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Votes Still Being Counted in Some Key Primary Races; Rahm Emanuel Says He's Very Seriously Considering Run for President; Poll Shows Dropping Support for Gay Marriage, Transgender Issues; 89-Year- Old Training To Climb Kilimanjaro for His Birthday. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired June 03, 2026 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: That music means it is time to check the primary pulse, and you are not California dreaming. Spencer Pratt, former MTV reality show villain and half of the couple known unaffectionately as Spidey, is, at least at this moment, still on track for a second-place finish in the Los Angeles mayor's race, meaning in November he could be on the ballot next to incumbent mayor Karen Bass, who he's been feuding with more than he did with LC back in his days on the hills. But there are still a lot of votes yet to be counted, still so many.

And the race to make the ballot for California's next governor, that's also too early to call, but right now the Republican back backed by President Trump is leading the way. We're joined now by CNN senior political and global affairs commentator Rahm Emanuel. All right, Rahm, so whoever Mayor Karen Bass's opponent is, what's clear is that given the choice here, many Angelenos do want someone else.

And I wonder, as a former mayor yourself, how should she be responding, absorbing to this message that L.A. voters are sending her?

RAHM EMANUEL, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL AND GLOBAL AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: I hear you. And this is why it's going to be different. And she's got to point to what she's going to do and bring some credibility to that message and talk about it in a very real way.

She can't kind of say it's not true. Explain this. If you're explaining, you're losing. But listen, I hear you. And here's how it's going to be different and run more is change rather than continuity.

KEILAR: And in California in November, voters there are also going to decide on a really important issue. This one time 5 percent tax. They're going to decide if they want to implement this.

It's on billionaire residents. It will pay for deficits in California's health care system. Is this a good idea?

As you hear critics saying, oh, this might deter billionaires from bringing their job, creating businesses to California or keeping them there. This isn't going to stop the systemic issues that California has. Do you see this as a good idea? EMANUEL: I think if I could, I think the Democrats and Republicans both have the wrong kind of answer to what's ailing the economy. I happen to think Republicans are offering you crony capitalism and the worst kind of corruption. And the others, our party is offering only redistribution.

I actually think what we should do is be offering a growth strategy of how to create jobs and how to actually build on that with an education and training program, with what we're going to do on immigration from being a nation of laws and immigrants, to how to build out our energy system so not the rate payers are always paying, to what we're going to do to invest in research and development. And then a tax and fiscal policy that's sustainable and stable. Those five things you get right, you're going to have growth.

And I think right now the two parties are offering, I think, in my own view, the wrong choice. And actually the well-to-do should pay more, but there should also be reforms to how you're going to spend that money. More money does not solve a problem.

And I'll give you an example. In Mississippi where I went, and you know this, to see what they were doing on education, it wasn't more money, it was built around a phonics model. California is behind Mississippi on reading scores.

So more money does matter. Spending it better also matters. And that's the second part of the discussion that has to be had because right after this one year you don't have a solution.

Can I add one thing about the election, though?

KEILAR: Yes.

EMANUEL: That I think Washington's missing?

Look, if you look at Iowa, you look at Montana, you look at Nebraska the other week, there is a prairie fire going on among the farmers and rural economies that think the president has betrayed them on soybeans, on corn, on cattle, across the country, at least in the rural Midwest and also going into the Rocky Mountain and then northwest areas. And I think this is Washington looks at California, and you look at that, you look at some of the other stuff, is it left, is it center, is it establishment, anti-establishment? There is a part of the economy that feels more betrayed than ever before by this president's terrorist policies, what he has done on markets and what he's done on diesel costs and other types of things.

And you're seeing it most importantly in the rural part, soybean farmers, wheat farmers, and cattle farmers. And the Republicans are going to pay a huge price this November. And you can see it, as I said, in Nebraska, South Dakota, Montana, and Iowa, just to name a couple states.

KEILAR: Yes, I was going to ask you actually about farmers in Iowa, so you kind of beat me to it, but I will say, as I'm listening to you, Rahm, it's said like someone -- [15:35:00]

EMANUEL: Does anybody have questions for my answers?

KEILAR: Right, I know, exactly. So it's said like someone who is considering a run for president, and in an interview with the Dartmouth newspaper last week, you said that you are very seriously considering a run for president. Tell us why.

