russia pummels ukraine with missiles and drones. "the lead" starts now. ukrainian city after city bombarded by russia as this war drags on. plus, emotional plea from iran's longest held american prisoner.

why he's taking the risk talking to cnn's christiane amanpour in an interview be behind bars. new details about mitch mcconnell, treated for a concussion in a d.c. hospital now after a fall. i'm jake tapper. we begin with putin's brutal war on kroukraine. strikes reaching nearly every corner from kyiv to lviv, the worst russian barrage since january, punctuated by a variety of russian missiles, including six rare hyper sonic missiles, eluding air defenses. officials say in total, 84 missiles were launched. at least 11 people in ukraine were killed. russia claims the strike was retaliation for what it calls terrorist actions by ukraine in a western russian town last week. cnn cannot independently verify russia's claims or confirm evidence of such an attack. for the sixth time, renewed

fears of a nuclear catastrophe. europe's largest nuclear power plant in zaporizhzhia shelled, forced to run on backup power. cnn's ivan watson is on the ground in ukraine's capital for us, where air raid sirens wailed for nearly seven straight hours. >> reporter: by land, sea, and air, russia launched a massive missile attack on ukraine, hurling at least 84 missiles and killer drones against its neighbor in a single night. the deadly barrage pounding ukraine in the north, south, east and west. decimating several houses in the western city of lviv. killing at least two women and three men there. in the capital kyiv, one missile strike temporarily knocked out some electric power, while

another slammed into the courtyard of a large apartment block. fortunately, no one was killed here this morning by this missile strike, but it terrified people living next door. no one in ukraine knows when a deadly russian missile could explode in their neighborhood. these two say the 7:00 a.m. blast broke windows in their seventh floor apartment. >> it was very dangerous, so we were very scared. >> reporter: but the close call didn't stop them from working today. >> translator: we've developed immunity after a year of war. we don't even run and hide in the basement any more when there are air raid sirens. >> reporter: the ukrainian military says air defenses shot down nearly half of russia's missiles and drones. but can't intercept some of

these deadly weapons. there were x-22, which ke we ca shoot down. [ speaking non-english ] >> reporter: russia's defense ministry calls the barrage a retaliation for what it clean c is a ukrainian terrorist attack, claims which cnn has not been able to verify. deadly russian revenge attacks, that leave ordinary ukrainians picking up the pieces. jake, the ukrainian armed forces say that the risk of further russian missile attacks is still very high. there also appear to be -- in particular, these hypersonic missiles were able to foil some

of ukraine's air defenses. and then there's the issue of the utilities and things like heat and electricity that were at least temporarily knocked out. the lights are back on here in kyiv. the heat, though, is not. 30% of homes don't have heat right now in march as a result of these latest strikes. >> ivan watson in kyiv, thank you so much. now to a plea to the west from ukraine's prime minister today, tweeting, we need more weapons and more sanctions to stop the aggressor. while the u.s. has committed more than $30 million in security assistance since the start of putin's brutal war, some of the biggest weapons, such as the air defense missile systems, take months for ukrainian soldiers to learn how to operate. nat natasha, if ukrainian troops were up to speed on operating the patriot missile system, would that system have helped defend ukraine from today's barrage of missiles?

>> reporter: jake, the short answer is probably yes. now, the issue here is that some of the missiles that russia fired at ukraine today were a kind of ballistic missile. they were the hypersonic missiles. right now, ukraine does not have a sufficient air defense system to intercept those kinds of missiles. the system that they have right now are primarily aimed to defend against cruise missiles. so if they had the patriot system in place, while this has not been tested against the patriot, it is likely that it would have had a better chance of defending those hypersonic missiles than what ukraine has. the argument the white house has been making is because the majority of the missiles russia launched at ukraine were regular cruise missiles, that a patriot system likely could not have made much of a difference any way. here's what john kirby said just this morning. >> the patriot missile system is

