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The Lead with Jake Tapper

Israeli Foreign Ministry: 1 Killed, 6 Wounded In Tel Aviv "Terror Attack"; Justice Thomas Defends Not Disclosing Gifts Of Luxury Travel; Soon: VP Harris To Meet With Two Expelled Lawmakers In Nashville; Tennessee House GOP Expels 2 Black Democrats Over Gun Reform Protest; Oklahoma Attorney General Seeks New Trial For Death Row Inmate; U.S. Labor Market Cools Off In March, Adds Just 236K New Jobs. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired April 07, 2023 - 16:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[16:00:04]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: The pontiff canceled his in-person appearance because of extreme cold weather, according to a Vatican statement. Earlier, he held the Passion of the Lord services at St. Peter's Basilica ahead of Sunday's Easter mass.

THE LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER starts right now.

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JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Breaking news, a terrorist attack in Tel Aviv and all of the victims are tourists.

THE LEAD starts right now.

Tensions continue to escalate in the Middle East. New details and images just coming in as CNN learns of a new terrorist attack in Tel Aviv, as Israel strikes after a barrage of rockets hit along its borders.

Plus, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas tries to explain after a bombshell report revealed his many family trips on a yacht, in a private jet, all paid for by a billionaire Republican megadonor. And Thomas never disclosed almost any of it.

Plus, Vice President Kamala Harris dispatched to Tennessee one day after state house Republicans expelled two Democrats, two Black men, who were protesting on the floor. But they did not expel the other Democrat on the floor with them, a White woman.

Welcome to THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper.

We have some breaking tragic news from Israel. You're looking at live pictures from Tel Aviv after one person was killed and six wounded from a, quote, terror attack in a popular thoroughfare in the city. Israel says all of the victims, the one dead and the six wounded, were tourists, as fears of further escalation mounts going into the weekend with Passover, Ramadan and Easter all converging.

This has all been set off this recent round of violence by a barrage between Israelis and Palestinians.

It started with back to back Israeli police raids on a mosque in Jerusalem on Wednesday because of protests in the mosque. That then triggered rocket fire from Lebanon into Israel on Thursday, then came retaliatory strikes by Israel's military into Gaza and Lebanon overnight.

Now, Israeli officials say in a separate attack. Two British Israeli citizens were shot and killed by Palestinian terrorists on the West Bank today. Those British Israeli citizens have been identified as 16 and 20-year-old sisters.

Now the Palestinian group Hamas, which the U.S. State Department deems a terrorist organization, welcomed the brutal attack on the 16 and 20- year-old sisters. They described it as a quote, heroic operation.

Israel's defense forces spokesperson tells CNN that the goal right now in the region is de escalation. But the spokesman admits, quote, we are in very volatile times.

We're going to cover this from Jerusalem and from the Israel-Lebanon border.

Let's start with CNN's Hadas Gold, who is near the Israel-Lebanon border.

Hadas, what new are we learning about this attack in Tel Aviv?

HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jake, this took place, this attack took place during a very popular tourist area, during what is a very popular tourist time because of all these holidays, tens of thousands of extra tourists were expected to be in Israel visiting what we understand is a car that was driving along the made road that goes right alongside parallel to the beach in Tel Aviv, somehow managed to go over some barricades that are there and drive onto the promenade where people walk, enjoying themselves along the beach.

The car managed to hit some pedestrians and then also we do under we do believe that the suspect got out of his car and also managed to somehow shoot at the same time. It's not clear if that happened after the car was overturned or beforehand. We know that at least one man who is said to 30 years old was killed and something like at least five others were injured, one of them a 17-year-old girl.

All of the victims are tourists is what Israeli authorities are saying. We do not know where these tourists are from. All we know from Israeli authorities is that they are all tourists. Now, we also know from Israeli police that the suspect was shot and killed by a nearby police officers who happened to be at a gas station that is right there.

I can't overemphasize how much of a popular place this is. It's a Friday night, people are out and about, walking alongside the beach. This is a very popular area not only for Israelis but also for tourists. It's right by some of the major tourist spots in Tel Aviv. Now, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is calling on extra border

police reinforcements as well as Israeli soldier reinforcements to come out. The Israeli police have also officially called on any and all citizens who are licensed to carry a firearm to keep it on them at all times and respond to any sort of situation that they see like this.

