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Memorial Day Road Trips Expected To Top Highest Numbers In Decades; NCAA Deal Paves Way For Paying College Athletes; Donald Trump Praises Nikki Haley After She Endorses Him For President; Donald Trump Holds Campaign Rally In Bronx, New York; Political Trend Lines Show More Hispanics Voting For Republicans; Record Number Of Americans Prepare To Travel For Memorial Day Weekend. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired May 24, 2024 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00]

ROLAND GUTIERREZ, (D) TEXAS STATE SENATE: We had 95 officers on scene, and none of them were able to do the right thing here.

AMARA WALKER, CNN HOST: Senator Gutierrez, appreciate you joining us this morning. Thank you very much.

Another hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN HOST: Changing his tune. Donald Trump now has only nice things to say about his former Republican rival. What is he signaling now?

And we all love good in company. If you're traveling from Memorial Day, you'll be in very good company. A record breaking weekend expected on the roads and at airports across the country.

New technology meant to shut down rampant shoplifting is costing retailers and you, the consumer, the customer, billions of dollars.

I'm Kate Bolduan with John Berman. Amara Walker is in for Sarah. This as CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN HOST: This morning, in the immortal words of Jim Carrey, so you are saying there is a chance? Donald Trump opens the door to Nikki Haley for something, maybe, the day after Haley said she would vote for Donald Trump. We are hearing from him for the first time on what that might mean moving forward.

CNN's Steve Contorno with us now on what he's saying. Steve?

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: John, he's going from birdbrain to extending an olive branch to Nikki Haley, and this coming after she said that she is going to vote for Trump this November. We have been told for weeks that even though these two sides haven't talked, Trump would be willing to welcome Nikki Haley back into the fold as long as she made the first move. Well, she did that this week, and yesterday Trump said he would, quote -- she would, quote, "be on our team in some form." Now we're a long way away from understanding what being on that team means, that she could help fundraise. Does he mean maybe be having a job and his administration like she did when she was ambassador? That remains to be seen. But this is sort of the first step in some sort of Kumbaya between these former rivals.

BERMAN: And we're looking at pictures right now on the screen, Steve, of Donald Trump speaking in the Bronx, he held a big rally there. What was this all about?

CONTORNO: Well, this is part of his outreach toward black and Hispanic voters. He has been making this case that Biden is losing these demographics and there's an opportunity for people in these communities to consider Donald Trump this go around. And he was asked by FOX after yesterday's events what his pitch to these voters is. This is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You say you're different why?

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Because I did things in office that nobody else has done. Criminal justice reform, I did criminal justice reform at a level that nobody thought was possible to get. And I did that largely for the black and Hispanic community. They're the ones I wanted it. Opportunity zones with Tim Scott, and he was so much in favor of it. And it's probably maybe the best economic development package ever for African American, for Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans. We did a lot of things that people couldn't believe we were able to get done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CONTORNO: Now, this rally was held in a heavily Democratic area. There's little risk of the Bronx going for Donald Trump this November. But look, this is part of his outreach that he is trying to make a case in communities all across the country and especially in these swing states, area like Detroit, Atlanta, parts of the country where a little bit of a change in the feeling of certain communities one way or another could ultimately decide this election, John.

BERMAN: All right, Steve Contorno covering this for us. Steve, thank you very much. Kate?

BOLDUAN: So let's talk more about this right now. Harry, when you're learning -- oh, Harry Enten is here. Sorry.

(LAUGHTER)

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICS WRITER AND ANALYST: It's a Friday. It's a Memorial Day weekend. Come on.

BOLDUAN: Exactly. Harry is just always here. As Steve was talking about, the effort that Donald Trump and his campaign have been making to try to make inroads with black and Hispanic voting communities, you see that with this intent to go into deep blue, the deep-blue Bronx. But you actually think there's a larger story at play here that people aren't talking about.

ENTEN: I think there are a few things. Number one, guys, if you just put this newspaper up on the screen. Look, this is Donald Trump's hometown paper, "The New York Post." He got the headline that he wanted out of this, and this is something that Trump is so important him. But it's more than that, Kate. Look at the Crotona Park area, right, the Crotona Park precinct where that rally was held yesterday. It's a majority Hispanic precinct.

