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The Lead with Jake Tapper

Some States Move Quickly To Ban Abortion After Roe Overturned; VP Harris Sits Down With CNN For First Interview After Roe Reversal; Biden To G7 Leaders: We Need To Stick Together Over Ukraine; White House Warns GOP Trying To "Strip Women Of Their Rights"; Testing Artificial Intelligence To Prevent Mass Shootings; Americans Struggle To Pay Rent Amid Highest Inflation In 40 Years. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired June 27, 2022 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:00:42]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: The Supreme Court had its say on Roe, but now, whole new battles are brewing.

THE LEAD starts right now.

In the streets, in courtrooms, and legislative chambers nationwide, new actions as abortions rights wade into a new post-Roe era.

From peaceful demonstrations to some scuffles, to vandals also trying to inflame the debate.

Plus, a CNN exclusive. One-on-one with Vice President Kamala Harris. Her take as such a pivotal decision divides the nation.

And the cost of living. A closer look at sky-high rent prices and the crippling effect on so many people just trying to get by.

(MUSIC)

BROWN: Welcome to THE LEAD. I'm Pamela Brown, in for Jake Tapper.

And we start today with our politics lead. And fallout from the monumental Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe versus Wade. Today, a portrait of an increasingly divided America. At least ten states now have effectively banned abortion with varying exceptions or none at all.

Another handful of states are expected to enact bans in the coming days and weeks. Meanwhile, abortion rights activists are launching new legal challenges on the state level while Democratic governors are promising to expand abortion access and protect people who travel there for care.

A fourth day of protest is planned in cities across the country today after a weekend of marches, rallies, and at times violent demonstrations.

In moments, you'll hear from Vice President Kamala Harris who just sat down with CNN for her first interview since the Supreme Court decision.

And we start with CNN's Nadia Romero and a closer look at how these changes are already affecting women and girls across the country.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NADIA ROMERO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Chaos and confusion after Friday's Supreme Court ruling, allowing states to immediately begin to set their own abortion policy, leaving women across the country with varying levels of access. At least ten states have effectively banned abortion. They're among 26 states which were certain or likely to ban abortion once Roe was overturned, according to the Guttmacher Institute. That includes Mississippi, where this morning, the state's attorney general certified a trigger law which goes into effect in ten days and prohibits abortion with few exceptions.

LYNN FITCH (R), MISSISSIPPI ATTORNEY GENERAL: The task now falls to us to advocate for the laws that empower women, laws that promote fairness in child support and enhanced enforcement of it.

ROMERO: The decision prompting Mississippi to take a look at its current laws to protect women and kids. It ranks 50th, dead last, for overall child wellbeing based on health and education.

OMERIA SCOTT (D), MISSISSIPPI STATE REPRESENTATIVE: It's been surprising to me, actually, to hear the leadership, the governor, the speaker, the lieutenant governor talking about what they're going to do for women's health when they won't even expand Medicaid, which would give women health care in the state.

ROMERO: A trigger ban in Texas will go into effect 30 days after Friday's ruling, but the state's attorney general already announced that local prosecutors can begin enforcing a six-week ban passed last year before Roe was overturned.

Providers in Oklahoma, which has implemented a trigger ban, say they're worried about the resources for underprivileged women.

ANDREA GALLEGOS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, TULSA WOMEN'S CLINIC: We give resources to all of the patients with other clinics, names and phone numbers out of state, as well as resources that could help pay for the abortion and help pay for travel to get to those states.

ROMERO: In other states, things are less clear cut. In Michigan, the governor filed a motion urging the state Supreme Court to review a lawsuit to protect abortion rights. A 1931 law on the books there would ban abortion without exceptions for rape and incest.

GOV. GRETCHEN WHITMER (D), MICHIGAN: There is a lot of confusion about what this means for IVF, for practitioners.

ROMERO: And an appeals court is set to rule on Georgia's fetal heartbeat law which would ban abortion about six weeks into a pregnancy. STACEY ABRAMS (D), GEORGIA GOV. CANDIDATE: That is horrendous, that

is appalling and it is wrong. And as the next governor, I'm going to do everything in my power to reverse it.

ROMERO: Meanwhile, some Republican governors are signaling they'll take action to block access to FDA-approved abortion pills.