EMANUEL: Well, one is this weekend I'm going to go back up to New Hampshire. I'm going to do what I call a spin-free tour. I'm going to bike across the state, do about five town halls, because I think this country is at a crossroads.

The American dream has become unaffordable and inaccessible, and that's just unacceptable. I'm a product, my kids are a product of being able to live out the American dream. I happen to think being an American means you won the lottery ticket of life, and that is slipping away.

You could describe our politics in the last 20 years when people thought the door was shut on their kids' access to the American dream. The average age now of a first-time home buyer is 40. It used to be 26.

Parents are going into the poor house just to get their kids a college education, and everybody basically is declaring Chapter 11 because of health care costs. That's not fair, it's not right, and we can do better.

And so do I think I have an answer to that? Do I think I know how to get that done? And I'll evaluate that. But if you look consistently from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, to Howell, Michigan, to Hanover, New Hampshire, there's a theme of anxiety running, and it's a theme of not only anxiety, but D.C. has become Disneyland on the Potomac, and if somebody would grab the mantle and start steering this ship and steering it right, there's a chance. Now, I'll evaluate whether I think I can do that.

KEILAR: Real quick before I let you go, when will you evaluate? By when?

EMANUEL: Once I take the microphone off here and I walk off the set. No, I'm going to do this over the next six months.

KEILAR: Yes, don't do that to me. All right, next six months. All right, Rahm Emanuel, thank you so much.

EMANUEL: Don't lose sight whether it's rural America, suburban America, or urban America. There is an anxiety out there that the America we grew up under and grew up in believing in people has lost faith with, and that's what's ailing America. And that, to me, explains the politics you're seeing in Iowa, Montana, what you're seeing in Nebraska, but also what I saw when I was in Howell and Grand Rapids, Michigan. It's the same area. We kind of divided along ideology or just geography. There is an angst and an anxiety that's driving our politics, and Washington is AWOL.

KEILAR: Yes, the voters are telling us a lot with their votes. Rahm Emanuel, thank you so much for being with us.

EMANUEL: Thank you.

KEILAR: Ahead, after more than two decades of increasing support for same-sex marriage, the trend is changing in the U.S. We're going to take a look at the latest polling.

[15:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: A new Gallup poll says American support for gay marriage and transgender issues is dropping, especially among Republicans. The poll shows 65 percent of U.S. adults believe same-sex marriage should be legal, which is down from 71 percent in 2022 and 2023, but only 37 percent of Republicans say same-sex marriage should be legal.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: So this survey coincides with a homophobic social media post from Tennessee Republican Congressman Andy Ogle's X account, which said, quote, "There's no place in America for homosexuality." The post was met with bipartisan criticism, and the congressman would later delete it, issuing this statement, quote, Earlier today while working on the farm, my phone began going crazy because of a post made by a member of my comms teams. The post was stupid, hurtful and a complete distraction from my America First focus. The employee has been reprimanded."

Let's discuss with CNN contributor Ari Shapiro, the co-host of CNN's Engagement Party, alongside our friend Audie Cornish. Ari, thanks so much for being with us.

ARI SHAPIRO, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Thanks for having me. Good to be here.

SANCHEZ: First, let's start with this survey. Why do you think support for gay marriage is dipping?

SHAPIRO: I think we are seeing Republicans use the same plain book on transgender issues today that they used 20 years ago to get President George W. Bush re-elected using same-sex marriage. Karl Rove, the architect of George W. Bush's re-election campaign, focused on same- sex marriage.

But to put it in perspective, I have to recall that in my lifetime, support for same-sex marriage has gone in the United States from 25 percent, about a quarter of people supporting it, to now 65 percent, two-thirds of Americans supporting it. I go back to what Harvey Milk, the assassinated elected official in San Francisco who was killed in 1978, said, which is, coming out is the most political thing you can do. And in this Pride Month, I think it's important that people know their friends, their neighbors, members of their community are members of the LGBTQ community.

KEILAR: Yes, we covered the Obama White House.

SHAPIRO: We did, we were both White House correspondents.

KEILAR: Which was such a critical time for this issue of gay marriage. And I think there was a sense during that time that the issue had crossed the Rubicon and it wasn't coming back. But then we saw in the 2024 election that Trump and his allies were effectively attacking Kamala Harris, lots of money poured into ads, for her support of certain transgender rights.