This is now the third person to die in such terror attacks in one day. The other two, of course, being the sisters that you mentioned this that that attack happened in the occupied West Bank. Their mother, who was with them in the car, was also actually shot and critically injured in that attack that as you noted Hamas and also the Palestinian Islamic jihad have praised.

[16:05:10]

So the Israeli authorities now essentially putting all of the security established on as full of an alert as it can be. Also, where this took place, Jake, this attack in Tel Aviv, not very far from if you remember that American who was killed in a stabbing terror attack a few years ago in Jaffa, Taylor Force. That happened also, not far from where this attack has happened at this attack took place.

We're still trying to find new details about the suspect. All we know so far is that the suspect who was driving this car was later shot and killed on the scene by Israeli police -- Jake.

TAPPER: All right. Hadas Gold, near the Israel-Lebanon border, thank you so much.

Let's go now to CNN's Salma Abdelaziz in Jerusalem.

And, Salma, bring us the wider context here. This attack in Tel Aviv happens amidst a lot of violence in the region.

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. Prime Minister Netanyahu's call for extra border police that is not in isolation, that is not just in response to this incident, regardless of how serious it is. There has been a serious uptick, a serious escalation in violence in the region one unseen in years.

And that really bears the hallmarks of potentially a wider conflict. I knew you played those pictures earlier of the catalyst, really, the moment that launched this wider escalation beginning with that raid, the Israeli police raid on Al Aqsa mosque on Wednesday, Israeli police saying that they entered the mosque after rioters barricaded themselves inside.

But for the wider Muslim community that was seen as a provocation. A pouring of condemnation came in and so did rockets from two different locations, Jake. Southern -- southern Lebanon, a barrage of rockets coming from there, the largest seen since the conflict in 2006, more than 30 rockets, as well as the barrage of rockets coming from Gaza. They were retaliatory strikes by the Israel by the Israeli military.

And it appeared that this was a very measured a tit for tat, if you will. But the last 24 hours, really a very serious uptick as you heard from my colleague Hadas there.

This is the second terror attack, Israeli police say occurring today, the first on the West Bank. There's two sisters killed in a shooting attack and now in Tel Aviv, again, a place considered relatively safe.

And all of this, coinciding with three different religious holidays coming at one period in time, the Muslim month of -- the holy Muslim month of Ramadan is underway. Passover is underway. Easter is taking place as well.

So serious concerns now, especially with these latest statements from Prime Minister Netanyahu, with the increased rocket attacks, that this just becomes further and further -- this escalation just grows further and further, Jake.

TAPPER: And the six terrorists -- I mean, six tourists killed by the terrorists in Tel Aviv, I mean, they could be from anywhere, celebrating any holiday, Ramadan, Easter or Passover. Quite awful.

Salma Abdelaziz in Jerusalem, thank you so much.

Now to the Pentagon, where officials are alarmed what appear to be screenshots of classified U.S. and NATO intelligence documents about the war in Ukraine are circulating online. The slides, some of which are labeled secret and top secret, appeared in detail key information about Ukraine's military information that would ultimately surely be useful to Russia as Ukraine prepares for its spring counteroffensive.

There are different versions of these documents, some of which appear to have been doctored.

CNN's Natasha Bertrand is at the Pentagon for us.

And, Natasha, do U.S. officials know who may have doctored these slides.

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Well, Jake, the short answer is no. And the Pentagon is telling us that they have seen the reports of these. These images circulating on social media, and they are reviewing the matter.

But, look, officials are telling us that they do believe that largely these images are authentic with a pretty big caveat. As you mentioned that some of them do appear to have been doctored.

Now, just to take a step back for a moment. These are images that appear to be photographs of documents that show classified information that has been compiled by the U.S. and NATO about Ukraine's military capabilities as well as training and equipment plans for the Ukrainians ahead of their spring counteroffensive.

Now we have a tweet up on the screen here that shows a Wall Street Journal reporter kind of outlining the discrepancies as I mentioned in these documents showing that some of them may have been doctored.

An original document that appears to have been circulating online showed an accurate Pentagon assessment. We are told roughly 35,000 to 45,000 Russians that have been killed in action since the beginning of the war. However, that appears to have been doctored later on. We don't know yet by whom, however you know you have to consider who would, you know be have the advantage in doctoring this to show the Russian casualty numbers as a lot lower.

