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U.S. Supreme Court To Rule On Trump's Colorado Ballot Case; Nikki Haley Retracts Pledge Supporting Trump; Biden's Crucial Fate As He Delivers State Of The Union; Vice President Harris Calls For Ceasefire In Gaza; Israel Skips Truce Meeting With Hamas. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired March 03, 2024 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:00:00]

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN HOST: Houthi attacks have not stopped despite several rounds of strikes by the U.S. and the United Kingdom. All right everybody, thanks for joining me today. I'm Omar Jimenez. We've had a lot to talk to you. Hope you learned a lot Hope you had some fun along the way, but we've got "CNN Newsroom" continuing with Jim Sciutto right now. See you.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN HOST: You are in the "CNN Newsroom." I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington. We begin with what could be a major development from the U.S. Supreme Court. The court has scheduled the release of a ruling tomorrow driving speculation that this could be the decision on whether former President Donald Trump can appear on Colorado's presidential ballot.

The court's decision likely to decide the matter in several other states that now have similar pending challenges. Those states include Maine and Illinois. These states argue that Trump's actions surrounding January 6 and the 2020 election, his attempts to overturn it disqualify him for office under the Constitution based on the 14th amendments insurrectionist ban.

CNN senior Supreme Court analyst Joan Biskupic joins me now. Joan great to have you. Unusual announcement from the U.S. Supreme Court teeing this up. Why do we expect this is the ballot decision?

JOAN BISKUPIC, CNN SENIOR SUPREME COURT ANALYST: No, all signs point at that direction Jim. First of all, at close of business on Friday there was no announcement up you know, even though we're kind of overdue for this decision that was argued on February and the announcement of potential ruling came today around 1:00 p.m. Eastern which suggests that whatever it is, they were working fast and furious to finish it up.

And I think it's to finish it up before Super Tuesday because Colorado is one of the multiple states that are holding primaries. Its culmination of its primary is on Tuesday along with, as I said, several others. So, I think there was an incentive to finish it by Tuesday. So, you know, we got this late word.

Rarely do they go down to the wire with an opinion announcement. If it was if it was any other case, they just hold it over to another day. So, I think that's a pretty clear sign. And the justices will not take the bench. These days when they announce the opinion, they actually do it in the courtroom and then also make it available electronically and tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. Eastern so that if we're right and the speculation is correct, all of our audience can also see how the justice's rule in this case --

SCIUTTO: Okay --

BISKUPIC: -- at 10:00 a.m. Eastern.

SCIUTTO: So, I remember listening to those oral arguments back in February and it struck me and others smarter than me including yourself that that both the conservative and even liberal justices seem skeptical of Colorado's case here. Would you say the smart betting on the Supreme Court is that this is a decision ruling against the state of Colorado?

BISKUPIC: That's right, I think they're poised and you're right across the ideological spectrum to reverse the Colorado Supreme Court which had ruled in December that former president Donald Trump should be disqualified from the ballot because of his role in the January 6th 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. As you rightly called it, there's a Section 3 of the 14th amendment, prohibits anyone who is holding office and took an oath to uphold the Constitution who then engages in an insurrection or rebellion from then holding future office.

And the Colorado Supreme Court said that former president Donald Trump certainly fell under that provision. But as you rightly recall during those oral arguments on February 8th, justices across political and ideological lines really spoke skeptically of this. And because Jim it -- I think what they saw was that an individual state could've essentially shaped the election for all states and the suggestion was that this kind of provision could not be invoked without some sort of congressional action.

SCIUTTO: Understood. Okay, you use the phrase fast and furious on this case. When you look at the other major question before the Supreme Court as relates to Trump that of course is broad claim of immunity as relates to the special counsel's case against him for January 6, they have now scheduled -- they took some time considering whether they would take it up. They've decided to take it up as you well know and scheduled those oral arguments for, I believe April 22nd.

This was less than a month, arguments to decision and I believe they took this up to arguments more quickly than they are the immunity question. Why the difference in speed with how they're considering one case versus the other?

[17:05:00]

BISKUPIC: Yeah, that's a good question, Jim, and it's the week at the 22nd for the immunity one. They have not yet scheduled a date. I think in the Colorado one, you know, ballots were being printed. They are being printed and right now Donald Trump's name is on all state ballots but I think they probably wanted some clarity on that. Now, the immunity one is interesting because this isn't -- this is one

where Donald Trump has again appealed the case and this case test whether he will ever be held accountable in a criminal trial for election subversion from the 2020 vote before we get any kind of clarity for the 2024 election contest coming up.

