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Nationwide No Kings Protests Against Trump Underway; No Shutdown Deal in Sight, Congress Leaves for Break; No End in Sight as War with Iran Hit One-Month Mark; Governor Waltz Addresses No Kings Rally Crowd; Interview with Representative Eric Swalwell (D-CA); CPAC Ends Its Annual Gathering. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired March 28, 2026 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:00]

SGT. DENNIS WAGNER, MICHIGAN STATE POLICE: And I've seen a skier that was down, lying face down.

VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: With nearly two decades of teaching CPR under his belt, Wagner's training kicked in.

WAGNER: I took my skis off. I crossed that waist-deep snow.

MIRACLE: Wagner and other Good Samaritans rolled Livingston over and opened his airway.

WAGNER: There was a conversation about calling 911 and Steve Briggs, ski patrol, said, no, I'm going to call my ski patrol. They can get up here a lot faster than calling 911.

RYAN MOORE, AREA MANAGER, NUBE NOB SKI REPORT: Three or four minutes, say about, from the time we got the call and got on scene.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stay calm.

MIRACLE: An automated external defibrillator or AED was used to shock his heart.

WAGNER: When he took that first breath, I knew we had a fighting chance.

MIRACLE: Just 25 minutes passed between his collapse on the slope and his arrival at nearby McLaren Hospital, according to Livingston's Strava app that tracks physical activity. Doctors say early CPR and rapid access to an AED saved his life.

GENISIS PETERS, LEAD SKI-PATROLLER, NUBS NOB SKI RESORT: He didn't just live. He's going to live well.

MIRACLE: In a statement, Livingston said, "I have incredible respect for these individuals who came together and put their expertise into action. I thank God he put me in their paths that day.

Reunited with Livingston, Wagner's message is simple.

WAGNER: CPR is something, you know, that's easily learned. Take the time to do it and you could save somebody's life.

MIRACLE: One moment, one decision, one life saved "Beyond the Carll."

For CNN, I'm Veronica Miracle.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

A day of nationwide protests is underway at this hour. Right now, thousands of No Kings demonstrations are taking place or are planned across the country today. Organizers say they expect millions of people will attend these rallies protesting President Trump's policies, the higher cost of living and the war with Iran. This is the third time No Kings protests have taken place since Trump began his second term as president, and organizers expect it to be the biggest so far.

We've got a team of correspondents covering today's protests. Donie O'Sullivan is in New York. But let's try to connect with Shimon Prokupecz in St. Paul, Minnesota, where the main rally for the No Kings protest is underway -- Shimon.

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, the sun is out. And finally, we can speak to you. We've been having technical difficulties out there, in part because there are just so many people here. Tens of thousands of people have filled this state capitol, the grounds of the state capitol. And so as a result, cell service has been interrupted. And really the -- many of the people who are here come from all across Minnesota. Some people have traveled in.

And what happened here in Minneapolis is certainly motivating many people to come here today. We've been seeing a lot of signs about the administration's immigration policy. We've been seeing a lot of signs about ICE. There has been the mention of the Iran war. But you could really feel the energy here. This city and this state and what they went through in the month of January with the death of Alex Pretti and Renee Good at the hands of immigration officers really has galvanized a movement here that brought so much of the change that we have now been seeing with the immigration policy, and certainly enforcement on the streets.

It was the people of Minneapolis, people of Minnesota, who took to the streets in the days after the Alex Pretti killing that really galvanized this movement. And so many of the signs out here that we're seeing are people who want to stand up to this administration. We are starting to see costumes out here. Of course, many people in costumes have sort of been symbolizing the peaceful nature in which they are choosing to protest.

We saw that in Portland when I was out in Portland. We're seeing some of that out here. Speeches are now happening. We're expected to hear from many of the local politicians, many people, many people are gathered here also to hear from the boss. Bruce Springsteen will be singing that song, that song that he wrote in the aftermath of what was happening in Minneapolis with the Renee Good. And then, of course, the death of Alex Pretti. That's expected here in the next few hours.

