Return to Transcripts main page
Hala Gorani Tonight
Justice Anthony Kennedy Retiring From U.S. Supreme Court; Italian Interior Minister Hails Being Called A "Populist"; U.S. And Russian Presidents To Meet Next Month; U.S. Sending Experts To Assist Rescue Effort. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired June 27, 2018 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:00:55]
HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello and welcome. I'm Hala Gorani. We are following some major breaking news out of Washington, where
President Trump says the search for a new Supreme Court justice will begin immediately.
That's because Justice Anthony Kennedy announced a short time ago that he is retiring. The 82-year-old Kennedy is conservative, although he took
liberal stands on some issues, perhaps most notably supporting the ruling that legalized gay marriage. Here's what the president had to say just
minutes ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I also have great respect for Justice Anthony -- you know who I'm talking about. Justice
Kennedy will be retiring. And he's a man that I've known for a long time and a man that I've respected for a long time. He's been a great justice
of the Supreme Court. He is a man who is displaying great vision. He's displayed tremendous vision and tremendous heart.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: It's hard to understate how significant this is. Many Trump says he has an excellent list of possible replacements. This is significant
because it gives the president an opportunity to nominate someone more conservative.
Kennedy was seen as a swing vote in many rulings and therefore make a lasting mark on the nation's highest court. Justice Kennedy was often
considered the most powerful voice on the Supreme Court for that reason because his vote had the strength to decide the outcome of many cases.
Jessica Schneider has that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JUSTICE ANTHONY KENNEDY, U.S. SUPREME COURT: The whole object of the judiciary is to ensure, stability, continuity. We pride ourselves on the
fact that there's little change.
JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In a move that could set in motion a seismic shift to the right on the highest court in the
land, Justice Anthony Kennedy is retiring after more than 30 years on the bench.
KENNEDY: We as a people are bound together.
SCHNEIDER: Kennedy, now 81 years old sworn the newest justice to joint the court last year, his former clerk, Neil Gorsuch. While President Trump
replaced one conservative with another when he chose Gorsuch to take Justice Antonin Scalia's seat, he now has the opportunity to move the court
significantly to the right when he replaces Kennedy, a centrist.
KENNEDY: The cases swing, I don't.
SCHNEIDER: Kennedy has never liked being labeled the court's swing vote, but for years it has been his vote that has often decided the outcome of
cases in a closely divided court.
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN CHIEF LEGAL ANALYST: Anthony Kennedy was by far the most powerful justice of my lifetime, controlling the outcome of so many
important cases because he was the swing vote, the one vote that was in play.
FORMER PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN: Thank you for coming to witness this historic occasion.
SCHNEIDER: Kennedy, a Ronald Reagan appointee, was sworn in in 1988. He sided with his conservative colleagues on issues such as gun control and
voting rights. He authored the majority opinion in Citizens United, striking down election spending limits for corporations.
In Bush V. Gore, he helped clear the way for George W. Bush's presidency. But to the dismay of those on the right, Kennedy joined the liberals on the
court on abortion, affirmative action and the death penalty.
His most lasting legacy will likely be in the area of gay rights. In 2015, Kennedy penned a landmark opinion clearing the way for same-sex marriage
nationwide.
KENNEDY: They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law, and the Constitution grants them that right.
TOOBIN: Anthony Kennedy grew up in a conservative Catholic family in Sacramento, California, but there was something that offended him from the
very beginning about discrimination against gay people. And his principal legacy on the court will be as the father of constitutional protections for
gay rights and marriage equality in the United States.
SCHNEIDER: But Kennedy this term tried to strike a balance between gay rights and freedom of religion -- when he wrote the majority opinion siding
with the Colorado baker who refused to make a custom wedding cake for two gay men.
[15:05:11] In his opinion, Kennedy acknowledged the baker's sincere religious beliefs that motivated his objection but warned against the broad
use of religion to justify denying same sex couples goods and services, writing, "any decision in favor of the baker would have to be sufficiently
constrained."
In 2009, Kennedy offered a rare glimpse of what it's like to be behind the scenes on closely divided cases.
KENNEDY: There are not a lot of high fives and back slaps. There's a moment of quiet, a moment of respect, maybe even sometimes awe at the
process. We realize that one of us is going to have to write out a decision which teaches and gives reasons for what we do.
SCHNEIDER: As time proves him to be one of the most unpredictable justices, personal dignity and liberty were always themes in Anthony
Kennedy's jurisprudence. Jessica Schneider, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Let's analyze this big breaking news from the United States. Let's bring in Sarah Westwood in Washington. CNN legal analyst, Paul
Callan joins me as well. Paul, I want to start with you.