And Special counsel Jack Smith who represents the U.S. government, the Department of Justice, had wanted the Supreme Court to give clarity there. A lower court had ruled that -- two different lower courts have ruled that Donald Trump should not be immune from criminal prosecution, but the Supreme Court took a little bit of time to decide that it even wants to intervene here.

And then while it's scheduled it quicker than it would a normal case it did not schedule it as you say as quickly as it did the Colorado one and, Jim, the way that one's playing out I don't think we're going to see a ruling before the end of June which makes it all but impossible to have a trial of Donald Trump this summer if not even later in 2024 before all ballots are submitted in November.

SCIUTTO: And if we look further back, certainly not as quickly as Bush v. Gore or going even further back than that, not as quickly as the Nixon tapes case, but that's the timetable as we have. Joan Biskupic, thanks so much for joining us.

BISKUPIC: Thank you.

SCIUTTO: Well, tonight voters are two days away from the biggest day of the campaign so far. Super Tuesday, more than a dozen states, 865 Republican delegates up for grabs. One notable Republican is hedging her earlier promise to support the eventual GOP nominee. Nikki Haley once raised her hand on a debate stage to say she would back Donald Trump if he were to win the Republican primary. Today, she tried to yank her hand back down. Here's what she said this morning on NBC's "Meet the Press."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIKKI HALEY, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I have always said that I have serious concerns about Donald Trump. At the time of the debate, we had to take it to where would you support the nominee and you had to in order to get on that debate stage, you said yes. The RNC is now not the same RNC. Now it's --

KRISTIN WELKER, HOST, NBC'S MEET THE PRESS: So, you're no longer bound by that pledge.

HALEY: No, I think I'll make what decision I want to make.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: CNN Eva McKend is live in Vermont. Eva, it does not sound like she is standing by that pledge as you speak to Haley campaign staffers, et cetera. Is that a deliberate change?

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: It doesn't at all, Jim, and I have to say it's not all that surprising because the RNC has all but abandoned her. They haven't been neutral in this process as of late and so it seems as though now, she doesn't feel compelled to really stick by this pledge.

I will say though beyond that, she is a really disciplined messenger. We heard her here in Vermont really sticking to a theme that she has maintained throughout, that she is a unifying force, she argues, that can beat President Biden in a general election. She's leaning on polling data, a recent "New York Times" poll that had her beating Biden by 10 points in November.

And there is something to this Jim. There are Democrats that routinely show up to her rallies. There were Democrats there today, independent voters, Republican voters who said that they would not vote for Trump. They would rather vote for Biden than vote for Trump in November. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOPE MARTIN, BRIDPORT, VERMONT RESIDENT: I just feel at this point we need a change in government wholesale. I voted for Biden I voted for other Republicans at other times. I consider myself an independent, and you know, we need the next generation up there. Nikki has good solid values for -- her record is strong. She's got good experience as governor as ambassador, and I think she ran a new era for this country and you desperately need it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKEND: So, despite long odds, she continues to crisscross the country, Jim. After here in Vermont, she's in Maine this evening continuing her New England tour and then she is in Texas tomorrow ahead of Super Tuesday, Jim.

SCIUTTO: Eva McKend, live from Vermont. Thanks so much. So, this week, the president gets a primetime Opportunity to attempt to remind America what he's done in office at the stage as the country heads closer to Election Day. Joe Biden delivers the state of the union on Thursday night. He will almost certainly say the state of the union is strong.

[17:10:00]

And while the data shows the economy, certainly jobs are strong, polls show Americans doubt his leadership, don't necessarily give him credit for those things. CNN's Priscilla Alvarez is with us now.

Priscilla, I wonder what your sources in the White House tell you about the president's plan message here. And is it partly driven by that disconnect, right, strong economic numbers, certainly no credit to him for the state of the economy in particular, but also major questions about his leadership on the border.

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, they have to package everything that he has been saying in his campaign appearances and in speeches across the country and make the connection that what the administration is doing on the domestic front is translating to Americans feeling better about the economy, even if the polls don't quite show it yet. That's what the White House always comes back to you, is that they will feel it that the indicators are there.

