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Thousands Expected At Today's Voting Rights Rally In Alabama; Trump Back In Washington After Crucial China Summit; USS Gerald Ford Returns Home After Record Deployment; Interview With State Rep. Justin Jones (D-TN); CDC Issues New Guidance On Hantavirus; GOP Senator Bill Cassidy Fights To Keep His Seat In Louisiana; College Grads Face A.I. Transformed Job Market. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired May 16, 2026 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:00]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: And I wonder in his absence, how much do you think, for those still standing, you know, from Jimmy Fallon, or, you know, Oliver, I mean, will their kind of schtick change because he's gone?

SOPHIE A. MCCLENNEN, AUTHOR, COLBERT'S AMERICA, SATIRE AND DEMOCRACY: You know, that's a great question. I think if anything they will carry the torch. It's worth remembering that Jimmy Kimmel wasn't the political comedian he is today when he first started his show.

WHITFIELD: Right.

MCCLENNEN: But I think there's no question that he is ready to go, right? He's not going to, you know, he's not going to sort of shrink in a (INAUDIBLE) even though he had his show taken off the air for a few days. He's ready to keep at it and of course John Oliver has always been that kind of a comedian. What we have to see is, you know, what happens with shows like Jimmy Fallon, who's historically not been particularly political.

WHITFIELD: Right. All right. Sophie McClennen, great to see you. Thank you so much.

"THE LAST LAUGH: STEPHEN COLBERT" airs tomorrow at 8:00 p.m. and streaming right now on the CNN app.

All right. Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Saturday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

All right. Happening right now, a major voting rights rally is underway at the state capitol in Alabama. Thousands of people are expected at today's gathering in Montgomery, the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement. Civil rights groups, lawmakers and citizens pushing back against redistricting efforts in several states.

CNN's Rafael Romo is at the "All Roads Lead to the South" rally in Montgomery.

Rafael, it's gotten underway. Tell us about today's event. RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred. The music, you can

hear it behind me and the rally started in the last half hour. And what prompted civil rights leaders and organizations across the country organize and rally today in the following weeks it was the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark ruling on voting rights issued on April 29th. The 6-3 majority ruling now makes it much harder for voters of color to challenge redistricting plans that civil rights organizations say dilute the political power of minority communities and that that's why they are holding this day of action in historic Selma and here in Montgomery, Alabama.

As you know, this is known as the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement. The day started with a prayer service at Tabernacle Baptist Church, followed by a silent march. That's across the iconic Edmund Pettus Bridge around 600 people were expected to march there. The rally here in front of the capitol is scheduled to start or was scheduled to start at 1:30. They started exactly at that time. Organizers say more than 5,000 people have registered to attend today's rally here in front of the Alabama state capitol, with more than 100 busses traveling to this location from cities across the south.

One of the organizers told me earlier that more than 50 satellite events are scheduled in cities nationwide for people who cannot travel in Alabama. This is what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTOPHER BRUCE, DEPUTY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ACLU GEORGIA: This isn't diluting just black voting power. This is diluting American power when it comes to voting. When you attack black voting power, you attack all of us. And that's why all of us are coming here. This is an intergenerational, interracial, everyone is coming in to say that this is wrong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: And of course, Fred, context here is very important. This is all happening less than three weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court in a landmark ruling made it easier for Republicans to disassemble the majority minority districts that are about all Democrats today have here in the deep south. The GOP has already made some moves in that respect. Tennessee has already carved up a new majority black district based in Memphis to give Republicans a nine-zero map.

In Louisiana has eliminated one of the -- of its majority black districts. Alabama here where we are has petitioned to lift a court order that requires it to keep it a second majority district in the state.

Fred, now back to you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Rafael Romo, there in Montgomery, Alabama. Thanks so much. We'll check back with you throughout the day.

