About the Show
Anchored by Jake Tapper, The Lead airs at 4 p.m. ET on CNN.
On the Next Episode of The Lead
We've moved! Come join us at our new show page.
money lead
Starbucks to post calorie counts on menus nationwide
Calorie counts have long been posted on the Starbucks website and in-store pamphlets. Starting Tuesday, the information will also be posted front and center on 11,000 new menu boards, one for each of the company's nationwide locations.
Starbucks customers are very educated consumers, who will not be surprised to know how many calories are in a frappuccino, said Clare O'Connor, of Forbes Magazine.
"This customer maybe well treat themselves with a cake pop, but they're also the same person who's going to spend $30 on a spinning class that same day to burn it off," said O'Connor.
The move comes ahead of the Food and Drug Administration requirement that will force all chain restaurants to post nutritional information by the end of 2014.
FULL POST
world lead
Mandela remains in critical condition
Few have shown the spirit and determination of Nelson Mandela.
He endured 27 years as a political prisoner for challenging apartheid, only to emerge to become the first black president of South Africa.
Now, at the age of 94, he remains in critical condition, suffering a stubborn lung infection.
This comes ahead of President Barack Obama’s trip to the African continent, where he will be visiting Senegal, Tanzania and South Africa along with his family.
No meeting between the two is currently scheduled, but much depends on the health of Mandela—and any turns for the better, or worse.
For a full update on the former South African leader with CNN's Nkpile Mabuse, check out the video above.
pop lead
Actor Jim Carrey condemns his own movie 'Kick-Ass 2'
The upcoming comedy "Kick-Ass 2" is facing criticism from actor and star of the movie Jim Carrey. The gun control advocate said in the aftermath of the Newtown school shootings, he believes the movie is too violent.
Carrey sent a series of tweets Sunday, saying, "I did Kickass a month b4 Sandy Hook and now in all good conscience I cannot support that level of violence. My apologies to .... others involve [sic] with the film. I am not ashamed of it but recent events have caused a change in my heart."
For the most part, Hollywood has gotten a pass on gun control, including from President Barack Obama, who has had no problem taking the gun industry to task.
"The name of the movie is "Kick-Ass." This is "Kick-Ass 2" in case you didn't get the message in the first "Kick Ass," so it's sort of surprising he didn't realize that's what this movie does. It kicks butt. People's butts will be kicked," said The Wall Street Journal's Christopher J. Farley.
The creator of the comic series the movies are based upon released a statement saying he respects Carrey's opinion, but is shocked by the announcement, and notes that Carrey knew full well what the movie was about.
"Like Jim I'm horrified by real life violence, but "Kick-Ass 2" isn't a documentary. No actors were harmed in the making of this production," Mark Millar said in the statement.
The first "Kick Ass" movie explored the violent images and violent things that kids are forced to go through in society, rather than trying to exploit the kids themselves through the cinematic process, said Farley. One of the stars of the movie, Chloë Grace Moretz, played a hit girl and was only 11 at the time of the first movie. Moretz's character used a lot of rough language, and was involved in many violent scenes.
"If that didn't turn you off the movie, it's surprising that now that she's older and the characters have evolved, and the film [is] older, that suddenly the second movie would suddenly be something you have to draw the line on," said Farley.
It does not appear that Hollywood wants to go after Carrey for breach of contract, but that could change if he does not promote the movie.
"This may have been something that was very spontaneous on the part of Carrey. He may have a change of heart. I mean tweeting by its nature is something you do after dinner, after drinks, after whatever," said Farley.
"After he considers it, after he hears some people from the film, maybe after he hears from his lawyers, maybe he'll have a different view on whether "Kick-Ass 2" crossed the line," said Farley.
national lead
University of Texas president defends admissions practices after Supreme Court ruling
The future of race-conscious college admissions remains unclear after the Supreme Court tossed Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin back to the lower courts for further review.
The ruling upheld the use of race in the admissions process, but chastised the lower court for not applying "strict scrutiny" in the case. Colleges and universities will now be required to demonstrate that there are no other methods of achieving diversity without considering race.
Abigail Fisher sued the University of Texas at Austin in 2012 claiming she was unfairly rejected for admission, compared to accepted but less-qualified minority students. It sounds like a David and Goliath tale, one girl taking on a well-known research intensive university, but she didn’t act alone. Fisher was hand-picked by conservative activist Edward Blum, whose group continues to bankroll the lawsuit.
The Supreme Court did not give a sweeping verdict Monday, but Fisher and her supporters appear undaunted.
"I'm very honored, and we've got more work to do, but I'm looking forward to the next steps in this process,” she said. “Of course we're happy with it, but they gave us everything that we asked for, and I'm very confident that UT won't be able to use race in the future."
The University of Texas at Austin also remains steadfast.
“We will continue to defend our admissions practices and litigate this case. We think they are necessary to achieve the kind of educations our students deserve and our state deserves and our country deserves,” William Powers, Jr., President of the University of Texas at Austin told CNN Monday.
Powers went on to say that the university’s policy fully satisfies the new obligation of proving the need for race-conscious admissions.
world lead
Columnist says he did not aid or abet NSA leaker
The Guardian newspaper columnist Glenn Greenwald was one of the two reporters who broke the story of former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden exposing details of U.S. surveillance programs.
Greenwald has since been criticized for his relationship with Snowden. NBC News' David Gregory questioned whether Greenwald should be charged with a crime, and insinuated that he aided and abetted Snowden's leaks, and current movement.
"I didn't even know where Mr. Snowden worked or what his name was until after he was in Hong Kong with the documents," Greenwald told CNN Monday. "We had some preliminary communications with him about how to communicate, secretly, in a way that would be secure, but other than that, nothing."
The Justice Department recently labeled reporter James Rosen of Fox News “an aider and abettor and/or co-conspirator” for encouraging his leaker to set up what he thought was a secret way to e-mail him.
"Not only did I not do more than Mr. Rosen was accused of doing by the Justice Department when he was called a co-conspirator, I did much, much less," said Greenwald.
"Anybody who wants to raise this insinuation against me ... ought to be compelled to point to specifics or point to evidence to support that accusation, because there is none," said Greenwald.
Snowden traveled from China to Russia, on Sunday, and may now move to to Ecuador via Cuba. None of these countries are beacons of human rights and freedoms.
"He's not just running around the world searching for what he thinks is a beacon of liberty. He's running around the world searching for a place that he can be free from American prosecution," said Greenwald, who said he does not know where Snowden is now.
Under President Barack Obama, the Justice Department has prosecuted six cases under the Espionage Act in recent years; federal prosecutors had used the law in three cases before Obama took office.
"We do have a climate in the United States that has been created over the last five years in which leakers and whistleblowers, people who step forward to inform the public about classified information because they think it reveals wrongdoing, are treated, as this McClatchy article said, as enemies of the state, basically traitors," said Greenwald.
"They're not people who work for a foreign government, sold the information, worked at the behest of foreign governments," said Greenwald. "Just anybody who discloses anything that the government marks "classified" is deemed to be an enemy of the state and punished severely."
For our full interview with Glenn Greenwald, click on the video above.
Recent Comments