So, this is an opportunity for them to lay out his accomplishments so far, but also his vision for the future. That's economic populism, higher taxes for the wealthy and corporations, also border security, lowering health care costs, reproductive rights protecting them, as well as preserving democracy.

All of these are themes that we've heard here and there in his speeches that are going to come together in this primetime address. An Address by the way that millions of people tune into it could be the last time he has such a large audience before November's vote. And of course, Jim, looming over all of this is the Israel-Hamas conflict. This is something that he has had to navigate not only abroad, but also domestically as there have been protesters at his appearances calling for a ceasefire.

They're hoping they can get a deal done by Thursday which would allow for the release of hostages and aid if a ceasefire agreement is reached, but without that it is something that still looms over all of this address, and also something that his advisors are having to take into account as they pull this speech together at Camp David.

SCIUTTO: I want to get to the issue of Israel-Palestine, but before I do, following a poll like we saw this weekend from the "New York Times," do you get a sense from the White House that there is, if not panic that there is a high level of concern about if the race were held today?

ALVAREZ: They often dismiss polls. Polls is polls, they capture a moment in time --

SCIUTTO: Except the ones they like, right?

ALVAREZ: Sure, of course. But it is something that they are aware of and there's a gap that needs to be bridged here. And this is why these addresses are so important to convey and relay their message directly to the American people and also why they want to put President Biden on the road to interact with people and engage with them so they can make their own decisions.

SCIUTTO: Fight back at this, you know, with this age question for sure. Before we before we go, Vice President Kamala Harris had very strong words on the road today regarding the Israel-Hamas war in Selma, Alabama. Is this a marked change from the administration, her call for an immediate ceasefire?

ALVAREZ: Well, this was certainly a tough call -- a sort of forceful response by a U.S. official and the vice president no less. I mean, she called for Israel to do more to put aid -- get aid into Gaza saying there's no excuses. I mean, she went so far as to say that.

And also, when it came to the immediate ceasefire, that's something we've started to hear more of. You recall the days of it being called a humanitarian pause.

SCIUTTO: Yeah, pause.

ALVAREZ: But this is now -- the rhetoric that they're using is that they want the ceasefire in the context of the deal that's on the table, and that is a six-week ceasefire to allow for the release of vulnerable hostages and aid to get into Gaza. But what was very clear from her remarks is that she is paying attention to the situation in Gaza. It's a humanitarian crisis. She said people are starving and she said the conditions are inhumane.

And all of this is factoring into their thinking as they look forward. And I will also note Jim that she is going to meet with the Israeli war cabinet member, Benny Gantz, tomorrow. So, expect all of this to come up in that meeting.

SCIUTTO: They will be traveling without Netanyahu. Priscilla Alvarez, thanks so much.

Joining me now to help us understand the stakes for this very big political week, Larry Sabato is the director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. Larry, good to have you.

LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR POLITICS, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: Thank you so much, Jim.

SCIUTTO: So, let's begin with the state of the Biden re-election campaign given the latest polling we've seen, which have been consistent trend lines. Let's be frank in terms of low approval rating, certainly not giving him credit on the economy, big concerns about leadership regarding the border. Is it a campaign in crisis at this point or do you like the White House, say there's reason to not get too excited about any polling that we're seeing recently?

SABATO: Well, I wouldn't call it a crisis. I think it's developing into a major problem and that includes the interpretation of the polls, which I think are incredibly premature and some of them less accurate than others. It is March. It's early March, Jim, and the actual voting takes place in October and November. Loads of things will happen. So, that's always important to keep in mind.

However, from the White House's perspective, they really ought to be using these polls to energize Democratic backers.

[17:15:00]

When you look at the backstory of some of these polls, the reason Biden is slipping behind Trump and some worse than others obviously, but he's slipping behind is because Democrats are not energized by him or his administration. They're disillusioned with him. The Republicans as usual with Donald Trump, are so excited they wish the election was tomorrow. That's what the White House needs to deal with. Maybe they'll start to do it more at the State of the Union address, but they've got a lot of hard work to do. The energy level is what they have to communicate both with Biden at the speech, Biden on the campaign trail, and all the other members of the administration. SCIUTTO: So, let me ask you this. I mean you look at this poll, 38 percent of Democrats say he should not be the party's nominee. But when you look at times that people have actually voted -- look at New York three congressional district just won by Tom Suozzi, flipping that district from red to blue.