All right. New today, President Trump saying it was a great honor to meet with China's President Xi Jinping at this week's crucial two-day summit in Beijing. Trump says the two talked at length about Taiwan and the war in Iran. China has very deep ties with Iran, but there is no clear breakthrough on any joint effort to end the conflict during that meeting.

CNN's Alayna Treene is at the White House for us.

[15:05:02]

Alayna, was the president hoping China would use its influence with Iran to get them to budge on some sort of peace agreement?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I think it was less that he was hoping, but there was more this sense, particularly among Trump administration officials, that I was speaking with Fred, that perhaps their conversation would lead to a potential breakthrough. I don't think, you know, the president made clear going into the trip, during the trip and after the trip that he did not intend to ask Chinese President Xi Jinping for his help or for intervention.

He actually told me that when he was departing on Tuesday evening. He said, look, I don't need their help. I'm not going to ask him for help. But still, there was a question I know among many people here at the White House about whether or not their conversation would lead to perhaps the Chinese president trying to intervene in some way, particularly because I'd remind you, you know, what's happening in Iran and particularly in the Strait of Hormuz also affects China. They are the biggest consumer of Iranian oil.

We also know, of course, she and other Chinese officials have very close relationships with the Iranians. I'd remind you that just last week, days before the president arrived in Beijing, the Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, also went to China, where he met with President Xi. And so there was a question of whether or not their conversation would perhaps lead to a breakthrough when it comes to diplomacy.

But the president landed back in Washington. He's here today, and it does not seem like the state of play on Iran has really moved that much in light of this trip. Now, I do want you to listen, though, to what we heard the president tell FOX News in an interview yesterday because one of the things he said, you can kind of sense his frustration in this clip and also perhaps some of the other targets that could still be something that they're looking at for a future strike.

Listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRET BAIER, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: Why are we where we are? Did you underestimate the pain tolerance that Iran has?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I didn't underestimate anything. We hit them unbelievably hard. Look, we left their bridges. We left their electricity capacity. We can knock that all out in two days. Two days. Everything. We left Kharg Island other than I said, hit it except for the valves where the oil comes out. Because when you hit that, that means you're going to lose little oil.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: All right, a few interesting things here is one I think is the question that Bret Baier had asked the president is notable because there has been this conversation of, look, the Iranian regime, they know what it is like to endure economic pain and the economic pain that this administration had placed on the Iranians, particularly with the blockade of their ports, was what they thought would be the main leverage that would force them to the negotiating table.

But that hasn't worked. And you can hear the president really has grown very frustrated with how the Iranians have been handling negotiations. And there is a question now of whether or not he is going to move forward with ordering more strikes to try and bring an end to this war. And you can kind of hear maybe the areas that you could be looking for if that were to happen. So, again, state of play in Iran hasn't really changed because of China. Now, I think the president has a big decision to make on how to end this -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Alayna Treene at the White House, thanks so much.

All right. Also new today, the USS Gerald R. Ford is back home after a historic deployment that lasted nearly a year. The carrier strike group was involved in the capture of deposed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in January before heading to the Middle East for the war with Iran. For the ship's admiral, it is just good to be back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REAR ADM. GAVIN DUFF, COMMANDER, CARRIER STRIKE GROUP 12: Today we're going to go home. Some might mow the lawn. Some are going to hug their families. Some are going to read their kids' books as they fall asleep tonight or rock their newborns. But fundamentally, we're going to reconnect and reintegrate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN's Brian Todd is in Norfolk, Virginia, where the ship docked this morning.

Brian, this was the longest carrier deployment since the end of the Vietnam War. So I'm sure a lot of folks are glad to be home. And a lot of folks were glad that they are home.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They sure are, Fredricka. As you mentioned, the longest operational deployment of any carrier strike group since the Vietnam War. This was an exhausting mission. 11 months out at sea for the USS Gerald R. Ford. First, they went across the Atlantic to the Mediterranean. Then they were pulled up to Norway. Then they were pulled down to the Caribbean region for the mission to capture Nicolas Maduro. Then they were sent to the Middle East for the Iran War. Now, during

that period, this mission was kind of snake bit at times. In mid- March, a devastating fire ripped through the laundry area of the vessel. It took 30 hours for the crew to put that fire out and to keep it from reigniting. About 600 sailors lost access to their bunks because of that fire. Also, the toilets kept breaking down. They had to go into port a couple of times for these repairs.