[16:10:02]

Now, the Pentagon is investigating whether there are additional documents circulating online that they are not aware of and, of course, how these documents got there in the first place.

And we should note that the Ukrainians don't necessarily believe that these are particularly damaging. At least that is the statement and the image that they are portraying to us. A senior Ukrainian official in the president's office said that he actually believes that this is Russian disinformation and that these do not reveal sensitive military operations.

But, you know, the Pentagon obviously very concerned about this, and they are saying that they're continuing to look into it, Jake. But clearly, highly concerning leak it appears to be of sensitive and classified information, Jake.

TAPPER: All right. Natasha Bertrand at the Pentagon for us, thank you so much.

Right now, Vice President Kamala Harris is making a quickly scheduled trip to Tennessee, the demand she is expected to make as she meets with the two Democrats, just expelled from office by the Republican- led majority in the legislature there.

And he's avoided execution three times. What could stop the clock on the fourth time for Richard Glossip, the death row inmate facing execution in Oklahoma next month?

Plus, the statement today from Justice Clarence Thomas as he tries to explain why he never disclosed hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of fancy family trips paid for by a billionaire Republican megadonor.

Stay with us.

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[16:15:09]

TAPPER: Turning to our politics lead now, a rare statement about his private life from Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, responding to a bombshell reporting in "ProPublica" that he and his wife have gone on numerous luxury vacations with and paid for by GOP megadonor and conservative businessman Harlan Crow, without the Supreme Court justice, disclosing the trips as seems to be required.

CNN's Ariane de Vogue is digging into this all for us.

Ariane, what is Justice Thomas saying about why he didn't disclose these trips?

ARIANE DE VOGUE, CNN SUPREME COURT REPORTER: First of all, it's so rare to get a statement from Thomas in the first place. He clearly needed new -- he needed to explain things, and he basically says, look, the reason he didn't disclose it, he was told that he didn't have to disclose it. In the statement, he says that he and his wife, Ginni, well known conservative activist, they're longtime friends with Crow.

And this is what he said. He said early in my tenure at the court, I sought guidance from my colleagues and others in the judiciary and was advised that this sort of personal hospitality from close personal friends who do not have business before the court was not reportable. I have endeavored to follow that counsel throughout my tenure and have always sought to comply with the disclosure guidelines.

Note there that he stresses that Crow didn't have business before that court. But he also notes now that the rules have changed as in last month and now going forward, he says he's going to disclose.

TAPPER: He disclosed some gifts from Crow back in 2004, and then "The L.A. Times" wrote some nasty stuff about him and then he stopped. So I don't know how much that holds water.

But in any case, you've gotten some reaction from federal judges to the report. What were they telling you?

DE VOGUE: Right, and it has. They don't usually speak up, even though they didn't use their names. But I talked to one group. Really, they were livid about this.

They said, one of the judges said, this is precisely why the public respect for the Supreme Court has plummeted. This is far greater than mere ethics violations. It's about the perceived legitimacy of the Supreme Court.

But I did talk to other judges who actually sided with them. They're like these rules then were vague and he was following the rules. And I press and I said, yeah, but here we're talking about luxury trips, right private jets? Yeah, it's not like the fancy car on Uber or something really important ones. And he said, look, they were the rules. He followed the rules.

But it's opened up a firestorm. And maybe now a lot of judges are wondering with this fresh look at their ethics disclosures if that's going to start a whole new story.

TAPPER: The court still does not have an official code of conduct, though, right?

DE VOGUE: And that is really -- that's the next big story.

TAPPER: Justice Earl Warren, 54 years ago, wanted them to do it after the whole Abe Fortas debacle.

Ariane De Vogue, always great to see you. Thanks so much. Next to Nashville and what happens next after Tennessee Republicans kicked two Democrats out of office because they protested on the statehouse floor.

Stay with us.

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[16:22:31]

TAPPER: In our national lead, the noise from Music City seems to be growing louder, enough to spur a last minute visit from Vice President Kamala Harris today. She will meet with the two Democratic state lawmakers just expelled from the general assembly there. The move was in retaliation for their state house floor protest and favor of gun reform after Nashville's deadly school shooting the protest was no doubt. Unruly but people are asking whether or not they deserve to be expelled from office for it.

