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Anchored by Jake Tapper, The Lead airs at 4 p.m. ET on CNN.

Anchored by Jake Tapper, The Lead airs at 4 p.m. ET on CNN.

On the Next Episode of The Lead

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national lead

December 26th, 2014
05:22 PM ET

U.S. hopes to transfer dozens from Gitmo in 6 months, official says

(CNN) - The Obama administration hopes to transfer dozens of detainees from Guantanamo Bay in the next six months as part of a stepped-up effort to reduce the population there, according to a U.S. official.

As many as five detainees are expected to be moved from the detention facility in the next few days, with several more transfers anticipated in early 2015, the official said on condition of anonymity.

The news comes less than a week after the United States announced it had repatriated four detainees from Guantanamo to Afghanistan, leaving 132 detainees at the U.S. naval base in southeastern Cuba.

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world lead

December 10th, 2014
04:46 PM ET

Officials: Khorasan Group bomb maker thought dead survived

Washington (CNN) - New information leads U.S. officials to believe that French jihadist David Drugeon, a bomb maker in the al-Qaeda affiliated Khorasan Group, survived U.S. strikes last month, U.S. officials tell CNN.

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world lead

December 9th, 2014
05:59 PM ET

Report details brutal torture by CIA

(CNN) - Just how barbaric did the CIA's enhanced interrogation techniques get?

For more on the grisly details of the actual Senate report released today, watch CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr's report.

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world lead

December 8th, 2014
06:23 PM ET

What went wrong in failed hostage rescue mission

(CNN) - The element of surprise was lost in a failed U.S. military raid to rescue two hostages being held by al Qaeda militants in Yemen, a senior Defense Department official said Saturday.

American photojournalist Luke Somers and South African Pierre Korkie, a "respected teacher" who was to be released on Sunday, were fatally shot in the compound by a terrorist as the secret mission unfolded, a U.S. official said.

The relief group Gift of the Givers, which was helping secure Korkie's release, had recently informed his wife that "the waiting is almost over."

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politics lead

December 1st, 2014
05:37 PM ET

Meet the frontrunner to replace Chuck Hagel as Defense Secretary

Washington (CNN) - Ashton Carter, the former second-in-command at the Pentagon appears to be the top choice to replace outgoing Secretary Chuck Hagel, an administration official tells CNN.

While other candidates could emerge, a separate official acknowledged that Carter is very high on the list of possible candidates as the White House has made it clear an announcement is likely to come very soon.

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