[15:10:02]

But the crew just kept pressing on. Just two days after that big fire, they were flying sorties against Iran. But for the families, it was excruciating. At least two different times this mission was extended by the Pentagon.

I asked crew members and their relatives what it was like to deal with that. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD: What was the toughest part of this deployment?

JALYSSA DELAROSA, HUSBAND DEPLOYED ON USS GERALD FORD: One him being gone for 11 months and him getting extended over and over and over. And then the pregnancy, doing it all by myself because, you know, obviously he had to go and the labor and delivery by myself. That was very emotional for me having to deliver him.

PETTY OFFICER DAKOTA KLINEDINST, SAILOR DEPLOYED ON USS GERALD FORD: I think anybody that's been on deployment on a ship, it feels the same. It's like, oh, you know, that's a bummer. But we got to do what we got to do, you know, like just we'll be home eventually. We got to come home eventually.

TODD: Can you tell us, Sarah, what the toughest part of the deployment was for you?

SARAH KLINEDINST, WIFE OF PETTY OFFICER DAKOTA KLINEDINST: Just my husband missing everything, missing his first steps, missing his first birthday.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TODD: Now, Admiral Daryl Caudle, the chief of naval operations, told us he does not want this to be a precedent. These deployments should not be this long. This was twice the length of an average carrier deployment. He said this was a once-in-a-lifetime confluence of events that led to the length of this deployment. Some of the numbers just jump out at you, though.

Admiral Gavin Duff, the commander of the strike group, told us this was the equivalent of sailing four times around the world. The ground they covered sailing the oceans of the world there. And another number that will jump out at you, one naval official told us they believe that there were more than 50 babies born to family members of these crew members just during this deployment -- Fredricka. WHITFIELD: My goodness, lots of changes taking place on a very, very

long deployment.

Brian Todd, in Norfolk, Virginia. Thank you so much.

All right. Coming up, the CDC issues new guidance for people exposed to hantavirus following the cruise ship outbreak. We'll tell you what it means for people who may be at high risk of infection. Plus, the president's pursuit for political revenge faces a big test in Louisiana. He's looking to get Republican Senator Bill Cassidy defeated in a primary election five years after Cassidy voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment.

Where the race stands as voters head to the polls today.

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[15:16:58]

WHITFIELD: All right. We continue to follow the rallies underway in the south of this country today against congressional redistricting efforts. A major voting rights demonstration is taking place right now in Montgomery, Alabama. And it comes after a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling weakened the Voting Rights Act of 1965. That decision sparked efforts in some Republican led states to redraw new congressional maps that favor their party and are expected to take away districts held by black Democrats.

Joining me right now to talk more about this is Justin Jones. He's a Democratic state representative from Tennessee.

I know it's very loud where you are in Montgomery there, but hopefully you can hear me. You know, there you are helping to fight for voters' rights across the south as part of the "All Roads Lead to the South" movement. I mean this while you are fighting to keep your own legislative powers in your home state of Tennessee.

And I do want to ask you about that in a moment. But for now, looking at the turnout in Montgomery and beyond, what levers of hope are you seeing?

JUSTIN JONES (D), TENNESSEE STATE HOUSE: What we're seeing right now is a multiracial, multigenerational coalition of thousands in Montgomery standing up and saying that we will not go back. We are facing the new confederacy together, that we refuse to abide by these Jim Crow maps as they try and turn back the clock of history. And so we have folks of all ages, of all races from all across the nation to say that we have a united front of United States to take on this new confederacy.

