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Supreme Court Ends Roe v. Wade Sparking Street Protests Across U.S.; Interview With Representative Diana DeGette (D-CO) About Abortion Access After Supreme Court Ruling; Inside An Abortion Clinic The Moment Roe v. Wade Is Overturned; Biden Signs Historic Bipartisan Gun Reform Bill; President Arrives In Germany For G-7 Summit; Supreme Court Overturns Roe, Leaving States Free To Ban Abortion. Aired 7-8p ET
Aired June 25, 2022 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[19:00:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Millions of fans across social media, their reach has never been greater. Neither has the criticism. But from LeBron to Osaka to Kaepernick, they continue to use their platforms to fight for social change.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: And be sure to tune in the all-new CNN Film "Citizen Ashe" premieres tomorrow night at 9:00 Eastern right here on CNN.
The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN (voice-over): Emotional aftershocks felt across America. After the Supreme Court rules women no longer have a constitutional right to an abortion.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Been fighting my entire adult life for this day. We are dancing on the grave of Roe versus Wade.
NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Here we are outside of the very last standing abortion clinic in the state of Mississippi.
ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ten states across the country effectively banning abortion.
BROWN: Protests in other cities turning violent.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (EXPLETIVE DELETED), my gosh.
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Bipartisan action on the issues of guns. Congress passing that bill exactly one month to the day of that horrific massacre that occurred in Uvalde, Texas. JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This bill doesn't do
everything I want. It does include actions I've long called for that are going to save lives.
BROWN: The Pride Parade in Oslo cancelled after a shooting near a gay bar killed at least two people and hurt eight others.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: I'm Pamela Brown in Washington. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
For the first time since 1973, American women woke up this morning to this reality. They no longer have a constitutional right to make major decisions about their bodies, about reproduction, about abortion. After five justices overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, protests spilled out across the country today including right outside the Supreme Court. And a short time ago, U.S. Capitol Police announced that they arrested two people accused of throwing paint over the fence by the Supreme Court.
States are now empowered to define abortion laws and 26 states are expected to implement abortion bans. For opponents of abortion rights and many conservatives, it is a breathtaking victory decades in the making and it seemed completely out of reach just a few years ago.
CNN correspondents are scattered across the country following the ripple effects of this court's historic ruling.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: I'm Joe Johns at the Supreme Court. What we saw at the court today was anger, outrage and fear about the future after the court overturned Roe versus Wade. There was a large crowd out here made up of mostly abortion rights supporters but there were opponents of abortion here as well. Leading to verbal confrontations, back and forth shouting and profanities. Police reportedly had to intervene with speakers admonishing the crowd to remember that this was supposed to be a peaceful mass rally here outside the Supreme Court.
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Polo Sandoval in New York City where a group of peaceful and passionate protesters have come together at Union Square hoping to send a loud and clear message to women in other states especially those in states with so-called trigger laws hoping that they hear them loud and clear, that women here continue to be vocal and speak out after the Supreme Court ruling that has left so many people across the country frustrated.
New York officials in anticipation of that ruling did take steps to make sure that women in New York state still had access to abortion. In fact on Friday, New York City's Eric Adams doubled down and sent a clear message to the rest of the country that New York City will continue to be a safe haven for women seeking abortions.
ROMERO: I'm Nadia Romero in Jackson, Mississippi, outside of the last abortion clinic still open in the state. The abortion provider tells me that he's doing abortions all throughout the day. They started letting in patients long before the opening hours and they've remained past hours to allow those women to come in and get access to health care.
You can see behind me that there are still protesters that are out here. Anti-abortion protesters who've been trying to convince women not to come to the clinic. Here in the state of Mississippi there's still about 10 days or so during that certification process before abortions must stop in this state. And that's why this clinic has extended their hours.
CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Camila Bernal in Los Angeles, where a group of protesters has been walking around the streets of downtown Los Angeles for the entire day. They are now heading towards city hall where a large group is currently protesting as well. You hear the chants. You see the signs. Their message is that they stand with the women in other states where abortion is not protected.
They understand that the state of California protects a woman's right to an abortion but they want to show that they stand with the rest of the country.
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They have been very passionate. They have been consistent. This is the second day of protest and they believe that they will send a message to other states. As you hear them right now, they're saying no justice, no peace. But there are many chants and there's of course a lot of passion and a lot of emotion here in Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: Certainly a lot of emotion across the country today.
