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U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez Likened AR-15 Rifle To Swiss Army Knife; Rise In Ransomware Attacks Targeting Critical Public Needs, Cyber Criminals Targeting Vital Infrastructure & Businesses; Trump Tries To Rewrite History With Big Speech In North Carolina; Tourist Towns Struggle To Find Enough Workers After Pandemic; CNN's Jake Tapper With His New Novel. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired June 05, 2021 - 19:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[19:00:00]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: A judge in California likened an AR-15 to Swiss Army knife as he overturns the state's three-year ban on assault weapons. Governor Gavin Newsom calls the decision a slap in the face.

Also, tonight, Georgia's Republican Governor Brian Kemp gets booed as anger boils over at his own party's convention.

And Gaslighting America, Trump tries to rewrite history again as his big lie roadshow rolls into North Carolina.

I'm Pamela Brown in Washington. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. So much news going on tonight. And we begin this hour with the rewriting of history in the battle over gun control. A federal judge in California is throwing out the nation's first ever ban on assault weapons, more than 30 years after it went on the books in that state.

And he's offering an astonishing comparison to make his point. That law came after the mass shooting of dozens of kids in the playground at Cleveland Elementary School in Northern California. The gunman used an AK-47 semi-automatic rifle to murder five children and wound 29 more and the teacher before killing himself.

In a moment, I'll be joined by the family of someone who died in another California mass shooting. That one involved AR-15 rifles. But first CNN's Polo Sandoval on the decision and the judge's history with firearms rulings.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): California's ban on certain semi-automatic rifles has weathered decades of opposition until now. San Diego U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez ruled to overturn it, passed in 1989 on the heels of an elementary school shooting in Stockton, California that left five children dead.

The law was touted as California's first assault weapons act. It establish what an assault weapon is and made them illegal to buy or possess in California. This week, Judge Benitez ruled that ban was unconstitutional and deprived law abiding Californians of weapons allowed in other states - weapons he compared to Swiss Army knives.

BRANDON WOLF, PULSE NIGHTCLUB SHOOTING SURVIVOR: If a Swiss Army knife had been used at Pulse, we would have had a birthday party for my best friend last week, not a vigil. The weapons we are talking about don't come with a nail file and a corkscrew just in case you get lost in the woods with a bottle of wine.

SANDOVAL (voice-over): In his ruling Judge Benitez wrote, "Firearms deemed as assault weapons' are fairly ordinary, popular modern rifles." Benitez's decision is being celebrated by pro-gun groups. One suing the State of California in this case said that it was quote, "Delighted with the outcome." But those calling for stricter gun laws are outraged.

KRIS BROWN, PRESIDENT, BRADY MOVEMENT: Frankly, the wording in that ruling sounds like it's taken directly from an e-mail or a memo written by the National Rifle Association.

SANDOVAL (voice-over): First nominated by President George W. Bush in 2003, Judge Benitez has a history of butting heads with the State of California and its efforts for stricter gun laws. In 2017, he issued an initial injunction blocking the state's high capacity magazine ban. Eventually, a Federal Appeals Court upheld his ruling, declaring the ban unconstitutional.

And last year Benitez blocked a law requiring background checks for ammo purchases, calling the law defective and a burden on the Second Amendment, in his opinion, granting a preliminary injunction. The state says it is appealing the latest ruling.

Among the families of those lost to mass shootings there is a sense of fear that what happened to their loved ones could happen again.

FRED GUTTENBERG, DAUGHTER KILLED IN PARKLAND SHOOTING: I'm upset for the loss of my daughter and for all the other victims. But I am fearful, because I know there's someone out there right now who go out and buy an AR-15 because of this judge and use it.

RICHARD MARTINEZ, SON KILLED IN MASS SHOOTING: This ruling, if it were to stand, would make our country a more dangerous place. Assault weapons - assault style weapons make our country more dangerous.

