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The Lead with Jake Tapper

L.A. County Opens Investigation into Swalwell for Sexual Assault; Senate Rejects Measure to Limit Trump's War Powers in Iran; Jury Finds Ticketmaster and Live Nation Operated as a Monopoly, Overcharged Fans. Gavin Newsom Under Pressure To Intervene In California Governor Race; Bloomberg: U.S. Probes Suspicious Oil Trades Made Before Trump Pivots. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired April 15, 2026 - 18:00   ET

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

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[18:00:00]

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to The Lead. I'm Phil Mattingly in for Jake Tapper.

This hour, a second investigation has been launched into former Congressman Eric Swalwell after a woman accused him of drugging and sexually assaulting her at a California hotel, allegations he denies. In moments, I'll get reaction from both a former Swalwell staffer and a woman who helped bring some of the most serious allegations to life.

Plus, a major ruling today that will affect every sports fan, concertgoer, Broadway attendee, really anyone who has ever bought a ticket for an event. This afternoon, a jury found Live Nation and Ticketmaster operated as a monopoly and overcharged fan. So, what exactly happens next?

Also, did people get rich off of insider tips about the Iran War? The federal government reportedly launching a brand new investigation today into some suspiciously, very well timed trades, trades with billions of dollars.

And decades after notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar brought wild hippos to Colombia. There is a new plan to reduce the hippo population, a population that is terrorizing local villages. CNN's crew actually had to run for safety when visiting their habitat. It is a story you do not want to miss.

The Lead tonight, former Congressman Eric Swalwell is now facing a second investigation into an alleged sexual assault after a woman came forward Tuesday and accused the California Democrat of drugging, raping, and choking her at a Los Angeles area hotel in 2018. Swalwell is already under investigation in Manhattan. A former staffer told CNN the ex-congressman had sex with her in April 2024 when she was unable to consent.

Now, Swalwell resigned from his seat in Congress yesterday and suspended his campaign for governor earlier in the week. He denies all of these sexual assault and misconduct allegations against him.

We start things off of CNN's Kyung Lah, who is live in Los Angeles, tracking the early stages of this investigation. Kyung, this has been moving so fast. What's the latest?

KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: Very fast, but I want to emphasize one word that you just said there, Phil, it is early. The investigation here in Los Angeles in the early stages, but officially underway, we are getting that word from the sheriff's department that confirmed it had received a report from a person accusing Swalwell of sexual assault.

Now, in addition to the Manhattan D.A. you just mentioned, the Los Angeles D.A., Nathan Hochman, now says this in a statement, quote, our office has assigned our sex crimes division to work closely with law enforcement partners as this investigation unfolds. When and if a case is presented, seasoned prosecutors will review the facts and evidence to determine whether there is sufficient evidence for charges to be filed. When a filing decision is made, we will ensure the public is made aware.

So, in reading that, the sheriff's department first has to conduct its investigation before recommending anything to the L.A. D.A.

Now, all of this is coming from an accuser, Lonna Drewes, and she made her complaint public. She held a news conference and then sat down with us here at CNN. She says, in 2018, she believes Swalwell put something in her drink and then raped her. Here's what she told us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAH: Why have you decided now to become public?

LONNA DREWES, SWALWELL ACCUSER: My motivation was for other girls. I know that I can't be the only one. And so I kind of wanted to be a voice for other women that they could feel that they could come forward and say something. And for a long while, I've wanted to say something. When I knew he was running for governor, I was like, oh God, this can't happen. Like somebody's kind of -- I've been waiting for somebody else to come forward.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAH: Now, CNN could not independently corroborate Drewes' claims, and her lawyer says that information that they have would go to law enforcement first. Swalwell's attorney does deny every allegation of sexual assault and misconduct. Phil?

MATTINGLY: Kyung Lah for us in Los Angeles with the latest, thank you very much.

Well, joining me now is Arielle Fodor. You might know her. You probably do know her as Mrs. Frazzled online. She's one of the influencers who really helped break open this entire story.

And, you know, you first got private warnings about Swalwell when you posted a video about his gubernatorial campaign launch, and then quickly connected with another influencer, Cheyenne Hunt, who was on a similar mission.

