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Wash Post: Trump Improperly Took Boxes Of White House Records; FAA: 2021 Worst Year For Passenger Behavior On Record; Spotify Removes Dozens Of Joe Rogan Episode Over Racial Slur. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired February 07, 2022 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:00]

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KATE BOLDUAN, CNN HOST: Breaking news now on the pandemic, more signs the country is pushing to get back to normal. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy will announce today that the state's school mask mandate will end beginning next month. The change comes as new COVID cases are dropping dramatically in the state down about 90 percent from the Omicron peak last month. Delaware, also announced today that its school mask mandate will end next month.

And even as more states start to return to normal, the U.S. is marking a grim milestone. Tonight, members of Congress are going to be gathering the Capitol steps for a moment of silence to commemorate the more than 900,000 Americans who have died from Coronavirus, and that death toll continues to climb. For the past two weeks, the U.S. has reported more than 2000 COVID deaths every day.

Developing this morning, multiple boxes of White House documents are now back safely with the National Archives. This is after the Washington Post reports that Donald Trump took the records on his way out the door, something by law, he never should have done. But the hunt for these records, leading all the way to Trump's Florida golf club. CNN's Whitney Wild has been tracking this she joins me now. Whitney, what is going on here?

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, the National Archives had to actually go down physically to retrieve these documents from the former President's resort in Florida to get these critical documents. And, Kate, it is just one more example in a list of examples that show members of the Trump White House sidestepping this very real legal obligation to preserve records.

For example, last week, CNN reported that the National Archives handed over to the January 6 House Select Committee records that had been taped back together because during the Trump administration, according to National Archives, Trump himself ripped up documents, and then some staffer had to come in with tape and put it all back together. And again, just another example of the ways in which the Trump administration again evaded this legal obligation to provide records.

Meanwhile, members of the Republican Party criticized, you know, people like Hillary Clinton for using a private e-mail server. So you know, this hypocrisy here certainly at play, now we're learning again, the great lengths of the National Archives have to go to, to physically get these papers out of the former President's grip.

BOLDUAN: Is it clear -- I mean, he says multiple boxes, but is it clear what kind of documents we're talking about that he took down to Florida?

WILD: Well, according to The Washington Post, these are letters that would be between the former President and world leaders like Kim Jong- un. The love letters, if you remember Trump saying that they fell in love that there were these love letters between the two world leaders. That's an example of something that would have -- would have been in these documents that were then I guess, handed back over to the National Archives.

Another example is a letter that was left for his successor, President Barack Obama. These examples are critical, Kaye, because the Presidential Records Act stipulates that you have to preserve communications, memos, letters, notes, these are not just meant to fill your scrapbook of what it was like in your time in the White House. These are presidential records that are supposed to be handed over to the National Archives, an example that did not happen here. Back to you.

BOLDUAN: Whitney, thank you so much. Coming up for us, unruly passengers causing chaos in the skies, still now one airline CEO wants the Justice Department to step in and take greater action. I'm going to talk to transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg about it next.

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[11:35:00]

BOLDUAN: And this just in, a mega-merger. Two of America's most popular low-fare Airlines are becoming one. Frontier and Spirit Airlines, announcing a $6.6 billion merger this morning, the new company, which is not yet been named, would become America's fifth- largest Airline if approved by Regulator serving 145 destinations and over a thousand -- with over a thousand flights a day, so more to come on that.

[11:40:00]

BOLDUAN: But there's also this, unruly passengers. They are being booted from the flights -- from flights in record numbers. The FAA says 2021 was the worst year for passengers acting out on flights in the United States. It is incidents like those which have Delta's CEO, Ed Bastian, now pleading with the Biden administration for more help. In a letter he wrote to the Attorney General, Bastian writes this in

part. We are requesting you support our efforts with respect to the much-needed step of putting any person convicted of an onboard disruption on a National Comprehensive, unruly passenger, a no-fly list that would bar that person from traveling on any commercial air carrier.

Joining me now from this and more is Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Secretary, thank you for being here. You've talked about this in the past, should this happen, a no-fly list for unruly passengers?

PETE BUTTIGIEG, TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: I think we need to take a look at it. Look, the airlines are often doing their own internal no- fly list, some of them have spoken about maybe coordinating on that and we're looking at these policy recommendations as well. Not that we're waiting for that in order to take action, the FAA has a zero- tolerance policy, fines have been increased, enforcement has been increased.

We've seen some encouraging news in terms of downward trends and unruly incidents. But let's be very clear, this is happening at an unacceptable rate. Anything besides zero is an unacceptable rate. If you are onboard an aircraft, you need to be -- I can't believe we will have to say this, but you need to listen to what flight crews say and you need to act in a way that is safe, not disruptive toward flight crews and toward your fellow passengers.