SANDOVAL (voice-over): Polo Sandoval, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

BROWN: And joining us now is Tina Meins, her father Damian was shot and killed by one of his coworkers in the mass shooting at a public health office in San Bernardino, California five and a half years ago. The attackers, a husband and wife, used AR-15 style semiotic rappels - rifles. They reportedly bought those rifles legally and then modified them to make them sell. And all 14 victims died in the deadliest terror attack on American soil since 9/11.

Tina, thank you for being here with us and my sympathies on the loss of your father. I just - I can't imagine what it has been like for you losing your father, even though it's been several years. We also want to note, you're on the staff at every town for gun safety, which advocates for tougher gun laws. But from both of those perspectives, losing your dad, being on the front lines to encourage gun control, what is this impact of this ruling for you?

[19:05:00]

TINA MEINS, FATHER KILLED IN 2015 SAN BERNARDINO MASS SHOOTING: Thank you so much for having me. I really appreciate you taking the time to talk about this. I feel deeply disappointed by this ruling. He likened him in his ruling the popular AR-15 rifle to a Swiss Army knife, which is a false equivalence and an insult to common sense.

I'm certain that every person that's lost a loved one to gun violence, or has been threatened or wounded by a gun, immediately recoiled. It's such an obtuse comparison. So laws prohibiting assault weapons are constitutional under the Second Amendment. And California's law, in particular, is constitutional.

And the fact that all of this occurred yesterday, which was National Gun Violence Awareness Day, makes - and during Wear Orange, which is something that we use to call attention to gun violence in America, and to honor those that we've lost or that have been forever changed by gun violence, kind of made it sting all the more. It's just - it really is disappointing.

BROWN: It's evoking a strong reaction from people on both sides of this debate. You have the NRA coming out tonight, saying about this ruling. They call it a "well-reasoned and principled, and that it demonstrates the importance of appointing judges who accurately apply the original meaning of our Constitution."

If you were able to speak to a judge in the appeals circuit or a Supreme Court Justice, what would you say about the importance of the law there in California?

MEINS: I would say that all you have to do is look at research to see what works and what doesn't. I think that people that claim to constitutional originalism - I don't agree with that interpretation. I think that there are things in place that never existed when the Framers of the Constitution created it.

And I think it's misguided to state that everything has to be viewed through that lens at all times, because it doesn't allow for modern advancements in technology, in society, or anything. So I think what should be done is to look at evidence based policy, evidence based research to make common sense gun legislation in general.

BROWN: How do you answer to critics, Tina, of this law, who know that attacks like the one that claimed your father, still happened in California despite the assault weapons ban?

MEINS: So the guns that were used to kill my father Damian Meins and 13 of his coworkers on December 2, 2015, they were purchased - there were straw purchased actually. And, yes, I think a lot of people would like to say, well, this wouldn't have - this wouldn't have saved your dad.

Well, my dad is gone. He is not coming back. But I know certainly that other people don't have to lose their loved ones the way that I did. There's no reason for it. I think that we just need, instead of constantly getting sidelined by these false arguments that are designed only to throw people off, I think we should look at what works.

We have higher rates of gun violence in our country than anywhere else in the world. We have 100 people a day that are killed because of a gunshot or that die because of a gunshot. We have over 200 people a day that are wounded. And we have lost billions of dollars in the economy because of the consequences of this.

So we know that people are changed, families are changed forever. We know that communities are traumatized. Why don't we look at what we can do to help people so that other people don't experience this pain instead of quibbling and arguing about certain things? Why don't we just get to work and make some changes?

BROWN: And you make an important point there, Tina, because it's not just about the victims, those who are killed or injured, it's about their loved ones, their family members, like you.

MEINS: Exactly. People, their lives completely changed. I don't want - I speak out about this, because I want gun violence to stop - period - full stop. I don't want another single person to have to experience it. There isn't anything glamorous about it.

People don't bounce back from gunshots in 60 seconds, like at the end of a television show. It's devastatingly painful. It changes people's lives. It - people have it before this event and an after this event, and it's only because so many gun violence survivors are so resilient, that they're able to rise above it and get through it.