Camila, Nadia, Joe and Polo, thank you so much.
Well, police in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, say a protester was hurt after a truck appeared to push through a crowd at an abortion rights rally last night. One person suffered minor injuries falling to the ground after making contact with the truck. That police said this all began with an argument as protesters were legally crossing a downtown street.
Here is another angle. You can see clearly people who placed themselves in front of the truck and others on the side banging on it. The driver was voluntarily interviewed by police. No word of any charges were filed.
Tense moments in Eugene, Oregon, during an abortion rights protest.
Police said they responded to reports of a night of rage related to the Supreme Court decision. There was pushing, there was shoving. Police eventually used pepper spray. Ten people were arrested and police said some officers were injured.
I want to bring in Democratic Congresswoman Diana DeGette.
Hi, Congresswoman. Thank you for coming on. Your home state of Colorado is one of the states where access to abortion is law. But, as you know, Colorado is not immune to this ruling. Some of the most restrictive states may try to prosecute people who seek an abortion in states like Colorado. There's still a lot of questions out there. How concerned are you about that?
REP. DIANA DEGETTE (D-CO): Well, as you say, Colorado is one of the 24 states that will still protect a woman's ability to make her decision to have an abortion. But already in places like Colorado, we're seeing the demand on our clinics just rise exponentially from places like Oklahoma, Texas, other states, which have already pretty much stopped doing abortions.
And what that does, of course that really extends the waiting period for everybody to be able to get the services they need. It's not like, you know, plastic surgery or something. If you need an abortion, you need it now. And so this is of great concern to all of our providers.
Here in Colorado they're doing everything they can to increase their ability to take these clients and people should still try to come. They should come. But it's something that's going to take some time to resolve.
BROWN: This has renewed scrutiny of abortion laws across the country. I want to ask you about Colorado's law that allows abortion at any stage of pregnancy, meaning termination after 22 weeks can still be obtained. Do you support that personally?
DEGETTE: So, of course very few abortions happen in those later times.
BROWN: Happened in the first trimester.
DEGETTE: The important thing -- and most of those are in times when there's severe fetal abnormalities. But the essential point here is it's really not for Ted Cruz or for the U.S. Supreme Court to decide that medical decision. It's for the patient and her doctor. And that's really the important issue here.
BROWN: Right. And the CDC says more than 90 percent of abortions happen in the first trimester but do you support the law on the books in Colorado that allows a woman to get an abortion after the baby in the womb is 22 weeks. Do you personally support that?
DEGETTE: So Roe versus Wade says that states can make laws like that and I support Colorado's law. I think that what I support at the national level as the co-chair of the Pro-Choice Caucus in Congress, I support the ability of states to make their laws according to Roe versus Wade. That's what we've tried to put into law in the U.S. House of Representatives. And I believe that that should be the law of the land.
BROWN: So in the decision that was made yesterday at the Supreme Court that was released, the justices has said it should be up to the states. So then do you support states that now ban abortion because it's happening at the state level? They are making the decision in their state.
DEGETTE: No, because what -- I support that Roe versus Wade should be the law of the land. The Supreme Court decision yesterday says that courts can completely outlaw abortion. And that's what many states are going to start doing. Some states are going to criminalize doctors, they're going to criminalize women, who are trying to make these decisions. Some states have even talked about making it a crime to leave the state to make your own decision.
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So I don't support that. I support the national standard that we've had for almost 50 years. And that is that Roe versus Wade should be the law of the land.
BROWN: I have seen the discussion of potentially prosecuting doctors who perform an abortion in a state that has banned it. I have not seen actually prosecuting the women that seek an abortion. But of course this is all very fluid right now. There's a lot of uncertainty and some states are sort of figuring out what they're going to do now in the wake of this decision.
Congresswoman Diana DeGette, thank you very much.
DEGETTE: Thank you. And some states -- the legislatures have in fact proposed legislation that would criminalize women seeking abortions. So luckily those haven't passed but that is I think just --
BROWN: Those haven't passed. Right. But the ones that have the trigger laws do not from my understanding. Thank you so much again, Congresswoman. We appreciate you coming on the show.
DEGETTE: Thank you.
