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hello again, everyone. thank you for joining me. new developments in the punishing strikes against the middle east. russia is demanding an urgent u.n. security council meeting in response to the operation. the u.s. conducted strikes against 85 targets across syria and iraq on friday. officials say they were linked to iran's islamic revolutionary

guard corps quds force and affiliated militia groups. all of this in response to the deadly attack on u.s. soldiers in jordan. iraq claims friday's strikes killed 16 people including civilians. u.s. defense secretary lloyd austin is saying this is just the beginning of the united states' response. iraq, syria and russia are warning that the u.s. is fueling the conflict in the middle east. iran says the u.s. has made a strategic mistake. cnn has teams around the globe following these developments. let's go to orrin leanman. >> four locations in syria. three locations in iraq. according to officials who briefed the media following the strikes. in terms the number of targets, you point out more than 85 targets in these locations.

more than would not 25 precision wps used in carrying out these strikes. that's an order of magnitude if not greater more than the strikes we've seen carried out in iraq and syria by the u.s. over the course of the last several months. it is worth noting this is the first time we've seen the u.s. attack both iraq and syria and targets there in. normally it is iraq or syria. here it is both. a measure of essentially what the u.s. is trying to show here. the capability to carry out something like this. these pictures from iraq, a location the u.s. has struck before, although the u.s. not saying its specific locations in this set of attacks on iran's islamicic revolutionary guard corps and iranian-backed militias. you see the number of targets, command and control centers, intelligence centers, weapons really going after the times of weapons and the ability to carry out these sorts of attacks. it is worth noting the u.s. says

there were likely casualties as a result of these strikes, and that perhaps is part of the intent here. i'll read you a quote from general douglas simms, the director of the joint staff here. he says, we made these strikes tonight with an idea that there would likely be casualties associated with people inside those facilities used by these iran-backed militias here. we'll wait to see what we hear, promising these are the beginning of the responses. >> and this is separate and perhaps a continuation of activity that has been happening there. we've learned that the u.s. conducted strikes in yemen targeting multiple houthi d drones. what more do you know? >> this is part of the, what is the ongoing effort to try to disrupt houthi attacks on critical shipping in the region on international shipping lanes there in the red sea and the

gulf of aiden. this took place before the strikes in iraq and syria. so first early in the morning, there was one uav shot down in the gulf. then u.s. forces destroyed four uavs, drones preparing for launch, according to u.s. central command, imposed a threat not only to u.s. shipping lanes but u.s. warships in the region. then several hours later the u.s. shot down a u.s. destroyer and u.s. fighter jets shot down seven more drones over the red sea. you see not only the continued houthi attempts to target shipping lanes but the ongoing u.s. effort to go after those launches. >> all right. thank you so much. and to ben wedeman in jordan, they are denying any involvement in these strikes in iran and syria. what more are you learning? >> well, an official in the united states did tell cnn that

jordan did in his words, participate in the operation. now, participate doesn't necessarily mean that jordanian war planes were involved, and petra, jordan's official news agency has come out with a statement categorically denying the involvement of the jordanian air force in the u.s. strikes on iraq. however, notably absent from that statement in petra was any reference to possible jordanian involvement and air strikes on syria. so it leaves room for interpretation, all of this. keep in mind during the war against isis, jordan was a member of the u.s.-led coalition, and jordanian planes did participate in those strikes. jordan is in a sensitive situation. the monarchy, the government is

very close to the united states. but public opinion is not. many jordanians are highly critical of the role of the united states in providing military diplomatic support to israel and therefore, many would not be pleased to see jordan actively participating in u.s. military operations in the middle east. >> priscilla, what is the white house saying about the strikes? >> reporter: they're saying it is only the beginning and the series of strikes expected after the three u.s. service members were killed in jordan. and president biden saying pretty explicitly in a statement on friday, saying our response began today. it will continue times and places of our choosing. it goes on to say the united states does not see conflict in the middle east or anywhere else in the world.