really designed to go after ballistic missiles, and it's not as effective on cruise missiles, and it's certainly not going to be effective against drones. so it's doubtful that you could say if they had the patriots, it would make a huge difference in this barrage, because this was largely cruise missiles. >> reporter: so the key word there is largely, but it was not only cruise missiles. these missiles launched by ukraine can do a lot of damage. if they have the patriots, which we are currently training on, they could have made a difference, jake. >> natasha, thank you so much. joining us now to discuss is the congressman turner of ohio. you said you support giving ukraine what they need to win. quite frankly, i'm not quite sure that speaker mccarthy is on board. he just balked at an invitation to visit ukraine from president zelenskyy and he repeated his stance that he doesn't support a

blank check to ukraine, even though no one is proposing that. is there, do you think, the appetite in the house republican conference for the kind of more aggressive aid that you're talking about? >> well, the speaker didn't say he wasn't going to go to ukraine, he said he didn't need to go to ukraine to understand the need of what they are looking at, just the indiscriminate killing of innocent people. i've been with speaker mccarthy where we are working to try to make certain we supply ukraine and also on the border of ukraine. he's well up to speed on the issues there, supported sending weapons in the last approval process. so i think his approval is there, and his support is there, which i think is important here as we look to what russia is doing, they are running out. even though they're doing this desperation of lobbing everything they can on tragic days like today, absent china

stepping in, which you know director burns has openly stated china was considering in trying to dissuade, a country like china coming in with the ability to provide them with weapons systems, russia has a diminishing ability to attack ukraine. as long as we continue with support, they'll continue to hold back russia. >> as you noted, the cia director said today no one is watching ukraine more intently than china. have you seen intelligence suggesting that china is aiding russia with weaponry has gone anything past the consideration stage? are they actually going to do it? >> what the director said openly and publicly is that china was considering it, and we'll monitor it closely. what is obvious, if china enters their weapons system that would show up on the battlefield, that would be alarming to europe and nato. so they would have a reaction greater than just the united

states. i don't think china is prepared to that, and hopefully they whether be dissuaded. >> you praised the biden administration's decision to declassify and publicize intelligence that china is considering arming russia. have you pushed the biden administration to declassify other matters? >> certainly. this congress will call for the declassification of materials with regard to the origins of covid. we have been very effective in declass fieing infieing informa. declassifying what russia's plans are. >> i want to ask about your fellow member of the select committee on intelligence, congressman darren lahood. today in the hearing you chaired, he accused the fbi of unlawfully monitoring him.

was the -- did the fbi do that? was it improper, and why were they doing that? >> so what darren lahood was referring to is a report by the intelligence community of a fisa inquiry that occurred on a member of congress, and it was identified as improper. he was coming forward saying i have reviewed this material, and in his opinion, it referred to him. i concur in his opinion that it's likely him. but the point that was important here, he said there are abuses, there are valid and really wrong things that the intelligence has done, particularly the fbi has done, with fisa. we need to address those abuses as we go forward reauthorize thing program. but we have to address those abuses head-on before we go to reauthorization or we're going to lose the faith of the american public.

>> there was an abuse like that in relation to carter page and the lack of disclosure of all the information. why renew it if the fbi can't be trusted to do it without violating their own rules? >> i do believe that there are opportunities to reform the whole fisa process. darren lahood, who, as you just indicated, came forward and said he believes he's been not lawfully queried under the fisa system. he's committed to working to solutions. i think we'll find them but we have to have the cooperation of the fbi, the cooperation of the intelligence community. we have to look at what were the real abuses that happened, how do we fix this and protect the american public? >> yeah. the chairman of the house select committee, thank you so much. coming up next, an american prisoner held in iran. what he told cnn's christiane amanpour as he begs joe biden to hear his cries. plus, party disrupter.

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we're back. the desperate plea for freedom from an american citizen, behind bars in iran's notorious prison, for more than seven years. saimak namazi was convicted in iran of charges of cooperating with a hostile government, meaning the united states government. he's the longest held american-iranian prisoner. today, he spoke es xclusively t cnn's christiane amanpour. he joins us now. he took an incredible risk to get his message across to joe biden and the world. tell us more about what he had to say. >> we really hope that nothing happens to retaliate against him for this. he told me it was a risk he

needed to take because he's out of options, he feels abandoned and he doesn't know what else to do. he's been left behind, he said, by three previous prisoner swaps between iran and the united states. he doesn't understand why, and he's directly trying to appeal to joe biden. here is a little bit of what he said. >> i think the very fact that i have chosen to take this risk, it should just tell you how dire my situation has become by this point. i've been a hostage for 7 1/2 years now. that's six times the duration of the hostage crisis. i keep getting told that i'm going to be rescued and deals fall apart or i get abandoned.

