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Millions Under Tropical Storm Warnings as System Nears Landfall in Florida; Baby Formula Plant in Michigan Previously Shut Down to Resume Production; Parents Left Frustrated After Uvalde School Board Meeting Ends with Questions Left Unanswered; Rep. Joaquin Castro (D- TX) Interviewed on Law Enforcement's Response to School Shooting in Uvalde, Texas. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired June 04, 2022 - 10:00   ET

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

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[10:00:36]

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BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Happening now in the Newsroom, parts of Florida inundated with heavy rain and flooding as a tropical system closes in on the state. The forecast and potential impacts coming up.

The baby formula plant shut down after a recall is expected to reopen today. What this means for the nationwide shortage and how soon could formula be back on the shelf.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have been told that this person did not have radio communication, and I don't know as to why.

Plus, new details in the investigation into the school massacre in Uvalde, Texas, what we're learning about the police response and whether classes will ever be held at that school again.

Two former Trump officials won't be charged for stonewalling the January 6th committee. We have got reaction from committee members ahead of next week's high-profile hearing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You've got to live. You've got to have fun in summertime.

SANCHEZ: And on the road again. Decades-high inflation not stopping millions from traveling this summer. How people are getting creative, changing their travel habits to salvage their vacations.

Plus, the show goes on despite the queen's absence. The Platinum Jubilee celebrations under way today.

Newsroom starts right now.

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CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): We are so grateful to see you on this Saturday, June 4th. Welcome, I'm Christi Paul.

SANCHEZ: Great to be with you, Christi. I'm Boris Sanchez. You are live in the CNN Newsroom.

PAUL: Yes. And Boris, you know what we're looking at first and foremost here, this potential tropical cyclone that is drenching parts of Cuba, the Bahamas, southern Florida. You see it there on your screen right now. We know at least 10 million people at this moment are under some sort of storm warnings. We'll give you a live look here, too, at Miami. Nearly a foot of downpour has been recorded in some areas just in the last 24 hours. And experts say the system is bringing strong winds, flooding, possible tornadoes, and could become the first named storm of this year's Atlantic hurricane season.

SANCHEZ: And we want to share this video with you from Miami. Some vehicles submerged in water, leaving people scrambling to physically get them out. Meantime, we're learning that in Cuba, at least one person has been found dead, about 50,000 people remain without power in the country's capital of Havana.

Let's take you to south Florida now and go straight to CNN's Carlos Suarez. He's in Fort Lauderdale. We should note, we also have CNN's Tyler Mauldin at the Weather Center tracking the storm. But first to you, Carlos. Flash flood warnings have been issued for parts of Florida. What are you seeing where you are?

CARLOS SUAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, guys. So we are live on Fort Lauderdale beach where the rain has just been relentless. Now, a few minutes ago we finally got our first look at just how much rain has fallen across south Florida. According to the National Weather Service, the city of Miami saw more than 11 inches of rain over the last 24 hours here in Fort Lauderdale. That number is just under eight inches of rain. That has led, as you can see here behind, to some flooding along A-1-A. There is a lone park ranger that's trying to keep drivers from doing exactly just this, which is getting their cars passed some of the flooding out here.

Now, the more serious flooding has taken place down in the city of Miami where, again, nearly a foot of rain has hit that part of Miami- Dade County in the last 24 hours. In fact, the downtown Miami area as well as the financial district that's known as Brickell, they have seen a number of cars stall out. We have seen reports of some of the flooding going into some of the lobbies of buildings out there. And in fact, Miami fire rescue tells us that they have at least six elevated trucks that are going around town trying to get any of these stranded folks out of their cars.

A lot of this rain has also made its way across the southwestern part of Florida. We're talking about Fort Myers and Naples. That part of the state also saw rain anywhere between four to seven inches. The good news here is that much of this bad weather is expected to clear out later this afternoon and the number of folks without power right now is quite low. Boris and Christi?

PAUL: Carlos, thank you so much.

Tyler, let's jump off that point. He just mentioned later today. Can you give us a better timeline?

[10:05:04]

TYLER MAULDIN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I would say by midnight the rain is going to be tapering off. We've picked up nearly a foot of rain in Miami. You guys know just as well as I do, it doesn't take much for south Florida to see flooding. So you get six to 12 inches of rainfall in 24 hours, that is a recipe to see the water start to stand up on the roadways, which is exactly what we're seeing.