Extremely significant because even though he was nominated by Ronald Reagan in the '80s, he was so often seen as a swing vote, sometimes voting with
his liberal colleagues on the Supreme Court. The president will have the opportunity to nominate someone more conservative, and that will change the
Supreme Court for many, many years to come.
PAUL CALLAN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yes. All absolutely true. This is a huge, huge opportunity for the Trump administration to push the court into
a much more conservative realm. If the president gets a conservative justice to replace Kennedy, you'll have a solid conservative majority going
forward on the Supreme Court.
GORANI: And how will that change cases going forward, especially on hot button controversial issues, whether it's the death personality, abortion,
gay rights, gun control?
CALLAN: This will all depend upon the votes that the president can muster in the Senate to confirm his choice, whoever it may be. We're assuming, of
course, it will be somebody who is a conservative. Gorsuch, who is the last appointee, turned out to be very conservative, much more conservative
than people even thought during the confirmation process.
You're going to see the president present somebody who appears to be a moderate who's personable and has a chance of getting through quickly. But
I'm betting that at his core whoever he nominates will be extremely conservative.
GORANI: Sarah Westwood, in order to be confirmed, a Supreme Court justice nominee needs 51 votes in the Senate, right? So, with some more mainstream
Republicans like Jeff Flake, he's going to have to appeal to every single Republican in the Senate, especially if he wants that confirmation to
happen before the midterms in November.
SARAH WESTWOOD, CNN REPORTER: That's right. President Trump does have to pick someone who can appeal to the mainstream of Republicans. But unlike
when Justice Kennedy was nominated, he does not need to seek bipartisan support because of a recent rule change in the Senate, which we saw at play
when Justice Gorsuch was confirmed.
That means he doesn't need to clear that 60 vote, but only need to get to 51. Setting aside the legal and historical implications of the Supreme
Court vacancy politically, this is a very big deal for President Trump.
Because remember that Supreme Court vacancy was a major issue in 2016 when Trump was running for the president. Some conservatives who didn't want to
vote for Trump were convinced they had to vote for Trump because Hillary Clinton would be given the opportunity to fill that vacancy with a liberal
justice.
So, that was a major motivating factor. It's something that could allow the White House to put pressure on Democrats who are running in states
where Trump won to vote in favor of this nominee.
So, it's something that could energize the Republican base at a time when Trump doesn't have a lot going on right now. His agenda is largely
stagnated to get voters excited heading into the midterms.
GORANI: And Sarah, can Democrats who don't control the House, who don't control the Senate, is there anything they can do to delay the process
until after the midterms?
WESTWOOD: Well, procedurally there are things Democrats can do to drag the process out. Certainly, we've seen that in a variety of contexts as Trump
has been nominating people to all different positions in the administration.
But ultimately if Republicans stay united behind the nominee, whoever Trump chooses, then there's not much Democrats can do in the end to block that
nominee. Certainly, if Democrats dory to stand in the way of a nominee that enjoys unanimous Republican support, that's something that the White
House could potentially use to their advantage in an election year when again they don't have a lot of other issues to run on that gets Republicans
excited.
[15:10:05] GORANI: And when you look, Paul, at the makeup of the Supreme Court, obviously with this nominee that the president intends to put
forward -- and there's a list of names he made public during the campaign of people he's consider.
It appears as though he would pick from that list. If there's another vacancy in the next couple of years, here we're looking at a really
crushingly conservative potentially Supreme Court. And the implications of that for the country would be what?
CALLAN: The implications would really be enormous. We got a taste of it yesterday, of course, when the court handed down its announcement on the
travel ban backing the president. I suspect that had there been a larger number of liberals on the court, the travel ban might have been ruled
unconstitutional.
The court wields enormous power with respect to American laws and public policy. If he boosts his majority on the court from the 5-4 that he
currently has to a 6-3 majority, which is highly likely given the age of the sitting liberals on the court, it's going to be a very, very
conservative Supreme Court.
There will be a certain irony of course if the Democrats for some reason win the midterms and take over Congress or get close in the Senate, you
might have a very liberal Congress dealing with a conservative president and a conservative Supreme Court.
GORANI: All right. Thanks very much to both of you, Paul Callan, our legal analyst and Sarah Westwood in our Washington, D.C. bureau with more
on this very, very important breaking news out of the United States. Because of the implications for the Supreme Court and for future rulings on
big major cases in the United States.
This is the highest court, of course. Justice Anthony Kennedy retiring effective 31st of July 2018, 82-year-old justice is going to be stepping
down and the White House is saying that it will nominate a replacement for Justice Kennedy before the midterms in the fall, before the fall. We will
continue to keep our eye on this and bring you more as it becomes available throughout the hour.