There's - no one should have to feel this kind of pain. My father was a good man and my family and his friends and our entire community suffered because he was killed.

BROWN: I remember as a reporter, I was out there covering that shooting and it's just horrific. Tina Meins, thank you for coming on the show and sharing your perspective on this.

MEINS: Thank you so much. I appreciate your time.

[19:10:00]

BROWN: Thank you so much, Tina. And now I want to bring in CNN Military Analyst and retired Army Lieutenant General Mark Hertling. General, thank you for coming on. You've heard - you've used these kinds of weapons in the military, they're called M-16. What are your thoughts on the judge's ruling today?

LT. GEN. MARK HERTLING (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, Pamela, as you just said, that judgment by Judge Benitez certainly generated a lot of emotions on both sides. What - and I'll repeat what Tina just said, that judge's comparison to these weapons being like a Swiss Army knife was unfortunate and even a little bit insulting.

But I think his point was that there are over 400 variants of the AR- 15, produced by a variety of countries - companies rather, that all have different capabilities, and the so-called moniker of assault weapon is tough to define, and even tougher to lump into just one category, and that's true.

But gun advocates will say these kinds of weapons are just the modern hunting rifle, which is a message the NRA started using in the late 1990s, and which generated the sale of over 10 million of these kinds of weapons, and we ought to go deeper than that.

The judge stated that long guns like AR-15s are involved in a very small percentage of murders in the United States. That's true. But, unfortunately, they're involved in the majority of mass killings. You and I met, I think, for the first time during the Pulse shooting, and we saw the damage that an AR-15 weapon would do in an audience.

They are used in mass - in these kinds of mass shootings because of a variety of reasons. They're easy to use with very little training. They have folding stocks and short muzzle, so they're easy to hide when targeting people in places like schools, nightclubs, malls, theaters, churches.

They inflict massive casualties over a short period of time, because of their rate of fire, the number of rounds that are in the so called standard magazine, and the muzzle velocity of the bullet. And they inflict intensive damage on human tissue, as the CDC has noted.

And we even have one of our medical analysts, Dr. Megan Ranney is leading a group called AFFIRM Research which shows as an emergency room doctor what she sees in terms of the damage these weapons can impart. There are--

BROWN: Let me just jump in here, so I can get to what else the judge wrote on this topic, the kind of damage it can inflict compared to other weapons. This judge said, "This case is not about extraordinary weapons lying at the outer limits of Second Amendment protection. The banned assault weapons are not bazookas or machine guns or howitzers. Those arms are dangerous and solely useful for military purposes."

As someone who served in the military, has that background, is that a fair analogy?

HERTLING: It's not. I don't think it is. I'm a Second Amendment advocate and I possess a weapon. But I do see the need for AR-15 type of weapons modeled after the kind that the military uses. They need to have significant modifications and limitations and I think that's the fault in what the judge's ruling showed today.

Folks like me, a lot of police departments and people like Dr. Ranney seem to say the same thing, because they see the damage that these kinds of weapons do.

BROWN: And we didn't even get to how much training you had in the military before you used a weapon like this. That's a whole another component of this conversation. Retired Lieutenant General Mark Hertling, thank you for coming on.

HERTLING: You're welcome, Pam. Thank you.

BROWN: And still to come tonight, Donald Trump tries to rewrite history as his big lie roadshow arrives in North Carolina. And then I ask a former QAnon believer how he got sucked down the rabbit hole and how he got out.

And we're going to help Jake Tapper sell a few more copies of his book. He tells me how he managed to fool his own lawyers.

But, first, we have - got a lightning round with former Trump National Security Adviser John Bolton. I want to know what he thinks President Biden's strategy should be for his meeting this month with Vladimir Putin, especially after the U.S. has been hit repeatedly by hackers believed to be based in Russia. John Bolton joins us next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:15:00]

BROWN: First it was gas stations then the meat aisle, what if the power grid is next? America is facing an escalating battle in cyberspace. The Justice Department is even comparing today's cyber threat to terrorism.