WHITFIELD: And with the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling undermining the Voting Rights Act of '65, which came, you know, after so much, including, you know, the Selma March of 1965. Now, the Virginia Supreme Court strikes down a voter approved amendment to redraw congressional maps. Louisiana abruptly revamped voting as people were voting. I mean, what are your worries or concerns about how far this kind of volatility in voting can go?

JONES: Well, I want to be clear that what we're seeing in the south, in particular, is a racial gerrymandering, a Jim Crow gerrymander to strip black political power. We're going to be seeing the largest loss of black representation at the federal level since the end of Reconstruction. And so we are facing the George Wallace, the Bull Connors of our day. Their names are Governor Kay Ivey, Governor Bill Lee.

They are standing in the doorways of democracy for so many people across this nation. And so this is, you know, we're sounding the alarm because we want people to be clear that the south is the tip of the spear. The south is the front line in our fight for multiracial democracy. And they're waging a war against black folks in the south to silence us, to dilute our vote, to strip our democracy, to spit on the gains made during the Civil Rights Movement.

So this is our Montgomery to Selma moment in history. And so we're here on the front lines to say that if they come for one of us, they're coming for all of us.

WHITFIELD: OK. And then representative of what's happened to you, which may be happening to, you know, others. Since our discussion last weekend about how you felt, you know, after the redistricting vote in Tennessee, much has happened threatening your power as a legislator.

[15:20:00]

Last weekend, you told me you went into the state house in 2026, but then you felt you exited to pre-1965. This week, the House speaker notified the House minority leader that all 24 House Democrats, including you, are being removed from all standing committees and subcommittees. What is the reason that you are being given?

JONES: What we are seeing is the silencing of dissent. That's what this whole map fight is about. That's what this attempt by the speaker to strip us of the committee process is about. It's about silencing voices of dissent, voices of multiracial democracy. It's to intimidate us. It's to set an example that if you speak up and fight for your district, this is what will happen to you. We'll strip you of your power.

But what they cannot do is strip us of our voice. Speaker Cameron Sexton represents the old south. We represent a new south that is multiracial, multigenerational, that fights for justice for all and not just for some. You know, whether they wear white sheets or black robes on the Supreme Court, we're going to challenge white supremacist, you know, violations of our rights that we're seeing across this nation.

So Speaker Cameron Sexton, Governor Bill Lee, Governor Kay Ivey, Governor DeSantis, Governor Landry, all these southern governors, they are the George Wallace of today, of this moment. But you see that people are rising up across the south because they know that so goes the south as goes the nation. This is a crucial battlefield moment that we are in a battle for not just us, but for generations yet unborn, that we come as the children of Dr. King, of Rosa Parks, of John Lewis to say that when they do something wrong, it's our moment to get in good trouble.

And to let them know that we will not go back to the confederacy, but we'll fight with every tool that we have in this moment to make sure that our kids know that when history looks at this point in time, that we stood for them and we stood for this nation to be what it ought to be, not to make America great again, but to make America the nation it ought to be for all people.

WHITFIELD: As Republicans voted to redistrict the states' congressional map, you know, back on May 7th, you and other Democrats, you were locking arms. The House speaker says that you displayed, I'm quoting him now, "flagrant disregard for the House's permanent rules of order." How do you see it? And what kind of recourse do you have to secure your power as a legislator who was put into office by people in your district?

JONES: I mean, we're looking at a legal strategy, but ultimately, it's going to require a movement strategy of mass voter registration and mobilization in the south that we need to get some of these folks out of power, strip them of their Republican supermajorities, strip them of these majority white, you know, districts that they've created every nine -- every one of the nine districts in Tennessee now is a majority white district.

They've diluted the 25 percent of black and brown vote that should have representation. They've diluted their power. And so what we can do is we can continue to let them know that they can take away committee title, but they can't take away our position in the title that the people sent us here to fight for them. And so the people of my district sent me here, the youngest black lawmaker in our state, to stand up against these bullies, to stand up against these enemies of democracy.