Now, I want to bring you a major story here in Europe. A boat carrying more than 230 people has finally docked in Malta. The migrants on board
spent days stranded on the Mediterranean. Malta's prime minister says they will be distributed among seven E.U. countries.
Italy's new interior minister has taken a hardline anti-immigrant position. He says he enjoys being called a populist. In a CNN exclusive, Matteo
Salvini sat down with Melissa Bell. She is in Rome.
Melissa, first of all, I want to ask you about Malta initially had said we're not taking the boat in, no more migrants. Italy has made its
opposition clear a well. What changed things here that allowed this boat to finally dock somewhere?
MELISSA BELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, in the end, Hala, the fact that the fate of these migrants is being shared amongst other European
countries -- and this is entirely new. The fact that this boat has been allowed to dock in Malta comes from the fact that even before it was
allowed to dock the Maltese government had managed to arrange the distribution of the migrants on the ship would be fair and would be
distributed amongst several European countries.
Until now we haven't really seen that. Until now, the famous Dublin rule had decided the fact that when migrants land, that is where they then seek
asylum, hence the burden that (inaudible) so many years. Now it has this much more hard line government in place, this much more hard line interior
minister, who essentially is calling the shots on what's going to happen.
We spoke to him a little while ago about the facts that he was essentially the man of the day who seemed to be wielding the power here in Europe.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTEO SALVINI, ITALIAN INTERIOR MINISTER (through translator): We have to understand what we mean by populist. It's used as an insult, but for me it
is a compliment. People want identity, security and jobs. There's a beautiful reaction against the dictatorship of finance that wants an
immigration out of control.
BELL (voice-over): That's how Matteo Salvini explains his rise to power, power that his far-right anti-immigrant League Party now shares with the
populist Five Star Movement. On the campaign trail, Italy's new interior minister used hardline rhetoric to fire up voters. Now some fear it could
lead to a return to some of the darkest days of Italian history.
SALVINI (through translator): My problem is to enforce the law everywhere even in that Roma camp in Turin that the (inaudible) have checked in the
last hours finding every kind of illegality.
[15:15:05] We are talking of 40,000 people living in Roma camps are a problem with an easy solution who is entitled to be in Italy stays in
Italy.
BELL: Which is why the interior minister has closed Italy's ports to NGO ships carrying migrants. His aim to force the rest of Europe to make the
migrant crisis its own rather than leaving it on Italy's doorstep.
By getting tough, Salvini believes that Italy is finally calling the shots, not only on immigration but also on the future of Europe itself.
SALVINI (through translator): With nice words, we never obtained anything. In this month of government with our actions we managed to be listened to.
The Spanish intervened. Malta must intervene and so do the French, the German, the Dutch. Then it's clear that we need a different kind of
politics.
We need to revisit the Dublin rules. We need to invest in Africa, but I think we obtained more in this month than in the previous six years of
chatter.
BELL (on camera): Europe as Emmanuel Macron has said represents values as well, values you don't share with presidents like Emanuel Macron. How is
that going to play out in the future? It's very difficult to see how the whole project with survive the kind of challenge that you're presenting it
with.
SALVINI (through translator): There are people who speak of values but don't put them into practice. We propose to include in our Constitution
our Judeo-Christian roots because we have a history. We have an identity, language, culture, tradition.
So, people like Macron who talk about values and then don't recognize these values cannot give lessons to anyone, certainly not to Italy.
BELL (voice-over): It is a message that Italy will be taking to the E.U. summit this week, that it is not the populists that need to change, but
rather time that Europe listened to the populists.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BELL: What is so interesting about what happened to the Aquarius and Lifeline essentially, Hala, is that Matteo Salvini has won. He has won
perhaps not the argument within the European Union for the time being, but at least in terms of what is happening to these migrants as they arrived in
Europe.
He has changed the dialogue, he has changed debate. He hopes that will continue. There is this huge parallel between what has been happening in
the United States and what is now happening in Europe.
GORANI: Right. Anti-immigration politicians are doing well, no doubt about that. Thanks very much. Melissa Bell is in Rome.
Still to come tonight, President Trump and Vladimir Putin are making plans for their next face to face. We'll take a look at where it might happen
and what will be on the agenda.
And it has been a World Cup full of surprises. Earlier we saw the biggest shock of all. Germany out.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Constructive solutions, that is the stated goal according to the United States of next month's meeting between President Donald Trump and
Russian President Vladimir Putin.
[15:20:04] Now, they've met before. The kremlin says they'll meet after the NATO summit on July 11th and 12th. National Security Advisor John
Bolton says Russia's meddling in the 2016 election will likely come up in the talks.
