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Bipartisan Deal On Gun Safety Reached In The Senate; January 6 Committee First Public Hearing Focuses On Trump's Inactions; Inflation Putting Pressure On Federal Reserve; CNN's "Megaphone For Conspiracy: Alex Jones" Airing Tonight At 8:00 P.M. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired June 12, 2022 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:00:00]

JIM ACOSTA CNN HOST: You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jim Acosta in Washington. A deeply divided Congress finds common ground on gun reform. Today, a bipartisan group of senators announced an agreement in principle for gun safety legislation. It has the support of 10 Republican senators which means there's enough support to overcome the filibuster.

There is no legislative text as of yet, but here are the main parts of the current framework. Funding for mental health resources and school safety officers, grants for states to enact so-called red flag laws, enhanced review process for gun buyers under the age of 21, closing the so-called boyfriend loophole, penalties for straw purchasing, and clarifying the definition of a firearms dealer.

CNN's Eva McKend joins me now. Eva, there's a lot to unpack here but this is significant and that this issue is moving forward. It has the potential to actually become law.

EVA MCKEND, NATIONAL POLITICS REPORTER: Jim, it certainly is. It could be consequential. We have not seen any real gun safety measures passed in decades in Congress. Take the boyfriend loophole, for instance. Anyone deemed to have been in a serious dating relationship and convicted of a domestic violence related charge would no longer be eligible to buy a gun.

This is noteworthy because previous attempts to pass this have failed under the weight of pressure from the NRA. There's also a red flag law provision that would allow law enforcement to keep guns away from people found by a judge to pose a threat to themselves or others. But it sounds like the states would essentially be given the choice to opt in to receiving these federal dollars to enforce this effort. It does not appear to be any sort of requirement or mandate.

There's also this enhanced review process for teen under 21. It would include a more thorough review process for people between 18 to 21 who go to buy a gun. A Democratic aide telling CNN the federal authorities would have to contact state and local law enforcement to search for any disqualifying mental health or juvenile records.

ACOSTA: Yes, that's interesting, Eva, because they didn't raise the age to 21 to buy an assault weapon, to buy an AR-15, but potentially that new process might sort of work as an extra check on those young buyers. That's interesting. And tell us about what's missing in the agreement because there are going to be some folks out there, I mean, plenty of folks out there who want to see more, that this doesn't go far enough.

MCKEND: That's right. It doesn't have a widespread background check program. It doesn't have perhaps one of the largest priorities of gun reform groups, banning assault weapons. It does not raise the minimum age for an AR-15, that is the weapon of choice in so many of these horrific mass shootings.

Just 21 states and D.C. require background checks for all sales of handgun as you can see in the map below. So that leaves more than half of states where you can buy a gun from a private seller with no check needed. So, I'm sure that there's going to be some disappointment but I don't think that we should diminish that we are on the precipice of some real change for the first time in a long time, Jim.

ACOSTA: And they have to work out the legislative text and there are going to be lots of aides and senators and members of the House, I suppose, will be going through all of that text and trying to figure out if this is something they could support. So, we're a long way from the finish line. Eva McKend, alright, thank you very much.

Let's discuss this now, David Hogg is a survivor of the Parkland school shooting. He's also one of the founders of the advocacy group "March for Our Lives." David, great to see you. I saw you were tweeting earlier today about this and your sense of it is, is that this is at least something.

DAVID HOGG, PARKLAND SHOOTING SURVIVOR: Yes. This is something. This is substantially more than we've seen in decades from Congress. Is this everything that I want? Definitely not, but it is something. You know, it's going to take a long time for us to address this issue the same way it did with cigarettes in terms of addressing it in a public health and evidence-based approach and manner.

But if this stops the next Parkland from happening or even just one more Parkland from happening or one more shooting from happening, it's progress. We're showing that as Americans. We aren't divided. The most divided people in this country in fact, are 100 senators on Capitol Hill and even they are now acting on it.

ACOSTA: Yes. And I was just thinking about this, sitting here with you, David, that this appears to be the most significant legislative effort on this issue since you've been alive.

HOGG: Yes, it is.

ACOSTA: And you're in college.