You look at the midterm elections, there were supposed to be a red wave, didn't happen. You look at a whole host of special elections, and I know that some of the number crunchers will say the special elections aren't actually indicative of what happens in the fall. But for folks at home who are looking this and saying wait I read one newspaper says X and I read these polls and it says Y.

Which is more telling to you? Is it the those voting days, those special elections, or is it these big general election polls?

SABATO: Well, you need to look at both, but I've got news those other analysts. The polls may be inaccurate too and we have real votes.

SCIUTTO: This happens.

SABATO: I put real -- I put -- that sure has happened and it's going to happen to some degree this year. I put real votes well above the polls, that is the actual special elections and eventually some of these primaries will also be more revealing. They actually have been somewhat revealing. You can get a sense once you have exit polls at least of where different groups are going, who's excited, who isn't.

SCIUTTO: Yeah.

SABATO: You take a lot of lessons from a lot of different directions.

SCIUTTO: No question. Listen, later in the next hour we're gonna have Tom Suozzi. That district went 16 points I think from red plus 8 to D plus 8 in the span of what 14, 15 months. Larry Sabato, good to have you on.

SABATO: Thank you, Jim.

SCIUTTO: More on the breaking news. We mentioned just moments ago, Vice President Kamala Harris forcefully calling, and these are her words, for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza as a new round of talks with that goal in mind are happening in Egypt right now. We're gonna have the latest on that front coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:22:16]

SCIUTTO: Israel is skipping ceasefire talks in Cairo today. It accuses Hamas of not responding to two key Israeli demands, the names of The Israeli hostages still being held, and the fixed number of Palestinian prisoners that would be released in a proposed exchange. The decision reportedly came from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

That appears to depart from what a White House official told CNN just yesterday that Israel had, quote, "basically accepted a proposal for a six-week ceasefire in exchange for the release of some hostages." Barak Ravid joins us now. Barack first on that difference there. There have been a number of differences. Let's be frank, some in terms of language about the treatment of civilians in Gaza, some about talks toward a ceasefire.

But on this particular issue here, that that seems to be a disagreement on the outlines of a deal. I mean is there daylight between the U.S. and Israeli positions here?

BARAK RAVID, CNN POLITICAL & GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: No, I don't think there's daylight at all. I think as the White House told us yesterday in a briefing with reporters, the Israelis basically accepted the proposal that CIA director Bill Burns put on the table eight days ago. It's basically ready to go and everyone are waiting to hear from Hamas.

Hamas actually didn't really give an answer yet, not a formal one at least. And the Interpretation that Netanyahu and his people are doing with the fact that Hamas still hasn't responded is that it basically rejects their demands. So, it's not really accurate. I think a lot of people are still waiting to see whether in the next 24 to 48 hours Hamas will come back with a much more serious response.

SCIUTTO: Yeah, not quite (ph), and we shouldn't sort of invest Hamas with any more sincerity or credibility than they've proven themselves worthy of throughout this. I do want to go through public comments today from Vice President Kamala Harris during her comments marking the 59th anniversary of the Selma March. Have a listen to this because this language appears stronger than what we've heard before and I want to get your reaction.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: The threat of Hamas poses to the people of Israel must be eliminated and given the immense scale of suffering in Gaza, there must be an immediate ceasefire.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: An immediate ceasefire is quite a strong phrasing there. Is that a step forward in your view of the -- from the administration's position?

[17:25:00]

RAVID: Yes. I think what we heard today from Vice President Harris is the strongest recognition by the Biden administration of the situation in Gaza. The vice president said that people are starving in Gaza. She called it a humanitarian catastrophe. She said -- he spoke about families that are eating animal feed. I mean, I think I've never heard anybody from the administration speaking about the situation in Gaza in that detail, in that stronger strong language.

And I think that the vice president's appeal for a ceasefire, again in the context of a hostage deal, okay, because later on she said, you know there is a deal on the table. The deal will get us six weeks of ceasefire and Hamas needs to agree, Hamas needs to respond. But I think that no doubt what we heard from the vice president today is not only one notch more than what we heard until now from the Biden administration. It's maybe three or four notches more.