Fast forward to now, what are you -- what have you like taken this all in, what's happened over the course of the last couple of days?

ARIELLE FODOR, BROUGHT ATTENTION TO THE ERIC SWALWELL ALLEGATIONS: I don't feel like I have. It's been a whirlwind and honestly just continuing to lean on the women who have been alongside me the whole time. Trying to work on this, Cheyenne and Anika, it's been like absolutely insane and I am just in awe of everybody coming forward.

[18:05:02]

It takes so much courage and I am just like I don't know when I'll be able to like take it all in, but right now I'm just like, wow.

MATTINGLY: Have you heard from more or from the women you've already connected with or other women with stories in the last day?

FODOR: Yes. Every single day, since the day that Cheyenne posted in particular, we have gotten women coming forward to us every single day, more than one.

MATTINGLY: Swalwell now under investigation, you just heard my colleague, Kyung, talking about in Los Angeles County, obviously the Manhattan related -- also in Manhattan related to the more serious accusations of rape.

Swalwell denies all of the sexual assault and misconduct allegations against him. His attorney spoke last night about the allegations. I want you to listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARA AZARI, ERIC SWALWELL'S ATTORNEY: The crime regret is not rape. So, the fact that, you know, a day later, years later or whatnot, you maybe had shame around what you did or maybe you were in a relationship and shouldn't have done what you did doesn't make it rape.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: What would you say to those who might read or hear these stories and agree with what you just heard from the lawyer?

FODOR: That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard in my life. Survivors do not -- like they don't owe anybody any sort of timeline or any sort of like whatever it is these people want. It is so frustrating to watch this type of narrative. And I think his lawyer should stay out of my comment section in the future if she'd like to continue to make statements like that on the news.

MATTINGLY: The Me Too movement happened, gosh, I guess probably about a decade ago now. It mainly was focused on Hollywood, the entertainment industry. Politics, Washington kind of skated on some level, which remains remarkable to me. Why do you think that was?

FODOR: I think because there is such a pervasive culture of hubris with these men who think that women will be silent, that they can hold their careers above their head. I mean, look, in D.C., this is a bubble. If you're working for a man who takes advantage of you or abuses his power or harasses you, assaults you, that office is really how you are going to get your next job. It's very, very difficult to just start at zero on the Hill. And that culture is what has allowed this to fester for so long. And also it's a big boys club. It's a big like, oh, boys will be boys-type of mentality and that is over.

Me Too was not just a one-time movement. We're seeing that there are waves of this. We're seeing the bravery of women. And I think that the men who have skated on women's silence for so long should be put on notice that this is a wrap.

MATTINGLY: You and Cheyenne Hunt have been posting about helping Swalwell donors request refunds connecting his former staffers with new jobs. I'm just interested, talk to people about those efforts.

FODOR: Well. One thing that was really important for both of us was that we didn't want to even start dipping our toe into any of this without making sure that we had infrastructure in place to help the women who have endured horrible wrongs at the hands of Eric Swalwell.

And we just wanted to make sure that if they were going to be brave and come forward, that we would be as soft a place to land as possible for them. Because that's really what this is all about, is making sure that they are supported and that if -- you know, they're putting forth a great effort in being courageous and we will have their back in literally whatever way we possibly can.

So, yes, we have resources, we have a lawyer, we have people that want to get you plugged in with new jobs even if you left an office in solidarity with women who have been victimized, we have that resource for you as well. So, yes, it's been a lot.

MATTINGLY: I can only imagine it's extraordinarily important what you have been doing.

Thank you for taking the time. I really appreciate it.

FODOR: Yes, thank you for having me.

MATTINGLY: I want to bring in Lina Tragni, a former Swalwell staffer who worked for him as an intern before taking a full-time position in his Congressional office and then working on his presidential campaign. Lina, I really appreciate your time.

I guess to start, I'm trying to think about what the last few days must have been like for you, for your colleagues. Obviously, you were instrumental in the letter calling on Eric Swalwell to withdraw and resign before he ended up doing both. What's this moment like for you as you kind of look back at the tsunami of the last few days?

LINA TRAGNI, FORMER SWALWELL STAFFER: Yes, thanks for having me, Phil. It's been a whirlwind of devastation. There have been a lot of tears, a lot of angry feelings. I know a lot of the staffers are going through the seven stages of grief as we mourn this kind of individual that we thought we could trust.