HOGG: I am in college. And in fact, I was born about a year after Columbine happened. That's how long this fight has been going on and a new generation is stepping in. You know, yesterday we were in Washington D.C. with well over 40,000 people right around the Washington monument and people activated thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, across the country in over 450 cities across the country.

[17:05:05]

And the thing is, Jim, the reason why I think that this time is different is this is not about being anti-gun or pro-gun. This is about being what we all are, pro-peace. It's about being pro-safety, pro-responsibility. In a country where there are millions of people who do own guns, responsible gun ownership, gun safety should be mandatory and not voluntary.

And that's what we're working towards here. Yesterday, we were marching with Republicans, we are marching with gun owners because gun owners are represented by the NRA and the gun lobby and industry the same way smokers were represented by the smoking industry.

Mind you, you can still get guns --- sorry, still get cigarettes in our country, but far less people die of lung cancer now because we addressed how people got cigarettes and the culture of smoking, why people wanted to smoke and we have to do the same thing with guns.

ACOSTA: What part of this framework do you have your eyes on that might make a real difference in terms of preventing mass shootings like the one in Parkland? I know I spoke with Fred Guttenberg. I bring this up time and again because it bares repeating, he brought this up last weekend.

If there had been a minimum age requirement of 21 to buy an assault rifle that potentially his daughter would be alive today. And I guess, potentially, you would not have what took place in Uvalde. That's not in this legislation or at least not in this framework as of yet. Your thoughts on that.

HOGG: Well, I think, look, an expansion of these background checks may have been able to help prevent some of these instances from happening because we know that many of these people have a history. You know, the police are aware of things that they've done and things like that. Even if we aren't out right raising the age to 21, I think a step towards making sure that violent individuals that have a history are not getting these guns is an important step forward.

And Jim, there are many people that say, you know, criminals don't obey laws. No duh. By definition, criminals do not obey laws, but look, the shooter at my high school was a 19-year-old. He was not a criminal master mind with deep connections to the black market. The shooter in Buffalo was an 18-year-old. The shooter in Texas was an 18- year-old. All of them waited until they were legally old enough to go out and obtain an AR-15 and use it, right.

These people are not criminal masterminds. They are barely adults. And no law is perfect but a reduction is good because that reduction could be your kid for those that are watching at home. It could be your best friend.

ACOSTA: And I wonder if part of the strategy here, and maybe you can comment on it, is showing to the Republicans, showing to the people who are just -- have been flat out opposed to gun safety legislation, that you can pass new restrictions without going and grabbing people's guns.

HOGG: Right.

ACOSTA: There's nothing in here about gun confiscation or anything getting rid of the Second Amendment, any of those stale talking points you hear from that side of the equation. What do you think about that? Is that maybe a part of this showing the other side that, listen, you can have common sense regulation without this notion you're grabbing people's guns.

HOGG: Yes, absolutely. You know, I think for too long this conversation has been either you're anti-gun or pro-gun when really what we need as a country is a third way. We are all pro-gun safety, we are all pro-peace, no Democrat, no Republican, no gun owner wants their kid to be in danger in their school or community. We all want our communities to be safe and keep our kids safe not just in their schools but outside of them, too, where the majority of kids do end up dying from gun violence.

And I think what can be different about this time is really affirming that. We even had people like former Congressman Joe Walsh. Joe Walsh was marching with us yesterday, right. I think if we can do that, you know, change can come, but we need people to stay engaged. So, for people that would like to join us, they can text NEXT to 954954. And once again, that is NEXT to 954954.

ACOSTA: And I suppose you and others in your movement are going to be up on Capitol Hill to make sure this makes it to the finish line because as we were talking about this with Eva a few moments ago when the legislative text comes out, that is when --

HOGG: The devil is in the details.

ACOSTA: -- the devil is in the details.

HOGG: Absolutely, and we will be. That thing that we need more help on that was that "March for Our Lives" is a group of predominantly young people and survivors who have grown up with school shooting drills going on. Unfortunately, we don't have the kind of support that many of these national organizations do.

We're on TV a lot, but people don't -- they think that we have a lot of support financially but we don't in comparison. So, for anybody who would like to help us, show up on Capitol Hill (inaudible) and everything like that. They can donate at marchforourlives.com.

