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"Particularly Dangerous Situation" Declared Affecting Millions In Texas, Oklahoma And Kansas; Trump Could Face Unfriendly Reception At Libertarian Convention; Biden Delivers Commence Speech To West Point Class Of '24; America's Choice 2024; Push To Censure Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito; Interview With Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN); Russia Strikes At Key Ukrainian City Of Kharkiv; Closing Arguments Set For Tuesday In Trump Trial; Retailers Doing Sophisticated Detective Work To Fight Theft. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired May 25, 2024 - 17:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:59:45]

JESSICA DEAN, CNN ANCHOR: You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

I'm Jessica Dean in Washington.

And we start with breaking news. A particular dangerous weather situation for tens of millions of people this Memorial Day weekend. Intense tornadoes baseball-sized hail and hurricane-force winds threatening part of the U.S.

Let's get you right over to meteorologist, Elisa Raffa to explain why this alert is of high concern, Elisa.

ELISA RAFFA, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, it's a rare type of tornado watch. It's not used all the time because it's being labeled a "particularly dangerous situation", meaning not only are we expecting tornadoes, but we're expecting tornadoes that can be long-lived, violent, strong. And this unfortunately is coming as we get closer and closer to sunset so it could happen here at night.

We have tornado watches stretching from Wichita down towards San Angelo, Texas. The "particularly dangerous situation" is the one that is for that north sliver of Texas and includes much of Oklahoma, including Oklahoma City, and then goes up into Wichita until 11:00 Central Time this evening.

Again, labeled that "particularly dangerous situation" for the possibility of violent, long-track tornadoes that would be EF-2 in strength or greater.

We already have found a couple of tornado warnings that have kind of been issued for the northern part of Texas here as these storms start to respond to the daytime heat and fire up.

We also have a batch of storms that have been on the decaying trend and a severe thunderstorm watch in parts of Georgia. This is the threat. You can see that red bulls eye goes from Wichita

Falls up towards Wichita and then into Springfield, Missouri where intense tornadoes, baseball-sized hail, and those damaging wind gusts are possible.

And again, it's that fear for the very strong tornadoes, some of the ones that we've kind of seen a lot of recently that could do extensive damage.

Again with this happening at night, make sure you turn on the emergency alerts and turn them on loud so they can wake you up, Jessica.

DEAN: All right. Good advice there. Elisa Raffa thanks so much.

Also tonight, former president Donald Trump will be speaking to a very different crowd, no adoring fans wearing red MGA hats. Instead he's going to deliver a speech at the Libertarian Party's convention in a clear sign, the campaign is worried about third-party candidates like RFK Jr.

But tonight's attempt at winning over the libertarian vote could backfire. According to Politico, the event last night turned into a physical brawl with members throwing punches and shouting obscenities in protest of Trump's appearance tonight.

Let's go to CNN's Steve Contorno, who has more insight into the Trump campaign. So Steve, what do you think we can actually expect from his speech tonight.

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: Jessica, the Trump campaign is acknowledging this is not exactly a hometown crowd for them. In fact, Jason Miller, spokesman for the campaign, told our Kate Sullivan, quote, "absolutely there will be people who want him to be there and people who don't want him to be there, but we're on offense and competing for non-traditional votes in order to unite the country.

Now, Vivek Ramaswamy, the former presidential candidate turned Trump supporter. He was here last night talking to this crowd. Listen and to the reception he got when he was trying to convince them maybe Trump is a good option for them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VIVEK RAMASWAMY, TRUMP SUPPORTER: I have gotten to know Donald Trump over the course of the last several years. And the last several months. And you're going to hear from him tomorrow night.

And the question is, do you want to influence the next administration or don't you? That is the question for this room to ask. And my thesis for you -- you believe in -- you all get to speak your mind. I respect that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CONTORNO: Those were definitely boos you heard Jessica and we'll see what happens when Trump takes the stage here in three hours. We have talked to several libertarian convention attendees who said they do intend to disrupt the former president as he speaks.

But look, this is about outreach and going for every last vote the Trump campaign believes this this is going to be an intensely close election. These third-party candidates may be a factor in some of these swing states.