CNN's Gary Tuchman now takes a look at what could come next as tens of thousands of Tennesseans have now been stripped of representation in the statehouse.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): New energy at the Tennessee state capitol after a day of protests, debate and consequential votes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The House stands in recess until 5:00 p.m. on Monday, April 10th, 2023.

TUCHMAN: Two Democratic legislators had just been expelled from the Tennessee House of Representatives by Republican supermajority.

In the hallways of the state capital in Nashville, demonstrators yelling and crying, with some staging a die-in in protest.

As legislators filed out of the House chambers, a chaotic scene. Tennessee state troopers standing between them and demonstrators, yelling was loud but all stayed peaceful.

And then out came the representatives who had been the subject of the expulsion discussions. Justin Pearson on the left, Gloria Johnson in the middle, Justin Jones on the right.

The two men expelled, the woman surviving by one vote. They were punished by Republicans for their demonstration on the House floor last week, calling for gun reform, walking up to the well of the chamber and protesting, following the horrific school shooting in Nashville last month.

DEMONSTRATORS: No action, no peace! No action, no peace! No action, no peace!

TUCHMAN: Republicans saying their behavior was disorderly and as a result, they made the decision to kick the two men out of the legislature.

So what does the woman who survived have to say about that?

GLORIA JOHNSON (D), TENNESSEE STATE HOUSE: I think it's pretty clear. I'm a 60-year-old white woman and they are too young black men.

TUCHMAN: The chairman of the Tennessee Black Caucus is Sam McKenzie.

SAM MCKENZIE (D), TENNESSEE BLACK CAUCUS OF STATE LEGISLATORS CHAIR: The world saw the optics. I don't have to say a word about the fact that our two young African American brothers were unfairly prosecuted. Information, evidence introduced inappropriately but they handled themselves like true champions.

TUCHMAN: Republicans deny a racism allegation, some saying that Gloria Johnson was not leading the protest effort last week.

[16:25:03]

One Republican leader told us further investigation taking into the ethics committee, a lesser punishment was not something his party wanted to do.

JEREMY FAISON (R), TENNESSEE HOUSE REPUBLICAN CAUCUS CHAIRMAN: This group, my caucus, which is the supermajority, there are 75 of us said no, that is not. We don't want to go to the ethics route. We don't want them censured. We want them expelled.

TUCHMAN: But one of those expelled representatives stands by what he and his two Democratic colleagues did, saying they were not being allowed to talk about what they feel needed to be talked about, gun reform.

JUSTIN JONES (D), EXPELLED TENNESSEE STATE REPRESENTATIVE: We have been expelled for standing with our constituents, but I have no regrets. I will continue to speak up for District 52 and for Tennesseans who are demanding change.

TUCHMAN: Notably, both expelled legislators could be back in office and soon their county commissions will appoint temporary representatives prior to the next election, and they are permitted to select the two men who were expelled.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TUCHMAN (on camera): Vice President Harris is flying here right now. She will meet later this afternoon to discuss gun control with the two legislators who were expelled. But also, she's invited every Democratic legislator here in the state capitol of Nashville to participate in meetings. She will fly back, Jake, to Washington tonight. President Biden yesterday said the expulsion is shocking and undemocratic.

This Monday, hundreds of people are expected right where I'm standing for a protest along with the two lawmakers who have lost the lawmaking jobs -- Jake. TAPPER: All right. Gary Tuchman in Nashville, thanks so much.

With us now, Kyonzte Toombs. She's a member of the 40 member Nashville Metro Council.

Councilwoman Toombs, thanks for joining us.

So you're one of the council members who's going to vote to fill the seat on an interim basis of expelled former state lawmaker Justin Jones.

Are you going to vote for Jones to fill the seat? And do you think that vote will happen on Monday?

KYONZTE TOOMBS, NASHVILLE METRO COUNCILMEMBER: So I'll absolutely be voting to restore Representative Jones to his seat in District 50. The constituents of District 52 voted him in. I've heard no calls from anyone in district 52 that he shouldn't have that seat.

In fact, we received a -- council members have received several, probably hundreds, if not thousands of emails, already tweets and other communication from constituents, asking that he be restored to his seat. On Monday, I am very hopeful that we will vote on Monday to restore Representative Jones to his seat. It will take a suspension of the rules because that's not our normal procedure in these types of circumstances, but I'm very hopeful that my colleagues will vote to suspend the rules so that we can immediately reappoint him to this seat.