>> you wrote this letter to joe biden recently, and i'm going to quote a little bit from it. day after day, i ignore the intense pain that i always carry with me, and do my best to fight this grave injustice. all i want, sir, is one minute of your day's time for the next seven days, devoted to thinking about the tribulations of the u.s. hostages in iran. did you get any personal response to that letter, saimak?

it is heartbreaking.

you can hear that. the whole interview is gut wrenching, really. basically, we heard from the administration, continuing to tell us since this interview that they do keep it as their top priority. but we're in a very difficult political environment where the united states has all sorts of issues about iran, including the crackdown on human rights, including the pretty much stalled iran nuclear deal, and the allegations of iran sending weapons to ukraine, as you just saw. but others say that a government that the u.s. must be able to compartmentalize, yes, condemn that side but do whatever they have to, to get the other citizens back. >> christiane amanpour, thank you so much for that. this programming note, tonight i'll moderate a special cnn town hall with virginia

governor glenn youngkin tonight at 9:00 p.m. eastern only here on cnn. but first, the details about mitch mcconnell's condition after his fall last night at a d.c. hotel. hey david! connect with an advisor to create your pepersonalized pla. let's find the right investments for your g goals. okay, great.t. j.p. morgan wealth managagement. couldn't use cpap. now i have this. inspire is a sleep apnea treatment no mask, no hose, st sleep. learn more and view important safety information at inspiresleepom.

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in our health lead today, we are learning just how serious senate minority leader mitch mcconnell's condition is after he fell at a dinner last night in washington, d.c. jes jessica, the 81-year-old republican is still in the hospital. how is he doing? >> reporter: we know that he's recovering from this condition that he's going to stay there for several days, his office giving an update.

let me read you what they said. they said that he tripped at a dinner event wednesday evening and has been admitted to the hospital and is being treated for a concussion. he's expected to remain in the hospital for a few days of observation and treatment. the leader is grateful for their care and to his colleagues for their warm wishes. i was told by a source he was at a hotel for an event for the senate leadership fund. that is a super pac described to me as a thank you event, where he was meeting with various people. he gave a speech, talk to the crowd. one person spoke with him for several minutes said that he gave what he described as a good speech. so acting very normally. everything going normally before this trip when he got the concussion, jake. >> lawmakers on both sides are reacting to mcconnell's event today. what are they saying? >> reporter: there's been an

outpouring from both sides, including chuck schumer and kevin mccarthy, as well. listen to them. >> yeah, he's a little beat up. [ inaudible ] >> my thoughts this morning are with my good friend, leader mitch mcconnell, who is recovering from -- in the hospital after an accident last night. i called the leader this morning and spoke briefly with his staff to extend my prayers and well wishes. >> reporter: again, jake, we talked to senators on both sides of the aisle throughout the day. nothing but warm wishes for the senate minority leader. it's unclear at this point when he will be back here on capitol hill. and worth noting, he is the third senator that is out. diane feinstein has been out. and senator john fetterman is out being treated for clinical

depression. >> jessica dean, thanks. our thoughts are with the minority leader as well today. this hour, joe biden headed back to washington, d.c. after his 20th trip to pennsylvania since taking office. this time to try to sell to republicans and even some democrats are not buying his new budget proposal. phil, just to be clear, none of this is going to become law. >> reporter: i think that's fair. white house officials acknowledge that's fair. when they put together this document, it is aggressive on the policy side, on the tax side. i think on the intent side of things, there was an understanding that the vast majority of this, particularly under the biden government, was never going to find its way to joe biden's desk. however, what it is, is a clear statement of valuing and i think the political sense, laying the ground work. inside this budget, the white house advisers included $3 trillion in deficit reduction related to the baseline over the