And it's interesting because of the symbolic place where she said those things. As you said, in Selma. It's, you know, in one of the most transformative events of the civil rights movement in the United States. It has domestic political symbolism and it has international symbolism and therefore I think what we heard today is more and more pressure by the Biden administration not only on Hamas to accept the deal but on the Israeli government to change its policies in Gaza.

SCIUTTO: Let me ask you this then because you've covered this quite closely. There's certainly been a change in rhetoric at least from the Biden administration how it talks about this. We've heard from behind- the-scenes pressure on Israel to hem in military operations in Gaza. We've heard public comments right up to the president to say they need to pay more attention to civilian casualties. Is that pressure working in your view? Is it bringing about a change in Israel's approach to this war?

RAVID: I think it is working somewhat, but obviously not enough. On a scale from 1 to 10 I would say it's a 4, meaning again, I know that a lot of people would tell me, oh, what are you talking about? But things could have been much, much worse. Okay, situation is already terrible. Okay, 30,000 people were killed in Gaza, but it could have been much more If not for a lot of pressure Biden has put on Israel to change its entire war plan.

And I think that if we're looking at what the Biden administration is doing tomorrow, that's a very interesting step. Rolling out the red carpet for Minister Benny Gantz a member of the war cabinet on the one hand, but on the other hand, Netanyahu's biggest political rival.

SCIUTTO: Yeah.

RAVID: Netanyahu didn't get an invitation to the White House since he assumed office more than a year ago. This is Benny Gantz's second time in the White House since then. So, I think it's very interesting.

SCIUTTO: Notable. We'll be watching. Barak Ravid, thanks so much for joining us this Sunday.

RAVID: Thank you.

SCIUTTO: Well, as we noted, Vice President Kamala Harris among the hundreds marching in Selma, Alabama today to recognize that now infamous attack on civil rights demonstrators known as Bloody Sunday. Those pictures they're marking the moment. You are in the "CNN Newsroom."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:30:01] SCIUTTO: It has been 59 years since Alabama State troopers attacked hundreds of Black voting rights activists as they marched peacefully across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama.

Just hours ago, Vice President Kamala Harris joined a march across that same bridge to commemorate what has come to be known as Bloody Sunday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They knew violence against them was inevitable, and they returned to this bridge while many were still bound in bandages, because they knew what was on the other side, a promise of a future that was more equal, more just, and more free.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: Joining us now is Marc Morial. He is a former New Orleans mayor and president of the National Urban League. And Derrick Johnson is president and CEO over the NAACP. Good to have you both on, gentlemen. Thanks for joining me this Sunday.

MARC MORIAL, FORMER NEW ORLEANS MAYOR: Thanks, Jim.

SCIUTTO: Derrick, Voting Rights Act was signed into law just six months after Bloody Sunday. It has been nearly six decades and yet, I think it's safe to say the work continues. Many states have enacted voting restrictions after the 2020 elections based in part on Donald Trump's false claims of election fraud. You met with Harris at the White House last week. Do you still find moments like this notable and is the fight still on in effect?

DERRICK JOHNSON, PRESIDENT AND CEO, NAACP: It was a sobering moment. We met with the vice president earlier this week. We're commemorating the 59th year of the march, Bloody Sunday, and yet we are in the midst of eight lawsuits across the country to protect the rights of voters, but we just won the lawsuit right there in Alabama to ensure African- Americans in that state could elect a candidate of choice in a second congressional district.

So, it's both what we call a Sankofa moment. We are still dealing with the past as we exist in this present, as we fight towards a future that's more inclusive of all communities.

SCIUTTO: Let me ask you this, Mark, because, as you know, you've seen the polls too, the groups of Democratic voters who supported President Biden in 2020 are not as unified behind him, including African- American voters. Do you consider that notable? Is it sizable and could it be decisive?

[17:35:00]

MORIAL: I think early polls don't matter. I think the Election Day is what counts. We -- these polls have never been predictive of the outcome on Election Day this early in the process. Having said that, voting rights and the protection of democracy is a core issue for not only Black voters but for many other voters, a core issue central to how they will cast their vote.

So, I think it's incumbent on the president and his administration to accelerate their emphasis on passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Act in not only the remainder of this term but in a second term. It's got to be essential.

And Jim, here's the thing. Half the states have passed expansive pro- democracy laws. This is true. But half this are on steroids when it comes to the effort to strip away the right to vote with a range of suppression laws.