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It's been a complete betrayal on so many levels, not only for us, but to hear all of these women who have courageously come forward. The staff and former staff really want to make it clear that we stand with them. And as more survivors decide to come out, we you stand behind you.

MATTINGLY: The kind of rise of Eric Swalwell in politics as a lawmaker, a lot of it attributed in large part to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, another California Democrat who, I want to be clear about this, has denied knowing about any of this. But she was reportedly among those to call him on Friday, tell him to drop his bid for governor and resign.

There's a Democratic aide who told CNN he owed pretty much everything he's done here to Pelosi and others said she kind of adopted Swalwell into her Northern California family, saw him as a rising star.

I think the question is how is it possible for somebody who is alleged to have done what Eric Swalwell has done to rise as he did within the party to gain the trust of Speaker Pelosi and yet still be doing this allegedly behind closed doors?

TRAGNI: Yes. I think that's the question a lot of staff and volunteers and people who have helped him on this rise are asking themselves as well. It seems that we've been faced with an individual who has some kind of split personality, that they were able to conceal this traumatic part of themselves for so long. I mean, staffers have come together. We had 50-plus individuals signed the statement, and every individual that I've talked to had no idea.

So, for so many people to have been completely hoodwinked is -- it questions the kind of individual that not only he is, but how Congress, as a environment in and of itself, can allow this kind of actions to keep going year-after-year, and in some way, shape, or form, allowed it to be swept under the rug.

I know we've heard of a taxpayer funded slush fund that is used to hide these mistakes over the last few days. And it seems like it's become a culture in Congress to deny, deny, deny until something comes up and then completely slam the door on an individual when it's worthy of doing so.

So, I question the lawmakers that say that they didn't know, but, obviously, I can't ask them myself or I'd be knocking on doors.

MATTINGLY: You raise a really critical point, particularly as somebody who covered the Hill for a long time. You've seen stuff like this, I think, repeatedly. Culturally, there are significant issues that there have been efforts to change, and yet they continue on some level. I'm interested if you've had time to think through what you want to see changed or what could happen to spark change so this doesn't happen again.

TRAGNI: Yes. I believe Cheyenne Hunt was on with Dana Bash earlier today, and she said this is the second reckoning of the Me Too movement. And I think she's key and correct in that. There needs to be some kind of reckoning.

I mean, Congress is the only workplace where employees can harass and abuse their subordinates, tap into a taxpayer slush fund to bury these secrets, refuse to make those records public and then resign on their own terms instead of being fired and continue to collect benefits and access to Congressional gems and things of the like.

I think we need a complete overhaul. All of the dirty secrets should come out. I am very pleased to see that a number of women are coming forward not only with their accusations against Congressman Swalwell, but against other members. And I think a complete reckoning and complete clearing of the lies and the hidden secrets needs to come forward in the next few weeks.

MATTINGLY: Lina Tragni, I really appreciate your time and sharing your perspective. Thanks so much.

TRAGNI: Thank you, Phil.

MATTINGLY: Well, Democrats failing once again today in their efforts to rein in Trump's war with Iran. So, what's the plan now? I'm going to ask one of the Democratic senators leading this push next.

Plus, a new push to make it easier for you to watch your favorite sports teams on T.V. You're going to want to stick with us for this one.

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SEN. JIM BANKS (R-IN): On this motion, the yays are 47. The nays are 52. The motion is not agreed to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: That was earlier today, the Senate once again rejecting a measure aimed at restricting President Trump's war powers by requiring Congressional approval for any future military action in Iran. This is the fourth time it has failed since the war began nearly 50 days ago. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer though said Democrats are going to force a war powers vote every week for the foreseeable future.

I want to bring in Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, part of the group of Democratic senators that are really pushing this strategy, trying to force votes on a regular basis for everybody to go on the record with this current conflict.

And, Senator, one of the things that I've continuously heard the last couple of weeks is, you know, Republicans, when Democrats talk to them behind closed doors, they feel like, all right, they're kind of reaching a point, or maybe they're going to start to crack a little bit. Do you think that's actually going to happen?