BROWN: Well, earlier this evening, I spoke with Kristin Hawkins. She is the president of the anti-abortion group Students for Life of America and she spoke to me about her thoughts on abortion exceptions in cases of rape or incest.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: You bring up to important points. Your view that life begins at conception but also your view that even bans like in Missouri which bans abortion even in the case of rape or incest that you support that. So under those laws, a 12-year-old could be raped and still be forced to carry that baby to term. Is that what you want? Is that the kind of thing you support?
KRISTAN HAWKINS, PRESIDENT, STUDENTS FOR LIVE OF AMERICA: I absolutely don't want 12-year-olds to be raped. And I don't want 12-year-olds to be pregnant --
BROWN: Right. But that happens. Unfortunately that's a reality of the world we live in.
HAWKINS: Absolutely. We definitely see these tragedies. And I think we need to do a better job in enforcing penalties on these people who commit heinous crime.
BROWN: But do you think the 12-year-old should carry that?
HAWKINS: But I don't believe in discrimination against a human being based on the circumstances of their conception because we don't issue birth certificates in our nation and give gold stars or silver stars as to how you were conceived. We say no, you are a human being with rights and you should be protected.
BROWN: So what I hear you saying is --
HAWKINS: And that's what we believe as a movement. And I think -- I actually think you should speak with folks like my friend Ryan Baumberger (PH) who was actually conceived in rape, whose mother made a courageous decision to place him with an adoptive family, and talk with the tens of thousands of Americans who are living today who have families, who were conceived in sexual assault. That every single time we talk about abortion in America, we bring these human beings up as if their lives don't matter and they don't have value. And I simply reject that.
BROWN: Yes. And that's not what we're saying. The question was about, should a 12-year-old carry a baby to term if that 12-year-old was raped. Clearly you think yes, that is the case. And we have talked to many people who were born even though their mother was raped or even though their mother considered having an abortion and chose not to. We've talked to people along all across the spectrum.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: And Kristan went on the say her group's fight will now turn to the abortion pill. They claim it is deadly. The FDA however calls it safe and effective.
And still to come, it is a unique look inside a Texas abortion clinic. The moments after the Supreme Court reversed Roe versus Wade. I'll talk to a "Washington Post" reporter who was there, up next.
Meantime, historic moment. President Biden signs into law the most consequential gun reform legislation in decades.
Also ahead tonight, a deadly shooting near a gay bar in Norway now being investigated as terrorism.
And a whiplash week for gun safety. Congress agreeing on the most important legislation in decades as I just said just as it becomes easier to carry a concealed weapon in New York.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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BROWN: When the Supreme Court overturned Roe versus Wade yesterday, it may have delivered its most life-changing decision in decades. Tens of millions of women lost their constitutional right to an abortion, and probably nowhere did it feel more like a lightning strike -- excuse me -- than inside abortion clinics especially those in trigger states that automatically implemented bans.
Caroline Kitchener is a national political reporter for the "Washington Post."
Caroline, hi. So you were inside the Houston clinic when the news broke that Roe v. Wade was overturned and in that very moment abortions in Texas became illegal. Describe the scene for us.
CAROLINE KITCHENER, NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER, WASHINGTON POST: It was hard to believe. It felt surreal. I was in the office when one of the staff members pulled it up on her computer screen and everybody gathered around and there was just silence. And there were women in the waiting room. And everybody was just quiet and looking and didn't know what to do. And then suddenly somebody said, we have to figure out what to tell these patients. We've got patients in the waiting room. We have 20 patients on the schedule today. What are we going to do?
BROWN: And what did they do? I mean, how did they handle that?
KITCHENER: I mean, they didn't really have a plan. I think because they didn't want to have a plan. They didn't want that day to come. But eventually, one of the staff members started taking the women from the waiting room one by one into consultation rooms and delivering this news. And I would see them come out just crying. You know, they didn't know where to go because it was hard to know where to send them.
You know, now the staff, they had these maps out and they were looking at all the abortion bans across America and trying to figure out where can we send patients now. Do they have to go all the way to California?
BROWN: Yes, do you have any other sort of stories of the women who were there thinking they were going to get an abortion and then were turned away?
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KITCHENER: I spoke with one woman who was called by the abortion clinic 30 minutes before her appointment and they told her that Roe v. Wade was overturned. She was in the car and stopped at a red light and she said she just totally broke down. She wanted to still come into the clinic so that she could talk about her options. And, you know, she got there and she, you know, was thinking through this.
