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Alito Complains About Media Scrutiny In Secret Recording; More Migrants Flee Violence In Mexico After Political Assassinations; Italian Media: Pope Francis Used Anti-Gay Slur Again. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired June 12, 2024 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:00]

ASHLEY ETIENNE, SENIOR ADVISER FOR REP. NANCY PELOSI: Senator Durbin's advancing this bill. Let's see how it goes. But I think we all know where -- how it's going to turn out.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: We'll see how -- we'll see what happens on that front. Ana, Republicans --

ANA NAVARRO, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: You got -- Wolf --

BLITZER: Go ahead, Ana. Make your point.

NAVARRO: Wolf, you know what else is -- what else is incredibly concerning? You know, the Alitos. Both Justice Alito and Mrs. Alito know they're under scrutiny.

They know they've been in media headlines. They know there's all these questions about them. And they are saying all of these things practically unfiltered to a stranger? Imagine what they are thinking and saying in private. So, I find it very disturbing.

I also think we have to say that Chief Justice Roberts, who I've been very critical of for not having control of this court answered exactly like I hoped he would answer. Like I -- what I expect and hope from a Supreme Court Justice.

BLITZER: Ashley, what is -- Ashley, realistic. What is a realistic stance that Congress can take visa vie, this other branch of the U.S. government, the Supreme Court?

ETIENNE: Well, I mean, we're going to see it today on the Senate floor. I mean, they're taking a stand saying that --

BLITZER: Specifically, what?

ETIENNE: Well, I mean -- you know, I'm not privy to the piece of legislation, regrettably. But I mean, the point is, is that we've now seen again, ramping corruption in that body. And you've seen -- and we've seen that they've not had the ability to police themselves.

As Ana mentioned, you've got a Supreme Court justice's wife that tried -- actively was involved in trying to overturn the election. Those justices need to recuse themselves from the cases that are before them. So, that's part of the legislation, which is this -- that those justices should recuse themselves.

But also, there's increased reporting that's in the legislation reporting out to the public. The American people have to have confidence in their courts. They have to have confidence that the court is operating above bias, without any bias toward any political party or any conservative-leaning ideology.

BLITZER: Let me -- let me get Ana. Ana, anything else you want to say on this before we move on?

NAVARRO: Yes. The sad -- the sad reality realistically is that nothing's going to happen. Certainly, nothing's going to happen before the election. Look, the only people that can recuse themselves right now under the current code is the justices themselves.

And we know Alito and Thomas are not going to recuse themselves. We know Republicans are not going to vote for any changes in the Supreme Court. We know Justice Roberts -- Chief Justice Roberts is not even showing up to hearings and meetings on this. So realistically, nothing's going to happen until the American public demands there.

BLITZER: Let me move on to another sensitive subject. Ashley, as you know, Republicans are pushing the bogus claim that Hunter Biden's conviction on gun charges is part of an elaborate Deep State plot. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene posted on X. Let me read to you what she said among other things. Hunter Biden just became the Deep State's sacrificial lamb to show that justice is balanced, while the other Biden crime has remained ignored. Doesn't this conviction though, shatter Trump's baseless narrative of a two-tiered justice system?

ETIENNE: It absolutely does. I mean -- and it also reinforces this notion that the president stands behind, which is no one is above the law. I mean, the real issue is that this conviction does not distract from the facts.

And the facts on the table are that Republicans are defending their -- the head of their party who has been found -- convicted of crimes and is on trial for committing the most egregious crimes against American democracy trying to overturn an election and incite in -- an insurrection and a coup. So, despite what Marjorie Taylor Greene is saying, this to your point, does undermine their argument. And it reinforces where the president stands in this notion that no one is above the law.

BLITZER: Give me your final thought, Ana, and I'll let you go.

NAVARRO: It's disgusting. What my -- Marjorie Taylor Greene said just added up to the list of disgusting stupid things she has said. Look, if -- you can dislike Joe Biden, you can disagree with him, but it's very hard to argue that he doesn't have unconditional love for his children. And you need to not understand unconditional parental love if you think Joe Biden would be capable of using his child as a sacrificial lamb. It reflects very poorly on Marjorie Taylor Greene and her followers.

And I want to say this, Wolf. I lived through this as a Floridian in 2002. In 2002 when Jeb Bush was governor and George W. Bush was president, Jeb Bush's daughter was arrested, went to a drug program, and ended up in jail for a few days. It was incredibly painful, but it was a moment when the U.S. public when Floridians were less partisan. And we had compassion. And we were able to separate Jeb Bush, the governor from Jeb Bush the father.

And that year, Jeb Bush won overwhelmingly his reelection because voters were able to separate the two things. And because we're not voting for their children. We are voting for their fathers who -- and we are judging them on how they are as our commanders in chief, as our president, as our governor, and that chance.