The latest update from the National Hurricane Center has the center of this system about 40 to 50 miles to the west of Fort Myers. It's moving to the northeast at 18 miles per hour. It's sending blinding rain into portions of the Keys and also the southern peninsula, which is leading to that rainfall piling up.

We've seen the rain since yesterday. It started this time yesterday, and it continues. There's no end in sight for at least the next few hours. We'll zoom in down here. You can see from, let's say, Monroe County all the way up into Palm Beach County, as far west as Collier County, all of this activity continues to push from south to north. We're going to add to the totals that we've already seen.

Widespread, four to six inches with isolated amounts higher than that. Case in point was Miami with that total of nearly a foot. The rain isn't ending over the next few hours, as I mentioned, so we'll continue with the flood watch for the southern portion of the peninsula. We've got a flash flood warning for southern Palm Beach County, Broward County, and also northern Miami-Dade County which does include Miami. We're going to see an additional probably two to four inches through tomorrow. And again, it is not until about midnight that we see this activity taper off. These tropical storm warnings continue to be up, but those will likely end the closer that that we get to midnight too.

SANCHEZ: Tyler Mauldin, appreciate the forecast. Carlos Suarez, I hope him and his team stay safe in the rain. Thank you both.

Remember the baby formula plant at the center of the nationwide formula shortage? It is expected to reopen today. Abbott Nutrition says work is going to restart at its Sturgis, Michigan, months after it was shut down.

SANCHEZ: Abbott closed the plant after FDA investigators found a potential dangerous bacteria in the building, and that left millions of families across the U.S. really scrambling to figure out how they're going to feed their babies. CNN's Polo Sandoval is with us now. So Polo, the good news that the plant is going to be back up and running. That doesn't mean that store shelves will even be able to fill with formula even this week.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, it may be some time before that formula makes it to the shelves here, Christi and Boris. It's important to remind viewers that the closure of that plant that you see behind me, that has been cited time and time again by government and industry officials as one of the main reason why we are experiencing this nationwide baby formula shortage for months now. Company officials here, though, are making it very clear that it's going to take some time before that product is being manufactured today. According to their last update, it will actually make it to store shelves. And they will be prioritizing the kinds of formula they will be producing starting today, including EleCare. That's going to be one of their main priorities is hypoallergenic amino based formula for children with special dietary needs. That's going to be a big focus right now.

The company is saying that they expect whatever they produce today after it goes through the normal inspection process to eventually make it onto store shelves on or about June 20th. So that's a little over two weeks away. After that Abbott is saying that they're going to begin to broaden their manufacturing to also include Similac formula, which is perhaps what might address the more general needs of parents out there across the country. So again, it's going to be a slow revving up process that we expect here.

But as of the last update from Abbott Nutrition, they say that manufacturing is expected to begin again at this plant in Sturgis, Michigan, starting today. The company also making clear that they have made multiple changes after they reviewed their protocols and their procedures after that recall in February, including upgrading some of their equipment at this particular plant here, and even changing their protocols as well just to make sure that parents are assured that the formula that's being produced here is in fact going to be safe.

And it's also important to remind viewers, Christi and Boris, that production here is resuming after the federal government, mainly the Department of Health and Health Services, announced that the Office of the Inspector General will be reviewing the FDA's actions back in February when that recall was issued that was specifically about the formula that was manufactured at the plant here in Sturgis. Guys?

PAUL: Polo Sandoval, good to know, thank you so much.

SANCHEZ: We want to pivot now to Uvalde, Texas where there is growing frustration among parents and families after that shooting at Robb Elementary school.

PAUL: A meeting of the Uvalde school board ended last night with some pretty upset people, no real answers as to what is next for the school. But the superintendent did announce students would not be returning to that school. Take a look at how -- you've got some reaction from parents there who still are asking for answers.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have a fourth grader that was in the room next door, that's terrified. My niece died. I have a six-year-old that just told me, I don't want to go to school. Why, to be shot? I have one going into junior high. I have a third grader. We want answers to where the security is going to take place. This was all a joke.

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PAUL: CNN's Camila Bernal is with us from Uvalde. So talk to us, Camila, about what these parents really plan to do, particularly since they're not getting a lot of information from investigators.

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They're going to keep asking. And they're going to keep demanding, because they want accountability. And rightfully so. They are upset. Look, it's been more than two weeks since the shooting, and we still don't even know why or how that shooter was in the classroom for more than an hour before being shot by authorities. And so of course they are upset. It's part of the reason they were there last night. This was the first school board meeting since the massacre, and so many of them just asking questions.