She thinks she probably can make it to Southern Illinois but, you know, she's going to have to use all of her savings, she told me. And by getting to Southern Illinois and paying for that flight, she's going to be back living paycheck to paycheck. And she was just -- she was distraught.
BROWN: Yes. So many lives have been changed abruptly because of the decision that came down from the Supreme Court yesterday. What's so interesting, though, as you said, essentially, they didn't know what to do. They didn't have a plan. They were essentially in denial because we knew that the leaked draft opinion, right came out several weeks ago from "Politico." So we knew that this could very much be a real possibility.
Why do you think there was just this like sense of denial? Do you think that they were just -- they had been in this so long, abortion care? I know one of them you had spoken with had been in there for 30 years. They just couldn't imagine it ending like this?
KITCHENER: Well, I think they wanted to keep going as long as physically possible. I talked to clinics in trigger ban states across much of the rest of the country that decided to stop providing early and, you know, anticipating this decision and this clinic was just -- they were determined to keep going for every moment that they still could keep going. And they did that. And I think it just, when it finally came down, you know, they did what they had to do.
BROWN: What was the overall mood?
KITCHENER: Gosh, it was so sad. I mean, everybody was hugging each other. People would sort of catch each other tearing up at different parts in the day and come over and bring a tissue box and, you know, put their hand on a friend's shoulder. It was bleak. I mean, you knew that that clinic can't survive. It's going to close and, you know, all of those patients are going to have to drive, you know, I think from Texas it's an average of 600 miles to the nearest abortion clinic.
BROWN: And now there are -- you know, the people who work there are out of a job or soon will be. In your story you ended with how the clinic changed its message for people calling. Tell us about that.
KITCHENER: Yes, the woman who runs the clinic, she took me into a consultation room with her and said, you know, Caroline, it's time for us to change our message. And the message usually says, you know, welcome. You know, this is Houston Women's Reproductive Services. Leave your information. We'll call you back and schedule an appointment. And she rerecorded it to say, I'm so sorry to inform you that the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade and can no longer offer abortions in Texas. I'm so sorry. And she ended it with a very particular message. She said, please remember to vote.
BROWN: Caroline Kitchener, thank you.
KITCHENER: Thank you.
BROWN: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. After that decision to overturn Roe versus Wade, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote separately that the court should revisit same-sex marriage and contraception rulings. Tomorrow on NEWSROOM, CNN NEWSROOM WITH PAMELA BROWN, I'm going to talk to Jim Obergefell. He was the lead plaintiff in the 2015 case that legalized same-sex marriage. And I was with him after that landmark decision came down and when President Obama called him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JIM OBERGEFELL, LEAD PLAINTIFF IN SAME-SEX MARRIAGE CASE: Yes, Mr. President.
BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT: (INAUDIBLE), I figured you when I (INAUDIBLE). I just want to say congratulations.
OBERGEFELL: Thank you so much, sir. I think it was wishes --
OBAMA: You know, your leadership on this changed the country.
OBERGEFELL: I really appreciate that, Mr. President.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Jim joins me tomorrow to share his concerns about possible challenges to same-sex marriage. That is right here on CNN NEWSROOM.
Well, the Supreme Court's other big decision this week made it possible for more Americans to carry guns without permits. And it happened just as lawmakers passed the first new gun reform law in decades. So what's the state of guns in America? I'll ask the president of Everytown for Gun Safety, John Feinblatt, up next.
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You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Today President Biden signed historic federal gun safety legislation into law. It is the first major gun reform to pass through Congress in decades and came together in the wake of mass shootings in Uvalde and Buffalo. It got support from both sides of the aisle and was cause for celebration on the House floor Friday after it passed. Still, the president acknowledged it fell short of what he and the Democrats had hoped.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: Well, this bill doesn't do everything I want. It does include actions I've long called for that are going to save lives.
[19:30:02]
It funds crisis intervention, including Red Flag Laws. It keeps guns out of the hands of people who are a danger to themselves and to others, and it finally closes what is known as the boyfriend loophole.
So if you assault your boyfriend or girlfriend, you can't buy a gun or own a gun.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: After signing the bill, Biden said, "God willing, it's going to save a lot of lives." But if you have a case of whiplash over competing news about guns,
it's understandable because on Thursday, the Supreme Court voted six to three to strike down a century old gun law in New York that restricted concealed carry.
State lawmakers are now scrambling to respond.
