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CNN's The Arena with Kasie Hunt
Trump Lashes Out As Inflation Soars And Americans Are Struggling; Racist Remark About House Dem Leader Hakeem Jeffries Sparks Anger; Alabama Governor Sets Special House Primaries After Supreme Court Approves Map With Single Majority-Black District; Patel Spars With Lawmaker Who Raises Reports Of His Behavior. Aired 4-5p ET
Aired May 12, 2026 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Persuaded by ChatGPT into a negative act?
[16:00:08]
VINOD KHOSLA, EARLY INVESTOR IN OPENAI: Well, we do have mechanisms for this. The FDA is authorized to approve devices and drugs and treatments. It should be regulating medical treatments of mental health. In fact, it's sad that we haven't done more. In fact, we set rigorous standards than these providers of technology can meet those standards.
I think it's entirely up to the FDA to authorize A.I. as a doctor, A.I. as a mental health therapist, and make sure it meets safety standards like they do for any drug or device. That's their job. I do think that's the mechanism through which it should, it should be handled. And if Congress needs to clarify things, that's Congress's role.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Yeah, I certainly hear you on that. I will note some dysfunction in Congress lately. And also, we did just learn a short time ago, the FDA chief is departing. So, there will be a lot of chaos there as well.
Vinod Khosla, great to have you. Thank you so much for being with us.
And THE ARENA WITH KASIE HUNT starts right now.
(MUSIC)
KASIE HUNT, CNN HOST: Hi, everyone. Welcome to THE ARENA. I'm Kasie Hunt. It's great to have you with us on this Tuesday.
As we come on the air, President Donald Trump is on his way to China as the war with Iran drives inflation higher than it's been in years.
And just moments ago, the president had a message for every American struggling to get by.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: When you're negotiating with Iran, Mr. President, to what extent are Americans financial situation motivating you to make a deal?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Not even a little bit. The only thing that matters when I'm talking about Iran, they can't have a nuclear weapon. I don't think about Americans financial situation. I don't think about anybody. I think about one thing, we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. That's all. That's the only thing that motivates me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: I don't think about Americans financial situation. I don't think about anybody, he says, in the context of Iran, of course.
But you do have to imagine that across the country, Democrats, their consultants, likely already writing attack ads tying their Republican opponents to those words because, again, this election is all about affordability and an economy that Americans increasingly feel isn't working for them.
Today, for the first time in three years, inflation outpaced wage growth, meaning that rising prices are effectively eating into pay raises and people are feeling it. A new poll exclusive to CNN finds that 73 percent of Americans would describe the current economic conditions as poor. And when you talk to those people behind those numbers, the pain is clear.
Here's a sample of what some of the people that we polled told us about their economic situation. Quote, "My life is not affordable. No one cares. It's more expensive to exist. You're just staying afloat instead of getting ahead and simply, it should not be like this.
Which brings us back to the President Donald Trump quote. "I don't think about Americans financial situation. I don't think about anybody."
Just moments after he said that this afternoon, he was given a chance to clean it up or maybe take it back. But, you know, if you've been watching Donald Trump right along with the rest of us, we've all been watching him as a politician for more than 10 years now. And admitting he's wrong not really up his alley.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Just to clarify. Did you say -- did you say earlier that the only thing that matters to you when it comes to Iran is a nuclear weapon? You're not considering the financial impact of this war on Americans?
TRUMP: The most important thing by far, including whether our stock market, which, by the way, is at an all-time high, but including whether or not our stock market goes up or down a little bit, the most important thing by far is Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.
REPORTER: What about the pressure on Americans and prices right now?
TRUMP: Every American understands it. REPORTER: Americans -- how they're feeling about what they're paying for food?
TRUMP: Every American, are you -- are you listening to me? Every American understands.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: All right. Let's get off the sidelines, head into THE ARENA. My panel is here.
CNN legal analyst, former federal prosecutor Elliot Williams; CNN senior political analyst, Ron Brownstein; CNN political commentator, former Biden White House communications director Kate Bedingfield; and former Republican congressman from Louisiana, Garret Graves.
Welcome to all of you. Thank you all for being here.
[16:05:00]
Ron Brownstein, politically speaking, obviously important to note the president's comments came in the context of a question about how is he thinking about Americans --
RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Right.
HUNT: -- when he was negotiating with Iran. But that answer, I don't think about anybody's financial situation really flies in the face of the way people are thinking about their lives, especially when you look at our new poll.
BROWNSTEIN: I mean, you can understand what he was trying to say, but what he said, maybe the Michael Kinsley definition of a gaffe. When you say what you really mean, that's what a gaffe is in Washington, and he did say what he really means.
