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Supreme Court Allows Emergency Abortions In Idaho For Now; Inside The Debate: What Happens When Candidate's Interrupt; Biden Plans To Paint Trump As A Man Whose Foreign Policy Makes Him Too Dangerous To Be President; Economy At The Forefront In Tonight's Debate. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired June 27, 2024 - 14:30   ET

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

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[14:31:03]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: We are now just hours out from tonight's presidential debate. And we're getting a major reminder of just how consequential elections really can be.

This morning, the Supreme Court formally releasing a previously leaked ruling that would allow doctors in Idaho to perform emergency abortions to protect the health of a mother.

After Roe was overturned, Idaho, along with other states, prohibited the operation unless it was needed to save a mother's life.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: And moments ago, we just heard from Attorney General Merrick Garland. He was reacting to today's ruling.

Let's listen to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MERRICK GARLAND, ATTORNEY GENERAL: Today's order means that while we continue to litigate our case, women in Idaho will once again have access to the emergency care guaranteed to them under federal law.

The Justice Department will continue to use every available tool to ensure that women in every state have access.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Let's bring in CNN chief legal affairs correspondent, Paula Reid.

And, Paula, you hear the attorney general alluding to that, this is only a temporary thing, right, a temporarily blocked Idaho state law.

The Supreme Court is sending this issue back to the lower courts. And this really isn't settled at the core.

PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Exactly. It's a technical win for the Biden administration. But the bigger question that had been presented to the high court,

what do you do when you have very restrictive state law when it comes to abortion and a more permissive federal law, which is the governing law?

That remains unanswered, right? In Idaho, they have their answer for now.

But that's why Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, she said, look, this is not a victory for abortion rights. Right now, doctors, she said, are in the dark about what the law requires of them.

So even though this is a technical win for the Biden administration now, it's widely expected that this question, likely in another forum, possibly from another or one of the states that has one of these restrictive laws, will likely go before the justices again.

And it's one of a series of technical wins that we've seen for the Biden administration. Yesterday, they had another real technical win where they will be able to continue to flag misinformation or disinformation to social media companies.

It -- ahead of the election, that is a significant power. But the court sidestep the larger First Amendment issue and instead kicked out that case on standing.

They did the same with another big abortion-related case on Mifepristone, the drug used in medication abortion. That was expected to be a big decision this term. And instead, the justices sort of sidestepped that larger question, kicking, again, the case out on standing.

So even though the Biden administration prevailed in a lot of these cases, this win is temporary.

I want to flag something else that we saw today. And that is sort of losses for the Biden administration because the court sort of making moves to limit federal power today, both at the SEC and the EPA.

And the reason that's significant is because one of the six major outstanding cases that we're still waiting for has to do with the power of federal agencies.

Look, it's not the sexiest case, not a lot of folks talking about it. But the court what is widely expected to overturn decades of precedent and take decisions, technical decisions that are usually made by federal agencies and return them to the courts.

And that is something that would really change the entire way the government works. So that's a big case in the courts.

And this doesn't give clues about which way they might go. Now we expect to get more opinions tomorrow, on Monday, maybe even on Tuesday. Like I said, they still have six opinions outstanding.

KEILAR: Six. We will be waiting for those. Paula Reid, thank you so much.

All right. Let's talk about how things are going to work tonight.

SANCHEZ: Yes. CNN's production team has shared this demonstration with the campaigns. And we want to share it with you so everyone fully understands how the debate is going to work.

CNN's Phil Mattingly and Victor Blackwell filed this walk through.

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PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CHIEF DOMESTIC CORRESPONDENT: Welcome to the site of the CNN presidential debate. We want to give our viewers a sense of the rules of the debate, so that when they watch it, they can understand how President Biden and President Trump will be engaging with each other.

[14:35:03]

Just after 9:00 p.m. Eastern, President Biden will enter from the right side of your screen. President Trump will enter from the left side of your screen.

The podiums are eight feet apart. Directly across from them, the moderators, CNN's Jake Tapper and Dana Bash.

Now, a reminder. This is a television studio. There's no audience.

Candidates will have two minutes to answer questions and one minute for responses and rebuttals. At the moderators' discretion, there may be an additional minute for follow-ups, clarifications or responses.

So how does a candidate know how much time is left to speak? Attached to the cameras in the studio and in the candidates' field of view are the timing lights.

When the lights show yellow, there are 15 seconds left in a candidate's answer or response. When the lights flash red, there are five seconds left. And when the display is solid red, the time is up.

At that point, the candidate's microphone will be turned off and the other candidate will have their microphone turned on.

My colleague, Victor Blackwell, has more on that.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you, Phil.

If we go behind the podiums, you can see two green lights. When they're on, they signal to the candidate his microphone is on. When the green lights are off, they signal to the candidate his microphone is off.

Now I want to give you a sense of what it will look for viewers at home if the candidate whose microphone is off interrupts a candidate whose microphone is on. So I'm standing at one podium, and I'll ask Phil to come in and take

the other podium.