And so we're going to continue to speak up, use our legislative power, but also use the power of our letterhead, the power of our microphones, the power of standing with our people in the streets like we're doing right now with thousands of Americans here in Montgomery today, the epicenter of the movement for multiracial democracy, to let them know that this is our civil rights moment, and we'll face them like our ancestors faced them before.

And the people will win. I believe that we will win. They're terrified. And the reason they're attacking us and stripping us off committees because their power is fragile. They're afraid of losing it because they know if we turn out in numbers like this, the south can rise anew. We can build a new south together. And that's what they're terrified of.

WHITFIELD: Tennessee State Representative Justin Jones, thank you so much for being with us there from Montgomery, Alabama, today.

JONES: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Coming up, there are 10 confirmed cases of hantavirus worldwide after the cruise ship outbreak. How the CDC is out with new guidance for states monitoring people exposed to the virus. We'll have details next.

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[15:28:13]

WHITFIELD: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is updating its guidance for the deadly hantavirus now saying those at high risk of infection can quarantine at home as long as they isolate, avoid travel and wear a mask. There are currently 10 confirmed cases worldwide connected to this outbreak, according to the World Health Organization. And in addition to the 18 under quarantine in Omaha, Nebraska, 23 more people who had close contact are being monitored in the U.S. at home or in other settings.

Joining us right now is Dr. Celine Gounder, infectious disease specialist and epidemiologist.

Dr. Gounder, always great to see you. So health officials say this Andes hantavirus usually spreads through prolonged contact with infected people. But scientists say one key study has shown that it can be spread through the air and by so-called super spreaders.

How concerning is that?

DR. CELINE GOUNDER, INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST AND EPIDEMIOLOGIST: I want to reemphasize, and if there's anything you take away from this conversation, it is that the risk to the general public remains very low. This is not going to be a pandemic. And the operational word in what you just said in your question is can. You know, I think about this as a range, a spectrum of do you have spread through droplets versus aerosols?

So is this those big juicy droplets that you sneeze or cough out or is it floating in the air? Number one. Number two, how much virus is necessary? What dose of virus, what quantity of virus is necessary to infect you? And how much virus actually needs to get out, whether it's in those juicy droplets or in the air in order to infect you? And this is where hantavirus is a very different virus from COVID.

[15:30:00]

The amount of virus that you release into the air and can infect somebody else is much higher with COVID than it is for hantavirus. The other thing is that the site of infection with COVID includes the upper respiratory tract, which is why you have cough, you have runny, stuffy nose with COVID. Not so much hantavirus. Hantavirus is an infection deep inside the lungs. In fact, it infects the blood vessels deep inside the lungs, which is also how it causes a viral pneumonia.

But because it is so deep inside the lungs, the amount of virus that you're actually releasing into the air is very low. So you're putting out very little virus and you need a lot of hantavirus in order to infect other people. So is it theoretically possible that you can infect people that way? Yes, but that's very different from what is highest risk, what is most likely, what is most probable.

WHITFIELD: Are you happy with these new CDC guidelines? Does it say enough?

GOUNDER: Well, you know, I think this is another piece that people haven't fully appreciated is what are the legal tools to force quarantine or to force isolation? And in fact, one of the public's responses after COVID was to reduce state authority. And a lot of these authorities actually live with the states, not with the U.S. government, what we call police powers sit with the state and many state legislatures have chosen to reduce to pull back on those authorities.

So you can't have it both ways. You can't roll it back for COVID and then expect to have those authorities for hantavirus. On top of that, we have what's called a quarantinable disease list. That's a federal list. Under the SARS umbrella, which is on that list, COVID is part of that, hantavirus is not on that list. So you actually have even less authority when it comes to hantavirus than you do for COVID.

WHITFIELD: Mm. And I just wonder if we could go back to, you know, the numbers of people because I -- we keep hearing, you know, prolonged close contact as it pertains to the spread of hantavirus. But if we're talking about just over 100 people who are on this ship and 18 people who are American, who are being observed, and there are so many other countries involved, you know, more than a dozen other passengers, more than a dozen other countries, where there were people who were exposed and those countries are handling it in different ways.