And it's a competition with RFK Jr. over the libertarian vote and Trump intends to try to win it.

DEAN: All right. Steve Contorno for us live from Washington, D.C. Thanks so much.

A timely commencement address for President Biden today just ahead of Memorial Day. He spoke to graduating cadets at America's famed West Point Military Academy, highlighting the vital role the military plays in America.

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez is joining us now with more on today's speech. Priscilla, what stood out to you?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, this was a notable moment. This was the third time he has spoken to West Point, the first time as president and it was an opportunity for him to thank the cadets, to congratulate them for their achievements, and to call them the next generation of leaders in both civilians and military life.

Now, he did not name former president Donald Trump nor did he make a direct election year appeal? But he did underscore values that he has said are at risk if Donald Trump were to take a second term. And that includes, for example, democracy, protecting it as well as the NATO alliance and talking about U.S. leadership on the world stage.

Especially when it comes to Ukraine and the invasion of Ukraine, noting or recalling the Russian president's saying that the NATO alliance wasn't going to unify with Ukraine. In fact it did.

[17:04:53]

ALVAREZ: The president going on to say, quote, "it is the greatest defense alliance in the history of the world". Also maintaining that he does not expect to have U.S. soldiers go to Ukraine, but that the U.S. will remain steadfast in its support.

But the resounding message in all of that was the importance of alliances and democracies. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our women and men in uniform are hard at work, strengthening our alliances because no country Has allies like ours investing in deterrence. So anyone who thinks they can threaten us thinks again. Defending our values by standing up to tyrants and safeguarding the

peace by protecting freedom and openness. Thanks to the U.S. Armed Forces, who are doing only American can do as the indispensable nation. The world's only superpower and the leading democracy in the world.

Never forget America is the strongest when we lead not only by our example of our power, but by the power of our example.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALVAREZ: So as you heard there, the president clearly underscoring U.S. leadership across the world and taking the moment to not only reflect on that, but encouraged this new -- these cadets as they move forward.

DEAN: And he also emphasized the need for what he called urgent diplomacy in the Middle East, specifically. What more did he say about that?

ALVAREZ: Yes, he reflected briefly on the Middle East and also talked about aid efforts in the region to get that to Gaza in the pier that's been set up and also the food drop that we saw weeks ago.

But he also talked about that urgent diplomacy around the ceasefire deal. We've seen those talks stall to get the hostages out of Gaza and more aid in.

Now we do know CIA director Bill Burns has left Paris. That's where the latest rounds of talks were happening. U.S. official say that there was progress, but no further meetings have been set at this time.

But the president clearly keeping it top of mind as, as U.S. officials work around the clock to try to reach some type of deal with partners in the region.

DEAN: Interesting to see him at West Point today and Morehouse College last week. So definitely making the rounds with the commencement addresses.

Priscilla Alvarez, thanks so much for that reporting.

And a hugely consequential lies ahead for Donald Trump on Tuesday closing arguments in his hush money criminal trial. Meantime, he is on the campaign trail tonight as we just mentioned, but he won't be facing necessarily a MAGA-friendly crowd. He'll be at Libertarian in Party convention.

And joining us now to discuss this and more Democratic Strategist Maria Cardona and Republican strategist Shermichael Singleton. Both are CNN political commentators.

Great to have both of you here with us.

SHERMICHAEL SINGLETON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good to see you. DEAN: Good to see you guys too.

Shermichael, let's start first with you because we were talking to Steve Contorno just a few minutes ago. He was laying out what it might look like tonight at this libertarian convention. How do you think this is going to go and -- what's it going to be like?

SINGLETON: It may be a little rough.

They'd be a little rough. Libertarians are known for letting their opinions and voices be heard but they do represent according Gallup around 17 to 20 percent of the American electorate.

We've been talking a whole lot, Maria as you know, about how close this race is going to be and if you're down with Trump, you're looking at your margin, your ability to really increase in pulling new voters compared to President Biden, it's a little slimmer.

So you're really going to any and everybody who's sort of out there looking for a candidate and hey I should be your option instead of staying home sitting on the couch. And I think that's why the former president is going there.

MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes. It's weird because the reason why they booed him last night is because there's absolutely nothing libertarian about Donald Trump's agenda. in fact, the opposite. He wants to take away women's freedom to do as they feel is the best thing with their bodies. He wants to take away people's right to vote. He wants to take away the right for you to love and be with whoever you want to be.

This is understandable for this crowd who feel so strongly about freedom and they're not the only ones who feel strongly about freedom. Turns out, the majority of Americans like their freedom.

They like their democracy, which is why I think this is going to be such a challenge for Trump.

DEAN: It's going to be interesting to see how it all goes. And it kind of speaks to this broader point Shermichael, that you just brought up about Trump trying to widen out who's going to deport him.

But the Biden -- they're both going on offense trying to appeal and capture as many voters outside of their base is possible. So on the Biden front, we saw has been seizing on Trump's controversial Unified Reich post.

CARDONA: Right.

DEAN: Then we saw, or we actually have a clip of that. Let's play it first.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's next for America. BIDEN: You saw his official account. Wow, a unified Reich? That's Hitler's language. That's not Americas. He cares about holding onto power. I care about you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: We also saw this ad that they just put out with Robert de Niro voicing it, and it's kind of taunting Trump because it's got unflattering pictures of him. But, but making the point -- they're trying to remind people of president Trump's presidency and they're trying to remind them of the chaos that they see was present.

[17:09:54]

DEAN: How important is it that that message makes it through? Because we are seeing some amnesia with a lot of voters.

CARDONA: And that's exactly why this is so critical, Jessica.

Another ad that they put out yesterday at the two year-anniversary of the Uvalde shooting is those images and President Biden saying that he will never forget.

And then focusing on the policies right? President Biden is the only one that has passed historic gun control to be able to stop these kinds of tragedies from happening.

And on the right one, this reminds people exactly who Donald Trump is. He was the one who said in march in Charlottesville that there were good people on both sides. He's the one who told his chief of staff that he thinks Hitler did some good things.

You're right, the amnesia is something that we absolutely in the Biden campaign has to go at front and center, especially now when people are starting to pay attention. So the Biden campaign is going to be putting forth these reminders.

Family separation is another ad that they put out. And we remember that that was something was anathema to the majority of Americans people, ripping babies from the arms of their moms.

So yes, this I think is critical. They're going to continue to do it from now until the election because they need to remind people exactly what this guy will do.

Again, he's not been kept it secret what he will do. It will be what he did four years ago on steroids.

DEAN: And yet Shermichael, we're seeing the former president and we saw him in the Bronx, a very, very blue district --

SINGLETON: Yes.

DEAN: -- trying to appeal to voters of color, specifically black voters, Latino voters. How do you think that message landed and do you think it's true that there are some maybe Trump curious voters out there that didn't necessarily always fall within their demographic.

SINGLETON: I think there's certainly voters out there, particularly men of color, who were seeking to sort of reassert their political independence and political dominance.

I think that there are some who feel and I've had conversations with black men in particular who feel that a lot of the messaging and targeting from Democrats only caters to women and doesn't necessarily address many of their issues or many of their concerns.

And then you have Trump with this sort of machismo, dominant strength. For a lot of guys that's an inherent feature. They see that compared to Biden and they say, well, this is someone that I'm certainly willing to listen to.

And I think that if Trump can sort of parse through the noise and talk about and articulate a message that speaks to economics, that speaks to some of the health care disparities that men of color face compared to our white male counterparts, I do think that that message may land well.

We see the numbers from 2020 compared to 2016. He increased from 8 percent to 12 percent with black men, for example. Is it not possible that he could increase that number to 15 or 16 percent? I certainly mathematically think it is. Some have argued that it could be even as high as 20.

So the point that I'm making here is that I think there are a lot of men of color who are looking at both political parties and they're seeing a Democratic Party that is moving more to the left on a whole host of issues that a lot of men in general are just frankly not comfortable with.

And here's Donald Trump saying well, wait a minute here, let the Republican Party be the party for men and the values that men care a lot about. And I think a lot of men are interested in that argument.