So, what else can we expect the two leaders to talk about? It will be about optics. There were reports potentially that Donald Trump was
thinking of meeting Vladimir Putin before meeting his NATO allies in Brussels.
It appears though that that will happen after the summit and after his visit to London on Friday, July 13th.
Let's bring in Matthew Chance following all of this from Moscow. What more are you learning and what are you hearing from John Bolton as well?
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: John Bolton has been giving a press conference over the course of the past couple of hours
in Moscow, speaking to journalists about the content of the discussions he's been having today with Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister,
and more importantly with Vladimir Putin, the Russian president.
Setting the scene and doing the ground work for that important summit that has now been agreed between President Putin of Russia and President Trump.
We don't know when it's going to take place yet.
Although as you mentioned the kremlin told me it will take place after the NATO summit which ends in Brussels on July 12th and we don't know where
exactly it's going to take place. Although we're told by the kremlin it will be in a third country.
So, it won't be either in the United States or here in Russia. In terms of what John Bolton had to say earlier, I had the opportunity to ask him why
this was the time the United States president was offering a summit to Vladimir Putin, who has done nothing to change the behavior for which
Russia has been sanctioned for by both the United States and other European allies. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN BOLTON, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: The fact is that it's important for the leaders of these countries to meet. There are a wide
range of issues despite the differences between us where both President Trump and President Putin think they may be able to find constructive
solutions. I'd like to hear someone say that's a bad idea.
CHANCE: You said that a national security policy based on regimes like Russia is doomed to failure. Have you changed your mind?
BOLTON: I'd spend a lot of time recapitulating my past remarks if all of the hundreds of thousands of words that I've written and spoken over the
years were read back to me. I always appreciate hearing them, don't get me wrong. That's not my job.
I think he's going to raise the full range of issue between the two countries, absolutely.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHANCE: John Bolton there doing his best to avoid the questions I was asking him. But he did say there's going to be a full range of issues
being discussed, but he wouldn't be drawn on the specifics of whether or not President Trump is going to hold Vladimir Putin to account for that
various malign activities and characterize the United States that has elicited these sanctions against Russia -- Hala.
GORANI: It's convenient to say I've said thousands of things, that's just one of them and not taking responsibility for that. So, the question is
Crimea, right? Will that be brought up?
CHANCE: Well, I mean, he was asked directly during this press conference by another journalist about whether he was or whether President Trump was
considering recognizing the annexation of Crimea which is a part of Ukraine by Russia in 2014.
He said that was not U.S. policy. He was very careful, diplomatic even during this meeting with Russian journalists and foreign journalists in
Russia not to stray too far from mainstream U.S. stated policy. So perhaps that's a sign of what we're going to see in the future from him too. Less
of the rhetoric, more of the diplomacy.
GORANI: All right. Matthew Chance, thank you very much live in Moscow.
To Thailand where time itself is becoming a life or a death matter for 12 boys and their football coach because they are trapped in a flooded cave.
The U.S. is sending experts with specialist equipment to help with rescue efforts.
Anna Coren has more on the agonizing wait that the families are facing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA COREN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The agonizing sound of heartbroken mothers who don't know if their sons will ever return
home. They have been waiting since Saturday in the mountains in Northern Thailand for any news after their 12 boys, all members of the local academy
football club, ventured into the cave with their 25-year-old coach after football training.
[15:25:02] Their bikes, backpacks and soccer kits were found at the cave's entrance, setting off alarm bells for parents and authorities. The monsoon
season has just begun. Thai officials believe heavy rain caused flash flooding inside the cave after the team entered the 10-millimeter long
complex which includes as many as 40 chambers and narrow passage ways.
A massive search effort has been mobilized involving the Army, Navy and volunteers with up to 1,000 personnel enduring challenging weather
conditions and mountainous terrain to locate the football team.
The most difficult mission, to navigate the caves filled with endless amounts of muddy water. Large pumps are being used to drain the flood
waters. Divers working in shifts around the clock are restricted by their oxygen tanks, which only last three hours.
An underwater robot has also been brought in. The U.S. and U.K. governments have sent experts with special equipment to assist. We're
trying our best, says the governor. Yesterday we say every minute is valuable. Today half a minute or every ten seconds is valuable.
Aboveground, helicopters and droves with thermal imaging will try to detect any heat inside the caves. While trekking teams are battling mother nature
making their way through the persistent rain, mud and thick jungle searches for air holes and access points on the roof of the cave.
Despite the odds of the young football team and their coach surviving this horrendous ordeal, this man believes his son will be found alive. I'm so
confident, I'm 1 million percent, he says with such conviction. My son is strong. He's an athlete and will survive.