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ZELLNOR MYRIE (D), NEW YORK STATE SENATE: I can't emphasize enough how disastrous this Supreme Court decision is. We do still have some options, but people should be worried about the future of keeping guns off of our streets.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: But even in one of America's most liberal city, some New Yorkers look forward to carrying a gun.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NANCY NICHOLS, NEW YORK GUN OWNER: Absolutely, especially because I am qualified to do that and I am trained to do that, and I would feel much safer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Joining me now is John Feinblatt. He is President of Every Town for Gun Safety.
Hi, John.
So your organization tweeted about the Supreme Court ruling in New York saying, "The Court has caved to the gun lobby's extreme agenda." Tell me more about your reaction?
JOHN FEINBLATT, PRESIDENT, EVERY TOWN FOR GUN SAFETY: Well, look, I think that the Supreme Court had -- it demonstrated a callous disregard for human life and a callous disregard for law enforcement. But I think the really big news is that Biden signed an historic bill today that broke a quarter of a century logjam, and it was a bipartisan bill and it will affect the entire nation and it will affect every aspect of gun violence, whether we're talking about suicide or mass shootings or domestic violence or city gun violence.
And the truth is, while I think that the Supreme Court is entirely out of touch in their ruling, the truth is the greatest impact is going to be that half a dozen states or so that have statutes that look like New York's that require a specific cause to carry a concealed weapon. The Court made clear that 43 other states' licensing schemes would pass constitutional muster.
And so, the real big story today is the logjam has broken a bipartisan bill that will affect every aspect of gun safety throughout the country. BROWN: So how do you feel? I mean, just given the gun legislation that
was just signed into law, and then on the other hand, this Supreme Court decision, do you feel more hopeful? Less hopeful? How do you feel?
FEINBLATT: Oh, I definitely feel hopeful. I think that already, you're going to see not just that this was a stepping stone for more legislation at the Federal level, but I think it is going to actually fuel legislation at the state level and the city level.
And as far as the Supreme Court case goes, look, they're out of touch. They're out of touch with law enforcement who oppose more guns on their streets. They're out of touch with Black and Brown communities that are already suffering from disproportionate amounts of gun violence, and they're out of touch with the safest states in the country that have the toughest laws.
There is no question about it, laws matter. Laws keep you safe.
So they're out of touch, but in the meantime, we've got a bipartisan bill that breaks a logjam of a quarter of a century that's going to affect the entire nation and every aspect of gun safety and gun violence.
BROWN: Let's look at what is in this law, $750 million for crisis intervention programs. The boyfriend loophole closed, enhanced background checks for younger gun buyers, funding for mental health programs, school security, and it creates new Federal statutes against gun trafficking.
What is missing that you would like to see?
FEINBLATT: Look, it also provides funding for Red Flag Laws, which, you know, sadly, in the case of Buffalo, it was a textbook case for a Red Flag Law, which allows police in New York or school officials in New York or family members to petition a Court for temporary removal of guns.
It's a great tool, but you have to pick it out of the toolbox. And in New York, it wasn't taken out of the toolbox in the Buffalo case.
And so what we know is laws are good, but you have to use it for them to be effective.
BROWN: Right, but the law enforcement in New York chose not to after investigating it. So that is the question, will states who -- other states who adopt the Red Flag Laws, will they actually use them.
John Feinblatt, thank you so much.
FEINBLATT: Thank you, Pamela.
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BROWN: Well, Norway is now under the country's highest terror alert after a mass shooting outside an Oslo gay bar. Two people were killed, eight others were taken to the hospitals. A suspect is now in custody.
More details here from CNN, Michael Holmes.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Police in Norway are calling a deadly shooting outside a gay nightclub in Oslo, a terrorist attack.
A gunman opened fire overnight Friday killing two people and injuring 22 others, three of them critically.
MARCUS NYBAKKEN, SHOOTING WITNESS (through translator): There were many who cried, who screamed. Injured people screamed. People were upset and people were lying on the floor inside because they were very scared.
HOLMES (voice over): Police arrested the suspect within minutes and charged him with murder, attempted murder, and terrorist acts.
CHRISTIAN HATLO, OSLO PROSECUTOR (through translator): He is a Norwegian citizen originally from Iran. He is known to the police, but not for big things. Some convictions for smaller things compared to what we face today.