Yesterday, I sat down for an exclusive interview with the U.S. Senate Sergeant at Arms Karen Gibson. She is the Chief Law Enforcement Officer in the Senate. And she told me, the cyber threat is what keeps her up at night, not another capital insurrection.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAREN GIBSON, SENATE SERGEANT AT ARMS: I worry a lot more about cybersecurity than I do about another mob attacking the Capitol. Certainly, our networks are - have attempted intrusions every single day. And so cybersecurity for me is much greater concern than the prospect of 1000s of people storming the West Terrace.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: And you can catch more of our exclusive interview tomorrow starting at 6:00 p.m. Eastern. We also talked about the role political rhetoric plays in the current threat landscape.

Now, I want to turn to someone who was once in charge of facing down the cyber threats. Joining me now is former Trump National Security Adviser John Bolton. He is the author of "The Room Where It Happened."

Ambassador Bolton, thank you for coming on the show. What do you make of this recent spate of cyber-attacks?

JOHN BOLTON, FORMER NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER TO PRESIDENT TRUMP: Well, I think this is something we're going to have to get used to happening well into the future. We have benefited as a society enormously in terms of productivity increases, convenience, a whole range of things, because of information technology, the use of computers and the Internet.

[19:20:00]

But with that come increased risks. The more reliant you are on this technology, the more vulnerable you can be to people who want to do you harm. And, therefore, you have to take into account how to protect yourself against it as part of the cost of doing business.

From the government's perspective, I think there's obviously a much larger role. And it depends there on whether we're dealing with state actors or surrogates for states, or criminals. But I think the government itself has to be much more active in combating this.

This is something that I tried to do when I was national security adviser to change the rules for decision making, for offensive cyber operations by the United States against hostile states. I think it had a big impact in the in the 2018 election.

I'm sure there's a lot more that can and should be done there. And I hope the Biden Administration has not reverted to the passivity of the Obama years when it comes to cyberspace. Defense is not enough. You need offense. You need to create structures of deterrence, so that those who would do you harm have to know they will pay a much higher price and they consider and decide not to strike in the first place. That's the way you get relative peace in cyberspace.

BROWN: It's interesting, though, because cyber experts, we've spoken to have said that the U.S. has a very robust offensive apparatus and capability. They boast about the capability. But when it comes to defense, how would you describe it given your experience?

BOLTON: Well, I hope it - I hope it is more robust than when I left and I think it could be a lot more robust. The question is, are we deploying it? In terms of defense, look, a lot of these systems are in the private sector. It's going to take a lot more work to protect them. People think they could get by without taking protection.

But I think it's also important to instill certain principles about how you deal with these cyber threats. And principle number one, when it comes to things like ransomware is, you never pay ransom. It is a huge mistake, because it simply means not - whether there are going to be further ransomware attacks.

You're guaranteeing there will be more ransomware attacks, the only issue is what the price is going to be. If you can't make money in ransomware attacks, people won't use ransomware attacks.

BROWN: And that, of course, is what the FBI recommends. But you already have seen private companies pay the money like in the Colonial Pipeline situation. So how do you force these private companies --?

BOLTON: And it's a huge mistake--

BROWN: --not to pay.

BOLTON: It's a huge mistake. And well, I think you have to consider mechanisms of cooperation with these companies. I understand why they're worried about the consequences of not getting their computers back up on time.

But ask Colonial Pipeline what do they think they'll do the next time they're hit with ransomware and the demand for payment is twice what the first one was? You've got to take the defensive steps to push the threat back. But paying ransom encourages this kind of threat, particularly by sophisticated criminals and state actors.

BROWN: It's interesting, because we found out about the Colonial Pipeline attack, and in large part because of how it impacted the day to day American with getting the gas supply and so forth. This has been going on for a long time, but companies don't want to talk about it, because they don't want to be - they don't want to have a bad reputation, they don't want it to hurt any business or anything like that.