I guess it is still hard for most of us laypeople to embrace or understand what we mean by the close contact because we've heard some descriptions that it's understandable how, you know, a married couple or couples traveling would be able to transfer because they're sleeping in the same bed, et cetera. But when you've got at least 18 now, you know, Americans, we don't know what their statuses, you know, how they all interacted, but that's sending alarm bells about the whole spread idea that maybe it's not just close contact? And that's a question, not a statement.

GOUNDER: Well, think about a cruise ship, yes, a cruise ship to Antarctica. It's kind of like a tin can because you're trying to keep heat in. You're dealing with extremely cold temperatures. So your ventilation in that kind of setting is not going to be very good. People are in tight quarters, and some of the (INAUDIBLE) likely resulted around some of the health care attempts to provide care in those close quarters.

I think, you know, all viruses are not the same, again. And if you had asked me in January of 2020, was I worried about COVID, I would have said I am terrified. And what -- am I terrified about hantavirus? No. What I am worried about, there's another outbreak that we just learned about in the last day, which is a huge outbreak of Ebola in the DRC, which has already -- we have seen at least 250 cases.

There are probably many more that have yet to be reported. It has spread to Uganda. We've already seen a case in Kampala. It is in urban areas. It is in areas where you have migrant workers working in the gold mines. It's an area where you have ADF militants, which makes it harder to get health care workers in. That is actually what I am worried about in this (INAUDIBLE).

WHITFIELD: And there have been some reported 80 deaths. And you're worried about that particularly, too, because people travel. Right? And if there are 80 reported cases there, what, you know, what are your concerns about its spread?

GOUNDER: And, you know, again, am I concerned the American public needs to worry about Ebola right now? No. But if it has reached Kampala, if there is spread in Kampala, and we know with Ebola health care workers tend to be among those who are most highly exposed, most at risk, this person was not diagnosed until after their death. And so numerous health care workers were undoubtedly exposed, who have then in turn exposed others in their community.

[15:35:06]

When you're talking about an infection that's like Ebola, that is much more infectious also than hanta, it is in an urban area with people moving, traveling in the region. It's hard to get control over it. This is very much what led to the West African outbreak of 2014 to 2016. It's many of those exact same factors.

WHITFIELD: All right. Dr. Celine Gounder, great to have you. Thank you so much for all of that.

Coming up, President Trump calls Republican Senator Bill Cassidy a disloyal disaster as he tries to get political revenge in Louisiana five years after Cassidy voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment. Ahead, we'll tell you what's at stake in today's primary.

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[15:40:27]

WHITFIELD: All right. Right now, voters across Louisiana are heading to the polls to determine the fate of one of President Trump's biggest political foes. Five years after voting to convict Trump in the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol, Republican Senator Bill Cassidy is in the fight for his political life. The two-term incumbent is in a struggle to beat back a Trump backed challenger to become the GOP nominee in this year's Louisiana Senate race.

Let's discuss more now with CNN politics reporter Patrick Svitek.

Patrick, welcome and welcome to the team.

PATRICK SVITEK, CNN POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Thanks so much for having me.

WHITFIELD: All right. So you wrote about this race in a new piece on CNN.com. today. The president has previously knocked off Republicans he has deemed disloyal. But why would this race be new ground for him? SVITEK: Well, first of all, it's very rare for an incumbent senator to

lose reelection, especially in a primary. The last time a Republican senator lost their primary for reelection was in 2017. So nearly a decade ago. And if Trump were to be successful in knocking off Cassidy, it would be the first time that President Trump had backed a primary challenger to a Republican senator who lost in a primary. And so it would be unprecedented in that regard.