SEN. TAMMY BALDWIN (D-WI): Look, it has to this is an illegal war of choice that has cost us already 13 service members. We have hundreds more who are wounded, some quite severely. We are seeing the price of gas go up. Our farmers are experiencing rising fertilizer and fuel prices. And we're spending tens of billions of dollars of this war, and the American people are against it.

And I was in Wisconsin listening to my constituents. They are dead set against this war, and they want Congress to stand up and do its job and be a check and a balance against this president.

[18:20:01]

You're even seeing cracks in the MAGA dam right now with Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly speaking out and saying, you promised otherwise. You promised lower prices. You promised an end to foreign conflicts. And with this war, you're violating both of those promises.

But I asked my Republican colleagues in the Senate, what will it take? Will it be a 14th or 15th service member dead? Will it be billions more spent? Will it be $200 a barrel oil? What will it take for you to join us and do your job and be a check and a balance to this president?

MATTINGLY: Since Congress has not authorized this war, the War Powers Act 1973 sets a 60-day limit. That's the deadline, which would be May 1st. I was interested to actually hear Senate Majority Leader John Thune reference 60 or 90 days earlier this week. I know the administration says that they don't believe it's constitutional, but I'm interested, have you heard anything about what might happen on that 60-day mark if your efforts on the Senate floor haven't gone anywhere by then?

BALDWIN: So, there's been a lot of discussion about it. And I want to first say that 60-day mark that gets referenced is only relevant when you are not talking about a war of choice, when you're talking about presidential action, military action to thwart an immediate threat or an attack on our nation. Then if Congress hasn't authorized it, the 60-day mark comes into effect.

We're not talking about such a war. We were not under imminent threat of attack from Iran. We were not under attack from Iran.

All of that said, I welcome my Republican colleagues who say they will take a new look at this after 60 days because anything that will welcome them to agree with us and join with us and vote for one of these war powers resolutions will be a step in the right direction.

MATTINGLY: Yes. Article 1 is a thing I often tell myself. Okay. I want to switch topics for a second because you have legislation that, honestly, I feel like has to unify both sides of the aisle and also every sports fan in America. The bill you just introduced is called the For the Fans Act. It would target sports blackouts, cut streaming costs, frankly, just make it a lot easier for sports fans to watch their teams. Walk me through how quickly this gets signed into law for everyone's sake.

BALDWIN: Well, let me first explain what it is. You've pretty much gotten it. But, you know, sports is a big unifier. In our state, we bleed green and gold for the Green Bay Packers. But what also unifies sports fans these days is the complexity and the cost of being able to watch your team play. You subscribe to all these expensive streaming services. And then when you're ready to watch the game, it's blacked out. You can't watch it. You paid for the service but they're not giving you what you paid for.

And then I think the breaking point for us in Wisconsin was when the Green Bay Packers and the Bears were playing in a playoff game last January, and 2.5 million Wisconsinites could not get access to that game without paying streaming costs, and so very, very frustrating.

What this bill would do is stop those blackouts. What this bill would do is make sure that for your local team, for your state's teams, that you can watch the game live and free.

And we see a lot of agreement on this. I just introduced the bill today. But I hope that this is something that can unify us across party lines because many of us are sports fans and just want free and live access to the teams we love and cheer for.

MATTINGLY: Yes.

BALDWIN: That's why it's called For the Fans.

MATTINGLY: With the implicit threat of 2 million-plus Cheeseheads coming at any lawmaker who disagrees.

Democratic Senator --

BALDWIN: That's right.

MATTINGLY: Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, grateful for your time. Thanks so much.

BALDWIN: Thank you.

MATTINGLY: Well, a jury ruling against Ticketmaster today finding it overcharged fans by driving up fees. So, what exactly does that mean for your wallet? That's next.

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[18:25:00]

MATTINGLY: Major news in our Money Lead today, a federal jury in Manhattan found Live Nation and Ticketmaster violated state and federal antitrust laws by operating as a monopoly in overcharging fans. The verdict follows a lengthy trial that included testimony from top executives in the music and entertainment industries.

I want to go straight to CNN's Kara Scannell, who's outside the world's most famous arena, MSG, the Garden. Kara, how did today's verdict unfold and are we all getting money?