But it is much warmer than I think many people here expected. And so that is helping the crowd here. People are smiling. They are happy to be together, to be united, and to be speaking out of what they feel have just been unjust and unfair treatment by this administration.

WHITFIELD: All right. We'll check back with you. Thank you so much, Shimon Prokupecz.

All right, let's go to New York City, where we find Donie O'Sullivan there.

How is that march coming along?

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DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fred. A very, very big demonstration here. We are making our way really into the heart of Times Square. I'm here with somebody who a lot of our viewers especially younger viewers will recognize, Harry Sisson. He is --

HARRY SISSON, DEMOCRATIC COMMENTATOR AND ACTIVIST: Maybe.

O'SULLIVAN: He is an activist, progressive activist. Has big, very big following on TikTok, supporting Democratic candidates.

Tell us a little bit about the mood here today and why do you think so many people showed up?

SISSON: I mean, I think it's very lively. There's music, there's bands, there's everything, and there are so many people here. Everybody I've talked to is really excited to be here. They're excited to be part of this movement, and I think a lot of people are just really angry. I mean, they're angry at the economy. They're angry at the Epstein file cover-up. They're angry that we're at war right now. And Donald Trump is golfing. It's a betrayal of the American people. And I think you're going to hear a lot of that here today.

O'SULLIVAN: Do you -- I mean, when we speak about, you know, obviously it's one thing to come out and have a massive turnout like this, but it's a different thing to, for people to show up and vote.

SISSON: Yes.

O'SULLIVAN: How do you think Democrats could turn activism like this into actual election result?

SISSON: Well, I think there's an enthusiasm here that will translate, and we're seeing that in local elections across the country. I mean, Donald Trump is now represented by a Democrat in Florida, in his Mar- a-Lago home. And so I've also met a bunch of people who are registering voters here. So it's not just like, hey, let's go have a fun time in protest. People are actually on the ground doing the work. O'SULLIVAN: Yes, there's been so much talk, especially after the 2020,

the last election, 2024 election on how successful Trump was particularly with young men. How do Democrats -- I mean, how do Democrats get people like you to vote for them?

SISSON: Well, what's actually funny about that is as I've been walking around, I've been seeing a lot of young men here. So more than even the last protest and as we were discussing earlier, I think Donald Trump has done this work for us. He has really shot himself in the foot. He promised housing, he promised affordability. He said the economy would come back. None of that's come true. And the numbers are swinging back to Democrats.

I think Democrats have to do a better job speaking about these issues. Zohran Mamdani in New York city did a great job speaking about affordability, and make it a little bit more digestible. We shouldn't come off as preachy or know-it-all, but, you know, rather, we're human beings just like them.

O'SULLIVAN: Thank you for your time, Harry.

SISSON: Donie, any time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well said.

O'SULLIVAN: Young men like you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I'm a young man. That's right. He's a talking head. I'm a good talking head.

O'SULLIVAN: Fred, we'll hand it back to you. If people are watching online, we'll chat with this guy a little later.

WHITFIELD: All right. And it's clear, cross-generational, people of all walks out there in New York City and other cities, coast to coast today.

All right. Happening right now -- thank you, Donie.

Happening right now, the nation's airports are dealing with another busy weekend with thousands of TSA workers missing their second full paycheck since the partial U.S. government shutdown began. Hundreds of them have quit and thousands more are calling out as they struggle to pay their own bills. And Congress has now failed to move forward on an agreement to end the shutdown and the airport disruptions.

Early Friday morning, the U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan funding deal to fund TSA, but left ICE and Customs and Border Patrol alone for now. But then last night, the House GOP immediately rejected that bill and approved an entirely different plan that fully funds DHS for eight weeks. Democrats are demanding that any deal include reforms to ICE immigration tactics.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): We want Republicans to stop holding TSA agents and air travelers hostage to their extreme immigration agenda, bring bipartisan legislation that was unanimously passed by the Senate to the floor so we can end this Trump-Republican shutdown today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The House GOP is urging the Senate to come back from their recess to approve the plan. But Senate Democrats have already said that deal will be dead on arrival in their chamber. Regardless of what Congress does, President Trump has ordered the DHS through executive action to start paying TSA employees immediately using other funds.

