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CNN This Morning
Dueling Rulings On Abortion Pill Causes Confusion; President Biden Says, I Plan On Running In 2024; The Super Mario Bros. Movie Scores Big At The Box Office. Aired 8:30-9a ET
Aired April 10, 2023 - 08:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:30:03]
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Wait until you hear what President Biden just had to say about the 2024 egg roll.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And maybe 2025.
LEMON: And something else, yes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Well, another abortion case likely on a very fast track to the Supreme Court. This time, it's about whether abortion pills will stay legal in this country. And it comes after dueling orders from two federal judges. On Friday, a judge in Texas issued a ruling suspending the FDA's approval of the abortion pill Mifepristone. Less than an hour later, a federal judge in Washington State issued a contradictory ruling to keep that drug on the market in 17 states and Washington D.C.
Joining us now is Minnesota Senator Tina Smith. I should note, she's a former executive at Planned Parenthood. She also sits on the Health Committee that oversees the FDA, so really a critical voice in this. good morning, Senator.
SEN. TINA SMITH (D-MN): Good morning, Poppy. I'm so glad to be with you this morning.
HARLOW: Given your background at Planned Parenthood and the committee you sit on now that has oversight over the FDA, what's your reaction to where we are this morning?
[08:35:00]
SMITH: Well, this judge's decision is an outrage. And it throws into question over 20 years of safe and effective use of this drug, Mifepristone, to terminate pregnancies early. I'm thinking about all the women who go to Planned Parenthood and clinics all over this country who are trying to figure out what this means for them and their ability to make decisions about their own lives and their own bodies. This decision must be reversed in the courts.
HARLOW: Well, that that does seem to be what the Biden administration is relying on. Listen to this exchange between the Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and Dana Bash yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
XAVIER BECERRA, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY: It is incumbent upon us as a country to make sure women have safe and effective medication available to you.
DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: How are you going to do that?
BECERRA: Well, we've already filed an appeal of this court's ruling. One judge in one court in one state turned upside down the FDA is approval process for safe and effective medications.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: As you know, this is going to go to the Fifth Circuit, and that could be an uphill battle for the Justice Department. And if they don't freeze, Judge Kacsmarcyk's ruling, it means starting Friday at midnight, no woman is going to be able to access this.
SMITH: Well, what this judge has done, this extreme right-wing judge, is he has thrown the health care of millions of women into chaos. And I think that the Biden administration is doing exactly the right thing, which is to vigorously prosecute and call for a repeal and fight for a reversal of this ridiculous precedent that this judge has set or is trying to set immediately.
I mean, think about what this means, Poppy. What this judge has done is he said that the facts and the science and the law that has governed the FDA approval of medications for years is now can be overturned by one judge and his political ideology. Think about what that means if you have somebody, who says I don't like vaccines, anti- vaxxer, I'm going to go to the courts and ask them to overturn approval of a vaccine, for example. It throws us into chaos. And the only solution here is to have this reversed in the courts.
HARLOW: Well, that's the legal solution that you're hoping for. There are some, as you know, who are calling for the FDA to ignore this judge's ruling. Do you think the FDA should ignore the judge's ruling?
SMITH: Well, I get that frustration, but I ask everyone to think about what the slippery slope is here. First of all, we are a nation of rules and laws. And if this case isn't reversed, then you run the risk of all sorts of other attacks on safe and effective medications being prosecuted through the courts. It is just not tenable. I think, again, the Biden administration is doing exactly the right thing and that we have to win this case.
And let me also say we also have to elect a Congress that is going to protect healthcare and women's health care and abortion rights in Congress.
HARLOW: Senator, it sounds like you're saying, no, the FDA should not ignore any federal judge's ruling in general, right? Okay. But it's not just some Democrats have said that, like Congresswoman Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez or Senator Ron Wyden. It's Republican Congresswoman Nancy Mace to Kaitlan last hour. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: So, you think the FDA should ignore this?