but let all those who might seek to do us harm know this. if you harm an american we will respond. that included striking any five targets in iraq and syria yesterday. and the president's sources said he reached a decision on how to respond on monday morning. of course, there was some time between monday and friday between these strikes happened. part of the reason had to do with the weather. they wanted clear skies to determine their targets and make sure there was no unintended casualties. they're still doing an assessment on that. official have also said that they don't expect this is going to shut down iranian proxies but that they will do that with these counter strikes. it all speaks to the delicate balance that president biden is having to navigate here between retaliating and being forceful in that retaliation, particularly when u.s. service members are killed. but other, trying to deter these groups and avoid being pulled

into a regional war. now, notably, the u.s. did not strike in iran. that was not expected going into these strikes. but it all goes to this idea u.s. officials have underscored repeatedly, that they do not want to escalate the conflict in the middle east, especially as that region continues object on edge. >> all right. thank you all. appreciate it. let's dig deeper now into this developing story. joel ruben is the assistant secretary of state in the obama administration. he's now running for congress in maryland. good to see you. in your view -- >> thank you. >> was this the best option for the biden administration in terms of how it should or could respond? >> you know, fred, president biden has been very patient and very deliberate in the response and very focused on ensuring the public understands as well as countries in the middle east understand why he's taking these

actions. i think we've heard time and again from the president. he does not want us to get into a regional war. he does not want to us explode into a regional war. but iran's actions and the proxies of iran, those actions have been irresponsible. what they are doing is exploiting the war between israel and hamas by launching strikes against our forces, having third parties attack shipping lanes in the persian gulf. now as we saw, they crossed the red line. they killed american troops. i think for the president, he has to show that he has the back. our forces in the region. this means the response to attack those targets that were responsible for killing our service members. and i'm happy to see secretary blinken heading out next week to try to get this diplomatic track strongter. it will always be a fight to do that. the president made the right call in how he's executing this. >> what do you think about the form of retaliation? what did it entail?

who might have been at the table? what were all the potential that's they were exploring before rendering, before the president rendered a decision on how to proceed? >> when it come to the targeting itself, he expects the commanders on the ground understand where the source is. and we understand the drone that struck the base in jordan, it was being tracked but it was confusing clearly. that led to the tragedy of the killing of our service members. the lines of where the assets come from. that's something the community is consistently monitoring as well as defense central command. they have a wachful eye. they understand where to strike. and i think that's why we saw these strikes so deliberate and it is important to note that there has been a lot of criticism of the president. why did he wait? why did he spend several days?

he's allowing our commanders on the ground to make that operational decision, and they did when they did this which they decided was the right time for the strikes. >> early on, some republicans were calling for u.s. attacks inside iran. do you think that is completely off the table? or do you think that could potentially be part of the phased retaliation that the u.s. is embarking on? >> i think that's highly irresponsible. on that's the kind of lodgic tht sets us in a trajectory we do not want to go. the president wants to make sure it does not escalate. the call for attacking into iran, those came, they've been coming for years. for example, from lindsey graham for 15, 20 years now. and they do want that kind of a war which would launch, turn the region on fire. i think the president is smart.

he's staying away from that. he is making it very clear what his objective is. this does lead us to an opportunity for more diplomacy. there should be a direct line with tehran. there should be a way to deconflict any potential escalation. let's remember, iran is about four times the physical size of iraq. twice the population. we don't have forces in the region. there's no justification for attacking iran right now. this has to be focused on the task at hand. it is called bringing calm to the region. it's about bringing a path forward on the israel and hamas war and it is calling tehran to change its tack, rather than the war. how about calling on reducing the violence in the region? and i think that's where the president and his team are trying to drive us and that's why a strike on iran would be really, really distasteful and counter productive. >> thank you so much. >> thanks, fred. right now, voters are heading to the polls in south

carolina for the democratic primary. will they back president biden again? our team is at the polling station.