How do you get companies to be more forthcoming, though, when they're hit with the cyber-attack? Or to do more to make sure they're not hit with it in the first place?

BOLTON: Well, I think that the companies themselves should look at it - look at the risk of a cyber-attack is part of the cost of doing business, and put in defensive capabilities, take steps to be safer in their communications and what their systems are open to.

I think the federal government has a significant law enforcement role. I think it needs to be more vigorous. And I think in the case of the group that apparently committed the attack on Colonial Pipeline, which has connections inside Russia, I think you have to go after these groups in ways that that look more like state-to-state action than simply law enforcement.

We have become very dependent on information technology. As I said a moment ago, we've gotten enormous benefit out of it. Now, we have to act like adults and recognize that the dependence makes us vulnerable. Don't look for some magic wand that's going to solve this problem. We're going to have it forever.

And I think the more people address - I don't think it's exclusively a government responsibility - the greater chance creativity will give us more defenses.

[19:25:00]

BROWN: I want to ask you about President Putin, because as far as we know, the information we've had, these recent ransomware attacks have emanated from Russia. He has denying any involvement in the hacks. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIA (via translator): I think that the relevant U.S. services should find out who the scammers are. It's not Russia, for sure. For us to extort money from some company, we are not dealing with some chicken meat or beef. It's just hilarious. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: President Biden will be meeting with Putin in Geneva in just over a week, how do you think he should address the issue?

BOLTON: Well, I think he should tell Putin that just as we oppose Russian attacks on our election system, we oppose these kinds of attacks on our economic system. But more than that, he's got to tell Putin he will face consequences, and those committing the attacks will face consequences if they don't stop.

Putin is a former KGB agent. American politicians are pretty good at lying. I think Putin can put them to shame. He'll deny it, he'll do it with a straight face. He'll tell Biden, it's his responsibility. And so, I think it should convince Biden pretty quickly that talking to the Russians about it isn't going to change anything. You've got to take action. You've got to impose costs on those who impose cost on us, to the point where they decide it's not worth the risk.

BROWN: I want to ask you before we let you go, Former President Trump is telling people around him that he will be reinstated as president by August. What is your response to that? And he's holding this rally in North Carolina tonight, what's your reaction to that?

BOLTON: Well, it's ridiculous. Of course, he's not going to be reinstated in August. He lost the election. People need to face up to this and accept the reality that he was an unpopular candidate and didn't get reelected. This is something that I've taken a poll on this subject.

I think out there in the real world, beyond the Washington bubble of politicians and media out where real people live, Trump support is declining in many significant respects. I think Republican politicians have to get some more backbone. They do not have to fear Donald Trump. His influence is diminishing and will continue to diminish. And I think that'll be borne out over time.

I think the worst thing you can do to Donald Trump is ignore him. And that is a advice I would give to the media as well as elected Republicans.

BROWN: Well, I - really quick before I let you go, you said you took this poll, and that is his influences diminishing. In some ways it is, of course, but in other ways we're seeing it's not diminished. I mean, look how the Republican Party acts, in large part, because they're fearful of what he could do in 2022. He still holds a lot of power in the party.

BOLTON: Well, let's define what we mean by party. If you're talking about real people, real voters, I think the poll that I've taken, and we've taken some others, one of which will be announced fairly soon, I hope, a statewide poll. That show among real voters, his support is diminishing.

I think inside the Washington bubble there are a lot of people who are afraid of Trump, who, if they actually talk to their own constituents, would see they've moved on. Look, people have lives to live. There are new issues up.

They've got to worry about things like the massive inflation that's about to be unleashed on the economy by President Biden spending programs. That's what we ought to be talking about. And not looking in the rearview mirror at Donald Trump.