DEAN: And we don't have much time, but Maria, you can respond to that and also the Biden campaign aggressively going after Haley voters. Having this call with Haley voters now that she's saying she's going to vote for President Trump.

What do you make of their efforts there, too?

CARDONA: I think that is a huge opportunity -- talking about opportunities for both of these candidates.

That's a huge opportunity for President Biden. And the moment that Haley left the race President Biden did make gestures saying, look, you all Nikki Haley supporters are welcome in my campaign, are welcome in my effort to continue to make this country better for everyone.

And that was a big difference because Donald Trump had continued to insult Nikki Haley, insult her voters. And you have the Biden campaign reaching out to them, they did a call with President Biden recently. The campaign is reaching out to Nikki Haley's fundraisers. And so I

think that that's a huge opportunity because we saw that Nikki Haley uncovered a huge challenge and a huge gap within the Republican Party for Donald Trump that they should be very concerned about when she left the race.

She was still getting 20, 25, you know, 26, 30 percent of the Republican vote. And so that is something that President Biden is going to continue to go after. He's also going to underscore with black and Latino voters.

Look as a Latina, I've always said the more that both parties tried to come after the Latino community with their with their policies and to get to -- get our support the better it is for our communities.

But when you have a president who is focused on racism and xenophobia and misogyny. That is not going to be good for any of these communities. And that's going to be the contrast that President Biden is going to continue to point out.

[17:14:49]

DEAN: All right. We're going to leave it there, but it is great to have both of you here.

Thank you so much --

CARDONA: Thank you so much, Jessica.

SINGLETON: Good to see you.

DEAN: -- Maria Cardona and Shermichael Singleton.

Still ahead, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito under fire for flying flags related to January 6th.

We're going to speak to the congressman leading the charge to get Alito censured.

Plus some big store chains are hiring their own detectives to fight off brazen gangs of organized crime.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:19:56]

DEAN: The Supreme Court's most senior liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor says she cried after the court handed down certain decisions.

Justice Sotomayor speaking at Harvard University, and warning there may be more tears ahead. Her comments coming as the Supreme Court faces historic public disapproval ratings, while also being plagued with ethics scandals. Just recently, photos resurfaced of an upside-down American flag and

another flag associated with January 6th being flown outside the homes of Justice Samuel Alito.

According to "The Washington Post, Martha-Ann Alito, his wife was responsible for the upside-down flag saying it was in response to a neighborhood dispute.

Several top Democrats though, are seeking a meeting with Chief Justice John Roberts over that controversy.

Joining me now is Democratic Representative Steve Cohen of Tennessee who's also a member of the House Judiciary Committee and he's leading an effort to censure Samuel Alito.

Congressman, thanks so much for being here with us. Why do you think Alito should be censured?

REP. STEVE COHEN (D-TN): Well, what he's done is contrary to his oath of office, it's contrary to what the role of a Supreme Court justice should be which is to be impartial at all times and avoid even the appearance of impropriety.

And it's clear that he's done that. He's done it in the past with actions, he did an action at the State of the Union when he looked at the president, shook his head and muttered something, I think he muttered "no". No Supreme Court justice has ever muttered anything or made any gestures during a presidential state of the union.

So he's done that before and it's -- we need to take note of it. We need to let the public know we care about it. We think it's wrong, and he should recuse himself.

We asked for a censure but we also asked him to recuse himself from all cases relating to President Trump and the January 6 insurrection. And also recuse himself from any case to do with church and state relations, having flown that flag in his vacation home concerning basically a Christian nation.

DEAN: and with the House being controlled by Republicans, it's likely your resolution won't get a floor vote in the House. Why move forward with this.

COHEN: Well because you're not going to get a boat, which is unfortunate, doesn't mean you should still not stand up for people to find this to be reprehensible. Reprehensible towards the constitution and towards the Department and towards justice, the justice system of our country.

I'm a lawyer and I have pride in the justice system and our system is made up to give people confidence in our government as they should. The rule of law is respected by people all over the world about the United States and the rule of law has been stepped on.