You know, among Trump voters in 2024, there was no question what the most important issue was. It was that they felt their cost of living was out of control under Joe Biden. That's what they elected Donald Trump, above all, to fix. And here we are now, only six months away from the election, not a year away anymore. We're six months away. And overwhelmingly, Americans do not feel that he has fixed it.
And by the way, the problem is not only the external conditions. It's not only the people are upset because things still cost too much. They specifically attribute much of that to policies that he has pursued. The tariffs, the war cuts in Medicaid and the ACA. It's not just that they're unhappy with the general state of the economy. There is significant majority opposition to many of the specific things he's done, and that is a whole other layer of political challenge.
HUNT: Yeah, congressman. I mean, how much of a headache is it to have the president saying that if you're a Republican trying to win reelection in a tough district?
GARRET GRAVES (R), FORMER LOUISIANA CONGRESSMAN: Well, let's go back to your own poll. Your own poll showed that three years ago, we haven't been in a situation since three years ago, inflation is at high. Our gas prices are high. Yes, but inflation is less than half the degree it was under the Biden administration. Less than half.
We just got a jobs report that that produced more than double the projected jobs that were expected for the month of April. So, look, I want to be very clear what is going on with gas prices, outrageous.
But I think what President Trump has done is showed courage in, number one, taking on Iran and preventing them from getting a nuclear weapon, because we don't need another crazy regime like North Korea with a nuclear weapon. And number two, attacking some of these issues that have been around for decades in regard to China taking off -- excuse me, pirating our economy, taking our intellectual property, taking our jobs.
These are huge things. And yes, there are going to be short term consequences. And the president has a very small window to turn things around.
HUNT: With -- sorry, Kate. Jump in. I was going to say he sounded a lot like you in the first half of that answer. Back when you were talking.
KATE BEDINGFIELD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I was going to say --
HUNT: On behalf of the president.
BEDINGFIELD: I applaud -- listen, man, I applaud your effort.
But when people are not, when people aren't feeling the impacts of those of some of those stats that you rattled off, which they're consistently saying that they don't, it's very hard to convince them that they should feel better about the economy than they do. And I think what was so interesting about Trump's answer here, is it actually, to me, sort of underscored the problem that he's had both in trying to sell the Iran war, which is that he really hasn't. I mean, his answer that the answer he gave was within the narrow confines of here's what I am trying to achieve in these negotiations.
He completely ignored the domestic audience. He didn't view it as an opportunity, you know, to make the case. And so, you know, not only as a political matter, not only do you have people frustrated because the cost of living is so high, but you also see people saying Donald Trump isn't focused on it. He's not even trying.
BROWNSTEIN: And to the extent he is, they don't like what he is doing. I mean, that is the problem. I mean, the specific poll, like, first of all, I mean, the comparison to the worst point of the Biden administration is real. But that is not the comparison to the end of the Biden. What Trump inherited was not 9 percent inflation.
GRAVES: Inflation still went down. Energy prices were plummeting, dropping --
BROWNSTEIN: Energy prices were drop -- HUNT: Yeah, they were. And then they changed their policy.
GRAVES: Changes policy. But there's an important goal here. And I think the president's right with some of the other comments.
He said today that if he can get this issue resolved, if he can get it resolved within a short period of time, you're going to see prices drop again, because there is an abundance of oil on the market. Excuse me, that's in storage right now that if he gets this resolved, that will be dumped on the market, it will drop prices.
Look, I want to be clear. I'm going to reaffirm I think the prices are high. Inflation is high. And these are things that need to be adjusted.
I think the president's goals here are appropriate. I'll say it again. He's got a short window to turn around or you're going to see big repercussions.
BROWNSTEIN: Elliot?
ELLIOT WILLIAMS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: I think the million dollar point that's been made today is from Kate. You win the prize. No, but it's all that matters is what people feel regardless of what the theory says, regardless of what the economics says, regardless of what actions taken in the future might do, what matters, what people feel right now.
And the most striking figure in this CNN poll was that when asked the question, do you -- how do you feel about your financial future? Do you feel pride in it? Fifteen percent of respondents actually say they feel proud of how they're doing financially.
This is not about politics anymore. This is about how people see themselves. And this is the kind of thing that ought to give every politician in America the shivers between now and November.
BROWSTEIN: You know, this --
HUNT: Yeah, go ahead.
BROWNSTEIN: I was going to say an early warning sign for the Biden White House was when you asked people about the impact of his policies, not only their views about the economy.
[16:10:04]
And you got to the point where 55 to 60 percent, sometimes a little more, were saying they thought his policies hurt them more than they helped them personally. Look at those numbers today in this poll about the Trump policies.
HUNT: Let's look at Trump policies and whether they increase the cost of living.
