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Two Democratic Senators Say, CIA Collected Americans' Data in Warrantless Searches; Congressional Black Caucus Urges Justice Department to Step Up Efforts to Protect Voting Rights; Some of Hip- Hop's Biggest Stars to Take Stage at Super Bowl Halftime. Aired 10:30- 11a ET

Aired February 11, 2022 - 10:30   ET

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

[10:30:05]

KATIE BO LILLIS, CNN REPORTER: And once that information is in federal government databases, CIA analysts are allowed to look at it, they're allowed to search for it without a warrant as long as they have a validly predicated foreign intelligence purpose for doing so.

Now, for Senators Wyden and Heinrich, this is a problematic loophole. But the bottom line here, Jim and Bianna, is that we don't really know a lot about what this data is but, broadly, this is just the latest salvo in an ongoing debate over what is the appropriate balance in between protecting American civil liberties and ensuring that intelligence agencies can continue to connect the dots?

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, big questions there. Katie Bo Lillis, thank you so much.

Well, right now, three major crossings between the U.S. and Canada are still at a standstill as trucker-inspired protests expand across the border and take a major toll on the U.S. supply chain at the worst time, Jim.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. CNN Senior National Correspondent Miguel Marquez, he is in Windsor, Ontario, CNN National Correspondent Camila Bernal, she's in Los Angeles.

Miguel, first, to you. You've been up there for a number of days. You've been watching this. You've been warning about this effect on the auto industry but you said last hour signs that maybe this log jam could be broken?

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, a couple of things are happening right now. The protesters here, and this is sort of the main group of protesters, they've opened a lane. Emergency workers and the authorities have asked them for several days now to keep a lane open so that emergency vehicles can get through if necessary. So, they've just done that. Protesters saying this is a sign of good faith on their part. Others protesters are saying, we're caving in and we shouldn't be doing this at all.

The bridge remains shut at this hour though, but the city, the mayor calling this an illegal occupation at this point, saying that in a few hours, they're going to be in front of a judge seeking legal justification to move protesters out if they need to.

The province of Ontario, the federal government has moved more resources into this area. When I say resources, that is not only more law enforcement individuals but it's machinery as well, trucks, heavy trucks, in order to move this out if they, if it comes to that, if they need to.

Some of these protesters saying, this right here is a stand that's worth dying for. Others we talked to say, look, I'm happy to get arrested, I'm happy to go. They can tow my car. This is important enough for me to do that but it's going to be a mix of a lot of different things that law enforcement is going to have when they come in here. The federal government also saying they're moving resources to shut down all of these protesters, likely simultaneously, if it happens. Back to you guys.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. We know the Biden administration is speaking to their counterparts there in Canada, really putting pressure on them to step up and do more here.

Camila, back home in California, you're near SoFi Stadium in L.A. where the Super Bowl is kicking off Sunday afternoon. What are officials worried about there?

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Bianna and Jim. So, officials are really trying to keep track of online forums because that's where these truckers are being encouraged to come to Los Angeles. And so the key here is preparation because they're looking at two different things. First is traffic, which is already bad in Los Angeles. So if you add in a protest, then, of course, there's the possibility of gridlock, and that means things like emergency services being impacted.

So, huge implications, not just for people coming to the Super Bowl but really for the entire Los Angeles area, and then you also have the possibility of counter-protests. Of course, people very passionate, both for and against vaccines, so all of this could escalate and the idea is to keep things as calm as possible during the Super Bowl weekend because, of course, there are many other possible threats that authorities right now are looking into and trying to get under control.

And so what DHS is saying is that it's not only Los Angeles but these truckers could continue and head to Washington, D.C., in time for the state of the union address on March 1st. And so it's going to possibly impact many areas, not just areas in the country but also areas in the economy, because DHS also saying that if things are not under control, we could see industries being impacted, things like shipping or the auto industry or even agricultural companies and labor unions.

So, overall, there are many things that could be impacted by these protests if they do happen, which, of course, everyone sort of looking forward to the weekend and looking forward to the Super Bowl but also keeping track of these because they could disrupt part of the celebrations here. And at the end of the day, all of these protests impacting the economy could result in all of us having to pay the price for all of this. Jim, Bianna?

SCIUTTO: And just a reminder, this started as a protest against mandates for the COVID vaccines, which, of course, have been proven highly effective.

[10:35:04]

Camila Bernal in Los Angeles, Miguel Marquez up there on the Canadian border, thanks very much.

Well, an ongoing effort to restrict voting rights in a number of states around the country, it's a problem that many believe is putting democracy at risk. What's the solution? We're going to talk about potential solutions, responses right after the break.