Two people familiar with the plan said that funding will be coming from the president's One Big, Beautiful Bill he signed last summer. The DHS says TSA workers could actually start seeing their paychecks as soon as Monday.

All right. Still ahead, we continue to follow protests across the country as thousands hit the streets, rallying against the Trump administration.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: And new developments in the ongoing war with Iran, which has now hit the one-month mark. The latest on the U.S. Service members who were injured in an Iranian attack on a base in Saudi Arabia and an Iran-backed rebel group in Yemen now joining the war.

[15:10:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. A live look at Boston, you see on the right of the screen, the masses that have come out on this No Kings Day demonstration. On the left, you see Senator Elizabeth Warren, who is speaking to that crowd there in Boston. Huge demonstrations taking place across the country. People speaking out against the Trump administration's policies.

Jim, to you.

SCIUTTO: Thanks so much, Fred.

Still live here in Tel Aviv, this is CNN's breaking news coverage of the ongoing war with Iran. And here is what we're following this hour.

[15:15:04]

Ten U.S. service members have been injured in an Iranian attack on a Saudi air base used by U.S. forces. The Iranian backed Houthi rebel group based in Yemen has now entered the war after it launched multiple ballistic missiles towards Israel, one of them not too long ago. And new video shows a major fire at Kuwait airport. This following an Iranian drone strike which struck the fuel tanks there. That's what's responsible for all that fire and smoke.

Joining me now, Barak Ravid with Axios, CNN contributor as well. Barak, I wonder, as you've been following this war closely, what is

the Trump administration's reaction to seeing Iran still able to strike out against multiple neighbors and cause genuine damage, damage to U.S. aircraft and personnel, injuries to personnel in Saudi Arabia, deaths here in Israel, attacks against other Gulf allies.

Do they feel that, well, they don't have quite the control they expected at this point?

BARAK RAVID, CNN POLITICAL AND GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, I think, Jim, what I hear from U.S. officials and what Secretary of State Rubio said yesterday to his colleagues from the G7 countries is that this war is not going to end anytime soon. You remember that the initial timeline that President Trump talked about was four to six weeks. Yesterday Secretary of State Rubio, after already four weeks of war, told his G7 colleagues that the U.S. will need another two to four weeks, meaning the first time that a senior Trump administration official said that this war could go on longer than the initial plan. So I think this war is not even close to being over.

SCIUTTO: Yes. Tell me what the significance is of this new potential interlocutor for U.S. officials in Iran, Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf. My understanding is that President Trump and other Trump administration officials believe this is someone they might be able to work with? Is that based in your view on anything substantive?

RAVID: Well, I think there's still a long way to go until, you know, the Trump administration will work directly with Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of the Iranian parliament. But I think what is interesting is that the current mediation effort by Pakistan, Egypt, and Turkey between the U.S. And Iran is not only through the Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, but it's also through Mr. Ghalibaf and the IRGC.

And I think this is the new thing here, that the talks are taking place directly with the people who are actually calling the shots at the moment in Iran. Iran is controlled, and I hear it from both U.S. and Israeli officials, Iran is controlled at the moment by the commanders of the IRGC. They are the ones who are making the decisions because nobody really have any real communication with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.

Therefore, if that's the case and the communications with the IRGC and Mr. Ghalibaf is part, you know, part and parcel of the IRGC, then I think it could be that the result of those negotiations will actually mean more than anything we had before.

SCIUTTO: One practical effect of that, however, is that the dreams of regime change in Iran, which you don't hear U.S. officials talking about so publicly anymore, are gone, and that, in fact, might you have a harder line and even harder line leadership than you had before? I know it's hard to imagine a harder line than the late supreme leader, but if the Revolutionary Guard is running the country, they're not exactly moderates by any means.