Two things coming out of that meeting. As you mentioned, students and teachers will not be returning to Robb Elementary. The other thing, though, coming out of the meeting is that the school board did not take action against Pete Arredondo, the school police chief who was the incident commander at the time. According to State Senator Roland Gutierrez, he did not have a radio at the time. So the question is, did he know that there were children that were still calling 911, describing seeing bodies, seeing their teacher shot, saying things like, they don't want to die? I mean, this is just horrible. And so it's why lawmakers and parents are asking for accountability. Here is State Senator Roland Gutierrez.

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ROLAND GUTIERREZ, (D) TEXAS STATE SENATOR: A lot of finger-pointing in this whole situation. And I think that everybody erred. I think all of those law enforcement officers erred in their judgment, in their ability to follow protocols. I want to know that the ones that work for the state of Texas, I want to know which one of them were in that building.

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BERNAL: In addition to the investigation and the frustration on that side of the issue, there is also the trauma and the community coming together to support the victims and the families. If you take a look behind me, there's already people that are coming to this makeshift memorial.

But I do want to point out and highlight one of the victims, Ellie Garcia. Today would have been her 10th birthday. One of her favorite colors was purple, so a lot of the people here are wearing purple today just to honor her memory. It's just unbelievable to think about the family and what they are going through. Instead of celebrating and having a birthday party, they are grieving this morning, Boris, Christi.

SANCHEZ: Our hearts go out to Ellie and her family and friends. Camila Bernal from Uvalde, Texas, thank you so much.

Let's discuss the situation in Uvalde and the pressure to pass new gun safety laws. With us is Congressman Joaquin Castro of Texas. Congressman, we appreciate you sharing part of your Saturday with us, thanks for joining us. First, I just want to get your response to what we're watching unfold in Uvalde. I spoke with State Senator Roland Gutierrez last hour, and he said he was afraid that there was some kind of coverup going on, because we haven't gotten very critical details now 10 or 11 days out from when this incident happened. What do you make of that?

REP. JOAQUIN CASTRO (D-TX): I think that's a fair question at this point. All of us, the American people, have seen the story and the version of the story change four or five times now. You have the state authorities pointing fingers at the local officials.

And bear in mind, I know a lot of the attention has focused on the failure of one person, the school police chief. But remember, there were local, state, and federal law enforcement officials who were onsite, and there were local and at least state law enforcement folks who were outside that classroom door waiting to go in.

So really, it was a failure, as Roland mentioned, of people, of law enforcement, at every level of government, not just the local folks. And I also find it odd that -- and disturbing that that school board didn't take any action to at least put the chief on administrative leave while everything is sorted out. And so, it has been disturbing.

SANCHEZ: You would think that amid so many questions, he would want to come forward and set the record straight and give an explanation as to why some of those decisions were made.

Congressman, you spoke out earlier, calling for an FBI probe of what happened in Uvalde. We know the Justice Department is doing a review of the law enforcement response. Have you gotten any update on your request, has anyone reached out to you?

[10:15:07]

CASTRO: Yes, I had a meeting, after my request, with the FBI, and then received a letter from the Justice Department yesterday about the incident review that they're going to undertake, which will include a review of what law enforcement did in Uvalde.

But I have asked the FBI to take the full lead in the investigation. When I spoke with them initially, they said that the investigation was -- they said they were partnering with state and local officials, but that it was kind of split up. It's clear that the state and local officials now are not cooperating with each other, and the FBI should take the lead in this investigation, because when I was in Uvalde talking to the families, what they want most of all are answers about why this happened to their kids in their town.

SANCHEZ: Congressman, one more question on investigation and then we'll move to what comes next for Congress. Governor Greg Abbott initially said that law enforcement gave this brave response, that folks rushed into danger. He eventually said he was misled by local authorities about their response to the shooting. He says that he was livid. As far as we know, no one has been held accountable for apparently deceiving the governor. You have said you believe he was lying when he said he was misled. Do you have any evidence to back that up? What do you think should happen here?

CASTRO: Well, as you mentioned, if that's the case, if somebody lied to him, then who has been disciplined? And in particular, I know State Senator Gutierrez has said, and he said this on the record, that he was told by DPS, I believe, that there were at least two DPS officers that were in that group of 17 or 19 officers waiting outside the classroom who waited too long. So if he had people who were on the ground, that were state law enforcement authorities, did he not talk to them? Did Steve McCraw not talk to them about what happened?