BROWNSTEIN: Exactly. HUNT: Because 77 percent of Americans say they think that Trump's
policies are increasing cost, including 55 percent of Republicans.
BROWNSTEIN: And particularly, it is two to one among whites without a college degree. Okay. Why is that so important that at first, that's the core of Trump's base. Second, that is the core of the battlefield in the House.
Trump won two thirds of those voters in each of his three campaigns. His overall approval is now down to 50/50 among them in the CNN poll today and half a dozen other recent polls. And you're getting two to one, at least in in this poll, saying his policies are making their life more expensive. His policies have more negative than positive effect on the economy.
They still have a lot of skepticism about Democrats, those voters. But this sense that Trump has failed to deliver on the most important thing they elected him to do has given Democrats, I think, their biggest opening in years, to recover some ground with working class white voters.
BEDINGFIELD: This is also where hanging his hopes on resolving the conflict in Iran and bringing gas prices down is also probably not going to, you know, even if that is to happen, it's not going to answer the mail because people are going to feel like, okay, so if you, you know, you brought gas prices down, let's say incrementally, incrementally from where you yourself raised them to by starting this war that you haven't really explained to us why you're, you know, why you're doing it and that you're now, by the way, you know, spending $29 billion and likely to spend more on, on prosecuting.
So, I -- you know, I just think that for Republicans to argue that, you know bringing gas prices down over the course of the next six months is going to be sufficient to assuage the concerns that we see voters are having, given how they feel about Trump's policies. I think that's going to be a tough, tough sell.
WILLIAMS: I disagree a slight bit in that, you know, the president and the administration has explained the rationales for the war. Now they've been confused and they've gone all over the place with what they've said, but they've said why they're doing it. I think the issue is that --
HUNT: They didn't before they started.
(CROSSTALK)
BEDINGFIELD: The story changes.
WILLIAMS: The story absolutely changed. But the thing is, Americans, when they pay for gas are not thinking about Iran. Now, certainly people can probably get their heads around and agree with the idea of Iran having a nuclear weapon and it being good for geopolitics. But people are literally struggling back to the poll. Thirty percent of people are taking out medical debt just to pay for their necessities.
This is not, you know, thinking about global politics as people live their lives.
GRAVES: Elliot, those conditions were the same and worse during the previous administration, number one. Number two, none of us are going to care about gas prices or inflation or anything else if Iran gets a nuclear weapon. They are crazy.
WILLIAMS: Yes.
GRAVES: We've seen what they've done through their proxy groups and Hezbollah and Houthis and others. They -- that -- this puts it on steroids. It is a game changer globally. The president's objective to preventing them from getting --
WILLIAMS: The question -- I would also say --
GRAVES: We should all be supportive.
WILLIAMS: I would also say in response to that, the former administrations, not the administration anymore, largely over these economic questions, but on --
GRAVES: But my point is, it's disingenuous for Democrats to be saying that this is a bad thing. Whenever they said nothing, whenever they were the same condition --
BROWNSTEIN: I mean, the real question, the real question on Iran --
(CROSSTALK)
HUNT: Congressman, Congressman, the challenge here, look, I don't think anybody sitting at this table would say it would be great for the world if Iran had a nuclear weapon, right? Like that does not seem to me to be the question.
But the president didn't explain why he needed to do this now, right. When he had previously been in office. Right? He had torn up the JCPOA and essentially left well enough alone after that.
He then told everybody that they just, you know, set back the program by decades when they bombed, you know, they sent in the bunker busting bombs, and then all of a sudden he meets with Benjamin Netanyahu.
"The New York Times" does this tick tock. And all of a sudden, we're in a war. Our gas prices are spiking. The Strait of Hormuz is closed in a, you know, a blow to the status quo.
And now the Iranians are demanding that they be acknowledged as the, you know, the people with the keys to the strait.
You know, I think that like -- the rub with what you're saying is, I mean, how the -- how does the administration explain this to voters in the midterms as to why we needed to do this now? Like why they needed to bear this pain now?
GRAVES: Kasie, look, I'm not exposed to all the intelligence that's out there, but my guess is that there was some intelligence that that Israel shared with the U.S. as, as well as some intelligence. U.S. developed that indicated that there was a problem and it was an acute issue. I think that's why the timing happened.
And, of course, do I have that the briefing? No, I don't have the briefing. But I think that's why it happened. And let me say this once again, if you begin playing out the scenario where Iran has a nuclear weapon, that is a game changer globally, and it will have a profound impact the next time you have a crazy --
BROWNSTEIN: But I don't -- I don't -- I don't think -- I don't think the question is whether the ends is -- the end of preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon is something that is debatable in the U.S.
