INTERVIEW — JAKE TAPPER — Anchor, “The Lead” and “State of the Union” on CNN

2016 NEWS:

>> A Critical Newt Gingrich Says Donald Trump Can Reverse Slump. (WSJ) — Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a staunch Donald Trump ally, offered the Republican presidential candidate some tough love on Wednesday morning, calling his behavior “very self-destructive” and urging him to pull out of a “slump.” Mr. Gingrich, speaking on Fox Business, criticized Mr. Trump’s recent controversies – including his dispute with the Khan family and his declining to endorse House Speaker Paul Ryan in his upcoming primary– comparing the candidate to a star quarterback who has thrown a ton of interceptions.

>> Mike Pence Splits With Donald Trump on Paul Ryan Endorsement. Gov. Mike Pence, aligning himself with the Republican establishment rather than his running mate, broke with Donald J. Trump on Wednesday by endorsing Speaker Paul D. Ryan’s re-election bid, a day after Mr. Trump roiled the party by declaring that he was not yet ready to support the speaker.

>> Clinton uses props to rip Trump at tie factory stop. Hillary Clinton criticizes Donald Trump for profiting off foreign labor. COMMERCE CITY, Colo. (AP) — Hillary Clinton is criticizing Donald Trump’s use of outsourcing at his companies, part of an effort to undercut the business record that has formed the basis of his presidential pitch. “What kind of man does business by hurting other people? I am just so determined that we are not going to let him do to America what he has done to small business,” she told several thousand people gathered at in a high school gymnasium on Wednesday afternoon. Clinton highlighted Trump’s use of outsourcing to manufacture some of his branded products, arguing he’s profited from the same foreign labor he now blames for killing U.S. jobs. Most of Trump’s branded neckties, shirts and suits are made abroad, in China and Bangladesh, as are the bulk of the products sold by his daughter, Ivanka.

IRAN

>> US sent plane with $400 million in cash to Iran. Justice Department Officials Raised Objections on U.S. Cash Payment to Iran. Some officials worried about message being sent but were overruled. (WSJ) – WASHINGTON—Senior Justice Department officials objected to sending a plane loaded with cash to Tehran at the same time that Iran released four imprisoned Americans, but their objections were overruled by the State Department, according to people familiar with the discussions.