election day in south carolina and voters are heading to the polls right now. this year democrats made it their first state this cycle and it is the first time they will be awarded 55 democratic votes are at stake. biden is expected to win big in today's election. for the very latest on the race, let's bring in cnn's reporter in columbia, south carolina. and once again, eva, it's not very busy behind you. you tell me. what has been happening there

all day? >> reporter: it has been relatively quiet. we're up to 112 voters here at this polling site in columbia. no doubt president biden, the democrats, they're looking for a big turnout in south carolina. because they want to foreshadow what it could mean about a core constituentsy. >> reporter: saturday south carolina's primary will serve as an early test for president biden's standing with a loyal constituency. black voters. >> you are the reason i'm president. you're the reason. kamala harris is the historic vice president. and you're the reason donald trump is a defeated former president. >> reporter: while the president is expected to win the first official democratic contest, the results could signal how much work he has to do to shore up support with the critical piece of his coalition ahead of an expected rematch with donald trump in november. >> we need somebody who speaks

to black americans in the united states. and i don't think that either or are doing so. >> reporter: gabrielle is a server at hanibel's kitchen, a must stop for candidates visiting charleston including the president just last week. >> i am a seventh generation in south carolina, so i've seen the hardships black people go through. and no one is addressing that. and economically, we are at the bottom. >> reporter: not even facetime with the president has changed her mind. her economic anxieties too great. >> we need a candidate who will stand up and stand up strong for us. or we're voting for the couch. >> reporter: so you're considering staying home and not voting? >> yes. and a lot of us are. >> history remind us to never forget that there was a time we did not have that choice. >> reporter: dr. tanya matthews is the ceo of the international african american museum in charleston. she said black voters have

created the organizing power to elevate issues vital to them like fair wages, housing development, and small business support. >> we think about the ancestors who died. we think about aunts and uncles currently poll workers. when we see encouragement or strong turnout or strong voices in places like south carolina, it is a note to the rest of the country. not just to other black voters that black voters are paying attention. the significance is not lost on shop owner mimi strickland who met biden last month with other south carolina entrepreneurs. with this administration, she says she feels like she has a seat at the table and her voice is valued. >> i think that we have to be able to step back and think a little more long-term. yes, four years, eight years, feels like a long time in my lifetime. we think about these changes and how they are hopefully going to be impacting the next generation to. could. >> reporter: she worries about what another trump presidency

would bring. >> it could be chaos all over again. like there were days that i just wake up as a person of color in this state and fear for my life. and that shouldn't be the case for anyone. so of course, there are definitely worries and fears around that. >> reporter: national democrats are leaning into those concerns hoping they will motivate voters to turn out while also making an affirmative argument for biden. >> diabetes and heart attacks. there are a lot of ways we've been trying to make things more affordable for working people. student loan debt. we've seen the low est unemployment for black folks in 50 years. we've seen this president work to cut childhood poverty in half. particularly in black and brown communities. >> reporter: many are ready to give biden another four years to continue making the case. >> i've always been in support of biden because on the inside, i think he's fair. on the inside, i think he's

fair. i don't think barack obama would have him part of the team if he was not. and i'm a firm believer of barack obama. >> reporter: but it may not be enough to convince some black voters weary of supporting democrats again. >> i'm telling black people, stay home. >> so you can see the variety of views from black voters across the state. earlier today, president biden and his headquarters in delaware telling volunteers there that this campaign, it's more than a campaign. it's a mission. at least one voter i spoke with today agreeing with him as he was exiting the polls today. he told me that he actually voted for former president trump in 2016 and 2020. but he is now concerned about the health of our democracy, the preservation of the constitution, and voted today for president biden. fred? >> and eva, did i hear that last

young woman at the end of the piece, did she say i'm telling voters to stay home? >> reporter: she did, she did. she's very, very frustrated. she is a waitress in, here in the state, and she feels like economically, her life has not gotten any better. the black voters are routinely asked to vote for democrats but she doesn't see any significant change in her life. she said the last couple of years have actually gotten harder for her. so that is a constituency that they have to pay attention to. she voted for president biden in 2020, but now she's actually told me she's considering voting third party this election. >> okay. thank you so much. the federal government has failed us. i'm quoting. what some firefighters on the front lines of the border crisis are saying. how one department is handling

the historical surge of migrants, next.