WHITFIELD: And one of the other candidates in this race, Louisiana state treasurer John Fleming, is making it increasingly likely that no candidate will receive a majority of the vote, you know, to avoid a runoff. With Cassidy, you know, better in a head-to-head matchup against, say, you know, Letlow or Fleming or, I mean, is this just going to be a nail biter either way?

SVITEK: Well, one dynamic that's been really interesting here that maybe tells you a little bit about the strategy at play, at least by the incumbent, is that Bill Cassidy has focused almost all his attacks on Julia Letlow. He's told reporters he believes this primary is hers to lose. He has not really criticized John Fleming and even at times has said some gently nice things about him. And so that seems to suggest that Bill Cassidy, if he were to make it into a runoff, maybe would prefer to face John Fleming versus Julia Letlow.

But to be clear, in an intense three-way race like this, there's all kinds of considerations at play, especially when it looks likely that no one is going to get that majority vote, and it's going to go to a runoff between the top two vote getters. And so I'm sure all three of these candidates have spent the past several weeks, you know, intensely strategizing how to position themselves for a runoff and trying to figure out how to get the runoff opponent that they may want.

WHITFIELD: It's not just Louisiana, but also another one to watch is Kentucky. This election you know, comes just three days, you know, before, one of Trump's other political enemies, Republican Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky, faces a tough primary race of his own. So how do things look there?

SVITEK: Two things stand out about this race compared to the race in Louisiana, it has drawn at least proportionally Senate versus House. It has drawn so much money, which tells you how competitive it is. It's now one of the most expensive House primaries in history. And number two, I think Trump has been a little more personally involved in the Kentucky race versus the Louisiana race.

You've seen him on the ground campaigning with the challenger that he has endorsed there. And he has, as I think all our viewers know, he has over the past several months, you know, unleashed vitriol against Thomas Massie, you know, in public appearances, in social media posts. He definitely seems a little more animated by his opposition to Thomas Massie than he does to Bill Cassidy, even though we have seen some increasingly critical Truth Social posts about Bill Cassidy from the president.

WHITFIELD: Yes. All right. Patrick Svitek, thank you so much. Great to see you.

SVITEK: Thanks for having me.

WHITFIELD: All right. Coming up, they've got the degree, now they need a job. How college grads are navigating a tough job market and adjusting their job search strategies as A.I. transforms the workforce.

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[15:49:02]

WHITFIELD: Welcome back. It is college graduation season. Yay. But for many new grads, landing a job is more competitive than it has been in quite a while. According to this year's annual grad report from ZipRecruiter, entry-level positions now make up a smaller share of available jobs, but still attract the most interest. Just 38 percent of all job postings across the board are considered entry-level.

The report did offer a bright spot, 77 percent of recent graduates are landing a job within three months by pushing through the challenging job market, submitting more applications, applying for different kinds of roles in their industry, or changing their career paths altogether.

Joining me right now here is Professor Tucker Balch from Emory University's School of Business.

So great to see you. So what are some of the biggest challenges that recent college grads are facing right now when it comes to landing a job? And congrats to you because you've got two who just graduated.

[15:50:02]

TUCKER BALCH, PROFESSOR OF A.I. AND FINANCE, EMORY UNIVERSITY: Yes, I know. It's so exciting.

WHITFIELD: Awesome.

BALCH: And it's not so dire, but what's happening in the marketplace is affecting things is the demand for college graduates is decreasing. Gradually, not abruptly, but the supply is increasing. So as of today, 45 percent of our job force has a college degree, 45 percent. In 2000, only 31 percent. So we're seeing more and more people in that space.

I think the most important factor that people have to keep on their radar is A.I. A.I. is disrupting the entry-level job space.

WHITFIELD: In what way? Meaning, it is a tool that is being used to go through applications or the way in which people are crafting their applications, or are we talking about A.I. actually replacing I guess the need for humans to do a job?

BALCH: All of those.