The lies that he tells are damaging not just to the country, they're particularly damaging to Republicans. And I think we have to understand that, that we will be anathematized by our opponents if we don't make it clear, we think, the kind of things Trump has been saying are simply crazy.

BROWN: And as you know, I just have to mention, Biden has defended his handling of the economy. But former National Security Adviser John Bolton, really interesting discussion. Thank you so much. We look forward to having you back on the show.

BOLTON: Thanks for having me.

BROWN: Well, former President Trump back with a familiar crowd singing the same old tune. I'm going to talk about it with Paul Begala and former Republican Congresswoman Barbara Comstock. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:34:18]

BROWN: Call it a comeback or a former President who simply refuses to accept the truth. Any minute, Donald Trump will speak at the North Carolina Republican Convention where he is expected to drum up a slate of his greatest hits and push the baseless claim the presidential election was somehow stolen from him.

Here to discuss, Democratic strategist Paul Begala, and former Republican Congresswoman Barbara Comstock. Great to see you both.

Congresswoman, how much do you think tonight's speech will focus on the big lie?

BARBARA COMSTOCK (R), FORMER U.S. REPRESENTATIVE: Oh, that's usually what the President -- what Donald Trump, the former President focuses on, the big lie, as well as himself. So it's a grift and grievance tour that he is on.

But, you know, I'm so glad you had those officers on earlier this evening. I was watching it and they were so powerful in saying what we need is accountability. And I think Ambassador Bolton is also right that Republicans are going to move on, the problem is the loudest voices, which are these and often some of the violent voices that we saw on January 6th are the ones that are given too much influence, but I do think he is fading as a figure.

[19:35:31]

COMSTOCK: And he is becoming so ridiculous that even sort of the grifters who are around him are now telling him, you know, and these are kind of crazy people in their own right are saying, you're getting too crazy.

So I think he's a fading character, but unfortunately, one that is given too much power within the party.

BROWN: Paul, how do you see it?

PAUL BEGALA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, I think first of all, I think Barbara makes a really powerful point. Trump is -- he is in an interesting place. He is both pathetic and dangerous.

You know, he's like a whiner who thinks he is Rambo, and you see him ranting in his bathroom. You know, like, that's so sad. But then you find out he is stockpiling weapons. So you need an intervention here. And Republicans like Barbara had been very courageous.

She and I have been political adversaries, like for many, many years, but she has been very courageous about stepping up trying to save her party and our country from this dangerous, delusional, pathetic guy.

BROWN: But your political adversary is based on policy, and that's okay, you can have a difference of opinion, based on how you think this country should be in your worldview and what you should do about the economy and so forth. This is different.

What we're dealing with is different.

COMSTOCK: Republican versus Democrat, this is really right versus wrong. And that's why those officers were so powerful, and many of these Capitol Police officers, I mean, I've worked with them for years as a staffer, as a Member of Congress and on the committee that oversaw them, many of them are Republicans.

Officer Fanone who was beaten by a Trump fanatic is a Republican, as Harry Dunn that you have had on said, you know, he voted for Larry Hogan. So this isn't about partisans, these are insurrectionist versus you know, the rest of us, you know, Americans.

BROWN: And they said they feel betrayed. They feel betrayed that that accountability hasn't happened and it really struck me how they focused on -- let's just focus on the truth. You know, let's just focus on the truth. Why is that so hard? What do you think, Paul?

BEGALA: You know, actually Barbara and I used to go to church together, in mass together, as a faithful Christian, I believe that Christ was right when he said, you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.

It's the one thing Trump will never know, is the truth, because it can't set him free. Because the truth is, he is lying to a lot of very good people. He is lying to a lot of very dangerous people. And he's trying to undermine our democracy.

You're right, Barbara and I, I can't wait to get back to fighting about taxes and spending and foreign policy and domestic policy. But this is different. This transcends all of that. Mr. Trump has pretty much destroyed his party. He is the first

President of either party since Hoover to lose the House and the Senate and the White House in just four years. It's hard to do. So he's a stone loser.