HOLMES (voice over): The Acting Chief of Norway's Police Security Service said they'd been aware of the man since 2015 when they became concerned he was becoming radicalized and was part of an extreme Islamist network.
The country's terror threat level has been raised from moderate to an extraordinary threat situation, and police who normally are not armed in Norway have taken up weapons temporarily in the aftermath of the attack, which also forced organizers to cancel the city's Gay Pride parade.
INGER KRISTIN HAUGSEVJE, HEAD OF OSLO PRIDE (through translator): We are shaken and have been advised by police to cancel today's events. We take the police's advice and recommendations seriously and are encouraging people not to gather in Central Oslo.
HOLMES (voice over): Meanwhile, Norway's Prime Minister is expressing his solidarity with the queer community and speaking directly to Muslims in the wake of the attack.
JONAS GAHR STORE, NORWEGIAN PRIME MINISTER: I know that many Muslims in our country are also scared and in despair. It is a common responsibility to make it clear that no one other than the person or the people behind the attack is responsible for it. Let there be no doubt, we are a community. We are a diverse and strong community. We will never be threatened or give up our values.
HOLMES (voice over): Michael Holmes, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BROWN: President Biden is in Europe tonight trying to keep the world's
economic powers allied against Russia's war on Ukraine. Our M.J. Lee joins me from Austria up next here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
And this weekend on CNN, you may know Arthur Ashe as a legendary tennis champion, the first Black man to win the singles title at Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open, but his legacy goes far beyond the court.
The new CNN film, "Citizen Ashe" premieres tomorrow night at nine.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARTHUR ASHE, PROFESSIONAL TENNIS PLAYER: Everything is concentrated on the razor's edge and you forget the score. You forget where you are.
I feel that my body's floating within myself.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Arthur Ashe, bright young member of the United States Davis Cup team.
ASHE: Some people think, we are all brawn and no brains, and I like to fight the myth.
TEXT: As elegant as the tennis great it profiles. "Salon."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He started becoming a citizen of the world.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Arthur Ashe, the first Black player to win the men's Wimbledon singles title.
TEXT: Inspiring, thrilling to watch. "Salon."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He had evolved from someone who was analytical to someone who became more about direct action.
TEXT: A fascinating portrait. "IndieWire."
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It became another fight for Arthur and he picked it up like he did every other cause.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He never forgot about his race and when I say his race, I'm talking about the human race.
ANNOUNCER: "Citizen Ashe" premieres tomorrow at nine on CNN.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:43:28]
BROWN: President Biden is in Germany right now. He is there for a Summit focusing on Russia's brutal grinding war in Ukraine and also the global economy. And his trip comes while back home, the nation is struggling with the Supreme Court rulings on abortion and guns. CNN's M.J. Lee joins me now.
M.J., these enormous domestic issues have taken Ukraine off the radar here in the States. What are the President's goals of the Summit regarding the war?
M.J. LEE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Pam, we saw President Biden land in Munich just over three hours ago. He is of course here in Europe to participate in two major global conferences, beginning with that G-7 Summit in Germany, and you're absolutely right that Ukraine is obviously going to be a huge, huge factor as he meets with these global leaders.
And one of the main things that he is going to try to do is keep the US and its allies united and keep up that united front against Russian aggression.
Now, one thing that is telling, we have been told that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, he is going to be giving a virtual address that means that these global leaders really wants to shine the spotlight on the Ukrainian President as he continues to fight against Russian aggression.
And then the other factor that you mentioned as well, these leaders are going to be talking a whole lot about the economic ramifications of the Ukraine war.
Obviously, President Biden back at home is dealing with a number of economic challenges, the biggest one being inflation.
We are seeing high gas prices, high food prices, all of these things have been exacerbated by everything that is going on in Ukraine. And this is something that has been a very difficult thing for the US administration, the Biden administration to get a handle on.
[19:45:18]
LEE: So it just goes to show that yes, he is going to be doing this big swing through Europe, and he is going to be, of course, very much focused on foreign policy. But all of these issues, particularly the economic issues that are so important back at home, those are very, very closely tied to the foreign policy issues that he is going to be spending a ton of time on in the coming days -- Pam.
BROWN: All right, M.J. Lee in Austria for us. Thank you so much, M.J..