course of a decade. significant tax increases on corporations and the wealthy, driving the majority for those making over $400,000 a year. also an increase in the defense budget, $835 billion that funds medicare through the 25th. he's shoring up the medicare trust fund as part of this program, which has been central to his political pitch. and caps insulin at $35, expanding on a program he was able to enact. and expanding the child tax credit, now trying to go back at that again. when you talk to officials, they make clear what they are doing with this document is setting up a clear contrast with republicans. this is how joe biden framed it. >> the things i'm proposing not only lift the burden off families, but it's going to generate economic growth. i'm ready to meet with the speaker any time. lay it down, tell me what you want to do, i'll show you what i

want to do. and if we don't agree, let's vote on it. >> reporter: jake, in the president's remarks there, he has long framed his budget as the starting point for a discussion. but only when house republicans put out their budget. that budget is expected in the coming months, but that is intentional. this budget, while required by law, is also bait. white house officials want republicans to put out a budget. they're not sure that 218 republicans can coalesce around any budget. they have said that social security and medicare are off the table. they know anything that does come out there republicans would be, as one adviser told me, a political gold mine to attack. they know this is laying the ground work for a high stakes battle over the debt limit, but also the framing of the president's policy platform heading into a 2024 re-election

bid. >> thank you so much, phil. as for the squabbles within the president's party, he may need to schedule time with joe manchin, who said he's worried about washington and how it's already spent so much money versus what the future budget should look like. manchin spoke with kaitlan collins who joins us now. manchin is one of the many voices joe biden will have to negotiate with. >> reporter: yeah, he said $3 trillion is a good start but there is a lot more to do. he was critical of democrats and republicans. he criticized joe biden for waiting so long to put out this budget that is just a budget blueprint. it is a statement of priorities essentially. but one thing that senator manchin had a deep concern about is when we talk about what the debt s.e.a.l.ing is going to look like, and how this is going to play out is discretionary

spending, which is what seen as nonnegotiable. this is what he told me. >> it would have increased $3.5 trillion, how did it get to $6.2 trillion? and why is there so much discretionary funding? how did we have so many things that are necessary that weren't before? >> reporter: when he's talking about where the cuts could come from, and a clean debt ceiling hike, which is what republicans want to do, he said he would vote for it. that he's not going to hold it ho hostage, but he believes there should be changes to spending. the question is where does it come from? >> you asked him about his support for joe biden in 2024, or his lack thereof. and he seemed to leave the door

wide open on a possible challenge to bide bn for president. >> reporter: as you know, joe manchin has played coy on his political plans, whether or not he's running for re-election. he said he doesn't like the idea that he's being asked about it already. he feels like you get done with one election and you're being asked about another one. the question i asked him, because he has not endorsed joe biden, saying he will support him in 2024. i asked if he thought biden should be challenged for the democratic nomination, not necessarily by senator manchin, just in general. this is how he answered that question. >> only in america does the next cycle start the day after the last cycle. this is crazy. let's do our job for at least another year. we have another year after that. >> reporter: that's fair, but you know that answer is going to make some people think you're thinking about getting into the presidential race. >> hold on. i've said this, and let me

repeat this one more time. i'm not making any decisions whatsoever on my political future until the end of the year. >> reporter: pretty telling when they don't always answer the question. the other day, he was asked if he still considers himself a democrat. he said he considers himself to be an american. so there are a lot of questions about his political future, is he still running as a democrat, still running in the senate race? i don't know. >> it's not that difficult to say, i'm not going to run for president. i'll say it. i'm not going to run for president. >> i'm also not running for president. >> neither of us are running for president, although i would be willing to be your vice president if you decided to run. but the idea he wouldn't answer the question when it was just sit thing like, you know, a big balloon. >> and i think one thing he's tried to stress is he has been a thorn in the white house's side. we have all seen that play out, especially before we saw the

changes in the 2022 midterms is how he does often push back on the white house. he said i'm not a washington democrat. he said there's some republicans that aren't the typical washington republican. but one thing he's done lately, he's pushed back and said he was voting against several people that joe biden put up for key positions. he lacked out at the interior department because they delayed leases for offshore drilling. he's had a lot of issues with the white house, making the argument earlier that is what he's going to continue to do if he disagrees with them. he phrased it as holding the white house's feet to the fire. that is a relationship they want to keep in good terms. they described it as a fruitful relationship, jake. >> no sense for them to alienate joe manchin. i agree with that. thank you so much. still ahead, change of plans. the protest that disrupted a trip to israel for lloyd austin. stay with us. you could save hundreds. i dodon't know, dad. ♪