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Phil, I don't think the price of Harry Styles tickets are going to come down immediately, but this is a huge win for the states that continue to bring their case against Live Nation and Ticketmaster to trial after the Justice Department settlement. Lawyers I've talked to say that this will be an earthquake in the industry.

It's validation for fans and rivals who say that Live Nation, Ticketmaster's control of the market has been anti-competitive and has driven up ticket prices and the fees attached to those tickets. The Live Nation just issued a statement saying that they still have several legal challenges that they are bringing to the judge and that they will ultimately appeal any adverse rulings.

This though is the first stage, this jury verdict. There will be a second trial and the judge will oversee that trial where he will decide what damages states will be awarded, if any, and any other kinds of remedies. Those could be structural remedies, whether forcing Live Nation to sell certain of its businesses, certain, say, amphitheaters, or venues that are a part of this litigation, steps that could hopefully be used to invite more competition into the market. And that is where lawyers say ultimately fans could see the benefits of that through lower prices, through lower fees on tickets.

That though is a bit down the road. There's still quite a ways to go here before the results of this verdict, while certainly historic, makes its way to your or my wallet. Phil?

MATTINGLY: Yes, a lot to follow. I appreciate the Harry Styles shout out. I'll raise you with your Taylor Swift fandom, which is pretty epic.

Kara Scannell, I appreciate you, my friend. Thank you.

A top French official visiting Washington, D.C., will join me next as countries across the globe struggle to deal with the impacts of Trump's war on Iran. What is she hearing from key allies? I'll ask in moments,

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MATTINGLY: In our World Lead, the war in the Middle East has upended the world economy. The International Monetary Fund is warning it not only could create a global shortage of oil, it could also tip the world into recession. Here's what the IMFs chief economist said to CNN.

[18:35:00] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PIERRE-OLIVIER GOURINCHAS, CHIEF ECONOMIST, IMF: If everything were to stop tonight, and starting tomorrow, we move towards reopening the strait, rebuilding the damaged facilities, et cetera, we would still be looking at an oil shortfall for the year, the entire year 2026.

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MATTINGLY: Joining me now is Eleonore Caroit. She is the French minister delegate for Francophonie International Partnerships and French Nationals Abroad, and is in Washington right now for the IMF spring meetings. I'm really grateful for your time.

And I actually want to start with kind of what you've been hearing from counterparts in Washington. This is a big week for those who don't know in Washington where IMF, World Bank, big public officials from around the world are in town. What are the conversations like about where things stand right now in this conflict?

ELEONORE CAROIT, MINISTER DELEGATE TO THE MINISTER FOR EUROPE AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS: Well, hi. Thank you very much for having me. It's a pleasure to be with you today. So, indeed, it is a very important week here in Washington because everyone is talking about the crisis, about the impact it has on the global economy. It has an impact everywhere.

I was just now at the organization of American States, and even if it seems a bit far away what is happening in the Middle East has an impact in Latin America, in North America, and it has an impact on Europe, of course.

So, the discussions are around development. The discussions are around what to do for this ceasefire to actually be lasting and for the situation to deescalate, which is what France has been calling for a several time now.

MATTINGLY: Can you explain to people? You know, there is the -- France and the U.K. are among a group of nations that are working on a plan to free up shipping through the Strait of Hormuz once the war ends. French President Emmanuel Macron said that the plan, quote, doesn't include the belligerent parties, meaning the U.S., Israel and Iran. That kind of parallel track here, explain to people why that's the approach right now after the war versus trying to figure out a way to do this with the U.S. in this moment.

CAROIT: So, what France has been saying since the very beginning of the war is that the only way out of this conflict is through diplomacy. This is why President Macron has been talking to, of course, President Trump and all of all of the leaders of the Middle East. He's also been talking to president of Iran and has been calling for deescalation and for, you know, an active action to deescalate and go back to diplomacy for the negotiations to resume.

But what this is about, this discussion around reopening the Strait of Hormuz, is because it has an impact on the world's economy, on trade. 20 percent of oil trade goes through the strait, and as I said, it has an impact on all of us.

MATTINGLY: Can you explain to people -- you know, the president has obviously -- or President Trump obviously has not made a secret of his frustrations with allies, in particular European allies, but also NATO, quite often. How do you take those frustrations and how do you seek to work with them as an ally in this moment where it just seems like things are really far apart?