[11:35:09]

I wish people could do the -- what we did in 2002 in Florida. Have compassion for the family, have relatability for this family, and judge the father on his record, not what the son did or did not do.

BLITZER: Important historic fact. Ana Navarro, thank you very much. Ashley Etienne, thanks to you as well.

NAVARRO: Do you remember that, Wolf?

BLITZER: I do remember, but not as well as you do, Ana. Thank you very, very much.

And there's some sad news to report today. The legendary NBA player and executive Jerry West has died at the age of 86. Jerry West was an NBA champion with -- and an All-Star in all 14 seasons he played with the Lakers. His silhouette was the inspiration for the NBA logo.

Michael Jordan paid tribute to Jerry West. Writing in part, he was truly a friend and mentor, like an older brother to me. I value this friendship and knowledge. I always wished I could have played against him as a competitor. But the more I came to know him, I wished I had been his teammate.

The Los Angeles Clippers say West passed away this morning with his wife Karen at his side. Our deepest, deepest condolences to his family and his friends. May he rest in peace. And as we say, may his memory be a blessing.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:40:57]

BLITZER: More migrants are fleeing political retaliation in Mexico after dozens of candidates were assassinated just ahead of the recent election. Last week, more than one hundred asylum seekers slept on the floor of Boston's Logan Airport on the same day President Biden's sweeping asylum restrictions took effect.

CNN's Senior National Correspondent David Culver spoke with migrants stranded in remote areas along the U.S.-Mexican border unaware of the new policy and the long journey ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wow, this is a larger group here. Let's see.

CULVER (voiceover): She's asking us if it's much longer to reach asylum. Documents in hand. This family desperate to find Border Patrol.

CULVER: They've been walking for three days. And obviously, she's very emotional. She says there's no food. There's no anything.

CULVER (voiceover): We're in a remote part of the Arizona-Mexico border. Getting here? Not easy. Took us about two and a half hours from Tucson. Much of the drive off-road with no cell signal.

And yet as desolate as this part of the border might seem, the trash and clothes littering the gravel tell a different story. We find makeshift encampments where migrants shield themselves from the scorching sun and wait for Border Patrol to pick them up.

CULVER: She said three Border Patrol passed about a little more than three hours ago. And they assume they'd be coming back. They haven't seen them yet.

CULVER (voiceover): This family fleeing cartel death threats and kidnappings. We're surprised hearing where they're from. Mexico. And as we drive on, we meet another. He points us towards an encampment further down.

CULVER: He's saying there's a bunch more that are coming from Mexico. And he said after the election, in particular, he felt the motivation to leave fearing the corruption and the lack of work. Let's just see what we end up seeing because it's late. Getting near sunset. There's a huge encampment mostly children.

CULVER (voiceover): A nonprofit set this camp up for migrants who've just crossed.

CULVER: They're saying please wait here. Immigration is going to come and get you here. And they actually have Wi-Fi set up.

CULVER (voiceover): Most everyone who meet here, Mexican.

CULVER: He said that they've been getting a lot of threats. And they said it was for the reason of the election. They didn't vote for, as they put it, the candidate who ended up winning.

CULVER (voiceover): On June 2, Mexicans voted in local state, and presidential elections. That campaign season proved violent and deadly.

CULVER: She says that the reason they left is for reasons of security, which she says as of now everybody that we see here is from Mexico. CULVER (voiceover): But they might not be in the U.S. for long. Just days after Mexico's elections, the Biden administration took executive action on the border allowing for swift deportation of most migrants after a daily cap is reached. In Nogales, Arizona, we see those deportations up close.

CULVER: We counted probably a dozen people altogether. Most of them kids. About eight kids from what we could see getting off that bus.

And border patrol agents then escorting them directly to the border. And they'll continue walking them over right into Mexico. What do you think of this executive order? Is that going to do anything?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, it only took him what, three years and seven months?

CULVER (voiceover): In a rare encounter, we meet a border patrol agent eager to vent. He asks us to mask his identity. Worried he'll be fired for talking so openly.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was a job you did take pride in. secure the border. We didn't have to babysit.

CULVER: Does it frustrate you when you hear that when you hear the narrative like why aren't Border Patrol doing anything and --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our hands are tied. If I don't allow them to cross, they call and complain, now I'm in trouble. Now, I'm going to lose my job.

CULVER (voiceover): He blames the current administration. But isn't any more hopeful with the alternative?

[11:45:01]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I really don't like our two candidates.

CULVER (voiceover): We meet others also frustrated by border policy. Though, for more personal reasons.

CULVER: Is this the only way that you can get face-to-face?

KARLA PACHECO, WAITING FOR GREEN CARD: Yes, literally. Yes.

CULVER (voiceover): Karla Pacheco crossed illegally nearly 30 years ago. She's recently gotten her work permit but is still waiting on a green card.

PACHECO: I can be within the U.S. but still I can't cross it.