ACOSTA: And do you think it was good that they included some of the mental health provisions in this framework?

HOGG: Yes. Yes. Like, Jim, I think --

ACOSTA: It's because what you hear from, I know from your side of this, they'll say, well, there are mental health issues all over the world. That's not the issue. The issue is the accessibility of these weapons. HOGG: Well, actually I think it's both and I think we need to acknowledge the fact that you can put as much mental health funding as you want into our country, but that's not going to address the fact that these shooters are white supremacists a lot of the time. The shooter in Buffalo was a self-described fascist. Racism and hatred are not mental illnesses, but two-thirds of gun deaths are suicides.

You know, we need to address the fact that black and brown communities go through this on a daily basis and the trauma that they experience from this is not covered, you know, a lot of the time. That's where we need to be talking about mental health not as a scapegoat for not addressing white supremacy in our country, but focusing on the two- thirds of gun deaths that are suicides and the communities that don't get on the news nearly as much as Parkland does that are affected by this every single day.

[17:10:00]

ACOSTA: You're absolutely right. It is a huge part of this issue that we just don't talk about enough. David Hogg, thank you very much. Best of luck to your efforts. I appreciate it.

HOGG: Thanks.

ACOSTA: In less than 24 hours, the January 6th committee will have the nation's attention once again working to prove former President Donald Trump was at the center of an attempted coup. So why is a former Fox News staffer testifying? That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: What did President Trump know and when did he know it? According to the January 6th committee, he knew he lost the 2020 election fair and square. He knew it long before January 6th, 2021, and yet he kept baselessly pushing election fraud claims anyway. Tomorrow's public hearing by the House Select Committee will focus in on that misinformation campaign.

And we just got the list of witnesses for tomorrow. It is very fascinating. Let's bring in CNN's Marshall Cohen. He joins me now. Marshall, there are some surprises here and I think the potential for some fireworks based on who is on this witness list for tomorrow.

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MARSHALL COHEN, CNN REPORTER: Yes. It's going to be a big day, Jim.

ACOSTA: Yes.

COHEN: It really is. We just got the full list from the committee. I'll just go name by name and tell you why these people really matter. First and foremost, Bill Stepien. He was the Trump campaign manager in 2020. We didn't even really know before today that he had contact with the committee that he was cooperating with the committee. He's under subpoena. He's poised to show up tomorrow. Look, we'll see how cooperative he is, if he has anything big to

reveal but the fact that he's even going to be there is really important because other top Trump aides made a different decision, stonewalled, refused, objected. Some of them even got indicted for contempt. So, Bill Stepien, the fact that he's going to be there tomorrow in the room, that's significant.

There's also a guy named Chris Stirewalt. He was a Fox News political editor in 202. Part of their decision team. This guy is usually behind the scenes making the projections of who won, who lost. But in 2020 it was a big deal when they projected that Biden won Arizona. That totally blew a hole in then President Trump's attempts to falsely claim victory. It was whole big issue.

He has since lost that job. Fox says it was because of restructuring, but it's hard not to draw the conclusion. He's been on record saying that Trump tried to steal the election in 2020. You can imagine that the committee will want him to air that publicly tomorrow.

There's Ben Ginsberg as well tomorrow, well-known Republican election lawyer. He was the top lawyer for Bush/Cheney in 2000. In 2004, he litigated Bush v Gore, not a liberal, okay.

And so, the committee is going to say, probably I would expect them to say, if you don't trust me, if you don't trust Benny Thompson, if you think we're a bunch of hacks, listen to Ben Ginsberg. He's fought his whole career against Democrats, but in 2020 he disavowed Trump, he disavowed the lies, he disavowed all of the disinformation that the Republicans were spewing.

It's a big panel, Jim. There are two more names, B.J. Pak, the U.S. attorney in Atlanta.

ACOSTA: This is a big one.

COHEN: He was a Trump appointee. This is a big one because we know what he's likely to say because he testified last year to the Senate in a different investigation. And he told lawmakers that he was pressured by the Trump White House to help overturn the results in Georgia. And that that was one of the reasons why he abruptly, unexpectedly quit during the transition.