TAPPER: Why do you think the legislature voted to expel Jones as well as Representative Justin Pearson, but not State Representative Gloria Johnson, who was alongside them in those protests? State Representative Johnson says it's because, this -- this is her view -- she's a White woman, and therefore she she's still in the state legislature and the other two gentlemen are young Black men. Is that how you see it?

TOOMBS: I think the optics are clear, regardless of what the intent was of the representatives who voted no on Representative Johnson and not on Representative Jones and Pearson. When you see the two young African American males expelled and the older White woman not expelled -- I mean, you can't get past the racial undertones of that, even in 2023, given the history of this country and the history of the state, you can't get past the optics and perception is reality.

So even though, you know, those were the optics that they were racial undertones, representatives still went forward with their vote.

TAPPER: What are you hearing from residents of Nashville from Justin Jones constituents about what has happened in the last week?

TOOMBS: People are disheartened. They feel like they've been disenfranchised. The voices of an entire district were essentially silence and their vote nullified. They are pleading with the council to reinstate Representative Jones immediately. I've heard no single person saying that he should have been expelled.

Everyone feels like that was unjust and undemocratic. I mean, it's in no uncertain terms, it's very clear that our constituents want us to restore him to the seat.

TAPPER: He's been an activist for quite some time. And I'm wondering if you think some of this was just Republicans trying to get rid of an activist, somebody who has been involved in protests. He was involved in -- I believe he was involved in the movement to try to get rid of the bust of the former leader of the Klan, Nathan Bedford Forrest, I believe is his name.

Do you think that this is that's part of it? People just not liking his activism for years and years and seeing a chance to punish him?

TOOMBS: I think there is some distaste for his activism, Representative Jones as well as Representative Pearson.

[16:30:03]

They have the ability to move a lot of people, to inspire a lot of people, particularly young people to action. And when you see young people being inspired to action as a threat to the old way of doing politics, and so that makes a lot of people who want to hold on to that old way of doing politics makes them very uncomfortable.

So, yes, I do think that it was a way to try to get rid of that activism, but it's only two temporary. As you can see, young people have been even more inspired to action, and it's just going to catapult Representative Jones, Representative Pearson even more.

TAPPER: All right. Councilwoman Kyonzte Toombs, thank you so much. Appreciate your time today.

TOOMBS: Thank you.

TAPPER: Here now to discuss, Audie Cornish, CNN correspondent, host of "The Assignment with Audie Cornish" and former reporter covering Tennessee politics extensively as the former NPR bureau chief in Nashville.

That must have been a fun assignment. But also --

AUDIE CORNISH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was. You can see why.

TAPPER: Yeah, but also -- I mean, was this what the statehouse was like when you were there? Was it -- was it this fractured and this little willingness to see people as fellow humans?

CORNISH: Right. I mean, keep in mind, there's always been a kind of politeness to Tennessee politics. People think of it originally is the state of kind of Howard Baker and Bill Frist and Al Gore. These sort of it was a little more of a genteel vibe.

TAPPER: Yeah. CORNISH: Since then, you know, the most prominent person there would be Marsha Blackburn, the senator, to give you a sense of sort of how the politics have moved.

You know, it's interesting. The battle, though, between Nashville or Memphis, the kind of urban big population centers versus the state and the more rural, exurban, suburban, more Republican led parts of the state, that has only grown since Obama was elected and the statehouse flipped to Republican control.

TAPPER: Right, and it's not just a flip, right, because of gerrymandering. Tennessee is a Republican state, but it's not a 75 percent to 25 percent Republican state, which is what the legislator -- legislature looks like. So that's part of it.

How much do you see what's going on in Tennessee is kind of -- I don't know -- just a proxy fight to how bitter our politics have gotten in general?

CORNISH: I think it's more a proxy fight to for these longer ongoing trends. There are so many states that are held by Republican legislatures right and so many cities that have a Democrat-led city hall. And you're constantly seeing this friction of people trying to legislate on the city level versus maybe having those rules superimposed or over or vetoed at the state level, and that happens here in Washington, D.C., right, writ large with Congress.