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[10:40:00]

SCIUTTO: This week, the Congressional Black Caucus sent a letter to the Justice Department urging the attorney general to, quote, exceptionally increase his efforts to fight back against laws restricting voting rights. Last year, the Justice Department filed lawsuits against Texas and Georgia for their new more restrictive voting laws.

GOLODRYGA: But according to the Brennan Center for Justice, legislatures in 27 states are pushing bills this year that would make it harder for people to cast a ballot. The concerns over fair elections don't end there.

SCIUTTO: It's also a year of redistricting, in at least seven states facing lawsuits over new congressional maps with accusations they were gerrymandered intentionally to dilute the power of minority voters. When the Supreme Court had a chance stepping to block a new map in Alabama, that even the lower courts agreed was discriminatory based on court precedent, that the court voted 5-4 to let the law stand.

GOLODRYGA: And justices will hear the full case next year. But the court's new conservative majority seems unlikely now to strike it down.

Now, to be clear, gerrymandering is a bipartisan problem. Democrats in New York and Illinois, for example, are also accused of rigging their maps this year to favor their party. But it is Republicans, by and large, who have been accused of violating the Voting Rights Act, which was designed to promote minority communities from discrimination.

SCIUTTO: Here to discuss all of this with us now, Reverend Adam Taylor, he's the president of Sojourners. That's an American Christian social justice organization. He's also the author of a new book, A More Perfect Union, A new Vision for Building the Beloved Community. Also Michael Waldman, he's President of the Brennan Center for Justice. Good to have you both on. Reverend Taylor, if I could begin with you, you wrote in Newsweek recently something that reflects broader points you made in your book the following, arguably, the biggest challenge in safeguarding our democracy today has become the complacency and apathy of the white moderates and far too many parts of the church. Their silence and complicity emboldened efforts to unravel our democracy toward autocracy and even fascism.

I mean, this is a criticism that we have heard on this broadcast from some Democrats aiming particularly at the Justice Department for not aggressively prosecuting or trying to challenge these things in court. Tell us why you believe that.

REV. ADAM TAYLOR, PRESIDENT, SOJOURNERS: Yes, thanks, grateful to be with you. So, I think it's important to emphasize how much of an assault on our democracy we're seeing and, really, it's the biggest test of our democracy, I would argue, since the Voting Rights Act was passed in 1965.

There's been a lot of denial and downplaying about the impact and the intent of these bills that we're seeing passed in over 19 states. And the Brennan Center's voting round-up provides really good data on that. But I think what we're really witnessing here is an effort to derail and to delay the changing demographics in our country, the kind of multiracial democracy we're increasingly becoming.

And from a faith perspective, and this is why I try to emphasize this on Dr. Martin Luther King Day with that article, this represents a real attack on human dignity and on what we describe as the Imago Dei, the belief that every single person, that means every single voter is made in the image of God. Doctor King had very, very kind of tough love to show to white moderates who were kind of lukewarm about protecting civil rights. And I think this is a moment where we need to see more courage from people of all persuasions and all backgrounds to protect the right to vote, which we know is sacred.

GOLODRYGA: Michael, what we hear largely from Republicans, many in these 27 states that you've compiled that push restrictive voting rights laws, is that they're doing it to keep elections safe. Talk about the threat that that poses on democracy as a whole and what you make of their argument that they're doing it to keep elections safe in this country.

MICHAEL WALDMAN, PRESIDENT, BRENNAN CENTER FOR JUSTICE: Well, we all want elections to be safe and secure. The good news is they are extraordinarily secure. As Donald Trump's own Department of Homeland Security confirmed, the 2022 election was the most secure in history, and that is good news. We ought to celebrate that.

Instead, what we've gotten is the big lie, the idea that the election was stolen and these laws being pushed last year, and as we now see being pushed again this year, that would make it harder for many people to vote. And these laws, unfortunately target over and over again black voters, Latino voters, Asian, native voters. They don't affect everybody equally. So, it is both a legal issue and moral issue, as the reverend says. As far as the Justice Department goes, they should take as strong action as they can. But as they have also noted, the courts and the Supreme Court have made it much harder to take this action, which is one more reason many of us think there needs to be strong federal rights voting legislation.

SCIUTTO: Reverend Taylor, I interviewed Congressman Jim Cooper yesterday from Tennessee who, by the way, is not going to run again because he's basically been redistricted out of his seat, and he said something particularly about new redistricting maps by GOP legislatures, what the intention is.

[10:45:13]

I want to play his answer and get your response. Have a listen in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: Is the Republican Party or a Republican-led state legislature deliberately targeting race with these maps?