You know, they always say when you're buckling up your seatbelt, you hear it on the -- on the PA system in the plane. They are there primarily for your safety. And it is a safety concern when anybody is acting up on an airplane.

BOLDUAN: I think people see these incidents, see these horrible videos and see just how people have kind of lost it when on onboard flights over masks and such and I think a lot of people wonder why hasn't this broad comprehensive no-fly list for unruly passenger has been put in place yet? I mean, the airlines have been talking about it. They say they need help to do it. What's the -- is there even an argument against it, Secretary?

BUTTIGIEG: Well, you know there is a terrorist no-fly list.

BOLDUAN: Right.

BUTTIGIEG: That was a big challenge to implement, and not something that you do lightly. But I do think we need to look at every policy tool that can help here because it's simply unacceptable for flight crews, or, for that matter, fellow passengers to have to deal with this. And that's why we also support the steps that airlines are taking and we have their back with FAA enforcement that is coming down hard on people who are being found to have committed these kinds of disruptive incidents.

BOLDUAN: Look and Bastian's reaching out to Merrick Garland for help. You know, they -- he's not writing the letter, just you know, for fun. What -- is there one thing that's standing in the way of this getting implemented? Is it something that people -- something more complicated that people don't understand?

BUTTIGIEG: Well, obviously, there are enormous implications in terms of civil liberties, in terms of how you administer something like that. I mean, even when it was over terrorism, it was not a simple thing to set up so none of these things can be done lightly. But I think all these things need to be looked at, at a moment like this.

And at the same time, we also have to recognize that there's clearly something deeper that's going on in our society that makes anybody think that it's acceptable or tolerable to behave this way. You simply should not behave this way on an airplane. We shouldn't behave this way on the ground either. But in air travel, it's a unique risk.

And it's especially important that we're backing up flight attendants and flight crews that are essential workers, they have been getting our travel and transportation sector through this pandemic, they deserve respect, they deserve support and, of course, they deserve better than some of what we're seeing happening in our skies.

BOLDUAN: Another major issue under your watch is the country's roads and bridges. And a report out last week really caught my attention when it said that more than one in three bridges in the U.S. are in need of major repair work or replacement. And also, that's an improvement, actually from the year prior, which I think is the scariest part. Is there enough money in the infrastructure package to take care of all that?

BUTTIGIEG: Well, I'll tell you, even with the federal dollars that we have, we're going to have to partner up with state and local efforts. But we have the resources to do that. This is what it looks like when you go 20, 30, 40 years without investing enough in U.S. infrastructure that has very real specific consequences.

And I think that's one of the reasons why, in a very divided Washington, you saw a lot of Republicans crossover to join the President, to join Democrats, and get this infrastructure bill done. We have already started putting out the funding to get these bridges repaired. And you know, it's not just the big bridges that get a lot of attention, but sometimes it's a rural bridge that may seem small but it's not a small thing in your commute or in your life if a bridge goes out, if it has to be closed because of safety restrictions and you've got to go half an hour out of your way to get to where you're going.

[11:45:00]

BUTTIGIEG: And it's not just a matter of convenience, either. It's also a supply chain issue. You know you don't even have to drive to be affected by the condition of our bridges because groceries and other goods can take longer and cost more to get to where they need to be if we don't have a healthy road and bridge network.

Now we got the resources in this bill to upgrade or improve or fix up to 15,000 bridges in the country. And where there used to be a state -- a federal-local share, we've been able to cover 100 percent of them in a lot of these cases where local communities found even doing the 20 percent that they were supposed to, was a barrier to things getting done. So simple -- to put it simply, we have a historic opportunity now to make these kinds of repairs and there's not a moment to lose because they've been building up for so long.

BOLDUAN: Yes, looking no further than Pittsburgh when you think about that.

BUTTIGIEG: You got it.

BOLDUAN: I do want to ask you, Senator Joe Manchin, he said on CNN very clearly yesterday that on the Build Back Better bill, that bill will no longer exist, is how he put it. You've been very outspoken, and you've called the outlines of this package, good policy that has to get done. How much harder did that just become with Joe Manchin making clear that the negotiation is dead?

BUTTIGIEG: Well, look, we're continuing to work to make sure that we put together the best, strongest policy that can get 50 votes in the Senate and I believe that we can do something big here. Look, you do start lowering the subscription drugs --

BOLDUAN: You do still even with that?

BUTTIGIEG: -- Absolutely, yes. Look, we don't know exactly what the name of it will be, what the vehicle will be, or what all of the pieces will be but we know that we've got to do something to lower costs for Americans, especially when you look at the continued concerns we have around inflation.