It has been stepped on by Alito. It's been stepped by Clarence Thomas -- went to Vegas (ph), lot of trips, yachts, all kind of special favors for he and Mrs. Thomas as well as Clarence's Thomas' wife.

The Supreme Court is at the nadir of this public acceptance right now. And again, a society can't really continue and operate a government without all of its branches of government being accepted by the government, by the people. And right now the Supreme Court is far from accepted.

DEAN: And the Supreme Court only adopted a code of ethics back in November after a lot of public outcry over some of these ethics scandals.

Do you think that's sufficient? Do you think that's a step in the right direction.

COHEN: The step in the right direction, and I commend Senator Whitehouse for what he did in leading that. But we need to go further. And we really -- I think we're probably going to have to have an expansion of the court because what what's happened right now, having this court so awful is Mitch McConnell and his control of the system.

He stopped Merrick Garland from getting a hearing and a vote when President Obama recommended him for Supreme Court within a year of the end of his term. And he said it was too close to the end of his term and it should be decided by the people in the election on November and he was I think, nominated in January or February.

Not letting Garland have a hearing and be voted on resulted in Gorsuch getting on the bench. And then when Ruth Bader Ginsburg died, the death was only about three weeks or a month before the give or take, a month before the election.

And Mitch McConnell forgot all about that. He rushed Amy Coney Barrett through got her approved and if he does -- I have done that and they would have been a (INAUDIBLE).

So he's stolen two judges. And of course, Kavanaugh, they got the FBI not to do a full investigation on the complaints that the lady made about him, that there was a party when he was in high school and he kind of got carried away and they didn't complete the investigation.

So there's three tainted appointments, two of which never should have happened Garland should have gone up for a yes or no vote. And Amy Coney Barrett was too early and rushed through.

DEAN: All right. Congressman Steve Cohen, we're going to have to leave it there. Thanks again for joining us. We appreciate it.

COHEN: You're very welcome.

[17:24:46]

DEAN: Still ahead, 200 people were inside a shopping center in Kharkiv when Russian missiles rained down, killing two, injuring dozens. This is according to Ukrainian officials.

We are following the very latest in the CNN NEWSROOM. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DEAN: Tonight, we have dramatic new video out of Ukraine showing the moment a Russian strike hit a large hardware store complex in Kharkiv. At least two people were killed, dozens more injured in that attack.

And it was one of three Russian strikes pounding the Kharkiv area, Ukraine's second largest city.

CNN's Nick Paton Walsh is in eastern Ukraine with more, Nick.

[17:29:48]

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Jessica, what Ukraine has been seeing today is essentially the realization of their worst nightmare about what Putin's newest offensive from the north of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second city down towards that population center really means.

As far as we know, right now, four dead, maybe 40 injured from an attack on a huge hardware complex. Smoke billowing out across the skyline for hours after that. And then multiple attacks afterwards around the city.

And it's part of a move by Moscow to get closer and closer to the million people who live there to try and distract Ukraine's forces from elsewhere on the eastern front. They'll be here to drive them north.

And here's what we saw about Ukraine's, frankly, desperate fight to try and keep the fences of Kharkiv as solid as they can.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WALSH (voice-over): Some towns they can never let Putin take, and this, Lyptsi, is one of them.

Destroyed artillery on the streets. Homes aflame from an airstrike. They can only move at night.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lights off.

WALSH: It's a perilous grip they keep, but lose here, and Russian artillery will be in range of Ukraine's second city, Kharkiv.

(on camera): You can still smell the smoke here from an airstrike that landed just in the last hour or so.

(EXPLOSION)

(CROSSTALK)

WALSH (voice-over): This is life under the drone. We're the first reporters into the heart of the town.

(CROSSTALK) WALSH: Only soldiers left here underground. The Khartila 13th National Guard first tackled Russia's new offensive.

OLEKSANDR, KHARTILA NATIONAL GUARD BRIGADE (through translation): You saw how it's all burning. It's like that every night.

WALSH (on camera): Do you think there were good enough fortifications here?

OLEKSANDR (through translation): Nothing was prepared here. Nothing. Just nothing. All the positions are being built by the hands of the infantry.