COMSTOCK: Democrats need to do -- the Democrats need to send out subpoenas for all of the records, you know, from January 6th and before, in the planning of this insurrection, the planning of that rally and that is something, Paul, as you know, since we've been adversaries when I was sending out subpoenas, the Democrats should have been doing ready. They can do it tomorrow.

BEGALA: Yes, you're right.

BROWN: This is something from a Republican saying Democrats should issue these subpoenas.

Really quick on just this theme of truth and not lying, the Governor of Georgia, as you know, came out and said that the election wasn't stolen. And of course, there were changes in Georgia's law and that's another topic, but he did come out and say that and he has lost his popularity in the state. He has seen it and we saw it today when he was booed. Let's take a look.

[VIDEO CLIP PLAYS]

BROWN: What do you make of that, Congresswoman?

COMSTOCK: Well, as Ambassador Bolton pointed out, you know, a lot of the activists are the worst ones and the loudest voices, but the people who vote and go out to the polls, it's a much larger group. So I do think while in both parties, they get pulled to the extremes when you actually have elections and people vote, I do believe that commonsense will prevail again.

And I admire the governor and lieutenant governor and the election officers in Georgia who are Republicans who pointed out that down ballot, Republicans did pretty well, you know, in the State House and in congressional races, but it was Donald Trump who people were turned off by.

People like me who voted a Republican ticket, but would not vote for Donald Trump. And those people are -- you know, Trump only got 47 percent, there's less of that. He is every day chipping away at that 47 percent so there's no way you divide 47 percent and get to 50.

[19:40:15]

BROWN: Paul Begala and former Congresswoman Barbara Comstock, great discussion. Thank you both.

BEGALA: Thanks.

COMSTOCK: Thank you.

BROWN: It's a desperate plea for help as vacationers flock to the beach this summer, businesses are struggling to keep the doors open because they don't have enough staff. What's going on?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: As the pandemic restrictions ease, some businesses are desperate for staff. It's a huge problem right now especially as more Americans hit the beach for their first vacation since the pandemic began.

CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich has more from the Jersey Shore.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS REPORTER (voice over): IN 74 years of business, Vic's Italian Restaurant says it's never had this, a "Help Wanted" sign.

As the season heats up in Bradley Beach, New Jersey, the restaurant is desperate for workers to meet summer crowds.

[19:45:10]

YURKEVICH (on camera): How important is this summer for business?

TRAVIS SEMBLEWSKI, GENERAL MANAGER, VIC'S ITALIAN RESTAURANT: It's very important, but we can't do the customer service the way we used to, so we need more people. And I'm just fearful to some degree that if we don't have that, not every customer will understand.

YURKEVICH (voice over): Seventy seven percent of Americans plan to travel this summer compared to 29 percent last year, a welcome sign for restaurants in summer hotspots like the Jersey Shore, closed for much of last year.

A small beachside town balloons from population 4,000 to 25,000 in the summer.

YURKEVICH (on camera): How critical are these restaurants to the Bradley Beach community every summer?

MAYOR LARRY FOX, BRADLEY BEACH, NEW JERSEY: Very critical, and I call it the bookends of Bradley Beach. On the east, we have the beach; on the west, we have Main Street.

YURKEVICH (voice over): Vic's is the biggest employer in town with 100 employees during peak season. But right now, the restaurant can't cover 20 percent of its shifts, even raising hourly wages by $2.00 for new employees.

SEMBLEWSKI: I just can't get people to come in and just start a new job.

YURKEVICH (on camera): Why can't you pay more? Why can't you offer more incentives?

SEMBLEWSKI: Well, if we were to go above and beyond, when this all goes away, when the crisis is over, the floor is going to fall out and inflation is going to kick in. The customers will have to absorb the cost and we don't want to do that.

YURKEVICH (voice over): At Langosta Lounge in nearby Asbury Park, owner, Marilyn Schlossbach is offering bonuses to current and new employees.