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welcome back. amid an historic surge of migrants at the u.s. border, a everybody sowering sentiment from first responders in south texas. it's the drownings that get you. that quote from the eagle pass fire department who pulled 47 men, women, and children from the treacherous water crossing in 2023. that's more than six times the annual amount seen in prior years. a few members of the department shared their stories with cnn. >> the calls i dread the most is when the dispatch is drowning. there is this sense of adrenaline but fear. >> it's the drownings that get you over and over again. you never get over it. you never get over it.

[ siren ] >> the astonishing surge of mairgs at the border. >> this part of the rio grande is the deadliest part for migrants. not only are there adults dying at the border. there is an increasing number of children. >> in the year 2023, the eagle fire department responded to approximately 47 body recoveries. the average count of body recoveries that this department was used to prior to 2023 was anywhere between six and seven. all first responders - -

[ inaudible ]. >> all of a sudden there's a 25-foot plunge and she sweeps away and filling the lungs full of water. >> we're pulling out 14-year-old kids and i have one. >> recently, we ended up running a cardiac arrest inside a considering over container. she was 13 years old. what goes through my mind, how cold must she have been. she's soaking wet. she's wearing clothes to keep herself warm and you smell the dirt and the regurgitation of the water. i think she ended up being brain dead, unfortunately. the next shift we went and recovered her little brother's body from the river itself. of course, he's been under water

for three or four days before resurfacing and just the stench of the dead body, rotten flesh as it gets up in your nose and stays there the rest of your shift here. >> we responded to the port of entry. it involved a 4-year-old female. and just the desperation in the parents' eyes. it was tough. i took that home with me. that poor little girl. it's frustrating. she didn't ask her parents to put her. in water. she didn't ask to be tossed over that sea water. >> when we run calls because of the immigration issue, nobody is supplementing that. it is the taxpayer. money coming from our budget. there's no insurance that we can bill. the federal government has failed us. and hundreds of lives were lost unnecessarily.

>> when we get called out, we don't ask whether it is a citizen or an immigrant. >> it won't change may perspective. i signed up to help people. as long as there are people, i'm going to help. >> now let's bring in cnn digital producer andrew king who traveled to texas for this story. it is really important to hear these points of view. it sounds like they really wanted to share this and pour their hearts out. this is frustrating. >> yeah, well, these guys are firefighters. they're used to seeing the hardest parts of life, death, suffering. even they couldn't have imagined what they've seen over the last year.

as the chief noted in the piece prior to 2023, they would recover six to seven migrant bodies in the rio grande river per year. and that's still too many. last year they recovered 47. these are tough guys. and as we went to film them at the fire house, there was an atmosphere where they all gathered around and they were laughing and making fun of each other. as we started the questions, things took a more somber turn. it became clear that many of them are still processing the horrors that they've seen. there have been so many calls. it's like they haven't had time to really grapple with it before they've had a moment to get to grips with the horror they've just seen, another call comes in. one firefighter spoke movingly about recovering bodies of children who were the same ages as his own children and it's hard not to take that home. >> and so how are they feeling about government response to the crisis at the border? >> well, first and foremost, the chief feels the government has let their team down.

and he also thinks hundreds of lives have been lost as a result. it is not just that this is a small town. it is the money that has to be spent in order to support the number of migrant rescues and recoveries. it has largely come out of that budget. the average call volume was about 15 to 20 calls a day and last year, that climbed to 35. some days, he says, there were way over 50. at times the local hospital has been completely at capacity. and they've received no federal funding in reimbursement for the extra costs they've had to deal with. >> all right. alexandra king, thank you so much. thank you for bringing all of that to us. we'll be right back.

