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Peter Navarro Says He's Been Subpoenaed By Grand Jury; K-Pop Boy Band BTS Meets With Bien, Discusses Anti-Asian Bias; Abortion, Gun Rights Emerge As Key Issues Ahead Of Midterms; TSA Screened More Than 13 Million Over Memorial Day Weekend. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired May 31, 2022 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: Former Trump adviser Peter Navarro says he's been subpoenaed to testify in front of a federal grand jury.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: Now the court summons is connected to Navarro's refusal to comply with the subpoena issued by the January 6 committee back in February. CNN's Paula Reid is with us now. So, what do you know about this subpoena?

PAULA REID, CNN SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Victor, Navarro is of course a former Trump White House adviser, who is been very public about his efforts to subvert the 2020 election. He tells us that last week he got a very loud knock on his door from two FBI agents who served him with a subpoena from the Justice Department. We've asked Mr. Navarro to provide us with a copy of the subpoena, and so far, he has not been willing to let us look at it. So, we are relying on how he describes what it's asking for.

He says this subpoena requests documents related to his refusal to cooperate with the House Select Committee's investigation into January 6th, including any documents related to communications he's had with former President Trump.

The House Select Committee subpoenaed Navarro back in February. He refused to comply. So, in April, the House voted to recommend him to the Justice Department for possible criminal contempt of Congress. And the subpoena is notable because it's one of the first signs that the Justice Department may be moving on this referral. But it is unusual to subpoena someone who is the target of a criminal probe. However, in this case, Navarro does not have a lawyer. He's representing himself. This is really the only way that they would be able to get these documents is to request them directly from him.

Now, will he hand them over? Well, we spoke with Navarro earlier today and he says he will respond to the subpoena by late tomorrow. Now, interestingly, there is a larger, a larger criminal investigation being conducted by the Justice Department into January 6th into efforts to subvert the election. So far, based on the details that we have about the subpoena, it does not appear that this is a grand jury subpoena related to that investigation.

We even took the grand jury number that Navarro gave us and cross checked it and looked at the grand jury. They do not appear to be one used by prosecutors in the larger criminal investigation. But it is notable the Justice Department is appearing to move on that criminal contempt referral. The House Select Committee has criticized the Attorney General and the Justice Department for not doing enough to help them enforce their subpoenas.

CAMEROTA: OK, Paula Reid, thank you very much. Keep us posted about what happens tomorrow.

BLACKWELL: Members of the Grammy nominated K-pop group BTS are at the White House right now to meet with President Biden about combatting anti-Asian discrimination.

CAMEROTA: What are their big songs, I'm just curious, go ahead, Victor, tell us what their big songs are.

"Butter x Dynamite," but you know how I know?

CAMEROTA: Because it's right there.

BLACKWELL: It's right there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BTS, K-POP SONG, BUTTER X DYNAMITE: Cause I, I, I'm in the stars tonight So, watch me bring the fire and set the night alight

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Tell me that's not the catchiest song, Victor.

BLACKWELL: I had a producer in my ear the whole time it was playing so I still haven't heard it.

CAMEROTA: Oh, my gosh. All seven members are at the White House to address diversity and inclusion. The White House says BTS will also film digital content for the administration. Don't know what that means. New music videos perhaps? The group's members publicly shared their own experience with discrimination last year as anti-Asian hate crimes spiked across the country. We'll watch some of their videos right after this.

CAMEROTA: Certainly. You all missed Alisyn's cabbage patch. Oh, here it is again.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BTS, K-POP SONG, BUTTER X DYNAMITE: Cause I, I, I'm in the stars tonight So, watch me bring the fire and set the night alight

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Look at that.

[15:35:10]

BLACKWELL: OK.

CAMEROTA: Oh, come on, don't you love that video?

BLACKWELL: Yep. All right. Oh, we're going to extend this moment, OK.

Yeah, so look, I mean, OK, yes, I have heard the song, my EP and my producer sitting over here, they've been on the whole time.

CAMEROTA: Now you've heard it.

BLACKWELL: Now I heard the song, it played in commercials. I think it was like a red carpet song for an award show or something. Don't really know the BTS group that much.

CAMEROTA: OK, well, we'll fix that after the show.

BLACKWELL: All right, so five months now until the 2022 midterms. Abortion rights, guns are two of the biggest issues on voters' minds. Will that energize Democrats or Republicans more? That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:40:00]

BLACKWELL: Abortion rights and gun control have quickly become two key issues for voters ahead of the midterms this fall, and that could impact voters in well-educated suburban swing districts. Many Republicans are banking on other issues like record high inflation to help flip the House in November.