This will be the first time that we will hear from a U.S. official describing under oath how the Trump White House pressured him to overturn an election. And finally, there's Al Schmidt, a former city commissioner from my hometown of Philadelphia. He's also a Republican and he was there helping oversee the election in Philly.

It took a long time to count all the mail-in ballots which gave Trump an opening to smear the process, the lie, but when they finished counting all the votes, Trump lost. Al Schmidt was there to debunk the lies. So that's the big theme for tomorrow, exposing Trump's election lies, debunking them and driving home the point like they did on Thursday that he knew, like you said a minute ago, he knew and he did it anyway. ACOSTA: Yes. I remember from talking to my sources leading up to

January 6th, that they told him over and over again, you lost. And at first, he seemed to acknowledge that. And then for weeks and weeks and weeks was starting to listen to some of the crazier voices that were coming into the White House and that was starting to change his views.

COHEN: Yes.

ACOSTA: But what is so fascinating about this is that, yes, we want the committee to get to the bottom of what happened on January 6th, but it's the events leading up to January 6th that are so very important in all of this.

COHEN: So much bigger than that one day. It was a multi-step, multi- month attempt to steal an election.

ACOSTA: That's right. Alright, Marshall Cohen, thank you very much. Let's bring in CNN contributor and White House council under President Richard Nixon, John Dean. John, what do you make of this list of witnesses for tomorrow? A former Trump campaign manager under subpoena, a former federal prosecutor who Trump may have been trying to oust and putting pressure on. A former Fox News editor. There might be some fireworks tomorrow.

JOHN DEAN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Could be. I think Marshall is right on when he says that we know, we actually know most of what these people have testified to or will testify to because they either have stated it publicly or they've actually testified over in the Senate in some preliminary proceedings over there, that aren't quite the same focus as the January 6th committee.

So, this is a strong, Republican-based witness list. This is not a bunch of Democrats speculating about what happened in the vote. These are Republicans who know what happened. So, that's why -- that's going to add power to the fact that this isn't a partisan witch hunt that is Trump's principal defense, it seems.

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ACOSTA: Right. I mean, it's partisan in the sense that all Republicans. We're going to be hearing from a lot of Republicans in this witness list tomorrow. But John, you famously testified in the Watergate hearings offering firsthand accounts of the extensive corruption inside the Nixon White House. What do you think will this January 6th committee succeed without its own John Dean figure or do you think we might see one?

DEAN: I think that any time somebody could decide, hey, it's time to come forward that may be happening behind the scenes, we don't know. I have not seen a good indication yet. What I did was a process that took many months before I was -- before I appeared.

I had actually worked internally to try to end the cover up at Nixon's White House. So, I was -- my position was well known. There's nobody that seems quite in the same to position that I know of, but there are people who are truth tellers, and they may likely come forward and tell what really did happen. And that's what we need, are truth tellers.

ACOSTA: Absolutely. And the truth is not partisan. And showing Trump's intent and state of mind has become a part of this -- a crucial part of this investigation. Here's what Republican committee member Adam Kinzinger said about that today. Let's listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ADAM KINZINGER (R-IL): I think if anybody truly believed after, you know, the -- after what you see, after what the attorney general says for instance, after what every piece of information comes in, if you truly believe the election was stolen then, if the president truly believed it for instance, he's not mentally capable to be president. I think he didn't believe it. I think the people around him didn't believe it. This was all about keeping power against the will of the American people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: You know the catchphrase follow the money because of Watergate. Could the catchphrase for this January 6th probe be follow the lies?

DEAN: That's a tougher road, actually. There's so many of them. You know, "The New York Times" did a piece this morning on the front page of the print edition, anyway, that talked about how it appears like the January 6th committee is trying to push the issue of a prosecution by the Department of Justice.

I don't think that's the case at all. I think they're doing their investigation. I think the Department of Justice is full hands on investigating this. And I think they'll make a very solid decision at some point. Can Trump be prosecuted?

One of the big defenses of one of Nixon's aides, John Ehrlichman, was he claimed he had no criminal intent -- he claimed he had no criminal intent in breaking into Daniel Ellsberg's psychiatrist office, had no criminal intent to cover up the Watergate and the earlier break-in into Ellsberg's office.

And that's a question for a jury. And he could not sell that to two juries and he was convicted not only of conspiring in those actions but also of perjury in several instances.

