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
What Facebook's WhatsApp deal means for your privacy
(CNN) – Facebook announced that it has officially acquired mobile messaging service "WhatsApp" for $19 billion.
The app works a lot like a social network – users can send messages, photos, and videos to one person or even a group, but without paying the standard text fees phone companies charge.
It's valuable to Facebook because the service adds a million new users a day from all around the world, each paying a $1-per-year subscription fee after a free trial.
WhatsApp users are also younger, and tend to be more active in social networking than the average Facebook account holder.
Consumers loved the app because of the company's pledge to protect their privacy. Co-founder Jan Koum is a Ukrainian immigrant who says his experiences growing up shaped his concerns about government surveillance, so he vowed his company would never sell ads or user data.
FULL POST
politics lead
Cruz jokes Washington would need a whole lot of 'Alka Seltzer' if he became president
Beaumont, Texas (CNN) – Can Ted Cruz imagine being in the Oval Office in 2017?
He didn't say no, but he did pause to acknowledge how much heartburn that would cause the people he likes to call the Washington establishment.
"I think you'd probably have to – to buy some Alka Seltzer for an awful lot of people in Washington, if – if 2017 occurred and that happened," Cruz said with a chuckle.
Cruz's light hearted response quickly turned serious – since he was responding to a question about Ukraine – what he would do if he were in commander-in-chief and Kiev was burning.
"Let me answer it this way. Whoever is president in 2017, I very much hope Kiev is not still on fire. What is happening in Ukraine right now is both incredibly heartening and incredibly tragic," Cruz told CNN in an exclusive interview.
world lead
GOP congressman: U.S. should 'sit it out' when it comes to Ukraine
(CNN) – Russia, Germany, France and Poland are working with Ukranian President Viktor Yanukovych and the opposition on a truce, after another round of fierce and deadly clashes further destabilized the already sharply divided Eastern European nation.
The United States talked tough Wednesday about trying to halt escalating political violence in Ukraine, but Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher says the U.S. should step back from the conflict.
"I think that we should sit it out, and apply, and ask all sides to settle it through a democratic election," Rohrabacher told CNN's "The Lead with Jake Tapper. Rohrabacher is a member of the House committee on foreign affairs, and chairs the subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia and emerging threats.
FULL POST
national lead
Former CIA operative: Shoe bomb technology getting better
(CNN) - The U.S. government has warned airlines to pay particular attention to the possibility of terrorists attempting to hide explosives in shoes, a result of new intelligence, according to two people familiar with the situation.
The acting CIA director said Thursday that he is specifically worried about this threat, as terrorists have figured out a way around the screening.
"Asiri's definitely getting better," said CNN national security analyst Bob Baer, a former CIA operative.
Ibrahim al-Asiri is believed to be the top bomb-maker for al-Qaeda in the Arabian peninsula.
FULL POST
world lead
In Ukraine, tense standoff after day marked by deaths, sniper fire
Are you in Ukraine? Send us your photos and experiences but please stay safe.
Kiev, Ukraine (CNN) - Protesters and government forces maintained a tense standoff Thursday night amid claims of sniper fire on the part of government forces and kidnapping of police by protesters, escalations that threatened to further destabilize the already precarious situation in this highly divided nation.
Earlier, authorities and protesters fought pitched battles in the streets near Independence Square, with protesters tossing rocks and firebombs at police under a sky blackened by smoke from their burning barricades. At least one protester fired toward police lines with a shotgun.
Recent Comments