CAROIT: Well, you're right to say that we are ally. The United States is one of our historic allies. We've been friends for 250 years now, and we're actually celebrating those 250-year anniversary. But we are not -- we do not agree with the way things are moving forward with every single step of the way. And we believe that diplomacy and deescalation are key to end this conflict.

So, right now, how do we navigate with this? We're, of course, encouraging all the dialogue that is taking place between the United States and Iran, between also Israel and Lebanon. And there was a statement signed by 17 minister of foreign affairs calling for the ceasefire to be inclusive, to also include Lebanon, for this to be a diplomatic solution for the entire region and also for freedom of trade and navigation because this, of course, impacts us. We did not start this war. We did not acted as belligerent, but we are impacted by it, and we're trying to find a solution for everyone's sake.

MATTINGLY: How seriously do you take the president's threat, either implicit or sometimes explicit, to leave NATO or try and find some way out of that alliance?

CAROIT: Well, President Trump is not the first American president to express some concerns about the functioning of NATO. And while we all can see limits of multilateralism and of some institutions, we also value what they bring us and why they're very important.

As I said, the United States is a strategic ally for us, one of our main and oldest allies. And between friends, between allies, we can also state disagreements. We can also state differences in views with respect, with always recognizing how important we are to one another.

[18:40:07]

And this is perhaps what is happening these days.

MATTINGLY: I have to ask you about the upcoming G7 Leaders Summit France is hosting. I am very, very regretful of the fact I'm no longer in the White House press pool for that summit because I imagine it will be a quite a good trip to be on.

I'm interested, President Macron has reportedly invited the president to the Palace of Versailles following the G7 Summit. Do you know what the president would like to discuss with President Trump, what their relationship kind of -- how does the G7 flow into this moment we're in, I guess this what I'm asking.

CAROIT: Well, I do hope you can come to France. It would be great. But, look, it's going to be a very important G7 presidency in a time when there is some disalignment between allies, but where we need to work together, we need to work together to correct global imbalances. We need to work together to address the issue of the financing of development. We can also find many ideas, many convergences and consensus.

And, for instance, I am leading the Ministerial Summit that will take place in only two weeks in Paris, with U.S. representative, with representative some other G7. And we agree on many things in development and as to what will happen on the Evian Summit in June, there will be many deliverables (ph), concrete objects on which we can agree on development, on trade, and so forth. And this meeting between the two presidents is also around the celebrations of the 250th anniversary, which really are a big deal to us. Because, as I said, the United States is one of our strongest and most strategic allies, you were for the World War II, we were for your independence, and we've always been present for one another, even if sometimes we're not necessarily fully aligned.

MATTINGLY: Well, I very much appreciate your time in talking to some of your counterparts in the diplomatic space in Europe that speak very highly of your work over the course of the last several months, in particular, in the midst of this conflict, working the phones, meeting with people, trying to figure out a diplomatic path forward.

Minister Eleonore Cariot, thank you very much.

CARIOT: Thank you.

MATTINGLY: Well, it's frequently mentioned as a potential top contender for 2028, but California Governor Gavin Newsom is facing mounting pressure to get involved in a different race, and soon. Our panel weighs in next.

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[18:46:24]

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN HOST: In our politics lead, Eric Swalwell's exit from a packed field in the California governor's race has some top Democrats hoping the current governor, Gavin Newsom, will step off the sidelines and endorse a possible successor. Otherwise, some state Democrats fear their worst-case scenario may come true.

Two Republicans advancing in the primary locking out Democrats entirely.

All right, back in studio, here's what one of the seven Democrats still in the California --

(CROSSTALK)

DAVID URBAN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENNTATOR: I'm clapping for that. Whoo!

MATTINGLY: That was the highlight of his day.

URBAN: Let's go, let's go.

MATTINGLY: Said to CNN earlier today about Gavin Newsom weighing in. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

XAVIER BECERRA, CALIFORNIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: The governor certainly would have a big voice. And it's up for the governor's decision. If the governor wants to get in, we welcome him. If he doesn't, we respect it. This race is going to shape itself over the next few weeks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: That's Xavier Becerra, who served as the Health and Human Services secretary in the Biden administration.