SHAPIRO: Oh right, there was that one ad that said, Trump is for you, Kamala Harris is for they-them.

KEILAR: Yes, it was, and this issue really was, I think, very divisive and effective. Are you seeing a connection between that and these kinds of numbers?

[15:45:00]

SHAPIRO: Oh, of course, I mean, look, as you said, Boris, the numbers have dropped most precipitously among Republicans. And so when you have posts like the one you mentioned from the GOP congressman, that is both a driver and a reflection of what's happening in the Republican Party.

But let me tell you, 20 years ago, when we were covering politics in Washington, you would have seen the same kind of statement from a member of Congress, and you would not have seen them retract it as quickly. And so, to me, that's a sign that times actually have changed, and there has been progress, whether it was a member of his comm staff or not. The quick retraction, I think, shows that 2026 is not 2006.

SANCHEZ: Do you think that retraction would have come as quickly if you hadn't had some of his Republican colleagues like Mike Lawler responding, pointing out to CNN that, quote, "Everyone has family, friends, neighbors, colleagues, and staff that are homosexual, insinuating they are less than or not American is idiotic and offensive."

SHAPIRO: And that is exactly what I mean about the power of coming out. There was a time when people didn't know that they had family, friends, colleagues, staff, neighbors who were queer. Now, as people come out, everybody realizes that this is not some scary other lurking in the darkness.

This is people we go to school with, people we serve on the PTA with, people we work alongside, and that makes it a whole lot less threatening and a whole lot less scary.

KEILAR: Yes, your neighbors, you know, and your friends, and just people in your life. We mentioned your new video podcast for CNN, "ENGAGEMENT PARTY."

SHAPIRO: Yes, episode three is about to drop on Friday.

KEILAR: OK, so let's talk about it, because just so the people know, this is like, it's a pop culture show.

SHAPIRO: Yes, we're not quoting Republican members of Congress on the show.

KEILAR: Yes, this is a fun show. It's got hot takes. They're smart takes.

So what are we looking for this week?

SHAPIRO: OK, so Audie Cornish, your friend and mine, have known each other for about 20 years, and we wanted to have the kinds of conversations that we have off mic. And so this week, for example, we're talking about the Summer House controversy, which has burst out of the reality TV ecosystem to take over the culture. If you don't know what I'm talking about, all the more reason to listen to the episode.

If you do know what I'm talking about, all the more reason to watch. And then I've got an interview with Andrew Lloyd Webber, who has dominated Broadway for half a century. The Tonys are coming up on Sunday.

I really love the show, but I think this episode is especially good, so I hope people will tune in.

KEILAR: That's awesome.

SANCHEZ: Summer House drama, I'm intrigued.

KEILAR: Oh yes, OK, I'm on it, Ari. I'm going to be listening up a storm. Ari Shapiro, awesome to have you on.

SHAPIRO: Thanks for having me, great to be here.

KEILAR: Still ahead, another major upset at the French Open. The world's top-ranked man and woman are now both out of the tournament. We have the latest from Roland-Garros next.

[15:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: This year's French Open has been all about the upsets, none bigger than the one that just happened today in the women's quarterfinals.

KEILAR: That's right, let's go straight to CNN's Don Riddell. All right, what happened, Don?

DON RIDDELL, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Guys, what isn't happening in Paris? I mean, given all the carnage we witnessed in the first week, we should be ready to expect the unexpected, but I can't tell you anymore what's going on, because this is just absolutely incredible. I'll tell you what did happen.

So today, the world number one, Aryna Sabalenka in the women's draw, who is heavily fancied to win this tournament this year. She couldn't have had it any more in the bag. First set 6-3, up 4-1 in the second, and then the wheels completely came off against Diana Shnaider.

She lost 12 of the next 13 games, so yet another huge name out, and Sabalenka was absolutely stunned at the end.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARYNA SABALENKA, 4 TIME MAJOR WINNER: No thoughts, no emotions. Just want to quit tennis right now, but we'll see. By the way, you know, I just figured how I can overcome it.

You know those rooms where you just go in and you smash everything? Probably I'll spend the whole day tomorrow over there, destroying stuff. Maybe it will help, maybe not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIDDELL: It will help her move on, I guess. But that wasn't the only upset today in the women's draw. How about this?