WHITFIELD: All of those? Oh, gosh. OK. BALCH: But it depends on the field. The field that's hit the hardest

is software because A.I. can write software. Other fields like finance and accounting, A.I. can do some of those entry-level positions as well. The fields that are somewhat insulated are health care, education, and skilled jobs, because those require hands on, you know, in-person and so on. So A.I. is not encroaching on that quite yet.

And engineering, you know, for instance, mechanical engineering and electrical engineering, those are somewhat immune as well because A.I. is augmenting what they do as opposed to replacing them. But entry- level jobs in many fields are, you know, can be done by A.I. So don't do a -- don't look for a job that A.I. can do.

WHITFIELD: Oh, interesting. Is it also the case that some companies perhaps aren't offering as many entry-level jobs because there are a lot of older American or older workers who are staying on the jobs longer so thereby the companies feel like they're not really looking for the less experienced candidates?

BALCH: Well, it's also the situation we are with the sort of tumultuous economy and the war. Many companies are saying, hey, let's just -- let's keep the status quo for a while. So they aren't hiring as much at the entry-level, but they're not firing either. And so they're taking advantage of their more senior people to keep those roles. But, you know, I expect as our economy begins to stabilize, those will open back up. But we're definitely affected right now by, for instance, tariffs and other turmoil.

WHITFIELD: I feel like your recently, you know, graduated college kids have an advantage because you are able to give them some advice on how to navigate all of this. So what are you and other professors telling all of these young kids about how to, I guess, find an edge as they seek their first job after they've, you know, spent so many years in college getting their degree?

BALCH: Great question. Number one, most impactful thing you can do is get an internship. It's companies, they see it as a low risk to take on an intern. It's also low risk for you as well. You know, check out the company, get experience. Number one is you get that experience, but it significantly changes your ability to get a job later on.

Next most important thing, learn to use --

WHITFIELD: Meaning because you've made some contacts?

BALCH: The contacts and experience.

WHITFIELD: OK.

BALCH: So nowadays someone just with, say, a bachelor's degree is having a harder time than someone who has a bachelor's degree plus experience.

WHITFIELD: OK.

BALCH: Learn to use A.I. If you don't have a subscription to ChatGPT or Claude, get one and use it. You'll be amazed at what it can do, but you'll also learn its weaknesses and so on. One last thing I want to mention that's important. Well, I got two last things.

WHITFIELD: OK.

BALCH: First last thing is consider getting a master's degree. So as you're approaching that graduation point --

WHITFIELD: Oh, poor parents, you've got to pay for more college.

BALCH: I know, but, well, I will say my university, we offer a one- year master's degree.

WHITFIELD: OK.

BALCH: So you can streamline that. But no, really, as you're approaching that graduation point, apply for jobs, but at the same time apply for a master's degree and see what, you know, see how it pans out.

WHITFIELD: Which one comes first.

BALCH: Yes. And combinations of, say, a CS degree and something else in, say, law or health care finance and something. Those two together are very potent combination.

WHITFIELD: Oh, that's great advice. Great advice for those of us who have parents, who have kids who are about to enter their college senior year. So that's another discussion we may have to have. One year of masters. Whew, I thought we were almost at the finish line. College tuition. Oh, well.

All right, Professor Tucker Balch, great to see you, and congratulations on your two college grads.

BALCH: Thank you so much. Good to see you.

WHITFIELD: Appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you. And we'll be right back.

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[15:59:28]

WHITFIELD: All right. Perhaps the sports play of the day happened in between innings. Watch this moment as the Marlins are warming up and a throw from the catcher collides with the toss from the shortstop midair. This incredible coincidence did not turn into runs for the Marlins, as they lost to the Rays 7-2, but it was fun to watch anyway.

All right, Kara Swisher takes death meeting believers, billionaires, and even an A.I. version of herself to ask some vital questions. Watch back-to-back final episodes of "KARA SWISHER WANTS TO LIVE FOREVER" tonight, 9:00 p.m. Eastern on CNN. And next day on the CNN app.

Thank you so much for joining me today on Fredricka Whitfield. "THE ARENA" with Phil Mattingly is up next.