So, who lied to the governor? Was it the DPS troopers or the rangers? Was it his DPS Chief McCraw? So it's very hard to believe that with his own people on the ground right there, he couldn't get a more accurate account of what happened. And nobody's been disciplined for this. There's been no repercussions at all for what many have described as one of the worst law enforcement failures in American history.

SANCHEZ: So Congressman, let's talk about the push for some kind of gun safety legislation. The lead Democrat in the Senate guiding these conversations is Senator Chris Murphy. He has said that the next week is critical in any bipartisan push. But he said he's, quote, prepared for failure. What do you think of where things stand right now? And how confident are you that something will come out of Congress to address this issue?

CASTRO: Well, I know that Chris is working really hard, particularly with what has been an intransigent group of Republican senators who simply don't want to consider any kind of gun reforms, even the most popular reforms that have 90 percent support, or red flag laws that have overwhelming support of the American people. So I know he's working as hard as he can.

And look, I don't blame the American people for being skeptical about whether Congress will get something done or not. Democrats have passed universal background checks. When we get back next week, we're going to pass red flag laws. We're going to limit high-capacity magazines. We're going to raise the age for somebody to buy one of these weapons, semi-automatic rifles, to 21. Many of us support an assault rifle ban. But we also realize that we're trying to work on something that has a chance of getting through a Senate where Republicans have stood in the way of any kind of reform.

So we are working on our end. But it takes the other party also being willing to compromise. I hope that that happens. I think Uvalde shocked the conscience in a way that we haven't seen since Sandy Hook, at least, in terms of these incidents. But look, the jury is still out. And this is a time for the American people to speak to their representatives and their senators.

SANCHEZ: And Congressman, I understand that you're about to attend an event in San Antonio that would support the community in Uvalde. I'm wondering what you think our viewers might be able to do to help. What do folks need there most? CASTRO: As you can imagine, they're in mourning, they're grieving.

That community needs to rebuild. And in San Antonio, San Antonio is the closest big city to Uvalde. We helped treat many of the victims, the survivors. We've got a lot of people who are originally from Uvalde that live in San Antonio. So there's a close collection. So we're going to be out at Travis Park in downtown, and we welcome everybody in the area to join us, to stand with Uvalde, support the families.

[10:20:01]

But also, this is a call to action for change, not only for the Congress, but for the governor, Greg Abbott, right now, to call a special session on gun reform and do something about this.

SANCHEZ: That community needs all the help that it can get, and answers and accountability as well. Congressman Joaquin Castro, thank you so much for the time.

PAUL: Still to come this morning, a Wisconsin judge shot in his home in what investigators are calling a, quote, targeted attack. But he wasn't the only one on the suspect's list.

Plus, members of the January 6th Committee left, quote, puzzled after the DOJ decided not to charge two of former President Donald Trump's closest allies. What this means for the investigation moving forward.

Also, Prince William and Duchess Kate making an appearance today in Wales, notably missing, of course, from the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, though, is the queen herself. We're talking to an author who has some insight on the queen, Meghan and Harry, and what's next.

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[10:25:10]

PAUL: So there's been a potential setback for the select committee investigating the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol. Two former Trump administration officials will not face charges for contempt of Congress. The Department of Justice says it won't indict former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows nor former deputy chief of staff chief of staff Dan Scavino.

SANCHEZ: Meantime, another Trump ally is facing charges. A grand jury indicting former Trump adviser Peter Navarro for contempt of Congress over his effort to stonewall the January 6th investigation. The select committee is set to begin its first public hearings this Thursday in primetime. The panel is expected to reveal evidence of witness testimony that we have not yet seen or heard.

More on all of this, let's bring in CNN national security reporter Zach Cohen joins us. Zach, break down for us why Navarro was indicted and how much trouble he's going to be in if he's convicted.

ZACHARY COHEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Good morning, Boris and Christi. So Peter Navarro was subpoenaed by the House Select Committee investigating January 6th back in February. And it became pretty clear pretty quickly that he had no intention of cooperating. Members voted to refer him to the Justice Department in April, and now he faces criminal charges over his refusal to provide documents and testimony to the committee. Each of those is a separate count of contempt of Congress.