The Russians are trained professional soldiers. We can see it from their equipment, from their tactics.

WALSH (voice-over): There were eight airstrikes just in the last hour, so we leave soon.

A buzzing noise near us, very close, and the only way they know whose drone this is, is if it attacks.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): Is it your drone?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): Who knows?

(GUNFIRE)

WALSH (voice-over): All around Kharkiv, they don't have enough guns and the Russians have too many drones.

The 92nd Assault Brigade show us something that isn't even theirs.

(EXPLOSION)

WALSH (on camera): Russian artillery piece that they captured in the first year of the war in the fighting in Kharkiv region.

And now they use, strangely, French mortar rounds to fire from here. It's just a sign of how little appropriate ammunition they have available to them.

This wire is a protection from FPV drones.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Above. Above.

WALSH (voice-over): He sees a drone with two battery packs, a long- range scout.

(on camera): Run. Basement.

(voice-over): It is not friendly.

If you can tell, it's an attack drone. Hide.

This seems to be a scout. So, running is better before it calls in shelling.

Another artillery unit wants to show us something not even Russian, but Soviet. Made in the 1940s, it can still fire newer Polish shells. In the autumn, it was a hundred a day. Now it is 10.

(on camera): Extraordinary to see something here that's three times the age of either of these two guys holding back a new Russian offensive in 2024. I say the metal is so old that that limits the number of times.

(voice-over): That sound warns another drone is incoming. And back in the bunker, they show us the online bought $30 gadget that is their best warning mechanism.

(EXPLOSION)

WALSH: The team here embody Ukraine's exhaustion and resilience. Older guys, wounded infantrymen.

(EXPLOSION)

WALSH: Artur (ph) has drone shrapnel in his arms still.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): Moving towards Lozova?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): Yes, yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): Orlan! Don't go out at all for now.

WALSH (on camera): He just saw an Orlan Russian drone passing overhead. So, he is saying, better stay inside.

(voice-over): On the way back into the city, we see what fuels this defense. This was a lakeside resort, football, cocktails, a beach.

(on camera): Extraordinary devastation. And they're here to collect the bodies.

(CROSSTALK)

(voice-over): A seven-months pregnant woman was among the seven dead here. Another body found later. Just fragments in the mulch.

Russia's advance looms over whatever life persists here, belching out over homes.

(AIR-RAID SIREN)

WALSH: The darkest little salvation. This may be a drone being hit, but they kill, too, when they crash in failure.

(AIR-RAID SIREN)

WALSH: Flares breached the enforced blackout. Moscow is getting nearer again. And there are always too many blasts before dawn. (EXPLOSION)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[17:35:02]

WALSH: Now remember, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is being clear on multiple occasions that Kharkiv really needs air defenses.

And in the first offensive we saw two weeks ago began, he said they need two Patriot systems now. They haven't received that. And I think it's fair to say that Kharkiv is beginning to see that suffering every night, as we hear and see in the last week we were there, explosion in the skyline, they're suffering because of that lack of Western interests.

And I think it's going to get worse. I don't believe the Kremlin is about to slow down in this current offensive. They know that Western weaponry is arriving soon and they want to see the best progress they can in the weeks ahead -- Jessica?

DEAN: All right. Nick Paton Walsh for us. Excellent reporting there. Thanks so much.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:40:29]

DEAN: Closing arguments are set for Tuesday in the New York hush money trial against former President Donald Trump. Both sides have received jury instructions, one of the final steps before the jury goes into deliberations.

And no one can say how long that might take. But we do know Trump is expected to stay at the courthouse, in a war room of sorts, during the delivery missions.

CNN contributor and former Nixon White House counsel, John Dean, is joining us now.

John, great to see you here.

As I'm saying this out loud, it is amazing to see this history unfolding before us. The former president will be in this war room at a courthouse waiting to see what the verdict is in this criminal trial.

What are you expecting to hear in the closing argument?

JOHN DEAN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I know the state will go first. Excuse me. He had -- the prosecution will go last in the state system, whereas, Trump will and his team will go first.