GRAVES: Sure.
BROWNSTEIN: The question is whether the means the president is pursuing toward it actually get you toward that end, A.
[16:15:04]
And B, whether the costs -- the costs that it's creating for the U.S. is enormous. While it's not necessarily advancing you toward that end of preventing them from getting a nuclear weapon.
GRAVES: Well, we can't say what's going to happen at the end of the day. If this ultimately results in preventing them from getting a nuclear weapon, that is a profound --
BROWNSTEIN: And there's -- look, there's a big debate about whether they were, you know, on the brink of it to begin with.
BEDINGFIELD: Well, that's the issue. And how do you and the challenge that you have in saying, you know, I don't have all access to all the intelligence you're -- you're sort of illustrating the challenge that Republicans and Trump has in making the case to people were so on the brink that it --
GRAVES: That's a fair criticism there.
HUNT: For sure.
All right. Coming up next here in THE ARENA, the Pentagon's newest estimate for how much the Iran war is costing the U.S. You guessed it. It's more than originally thought.
But first, the latest on the race to redistrict and its impact on race. More Republican-led states in the Deep South today, moving to redraw maps in a move that could box out some black members of Congress.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Now, we took our shot, and it looks like we're going to pick up a lot of seats. And that's a good thing. That's a good thing
(END VIDEO CLIP) (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:20:32]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: To voters who are confused about the changing maps, the changing dates and to African Americans concerned that this is going to draw black members of congress off the map, what do you say?
TRUMP: Well, I think it's been a wonderful process. They've been the Democrats, or as I call the Dumb-ocrats, because they are dumb in so many ways. They've redistricted for years, and now we took our shot and it looks like we're going to pick up a lot of seats. And that's a good thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: Two more states inching closer to possibly eliminating their only Democratic members of Congress, who are also right now, their only Black representatives.
Alabama's governor announcing new primary election dates for four districts that were redrawn just hours after a decision last night from the Supreme Court.
In South Carolina, state lawmakers moved a step closer to redrawing their map to do the very same thing. And we are still waiting for a ruling that may come any minute from the Supreme Court on Virginias map.
Democrats asking the justices to let them use the map that voters approved last month, one that Democrats believe would net them four seats.
And today, one vulnerable Republican member of Congress from that state facing backlash and calls to resign after this moment on local radio.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICH HERRERA, RADIO HOST: If Hakeem Jeffries wants to be involved in Virginia politics, then I suggest he does what a bunch of New Yorkers are doing -- leave New York, move down here to Virginia, run for office down here. You can represent us. If not, get your cotton- picking hands off of Virginia.
REP. JEN KIGGANS (R-VA): That's right. I -- ditto. Yes, yes to that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: Worth noting that Hakeem Jeffries is the first black lawmaker ever to lead a party in Congress. In a statement, Congresswoman Jen Kiggans described the reaction to that moment as lies and distortion, saying, quote, "The radio host should not have used that language and I do not and did not condone it. It was obvious to anyone listening that I was agreeing that Hakeem Jeffries should stay out of Virginia," end quote.
This morning, Jeffries' office responded saying this, quote, "Extremists who endorse disgusting, vile, and racist language are pathetic. Jen Kiggans has no interest in our nations progress toward a multiracial democracy, and apparently craves a return to the days of Jim Crow racial oppression in the South. That's why MAGA Republicans in legislatures and courts across America have launched a full scale assault on black representation," end quote.
All right. Joining our panel in THE ARENA, CNN political commentator, South Carolina's own Bakari Sellers.
Bakari another day in American politics it seems here. The language from Congresswoman Kiggans there, you know, she heard what the radio host said and her quote was "ditto". What do you make of what she said and what this all means
BAKARI SELLERS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yeah. I mean, I'm more concerned about the individuals who are actually casting ballots to eliminate black voices. The racism, the sensationalism, the cotton- picking terms that are used.
Look, that's been a part of Southern politics, unfortunately, for a very long period of time, it's racist. It's people using racism as political currency. But I'm actually more concerned about those individuals right now in states like Alabama, in states like Louisiana, which are eliminating black voices from Congress because we fought so hard, we bled so much to have that representation.
I do think Donald Trump is going to take a slight setback here in South Carolina, because South Carolina has the pride that apparently other states don't have. And you see the courageous leaders like Shane Massie, who are fighting back against Donald Trump, even as we sit here on air right now.
So, look, you can be racist. You can say cotton picking, you can use all the slang and all the all the negative terminology, racist terminology you want. I'm more concerned about the actions that people are taking throughout the South to eliminate black voices.