And I want you to take look essentially at the election results over the last few cycles, and what you would see there is essentially see that look, this is a very Democratic precinct, right. But look at the margin trend line here. You see Obama 94, Obama 96, Clinton 92. Biden won it, but by only 69 points. There's a --

[08:05:01]

BOLDUAN: Wait, wait, only 69 points?

ENTEN: Why is that important? Because look at that. That's 23 percentage points less than Hillary Clinton won it by. This is a sign of the Hispanic movement that we saw last cycle, right, where we saw, although Hispanics still favored the Democratic candidate in Joe Biden, they were less likely to favor him than they did Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama both times. And it's not just there that happened. We saw it in Hispanic precincts and counties across the country from southeast Florida, southern Texas, even in the Los Angeles area.

BOLDUAN: So past. Talk about present. What are the trends you're seeing among Hispanic voters this year?

ENTEN: Yes. So we saw a trend among Hispanic voters from 2016 to 2020, where they became less Democratic. Look at the trend that we're seeing right now in the polling, right? So if you look back at Hispanic voters at this point in the 2020 cycle, Joe Biden had a 25 point lead. Look at where that lead is today. It's just seven points. Donald Trump right now at 44 percent, if that held, would be a best performance for Republican candidate among Hispanic voters since George W. Bush back in 2004.

And this is part of a larger trend line, Kate, that we're seeing among non-white voters, we see among black voters as well -- we've discussed that on this program before -- whereby they're much more favorable to Donald Trump than they were four years ago. And of course, Donald Trump did better amongst those both of those groups in 2020 versus how he did in 2016.

BOLDUAN: Wrap it all up. As we see it right now, what does that mean for President Bidens pathway to 270 --

ENTEN: What does that mean --

BOLDUAN: -- electoral votes.

ENTEN: Exactly right. So essentially what that means is if you look nationally, Hispanics make about 10 percent of likely voters, all right? So where do they make up a lower percentage of that? They make him up in the Great Lake battleground states. Look at that.

BOLDUAN: Lower percentage.

ENTEN: Lower percentage, three percent in Michigan, two percent of Pennsylvania, four percent in Wisconsin. We have been harping over and over and over again that Joe Bidens best path to reelection is to run through the Great Lakes. And polling and results that we saw like in Crotona Park in 2020 and the polling that we see in 2024 just reinforce that. He is going to probably do best were white voters make up the vast majority of voters. He still has a path to 270 at this point, even though he's doing poorly, more poorly amongst Hispanics and black voters than he did four years ago because his numbers seemed to be holding with white voters who make up the vast majority of voters in those Great Lake battleground states.

BOLDUAN: Just watching the possibility of the realignment of coalitions is a fascinating thing that we're seeing.

ENTEN: It truly is. Oftentimes we think that politics are static, but the truth is, politics aren't static. They change all the time. If you had told me in 1976 that the deep south would be completely Republican by 2024, I wouldn't believe you. If you had told me 10 years ago that Donald Trump would be doing this well with Hispanic voters and black voters, I wouldn't believe you. But politics has an ability to surprises us.

BOLDUAN: It's really fascinating, really good, interesting analysis, Harry. Thank you.

ENTEN: Thank you.

BOLDUAN: Amara?

WALKER: Another state takes steps to limit women's reproductive rights. Louisiana could soon criminalize certain abortion medications.

And a game changer, the deal that paves the way to give cash to college athletes.

Planes, trains, and automobiles will be the -- will be packed through the weekend. We're tracking that travel trouble spots between you and your holiday.

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[08:12:50]

WALKER: This morning, many, many Americans may be a unofficially kicking off their summer with an official traffic jam. Over the holiday weekend, 38 million people will be traveling by car, another 3.5 million by plane, and nearly 2 million others will be on a cruise, a bus, or a train. According to AAA, we have not seen broads this packed since 2000. CNN's Pete Muntean and Ryan Young are covering it all. And first,

let's start with you, Pete. The roads there, a lot of people hitting the roads.