What's interesting about this moment to me is watching kind of Gen Z enter the chat, so to speak. This generation of lawmakers, we have one 26, one 27.

If you think about it, if you're 27 now, you've witnessed Occupy Wall Street, Trayvon Martin, the entire Black Lives Matter movement grow, and you can even consider the same sex marriage battles, Roe v. Wade, you're witnessing a more confrontational progressive politics that is not so focused on compromise, which I would say you know, you or I growing up in the '90s and with Bill Clinton, et cetera compromise was the name of the game. That's not the game they play, and you can see that very literally in this conflict in Tennessee.

TAPPER: So the Tennessee Republican caucus chair Jeremy Faison spoke to CNN last night before he abruptly exited the interview. He said this about the three Democratic state lawmakers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEREMY FAISON (R), TENNESSEE HOUSE GOP CAUCUS CHAIR: It's not possible for us to move forward with the way they were behaving in committee and on the House floor. There's got to be some peace.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: We should point out not entirely relevant, but he was escorted outside, escorted out of his son's basketball game for trying to pants a referee -- that exemplar of southern behavior. But he claims that these three lawmakers, two of whom were removed, the third, the white woman was not, that their actions made it impossible for the legislature to function. Do you buy the idea that expulsion -- I don't -- I don't, you know, I don't deny that they were unruly and disruptive. But do you buy that expulsion was the only solution to this?

CORNISH: Two things are true. Once being unreal, being unruly and stopping the business of the legislature was the point. That's why you have a protest. At the same time, we also heard them say we have the supermajority, right, effectively. It's our house. We chose not to censure. We chose not to send a committee.

We as the super majority, Republicans decided we had had enough. So I think kind of the answer is right there. They could have chosen to do something else. They chose to do this, and what's interesting is what they have awakened in the state as a result.

You know, I'm going to be interested in seeing what does this mean for the very, you know, there is a strong, progressive and Democratic populist tradition in Nashville that exists in Tennessee, and in the South that exists.

[16:35:08]

Will we see that kind of rise up in a way? Will we see more young people? You know, fundamentally, we have some young lawmakers who were inspired by John Lewis. They consider him an icon, the late John Lewis. He sat down on the House floor in Congress after the Pulse nightclub shooting, they were disruptive.

So if he could do it, I'm sure for them, generationally, there thinking -- well, it's our turn.

TAPPER: I do wonder what Taylor Swift is going to say about all this.

CORNISH: Maybe she will say something. Country music stars aren't known for jumping into the breach but --

TAPPER: She jumped into --

CORNISH: -- this might be the moment.

TAPPER: -- the Senate race at one point.

CORNISH: Yeah.

TAPPER: Audie Cornish, thanks so much. Good to see you as always.

CORNISH: Thanks for having me.

TAPPER: Coming up next, the death row inmate close to execution for fourth time.

Today, CNN spoke with his attorney. The efforts happening this time around to spare Richard Glossip's life. Plus, new information just coming in about the breaking news, a

terrorist attack in Tel Aviv. One tourist killed five tourists wounded. We're back in a moment.

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[16:40:09]

TAPPER: New details just in on that deadly terrorist attack in Tel Aviv. Hospital officials say three British tourists and one Italian tourist were among those injured in the attack and a popular thoroughfare.

Israel reports one person was killed, a 30-year-old man, pronounced dead at the scene. Several others were injured. Three of those had moderate injuries with four described as having light injuries. All of the victims, Israeli officials say, all of them were tourists.

We'll have more updates on this developing situation as those developments come in, as the information comes in.

In our national lead now, the clock is ticking as Oklahoma's attorney general take steps that may stop next month's scheduled execution of a man who has been on death row for decades and whose conviction may be the result of another man's lie. We've told you Richard Glossip story before.

CNN's Ed Lavandera has all the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In almost 25 years on death row, Richard Glossip has stared down and execution date nine times. He's been served his last meal three times before getting last minute reprieves. But Oklahoma's attorney general now says he can no longer stand behind Glossip's murder conviction and his asking the state's court of criminal appeals to give Glossip a new trial.

And how did Richard Glossip react?

DON KNIGHT, ATTORNEY FOR DEATH ROW INMATE RICHARD GLOSSIP: Well, never forget that look, you know, of realization that hey, you know, finally somebody into the state has listening and, you know, now he has a chance.