GOV. KRISTI NOEM (R), SOUTH DAKOTA: In South Dakota, we've already had a bill passed that said on telemedicine abortions, that we don't believe it should be available because it is a dangerous situation for those individuals.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[16:05:03]

ROMERO: Just this afternoon, a Louisiana judge blocked the state's trigger laws on abortion. A lawsuit filed argued that those trigger laws were unconstitutionally vague. Now, there's a temporary restraining order until a hearing set for July 8th.

Back here in Mississippi, the state's last abortion clinic, the pink house behind me, will open its doors again tomorrow, but it will have less than ten days before the director says they'll shut down for good -- Pamela.

BROWN: All right. Nadia Romero, thank you so much.

And there are renewed questions today about what the Supreme Court decision means for contraception and abortion pills that could be delivered by mail, and also about whether states that ban abortion will try to punish women who leave the state for care.

CNN's Alexandra Field is in Missouri where abortion has already been banned and state Republicans are looking to target what they call abortion tourism.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(CHANTING)

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In at least ten states now, women with almost no access to abortion care left scrambling. It's what women in Missouri have done for years. Fleeing across state lines from a state with almost no abortion access to Illinois for care.

The single abortion clinic left in St. Louis is no longer performing procedures. Now, advocates in one of the staunchest anti-abortion states in the nation are poised to make access to abortion even harder.

MARY ELIZABETH COLEMAN (R), MISSOURI STATE HOUSE: It's hard to state what a victory this is for the pro-life movement.

FIELD: Mary Elizabeth Coleman is a Republican state representative who helped draft the trigger law that effectively banned abortion in Missouri within just moments of the Supreme Court's ruling.

Her top legislative priority: making sure access to abortion in Missouri can never come back.

COLEMAN: We have to make sure through a ballot initiative or a referendum for a constitutional change to make sure that there is no way to find a right to abortion in our state constitution.

FIELD: Coleman also leaves the door open for the state legislature to consider new limits to what she calls abortion tourism. Previous proposals have failed to gain traction.

What does that look like potentially?

COLEMAN: There's a definition about aiding or abetting, violating the laws of the state of Missouri, that you would be able to have some kind of Texas style enforcement so there could be several penalties for doing so.

FIELD: Coleman says the abortion ban already outlaws medication abortion. Some abortion rights opponents say the state should crack down more on the importation of FDA-approved pills.

SAM LEE, DIRECTOR, CAMPAIGN LIFE MISSOURI: The battle is not over. The battleground has changed.

FIELD: A group of St. Louis' alderwomen say they're ready to fight for abortion rights, introducing a bill on the day the decision came down to use COVID relief funds to provide abortion support, including for travel.

CHRISTINE INGRASSIA, MISSOURI ALDERWOMAN: This bill will provide $1 million in funding to access abortions so it could be lodging, transportation, meals, child care, things of that nature.

FIELD: As the desert of care dries up, St. Louis' Democratic Congresswoman Cori Bush says solutions could come from new frontiers, like using federal lands for abortion clinics. Expanding existing clinics, and trying to find federal dollars to support women in need.

REP. CORI BUSH (D), MISSOURI: Right now, it seems like -- for some, it seems like all is lost. It's just more difficult.

FIELD: Alexandra Field, CNN, St. Louis, Missouri.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: And our thanks to Alexandra for that report.

And turning now to a CNN exclusive and Vice President Kamala Harris' first interview since the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade.

CNN's Dana Bash just got back from speaking with the vice president.

So, Dana, what did she have to say? DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, one of the most important questions that everybody who I have talked to has is, what can the executive branch do? What can the president and she do in the short term?

And then the other question, given her historic role, is her personal reaction.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BASH: Madam Vice President, thank you so much for having me here.

You were on a plane when the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade.

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Yes, I was.

BASH: As the highest-ranking woman ever elected in U.S. history...

HARRIS: Yes.

BASH: ... what was going through your mind at that moment?

HARRIS: Well, so, I was on Air Force Two heading to Aurora, Illinois, to talk about maternal health.

We were with Lauren Underwood, with the chair of Judiciary, Dick Durbin, Senate Judiciary. We were headed there to unveil a plan based on the work we have been doing to ensure that women receive the kind of support they need during and post pregnancy.