HUNT: I want to play something that Karl Rove had to say over the weekend about the potential unintended consequences that could come from all of this. Let's watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KARL ROVE, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST; In the South, where you take these large, black dominated cities like New Orleans or rural areas like in South Carolina, that are dominated by blacks and who are traditionally Democrat voters, and split them up into several different Republican districts and make things more problematic in a swing year.
[16:25:05]
You know, nothing ever plays out exactly in politics as we think it does. (END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: What do you make of that? That I take your point writ large about this potential elimination of black voices, but do you think it's possible Republicans are creating unintended problems for themselves, too?
SELLERS: I mean, Republicans right now are governing, governing and showing the political instincts of a bag of cabbage. I mean, that's -- that's the fact of the matter. Yes. They're going to create more swing districts in South Carolina. You're going to make -- instead of having Jim Clyburn being the lone congressman, you're going to have two or three competitive districts not saying Democrats are going to win every single time.
But the fact is, the Republican -- the Republican president is so unpopular that they're having to redistrict in the middle of a decade. I think people need to understand the gravity of what that means.
And so, when you're having to change the rules in the middle of the ball game, meaning that you can't win the House like you want to, and you're going to have a competitive Senate, I think that that shows you and shows the American public what's happening. Black voters don't just dissipate because you change districts. They actually are able to.
And in particular, now, black voters have always. Since we've actually gained access to the franchise from attacks, from intimidation, from violence at the polls, we've always overcome those obstacles. The problem is, I'm tired of having to run faster and jump higher just to cast my ballot and get somebody who I want, who represents my interest in Washington, D.C.
I think that Republicans bit off more than they can chew because they're being governed by their racist gut and underbelly of the party and not the George W. Bush's or the Mitt Romneys or those individuals who believed in the better promise of America. Although we differed on how to get there.
HUNT: Congressman Graves, I mean, this is close to home for you, since, of course, you are former congressman from Louisiana. How do you see this?
GRAVES: First of all, I want to -- I want to undermine a premise. The premise here is that only a black person can represent a black voter, and only a white person can represent a white voter. And I totally disagree with that.
Now, the next thing is, I think that it was a mistake to take on this redistricting thing. I do. I think -- I think it was a dumb idea. I don't think it should have happened, with the exception of Texas, that I believe has a mid-decade reassessment. I think it was a bad idea. And I think you're going to end up with disenfranchised voters all over the place.
And I think that you should not be in a situation to where you allow elected officials to go out there and cherry pick who their voters are. I think it's simply a bad direction.
Lastly, I think that closed primaries actually contribute to the polarization and the disenfranchising of voters. And I think that Louisiana, up until this year, that had an open primary system, was a great system that allowed elected officials to go out and attract votes from all across the spectrum the entire year. I think that's the way to do it.
BROWNSTEIN: Can I make three quick points? Contemporary point. The states that are now in the process of eliminating black held congressional seats, the overwhelming majority of their population growth over the last 15 years have been among nonwhite voters, nonwhite citizens. Louisiana, the white population is lower today than it was in 2023. All of their population growth has been among people of color. They're eliminating districts.
Texas, Alabama, 92 percent of their population growth has been among people of color. They're eliminating minority held districts. South Carolina, a little over 50 percent. Tennessee, two thirds. Florida, 87 percent.
So basically, you have a situation where minority population growth is fueling the political power of these states, and they are being systematically denied the opportunity to elect people who represent those interests. At the same time, they are creating it.
Second, the late 19th century, when reconstruction was unraveled and segregation was imposed, certainly one of the most odious periods in American history. There was no single Congress in that period when black political representation was erased the first time that eliminated as many black held congressional seats as is going to happen in November. This will be the most ever in American history.
And third, finally, this is going to be maximum civic damage from minimal partisan gain because at the -- in the end, people don't realize the 25 states that voted three times for Trump. They control 185 congressional seats. And there's a lot of room to play around that.
The 19 states that voted three times against Trump. They also control 185 congressional seats. Republicans have been able to get out faster because Democrats have more hurdles with commissions and stuff.
But by 2028, I think there's going to be a minimal partisan gain. And were going to see enormous civic damage to the country from eliminating both minority seats and competitive seats.
I mean, the House was supposed to be the 00 founders envisioned the House as the institution closest to the people. It's going to be the most inflexible institution where it's almost impossible to move the majorities, no matter what else is happening.
WILLIAMS: The one thing I would say in response to Garret is, I don't think anybody would dispute that a white person is capable of representing black constituents.
[16:30:02]
It happens all across America. The challenge that we have to confront is that across many states in the United States, typically the south, typically where frankly -- where cotton was grown starting in Louisiana up to South Carolina, there's remarkable almost a one to one parallel between race and partisan affiliation and what ends up happening is these efforts to carve up partisan districts end up carving up districts that are Black districts and have been.