okay. just days away. a little over a week from super

bowl 58 and alongside the excitement over the chiefs and the 49ers going at it, of course, a halftime show usher. it's another super star, taylor swift, who is getting a whole lot of attention. people are wondering, is she going to be there? and in what capacity? who is taking center stage? after all, she and tight end travis kelce are quite the item. but it's her repeated attendance at some of the chiefs' games during the season that has ruffled quite a few feathers of some football fans. why is that? joining us now, a freelance writer and reporter who recently penned an op-ed on cnn.com. let's get to the heart of it. people aren't that upset when you see drake or m & m or a host of celebrities on the sidelines of a basketball game or at an

nfl game. what is it about taylor swift that seems to be rubbing some people wrong? >> well, in no uncertain terms, it is because she's a woman successful woman who has the audacity to experience joy in public, heaven for bid, right? there have been plenty of male celebrities shown onscreen enjoying themselves at a football game or a basketball game or even, you know, a game that's played at the collegiate level. and it is an honor and everyone is excited. for her, it seems to be an issue. and it really talks to a larger problem within the nfl when it comes to how the league has historically treated women. how it has protected players, coaches, staff, from violence against women. so there are certainly a portion of fans and right wing political talking heads who have an issue

with the woman dating to enjoy football in the name of supporting her partner. >> and i mean, she actually responded, didn't she? she responded in that "time" magazine, you know, person of the year, you know, profile saying i'm just there to support travis. i have no awareness of i'm being shown too much and i'll say it because it's written there. i know a lot of our viewer audience doesn't want to hear it, pissing a few brads, dads, and chads. she's aware of it but she's carrying on. kelce said it is not distracting him from the game. is that enough? >> i mean, it should be. and to her point, she doesn't want to piss off anybody, she's also bringing a lot of people together. there are a lot of parents,

dad-daughters, or girl dads in particular, who are going on social media and sharing how her presence there has brought them closer to their daughters. their daughters now want to watch football. they want to know what's going on. they want to be part of this cultural moment and the nfl knows that, too. they're smart and they're taking advantage of it as well. it's not a bad thing. especially now. people talk about how they're so upset with how divided this country is. how it seems that no one can get along and we're all just going at each other. here's something where you have a pop princess, a pop icon, and a tight end, future hall of famer at the best of his game coming together and bringing people together as a result of their personal relationship. i don't understand what is wrong with that other than this country, especially in the wake of roe v. wade, it's not hard to

disseminate that we still really don't like women. >> why can't people celebrate that two people are having a great time, enjoying it. now has also helped people not necessarily watching any nfl games. watching nfl games. so you write, let's be clear. a lot of women watch football before this but this is different. the largest bomb star has introduced an entirely new demographic to professional football. one the league would have otherwise had a difficult, if not impossible time trying to reach. but for an organization with a nefarious history when it comes to violence against women, does the nfl really deserve taylor swift? so we haven't heard the opposition coming from anyone representing the nfl. it has been kind of a fan base or perhaps some announcers, et cetera, but you are now saying, wait a minute. the nfl is benefitting from her

popularity. and you're saying, are they deserving of it. so tell us your thoughts. you answer the question that you pose. >> i've been an nfl fan since i could walk and talk. i've been watching football forever. as i grew older and educated myself, the violence against women, this organization, has had like i said, a nefarious history, it has been hard to want to give money to an organization that has not necessarily stood for violence against women but certainly advocated for those who have been found guilty of violence against women, or have been in the spotlight for certain nefarious actions. so it is hard for me to see the nfl to their credit take, you know, this opportunistic moment to their benefit. are they really going to do anything different? just this year after ten years

of ray rice beating his then fiance unconscious, it has honored him. so it is kind of hard to square those two things together. i'm hopeful. i'm hopeful because taylor swift has so much power, so much cultural power, that she can hold the nfl to account in a way that very few people if any can. and perhaps we'll see the nfl as a whole shift toward a less toxic masculinity type organization where they really do care about women not just in name but in action. >> all right. thank you so much. coming up, could whales be our biggest advocate in fighting climate change?