ACOSTA: And Watergate is such a clear parallel for this current moment. The scandal kicked off 50 years ago this month and you were at the heart of it all and the new CNN Original Series "Watergate: Blueprint for a Scandal." You tell your firsthand story, it's fascinating. I know you and I have talked about it many times. Let's show part of this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Secrets and lies are far too common in politics, and I have, from my experience learned, in the long run they don't work. The truth has its own way of coming out and will come out. The weekend of April 14, 15, 1973 is when the Watergate cover up imploded. I had talked to Haldeman and Ehrlichman the fact that I thought we were breaking the law. And I showed particularly Ehrlichman being a lawyer, the statute that was involved and why I thought we were violating it.

He said, I disagree, John. He said I have no criminal intent. And so, I didn't violate these statutes. I can't believe that a man who went to law school, had to miss school the day they talked about criminal intent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: There you said the truth always comes out. Right now, regarding Trump's election conspiracy theory, the truth is coming out. But millions of Americans aren't hearing it because they watch Fox. How do you think Watergate would have played out, you know, if there had been a Fox News back then?

DEAN: I think it would have been very different. We don't know for the what ifs are tough. There was no defender of Nixon like there is of Trump, and it can influence. But I still am one who either am foolish to believe the truth may seep through and people get it.

[17:25:03]

They may deny it. They may not want to believe it, but they'll know in their heart what -- that they're not really based on solid evidence. This gets abroad and people know what's going on. So, I think, ultimately, whether Trump will be prosecuted or not, I don't know. That raises all kinds of difficult, very difficult issues like fair trial. So, we're just very early in this process, Jim. And I think it's fascinating and hang on because it's going to get more fascinating.

ACOSTA: Buckle up, as they say. Alright, John Dean, and make sure we watch --

DEAN: Buckle up.

ACOSTA: -- it's right. Thanks so much, John. We appreciate it. Make sure you watch tonight the epic conclusion of CNN's very timely Original Series. Plenty of parallels here. You'll see for yourself, "Watergate: Blueprint for a Scandal" starting tonight at 9:00 right here on CNN.

Coming up, President Biden struggling in the polls. He's got enough problems on the right, but will he have the support of his fellow Democrats in 2024? Not so fast says Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio- Cortez. That's next. You're live in the "CNN Newsroom."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:30:00]

ACOSTA: Something is better than nothing. After years and years of nothing on gun legislation, a bipartisan group of senators has reached a compromise on a new bill to address gun violence. For now, it has the support of at least 10 Republicans, enough to break a filibuster, that is critical.

Let's break this down with CNN senior political analyst and author of "Lincoln and the Fight for Peace" John Avlon and CNN political commentator and host of PBS "Firing Line," Margaret Hoover. Guys, thank you so much for doing this, as always. You know, some of these measures will certainly make the country safer it appears, boosting these red flag laws, closing some of these guns purchase loopholes.

There's no universal background check, though, no. They didn't raise the age for buying these assault weapons like AR-15s. So, it's a mixed bag. But we had David Hogg from "March for Our Lives" earlier on this program and he was saying, hey, this is something. This is the first time they've done something since he's -- this big that is potentially going to get through the Congress since he's been alive. What do you think?

MARGARET HOOVER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Look, we have spent so much time, Jim, right here on this segment on this program talking about how jaded Americans are because Congress can't get things done when we need them to. That I think it would be going in the wrong direction to criticize that this bill doesn't fit the perfect standard of any one of us here on this program or watching.

I think it is remarkable that finally we're seeing Congress do the thing they were designed to do, which is negotiating and bargaining with each other to get something done to meet a critical need of the American people. And so that's a win. I will take a win. I don't want to get ahead of ourselves because this is just a framework. But it's a real step and I think it's a step in a positive direction.

JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes. And the other side of that, in addition that never wanted to make the perfect the enemy of the good. I mean, the 10 Republicans here are risking. And Margaret pointed out to me that six of them aren't running for re-election that's fine.

HOOVER: Five.