The interior minister is also confident this nightmare that has captured the hearts and prayers of a nation won't end in tragedy. We believe
they're still alive, as they have food, he says.
They're also sporty guys and have visited this cave several times so they know the cave well. To these parents, they're not leaving anything to
chance. This ritual and offering of food and flowers is for the guardian spirits to guide their sons out of the cave. Come to your mama, come to
your papa, they chant, words they hope they can soon say as they welcome their children home. Anna Coren, CNN, Hongkong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Still to come tonight, as hundreds of migrants disembark in Malta, I'll ask the country's foreign minister how Europe can answer the urgent
question of migration. We have a live interview.
Plus, more on today's breaking news, the announced resignation of Justice Anthony Kennedy from the Supreme Court of the United States. We'll be
right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:30:31] HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Well, if there's one issue that is causing major divisions in the E.U., it is the issue of migration.
It's dominating Europe this hour once again. E.U. leaders are preparing for another key summit on Thursday. We've had so many of those, quote,
"key summits." Malta has just taken in more than 230 people. They had been stranded, literally, stranded floating around the Mediterranean Sea on
a boat called the Lifeline for days and will now be distributed evenly among seven European countries.
Let's get straight to one of the key players Carmelo Abela is Malta's foreign minister. He joins me from Valletta. And now, foreign minister,
you're on the frontlines, you and Italy, right? And Italy with its new hardline anti-immigration government is saying no more. You've agreed to
allow boats to dock, but you want Europe to guarantee that the migrants will be distributed. What's going to happen in the future now? Because
there will be more boats.
CARMELO ABELA, FOREIGN MINISTER OF MALTA: Well, greetings. First and foremost, we have been saying this for a number of years since we were
front liners since, let's say the beginning of migration from northern Africa and towards the central Mediterranean and then to Europe. So we
have always been insisting that this is a European issue. It has to be managed by all E.U. member states. Basically, we are saying nothing new
today. Just we're repeating what we've been saying.
GORANI: You're saying nothing new, but it's a new situation, because Italy has a different government, you have Angela Merkel, whose own coalition
partners are saying no more. There is no appetite left in most of the E.U. to take in large numbers of migrants. So, how will that change? Because
there's no agreement within the E.U. yet.
ABELA: Yes. Well, we know that we have been struggling for some kind of agreement within the E.U. for a number of years. Previously, I was
interior minister so I had participated in a number of discussions about migration and how to be intern in the E.U. on this issue. So, yes, we know
that there are divisions, but we'll have to make the work. Otherwise, in some way or another, we need to get some kind of agreements. In the recent
years, as you mentioned we have had declarations. We're moving forward on the issue of migration. What we need to do is implement what we have
decided in previous meetings.
GORANI: But then you still have countries like Hungary and others saying, we don't even want to -- they don't go to meetings even because they want
zero migrants.
The last question I have for you is, can Europe let these boats float on the surface of the water for a week going forward? It's a humanitarian
issue here as well. I mean, there has to be a quicker decision than the number of days it's taken in the last two instances, right? How do you
avoid that?
ABELA: Well, the issue of immigration is very complex. I mean, we have people also dying in the Sahara Desert. So, if you have migrants coming
from Sub-Saharan countries, they are risking their lives, first and foremost, in the Sub-Sahara Sahara Desert. And then if they make it
through that, they are risking their lives also in the Mediterranean Sea. However, we have to say that in recent years, we saw reduction, a decline
in migrants trying to cross towards Europe.
GORANI: Right. But respectfully that's not my question. My question is about the boats. The boats that reach territorial waters of Italy, Malta
and other E.U. countries, can they just be allowed to float like this for days?
ABELA: I started from the Sahara Desert because it's always a place -- it's also a place where migrants are dying and that's --
GORANI: And that's tragic but that's not where you have authority or control over their fates, whereas in the waters European countries do.
ABELA: Yes. But we are saying also as E.U. member states that we need to invest in third countries so there will be even less people leaving from
their countries of origin. Of course, it is a humanitarian issue. First and foremost, it's also political. It's also humanitarian. We are talking
about people here. We are talking also about criminal activity going on where you have the human traffickers, the smugglers that are making a lot
of money out of the desperation of these migrants. Some are leaving because they are economic migrants, others are leaving because they are
being threatened by the situation in their country. So we need to work on a multifaceted situation here to prevent leaving, but also to invest in
these countries of origin, have stable governments and of course safe people, whether they are at sea or crossing the Sahara Desert. Of course,
I think that it's important that we have missions at sea and that is why it is a European issue. We have operations by the European Union as well at
sea with the intent to save lives at sea. Basically, it's our duty to save people and we have been doing this for many years and will continue to do
so.