The whole point of the Voting Rights Act, starting back in 1964 and re-upped as recently as 2006, was to eliminate that problem. So, yes, of course, we ought to have white folks representing Black people, but that's not entirely the whole problem. It's far bigger than that.
BEDINGFIELD: I think it's also worth noting that Section Two also has an impact sub -- federally has an impact on -- has on city councils, on county commissions, on school boards, which make funding decisions, for example, about schools in neighborhoods that are largely attended by black children. And so, when you think about what those protections in the Voting Rights Act were meant to do in terms of helping ensure that, you know, again, funding goes to, you know, to neighborhoods that are predominantly black. That's an important piece of what is being lost, I think, in the gutting of Section Two.
I do want to say really quickly, though, I very much agree with Congressman Graves about mid district, excuse me, mid cycle redistricting on both sides. I think a pox on both houses.
GRAVES: Yeah.
HUNT: Bakari Sellers, let me give you the last word in this block here. Youve been listening to us talk about it. What say you?
SELLERS: No, I mean I think that that the point that that needs to be made is that we're just trying to make sure that it's not necessarily the race of the individual that represents you, but the fact that they share your lived experiences, the fact that they're able to represent you wholly and fully in the United States Congress, I think Memphis is probably the best example of that. It was actually a Black seat prior to having the voting rights act. It was somebody that was there who was able to represent those interests.
And even though Steve Cohen is a white man representing the interest, he's from the community, he's actually taking the community's interest to Washington, D.C. Now that you have that split into three different areas, those black voters in Memphis would no longer have anyone that represents their interest.
And so, I think that's probably the most important lesson that we can learn from this. And we've worked too hard, but we're going backwards now.
HUNT: All right. Bakari Sellers, thanks very much for being here. Really appreciate it.
The rest of our panel is going to stick around. Coming up next, we've got more on what we've been talking about with someone directly impacted. Alabama Democratic Congressman Shomari Figures will be here live.
Plus, what sources are now telling CNN about what the president is thinking about doing in Iran as he grows increasingly frustrated with the state of negotiations.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): I don't trust Pakistan as far as I can throw them. If they actually do have Iranian aircraft parked in Pakistan bases to protect Iranian military assets, that tells me we should be looking maybe for somebody else to mediate. No wonder this damn thing is going nowhere.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:37:27]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVE MARSHALL, ALABAMA ATTORNEY GENERAL: The court confirmed what we've been arguing for years. States cannot be forced to gerrymander by race. My job in this office was to put the legislature in the best possible legal position to draw a congressional map that favors Republicans 7-0.
(END VIEO CLIP)
HUNT: More now on that sudden ruling out of the Supreme Court that allows Alabama to eliminate one of its two majority black House districts. One of the representatives who may lose his house seat under the new map here with me now, Democrat Shomari Figures.
Thanks very much for being here in THE ARENA.
Congressman, what does this ruling mean -- not just for you, but for the people that you represent?
REP. SHOMARI FIGURES (D-AL): I mean, what it means is a loss of a legitimate opportunity for black voters to be able to elect a candidate of their choice. That's all this case was ever about. It was not about a stacked deck or a -- or a guarantee or a promise of black representation. It was about a legitimate opportunity in my district.
For one, it is consistently referenced as a majority black district, but its not. My district is only about 47 percent black. And so my district is proof of the fact that what we were after in this was literally just a legitimate opportunity.
HUNT: Congressman, are you committed to running for reelection no matter the outcome of this redistricting fight?
FIGURES: Look, I got in this race at the beginning of be a voice for all of Alabama to be a voice for the people and places that are responsible for me being me and having the opportunities that I've been afforded in my life. And that's not something that were willing to back down now, back down from now.
So, we definitely have to assess the situation, and certainly well make the decision at the appropriate time.
HUNT: So, you're basically not committing one way or the other at this writing?
FIGURES: Well, what we're committing to doing is first and foremost is the job that we were elected to do, which is represent the people of the current second congressional district. Beyond that, we don't know what the lines are going to look like exactly. There is another preliminary injunction motion that was filed just this morning, but I am committed to staying in this fight and doing what I can to make sure that were representing the interests of the people of Alabama as best as possible.
HUNT: Of course, since we are approaching the May 19th primary that was originally scheduled, there have already been people who have been voting absentee. Among other ways. Are you clear on what will happen to those people's votes?
FIGURES: I don't think anyone knows what will happen. I think the state leadership has thrown us into a situation of chaos and a lot of uncertainty and a lot of unknowns.