. two leading candidates for senate. two very different visions for california. steve garvey, the leading republican, is too conservative for california. he voted for trump twice and supported republicans for years, including far right conservatives.

adam schiff, the leading democrat, defended democracy against trump and the insurrectionists. he helped build affordable housing, lower drug costs, and bring good jobs back home. the choice is clear. i'm adam schiff, and i approve this message. all right. here's a question.

can whales be our biggest allies in fighting climate change? cnn's bill weir goes to antarctica to find out. >> reporter: it may be the wildest place i've seen on seven continents. >> do you see something? i saw something come out of the water, but i didn't see what. >> there he is right under us. right under us. oh, my god. no way. hello. hello, lovely boy. oh, my god. this is a minke, the smallest, stealthiest, and the stinkiest of the bay lean whales and along the way of the hunters.

since they get scrubbed off on long migrations, it's a clue the whale has been hanging around here a while and likely we're the first humans it has ever encountered. >> oh, my gosh. that is so gorgeous. with me now is cnn chief climate reporter bill weir. i would have helped you. i would have been your grip. that's so beautiful. the whales are spectacular. tell us more about meeting these whales and how meaningful it is. >> when we saved the whales, which started with the movement of the sounds of the humpbacks, it may be the greatest conservation story ever,

enormous success. they go down to the south pole to feed and come up to the tropics to make babies, and we followed that migration route because a couple of years ago some economists from the international monetary fund put a dollar figure on the services they provide. it's about $2 million in a living whale in carbon capture and fertilizing the ocean. they bring the nutrients up from the deep. and when they poo on the surface, it creates the bottoms of the food chains. we had them off the jersey shore. know that they're gardening the ocean, creating food wherever they go, draw down carbon. we saved them once. if we save them again, we'll save our by-product and everything else. they're the heartiest creatures and they're showing us a lot of looming threats. >> wow. it is amazing to be able to hear them underneath. they communicate. i mean they are an amazing, you know, family that communicates.

but then i understand they're using ai to figure out how whales speak and perhaps will they try to use that to communicate with them? >> actually a team in alaska had a 20-minute conversation with a humpback whale. they recorded clicks and played it back in the same way and this whale responded 36 times in the same cadence, and now they're trying to use ai to figure out the different patterns. we may never know the lyrics of the songs of the humpback whale right now, but everything we learn is a new fascinating twist of our biggest planetary roommates and they're our biggest al higlies in wailing repair. there are still so many that are dead. china hunts them. there's ocean pollution, fishing nets, onshore development, a lot of stresses because they move

all over the world, and if we pay attention to what they're telling us, it will really help us understand to save life on earth really. >> oh, my god. we need whales. we've always needed whales. but they have been a target for so many things. you just touched on it there. okay, the whaling industry may have -- may be on the decline, but there are perils for the whales like, you know, the netting, a lot of things, pollution and all that. through, i guess, this science of further appreciating whales, are there new discoveries how to protect them? >> absolutely. a lot of the science has formed the first oceans treaty. two thirds of the ocean is unlawed. it's open no man's land and nobody takes care of it. it passed the united nations. 60 nations passed it. chile is going to do it next. .

once they do that, there's a framework to protect these long migration corridors and help all marine mammals, all marine life. >> that took my breath away. i can't wait to watch the rest. it's extraordinary, magical, beautiful. good job. bill weir, thank you so much. be sure to tune into a new story with anderson cooper that airs tomorrow night at 8:00 p.m. on cn. to duckduckgo on all your devie

duckduckgo comes with a built-n engine like google, but it's pi and doesn't spy on your searchs and duckduckgo lets you browse like chrome, but it blocks cooi and creepy ads that follow youa from google and other companie. and there's no catch. it's fre. we make money from ads, but they don't follow you aroud join the millions of people taking back their privacy by downloading duckduckgo on all your devices today. thanks so much for joining me.