CAMEROTA: Joining us now to discuss all of this, we have CNN senior political analyst, and senior editor of the Atlantic, Ron Brownstein. Also, Democratic strategist and former senior aide for the Biden campaign, Adrienne Elrod, and CNN political commentator and Republican strategist Alice Stewart. Great to see all of you. Ron, are you seeing evidence -- I know you always looking at the data. Are you seeing evidence that gun safety and abortion have changed the equation for the midterms?

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I think the question is whether they will change the equation. I mean, there's no doubt that white collar suburban areas which tend to take liberal positions on gun control and abortion were at the absolute center of the Democratic takeover of the House in 2018. They were indispensable to Biden's victory in 2020, places from Philadelphia and Detroit, from Atlanta to Phoenix, all around the country we saw white collar suburbs provided enormous, really unprecedented margins for Democrats.

Republicans have been very optimistic, Alisyn. They're going to be able to claw back some of those Democratic gains around the issue of inflation and gas prices and dissatisfaction with the Biden administration. But now we have these momentous and tragic events, the shootings in Buffalo and in Texas, the leaking of the Scotus draft majority opinion that would overturn Roe, that have the potential to change the issue mix.

We don't know for sure yet whether it will change the issue mix. But I think operatives on both sides agree that to the extent that these are the questions, abortion rights and gun safety that voters are thinking about in these white collar districts. It probably offers Democrats their best chance to blunt the wave that Republicans think have been developing for them.

BLACKWELL: All right, let's separate the questions, though, between if it will rise to the top or near the top of the issues that voters choose as their top concerns, and how much will it impact. Alice, let me come to you, and Ron lays out the stats on his latest piece on CNN.com. Close to 7 out of 10 out of college educated voters do not support overturning Roe. Close to 9 out of 10 support universal background checks to buy a gun. How much do you think maybe inaction on these two issues will cost Republicans in November?

ALICE STEWART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think it's going to be a wash on both sides for this reason, Victor. When you look at the issue of abortion and gun control, those are very divisive issues, very combative issues, and people are very opinionated on this. And what I expect and what I'm hearing is this is galvanizing people on both sides.

Those that are pro-life are working right now. I know they are training volunteers and working to get out the vote later this summer and as we get closer to November. And those that are pro-choice are doing the same.

The same when it comes to gun control issues. People that protect the Second Amendment rights are going to be out there working to protect that as well as those who want stricter gun control laws.

But the key motivating factor as we often see is inflation and economic issues. That is one as you just stated in the last segment, almost half of Americans are concerned about inflation and the economy. That is going to be a big factor as we head into the midterm elections. But when it comes to the key issues right now, I'm hopeful that we have progress when it comes to gun violence, and that right there I think will go a long way to making voters certainly a lot more comfortable with what our elected officials can do in a bipartisan nature in Washington.

CAMEROTA: Adrienne, to Alice's point, voters do seem more energized or galvanized than they were a month ago. So, here are the numbers -- this is the latest CNN poll. Very or extremely enthusiastic to vote in the midterms, a month ago, 36 percent of Democrats said, yes, they felt enthusiastic, extremely enthusiastic. Now it's 43 percent. A month ago, 47 percent of Republicans said they felt extremely enthusiastic, now it's 56 percent. So, it is working on both sides. How do you see this?

ADRIENNE ELROD, FORMER SENIOR AIDE, BIDEN 2020 CAMPAIGN: Well, looking at my friend, Alisyn, I agree on a lot of things. Alisyn, but on this one I'm just I'm going to slightly disagree because the numbers are on the side of Democrats, when you've got upwards of 90 percent of people in America supporting background checks, 92 percent support red flag laws.

And then on the issue of Roe, upwards of between 70 and 80 percent of Americans support keeping Roe the law of the land. And that means that there's a lot of Republicans in those numbers.

So ultimately, yes, I agree there's enthusiasm on both sides, but ultimately the numbers are on the side of Democrats. Now any time the White House has control, as one party has control of the White House, Senate and House, it does make it more difficult for that party to maintain control going into the midterms. Just historically that's been a challenge.

[15:45:00]

But, you know, I think the goal here is to help mitigate some of these losses. And I think especially in the Senate in some of these key races from Georgia to New Hampshire, Democrats can do well given the fact that Roe and guns are going to be two issues that suburban Democrats in particular are going to be focused on going into the midterms.

BLACKWELL: Adrienne, let me ask you based on some of the latest reporting we have from Manu Raju that Senator Murphy says that Democrats are going to be at the negotiating table on guns forever, and Chuck Schumer could call a vote next week on some changes. What's the wisdom of calling the vote or announcing you're going to call the vote as negotiations go on. Is this going to be another one of the votes that Democrats know they're not going to get the votes heading into it? We've seen it so many times.