[15:35:10] Regarding this particular case, however, we have to make also an investigation on the fact that it seems that the captain also discarded
what he was being told by the MRRC in Rome and that is an issue that we'll have to investigate as well.
GORANI: All right. We really appreciate your time. Malta has really been on the front lines of this crisis now for many years. The Maltese foreign
minister Carmelo Abela. We really appreciate your time on the program this evening. Thank you very much.
Well, more now on our breaking news out of Washington, the resignation of Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, a huge, huge development in the
United States because the search is now on for a replacement and the Senate majority leader said the confirmation vote will take place in the autumn.
Now, the Senate's top Democrat spoke just moments ago. This is important also because this means President Trump will have the opportunity to
nominate yet another Supreme Court justice, one, that could possibly be more conservative than Justice Anthony Kennedy. But listen to what the
Senate minority leader of the Democratic Party Chuck Schumer had to say on the Senate floor minutes ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: The Senate should reject on a bipartisan basis any justice who would overturn Roe v. Wade or undermine key
healthcare protections. The Senate should reject anyone who will instinctively side with powerful special interests over the interests of
average Americans. Our Republican colleagues in the Senate should follow the rule they set in 2016 not to consider a Supreme Court justice in an
election year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: And that was Chuck Schumer. Chuck Schumer obviously wants the Senate to do certain things, but Chuck Schumer is a Democrat and
Republicans control the Senate. So the battle lines are being drawn.
Let's bring in Tal Kopan in the U.S. capitol. The president said -- when he was meeting Portuguese president today in the Oval Office, that there is
a list that he issued during the campaign from which he would most likely pick a name to put forward as the nominee to replace Justice Kennedy.
TAL KOPAN, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: Yes, that's right. You know, Hala, the reason that this is such a sort of consequential retirement that's
happening today is Anthony Kennedy was really considered the swing vote on the Supreme Court which has nine justices. The most controversial opinions
tend to be five-four. So whichever side of the court, the sort of four liberals or the four slightly more conservatives can convince Kennedy to
side with them ultimately prevails on those razor thin decisions. Kennedy had really, even though, he was a Republican appointee had really been
consequential on decisions including gay rights in this country, abortion. And so now you have this list of potential replacements that the president
is considering. They're widely considered to be far more conservative than Anthony Kennedy. As you point out, Republicans control the Senate. If
they want to move this nomination, they only have a razor thin majority but they have enough to do it if they hold the line and deliver the president,
his preferred Supreme Court candidate. So this could be a momentous shift in the court.
GORANI: But they also have the Republican majority in the Senate, also have two senators. John McCain is ill, but they have two senators, Jeff
Flake and Bob Corker who are outspoken Trump critics. So it's not a given that the Trump administration can just put forward any name they want and
be sure of confirmation, right? Or am I wrong here? Will they vote along with their Republican colleagues regardless?
[15:40:07] KOPAN: It's very that there are -- and it's beyond just Flake and Corker. Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski are some moderate Republicans
who are very careful on certain issues including women's rights and contraceptive and abortion and those kinds of things. So there's no
guarantee that this will pass, but it certainly puts Republicans and the Democrats who are up for a vote in red states in a very precarious position
politically. Because unless a justice is so sort of clearly out of step with mainstream, it's very difficult to make a case against a judicial
nominee that seems to sort of rule within the boundaries even if they tend to lean more conservatively. If they come across as a fair jurists, if
they have a strong pedigree, if they don't screw up majorly in their confirmation hearing, it's hard to make a case for voting against that
judicial nominee. So it's tricky. It's not a guarantee but it's tricky.
GORANI: Ariane De Vogue is our Supreme Court reporter. Why didn't Anthony Kennedy wait until after the midterms to retire?
ARIANE DE VOGUE, CNN SUPREME COURT REPORTER: Well, I think that probably the answer is he's 81 years old. He wanted to retire now, spend time with
his grandchildren. The midterms would be getting close to the politics and the court likes to try to stay as far away from as that as possible. So he
chose the last day of the term. He surprised a lot of people. There hadn't been a lot of rumors. Last year, we heard a lot that he might
retire. This year, we didn't hear a lot. So it was a bit of a surprise. He said that it wasn't effective until the end of July. And that's
important because that's a hint that he wants some hearings sooner rather than later, because the court does not like to be shorthanded.
GORANI: Ariane De Vogue, thanks very much.
Tal Kopan, back to you. This is yet again another major opportunity for the administration there to put its stamp for potentially generations to
come on the highest court in the U.S.