[16:40:05]
I mean, announcing a different primary date a week before the current primary date is just utter confusion. Maybe that's the intent altogether, but I have already voted myself because I will not be in the district on election day, as has, I'm sure, thousands of other people across the state of Alabama already.
So, it's certainly causing confusion. And the short answer is we don't know what will happen.
HUNT: So, you, of course, were born decades after the passage of the Voting Rights Act. A lot of people, critics are calling what the Supreme Court did, what we potentially are seeing in these changes to congressional maps across the south as the new Jim Crow. Is that how you see it?
FIGURES: Well, what I see is that we you know, we being the state of Alabama in 19 -- from the 1920s, '30s, '40s, '50s, 1960s through 1970s, even into the '80s, the state of Alabama's congressional delegation did not include a legitimate opportunity for any African American to win and post this decision in Louisiana if it runs its course in the state of Alabama, which we're still hopeful that it will not, given some differences in the case.
Post that, that's exactly what is about to happen again. So, we are certainly about to return to an era, or certainly on the cusp of returning to an era where black people in the state of Alabama do not have a legitimate opportunity to have representation at every level of government.
HUNT: Big picture here. This redistricting war kicked off with President Trump in Texas, but then was met with Democrats in California, in Virginia, in other states across the country writ large. Do you think this gerrymandering war is good for the country?
FIGURES: Absolutely not. It is a terrible idea. It was something that was terrible to start with in Texas. It's something that unfortunately, if you do it in one place, other people have to respond.
I think its evidence of the fact that Republicans were not in a position this year where they felt comfortable being able to maintain the majority in the House, and so they had to change the rules of the game. They had to move the goalposts, per se. But this, at the end of the day, is a race to the bottom. Whether it takes one year, two years or three years to get to the bottom, were inevitably going to end up in a situation where states across the country will very likely exercise their nuclear gerrymandering option and try to zero out as much representation as possible, for the opposite side of the aisle, which is just, you know, it's just not a good place to be in as a country.
HUNT: All right. Alabama Congressman Shomari Figures, thanks very much for spending some time with us today. Really appreciate it.
FIGURES: Thank you, Kasie.
HUNT: All right. Ahead here in THE ARENA, FBI Director Kash Patel testifying on Capitol Hill today. We'll talk with Congressman Jason Crow about one heated moment and the director's future amid the war with Iran.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN (D-MD): Are you willing to take the test that it's called the audit test that members of our active duty military and others take to determine whether they have a drinking problem?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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[16:47:31]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VAN HOLLEN: Are you willing to take the test that -- it's called the audit test that members of our active duty military and others take to determine whether they have a drinking problem?
PATEL: I'll take any test you're willing to take.
VAN HOLLEN: I will take it. Director Patel, I'll take it. You're ready to take it?
PATEL: Let's go.
VAN HOLLEN: Yes or no?
PATEL: Let's go, side by side.
VAN HOLLEN: I'll take it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: FBI Director Kash Patel sparring with Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen today on Capitol Hill where the senator raised concerns about allegations of Patel's excessive drinking and overall leadership of the bureau.
Patel, who recently sued "The Atlantic" magazine after it reported that he, quote, alarmed colleagues with episodes of excessive drinking and unexplained absences, called those allegations a, quote, "total farce" during that testy exchange.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PATEL: Unlike your baseless reports, the only person that was slinging margaritas in El Salvador on the taxpayer dollar with a convicted gangbanging rapist was you. You know, the only person that ran up a $7,000 bar tab in Washington, D.C. --
VAN HOLLEN: This suggests to me --
PATEL: -- was you. I will not be tarnished by baseless allegations.
VAN HOLLEN: Let me --
PATEL: Fraudulent statements from the media.
VAN HOLLEN: The fact that you mentioned that indicates you don't know what you are talking about.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: Okay, on that note, joining us now, Democratic congressman from Colorado, Jason Crow. He sits on the House Armed Services and Intelligence Committees, and of course, is a former Army Ranger.
Congressman, thanks very much for being here.
Let me start there. What Senator Chris Van Hollen was pressing the FBI director about, are you confident that he could pass this test that Senator Van Hollen was talking about? And do you agree that he should take it?
REP. JASON CROW (D-CO): No, I'm not confident. I'm not confident in anything that Director Patel says. He has lied. He has contorted the truth repeatedly. He has weaponized the FBI against me, against the political perceived political opponents of this administration. So let's parse out the problems that are going on here. One, there's a problem with the issue of his potential drinking, his
absences, his intoxication on the job. Two, him suing the outlet that is reporting on this. This is a attack against the freedom of the press. And then, three, the fact that they have apparently opened up an investigation to try to threaten and intimidate the reporters who conducted this investigation.
[16:50:06]
So, you know, there are -- there are a stack of problems that Director Patel has at this point.