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A lot of people are hitting the roads. In fact, it's a little light right now, although it will get busier here at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. As the day and the weekend go on, they're anticipating 300,000 cars passing through this spot alone. It is the gateway to the beaches, Ocean City, Maryland, the Delaware beaches, really fits into the theme of this huge weekend for road trips.

You mentioned the superlative from AAA, the biggest since 2000, 38.4 million people traveling 50 miles or more. But think about that for a second. That's bigger than 2019 before the pandemic, four percent bigger than last year, bigger than 2005, which was also a huge year after the slump of travel following 9/11.

The big thing that is driving this according to AAA, are gas prices. The national average of a gallon of gas now $3.61. Compare that to last year, about the same. People with longer memories might think that is high, but you have to consider that so many people now are budgeting for travel. This whole idea of revenge travel is really ingrained in the society of America right now.

And Aixa Diaz from AAA says people really aren't seeming to budge on their plans. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AIXA DIAZ, AAA SPOKESPERSON: Gas prices, though, have never really been a factor in terms of keeping people home. AAA has always found that people will just budget around gas prices. It's certainly nice that we're not paying some astronomical number right now, but it doesn't really hold people back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MUNTEAN: The bottom line here is you have to leave early if you're going to hit the road. The best times to travel between -- before 11:00 a.m. or after 8:00 p.m. the worst times, the middle of the day between noon and 7:00 p.m., especially in a day like today when there is still normal traffic and normal commuters out there, because it is still a workday for so many cause it is still a workday for so many people.

[08:15:16]

So as the day goes on, there may be a confluence, not one of normal commuters, but also that holiday traffic. Could be a big jam in the air too. The TSA says, of the last month, we have seen five of the Top 10 days for air travel in May and just yesterday was the second biggest day for area travel of all time, 2.9 million people screened at airports nationwide.

WALKER: I mean, lots of traffic out there. Pete Muntean, thanks so much.

Let's bring in Ryan Young now at Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson International Airport for the latest on what is going on in the skies. I can see TSA there behind you. It looks like the lines are moving quickly.

I am arriving there in about eight hours from now, so what should I expect?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, look, Amara, you know this airport very well in terms of the crowds and how it packs up very, very quickly.

All the TSA guidelines tell us they have this fully staffed today, ready for that rush. We've been talking to customers as they've been rolling in here, they've been telling us they've been trying to arrive least two hours early because they knew about the issues.

It actually kind of goes along with what Pete is talking about because the traffic to get to the airport has been astronomically crazy, and everything has been backed up.

That's probably going to play out across airports all across the country. They do believe, this will be the largest run of people coming to the airport since 2019, 3.5 million people.

And look not many things do better numbers in the Super Bowl. Here, just yesterday, they did over 111,000 passengers through TSA, that was more than 104,000 the day after Super Bowl.

So you know, the impact when it comes to people who are going to be out here traveling back and forth, but looking at this security lines, already starting at seven o'clock this morning, they have been backed up and this will be a ripple effect across the country.

They believe that traveling will be up some nine percent across the country as 3.5 million people hit the air. You know, when you add all of this together and you think about the fact, there is some weather out there, everyone is sort of packing their patience.

I talked to one lady who says they're just trying to make it the Florida so they can have a good time and be on the beach before the school year ends.

Amara, we will wait to see you a little later on.

WALKER: Yes, I'll see you later. I am keeping my crossed that there are no weather-related delays.

Ryan Young, good to see you -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: So new dollar signs for college athletes, the new settlement that could rock college sports and could have colleges paying athletes directly for the first time in the 100-plus-year history of college sports. And 22 passengers from that turbulent Singapore Airlines flight that

left one person dead, had been hospitalized with spinal injuries. What they're facing now. We will be back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:22:20]

BOLDUAN: An historic move for college athletes.

The NCAA and the power five conferences promising to pay out billions to current and former college players in a new settlement. If approved, it would be -- it would put to rest three antitrust lawsuits, but in reality, it could be so much more.

It could change the entire business of college sports and that schools would be paying players directly for the first time ever.

The deal includes payments north of $2.7 billion to past and current student-athletes. The parties also agreed to a revenue-sharing plan allowing schools to share up to roughly $20 million per year with athletes.