And we thought that the decision would come down sometime soon, but not at that moment. And I was shocked.

And it's one thing when you know something's going to happen. It's another thing when it actually happens. And I just actually turned to CNN.

(LAUGHTER)

[16:10:01]

HARRIS: And I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe it, because they actually did it.

And here's what they did. They -- the court actually took a constitutional right that has been recognized for half-a-century and took it from the women of America.

That's shocking, when you think about it, in terms of what that means in terms of democratic principles, in terms of the ideals upon which we were founded about liberty, about freedom. I thought about it as a parent. We have two children who are in their 20s, a son and a daughter.

I thought about it as a godparent of teenagers. I thought of it as an aunt of preschool children. BASH: And a woman yourself.

HARRIS: And a woman myself, and the daughter of a woman, and a granddaughter of a woman.

And my husband and I are actually talking about it. We have a 23-year- old, and my mother-in-law's in her 80s. Our daughter will not know the rights for the court -- for the amount of time that my mother-in-law knew these rights, which is the right that should be well-settled that a woman should have to make decisions about her own body.

And, when we think about it, everyone has something at risk on this. First of all, if you are a parent of sons, do think about what this means for the life of your son, and what that will mean in terms of the choices he will have.

Do think about it in the context of the fact that they wrote this decision, including the concurring opinions, that suggest that other rights, such as the freedom to make decisions about when you are going to start a family, the freedom and the right to make decisions about contraception, IUDs, what this is going to mean in terms of in vitro fertilization.

BASH: Well, let me ask you about that.

HARRIS: Yes.

BASH: Because Justice Thomas -- this is what you're referring to -- did write...

HARRIS: Right.

BASH: ... a concurring opinion saying the court should reconsider other cases of precedent that protect same-sex marriage, contraception, intimacy, and more.

HARRIS: Right. Right.

BASH: Do you think that the Supreme Court is on a path to reverse those as well?

HARRIS: I definitely believe this is not over. I do.

I think he just said the quiet part out loud. And I think that is why we all must really understand the significance of what just happened. This is profound. And the way that this decision has come down has been so driven, I think, by the politics of the issue vs. what should be the values that we place on freedom and liberty in our country, right, the right to privacy.

Let's think of this in the context of the laws that are being passed in states. Dana, in 13 states, by my count, they will not allow a woman to have access to reproductive health and to an abortion if she is the victim of rape or incest.

So let me tell you something. As a former prosecutor who specialized in crimes of violence against women and girls, in particular, child sexual assault and rape, the idea that, after a woman has endured such violence to her body, that she would not have the freedom and authority to decide whether she wanted to continue with a pregnancy that is a result of an act of violence is absolutely unthinkable.

BASH: So, because you are now the vice president of the United States...

HARRIS: Yes.

BASH: ... part of an administration that is pledging to fight back to find ways to protect women's rights to abortion...

HARRIS: Yes.

BASH: ... I want to ask you some of the things that are kind of out there that some of your former female senators, Senate colleagues, are asking the administration to do.

HARRIS: Sure.

BASH: Will the administration actively challenge state laws that make it a crime for someone to help a woman travel to another state for an abortion?

HARRIS: So, the president, rightly, last week, when the decision came down, indicated quite unambiguous -- unambiguously that we will do everything within our power as an administration through the executive branch to ensure that women have access to the medication they need, and which has been, by the way, FDA-approved, and that they will have freedom of travel, and that that travel should be unrestricted.

[16:15:02]

BASH: And you're going to do that through the courts, if need be?

HARRIS: I'm sure that the -- that our Department of Justice is going to do that, based on every statement that the attorney general has made.

BASH: Can the administration expand abortion access or abortion services on federal land, meaning provide the access on federal land that might be in and around states that ban abortion?

HARRIS: I think that what is most important right now is that we ensure that the restrictions that the states are trying to put up that would prohibit a woman from exercising what we still maintain is her right, that we do everything we can to empower women to not only seek, but to receive the care where it is available.

(CROSSTALK)

BASH: Is federal land one of those options?