SCIUTTO: Hmm. And those -- I mean, listen, you could divide those states and those groups pretty much by blue and red. Derrick, at a rally in North Carolina last night, Donald Trump, he referenced the lieutenant governor, Mark Robinson, who is currently the frontrunner to be the GOP nominee for North Carolina governor. Mark, we should note, is Black, has a history, though, of derogatory comments about Muslims and members of the LGBTQ community.

I want to play for our viewers who haven't heard this how Trump described him and get your reaction. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is Martin Luther King on steroids. Okay? Now, I told that -- I told that -- I told that to Mark. I said, I think you're better than Martin Luther King. I think you are Martin Luther King times two.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: Martin Luther King times two? What's your reaction to that description?

JOHNSON: Well, this is a sad commentary. The very books -- they're seeking to ban on the books. They should read. This election is about fascism versus democracy. We choose democracy. We choose the voice of the collective hold of what we call America. We choose a future that is recognizable based on all the citizens, not a past.

That's -- that was exclusionary at best, discriminatory and practiced, and eliminated the hopes and dreams and the potential of this country by suffocating the voices like Robert the King and so many others.

So whatever that former president talks about, we should take what a grand assault, not try to make false comparison, and really look forward towards a future that's inclusive and that really sprouts out of democracy.

SCIUTTO: Marc, I'd like your reaction, too, because there is just a -- I hate to use the word, but just a dumb factor to this. I mean, to make that comparison to say he is twice the man that Martin Luther King who fought through times before the Civil Rights Act, before the Voting Rights Act when, as you know, it was -- he made a lot of progress during that time, that the history books, if folks have read them, shows definitively.

MORIAL: So, one side of me, Jim, doesn't want to dignify such utter stupidity --

SCIUTTO: Hmm.

MORIAL: -- with a remark. But having said that, Donald Trump has a habit and he deserves a gold medal in insulting Black people and insulting the cause of justice. And here we go once again with this effort to diminish the, if you will, legacy of a great American by comparing it to any aspiring wannabe politician. I'm offended by it and many are offended by it, but it's par for the course.

SCIUTTO: Marc Morial, Derrick Johnson, thanks so much to both of you.

JOHNSON: Thank you.

MORIAL: Thank you.

SCIUTTO: And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:43:49]

UNKNOWN (voice-over): This for college basketball history.

(APPLAUSE)

She (INAUDIBLE). Caitlin Clark becomes the all-time leading scorer in major college basketball history.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: And so smooth, too. It finally happened. Caitlin Clark, the all-time leading scorer in division one men's or women's college basketball history. We should note, beating a record that stood for more than 50 years.

To discuss, legendary sports broadcaster, CNN commentator Cari Champion. Cari, great to have you on. I mean, put this into context. The most ever for men or women's college basketball, and that record stood for half a century.

CARI CHAMPION, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, listen, I'm going to do what we just saw, because just to put it in plain context, what we're witnessing right now has never been done before. While watching it, even though it was, you know, just on a free throw, a tee if you will --

SCIUTTO: Yeah.

CHAMPION: -- the lead-up to it was special. Her childhood idol, Maya Moore, a basketball legend there, watching her. Her family and friends in front of a home crowd. Caitlin Clark has single-handedly and many -- in many respects, has grown this sport.

[17:45:01]

And you talk about how this record has been in place for so long. Imagine Pistol Pete having this record when there was no three-point line. Freshmen were not allowed to play. People love to do this versus-versus comparison. But I'd like to say, if we live in this moment and think about what she has done for this sport, we have not seen anything like it before. It is -- it is appropriate to call her one of the greats.

SCIUTTO: And you're so right. The players like this, they inspire. I got -- I've got a daughter. I mean, they inspire young athletes. They really draw them to the game, makes them think they can do it, which is fantastic. We did see another major basketball milestone last night, this time in the NBA. You might know who I'm talking about. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Homes (ph) ready to take a shot of this. James against Porter, drives, spins, gets inside. It's good. It's 40,000 for LeBron James. The NBA's all-time leading scorer --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: Just 40,000 points. NBA all-time leading scorer. So, put this one into context for us, and I want to ask you, does it make him the greatest? I mean --

CHAMPION: Yes.