RAVID: Yes. Well, you know, I don't think that the result of this war will be, or at least at the moment, OK, we don't know where this thing is going to go. OK. So let's not try and predict the future. But at the moment now where we stand.

SCIUTTO: Sure.

RAVID: It seems that the IRGC are the ones who are going to be running the country in the foreseeable future. On the one hand, obviously they are not moderates. On the other hand, I think the system in Iran will be very different than the last 47 years. And even if there will be a religious supreme leader, Iran could be much more like other countries that are controlled by the military.

For example, a country like Pakistan that the military has a very significant role in government, or Turkey pre-Erdogan.

[15:20:08]

So I think this is -- there could be this change within Iran that would obviously not create a Jeffersonian liberal democracy in Iran. Obviously not. But the country will be somewhat different and maybe that could enable also a different relationship with the U.S.

SCIUTTO: We'll see. Certainly a leadership still willing to kill its own people, as we saw with the Revolutionary Guard so central to that bloody crackdown in January.

Barak Ravid in Washington. Thanks so much for joining.

RAVID: Thank you.

SCIUTTO: Well, thousands across the U.S. pushing back on the Trump administration at the ongoing multi-city No Kings protests. We're going to be live from some of the largest rallies coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:25:26]

WHITFIELD: All right. A live look right now in St. Paul, Minnesota. This is the main stage of the No Kings Day protest there. And we expect to hear from Minneapolis Governor Tim Walz momentarily to talk there. And he's also joined by a number of other lawmakers set to address the crowd there. And then Bruce Springsteen is also expected to perform, likely his song that was inspired by unrest that took place there in Minneapolis.

Thousands of rallies are taking place across the country today, protesting the Trump administration's policies.

CNN's Veronica Miracle is joining us live from a protest in Chicago.

Veronica, obviously very hard to hear because you're so close to the stage there. Tell me what's happening.

VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, Fredricka, we really wanted to show you the scope of the crowd that's going to be -- that is behind us watching these. We had a musical performance. Many, many speakers. We're about halfway through the program and then they're going to be marching. But just take a look at how huge this crowd is that is watching all of these speakers. It goes on and on and on.

Thousands of people have gathered here at Grant Park and even beyond this field, people have spilled out over into the street. This is the third No Kings rally that has taken place here. And many of the people that we have spoken to, that have showed up today say this is not their first No Kings rally, but there's certainly an intensity here. The passion of people who have showed up. They really feel like it's reaching a critical point with the war, with ICE.

And then of course, just feeling like Donald Trump is conducting himself in a tyrannical manner. That's what many of the people have said that we have spoken to. And I think what's also interesting about this crowd is it's really all ages. We've seen children, families here. And then just people of all different backgrounds. And that is represented here with the speakers, many different types of speakers, including labor leaders, as well as people from different groups all around Chicago.

But the message is the same. It's anti-Trump and they want their voices heard and they're going to make their voices heard here in Chicago, when the thousands of people here marched in just a bit after this event is over, they're going to be marching all through Chicago, including past Trump Tower -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Veronica Miracle, we'll keep checking back with you. Thank you so much.

All right. No Kings organizers say they are seeing a groundswell of protesters in ruby red parts of the country as well, including in President Trump's own backyard, Palm Beach County, Florida. Here you see demonstrators earlier there on Boynton Beach.

And joining us right now, in fact, to discuss is the vice mayor of Boynton Beach, Thomas Turkin.

Great to see you. What are you witnessing in your city? What are people saying?

THOMAS TURKIN, BOYNTON BEACH VICE MAYOR: Hey, Fredricka, thanks so much for having us. Well, you know, we've been looking forward to this. This is something that the police department expected. It's been getting a lot of buzz online. You know, it's not the largest turnout that we were anticipating. I think they were proposing 3,000 people, but we did see about 500, 600 people come rally on Boynton Beach Boulevard and Congress Avenue today.