HARRIS: I mean, it's not right now what we are discussing. But I will say that, when I think about what is happening in terms of the states, we have to also recognize, Dana, that we are 130-odd days away from an election, which is going to include Senate races, right? Part of the issue here is that the court has acted. Now Congress needs to act. But we, if you count the votes, don't appear to have the votes in the Senate.

Well, there's an election happening in 130-odd days, I'm taking -- for example, thinking of a Senate race in Georgia or North Carolina. There's the Senate race coming up just in a couple of weeks in Colorado. And we need to change the balance and have pro-choice legislators who have the power to make decisions about whether this constitutional right will be in law, right?

We say codified. Put it in law, so that there will be no ambiguity about it.

BASH: And I want to ask you about that in one second.

HARRIS: Yes.

BASH: Just a couple of more questions, because what I'm hearing -- and you probably are too -- is, what can this Democratic administration do right now with any executive power that the president has?

HARRIS: Yes.

BASH: Can the administration actually increase access to medication abortion?

HARRIS: I think we're pretty clear that, to the extent that we can, we will. There's no question about that, because, again, it is FDA- approved, and if it is prescribed, if it is -- that a woman should be able to have access to it unfettered.

BASH: And what about the idea of financial resources, some form of voucher for travel, child care services, other forms of support for people...

HARRIS: Yes.

BASH: ... for women seeking abortions in states where it's not legal, but they just don't have the means to go elsewhere?

HARRIS: Right.

I think you're asking a very important point -- making a very important point, which is, what are the details that are going to go into ensuring that women have the ability to actually travel without impairment?

And we know that, on this issue, women who have access to resources will probably be far less impacted by this decision than women who don't have resources. So this is something that we are looking at, because we know, for example, in terms of how this is going to actually impact real people, over half of women who receive abortions in America are moms.

That means that, if they're going to have to travel, they have got to find day care and pay for it. It means that they will, if they are working, which most are, they're going to have to have time from work. And if they don't have paid leave, they're going to have to figure out how to afford it.

It means that they may have to put up money for a train or a bus or a plane, much less a hotel. And so we want to make sure that there does not result extreme disparities are any disparities based on who can receive care based on how much money they have got.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BASH: And you heard her talk about the election coming up in 2022.

And, Pamela, I asked her what I'm hearing from a lot of Democrats, I'm sure you are as well, which is, wait a minute. We elected the Democrats for the executive branch, the president, the House, the Senate. They're all in charge. Why not try to do something now?

And the way to do that, of course, would be for her to endorse getting rid of the filibuster in the Senate for this issue. The president did that for voting rights, nothing else.

She wouldn't go there on that, particularly was -- I thought was interesting, because she is the president of the Senate. She said, just the votes aren't there, so I'm not going there.

One other thing -- and we can tease this for later. I asked about her predecessor, the former Vice President Mike Pence, and about January 6. And she said that she commends him for the job that he did that day.

BROWN: Sounds like she was practicing some restraint, perhaps.

(LAUGHTER)

BROWN: All right, Dana, thank you so much.

BASH: Thank you.

BROWN: And we're going to have more of her interview with the vice president coming up next on "THE SITUATION ROOM WITH WOLF BLITZER."

And up next, here on THE LEAD, President Biden at the G-7. The response he and other world leaders gave when Ukraine's president said he wants his war with Russia over within the next six months.

Plus, could artificial intelligence possibly prevent future mass shootings?

[16:20:05]

See the technology being tested right now by a group of former Navy SEALs. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:24:01]

BROWN: In our world lead, leaders gather for the G-7 say they will support Ukraine for as long as it takes. This pledge after Ukrainian President Zelenskyy addressed the group virtually today, telling President Biden and other world leaders he wants the war over by the end of the year.

CNN's Kaitlan Collins is live near the summit site.

So, Kaitlan, the show of unity comes as Russia is making fresh gains in Ukraine. What are the G-7 leaders agreeing to do?

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, it raises a lot of concerns because the last time these leaders met, Pam, they were so surprised by how well Ukraine was doing. Now it's kind of become this grinding conflict, and they're trying to avoid that going on for too long. And so a few things they're doing while they're here at this summit is talking about ways to make Putin pay. And the fist one is one you'll see the U.S. formally unveil yesterday, but that's an agreement by Biden and other G-7 leaders to ban imports of Russian gold. That is Russia's second top export besides energy. The U.K. takes in billions of dollars of Russian gold each year.