And so let's say I'm answering a question. My light is green and I'm speaking. Phil's microphone is off, and his green lights are not illuminated. He's going to interrupt me as I'm speaking and this is what it will sound like.

MATTINGLY: (INAUDIBLE)

BLACKWELL: My volume remains constant while Phil's interruption can be difficult to understand.

MATTINGLY: Now, let's try the opposite. My microphone is now on. Victor's microphone is off. And he is going to interrupt me.

BLACKWELL: (INAUDIBLE)

MATTINGLY: My volume remains constant while Victor's interruption can be difficult to understand.

We should note, by agreeing to participate in this debate, both campaigns and candidates have also agreed to abide by these rules.

The CNN presidential debate airs live at 9:00 p.m. Eastern.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: That was an excellent demonstration.

As you noted, while we were watching, it might be difficult for us at home to understand what the candidates are saying when the mic is off, but they can absolutely hear each other. There's no question about that.

KEILAR: Yes. That'll be interesting to see how it plays out.

SANCHEZ: Yes.

Our thanks to Phil and Victor.

It's worth repeating that demonstration has been shared and shown to both candidates and their teams. There should be zero surprises, no surprises when they walk out on that stage at 9:00 p.m. tonight.

KEILAR: And still ahead, two candidates, two very different takes on foreign policy. Ahead, we talk to former President Trump's former defense secretary for what he is looking for tonight.

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[14:42:24]

KEILAR: Foreign policy, usually not a voter's top issue. That's just the facts. But in recent history, we have not seen two candidates with such different visions for Americas place in the world. And President Biden's close advisors believe emphasizing that stark

contrast between Biden and Trump on foreign from policy could make a big difference.

One Biden campaign official telling CNN, quote, "President Biden stands up to dictators. Trump is too dangerous and reckless to ever be anywhere close to the oval office again."

But Trump's advocates say, under Biden, the Middle East is now on fire. And Trump has boasted that he will end the war and Ukraine in 24 hours if he's reelected.

Let's talk now, more about this topic of foreign policy with CNN global affairs analyst and former defense secretary under President Trump, Mark Esper.

We do note that he serves on the board or is a strategic advisor for some aerospace and defense-related companies.

I just wonder what you think when you look get these two candidates where they stand on Western alliances, where they stand on defending the role of democracy in the world, where they stand on America being a military and economic leader across the globe?

There is so many -- there are so many differences. How much contrast do you expect it will be displayed on this stage tonight?

MARK ESPER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Yes, sure thing, Brianna. And you're right, there is a lot of difference.

I look at three things tonight: Substance, style and stamina.

And on the substance, there are a lot of differences. There are some -- there are some similarities though. But I will tell you, as you rightly said, typically, foreign policy isn't a big issue.

But the international turmoil that's out there, the wars have brought that to American's television sets, newspapers, every single day. So it is an issue.

So when you look out there, you look at the conflict in Ukraine and relate to that as NATO. You see a very big difference. President Biden is a big believer in NATO, wants to can you supporting Ukraine. And Trump has taken opposite views on both of those issues.

And I think alliances extend not just to Europe, but also to Asia.

Then again, there's the war, no in Israel, in Gaza. And there are -- there are some differences there. Both support Israel. But I would argue that over the last nine months, since the Hamas attacked Israel, you've seen Biden's position weakening with regard to his support and how he treats Israel.

This issue ultimately gets into the bigger one, which is Iran. And many would argue that President Biden hasn't had a clear policy on Iran. Whereas President Trump has said he will return the maximum pressure.

[14:45:03]

On China. it's a place where you see some similarities. Both want to impose -- impose tariffs on China. Both will increase export controls. It'll be curious to see if the question is asked, how they would respond to defending Taiwan. But those are the main security issues.

There are other issues out there with regard to climate, where there'll be very different positions. Energy policy, very different positions as well.

And on defense, that'll be another one, of course, I'll be interested in. But President Biden has -- has underfunded defense at a time when, he rightly argues, that we are now in an era of a great competition between the autocracies and democracies of the world.

President Trump, I suspect, will argue something differently. So it's going to be a very interesting evening, to say the least.

KEILAR: You have NATO reinforcing their control of aid to Ukraine against a potential Trump second term. There's been, I guess, this emphasis by Trump about the amount of money that goes to Ukraine, how it goes to Ukraine, and questions about that.

That has certainly been something that a large chunk of the electorate, I think it has resonated with them. Where do you see the vulnerabilities for these candidate's tonight on this issue?

ESPER: Well, I suspect President Biden will argue that we are in a war against autocracies. I believe he's correct when we look across the globe at Beijing and Moscow and what they're trying to do.

And the question will be is, how does -- how does Trump respond to that? How does he respond to allowing a democracy like Ukraine or one across the world in Taiwan to be bullied by a bigger neighbor? And what will his response be to that?

I think you'll see pundits on both sides argue that this is really a contest -- a political contest between the Isolationists and the Internationalists in both camps, camps represented by Trump and Biden respectively. But that'll be a big issue.

And if -- my sense is President Trump will draw to the fact that we have -- our debt, national debt is exploding. It's well over $32 trillion. So how can we afford to do all that?