AVLON: But -- five, excuse me. John Cornyn, though, is taking a real risk taking and taking a leadership role in this and he deserves credit for that. Even though these provisions are broadly popular, they're still incredibly attacked by the base. And so, while we need to remember that, you know, that the assault weapons ban when it passed in '94 didn't get filibustered, passed with 54 votes. We're in a different era and this is a departure from the blocking of any progress we've come to expect in the wake of Sandy Hook. So that's a good day in terms of the Senate working together and good for those senators on both sides of the aisle for working together and compromising constructively.

ACOSTA: Yes. It would be incredibly disappointing if this doesn't work out in any way when you have the president tweeting his support, when Mitch McConnell is putting out a statement saying, okay, maybe this might work. I mean, that is -- when do we have that in Washington?

Let me ask you this, guys, tomorrow promises to be another fascinating day in front of the January 6th committee. The hearing begins at 10:00 a.m. and the witness list is, I mean, just endlessly interesting. Bill Stepien, the former Trump campaign manager is slated to testify. He's under subpoena. He's going to be there. Chris Stirewalt, the former Fox News political editor who is part of that famous Arizona call for Fox that he essentially got fired for.

And then B.J. Pak, the guy I think is extremely interesting in all of this. He is the -- he was the U.S. attorney in Georgia who was being pressured by the Trump administration to overturn the election results in that key battleground state. Either one of you jump all here, I mean, what do you think of these witnesses? I mean, this could be a big day tomorrow.

AVLON: It will be a big day. And I think particularly as you point B.J. Pak because the pressure the president was applying to overturn the votes in Georgia, we've heard the Raffensperger tapes. We haven't heard B.J. Pak speak and he was the U.S. attorney at the time who was forced out effectively. Bill Stepien I think could be enormously important because he's the campaign manager and presumably will testify that the campaign told Trump that he had lost fair and square and he was in denial about it.

But this is, you know, each of these witnesses are key if they were in the room and felt a direct pressure and knew the president was lying to the American people and his base.

HOOVER: Yes. All I'll add to this is, the exercise is enormously important because we need to have a full accounting of what happened, minute by minute, day by day in those subsequent days after the election.

[17:35:02]

And so far, the committee is doing that in a really powerful, thoughtful, methodical way. It's frankly, I mean, also kind of keeping up with the times in terms of how Americans are consuming television, which is really not what we expect of Congress. So, you know, I applaud them in their work and, you know, this is important for the accounting of it.

This isn't important for any of us to say, oh, is Donald Trump going to be prosecuted? Is the thing that finally gets him? This is important for the integrity of our processes --

AVLON: Yes.

HOOVER: -- and this is integrity -- important in order to support the constitution and to have it all out there so the American people can see.

AVLON: Yes. But I'll just add to that that, you know, there is the possibility of legal accountability, you know, seditious conspiracy, defrauding the United States. We'll see if any of those apply. We'll see if they're pursued by the Justice Department. But this isn't only historical exercise. This is a just amount of getting on the record. It's hopefully a step towards accountability for trying to violate our constitutional American democracy.

HOOVER: Well, it's accountability to the American people by doing it public and having transparency.

ACOSTA: And accountability to people like Officer Harry Dunn who was on this program earlier today and was talking about, I mean, this took -- almost took my breath away, guys. He was talking about one of his colleagues in law enforcement who was there on January 6th and was at the Costco the other day and was having a panic attack on Friday after watching all of that footage Thursday night.

This is a real struggle for people of the law enforcement community who responded on January 6th. So, they deserve something as well in terms of accountability.

AVLON: Yes.

ACOSTA: Let me ask you about this, earlier this morning here on CNN, my colleague Dana Bash asked Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is obviously pretty well liked on the left in this country. She was asked whether or not she's going to back Joe Biden in 2024, and here's what she said. Let's watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-NY): We'll cross that bridge when we get to it, but I think if the president has a vision and that's something certainly, we're all willing to entertain and examine when the time comes.

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: That's not a yes.

OCASIO-CORTEZ: Yes, you know, I think we should endorse when we get to it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: John and Margaret?

AVLON: I mean, you know, that's definitely not an endorsement. And look, AOC and the progressives have been supportive of the president up to a point, but she's also shown a willingness to go after some of her own centrist colleagues even in the New York delegation. But I think the elephant in the room, so to speak, which doesn't always work when you're talking about Democrats, is that Joe Biden is going to be of a very advanced age and he has accomplished a lot in incredibly difficult circumstances particularly on foreign policy.