[16:25:00]

So that is one step that they're taking.

And the other one when it comes to financially hurting Putin is they're trying to come to an agreement on capping the price of Russian oil because, of course, a lot of these leaders have said that is what Putin is using to fund his war in Ukraine as he's been cut off from the world in other ways economically.

And so they have not come to an agreement on that yet. Simply in principle, that's what they're seeking to do. The White House is expressing a lot of optimism that they're going to get there, so that remains to be seen. But it does come as they're having this concern, these world leaders, about managing their own economic fallout in their own countries where there are higher food prices, higher gas prices, obviously exacerbated by this banning of Russian oil and attempts to get Europe off Russian oil.

And so, that is definitely something that is top of mind for these leaders. But the other thing and the appeal they heard from the Ukrainian president today when he spoke to them virtually was the timing of all this. Because he said he wants to see this war come to an end by the end of 2022. Of course, just about six months away, and he asked and pleaded with these G-7 leaders to try to really maximize the next few months to put Ukraine in the best position it can be to, of course, try to defeat Russia.

BROWN: And some G-7 leaders were heard also, Kaitlan, lightly mocking Putin during a working lunch. Tell us about that. COLLINS: Yeah, it's obviously no secret that they do not have this

chummy relationship with Putin, especially since this invasion happened.

But as they were silting down, you saw British Prime Minister Boris Johnson asking the others if they were going to wear their suit jackets during the lunch. He made this off-hand remark about looking tough in front of Putin. Then, you heard the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau respond, making fun of those photos you have seen of Putin shirtless on a horse. You have seen other ones where he's fishing and what not, these macho type images. They were really making fun of it as they were all getting together to discuss very serious issues that are every one of their countries is dealing with, and also taking time to make fun of Putin as well, Pamela.

BROWN: All right. Kaitlan Collins traveling with the president near the G-7 summit. Thanks so much, Kaitlan.

And up next, what we just heard from the vice president on abortion rights. What legal options does the Biden administration have, as more states look to crack down.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:31:42]

BROWN: In the politics lead, a warning from the White House that Republicans are trying to, quote, strip women of their rights in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade. Vice President Kamala Harris telling our own Dana Bash earlier this hour the White House is ready to fight this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: We will do everything within our power as an administration through the executive branch to insure that women have access to the medication they need, which has been, by the way, FDA approved, and that they will have freedom of travel and that travel should be unrestricted.

BASH: And you're going to do that through the courts if need be?

HARRIS: I'm sure that our Department of Justice is going to do that based on every statement that the attorney general has made.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: The key here, Paula, is what is within the White House power, what can it actually do. And she made clear as the president of the Senate that getting rid of the filibuster, this wasn't something that they were pursuing on this.

PAUL BEGALA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Right. They just don't have the votes for it.

BROWN: Yeah. BEGALA: There's only 48 Democrats who want to limit the filibuster, and you need 50. And they don't have it, they won't get it. And I understand the bully pulpit and all that.

But the White House is not only in Washington, it's in the real world. I think it's wise the vice president didn't pick a fight she can't possibly win.

I think the two huge fights they seem to be headed for are on the FDA, which has approved a pill that's safe and effective, and some states, the governor of South Dakota yesterday said she wanted to restrict that.

So, she's going to start searching the mail of the women of her state? And then the right to travel. The Constitution guaranteed everyone the right to interstate travel. And all of a sudden now, states are going to say, well, you can't go here. I want to know why.

I need a permission slip. I need a hall pass. Why are you going to California? Are you visiting your cousin? Or are you having -- I mean, that's really smart ground I think for the president to be fighting.

BROWN: Right.

ALICE STEWART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: One of the things I also heard the vice president say in that interview was that the Supreme Court has stripped the constitutional rights of women. Well, first off, she's the vice president. She's not a member of the Supreme Court.

The courts ruled this is not a constitutionally protected right and it's not in their purview and turned it over to the states. They said that Roe was egregiously wrong from the start, so now it's where it should be, back in the hands of the states.