And the consequences if he's convicted are pretty steep. Each count carries a maximum penalty of one year in jail and potentially $100,000 in fines. So things are escalating as far as the legal challenges go for Peter Navarro, and we'll see what happens.

PAUL: So let me ask you, I think a lot of people are wondering why the DOJ would move to indict Navarro and Steve Bannon but not so for Mark Meadows or Dan Scavino who were also referred for criminal charges.

COHEN: Yes, it's a great question, and it's one that the committee is also asking the Department of Justice. Just last night in a statement after the news broke that the Department of Justice would not be charging Scavino and Meadows, the committee released a statement, and they said, look, look, we want to know why you've decided not to. "Mr. Meadows and Mr. Scavino unquestionably have relevant knowledge about President Trump's role in the efforts to overturn the 2020 election and the events January 6th. We hope the department provides greater clarity on this matter."

Now, we know that the committee believes that Meadows and Scavino should have been held in contempt and should have faced criminal charges in a similar way to Navarro because they're key witnesses in the investigation, they have key information to their probe.

Now, ultimately the Department of Justice has said that it doesn't intend to pursue criminal charges for contempt of Congress of either man, but we'll see what happens down the line as well, because there is a lot of uncertainty around the situation. The key difference here, though, is between Meadows and Scavino and someone like Peter Navarro, Meadows and Scavino did, at least, to a certain degree cooperate with the committee or at least engage or negotiate about cooperating. Navarro and Steve Bannon, the other, were pretty brazen in their defiance.

SANCHEZ: They completely ignored them. Zach Cohen, thank you so much for the reporting, appreciate it.

Still ahead, a targeted attack on the justice system, leaving a Wisconsin judge dead. The latest on this investigation after a quick break.

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[10:32:50]

SANCHEZ: We're learning new details this morning about a deadly targeted attack on a former Wisconsin judge yesterday.

PAUL: Officials say Judge John Roemer was killed inside his home. This was in New Lisbon, Wisconsin, yesterday. And a source tells CNN the suspect also had other political targets in mind. CNN law enforcement correspondent Whitney Wild has been following this story for us. Whitney, what else can you tell us?

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: Right now, what we know from these very limited details is that this situation is simply frightening. Other big names on that list included the governor of Wisconsin as well as U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell.

Here are a few more things that we know. We know this began Friday morning. Again, it targeted this former state circuit court judge, John Roemer, who was 68 years old. In addition, officials believe that this incident appears to be in some way related to the judicial system. What happened is there was a 911 call that came out of Judge Roemer's home around 6:30 when one of the occupants of the home ran out, called 911. Police arrived and then throughout the morning found John Roemer dead in his home. Additionally, they found this 56-year- old man inside that home with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Here is what officials said about the incident.

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JOSH KAUL, WISCONSIN ATTORNEY GENERAL: This, as I mentioned before, does appear to be a targeted act. And the individual who is a suspect appears to have had other targets as well. It appears to be related to the judicial system.

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WILD: Certainly, a lot more details to learn. At this point we don't have an update on the suspect yet. The suspect remains unnamed at this point. But again, that suspect had at the time been transported to a hospital with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Certainly, this raises many, many questions about the motive. And more broadly, we have been talking a lot about this heightened threat environment, people settling scores, settling grievances. And that's why this case is so alarming, because we know that it was a targeted attack, we know it was in some way, according to officials, related to the judicial system. So this is certainly one that law enforcement across the country will keep an eye on. Back to you.

[10:35:02]

PAUL: And it was in his own home. Whitney Wild, thank you so much, appreciate the details.

So tomorrow, CNN is going inside the Watergate scandal like you've never seen before with people who brought it to the public and how it set the stage for future White House scandals. The new CNN original series, "Watergate, Blueprint for a Scandal," it premiers tomorrow night at 9:00 right here on CNN.

We'll be right back.

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[10:40:03]

PAUL: Next hour, the Epsom Derby kicks off as part of day three of a four-day celebration in honor of Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee celebrating her 70 years on the throne. Later today, people are gathering for the Platinum party at the palace. We understand the queen experienced, quote, some discomfort during Thursday's trooping the color parade, so she is sitting some events out right now. But the show has to go on, of course. Yesterday the royal family attended a service of Thanksgiving at St. Paul's Cathedral. It did include Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, the duchess of Sussex.

Let's talk to columnist for "The Daily Mail" Robert Hardman, because he was there. So first of all, talk to us about the -- oh, I do want to point out that you are also the author of "Queen of our Times, The Life of Elizabeth II." And I want to ask you about that before we leave as well. But I do want to ask you what you witnessed regarding how Harry and Meghan were received.

