation and gender identity in the classroom. Are Democrats following the science or the polling? More and more blue states are lining up to ditch mask mandates as the CDC suggests it may be too soon. To learn more about how CNN protects...