I have talked to many pro-life leaders who now realize now the war is on in terms of the effort to continue to protect the life of the unborn at the state level. They're working already, many are going to several states, meeting with legislators because they would like to see a national ban on this, but the reality is, we would not have the votes in the House and the Senate to pass that.

So the goal now is to win over the hearts and minds of Americans to protect the sanctity of life.

BROWN: There is so much confusion, though, still. I mean, with these trigger laws, which states have them, which states don't, and I pressed a Republican congressman from Ohio, Warren Davidson, last night about the bill there in Ohio now that the heartbeat bill, so- called heartbeat bill, which bans abortions after about six weeks when there is a heartbeat.

And I asked him if he's comfortable with the idea of a 12-year-old child being raped and being forced to carry that baby to term if she becomes pregnant from the rape. And here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. WARREN DAVIDSON (R), OHIO: I fully support Ohio's law. I think it's a great law.

[16:35:00]

And it is a compromise. Like I say, rape is raised as an objection, but the heartbeat bill already deals with that. I mean, anyone -- it's hard to conceive of somebody who doesn't know they were raped for two months.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: And I went on to explain there are so many complexities when it comes to rape. And I would never want to put my shoes in the someone who was raped going through that, let alone a 12-year-old who may not know she could get pregnant.

That aside, it does seem like some anti-abortion Republicans are struggling with some of the basic moral and ethical and medical questions arising from some of these laws. These are difficult questions.

STEWART: This is a difficult issue. This is an emotional issue. This is one that has so many nuances to this.

But the reality is, pro-life Republicans are going to fight and continue to fight for the sanctity of life. I happen to believe there should be exceptions in the case of rape, incest, and life of the mother. Others who are strong on the pro-life issue disagree with that.

But this is an issue that will continue to be fought by pro-life advocates at the state level and working across the country to make sure that these measures are strictly adhered to at the state level and working to expand it to other states that currently are pro- abortion.

BEGALA: Well, this is becoming a major issue in the midterms. Abigail Spanberger, congresswoman from the seventh district of Virginia, front line member, really vulnerable Democrat. Her opponent, the state Democratic Party sent me this statement today, her opponent says that rape doesn't happen. It doesn't cause pregnancy very often because this is a quote from the Republican candidate. It's not something that's happening organically. You're forcing it. The individual, the man is doing it quickly, et cetera.

It just -- I think quite stunningly is cruel and certainly politically, I think it's unwise for candidates to go out there and pretend that rape somehow can't cause a pregnancy.

BROWN: That's outrageous. Bottom line, we know plenty of women who have been raped who have become impregnated.

I want to get to another topic that sort of surprised us today. This press release from the January 6th Committee announcing a hearing tomorrow. It was supposed to be a couple weeks until there was another hearing. Now there's one tomorrow. The committee didn't give any details except it will include witness testimony.

Is there a danger, Paul, in overpromising and under-delivering here? I mean, a surprise, last-minute hearing will come with high expectations.

BEGALA: So far, they have over-delivered, I have to say. Usually, congressional hearings, I've been to million of them, are very boring, very predictable. Clumsy, scripted, pontificate, none of that. This has been brilliant.

I suspect -- we're in the business of breaking news here. This is breaking evidence. I have no idea. I have no inside knowledge.

But so far, this committee has done the best job of investigating and airing the facts that I have ever seen. Almost all the witnesses have been Republicans, by the way.

STEWART: Yeah, and I think most of the more damning testimony has come from Republicans, senior officials with the Trump administration. Right now, though, I think it has not been good for the former president. I think we have made a case that he was responsible for 9/11 -- January 6th. He should not have been pushing the election lies, and this has not been good for him.

But at the end of the day, it's somewhat of a Rorschach test. People are going to see and hear what they want to hear. Republicans who are pro-Trump are continuing to stand by him. Those who want to see something wrong in this are going to feel that way.

BROWN: And, of course, we don't know who's going to be testifying. Open to hearing your thoughts. Is there anyone you think could sway the minds of those skeptical Republicans, Alice?

STEWART: Well, there's been talk about Pat Cipollone, whether it is Alex -- the documentary filmmaker.

I think one person that has nothing to lose at this point would be Mo Brooks, Alabama that ran for Senate. Trump endorsed him and then took the endorsement back. He lost. I would love to hear from him.