KOPAN: That's absolutely right, Hala. These decisions last a very longtime. It takes a while for cases to work their way up through the
courts and make it to the Supreme Court and the system. But these decisions thus carry a tremendous amount of importance. And so when you
reshape the court -- and you know, to date President Trump has already made a priority of really focusing on judicial nominees at the lower courts and
has set a clear pattern that he's picking younger judges to try to get as much of a career out of these lifetime appointments. So it's not out of
bounds to assume that this appointee to the Supreme Court will also be relatively young, could be on the bench for years to come. The older
justices are already on the liberal side of the fence in many cases. They're maybe even more than that. It's potentially a decision that could
shape the country's politics well beyond the end of even President Trump's tenure, regardless of whether it's four or eight years.
GORANI: On big issues like abortion, like the death penalty, like gun control, all sorts of very important issues for the United States going
forward with a, in this case, could be a heavily conservative leaning Supreme Court.
Tal Kopan, thanks so much.
A lot more to come after a quick break on the program. Prince William is bringing a message of hope to the Palestinian people. We are live in the
West Bank, ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:45:50] GORANI: You've not been forgotten. Britain's Prince William delivered that message in person today to the Palestinian people. He met
with the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas and called his visit to the West Bank very powerful. Max foster is following developments tonight. He
is in -- are you in Jerusalem or Ramallah tonight? I thought I saw you earlier in Ramallah.
MAX FOSTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm on the Mount of Olives.
GORANI: Oh, you're on the Mount of Olives.
FOSTER: I was. But we're getting out there today.
GORANI: Right. Talk to us about this for the Prince's visit -- I don't have to tell you this, but the British royal family is meant to be seen as
nonpolitical. And if there's a political conflict in the world that is almost impossible to not take a side on, it would be the
Israeli/Palestinian issue. So how's the visit going?
FOSTER: He was meeting very senior politicians. I think frankly they were using the platform that Prince William was bringing to put their own
messages out there. Tomorrow, it will be all about the Old City behind me. He'll come up here to the Mount of Olives to take it all in. There's some
other engagements later on. So he could find out more about the Old City and the history there. But today, as you say, was all about the West Bank
and he was quite affected by what he saw there. The most important thing for him was not to be the sort of VIP that just pops in and pops out again.
He wanted to spend time there, eat the food, meet the people.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Prior to his arrival, Prince William was asked by the Israeli president, Reuven Rivlin to pass on a message of peace to his Palestinian
counterpart, Mahmoud Abbas, adding tell him it's about time. U.K. royals have a duty to stay above politics at all times. Let alone on such a high
profile and historic visit.
Inside, Abbas used the opportunity to make his own case.
MAHMOUD ABBAS, PRESIDENT OF PALESTINE (through translator): We're serious about reaching peace with Israel where two countries live side by side with
security and stability on the borders of June 4th.
FOSTER: William chose his words carefully.
PRINCE WILLIAM, ROYAL KNIGHT OF THE GARTER: My sentiments are the same as yours in hoping that there is a lasting peace in the region.
FOSTER: Abbas also brought up UNRRA, the U.N agency responsible for schools in Palestinian refugee camps. The organization is facing a
financial crisis after the Trump administration slashed funding. According to one U.N. official, UNRRA might not have enough money to reopen the
schools in august after the summer break. Meaning this one visited by William might have to close. 15-year-old, Raja (ph) was one of the school
council members who met him.
RAJA, SCHOOL COUNCIL MEMBER (through translator): It's to raise awareness about people living under occupation still and maybe apply a bit of
pressure on the Israelis to make our lives easier.
FOSTER: William's decision to highlight the work of an UNRRA school was very much welcomed by the organization. His presence a clear show of
support for the work that's done here.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: On Thursday, Prince William will stand here on the Mount of Olives and take in the view of the Old City of Jerusalem, home to some of the most
sacred sites in Christianity and Judaism and in Islam. Then there's some unannounced visits so far where he'll pay respect to those religions and
their history.
So very, very tough missions for him, but this is his future. He's going to have to walk these tight political -- these tight ropes in terms of
politics. Also substantive here. He's managed to do it as best as he could, Hala, but there's still a big test tomorrow. I think going into the
future, if he can get through this and not be seem to be taken any sides and be welcomed in all the places he goes, then he'll set himself up for a
good meeting with the queen when he gets back, who of course, have to say about politics all the time and he's representing out here in many ways.
GORANI: All right. Max Foster, thanks very much.
All right. To U.S. politics now and it seemed like a David versus Goliath battle. A young woman who had never run for political office taking on one
of the most powerful congressmen in the Democratic Party establishment. Who had outspent her, by the way, 10 to one. But against all odds,
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez pulled off a massive upset in a New York primary election, shocking everyone, including it appears herself.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[15:50:18] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm going to grab her. She's right here. I can't let you go. She's looking at herself on television right now. How
are you feeling? Can you put it into words?
ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ, DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE FOR NEW YORK'S 14TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT: No, I cannot put this into words.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: So Ocasio-Cortez says she won because she reached out to her community, knocking on doors and touching the hands of people. So it was a
grassroots effort who have long felt invisible and ignored. This is important too because the Democratic Party is trying to find its identify
before the midterm elections. Could it be closer to the Bernie Sanders wing or closer to the establishment? Cortez stressed the same themes in
her campaign ads.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CORTEZ: This race is about people versus money. We've got people. They've got money. It's time we acknowledge that not all Democrats are the
same, that a Democrat who takes corporate money, profits on foreclosure, doesn't live here, doesn't send his kids to our schools, doesn't drink our
water or breathe our air cannot possibly represent us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Well, her defeat of a 10-term deeply entrenched congressman in his 50s is leaving many wondering what it means for the Democratic Party at
large and whether this more progressive wing -- some of her campaign promises like Medicare or promising to fight for certain things, Medicare
for all, abolishing the immigration authority, ICE among other things, that this perhaps could be the themes that would work -- that would serve to
energize some of the Democratic voters.
We're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back with a lot more. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: 2018 looks like it's going to be a record year for visitors to Mt. Everest. CNN followed two British adventurers on a dramatic expedition.
You can follow their story on a three-part documentary "The Challenge: Everest" exclusively on CNN. Now, the team had to negotiate fierce storms
on their way to the summit. And that wasn't the end of the drama. Here's a preview.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My mask is blown. OK. Ben takes two cylinders. I take three cylinders and Mimu goes back to South Col.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He still gets summit bonus.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. What do you suggest?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Huh?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's your plan?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: It's in three parts. Everest starts on Saturday June 30th at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time.
It's been a day of massive drama at the World Cup and that's how we're ending the hour, with Germany, yes Germany, out. They needed a result
against South Korea but it went horribly wrong for them. The Koreans got two goals in the final minutes. Remember, four years ago? Well, Germany
won the entire cup. It means these two teams Sweden and Mexico will go through. Another of the tournament favorites is in action. Brazil took on
Serbia winning two-zero, so they're in the quarterfinals. And the other game is Switzerland plays Costa Rica, the core two-two. Costa Rica scored
a late penalty. Let's take you live to Moscow where our senior international correspondent and devastated Germany fan, Fred Pleitgen joins
me now live. Did you feel like they had that oomph in them, the Germans?
[15:55:24] FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: First of all, Hala, I need to inform you that I did get a video of the London
newsroom where I think you guys were sitting today cheering on, currently the other team.
GORANI: I know. I wasn't. I wasn't. My husband's German. My husband's German, who you know. I was kind of more neutral. But then toward the
end, I thought well just for the sake of my spouse I'm cheering on Germany.
PLEITGEN: That's good. That's good. It didn't help, unfortunately. I think you're absolutely right. I think that there wasn't enough fight in
the team during the tournament and certainly not today. And that's certainly something that's the coach, Joachim Low whose future is very much
in doubt at this point. He still has a contract for the German to 2022. He says he wants to think about whether he wants to continue. Certainly,
he is under a lot of pressure right now with a lot of people already calling for him to resign. And then a lot of the Germany players came out
and said look, we didn't deserve to advance in this tournament. We deserve to lose this game, because the team certainly is very much down. But I
think that there is going to be wider soul-searching about what exactly went wrong in this tournament and probably there's more than just a team
itself.
Certainly, there were some people who criticized the way that the Germany team was put together. Some of the players that were taken, some of the
ones that were not taken. There was criticism also of the strategy about whether or not a strategy that really worked in Brazil still works now.
But I think also quite frankly, Hala, and I hate to say this, the fan base also needs to ask itself some questions as well. I wonder if we, includes
myself, a lot of other Germans have just become too accustomed to this team winning all the time and are not patient enough when things are going
difficult. I was at one or two friendly matches that the Germans did. I can tell you that the atmosphere there in the stands really wasn't what it
used to be in the past, Hala.
GORANI: Yes, absolutely. You can't get used to winning too much in sport or in politics, in fact, for that matter or in any area of life.
Otherwise, you'd become complacent. Maybe that's happened with the Germany team.
Thanks very much, Fred Pleitgen, yes, live in Moscow.
Thanks for watching tonight. I'm Hala Gorani. We'll have a lot more, of course, on our breaking news with Justice Anthony Kennedy of the Supreme
Court in the United States announcing his retirement. "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" is up next.
END
END