So I expect to hear them really avoid the documents and go after a couple of the witnesses, probably Stormy Daniels and Michael Cohen. And that'll be their focus trying to tear them down as unreliable witnesses.

Then the prosecution will go and they'll have the rebuttal as well as the close. They'll have the last word in the case.

And I think they'll go towards the documents, which, on one track, will actually get them all the way to a verdict of guilty, as well as the witnesses.

You can go to the second track and find guilt on the basis of the witness' testimony. So I think there's a two-track argument going for them. Whereas it's just one track going for the defense.

DEAN: And the former FBI Director James Comey appeared on our air. He said the prosecution has built a strong case.

We can listen to how he described it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Where do you think this is headed?

JAMES COMEY, FORMER FBI DIRECTOR: I think it's highly likely to result in a conviction.

COOPER: You do?

COMEY: Oh, yes. Some -- a small possibility I think of a hung jury. I think there's almost no possibility of acquittal.

Yes. I think they built a case that was not subject to cross- examination, really. It's based on documents and texts and emails, in the words of the defendant. And then they presented their most controversial witness, the cooperating bag man.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: John, I know you've been reading the transcripts. This trial has been ongoing for several weeks now. Do you agree with Jim Comey there? Where do you see this going?

JOHN DEAN: I do agree with the former director. I think that they have laid out a very strong case. It is -- likelihood of a hung jury in most all cases is highly remote. Juries really want to do what they're there to do. And it's unusual to have a hung jury.

On the other hand, I cannot see where this jury could ever get to find him not guilty.

So while there is a possibility of a hung jury, it's highly remote. And I think if there's any wiggle room, Jessica, it would be in not charging or not reaching a verdict on all the counts and passing on a few of the counts are finding even they couldn't find an agreement on the accounts.

But on, for example, all the signed checks, I think they're going to find him guilty on all those.

DEAN: At the threshold of that being a felony, do you think that they will find him guilty on -- at that level?

JOHN DEAN: Yes, I do. While it's a little intricate, they now have the -- and there's been no -- no noise about it. It hasn't been released publicly.

They have the jury instructions. And the judge there will have laid out the mechanics for how the jury can find the felony. And it doesn't have to be a specified felony. They don't even all have to agree on the felony.

That can be that the, for example, everything from the initial conspiracy with Pecker and setting up to unfairly influence the election through money that was -- should not have been spent on that purpose or without declaring it, all the way down to the -- the bookmaking or the book failures that they conspicuously committed.

DEAN: And I hear what you're telling me. It does not sound like you think it is it's going this way.

But I am curious if you believe that if we get to a not guilty verdict or --I'm sorry -- if we get to know verdict rather, if it is a hung jury, can they take that as a win? Can Trump and his team take that as a win, you think?

JOHN DEAN: He will take it as a win. He will claim the whole system was rigged all along. And this is evidence of it.

[17:45:03]

Whether it's one or two jurors or more, if it's hung, he'll claim somebody was smart enough in there to see what was going on and he will pound his chest on that.

So it's not a -- it's not a good prospect for the criminal justice system, for New York State's efforts in this case, which have been flawless, largely flawless.

And it's not that difficult a case. They try these cases all the time in New York City.

DEAN: All right. We will see how it unfolds.

John Dean, always great to have you on. Thank you very much.

JOHN DEAN: Thanks, Jessica.

DEAN: Coming up, brazen crimes at big stores, how major retailers are fighting back against gangs that are plundering their shelves.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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[17:50:27]

DEAN: It is like shoplifting on steroids. Organized gangs of brazen thieves hitting big stores in cities all across the country.

(VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Some major retailers now fighting back by doing their own investigations with their own detectives.

CNN senior investigative reporter, Kyung Lah, gives us a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A pre- dawn raid.

(SIRENS)

UNIDENTIFIED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER: Come out with your hands up.

LAH: Dozens of heavily armed deputies and investigators from the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department surround a house.

UNIDENTIFIED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER: Four in the doorway.

LAH: Twelve people arrested.

An organized crime network, says law enforcement, suspected of links to narcotics dealing and illegal gambling.

(SIRENS)

LAH: At another location --

UNIDENTIFIED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER: Sheriff's office.