YURKEVICH (on camera): Why do you think you're having such a tough time finding people to work?

MARILYN SCHLOSSBACH, OWNER, LANGOSTA LOUNGE: Unemployment, the stimulus is killing us.

YURKEVICH (voice over): Schlossbach owns seven restaurants along the Jersey Shore and usually employs 250 people. She is operating with just 75.

SCHLOSSBACH: I'm honest and telling them, I'm pushing them, but still, I'm pushing them and I don't think that's a healthy way to live your life.

YURKEVICH (voice over): That means longer hours for servers like Kathleen Thompson, despite being furloughed and making just as much on unemployment, she wanted to go back to work.

KATHLEEN THOMPSON, 22-YEAR SERVER, VIC'S ITALIAN RESTAURANT: They've been good to me for 20 years. I can't say no, I'm not coming back because I'm collecting this money. No, that's not fair to them. They need their -- you know, their employees to get their business up and running and I was willing to come right back.

YURKEVICH (voice over): Vanessa Yurkevich, CNN, Bradley Beach, New Jersey.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Well, how CNN's Jake Tapper fooled his own lawyers while writing his new book?

And this week on "United Shades of America," host, W. Kamau Bell looks at the concept of race and the racial makeup of this country, an all- new episode of "United Shades of America" with W. Kamau Bell airs tomorrow night at a special time 10:15 Eastern and Pacific only on CNN.

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[19:52:38]

BROWN: News anchor by day, a published and accomplished author by night, Jake Tapper's newest book, "The Devil May Dance" hit stores last month. The historical thriller set in the 1960s is a sequel to his first novel, "The Hellfire Club."

And I spoke with Jake about his latest story that shows the fine line between politics and Hollywood, and even left his own lawyers fooled.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: When you write a book, you can only quote one

line from a song, which is usually not a problem, but when you're writing a book in which Frank Sinatra is the main character, it's something of a problem. You have to get permission from the estate, and I wasn't going to get permission from the estate, and I wasn't going to spend $100,000.00 or whatever to, you know, quote a song.

So I wrote one and the song that I wrote, I don't -- I didn't write the tune, so don't ask me to perform it, I just wrote the lyrics.

BROWN: That's too bad, because I was going to ask you that next.

TAPPER: No. Believe me, your readers are better -- your listeners are better off. Your viewers are better off. But I decided to write this whole song and the song is about the theme of the book, which is when you dance with the devil, when you make an alliance with somebody who is shadier than you are, who has lower ethical or moral standards than you are, whether it's the Kennedy campaign with the Rat Pack or Sinatra with the mob, or in the book, Charlie, the main character, and the Rat Pack.

When you do that, what happens to you? We see it kind of playing out on Capitol Hill right now with all these Republicans that dance with Donald Trump. And now they're still dealing with all of that, they are still upholding his lies. They are still in his grasp, so many of them.

So that's basically the idea. So I wrote a song about it. And then the lawyers from Little Brown, my publisher called me up while they were in the editing process to make sure they weren't going to get sued. They said, Tapper, we went through this before with your first book, you can't quote songs.

Actually, we went -- by the way, we went through it with "The Outpost," my nonfiction book, which there was a whole ACDC song I wanted to quote, but they wouldn't let me do that and then a Johnny Cash song, things that actually happened in history, but they're real sticklers. They don't want to get sued, and they're like Tapper, we told you, you can't do this. We told you this.

This is the third book now. I'm like, a-ha, but this is not a real song. This is not a real Sinatra song.

BROWN: The fact that you fooled them says a lot about it.

TAPPER: Well, I don't know how great I am or how unfamiliar with they are.

BROWN: I think you can add songwriter to your list. Jake Tapper man of many, many different talents. Can't wait to read the book. The book is "The Devil May Dance."

Jake, thank you so much.

[19:55:08]

TAPPER: Thank you, Pam.

BROWN: Thanks for coming on.

TAPPER: Great to see you.

BROWN: Great to see you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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