REP. JIM COOPER (D-TN): Absolutely. That's their number one goal and it has been really since Richard Nixon had his southern strategy. LBJ predicted that when he signed the civil rights laws, that would hurt the Democratic Party in the south for 40 years. He underestimated the problem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: We know both parties gerrymander. His argument there is that Republican gerrymandering specifically targets race. Do you believe that?

TAYLOR: I think in many cases, it has. And, certainly, there's a historic pattern of that happening. Many of these districts kind of look like Frankenstein. They cannot really pass any kind of muster in terms of having any semblance to them other than, in many cases, efforts to try to concentrate black voters into one district or to disperse them across districts in order to dilute their overall voting power, if you will.

I do think there's another part of the gerrymandering crisis we're in that we need to emphasize. It is helping to fuel so much of the polarization and the brokenness in our politics and it's kind of fueling this us versus them, zero sum nature of the politics. I call it the politics of division.

What we really want is a he politics of the common good. And that's why we need legislation, like the Freedom to Vote Act, that would help to prevent and end this gerrymandering that's happening across the country.

SCIUTTO: It's a good point, Bianna, because you and I hear that from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers. They say, as you redistrict, you create districts that only elect partisans and, therefore, Bianna, you have no meeting of the minds in the middle. GOLODRYGA: Right. And you have both parties accusing each other of doing just that.

In terms of voter enthusiasm, Michael, recent CNN poll shows that just 43 percent of Americans are extremely or very enthusiastic about voting for Congress in the midterms. That compares to 51 percent for Republicans. Given this ongoing threat to democratic values, right, shouldn't voters be more determined to go to the polls? And why do you think you're seeing that reluctance and the lack of enthusiasm?

WALDMAN: Well, I think it's a question that we'll see the answer to over the coming year. Midterm elections, of course, usually have lower turnout than presidential years, but in the last few elections, we've seen very high turnout. People, to surprising degrees, are really engaged. And, for the first time, yes, we know about this movement driven by the big lie but there is also a democracy movement energized by opposition to that big lie and by support for action on voting rights that is starting to really be felt. And it's an interesting question whether that democracy movement of committed and angry people who don't want their rights taken away, whether that will be one of the stories of 2022, as that gets felt at the ballot box.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. It's interesting, Reverend Taylor, you note that it's white moderates who could really be the game changer here in turning things around. Really interesting conversation, a very important conversation. Thank you both for joining us, Reverend Adam Taylor and Michael Waldman.

Well, it is Super Bowl weekend and the only thing bigger than the game is the halftime show, of course. What we can expect from Snoop, Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige and the rest of the incredible performers.

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[10:50:00]

SCIUTTO: Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige, they're all headlining the Super Bowl halftime show this Sunday. And, of course, Bianna, I know the entire song playlist. As you know, I could rattle them off in a second.

GOLODRYGA: I have been dancing to California Love here for the last few minutes now. It is one of my favorite all-time songs, probably one of the few though that I can actually list. I'm going to be honest there. There's a lot of speculation about which of the many hit songs we're going to hear.

CNN Senior Entertainment Reporter Lisa France joins us now. So, what are your predictions? Come on, we've got to go with California.

LISA FRANCE, CNN SENIOR ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: Well, we have to. People want to hear the classics, so Mary J. Blige, we hear this stuff from the Bad Boy eras with something like Real Love. Snoop has to do Gin and Juice. We need Nothing But A G Thang from Dr. Dre. Kendrick Lamar, he's got to do Humble. That song was everywhere. And for Eminem, people are going to lose it when he does Lose Yourself. He absolutely has to. So, clear all the space in your living room because you're going to be dancing. Make room.

SCIUTTO: Lisa, I will say, I'm behind -- trust me, I'm behind. I know. Most of the time, I recognize it but I know that. I did say Lose Yourself. That one had to be on the list.

GOLODRYGA: And he's a big Gin and Juice fan. He's a big Gin and Juice fan. You should see him in the morning coming into the office.

SCIUTTO: It's a great drink. It's a great drink, yes.

[10:55]

FRANCE: (INAUDIBLE).

GOLODRYGA: Who are you most excited to see?

FRANCE: I want to see all of them. This is the first time that hip- hop has really taken center stage being the main performers. And I'll just say that Gen Xers, if you have kids, they're going to see a whole different side to their parents when this halftime show happens, because people are so (INAUDIBLE). And make sure you ice up afterwards. Make sure you ice up.

SCIUTTO: Well, thank you so much for aging me, Lisa France, really kind of you before the weekend. Now, looking forward to it and it looks like off the fun. Thanks for joining us. Thanks so much to all of you for joining us today. I hope you have Super Bowl plans. I'm Jim Sciutto.

GOLODRYGA: And I'm Bianna Golodryga.

At This Hour with Kate Bolduan starts after a quick break.

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