LAVANDERA: Glossip was sentenced to death for the 1997 murder of his boss, Barry Van Treese. They worked at a motel in Oklahoma City.

But it was another employee, Justin Sneed, who admitted to killing Van Treese. Sneed who is serving a life sentence was spared the death penalty in exchange for testifying that Glossip offered to pay him for the killing.

The Oklahoma attorney general says Sneed is a compromised witness, though, and independent investigation found that prosecutors destroyed and withheld evidence from Glossip's defense attorneys.

There's also evidence that Sneed regretted his testimony. In letters, he writes: Do I have the choice of recanting my testimony? And there are a lot of things right now that are eating at me, some things I need to clean up.

RICHARD GLOSSIP, DEATH ROW INMATE: All you can have is hope. It's like having a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel finally.

LAVANDERA: Earlier this year, Richard Glossip spoke with CNN from death row about the psychological toll of fighting to get state officials to hear his pleas of innocence.

GLOSSIP: Knowing that you're going to die just eats at you and eats at you. I tried to do everything in my power to avoid that from happening. I've been through this so many times, but it's still scary. It will always be scary until they find the door and let me go.

LAVANDERA: Oklahoma's attorney general and the independent counsel he appointed, both say calls to give Glossip a new trial doesn't mean they believe he's innocent. But that there must be absolute faith that the death penalty is administered fairly and with certainty.

Right now, with this news, this is probably the greatest sense of relief he's experienced in years.

KNIGHT: We have hope we have real hope for the first time in a long time, and Rich certainly feels incredible sense of hope for the future, anxiety over what might come next.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAVANDERA (on camera): And it's not exactly clear when the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals will determine Richard Glossip's fate. As of now, Jake, his execution is still scheduled for May 18th. So, as you said, the clock is still ticking -- Jake.

TAPPER: All right. Ed Lavandera, thanks so much.

Maybe you don't be so quick to ignore those calls from unknown numbers. The important message someone may be trying to tell you about health benefits that you might be at risk of losing. Stay tuned.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:48:23]

TAPPER: In our money lead now, the first jobs report in 12 months that actually came in below expectations today. Just 236,000 jobs added in March, an indication that the labor market might be cooling off and perhaps a sign those high prices hitting your wallet will start to come down.

CNN's Rahel Solomon is here.

Rahel, does this mean all those rate hikes by the Federal Reserve are achieving what they want them to?

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jake, it definitely seems like the medicine is starting to work, at least on the labor side of things. So, 236, which was just slightly cooler than economists were expecting. I can show you and put that in context over the last year, you can see certainly lighter than we've seen over the last year or so. By historical standards, however, still strong, right, what we like to see.

Also encouraging here, Jake, we saw almost half a million people come off the sidelines and actually joined the workforce, right? Labor force participation that increased slightly. So that has to be good news for the Fed getting some help on the supply side of things, the unemployment rate, which you're looking at here that declined as well slightly to 3.5.

That is very low, also very low making news today, the unemployment rate for Black Americans also falling to a record low, higher than the national average, but falling to 5 percent.

Jake, that is the lowest level since the BLS sort tracking this data in 1972 and take a look at that the unemployment rate for black women also falling to 4.2 percent. That is also a record low.

So bottom line here: is this a calling? Yes. Is this a gradual cooling? Yes. Is it welcome news for the Fed? I would argue, yes.

TAPPER: All right. Rahel Solomon, thanks for breaking it down like this. Have a great weekend.

In our health lead now, 15 million Americans who rely on Medicaid coverage are at risk of losing it, 15 million.

[16:50:08]

An enrollment provision extended for the pandemic has expired, and now states have the power to drop those deemed ineligible for the health insurance program, Medicaid. Some states are moving faster than others, and as CNN's Amara Walker reports for us now, that could lead to some accidents.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COURTNEY MCKNIGHT, CERTIFIED ENROLLMENT SPECIALIST, GEORGIA PRIMARY CARE ASSOCIATION: I'm doing wonderful. Thank you.

AMARA WALKER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Courtney McKnight makes dozens of calls every day.

MCKNIGHT: I wanted to know if you were familiar with the unwinding period that is happening here in Georgia.