Go ask George, you know, Bush 41, whether he goes rewarded for that. But there's the issue of vigor, there is the politics being perception. There is the issue of vigor. And so, it's not the kind of slam dunk assumption that this president is going to run for re- election, as exists in virtually every other presidency we have seen. That's just acknowledging reality even beyond the ideological divides of the Democratic Party. HOOVER: And you know, Trey, I think AOC said the quiet thing out loud,

which is that, look, Joe Biden hasn't even announced that he's going to run. I mean, he does say so but what we all and what many senior Democrats really think about behind closed doors when they're not on camera with you, Jim, is, is he going to run? They don't think so or who would be good instead.

AVLON: And that's --

HOOVER: And that's the conversation Democrats are actually having. So, how can AOC, what, the leader of the progressive left, along with Bernie Sanders and others say they're going to endorse Joe Biden when truly we don't know if they're going to be and there's going to be an open seat for the Democratic nomination.

AVLON: And I'll just say, you know, there is the question of who would perform better than Biden against Trump. That's a very much open question especially when you have the power of the incumbent president. So, we'll see.

ACOSTA: Absolutely. And that's what the Biden folks will tell you, is that who would be better off facing Trump than Joe Biden at this point? But at this -- you know, at this stage with the economy the way it is, you do hear that whispering that goes on here in Washington. I've heard it myself. It's a parlor game that's happening, but it is a whispered parlor game at this point. John Avlon, Margaret Hoover, thank you very much. We appreciate it.

HOOVER: (Inaudible).

AVLON: Take care.

ACOSTA: Good to see you. On this weekend that a bipartisan group of senators reach a deal on gun control, our very own Dana Bash sits down with mass shooting survivor and former congresswoman Gabby Giffords. What does she think would make the biggest difference in preventing gun violence? That answer next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Are you still a gun owner?

GABBY GIFFORDS, FORMER CONGRESSWOMAN FROM ARIZONA: Yes. Yes. Wild, wild west.

BASH: You still think people should have guns, just do it safely.

GIFFORDS: Yes. Yes.

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[17:40:00]

ACOSTA: An important step forward, that's how former Arizona Congresswoman Gabby Giffords describes today's announcement of a gun control framework by bipartisan group of senators. This week, Giffords herself, a victim of gun violence spoke to CNN's Dana Bash about the organization that bares her name and the work it does to save lives.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: I interviewed you in 2013, just two years after gun violence almost took your life.

If you were to name the number one thing that Congress could do to prevent the kind of violence that you were the victim of, what would it be?

GIFFORDS: Background checks.

BASH: That hasn't happened.

[17:44:57]

GIFFORDS: No. No. The Senate, Republicans, I don't know, I don't know, is divided. Divided. Really tough. It will be a long, hard haul, but I'm optimistic.

ROBIN LLOYD, MANAGING DIRECTOR, GIFFORDS: There is so much common ground on this issue when we talk to Americans of all stripes, Democrats, Republicans, gun owners, veterans. It's really only here in Washington that we see the level of divide out in the rest of the country. People agree that we can and should do something more and it's not at odds with gun ownership.

BASH: Are you still a gun owner?

GIFFORDS: Yes. Yes. Wild, wild west.

BASH: You still think people should have guns, just do it safely?

GIFFORDS: Yes, yes.

LLOYD: There's so much gun violence happening all the time it's hard to wrap your head around these numbers and that's why it's so important we have the 40,000 white roses behind us to represent the 40,000 Americans that died from gun violence last year and now the new 5,000 orange roses to represent the increase in just one year of how many gun deaths we've had in this country.

GIFFORDS: Too much guns. No more. No more.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Meanwhile, the January 6th committee is zeroing in on what Trump may have played in terms of his role in the insurrection. And we're not just talking about Donald Trump. We're also talking about Alex Jones. That's next.

But first, here's Alison Kosik with your "Before the Bell Report."

ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Jim. Consumers are still feeling higher prices, putting more pressure on the Federal Reserve to fight inflation. May's consumer price index rose 8.6 percent from the year before. That's the fastest pace since 1981.