ROBERT HARDMAN, COLUMNIST, "THE DAILY MAIL": Well, good afternoon, Christi. It was a moment that everyone had been waiting for for some time, because obviously they haven't been seen in public in Britain for over two years in a situation with the rest of the royal family. And I would say on the whole it went off fairly well. They arrived in a very strict protocol format outside St. Paul's Cathedral. They received formal greetings. The crowd, from what I heard, was welcoming. And they were treated with all the due respect. And, obviously, they weren't front row, which they would be if they had remained in the front line royal family, if you like. But they were in row two. They were with other members of the queen's family.

So all in all, I think what that's managed to do, it's helping to kind of normalize the situation where they can come back to Britain and it's not a huge, huge story.

PAUL: I don't know about you, Robert, but I had a moment watching Queen Elizabeth walk out on that balcony without Prince Philip. Was that a moment for people there?

HARDMAN: I think it was a very poignant moment in so many ways. We've never had a monarch who has reigned for 70 years. She is unquestionably the most respected public figure in Britain and, I think, in large parts of the world. And to see her there being saluted by this extraordinary crowd. Really, I haven't seen a crowd like that probably since her last jubilee. And she, was clearly moved by it. And yes, I mean, I think we all thought, what a pity Prince Philip's not there.

But the queen is very stoical, she's very pragmatic, she's not a sentimentalist. She's always looking to the present and the future, that was the theme of her jubilee message to her people. She's continuing to help the country looking ahead. So that's her sort of message, let's not get too nostalgic. But hey, a monarch for 70 years, of course we're going to get nostalgic. And this weekend parties are starting all over the country, tens of thousands of them, millions of people preparing to really have the first national get-together since the pandemic. There's a lot to celebrate here in a fairly gloomy world.

You say that the people need to see this this year. Why do you say that?

HARDMAN: I think people feel that after two-and-a-half, three years of lockdown, all sorts of economic problems and all the rest, I think it's moments like these that do help to bring the country together. We saw that actually at Harry and Meghan's wedding in 2018. We saw it at the queen's last jubilee. There's something about monarchy as a sort of unifying force. There's no politics in it. It's just binding history with the present. It stands for everyone and everything.

And it's all represented in this one extraordinary figure. And having just written a biography of her entire life, I can't think of anyone else who has led a life where she was -- she is the last head of state today who wore a uniform in the Second World War. She's the only person in history to have met 14 U.S. presidents. I talked to George W. Bush for my book. He couldn't think of anyone else who had known 14 presidents.

And she's lived through so much. But yet she's not one for dwelling in the past. She is very much, she's I am your queen, I'm here now, I am your monarch. And this jubilee is about us thanking her, but it's her in return thanking us. Even if she's not at a lot of these events because she can't be. She's well into her tenth decade, and a lot of these parades and services are too much of an ordeal. But nonetheless, we know she's engaged. We know she's watching it all on TV. And I suspect we'll either see or hear from her again before this weekend is out.

PAUL: I would suspect the same thing. His new book, "Queen of Our Times," promises some new insights and material, too, I should say, from the royal archives. Robert Hardman, so good to see you, thank you for the updates.

[10:45:08]

HARDMAN: Thank you so much.

PAUL: Of course.

SANCHEZ: It's already costing us more to fill up at the gas station and go to the grocery store. And that record high inflation is now impeding summer vacation. Up next, how tourists are passing down the higher costs -- or rather, how tourist spots are passing along the higher costs to visitors. A detailed report, next.

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PAUL: The latest jobs report shows strong gains in May with U.S. employers adding another 390,000 jobs.

[10:50:05]

SANCHEZ: That number is slightly less than the previous month but still higher than what economists predicted. CNN Business correspondent Rahel Solomon has more on the state of the economic recovery.

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Christi and Boris, U.S. employers added 390,000 jobs in the month of May. No big surprises here, I think, is the headline, and I'll tell you why.

Looking into the numbers, the unemployment rate remains steady at 3.6 percent. That is the third month in a row we're seeing that number. Employment in leisure and hospitality increased by about 84,000 in May. Employment in professional and business services rose by about 75,000, so still a very strong jobs market.