WHITFIELD: All right. You mentioned, you know, the expected crowds. You mentioned, you know, police preparation. So what sort of extra precautions shall we say did law enforcement there take? And what kind of precautions were taken overall about how to, you know, host this kind of protest and potential counter-protesting?

TURKIN: Yes, sure. So the police department has always done a good job for these type of situations. They increase the amount of patrol that we were going to have in the location, as well as making sure that officers are there so that these individuals can exercise their constitutional right for protest, but also to make sure that this doesn't disrupt the everyday lives of people who live here in Boynton Beach, as well as local businesses.

WHITFIELD: So I understand that there were some tense moments, in fact, between No Kings demonstrators and members of the Proud Boys in nearby West Palm Beach earlier. What have you heard about that? And was there any spillover in your community as a result?

TURKIN: Yes, Fredricka, what I can tell you is that this crowd has been, you know, just very enthusiastic for what they're doing.

[15:30:04]

There hasn't been, you know, any issues, any violence or anything like that. You know, it's been, for the most part, pretty peaceful. No issues with traffic and definitely an abundance of economic driver for our local businesses here. And, you know, anytime people want to come to an event here in the city, we really appreciate them spending their tax dollars here.

WHITFIELD: All right. And you know, earlier this week, a Democrat flipped a statehouse seat in a Palm Beach district that includes President Trump's Mar-a-Lago. I mean, what's your sense of kind of the political winds? Are they shifting there in the Sunshine State?

TURKIN: You know, I think what we're looking at is not just the party, not just certain individual or person. I think we're looking at certain policies here. And, you know, when it looks -- when you look at these special elections, it's very hard to give a fair judgment based on the turnout. However, I will say, if you look at this most recent one, there was more Republicans that came out instead of Democrats.

So I think there's definitely a lot of messaging that needs to be curated and fixed come this November.

WHITFIELD: All right. Boynton Beach, Florida, Vice Mayor Thomas Durkin, thanks for being with us.

TURKIN: Thanks, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Lawmakers are growing frustrated over the president's unclear end game for the war with Iran. After the break, where things stand on a potential peace deal?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:36:05]

WHITFIELD: All right, straight to St. Paul, Minnesota, right now, where Governor Tim Walz is speaking at this No Kings rally.

GOV. TIM WALZ (D), MINNESOTA: Welcome to the freest state in the nation. A state where you love who you choose to love. A state where you make your health care decisions. A state where you worship or not according to your own beliefs. And maybe most importantly, a state where everyone belongs.

Thank you to all the organizers. Thank you to our sisters and brothers in labor for the work you do every day and being here making this possible.

Look, when the wannabe dictator in the White House sent his untrained, aggressive thugs to do damage to Minnesota, it was you, Minnesota, who stood up for your neighbors, who stood up for decency, who stood up for kindness. And at this moment that we are still in when democracy itself seems to be at risk, it was Minnesota who said, not on our watch, not on our watch.

You are the heart and soul of what the nation saw that is good in this nation. But make no mistake about it, they did damage. They killed Renee and Alex. They traumatized our neighbors. And just be very clear, our weather may be a little cool, but our people are warm and we're fierce.

And my message, because this is not over, don't ever mistake our kindness for weakness. We demand justice for Renee Good and Alex Pretti. We demand justice for every single person who was hurt or traumatized. We will never forget what they did here.

And I have a message to our immigrant community here in Minnesota. You are seen, heard, valued and loved. You add value to our state. You are part of the fabric of what is good about Minnesota. And I have to tell you, that is a hell of a lot more than I'll say about anybody in the White House.

And I will add a special, a special thank you and a special acknowledgment that we will never leave the side of our Somali Minnesotans.

Here's our pledge to you, our Somali Minnesotans. Your great grandchildren will still be here when that orange clown is in the dustbin of history. You will be here.

They call us radicals. I see that -- I see that the president said it's a bunch of radicals. You damn right we've been radicalized, radicalized by compassion, radicalized by decency, radicalized by due process, radicalized by democracy, and radicalized to do all we can to oppose authoritarianism.