Well, the January 6 Committee has tied Donald Trump to the fake electors plot and the Department of Justice has subpoenaed more people about this scheme. We're going to break it all down for you, up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:50:20]
BROWN: Well, more than a dozen states are ready to ban abortion if and when the Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade and some of those states it has already happened. CNN's Tom Foreman breaks down which states have already enacted their bans.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thirteen states had so-called trigger laws in place for this day, meaning abortion bans that would go into effect very quickly according to the abortion rights group, the Guttmacher Institute.
In Kentucky and Louisiana and South Dakota, for example, the laws said it would happen immediately. So barring some issue, it's already illegal there.
The next level where the states where abortion bans are to be enforced 30 days from now, in Idaho, Tennessee, and Texas. Although, there is a push in Texas to bypass that delay and have it in place even sooner.
We should note all these maps are in flux because this is moving so quickly this weekend.
Then we have a half dozen states where officials need to certify their legislation is legally valid before their bans kick in -- Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Utah, and Wyoming. And again, they're moving so fast to get this done. They may all be done by the time you hear this.
And we know that those that aren't, and it could still just be a matter of hours or days until they are done. So then we have all of these with trigger laws in place, and then we add to that states that have old unenforced abortion bans, which now can be enforced and states that passed bans under Roe, which were blocked by the Courts, which now would be unblocked.
Altogether, you get a whopping 26 states certain or likely to ban abortion. We say "likely" because there are places such as Montana, where a state Supreme Court ruling is for now still in the way.
We talk about a lot of laws in this country that may or may not be felt by people everywhere. These laws are really going to reverberate all across the country through the actions of the states.
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[19:56:59]
BROWN: The Justice Department has subpoenaed two more people in connection to a plot to have fake Republican electors undermine the Electoral College.
Earlier this week, the January 6 Committee directly tied Donald Trump to that scheme and the plot was laid out during sworn-in person testimony from Republicans and videotaped depositions from other officials.
Basically, the fake electors would have allowed Trump to be declared the winner in states he did not win. And if it had worked, he could have remained in the White House for a second term.
CNN's Marshall Cohen has covered the story from the beginning. Marshall, this seems like a complicated plot.
MARSHALL COHEN, CNN REPORTER: It is, Pamela, but we're here to all break it down and let's start by going over how the Electoral College is supposed to work.
As you know, we all go to the polls in November and vote for President. The winner of the popular vote in each state gets the electors from that state. These electors are real people and in December, they meet in the State Capitol and cast their votes.
They sign official certificates which are then sent to Washington DC to be counted on January 6th, but things went a little bit differently in 2020.
Take a look at this. In these seven battleground states across the country, Republicans plotted a fake electors' scheme. They pretended to do all the things that the real electors are required to do. They met at the Statehouses or nearby, and they signed fake certificates proclaiming their votes for Donald Trump.
Look at this. This is an example from Arizona, from the Arizona Republican Party, they actually put this on their Twitter feed. Now, you know, again, this all looks kind of official, Pam. But these people are just posing as electors. Donald Trump did not win their state.
So what they were doing was all for show and it had no legal validity whatsoever.
And I do want to point out that this woman right here is, Kari Lake in the blue. She is one of the fake electors who actually received a subpoena along with her husband from Federal investigators who are looking into the fake electors' plot.
So that's what happened before January 6. Here's how it went down on January 6th. This, of course, is when Congress meets to count the electoral votes. It's a Joint Session of Congress that's overseen by the Vice President every four years.
But this time around Trump's plan was to have Mike Pence throw out some of Joe Biden's legitimate electors and replace them with the fake Republican electors.
Now, as we all know, during that joint session, pro-Trump rioters invaded the Capitol. And you know, they just ransacked the place, delaying the proceedings for several hours, but eventually, the count resumed, Pence followed the law. He certified Joe Biden's victory. Once everything was all said and done, this was Mike Pence at three in the morning announcing the final results.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE PENCE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The votes for President of the United States are as follows: Joseph R. Biden, Jr. of the State of Delaware has received 306 votes; Donald J. Trump of the state of Florida has received 232 votes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COHEN: By the way, that was Kelly Ward in that video from Arizona, but that was Mike Pence closing out the 2020 election. The scheme didn't work, but now, it is under criminal investigation -- Pam.
BROWN: Right. And as you noted, too, states -- at least two sent fake certificates to the National Archives.
Marshall Cohen, thank you.
Thank you so much for joining me this evening. I am Pamela Brown.
The CNN Special Report, "Trumping Democracy: An American Coup" is next.
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