The world number 114 from Poland, Maja Chwalinska, a qualifier for this tournament. She toppled the 22nd seed Anna Kalinskaya. Chwalinska only the second qualifier to make it to the French Open semifinals.

Remember, in the first week, we said goodbye to all of the defending champions, including Coco Gauff, all of the former champions. Jannik Sinner went out early, Coco Gauff went out early. Carlos Alcaraz was injured, so he never even showed up.

[15:55:00]

And now, I mean, who wants to win this tournament? I guess we'll find out this weekend.

KEILAR: Stunning outcomes here. Don Riddell, thank you so much for that.

SANCHEZ: You may be making plans for your next birthday. One man in Los Angeles is planning a celebration for the ages. Art Ulene is hoping to blow out the candles on the summit of 19,000-foot-tall Mount Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa.

KEILAR: And here's what makes this so special for Art. He'll be turning 90, and if he reaches the summit, he'll be the oldest person ever to do so. Dr. Art Ulene is with us now. Art, this is awesome. How did you come up with this idea?

ART ULENE, TRAINING TO CLIMB MT. KILIMANJARO: Well, I've climbed Kilimanjaro three times before, twice with my wife. She's been at the summit two times, and it just sounded like fun. Someone asked me, what are you going to do to celebrate your 90th birthday? I said, maybe I should climb Kilimanjaro again. And it was like, oh, why not? And I can think of lots of reasons why not. It's cold up there.

But it gave me an incentive to get in shape, and it gave me an incentive to kind of get back into things. You know, I spent 20 years on television trying to encourage people to change their health behaviors.

And then I retired 25 years ago, retired to an active retirement. My wife and I started traveling. I visited 83 countries, climbed five mountains. It's really been a great ride.

But I decided that I would try to use my climb to inspire older people to live up to their potential instead of the stereotype. You know, we've got a stereotype that old age means the inevitable decline. And that is so far from the truth. I'm living proof of that.

They talk about all these chronic diseases, and I talk about chronic self-neglect. And it sounds daunting, but it starts with one step. It's not a big deal if you're willing to start small and put time on your side, and that's what I've done.

KEILAR: I think it's also so interesting to point out that it's never too late to take that first step, right? You said that you were a wimp in your earlier years and didn't attempt a serious climb until you were 74. What do you say to people who, you know, maybe they're 68, maybe they're 72, and they think, oh, you know, but my time has passed, to kind of take his advice?

ULENE: I say to them, start with a single step. Start small. The secret to success is to start small and to start slowly.

If you rush this thing, particularly at my age, you risk injury. And so, you know, people say, how are you going to get up that mountain? I say, it's just one step.

You put the left foot in front, then you put the right foot in front of the left foot. So that's two steps. And then you repeat that 55,000 times. That's it.

KEILAR: And then just finally, before we let you go, we should note, you know, as you've climbed Kilimanjaro multiple times, but four years ago, you actually had to give up your climb 2,000 feet from the top. I do think that's so important, right, when it comes to mountaineering, to know when to say when. Tell us about that decision and what you learned.

ULENE: Well, number one, I've always been a fan of Kenny Rogers' song, you've got to know when to hold them and know when to fold them, know when to walk away. And some of that is just common sense. Some of that is being a physician.

We were in a group that had about half of the people were youngsters, including my grandson. I've climbed a couple times with grandsons. And half the group were older folks. And my regular guide, my guide for life, the guy I trust totally, was not there. And the team rushed us up the mountain at the pace of the younger people. And I got to 17,000 feet. I wasn't feeling well. And I thought, is it worth jeopardizing my life so I can say I made it to the summit? And the answer is absolutely not.

SANCHEZ: A ton of great advice there from Dr. Art Ulene. We wish him well on his adventure. Brianna, what do you want to do when you turn 90?

KEILAR: I don't know if you'll find me hiking up Kilimanjaro. But he did make me think that part of getting to that age is you just have to keep moving.

SANCHEZ: Yes, one step in front of the other, just like he said.

KEILAR: Yes, what are you going to do?

[16:00:00]

SANCHEZ: I'd love to be shot out of a cannon into the sea at 90. That'd be a blast. If people are living longer than ever, maybe I can actually do it. That's not my dream.

KEILAR: No, I'm going to try to make it happen. I will shoot you out of that cannon, Boris.

"THE ARENA" with Kasie Hunt starts right now.

SANCHEZ: Thanks for joining us.

END