[15:40:20]

So for those of you watching at home, welcome to the North Star State. Welcome to the land of hope and dreams. And it's my pleasure to be able to welcome somebody who has spent a lifetime giving voice to the working class, expressing our hopes and dreams, our fears, all of the things that makes us human, and has done that with a voice that resonated across generations. So I have to tell you, we're damn sure about this. We need no damn kings.

But I'll tell you what, I'm glad we have. We do need a boss. Please welcome Bruce Springsteen to the stage.

WHITFIELD: All right, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz there impressing democracy is at risk as he's taking the stage there in St. Paul, underscoring how Minnesota, he says, stood up as they demand justice for Renee Good and Alex Pretti, killed last year by ICE. And, of course, Bruce Springsteen taking the stage there, soon to be singing his song that was inspired by the unrest there in Minneapolis.

All right, we're going straight to Tel Aviv now, where we rejoin our, Jim Sciutto.

Hi, Jim. There you are.

SCIUTTO: Hi, Fred. Thanks so much.

We are back live in Tel Aviv, where we are seeing more signs of an expanding regional conflict with Iran as the Iran backed Houthis in Yemen have now entered the war. President Trump, despite previously claiming victory over Iran, now says the war isn't finished yet.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Now we're just going after targets. And again, they have no anti-aircraft, so we're just floating over the top looking for whatever we want, and we're hitting it. And we have another 3,554 targets left, and that will be done pretty quickly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: Joining me now to discuss more, Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell of California, a member of the House Homeland Security Committee. Also, we should note, running for governor of California.

Congressman, thanks so much for taking the time this afternoon.

REP. ERIC SWALWELL (D-CA): Of course, Jim. Thank you.

SCIUTTO: I want to begin on Iran and any effort in Congress to come to a vote limiting the president's war powers here. You saw Nancy Mace, a Republican colleague, add her voice to that, to that group of lawmakers who want to go there. Do you believe there are enough Republican votes now with the prospect of ground forces to move something forward?

SWALWELL: I hope that we have votes to stop any further efforts in Iran and to not fund this any further. And the reason, Jim, I would say is the president has no plan. He has no justification as to why we're there. He has no plan for what we do next. He has more plans for what he's going to do next with the ballroom at the White House or renovations at the Kennedy Center, than in the Middle East.

And here's what we know about this conflict so far. We have lost over a dozen American soldiers. There's no plan to get thousands of stranded Americans out of the region. The Strait of Hormuz remains closed. In California we have seen gas prices nearly $6. This is affecting us in every way. And oh, by the way, the country that we're at war with right now is able to conduct worldwide attacks.

And we have a completely distracted FBI director and Homeland Security apparatus that is incapable of defending us against those.

SCIUTTO: You mentioned the FBI director, Kash Patel, the "Washington Post" reporting, as I believe you know, that he has now restarted an investigation of you, which the FBI previously conducted and found no accusation or evidence of wrongdoing. This regarding interactions with someone who is now known to have been a Chinese intelligence agent.

Can you tell us, has the FBI had any communication with you to notify you of this investigation?

SWALWELL: Not at all. But I do want to thank the "Washington Post" for the terrific investigative reporting to uncover further rot inside the administration. And it's especially alarming considering the number of agents that are working on a decade old case where we were found to have only assisted the bureau in a concern that they had in our district. But this case, of course, Jim, as is being reported, is absolute nonsense.

And what makes me laugh the most is the ineptitude of this administration. It's not just their lack of moral code, it's the lack of imagination. They try and dirty up Adam Schiff and Lisa Cook and Tish James with bogus mortgage cases. And now they just cut and paste essentially the same and go after me.

But what I hope is received here, Jim, from the brave men and women at the FBI who have come forward to animate this reporting, is that they risked their jobs to do this, and I hope enough of them recognize this is not right. Their job is to protect the homeland from terrorism like what the Iranians could conduct. And if you see something now, now is the time to come forward. Otherwise, we're only going to see more Hoover like efforts to go after the president's political enemies.