LAH: -- Santa Clara County deputies recovered the fuel for this alleged criminal network.

UNIDENTIFIED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER: Tons of packaged goods. Some parts of the house looked like it was a store.

LAH: Stolen from local businesses. But it is nothing like the shoplifting you've seen in the past. Brazen thieves recorded racing out with carts full of merchandise, even attacking store workers in the process.

SEAN BROWNE, SENIOR MANAGER OF ASSET PROTECTION, HOME DEPOT: This is not somebody who forgot to scan something at self-checkout or somebody who stole food. This is a large criminal organization with multiple factors.

LAH: Sean Browne is not a cop. He works for Home Depot investigating organized retail crime. His job, a growing field in store chains as criminal organizations branch out from guns and drugs to stolen goods. A CNN review of court records and interviews of more than two dozen

retail chains and law enforcement officials show that the private sector is not just helping the police, but often delivering the initial evidence that leads to search warrants.

BROWNE: A lot of times, local and state resources don't have the capacity to investigate these crimes at that scale.

LAH (on camera): And in comes you?

BROWNE: We try to full service the investigations.

LAH (voice-over): Home Depot gave us a glimpse of a model replicated by multiple major retailers across the U.S. This is their high-tech command center with electronic eyes on their stores throughout the country.

Retailers have already moved beyond searching for the thieves you see in viral videos to their bosses. They are the real targets, known as the fences.

BROWNE: These ringleaders operate as the fence of this merchandise where they're converting it to cash, drugs, and other illicit items.

LAH (on camera): It sounds like you're talking about the mob.

BROWNE: It often is conflated with what would be considered mob activities. Bad actors will target specific merchandise, usually directed by the ringleader. Almost like a shopping list.

LAH (voice-over): Store chains have the financial muscle to deploy high-tech tracking, like license plate readers and in-store monitors capturing the crime as it happens.

BROWNE: We use a lot of different investigative tactics and technologies to ensure that we can build the absolute best case for law enforcement and prosecutors.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The bad guys have the upper hand with respect to this issue.

LAH: The sheer scale of organized store theft is so overwhelming, members of Congress met with prosecutors and store chains looking for federal help.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The organization and sophistication of these groups have grown exponentially in recent years.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think organized retail crime is one of the biggest issues that is facing our local economy.

LAH (on camera): This entire aisle on this side is almost completely locked up.

BROWNE: Yes, not the way we would like to envision our rough electrical aisle for our customers, our pro contractors, but this is what your typical Home Depot looks like.

LAH (voice-over): Retail, says Browne, has already locked down their merchandise impacting the consumer from inconvenience to higher prices.

(on camera) This -- how would they get past this though?

BROWNE: We've had certain crews that have cut locks and cables and broken into some of the fixtures that we've built inside of our stores.

LAH (voice-over): What you see here is because the explosion of online shopping has made it easier than ever to move stolen merchandise, sold to a consumer hunting for a deal.

BROWNE: Twenty years ago, I needed a storefront in order to sell laundry detergent. Now, I can do it from my phone.

(SIRENS)

LAH: California has now put hundreds of millions of dollars towards combating this problem, enabling law enforcement here in Santa Clara County to break up a major crime ring. Recovering $150,000 in stolen merchandise, authorities say, from six retailers.

[17:55:06]

(on camera): How big of a heist was this?

BROWNE: This happens daily across stores. Even with all those measures that you got to see in the store, we're still impacted at this level.

LAH: Local and state law enforcement as well as these national retailers do want more intelligence sharing. So they are all backing a proposed federal bill called the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act. That would establish an intelligence sharing hub.

But this federal bill, which does have bipartisan support, is stalled in Congress.

Kyung Lah, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: Kyung, thank you.

And some sad news tonight in professional golf. And 30-year-old Grayson Murray has died just one day after withdrawing from the tournament in Texas with just two holes left to play. He was a two- time PGA tour winner. No cause death has been given.

So tonight, a rarely used warning about a dangerous tornado has been issued for millions in the central United States. We're tracking severe weather for this Memorial Day weekend. And you're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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