CULVER (voiceover): On the Mexico side, that's her dad Freddie, (PH) who crossed illegally and was deported more than a decade back. They and other families meet here every couple of months to catch up.

CULVER: When's the last time you got to have your dad

PACHECO: 15 --16 years ago.

CULVER: When you think about what's happening at the border now, what goes through your mind?

PACHECO: Yes. Well, it's unfair because we've been waiting what -- has been 20 years -- 26 years on -- and nothing. You know, nothing worse than being here paying my taxes and not owing anything. No tickets. No nothing. And yet, you know, there's -- I don't get anything out of it.

CULVER (voiceover): While Washington focuses on illegal crossings and asylum claims, cases like Karla's have been put on the back burner for decades. Still, Freddie wants his next crossing to be done lawfully.

FREDDIE, KARLA'S FATHER: I want to take here right everything you know, with my passport with everything legal.

CULVER: Even if it means waiting years?

FREDDIE: Don't worry.

PACHECO: It'll happen. So, you know, I'll go or --

FREDDIE: I can wait -- I can wait.

CULVER (voiceover): The wait for border patrol at this remote section of the Arizona-Mexico border? Unbearable for some.

CULVER: And so, you're going to keep walking where?

CULVER (voiceover): Cartel-backed smugglers often mislead migrants to think that once they've crossed, the hard part's over. It's not. They struggled to push on in triple-digit heat clinging to the border wall for balance and shade. Ahead of them. A seemingly endless stretch of hills to climb.

CULVER: We asked that border patrol agent who you saw in that piece if he was concerned about some of the people who were coming over the border. He said, look, the vast majority are women and children. But he said that in turn can distract them from folks who he says are likely here for more nefarious reasons.

And it's concerning enough for him that he wants no part in signing their release. He said for him, any signature that potentially releases somebody who then, in turn, does bad things, could come back to hurt him. David Culver, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Our special thanks to David Culver for that excellent report.

And still to come. Italian media now reporting that Pope Francis used a homophobic slur behind closed doors again. We'll have the latest out of the Vatican. Stay with us. You're on the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:52:15]

BLITZER: Pope Francis is again being accused of using a homophobic slur during a closed-door meeting. This comes just two weeks after the Vatican apologized for the pope's use of the -- use of the same offensive term. CNN Vatican Correspondent Christopher Lamb is following the story for us. Christopher, what is the Italian news agency reporting happened this time?

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, these remarks -- reporter's remarks from the pope are causing shock and surprise as they come as you said so soon after he -- the Vatican apologized for the pope using -- reportedly using these remarks in another meeting. The Vatican -- the -- and so Italian agency is saying that the pope used these -- the same anti-gay slur during a behind-closed-door meeting with priests from the Diocese of Rome.

Now, there is some added context here. Another Italian news agency, a newspaper is saying that the pope was simply repeating what a Monsignor, a senior member of the clergy had said to him about the Vatican. Nevertheless, these remarks do call into question the pope's long-standing efforts to offer a more welcoming and a more positive approach for the church to LGBTQ-plus Catholics. Of course, Pope Francis is the pope who said who am I to judge about the gay priests. He's the pope who's offered blessings to same-sex couples.

Now look, there are some people who say the pope is 87 years old. He didn't really fully understand what he was saying when using this remark. A bit like an uncle or a grandfather and makes an inappropriate comment at the dinner table. But nevertheless, the question is how much of these remarks damage the pope's long-term efforts, Wolf.

BLITZER: Christopher Lamb reporting for us. Christopher, thank you very much.

And to our viewers, thanks very much for joining me here on the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. I'll be back later tonight at 6:00 p.m. Eastern in "THE SITUATION ROOM," right back here tomorrow morning at 11:00 a.m. Eastern in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Stay with us. "INSIDE POLITICS" with Manu Raju today is up next.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta host of CNN's "CHASING LIFE" podcast.

GUPTA (voiceover): Many of us rely on the convenience of reusable plastic ware to store and eat our food. But there are a couple of things you may want to consider. The wear and tear of daily use breaks the plastic down over time. And that can create tiny plastic particles called nanoplastics.

Here's the issue. We are increasingly finding evidence of them in our bodies, our blood, organs, even our reproductive tissues. And while we still don't know the full impact on our health, a recent study found that people with carotid arteries containing micro or nanoplastics, those are the arteries in the neck that carry blood to the brain, they were twice as likely to have a stroke, heart attack, or die from any cause over the next three years.

[11:55:04]

GUPTA: So, here are some tips to reduce your exposure and also store your food safely.

GUPTA (voiceover): Opt for glass, porcelain, ceramic, stainless steel food and drink containers, especially for hot foods and liquids. Don't put your plastic ware in the dishwasher or the microwave. Transfer your food to a glass container to heat. And wash plastic also by hand.

GUPTA: And you can hear more about how to optimize your health and chase life wherever you get your podcasts.

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