BROWN: And, of course, he openly said he did ask for a pardon and he defended that, saying, you know, in his words, I was worried they were going to come after me, the socialist Democrats, quote/unquote. So, that's an interesting guest.

What about you, Paul?

BEGALA: Yeah, I have no idea, but I want the facts coming out. What is great about this is they're going to be under oath. Politicians are allowed to lie to the press sadly. They're not allowed to lie to Congress without going to jail.

BROWN: All right. We shall see tomorrow. So much suspense. Thank you both. STEWART: Thanks, Pam.

BROWN: Well, beyond the legal options, up next, the technology that a group of navy veterans say might just prevent a future mass shooting.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:43:35]

BROWN: Artificial intelligence technology is the latest tool being used to combat gun violence in schools and other places.

CNN's Josh Campbell takes a closer look at how it may save lives.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An armed gunman approaches a high school, casing the exterior and eventually making his way inside. But before he even gets to the door --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Last known location is OHS main office.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Law enforcement is en route.

CAMPBELL: Six hundred miles away, a team of security experts is already aware of the situation. Identifying the weapon and possible shooter using artificial intelligence technology, they're alerting authorities.

Rob, what did we just see?

ROB HUBERTY, COO, ZEROEYES : So, you just saw a demo of ZeroEyes in action. What we do is I started out in the parking lot. I walked around with air soft guns. Not real guns, but they have the same shape. And we process the video cameras frame by frame. And we ask one question, is there a gun in this image?

CAMPBELL: This is only a simulation that illustrates how artificial intelligence is being used in response to a wave of mass shootings.

Rob Huberty is chief operator officer of ZeroEyes. One of several emerging A.I gun detection companies. He and a group of fellow former Navy SEALs are hoping to reduce the amount of time it takes law enforcement to stop a threat.

HUBERTY: We found it pretty upsetting you could look back at some of these terrible scenarios and see impending doom and not be able to do anything. We want you to know before any shots are fired.

CAMPBELL: And with the added human element to their A.I. technology, they say they're able to provide detailed context to those responding on the ground.

[16:45:03]

MIKE LOWINGER, DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS, ZEROEYES: We have the human in the loop who is able to verify and send a verbal verification to that, you know, first responder, that main security point of contact.

CAMPBELL: This simulation is taking place at oxford high school in Michigan. One of several places piloting new gun detection technology.

Of course, for the students and staff here at Oxford High, planning for a mass hooting isn't an academic exercise. Late last year in the middle of a school day, this building became a crime scene.

ALISYCAMEROTA, CNN HOST: We are following horrible breaking news out of Michigan, yet another school shooting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The gunfire erupted this afternoon at a school just north of Detroit.

MIKE MCCABE, UNDERSHERIFF, OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN: The suspect fired multiple shots. There's multiple victims.

CAMBPELL: Less than a year ago, a gunman shot and killed four fellow students and wounded others. The tragedy prompted additional security measures including piloting ZeroEyes technology on some existing cameras throughout the campus.

JILL LEMOND, ASST. SUPT. OF SAFETY & SCHOOL OPERATIONS, OXFORD COMMUNITY SCHOOLS: We knew someone bad was in the building but we didn't know exactly where they were to find them on the cameras. This particular type of technology would pinpoint their location, geolocate them and give that information again not only to us but also to first responders to find that individual quickly.

CAMPBELL: While early detection technology might save police precious time in responding to a threat, there are still limitations. The ZeroEye system is designed to only detect a weapon that is brandished and the cost of new technology might prove challenging for those school districts already facing budget constraints.

Civil liberties advocates also warn --

JAY STANLEY, SENIOR POLICY ANALYST, AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION: That could incentivize us to blanket our school children's schools with cameras. There are questions around effectiveness. Will this really stop a shooter, especially if it doesn't alert on a gun? So there are practical questions and there are bigger questions about what this kind of technology will mean and where it will fit in in our society.

CAMPBELL: ZeroEyes says its platform currently used by clients in over 20 states was built with privacy concerns in mind.