ELROD: Yes, look, I think there are certainly were some concerns about Chuck Schumer saying that he was not going to call a vote initially, and then he changed course and said, actually we will call a vote. I mean, look, I think you've got to let the negotiations take place. And Senator Murphy is working closely, Senator Manchin is obviously at the table, John Cornyn is sort of representing Republicans at the table.

So, they are quietly trying to get something done. I think they're asking for space and so that they can try to get somebody to come to the table. I think maybe Schumer is saying that there could be a vote next week is his way of trying to kind of push the ball forward a little bit.

But look, I think that there's so much at stake here, and I'm not sure we can afford as Democrats to call something again to the floor without actually having the real negotiations. I think we're getting close, and I certainly choose to be cautiously optimistic on this one.

CAMEROTA: Alice, we only have ten seconds, do you think something's going to happen this time?

STEWART: I do. I'm hearing from Republicans, they do see this as a time where we need to take action. And the fact that Cornyn has been tasked to lead this and sees that this is an imperative time and we do need to take action. I do see some change. But it does not need to only focus on one aspect. This is a very complicated issue that needs a complicated solution and it's not just about looking at guns but also mental health, behavioral health, single points of entry, as well as law enforcement training. That's what Republicans would like to have as part of the discussion.

BLACKWELL: Alice Stewart, Adrienne Elrod, Ron Brownstein, thank you.

STEWART: Thank you.

CAMEROTA: So, Americans are traveling again. But airports and airlines are facing severe staffing shortages, the potential impact on your summer travel, next.

[15:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAMEROTA: U.S. travelers were more than ready to travel for Memorial Day. The TSA says it screened more than 13 million people over the holiday weekend.

BLACKWELL: Yes, but some airlines didn't appear to be quite ready for demand. Multiple carriers canceled or delayed thousands of flights. Pete Muntean is CNN's aviation correspondent. So, what's the reason that these airlines had to cancel or delay these flights?

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Well, Victor and Alisyn, thankfully, no huge meltdowns. But remember, this was really the first big test that the major airlines faced, not only since the end of the transportation mask mandate, but also after airlines got a lot smaller as a result of the pandemic. So many people took early retirement packages or early outs.

Look at the numbers here. These are the latest from Flight Aware. 3,000 flights canceled in total from Thursday to Monday. The worst day being Friday, where 1,263 flights were canceled according to Flight Aware. That's when the weather was really bad on the East Coast. A lot more flights delayed. Some 26,000 in total. Again, Friday, the worst day when the weather was really bad.

This all means that about 3 percent of flights in the U.S. over the Memorial Day travel period were canceled. About 1 in 5, 20 percent were delayed. When so many people are coming back to travel, the latest numbers from the TSA, that 2.31 million people passed through security at America's airports just yesterday. That brings this five- day total to more than 13 million people traveling by air. When you average that all out, about 93 percent of pre-pandemic figures is what we saw compared back to 2019.

But the real test here will come as the summer goes on. It TSA says these numbers will go up even higher and we may see numbers at airports nationwide creep above pre-pandemic levels. You know, airlines got off pretty easy this time around, but they are shedding some flights from their schedules going forward, some short-term fixes to try and build in reliability to their schedules. Delta Airlines is one of the latest to do that, saying they'll shed about 100 flights a day from its schedule in July -- Victor and Alisyn. CAMEROTA: And people are desperate to get back out there. Pete

Muntean, thank you.

MUNTEAN: No doubt.

CAMEROTA: All right, audiences feel the need for speed.

BLACKWELL: Or the need for movie popcorn. "Top Gun: Maverick" kicked the summer movie season in high gear. Will people keep going back to theaters?

[15:55:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Tom Cruise's highly anticipated top gun sequel, "Top Gun: Maverick," broke Memorial Day weekend box office records.

CAMEROTA: The movie made $156 million domestically over the weekend. Maverick was supposed to hit theaters in 2020 but was delayed because of the pandemic. Cruise did not want to send the film straight to streaming. He instead pushed the release until it was safe enough for audiences to return to theaters. And boy, they have returned.

BLACKWELL: Yes, they certainly have.

CAMEROTA: OK, do you have any interest in this, Victor?

BLACKWELL: I didn't see the first one.

[16:00:00]

CAMEROTA: I don't know if you have to. I really don't know if you have to. I think it might still hold together.

BLACKWELL: I'll skip it. There are other movies I want to see coming out this summer.

CAMEROTA: Such as?

BLACKWELL: I do want to see "Light Year." I like the Toy Story franchise. I want to watch the Elvis movie.

CAMEROTA: Me too. I think that that's getting good ratings.

BLACKWELL: Oh, look at the time.

CAMEROTA: Oh, OK.

BLACKWELL: "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts right now.