CNN's sports analyst, Christine Brennan joins us now for more on this.

I just want your take. What do you think of the deal? What is it going to do? And who wins, Christine?

CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS ANALYST: Well, certainly, Kate, the student athletes -- the athletes win. There no doubt about that.

The fact that for decades we heard, of course, they're amateurs and you can't make money and people were getting in trouble recruiting, violations and athletes being declared ineligible because of the fact that they took money, those days are long gone.

And this has been happening. Anyone who has been paying attention, the dominos had been falling and they've been falling over the last few days -- last few years in particular.

In terms of lawsuits, the state of California is saying we want to let them make money on their name, image, and likeness. Everyone has been hearing NIL -- name, image and likeness. That's what's been happening over the last few years to the point we reach this moment where the NCAA and the colleges really realized that if they didn't settle, as you said, $2.77 billion, that they could be bankrupt, because they would have lost much more in those lawsuits if they had gone to court.

So that is where we are and it is a great day for the student athletes. There will be chaos and confusion and there is certainly are concerns as well as we move forward.

BOLDUAN: Let's talk about one immediate question that definitely popped in my mind is what does this mean for female athletes? Will women be compensated fairly? BRENNAN: Well, they will have to because Title IX is the law of the

land. The 1972 law that opened the floodgates for girls and women to play sports including girls and women like you and me.

And the opportunity that exists now, we have never seen the likes of what we are seeing in women's college sports and pro sports.

Of course, Caitlin Clark comes to mind and thankfully, this is happening right then. So these schools cannot ignore women's sports and the idea would be, they are going to get -- schools will get about $20 million to spread around to their athletes and I am sure lots of people are thinking football and men's basketball.

Well, think again because it has going to be women's basketball and it needs to be all kinds of other women's sports.

[08:25:05]

For example, if you're paying a hundred male athletes, football and men's basketball, you probably have to pay a hundred female athletes, which would involve women's basketball, volleyball, maybe softball, lacrosse, whatever it is to get to equality.

And we will see lawsuits, I ensure, Kate, if that does not happen. So watch that as it moves forward.

BOLDUAN: You know, one law professor kept talking about the uncertainty going forward in the chaos.

One law professor at Illinois reacted to this settlement -- proposed settlement this way: "It's both a historic and deeply flawed agreement. The idea that schools are paying millions of dollars to the people who are selling the TV contracts and filling the seats, that's good, but it closes one Pandora's Box and opens four or five others."

What is not known about this settlement, Christine? it seems pretty significant.

BRENNAN: Yes, well, I think we are going to see if athletes actually become employees. That is not in this. But is that where we are headed?

And you can picture all kinds of issues that involve being employed versus being a student at a university, so that's certainly one.

And then corruption and the money flowing. We've already seen NIL money -- name, image, and likeness that where you've got boosters just paying kids to come to a school, that's going to continue. Where there are lots of money, there can be lots of corruption and concern.

And will we potentially lose men's minor sports? Women's minor sports? Or Olympic sports? Because they're not going to be getting part in this deal and getting the money. And what does that do to the US Olympic effort?

Because our colleges are the feeder system for the US Olympic and paralympic teams. And that is something I think Congress will get involved, Kate, because they are going to look at this and say, if we are not paying or if we're going to lose the women's and men's golf team and the water polo team and the soccer teams because we've got to pay the men's and women's basketball, football, et cetera, which could happen and we will see how it all plays out, then what happens not only to those young people in terms of representing their schools and giving back for the next 50 years, but also what happens when US Olympic movement suffers or is impacted because that feeder system no longer exists the way it does now.

BOLDUAN: I mean, you raise really, really important questions, not insignificant issues that need to be ironed out. It is one of those things you don't want to build that airplane while flying it. But it is likely exactly what we are going to see.

It is great to see you, Christine. Thank you so much and always fun to have an opportunity to celebrate Title IX.

John, over to you.

BERMAN: All right, the new extreme measures being taken by retailers to stop shop lifters and why it might make price is higher for you.

And we know they are here, the ominous warning from officials that great white sharks will be lurking in the water this Memorial Day weekend.

So if the weather does not get you, the sharks might.

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