WALKER: A certified enrollment specialist with the Georgia primary care association, she's been getting surprised reactions as she warns Georgia Medicaid recipients that they're at risk of losing their coverage. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My family could because I had Medicaid for my kids, and I can lose Medicaid for my kids? Is that what you're saying?

MCKNIGHT: Yes, ma'am.

Everyone has been pretty receptive. And I think it was just everyone was freaking out because the way the information is given. It's like you're going to lose your benefits, and it's like no, that you have not lost them. You're not going to lose them --

WALKER: If?

MCKNIGHT: -- if you enroll within your 30 days.

WALKER: According to government estimates, 15 million people will soon lose their Medicaid coverage after pandemic era protections expired last month.

JENNIFER TOLBERT, DIRECTOR OF STATE HEALTH REFORM, KAISER FAMILY FOUNDATION: And what that means is, states will now begin this enrolling people, begin the process of renewing coverage for everyone enrolled in the Medicaid program.

WALKER: States will have about a year to re-verify the eligibility of all 92 million enrollees of Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, a free or low cost health insurance for low income people.

McKnight says she's concerned that some will learn they've lost coverage when they're seeking medical care.

MCKNIGHT: If I come in, and Timmy has broken his leg and I can't pay for that, because I didn't find out about this unwinding period, until it was too late.

TOLBERT: There will be many people who will be dis-enrolled despite remaining eligible simply because they are unable to complete the renewal process.

WALKER: For the past three years, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act allowed Medicaid recipients to automatically have continuous coverage during the COVID federal public health emergency, even if they no longer qualified.

During the pandemic, Medicaid enrollment grew by more than 21 million, according to KFF.

It's a monumental task for many states, dealing with staffing shortages and high turnover rates, which experts say raise the risk of procedural mistakes.

LEAH CHAN, SENIOR HEALTH ANALYST GEORGIA BUDGET AND POLICY INSTITUTE: So they don't lose coverage because there are no longer eligible. They lose coverage because some sort of mistake has happened along the way, whether that be on the part of the family, on the part of the state agency worker, both working hard. You know, this will disproportionately impact. Children in the Latinx community here in Georgia and Black children.

WALKER: The easiest way to avoid losing coverage for those still eligible?

TOLBERT: They should be on the lookout for those notices. And when the notices come open them right away and take whatever action is needed to make sure they maintained coverage.

MCKNIGHT: Update your information. Update your phone numbers. Update your home address, update everything.

WALKER: Though her days may be long and the work quite tedious --

MCKNIGHT: It's a lot of pressure.

WALKER: -- McKnight plans to help as many Georgians as she can.

MCKNIGHT: Our biggest community right now, biggest two communities that are being hit right now are the Asian and African American communities.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER (on camera): So if you don't want to lose your Medicaid coverage, the most urgent thing to do right now is to go to your state's online Medicaid portal and update all of your information and press that renew button.

Five states have already begun removing people from their Medicaid rolls. That includes Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, New Hampshire and South Dakota, and about 15 more states will follow in May -- Jake.

TAPPER: All right. Amara Walker, thanks so much. Appreciate it.

We're going to go back live to Tel Aviv and the scene of that deadly terrorist attack at the top of the hour.

Plus, the U.S. State Department releasing its own review of the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. Why this one is not sparking the same blistering questions have followed a Pentagon report released just a day earlier.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:58:45]

TAPPER: Welcome to THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper.

This hour, she's five months pregnant with her seventh child, but now she does not know where she will give birth because the closest hospital with the maternity ward just closed down. She'll have to drive 40 miles away. And she's far from the only mother to be stuck in what people are calling the maternity desert. Plus, four former NCAA swimmer claims she was attacked by protesters having -- after giving a speech at a California university. The topic of her speech, trans women and women's sports.

And new developments leading this hour, one tourist is dead and at least seven other people are wounded after a terrorist attack in Tel Aviv. We know three British tourists and one Italian tourists are among the injured. Israeli police say a car hit several people walking along the promenade.

The Israeli foreign ministry is calling this a terrorist attack. This comes with tensions, ratcheting up going into the weekend with Passover, Ramadan and Easter all converging. The violence started with back to back Israeli police raids on a mosque in Jerusalem on Wednesday. That triggered rocket fire from Lebanon into Israel on Thursday, and then retaliatory strikes by Israel, Israel Israel's military into Gaza and Lebanon overnight.