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u.s. defense secretary lloyd austin is in israel today, a visit where meetings and schedules had to be rearranged due to ongoing protests by the israeli people against prime minister benjamin netanyahu and his attempt to weaken israel's judicial system. secretary austin was not shy about weighing in on the controversy. >> reporter: protestors in israel taking their days of disruption to the main airport wednesday, for ten weeks now. tens of thousands have been coming out to the street against prime minister benjamin netanyahu's plans to weaken the y judiciary. passengers were forced to drag their suitcases so as not to miss their flights. >> i think it's when you are fighting for what is right, you

need to fight. >> reporter: among the demonstrators, former fighter pilots who said they wouldn't heed to serve the call. the protestors here at the airport slowing down traffic to the entrance, trying to disrupt not only israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu's planned trip to italy, but affecting u.s. defense secretary lloyd austin's arrival. the pentagon saying they asked the defense secretary's team to alter his schedule instead of him meeting in tel aviv. instead, he's arriving to this airport, and immediately going to a complex right next to the airport, and then flying out. in an unusual move, austin wading into the judicial reforms debate while standing alongside the israeli defense minister. >> the genius of american de democracy and israeli democracy, they are both built on strong institutions. on checks and balances, and on

an independent judiciary. and the president also noted that building consensus for fundamental changes is really important to ensure that the people buy into them so they can be sustained. >> reporter: meanwhile in tel aviv, protestors blocking traffic along the main highway, before dozens of police push them off. organizers vowing they'll continue taking to the streets until the planned judicial changes are stopped, just like the traffic on this highway. and jake, right as the protests wrapped tonight in tel aviv, a terror attack took place just a few blocks away from where the protestors were. police said essentially three men were walking down the street, shooting at them.

all three were wounded, including one critical. hamas has claimed the attacker as one of its members, saying he's in his 20s from the west bank. just a reminder of the ongoing deadly violence that has been gripping israelis and palestinians for several months now. >> thank you so much. turning to our politics lead, a u.s. senate committee cleared the nomination or former los angeles mayor eric garcetti to become the ambassador to india. it is a controversial move, given allegations that while he was mayor of los angeles, he ignored multiple reports of sexual misconduct by one of his key advisers, something that he denies. we asked cnn's lauren fox to look into what happened. >> reporter: a nomination once on life support, now revived. and eric garcetti gains momentum

to be the ambassador to india. the former los angeles mayor was nominated for the position more than 600 days ago. in july of 2021. >> if confirmed, it would be the honor of a lifetime. >> reporter: his nomination sailed through the committee the next january. then it stalled, as senators in both parties raised concerns over whether garcetti knew about and ignored allegations of sexual harassment by a top aide while in office. >> i want to say unequivocally that i never witnessed nor was it brought to my attention. i want to assure you if it had been, i would have taken action to stop that. >> reporter: now questions looming on capitol hill. garcetti's parents have hired a d.c. firm to lobby on behalf of their son's nomination, and those supporting the nomination point to a report commissioned by the city of los angeles that found no wrongdoing. but last may, senator chuck

grassley investigated the allegations from whistleblowers himself. issuing a 23-page report alleging garcetti "likely knew or should have known that a top aide, rick jacobs, was sexually harassing multiple individuals and making racist comments towards others." jacob has denied the allegations. the white house blasted the report as partisan, and continues to stand by garcetti's nomination. >> we encourage and look forward to the senate moving forward with his nomination on the floor. >> reporter: with time, garcetti's fortunes have begun to turn. hiss nomination cleared committee wednesday. this time with two republicans, bill hagerty and todd young, voting for him. >> i think those concerns are valid, that they don't -- i don't think that they rise to the level of disqualifying him. >> reporter: democrats, who were once on the fence, now saying they'll back him. >> i really trust the review of the committee of jurisdiction.