But I think the devil is in the details, as they say. It could be going in the right direction in terms of cooling in the economy. This is the lowest top line number we've seen in a year. We've heard Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell talk about how there are nearly two open jobs right now for every one person looking for a job and how that could be inflating wages. The Federal Reserve wants to see some equilibrium in the jobs market. Friday's jobs report could be one indication that's beginning to happen.

The world's richest man, Elon Musk, however, feels otherwise, saying in an email to executives Thursday, according to Reuters, that he has a, quote, super bad feeling about the economy and wants to cut 10 percent of jobs at Tesla. President Biden was asked about Musk on Friday. Take a listen to how he responded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: While Musk is talking about that, Ford is increasing their investment overwhelmingly. I think Ford is increasing the investment in building new electric vehicles, 6,000 new employees, union employees, I might add, in the Midwest. The former Chrysler corporation, Stellantis, they are also making similar investments in electric vehicles. Intel is adding 20,000 new jobs for making computer chips. So lots of luck on his trip to the moon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: Meantime, we'll get our next important reading on the U.S. economy Friday, June 10th, when the federal government releases the next consumer price index, or CPI, a closely-watched report on inflation. Christi, Boris?

SANCHEZ: Rahel, thank you so much for that.

Despite inflation at a four-decade high and record gas prices, millions of Americans traveled over the Memorial Day weekend and millions more are expected to take the traditional family vacation this summer.

PAUL: CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich reports that instead of canceling plans, a lot of people are just scaling back.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE) BRIAN KNOEBEL, CO-OWNER, KNOEBELS AMUSEMENT RESORT: We've got a steam powered carousel and a food stand and a couple of games of chance, and little by little, we're now 60 rides.

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Since 1926, Knoebels Amusement Resort in rural central Pennsylvania has been a summer tourist destination.

KNOEBEL: I see the trains slowing down, so there should be some squirrels over here.

YURKEVICH: Oh, little chipmunks. Oh, little chipmunks!

The park is free to enter, and rides like the Pioneer Train are pay as you go. But even prices at this family-run park surrounded by idyllic farmland aren't exempt from high inflation.

KNOEBEL: The rising cost of everything from gasoline to chicken to rolls, electricity, we had to increase our prices.

YURKEVICH: Inflation is gripping the nation's pocketbook with prices at a four-decade high, a pain point for President Biden as most Americans are sour on the economy. Still, an estimated 39 million Americans were expected to travel Memorial Day weekend, most by car, up from last year.

TIMOTHY DOWNHOWER, MARKETING DIRECTOR, SUSQUEHANNA RIVER VALLEY VISITORS' BUREAU: When I hear inflation, that's where we're going to spend our ad dollars more locally. So that's where we're going to be focusing on, the backyard tourists, the locals. We'll spend more reaching people within a two to three-hour range.

YURKEVICH: People like Rebecca Kent who usually makes a day trip from Philadelphia. She says gas prices won't cut her summer plans. They'll just be scaled back.

REBECCA KENT, PARKGOER: The one year we were coming here, I think we made it up here 26 times in the summer.

YURKEVICH: Do you think you're going to dial it back a little bit?

KENT: Not 26, but probably pretty close to a dozen or more.

YURKEVICH: Valerie (ph) Bloom (ph) says she's being mindful of high prices elsewhere, like groceries, so she can still give her kids a great summer, meaningful after two years of COVID.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What are you going to do? You've got to live. You've got to have fun in summertime.

YURKEVICH: But more customers means the need for more workers. Despite rising wages, labor shortages persist, with a near record 11.4 million open jobs in the U.S. And inflation is hitting employees here too. So the park is launching a cost effective shuttle to save employees gas money and ensure the park is staffed.

[10:55:04]

KNOEBEL: So it's more money in the employees' pocket.

YURKEVICH: In smaller communities, places like this are economic drivers, supporting other businesses in town.

KIMBERLY COOPER, DOLLAR GENERAL MANAGER, ELYSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA: For our success here in town, it's pretty critical. All of our sales will go up once they start.

YURKEVICH: And despite also having to raise prices in-store, Kimberly Cooper says the crowds are still coming and buying.

COOPER: It doesn't seem to have made a difference here so far this year.

YURKEVICH: Vanessa Yurkevich, CNN, Elysburg, Pennsylvania.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

PAUL: Vanessa, thank you.

That is going to wrap it up for us here. We hope that you make good memories today.

SANCHEZ: There's still more ahead in the Newsroom with Fredricka Whitfield. She picks it up after a quick break. Have a great day.

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