HUNT: Fair enough. We're obligated to note that he has, of course, denied the claims in the -- in "The Atlantic" piece. Let's turn now to the president's trip to China, because, of course, this meeting with she comes amid the ongoing conflict with Iran. The stalemate over the negotiations around the Strait of Hormuz.
What do you think is the presidents standing going in to this meeting? Does he have the upper hand here?
CROW: No, I don't think he does. I mean, we are caught in a stalemate in Iran right now. Let's not forget that China is the single largest purchaser of Iranian oil. So, they are funding this war against the United States, against all of our allies in the region. And President Trump is going to go into that situation with very little leverage right now, because they haven't laid the groundwork for it.
If you're going to go into a negotiation against a great power and great power competition, you need to go in with your allies. You need to go in with friends, you need to go in with some leverage. They have done none of this. In fact, they've done the opposite by pushing our allies away. You know, we have no coalition now in this war against Iran.
So, we're going in with a lot less power, fewer tools than we would ever historically go into a negotiation like that.
HUNT: "The New York Times wrote a piece ahead of this trip that argued that China -- the headline was that China increasingly views Trump's America as an empire in decline. Do you think they're justified in holding that view?
CROW: The U.S. view of China being an empire?
HUNT: No. The Chinese view America as an empire in decline.
CROW: Yeah, yeah.
HUNT: Do you think that's a justified view on the part of the Chinese?
CROW: I don't believe that. I never believe that were in decline. I mean, this administration is doing their best to put us into decline. But the American people have a say in that. I have a say in that. The other people in Congress have a say in that. Our biggest problem right now is getting out of our own way. You know,
if we stop fighting with each other, if we stop tearing each other down, if we let unleash the innovation and the power of America, there is no doubt in my mind that we can do incredible things, right? We just sent a bunch of astronauts around the moon. Nobody else can do that, right?
So, there is tremendous capability in this country. The problem is we have a corrupt president who is lining the pockets of him and his family, who is pushing our allies away, all of the things that actually make America great. Our alliances, our innovation, our bipartisanship.
This administration is tearing down. So no, our decline is not inevitable, which is exactly why I'm pushing back and fighting against it right now.
HUNT: So one of the things, of course, that has Americans, many according to new polling out today, feeling, you know, down on the American dream, I would say is how they put it to our pollsters is just how expensive everything is, has gotten. And of course, gas prices are a big part of that heading into the midterm elections.
The president yesterday floated the idea of suspending the federal gas tax until the midterms. Is that something that you would support to give Americans a break?
CROW: Well, you know what's amazing about this gas tax suspension proposal? It was Democrats that actually proposed this, Democrats over a month ago proposed this idea. The Trump administration, Republicans in Congress said, no, we're not going to do that.
And now they're saying, hey, we have this grand new idea called a gas tax holiday. And we're like, wait a minute. That was our idea. You quashed it. And now that you're in a difficult position, now that you have painted yourself in the corner in Iran and Americans are paying $500 million more a day of increased prices because of this war, now, you're searching for a way out.
So yeah, I will join with folks to try to provide that relief. But let's be honest about how we got here. And let's be honest about the need for a comprehensive approach -- proposal to address costs, most of which are being driven by this administration's failed policies.
HUNT: Fair enough. Before I let you go, I want to ask you about one of the people that you appeared in that video with, that many Americans will have seen by now telling troops they don't have to. They shouldn't obey illegal orders.
The -- Senator Mark Kelly, who of course came under investigation for the video by the Pentagon, now under investigation by Secretary Hegseth for what Hegseth says is releasing classified information. Senator Kelly on CBS over the weekend, he talked about munitions depletions, right? We've heard that from many members of Congress, from you, from others.
But he was pretty specific. He named Tomahawks, SM-3s, THAAD rounds, Patriot rounds.
[16:55:00]
Was that a mistake for him to do that?
CROW: No. Let's be really clear about what happened here. Mark Kelly reiterated what Pete Hegseth himself said almost verbatim in an open hearing before Congress, right? So that -- that is -- that is what happened here.
But listen, I and Mark Kelly continue to live rent-free in Pete Hegseth's head. He says he watches me on TV all the time and doesn't like the gotcha that I do. He watches apparently Mark Kelly on TV all the time.
He needs to stop watching Mark Kelly and I on TV and actually run the Department of Defense.
HUNT: All right. Colorado Congressman Jason Crow, thank you very much for spending some more time on TV with us. We appreciate it.
CROW: Thank you.
HUNT: All right. We'll be right back.
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HUNT: All right. Thanks for being with us today.
Don't go anywhere. Jake Tapper is standing by for "THE LEAD".
Hi, Jake.