SCIUTTO: -- my family, we're still a Jordan family, but I'm curious what you think.

CHAMPION: Jim, this is very interesting because that has been the conversation all morning long. And I think because Jordan is so beloved and we do not want to retire him, I thought about what I would say to you if you asked me this question, and when you put the goat together, everyone has different qualifications for what your goat is.

But we've never seen a player do what LeBron James has done. LeBron James, for 21 years, he has played for 21 years, has been in his physical prime. He is in the Hall of Fame with the likes of a Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, a Kobe Bryant, a Michael Jordan, and he has the most points.

And he still has some more left in the tank. We've never seen anything like this before. And I know people will be angry with me because some people say, because Jordan has more championships than LeBron, but I'm going to say, he is our goat, and we have to acknowledge that two things can be true. And this man is doing things we've never seen before.

SCIUTTO: Yeah, and didn't play in college, right? Notably. Cari, so good to have you on. Thanks so much.

CHAMPION: Thank you.

SCIUTTO: We did just get some sad news into the "CNN Newsroom" and that is that a former -- former ESPN colleague of Cari, longtime NFL analyst Chris Mortensen, he passed away today at the age of 72. If you've been watching ESPN through the years, he has been a very familiar face. We just got that sad news in, and our very best to his family and his loved ones. We'll be right back.

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[17:52:21]

SCIUTTO: Tensions between China and Taiwan already high are getting higher. China's Coast Guard showing force around a group of islands controlled by Taiwan. There are fears that this could escalate into a confrontation. CNN's Will Ripley reports.

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WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Just off the foggy coast near Taiwan's frontline Kinmen Islands, the Chinese Coast Guard intercepts a Taiwanese tourist boat. Taiwan's Coast Guard calls it an unprecedented forced inspection, triggering panic among passengers and the public.

UNKNOWN (through translator): It was very scary. I was afraid that I might not be able to return to Taiwan.

RIPLEY: These are the waters where that incident happened, where the Chinese Coast Guard boarded the Taiwanese tourist boat and checked everyone's ID, spooking a lot of the people on board.

You can see how close we are to the skyline of the Chinese city of Xiamen. There are Chinese construction boats all throughout these waters. Pretty easy to mix up which side, the Chinese side or the Taiwanese side you're on, when you're this close.

Cross-strait tensions rising here ever since the Lunar New Year holiday. A Chinese speedboat capsized in a chase with Taiwan's Coast Guard, similar to this one several years ago. Chinese fishing boats accused by Taiwan of trespassing the island's territorial waters more than 1,000 times last year alone.

CHEN CHIEN-WEN, DEPUTY CAPTAIN, KINMEN COAST GUARD (through translator): As the speedboat was snaking, trying to evade inspection and even drifting, it capsized and four people fell into the sea.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Two Chinese fishermen drowned. Two others survived, telling a conflicting story.

UNKNOWN (through translator): Even if we make quick turns, we won't capsize. It only capsized when it was rammed into.

RIPLEY (voice-over): An infuriated Beijing accuses Taipei of covering up the fishermen's deaths. Chinese officials blamed Taiwan's ruling party reiterating Beijing's sovereign claim over Taiwan, promising to step up patrols in the area. Taiwan is deploying its own Coast Guard in response. Analysts say the mainland may be testing how far it can push Taiwan, trying to erode its ability to control waters long governed by Taipei.

We've been out on this boat for less than two hours, and we've already seen at least four Chinese Coast Guard boats, including that one right over there, which just made a U-turn. Our captain says that means they're monitoring us just like we're watching them.

(Voice-over): Rattling the nerves of Taiwanese tour boat operators.

Do you worry that this could be the place where there could be the beginning of a bigger conflict between Taiwan and mainland China?

[17:55:00]

MR. CHANG, TOUR BOAT OPERATOR IN KINMEN, TAIWAN (through translator): To be frank, I am concerned. But this is not what our people want. If there is conflict, both sides will be devastated.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Both sides watching what happens next, surging tensions on the Taiwan Strait, threatening to spill over. Will Ripley, CNN, Kinmen, Taiwan.

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SCIUTTO: Got to watch that area closely. Ahead on the "CNN Newsroom," we are speaking with the newest member of the U.S. Congress, Tom Suozzi, who just won a tight special election to fill the seat once held by Republican George Santos. That's coming up.

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