they looked at his record, and they have unanimously supported him. that strengthens my review and i will look for him. >> there's nothing definitive in my view that says he should have known in that situation. i'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. >> reporter: but his confirmation is not guaranteed. with several senators in both parties still undecided. have you made up your mind or eric garcetti? >> not yet. >> what are you weighing at this point? >> i want to talk to him face-to-face. >> i have heard concerns. i'll take a look at his full record, the same as any nominee. >> reporter: and another wild card is attendance here in the u.s. senate. we obviously don't know when mitch mcconnell, the minority leader is going to return to the senate. nor do we know when john fetterman or diane feinstein will be back in the senate. so a lot of questions remain, if the votes are going to be there for his nomination. one thing i heard over and over again from democrats and

republicans, the country cannot go on much longer without an ambassador to india. >> it's a 51-49 senate. lauren fox, thank you. coming up next, unruly skies. what was behind a fight with passengers on a southwest airlines flight? ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ get it with gurus. cargurus. nothing. nothing. absolutely, nothing. it really is sething. as aexpedia member, you can save up to 30% when you add a hotel to your flight. so you can have a bit more money, to do even less.

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quickly. the flight hadn't even taken off yet. but from what we understand from eyewitnesses who were inside the plane and some of what the punching man said there in that video at the end, it had to do with the perception that the man believed that the man he was hitting had bumped into his family as they were boarding the plane. we are told by the witness that the video you see only captures the tail end of the fighting, that before the video rolled the man in the tan jacket had unleashed a flurry of about four other punches before the video picked up. but you can hear what that man said after they were pulled apart. >> tell him what happened. tell them what you did. i was sitting down. you approaching my family. i would die for my family. so that's why i'll bet your [ bleep ]. >> reporter: now, both men were taken off the flight. southwest airlines says they commend the actions of the crew on board in separating those men

and that the flight took off on monday from dallas to phoenix and arrived. everything else -- there were no other issues and arrived on time. dallas police tell us, jake, that both men did not face any criminal charges. so as the spring break season begins and many people packing into flights across the country, a reminder, the tension out there is high. jake? >> ed lavandera, thanks so much. coming up, the head of norfolk southern questioned on capitol hill today about that toxic train wreck, and a resident who heard his testimony back home in ohio said the ceo was full of it. stay with us. that's why ame rica's beverage companies are working together to deleliver more great tasting options with less sugar or no sugar at all. in fact, today, nearly 60% of beverages sold c contain zero sugar. different sizes? check. clear calorie labels? just check. with so many options, it's easier than ever to find the balance that's right for you. more choices. less sugar. balanceus.org

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welcome to "the lead."

i'm jake tapper. this hour a young sailor who died by suicide after being bullied and hazed is now the reason why every member of the military is theoretically entitled to mental health services. so why hasn't the pentagon enacted this measure that could save lives? plus, new legal trouble today for tiger woods. the golfer's being sued by his ex-girlfriend for $30 million. she wants to get out of her non-disclosure agreement. does she have a case? and leading this hour, tense moments on capitol hill today as lawmakers demand answers about that train derailment in ohio that released toxic chemicals into the air, water and soil. the ceo of norfolk southern today apologizing to the people impacted by the disaster and announced that the company will invest $21 million in the east palestine, ohio community. but senators did not hold back questioning the rail company's long-term commitment to the cleanup and enacting new safety measures. >> i share your focus on our

employees. i will commit to continuing to discuss with them important quality of life issues. >> with all due respect, you sound like a politician here. >> cnn's sunlen serfaty takes a look at today's testimony and how it was received back in ohio. >> reporter: as cleanup efforts continue in east palestine, ohio, in washington -- >> i'm terribly sorry for the impact this derailment has had on the folks of that community. >> reporter: a public apology from norfolk southern's ceo acknowledging mistakes were made. >> it is clear safety mechanisms in place were not enough. >> reporter: and promising to do more. >> norfolk southern will clean the site safely, thoroughly and with urgency. >> reporter: but those promises falling far short of specific commitments wanted from many on the ground and senators on the committee today. >> will you again compensate these families for their diminished, lost propertva