Americans paid more for everything including shelter, food, energy. Gas prices hitting record after record high over the past month are up nearly 50 percent from last year. This red hot report may dash hopes for everyone from the White House to Wall Street that inflation has peaked. And it means the Federal Reserve, the inflation fighter is all but certain to keep aggressively raising interest rates.

Another rate hike is expected when the Fed meets this coming week. The Central Bank raised interest rates in March and May. It's a delicate balance for the Fed if it raises rates too aggressively. It could push the economy into recession. In New York, I'm Alison Kosik.

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[17:50:00]

ACOSTA: Right wing radio show host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones says he spoke with investigators from the January 6th committee and repeatedly pleaded the fifth. CNN's senior investigative correspondent, Drew Griffin, spent months looking into Jones. Here's a preview of his special report.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWNS: USA! USA! USA!

DREW GRIFFIN, SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As federal agents zeroed in on January 6th --

UNKNOWN: Love you, Alex Jones!

GRIFFIN (voice-over): Alex Jones' influence was on display.

UNKNOWN: (Inaudible)

GRIFFIN (voice-over): His own employees face criminal charges from an Infowars editor who streamed the riot --

UNKNOWN: It feels good to be on capitol (inaudible).

GRIFFIN (voice-over): To Infowars's host Owen Shroyer who was right by Jones' side.

UNKNOWN: 1776! 1776!

GRIFFIN (voice-over): At least 20 of those arrested either worked under Alex Jones, appeared on his show or followed his content. The mother of one rioter told a judge, her son believes everything Alex Jones has to say. Another rioter who allegedly tazed a police officer told FBI agents Alex Jones inspired his journey.

UNKNOWN: How did you start going to these rallies?

UNKNOWN: Infowars. GRIFFIN (voice-over): Two men linked to Jones faced the most serious charges filed in the January 6 riot. Seditious conspiracy. Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhode, a frequent Infowars guest whose phone contained an encrypted chat that included Jones. Rhodes pleaded not guilty.

And former Infowars reporter and Proud Boys leader Joe Biggs who pushed his way through the police lines into the capitol. He also pleaded not guilty.

UNKNOWN: Biggs, what do you got to say?

JOE BIGGS, LEADER, PROUD BOYS: (Inaudible).

GRIFFIN (voice-over): Jones has not been charged. But CNN has learned the January 6th select committee investigators want to know about Jones' involvement in the funding for Trump's rally, the planning for his march to the capitol, and Jones' tie to extremists now charged with conspiring against the government.

ALEX JONES, RIGHT WING HOST, CONSPIRACY THEORIST: I said this, my lawyer told me almost 100 times today during the interrogation, on advice of counsel, I am asserting my Fifth Amendment right to remain silent.

GRIFFIN (voice-over): Jones says he refused to answer the committee's questions about January 6th, but told his Infowars audience he knew nothing about a plot.

JONES: -- and they already now I didn't know anything. I wasn't planning any violence. I was even talking about everybody should be peaceful.

DENVER RIGGLEMAN. FORMER SENIOR TECHNICAL ADVISER, JANUARY 6 COMMITTEE: He would say he was talking about a peaceful type of fight, but that's not how it's actually translated to the people that follow Alex Jones.

UNKNOWN: Alex! Alex! Alex!

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[17:54:58]

GRIFFIN (on camera): Jim, I think what is going to be surprising about our story tonight, our special on Alex Jones is for many of us who have written him off as some kind of an internet clown, to see just how influential he is in all of right wing media. Not just the fringe conspiracy, but how his lunatic fringe conspiracies actually end up in the main stream of right wing Republican politics.

It's an eye-opening look into Alex Jones, this kind of internet anomaly, who has turned himself into a major part of the right wing in this country. Jim?

ACOSTA: Very disturbing stuff, Drew. Excellent reporting as always. We'll be watching. Drew Griffin, thank you very much. And you can watch "Megaphone for Conspiracy: Alex Jones" tonight at 8:00 right here on CNN.

That's the news. Reporting from Washington, I'm Jim Acosta. I'll see you back here next Saturday. Pamela Brown takes over the CNN NEWSROOM live after a quick break. Good night.

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[17:59:59]