HUBERTY: These cameras already exist. We're not putting any other cameras in. They're not watching real time cameras. They're just seeing key frame images. There's a box that say gun or no gun. If they verify that it is in fact a gun, they dispatch it.

CAMPBELL: The hope, alert authorities to a gun before it results in the next all too familiar mass shooting.

HUBERTY: I want to make the world a little better of a place, and this is a very simple tool that's just a step in the right direction.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAMPBELL (on camera): Now, Pamela, security experts tell us there's no single way to stop this wave of mass shootings that we have seen across the country. Mitigation involves everything from access to weapons to physically securing potential targets, and it's on that point that these former navy SEALs are hoping to make a difference, using technology to identify a gunman before a shot is ever fired.

BROWN: Let's hope it can do that. What a fascinating story. Thank you so much, Josh.

And up next, how the cost of rent is forcing some Americans to make tough choices just to stay alive.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:52:18]

BROWN: Skyrocketing mortgage rates and rent prices are squeezing out more and more people, and inflation is at a 40-year high, making the price of everyday necessities such as food and gas unmanageable for some.

CNN's Omar Jimenez met up with some Americans struggling with the balancing act.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For millions of Americans, paying rent means a balancing act.

EARLEAN BRAGGS, CHICAGO RENTER: I pay it every month. I don't pay it on time. I pay it when I get it.

JIMENEZ: Earlean Braggs and her two kids have been in this Chicago apartment for a little more than three years. She says she's making more money than she ever has. But it doesn't feel like it.

BRAGGS: Basically seems like those stimulus checks they gave us, they basically collecting it all back. Sometimes I have to not do one thing or not pay something in the full amount just to make sure something else is covered. And then catch back up on that the next round.

JIMENEZ: She's not alone either. Across the United States, inflation is at its highest levels in four decades, as rents have hit record highs this year. And mortgages have seen week to week increases not seen since the '80s.

According to a new report from the Center on budget and Policy Priorities, more than 10 million renters say they're not caught up on rent, as of March, the highest proportion in Black communities, where it's over 1 in 5 renters, down from peak pandemic levels but still higher than all other racial demographics.

And as federal renting aid stemming from the pandemic good gins to run out, it could get worse.

ROD WILSON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, LUGENIA BURNS HOPE CENTER: I don't even know how people are surviving in some situations. Inflation has constantly been going up. That hasn't stopped. This year, we have seen it really hit the sky, but wages have not gone up with those.

JIMENEZ: Which means it's not just rent. Marial Vaughn took public transport almost 15 miles just to get free food.

MARIAL VAUGHN, CHICAGO RESIDENT: It's crazy. You have to decide whether or not you're going to pay your rent or buy some food.

JIMENEZ: Rents rising, plus added costs from inflation. For many, have disrupted what were hard earned solutions from the pandemic.

ANDREW TAYLOR, HOUSING CASE MANAGER, NOURISHING HOPE: Seeing the impact it's had on people who we helped stabilize, it has been a challenge to have to shift that again, right? Your food cost is up, how do we re-budget that? That has been the biggest challenge in addition to the volume, the increase in volume in the last two weeks.

BRAGGS: This is my room.

JIMENEZ: For many families, the challenge comes from keeping up.

BRAGGS: I'm going to cry. To fill my tank up is $80.

[16:55:02]

When I first bought my truck, the fill up was $43. Everything is going straight to bills. Everything is a bill, bill, bill, bill. I mean, I just feel like I be robbing Peter to pay Paul, you know?

JIMENEZ: And, for Braggs, making ends meet is as much about her audience as it is a payment on the first of the month.

BRAGGS: Just striving day to day to make sure they're fine, let them see how hard their mom work so they know when they get older, hey, this wasn't no joke. My mom did this all by herself, because it's just me and them.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JIMENEZ (on camera): We know so many in her position, especially when it comes to those with kids. According to that same Budget and Policy Priorities Report, more than 30 percent of Black renters with kids reported being behind on rent. That's higher by far than any other racial demographic -- Pamela.

BROWN: Awful. Omar Jimenez, such important reporting there. Thank you for bringing that to us.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BROWN: Breaking news. Local officials now report multiple fatalities in at least 50 injuries after an Amtrak train derailed in Northern Missouri.

Our coverage continues in "THE SITUATION ROOM."