So you know the President's proposals, which economists have said will lower inflationary pressures, making it easier to afford childcare, making it easier to afford prescription drugs, insulin, I don't need a lot of people who are against making it more affordable to have prescription drugs and insulin in this country making -- you know obviously, I'm a big believer in making electric vehicles more affordable so more low income and rural drivers can get in on those gas savings that you can have, making sure that we act on all of these things that the President has put forward.

And exactly what package of them can win 50 votes and advance in the Senate, that's what has to be worked out in days ahead. But there's no question that on climate, on health care, on child care, we've got to act. And again, I think that that majority is there. It's definitely there among the American people. We just got to get it there in the Senate.

BOLDUAN: Yes, days more like weeks and months ahead with the -- with the way that it's going in Congress. But regardless, Secretary, thank you for coming in.

BUTTIGIEG: Thank you for having me. Good to see you.

BOLDUAN: I really appreciate it. Good to see you. Coming up for us, Joe Rogan is apologizing again, as dozens of episodes of his podcast are taken down from Spotify. Where is this headed down? That's next.

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[11:50:00]

BOLDUAN: Trending this morning, Spotify is standing by Joe Rogan as the popular podcaster is again at the center of controversy. The streaming service removed dozens of his episodes over his past use of racial slurs. Rogan, now responding himself after this video caught fire.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE ROGAN, HOST, THE JOE ROGAN EXPERIENCE: You know the things -- yes -- saying the word. I already said no. He said he is just like -- She's calling you like this. Boy, that he's in -- let's start calling them for. There should be a word like, especially like the word. That's our -- he says -- guy and they started saying -- to use the word -- out the word -- he couldn't say no.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: God, that is a lot. CNN's Brian Stelter joins me now, Brian, what is the latest with this?

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: That's right. This compilation made by liberal critics of Rogan, published online catching fire on social media this weekend, Rogan then apologized. And the question was, what would Spotify do? Overnight, we heard from Spotify CEO Daniel Ek for the first time, he said, essentially, he's standing by Rogan.

Of course, he denounced the use of that racial epithet in the past but he said "I strongly condemn what Joe has said and I agree with his decision to remove past episodes from our platform, I realized some will want more." But he's not doing more he said. "We should have clear lines around content and take action when they are crossed, but canceling voices is a slippery slope."

Of course, this isn't about canceling voices, it is about what the rules of the road are in corporate America and normally, we've seen this story before where a big company faces a situation like this and they usually sever ties with someone like Rogan. But in this case, Spotify not doing so, and the question now, Kate is whether we're going to see more artists, whether we're going to see subscribers cancel, whether more pressure will come on Spotify.

Meantime, this right-wing service rumble, which wants to present itself as an alternative to other big tech platforms, it has come out this morning saying hey Rogan, come join us, we'll pay you $100 million. I'm not sure if that's a plausible claim or not but it's -- the splintering of the internet, Kate that's happening in many ways, two versions of the internet, and we'll see if Rogan saves on Spotify or leaves for another platform.

BOLDUAN: And so you set the stage for the next chapter and all this. It's good to see you, Brian, thank you very much.

STELTER: You too, thanks.

BOLDUAN: To Minnesota now, the state, taking a fresh look at its no- knock warrant policies after a deadly police shooting last week. Police body camera video captures officers entering an apartment where 22-year-old Amir Locke appears to be asleep and police fire multiple times at him when they see a gun. But it is important to note that Locke was not a target of the warrant. CNN's Adrienne Broaddus has been following all of the details here. She joins me now. Adrienne, what is happening now with these no-knock warrants?

ADRIENNE BROADDUS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kate, good morning to you. For now, the city's mayor Jacob Frey has initiated a delay in the execution and requests of no-knock warrants in Minneapolis. And later today, an arm of the city council, its government Oversight Committee will hold a discussion on these no-knock policies. Over the weekend, we saw demonstrators take the streets of Minneapolis protesting, calling for change.

Even Governor Walz commented, speaking to our affiliate, WCCO, in Minneapolis, calling these policies dangerous. He said in part, I'm sorry, it took this tragedy but there are voices now across the political spectrum that see these policies as dangerous. The governor is saying the state needs to examine the policies and look at some of the best practices.

[11:55:00]

BROADDUS: A big question a lot of people have at this hour is will there be changed at the state level? Meanwhile, the family of 22-year- old Amir Locke is vowing for justice, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Adrienne, thank you so much for that. Much more to come from Minneapolis, Minnesota, I really appreciate it. And thank you all for being with us AT THIS HOUR, I'm Kate Bolduan. INSIDE POLITICS with John King starts after a quick break.

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