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Anchored by Jake Tapper, The Lead airs at 4 p.m. ET on CNN.
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pop lead
Jay Leno's long, long goodbye
(CNN) - Host Jay Leno leaves "The Tonight Show" this evening, occupying an odd perch in entertainment.
"We've all fought and kicked to make this network fifth place, we're counting on you Jimmy! Don't let it slip to 6th!" Leno joked.
The late night comedian has often been critically assailed, but the show is an undisputed number one as he hands it off to Jimmy Fallon, who was just 17 when the now 63-year-old Leno got the full time job as "Tonight Show" host.
So why has Leno's reign as king of late night often seemed stormy? He is after all an up-from-his-bootstraps, American success story. Leno evolved from hard-working stand-up comedian, to a guest on "Late Night with David Letterman," to the host of NBC's most bankable late night franchise.
"The Tonight Show" draws nearly 4 million viewers a night, the highest ratings in its time slot. But Jimmy Kimmel, one of his competitors, told CNN that Leno sold out.
"I do think (Leno) is capable. I've seen him. I mean, listen, you know, the guy is one of the great comedians," Jimmy Kimmel told CNN's "The Lead with Jake Tapper" last year.
But asked if Leno dumbed down his material, Kimmel said: "Yes, I think so. Yes, I mean, I think that's fair to say."
FULL POST
politics lead
Roundtable: Is immigration reform dead?
(CNN) - Don't expect to see lawmakers doing any bi-partisan trust fall exercises in the halls of Congress any time soon. The Speaker of the House came out swinging today, grilling the president on his trustworthiness and suggesting any delays on an immigration reform deal will be caused by the new White House strategy of using executive orders to go it alone.
"Now he's running around the country that he's gonna keep acting on his own. Keeps talking about his phone and his pen and he's feeding more distrust about whether he's committed to the rule of law. There's widespread doubt about whether this administration can be trusted to enforce our laws, and it's going to be difficult to move any immigration legislation until that changes," Speaker of the House John Boehner said Thursday.
CNN chief congressional correspondent Dana Bash and national political reporter for The Washington Post Robert Costa discuss.
world lead
Unsafe zones: What's outside Sochi's 'ring of steel'
(CNN) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has insisted a "ring of steel" will be in place to keep the Olympic games safe.
But just what does that include and what does it mean if you find yourself outside the protective bubble?
CNN's Tom Foreman and senior fellow for national security at The Heritage Foundation Peter Brookes break it down in CNN's virtual room.
money lead
Meet the 'food babe' who helped convince Subway to remove chemical from bread
(CNN) – Food blogger Vani Hari wanted to know if she was actually "eating fresh" when comping down on Subway sandwiches. But she was in for a rude awakening.
"What I found out was horrifying," Hari said in an interview with CNN's "The Lead with Jake Tapper.
Hari found some varieties of Subway's bread contain the chemical azodicarbonamide. Besides bread, the chemical is also found in yoga mats and shoe soles to add elasticity.
"I found out the World Health Organization has linked it to lung problems, skin irritation, and eye irritation. And as well as finding the study that shows when it's heated, it can reduce down into compounds that are carcinogenic, things that cause cancer," said Hari.
Hari wrote about her findings back in 2012, and started a petition to pressure Subway to stop using what she says is a dangerous chemical. She even filmed a video of herself eating a yoga mat to drive home the point.
And today, Subway announced it is parting ways with azodicarbonamide.
FULL POST
world lead
Russia's response to a possible attack on Sochi would be fierce
(CNN) - There may be concerns over whether Russia is prepared for the Sochi Olympics from a security standpoint, but there is no denying that if any group were to dare try and embarrass the country, on the grandest of international stages, the reaction from the Kremlin would be swift and fierce.
CNN's senior international correspondent Nick Paton Walsh reports, live in Sochi.
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