Adrienne, is this something where are Democrats really concerned about getting locked out entirely here?

ADRIENNE ELROD, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Yeah, absolutely.

MATTINGLY: So, should Newsom step in?

ELROD: And by the way, that was basically Xavier Becerra saying, hey, Governor Newsom, feel free to endorse me. I know I'm polling at (INAUDIBLE) percent. Feel free to endorse me.

URBAN: Best block ever.

ELROD: No, look, this is all -- this is all crazy. And obviously Eric Swalwell's significant fall from grace has just made the race even that much crazier. I mean, the challenge that we have here is I think if the polling is still what it was about a week and a half ago, you've got Katie Porter and Tom Steyer that are kind of, you know, now with Swalwell out sort of, you know, competing in the top two, but they're still not breaking enough to ensure that there will definitely in this jungle primary, which means the top two vote getters are the ones who automatically go into the general. There's no guarantee that either one of them is going to be in the top two, so its presenting a huge challenge.

Look, I think the governor the pressure will intensify on him to endorse someone. Let's also not forget about Senator Adam Schiff, who backed Eric Swalwell and Nancy Pelosi, who backed Eric Swalwell as well. You know, those are three powerful voices in California that could probably shift the tides to someone to maybe ensure, maybe ensure that it's not going to be two Republicans.

MATTINGLY: You sound a little more nervous about this.

ELROD: Yeah.

URBAN: This is what you just said. The three people just they picked and endorsed Swalwell, Eric Swalwell. It's like, that's not a great record. That's not a great track record. If you're going to pick the next person, I'm not sure that'd be a great endorsement.

ELROD: Well --

MATTINGLY: You can grant him fair point.

ELROD: Okay. Thank you.

MATTINGLY: Steve Hilton is who President Trump endorsed in this race. Californias Republican Party is not making an endorsement after neither candidate reached the 60 percent threshold for that endorsement at its convention. As much as you just want to embrace the mess that Democrats are in right now, do you think Trump should wait in here?

URBAN: Listen, I'm not sure Donald Trump's endorsement helps anybody in California. Right? It's a state that's obviously has a huge, huge Democratic population. But listen, you know, maybe to the point Adrienne's making to get to be in that top that top tier, the top vote getters, you need to consolidate all the Republican votes behind a single person, right?

So perhaps the president's endorsement does help. Steve Hilton in terms of consolidating the vote to get to the next level. Right. Just to be able to make it out of the primary with enough votes to get to get to the top of the ticket there so he can end up being on the ballot and locking out the Democrats from having a chance. That would be -- that would be -- that would be the most ironic thing in the history of the world, if there are no Democrats.

ELROD: Right.

MATTINGLY: The best part is asking Republicans about California politics in the Republican Party, and everyone's like, oh man, I don't.

[18:50:02]

URBAN: Orange County, Orange County, that's the Republican Party. Actually, that's not -- northern Californias got some Republicans as well, right?

MATTINGLY: It's true. It's true.

URBAN: North. But largely.

MATTINGLY: Okay, I want to ask, I'm like absolutely fixated on this story. Caught my eye.

"Bloomberg" reporting today, the CFTC is investigating a series of suspicious trades in the oil futures market ahead of policy pivots by President Trump related to Iran. People familiar with the matter telling "Bloomberg" the agency is, quote, looking into at least two instances over a period of about two weeks where trading volumes surged shortly before major announcements.

What I think is notable about this, David, is one, it's very obvious the surge they were happening premarket before, especially before the March 23rd, pullback of the threat. It happened at 7:09 a.m. and at 6:58, you could see just a massive surge in volume. But I'm most interested in is because people are actually looking into this.

How real do you think this is?

URBAN: Look, I think it's a -- it's a -- it's a huge problem, obviously, right? Theres a huge ethical, moral, and obviously perhaps legal implications of this. People shouldn't be able to profit off of these kind of -- kind of insider information, whether it's in the administration or whether it's in the Congress. Right. You see this, there's a hue and cry amongst everyone in America that, you know, people in congress shouldn't be able to trade on their knowledge, on their information. Right?