SCIUTTO: We should note that not only did the FBI not accuse you of wrongdoing, but the Republican-led House Ethics Committee did its own review. And after a two-year investigation, decided to take no further action. Do you know or have you been informed in any way what information, if any, the FBI is basing reopening an investigation here, or do you suspect, because this wouldn't be the first time, that this is politically motivated?

SWALWELL: I suspect it's politically motivated, Jim, I have the only lawsuit that has survived this presidency. It's me in the January 6th officers. I was an impeachment manager. I worked with Adam Schiff on the Russia investigation, and I'm a candidate for governor and California start voting in about 35 days. So these are dangerous individuals who have gone after over 500 political opponents and organizations, Donald Trump and the FBI.

And we know that they want a Western White House. Theres a threat right now that two Republicans will get through in the top two primary in California. This is an effort to knock out the person who's been in the lead. And Kash Patel, by the way, in his own book called "Government Gangsters," has a list of government gangsters. I'm not on the list. I'm above the list. Adam Schiff and I are in the prelude to that list. But Californians know better. They are going to pick the next governor, not Donald Trump.

SCIUTTO: Congressman Eric Swalwell, we appreciate you joining us this Saturday afternoon.

SWALWELL: My pleasure.

SCIUTTO: Well, still ahead this hour, CPAC, the annual gathering of conservative political activists, is now wrapping up after days once again of pro-Trump rhetoric. But the events has shown some divisions on the right. We'll have the key takeaways next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:52:40]

WHITFIELD: All right. The annual Conservative Political Action Conference in Texas is about to come to a close. This year's four-day gathering of largely pro-Trump supporters and right-wing figures has exposed a few rifts on the right over the war with Iran.

CNN's Steve Contorno is joining us right now.

Steve, what can you tell us about this year's CPAC?

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's funny that you led in with that, Fred, because right now they're delivering the results of the annual CPAC straw poll, which obviously is a scientific survey, but sort of a touchstone of how people in this room feel about a bunch of issues. And one of the issues was whether or not the GOP is divided over this war in Iran. And they've been hinting at the fact that this group is largely and overwhelmingly supportive of President Trump. And that is certainly true that if you ask people here, do you support Donald Trump, do you trust him even on this war in Iran, most people here agree, but there is certainly divisions over whether we should be there at all and whether or not this is going to become a protracted conflict that is going to be a problem for the GOP heading into these midterms.

I've had dozens of conversations with people here over the past three days, and there are some deep divisions, especially among young people. I don't think I've talked to a single person here under the age of 30 who supports this war in Iran. Some of them say Trump has lost them entirely for the duration of his term. And maybe as a Republican voter, because of this action, they're deeply skeptical of the war. They're deeply skeptical of the U.S. alliance with Israel over this war.

And look, obviously, Republicans are behind Donald Trump to a large degree. But the midterm elections are going to be fought over many of the people that Trump won in 2024 who did not support him in 2020 and they do not traditionally vote in midterm primaries. And the challenge for the Trump campaign, for Republicans at large, is trying to get those voters to engage with them again. And I will tell you, if they're conservative, the young conservatives

in this room are any indication of where the president's standing is with a very key demographic, that it's going to be trouble for Republicans in the midterms -- Fred.

[15:55:08]

WHITFIELD: All right. And then soon there will be a straw poll about who they would want to be in the next presidential race as well. Right?

CONTORNO: Yes, we're listening in one ear right now trying to see if I can catch the results of that. But they haven't -- because they haven't delivered those yet. But I will tell you, I've been having conversations with a lot of people here. And obviously the two top contenders right now are Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Very interesting to hear how many people here like Marco Rubio because he came to this event a decade ago, he was not very popular -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Fascinating. All right. Steve Contorno, we'll continue to check in with you here on CNN.

All right. Thanks for joining me today, this hour. For Jim Sciutto in Tel Aviv, Israel, I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Live coverage of the nationwide No Kings protest continues with the CNN NEWSROOM right after this.

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