I think we need to, of course, because Americas leadership in the world matters. But this will be another place where you'll see a contrast between the two candidates.

KEILAR: Yes. Of course, you saw a lot of spending ballooning under Trump. We cannot ignore that, despite the fact that, traditionally, Republicans are more fiscally conservative or at least purport to be.

Just really quickly, I wonder if you can speak to whether you think we'll hear something about the role of the military?

Because it was so different under the Trump administration. The way he made decisions when it came to, you know, Syria, for instance, or using the military on the border, or for domestic matters.

And obviously, there was continuation on the Afghan exit between these two administrations as well. How do you think we're going to see that?

ESPER: It's a good question. I suspect that the moderators tonight will both want to really draw major differences between the two candidates.

You know, on that one, maybe there's less so. You know, at times, both candidates have politicized the military. Trump more so, I think, than Biden. Both have deployed the military to the border.

And I think the bigger issue on the border will be the number of crossings, the -- the escalation of eight to 10 million over the past four years, and immigration policy, writ large.

Although, we know President Biden is trying to tack back to a more moderate position on that.

And then certainly I think, at some point, the -- President Trump is going to cite the fact that the withdrawal from Afghanistan was abysmal. If I were Biden, I would argue that you wanted to get out quickly as well, Mr. President.

So we'll see how that plays out, but that'll be an interesting dynamic with regard to the employment of the military.

But the larger issue is what is Americas role in the world and will we defend democracy and will we help out smaller democracies who are trying to beat back this growing block of autocracies that are trying to impose their will and values around the world.

KEILAR: Yes, there are so many differences, stark differences between these candidates. It'll be very interesting to see how that plays out.

Secretary Esper, we appreciate your time. Thank you.

ESPER: Thanks, Brianna.

[14:49:05]

KEILAR: Still ahead, what is the top issue that American say they're going to be voting on? As a veteran campaign strategist once said, "It's the economy, Stupid." We break down the candidate's plans on that front, when we get back.

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[14:53:29]

SANCHEZ: Heading into tonight's debate, brand new polling shows Americans plan to base their vote on the economy more than any other issue.

KEILAR: Yes, we know both campaigns have plans, of course, to tackle that issue tonight.

President Biden's advisers are urging him to go on the offense instead of touting his own record. Donald Trump's team wants him to hit Biden on inflation.

CNN reporter, Matt Egan, is joining us now on this.

All right, Matt, break down each candidate's economic plan.

MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Well, Boris and Brianna, no doubt the economy's going to be front and center tonight. It really is the number-one issue for voters. And Trump and Biden, they've really differ on the economy.

First, if you ask them about the current economy, they're going to sound like they're on different planets. But they also really differ on their plans going forward.

Let's look at the Trump agenda first. He wants to lower the corporate tax rate, extend those 2017 tax cuts. He wants higher tariffs on all imports and on China. And this immigration crackdown.

The problem, of course, is those first three points, economists say that that would actually make inflation worse.

Trump also has advocated for energy dominance, more oil drilling, less regulation.

Now, Biden, he's got a very different agenda. He wants to raise taxes on the rich, raise taxes on corporations. He's focused on lowering costs, although that's really the job of the Federal Reserve. He's pushing for clean energy and tougher regulation.

Now, I know that some voters are not satisfied with their choices in this election. But this much is clear, these two candidates, they have very different game plans for this economy.

And I think even they would agree that the outcome of this election, of this election is going to have a major impact on what happens next in this economy.

[14:55:06]

The stakes are massive.

SANCHEZ: So, Matt, we got the outline of the game plan. But remind us about these two candidates' track records?

EGAN: Well, Boris, that's, of course, going to be a point of contention in this election. And I think both of these candidates really have their strengths and their weaknesses.

On the strengths part, it was jobs. Both of them historically low unemployment. Very low under Trump. And under Biden, 4 percent unemployment right now. We just wrapped up the longest stretch of sub- 4 percent unemployment since the 1960s.

Of course, the problem under Biden has been inflation. The cost of living, the cost to borrow, it's way too high. And that has made it so that people don't really like this economy that much.

Now, under Trump, listen, inflation was very, very low. And people were feeling better about the economy before Covid. And then, of course, Covid came, unemployment skyrocketed, markets were in free fall.

And listen, I mean, that was, of course, because of this once-in-a- century health crisis. But critics of Trump would argue that he mismanaged it and that made the economic damage even worse.

One other point is how they differ on the market. Remember, Trump was a major cheerleader of the stock market. He used to tweet out market milestones and record highs.

What's interesting is that when you look at the annualized returns, they're very strong under both President Biden and former President Trump. But they're actually a little bit stronger under Biden.

SANCHEZ: Notably, Trump is actually taking credit for where the stock market is right now. He says that Wall Street thinks he's going to get re-elected and that's why it's performing well.

EGAN: Well, we'll let that speak for itself.

SANCHEZ: Matt Egan, thank you so much.

EGAN: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Still ahead, how the Biden camp is making last-minute preps for tonight. Much more of our special coverage ahead, live from Atlanta.

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