And if you look at, you know, some of these sites, unusual whales follow what they do, right? Some of these portfolios are crazy with these, what members of Congress are able to do and staff. And so, it's a huge problem in a day and age when faith in our institutions, right? Faith in our government is at an all-time low, see these kind of things taking place just further erodes that, that people are coming here to enrich themselves and not do the people's work.

And whoever's doing this, the oils future markets like this isn't some like, you know, some 22 year old kid who's like putting it on his credit card, right? This is -- this is pretty sophisticated stuff, right?

MATTINGLY: Yeah.

URBAN: So I'm sure someone's going to get to the bottom of it and there'll be some sort of consequences, I hope. So. Id like to see, you know, stock trading banned by the Congress. I'm not quite sure that's so hard to do. And you know, we got to get some trust back into our government.

MATTINGLY: What do you think?

ELROD: Yeah, I completely agree. I mean, we're seeing this in some of the predicted prediction markets too, like Kalshi where we have seen, people who certainly seem to have some inside information, place bets and then make a lot of money after, you know, we saw this with the war in Iran, for example.

It's a huge problem. It -- fortunately, Congress is taking action. I know Senator Adam Schiff has a bill out there to at least on the prediction market side, try to create some degree of regulation, but we're entering into this new territory where, you know, people who have insider information. It's not just insider trading anymore, right?

It's when they understand and have intel about some specific policy that's coming down the pike, they can make money off of this. And it does erode trust in government.

URBAN: When I was -- when I was the chief of staff and 100 years ago, right, I -- nobody thought about doing this. It was -- it was -- it was illegal but nobody did this. Nobody did it.

Why all of a sudden now is it happening? Why all of a sudden now is it permissible for somehow for staff and members of Congress to trade and without, without any sort of consequence? I think it's wrong, and it should be stopped immediately.

MATTINGLY: Specter wasn't slipping you some tips to go straight to the market.

URBAN: Number one, I don't think you had any money back then. I didn't have money to pay my student loans, let alone invest. But it was -- it was, it was legal still. You could have done it, right? And it wasn't happening, right?

MATTINGLY: I think it's --

URBAN: It's happening -- it's happening now. I'm not quite sure why.

MATTINGLY: This is a very different moment. And I want people to pay attention to it.

Thank you guys both very much. Appreciate you as always.

Well, up next, the new steps Colombia is taking as hippos linked to Pablo Escobar wreak havoc on villages and threaten native species. Seriously.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:57:56]

MATTINGLY: In our world lead, the long list of victims attributed to notorious Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar is about to get a little bit longer. Colombian officials announced this week plans to kill dozens of wild hippos that have roamed the country for years.

CNN's Stefano Pozzebon got an up close look at these deceptively dangerous beasts.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR (voice-over): They may look chubby and almost cute, but Pablo Escobar's famous hippos have become a plague in Colombia. More than 30 years after the narco leader was killed in a shootout with police, some all these animals and their descendants are now being called. In 2021, CNN traveled to film with the hippos who were roaming wild in lockdown.

POZZEBON: We're getting close to the hippos with an expert, finally. So, this should give us special protection because we're with Gina.

GINA SERNA, HIPPO VETERINARIAN: No. If I say run, you run. Okay?

POZZEBON: You say run, run.

SERNA: With wild animals, you cannot forget that they're wild animals. They're not domestic. They have not passed the -- all the domestic thing. They are wild. And some point they will -- they'll get the wild gene and attack you.

STEFANO: Before long, we ended up running.

Our encounter with the hippos was just a scare. But these animals can cause real damage.

Luis Diaz was severely mauled when a hippo attacked him in 2020. His leg and several ribs were broken as the hippo jumped out of the water while he was fishing.

Because of similar attacks, the Colombian government has authorized the plan to call up to 80 hippopotamuses, despite protests from environmental groups.

A small number will remain at Hacienda Napoles, Escobar's own ranch, which is now a theme park with the hippos the main attraction.

Stefano Pozzebon, CNN, Bogota.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MATTINGLY: Stefano Pozzebon, thank you so much.

I hope you'll join me for my new video series, "CNN Breaks It Down". We're tackling the most pressing questions in business and politics. You can find the episodes on CNN.com/watch.

"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts now.