REP. NANCY MACE (R-SC): I would. Yes, I would. This is an issue that Republicans have been largely on the wrong side of. We have, over the last nine months, not shown compassion towards women. And this is one of those issues that I've tried to lead on as someone who's pro-life and just have some common sense.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: And she says this is an FDA-approved drug, I support the usage of FDA-approved drugs. Do you think she's wrong?
SMITH: Well, this is an FDA approved drug. And I would remind folks also that we have this other case in Washington, which is essentially finding exactly the opposite of what this extremist judge and Texas has found.
So, you have right now just kind of a chaotic situation, again, which is why I think this can only be resolved in the courts. And to just ignore the courts, I think, just throws us into another level of chaos that I don't want to know where that ends up, Poppy. You know, five years down the road, if we set a precedent that we're just ignoring federal law, and then who can do whatever. I think that actually, at the long run, is very dangerous for women's health, depending on who the next president is.
HARLOW: Yes. And this appears to be the first time a court has ordered a drug removed from the market against the objections of the FDA. So, the question is, is this the first of many to come?
Senator Tina Smith of Minnesota, we appreciate your time very much. We'll track this, of course, as it moves quickly this week.
[08:40:01]
SMITH: Thank you.
HARLOW: Thank you. Kaitlan?
COLLINS: Notable to hear from all of these lawmakers on their positions on this, and, of course, put it -- she's in agreement with the Department of Health and Human Services, which says it does set a dangerous precedent. We will see what, of course, is the ultimate outcome here.
Also this morning, if you got the biggest news out of the annual White House Easter egg roll is going to be the unveiling of a new bunny, think again. Listen to what President Biden just told Al Roker about his potential future egg rolls.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you saying that you would be taking part in our upcoming election in 2024?
JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: Well, I'll either roll an egg or being the guy who's pushed them out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on. Help a brother out. Make some news for me here.
BIDEN: No, no, no. I'll plan on running, Al, but we're not prepared to announce it yet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: CNN's Arlette Saenz is live at the White House. Arlette, you don't particularly always expect for the president to make news at the Easter egg roll, but Biden saying there, I'm planning on running, I'm just not ready to announce it yet.
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Kaitlan. And the president's comments track pretty closely to when he says that he intends on running. But I think it further highlights that he is in no rush to make anything official, which for those of us who have covered the will he, won't he of Joe Biden over the past ten years aren't entirely surprised by that type of comment.
But, look, our team has spoken to people that the president has spoken to who say that he has told them that he is planning on running but really doesn't see the need to jump into the race just yet. His team has been working behind the scenes to try to set the basic contours of what a campaign might look like once he does pull the trigger.
Originally, advisers had suggested that decision might be coming this April. April is here. It is now looking like it might be pushed a bit into the summer. But there are still some big decisions that need to be made, such as who exactly is going to be running this campaign as the campaign manager, where it's going to be based, whether it's in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, or possibly in Philadelphia.
But President Biden in those comments at the Easter egg roll indicating he has a few more of these egg rolls left in him and that it might just be a matter of not if but when he officially makes that announcement.
COLLINS: Yes, which it could be, of course, is the reporting has shown later this summer, but it just does track with what Jill Biden told you when you interviewed her. She said in her mind there is no chance that he's not running. Arlette, let us know if there's any more news coming out of the Easter egg roll while you're there at the White House was this morning.
SAENZ: We will.
LEMON: Stealthy there, Roker.
COLLINS: I know.
LEMON: Very, very stealthy. I wasn't expecting the weather man to -- got in there and got the information.
COLLINS: You got to ask your questions.
LEMON: You got ask you questions.
COLLINS: I love it.
HARLOW: Easter egg rolling all, exactly.
LEMON: Okay. So, from Nintendo to the big screen, Super Mario Brothers stomping box office expectations this weekend despite a lukewarm review from critics. What is behind the success here? Oh, well, Harry Enten here with this morning's number.
COLLINS: And a haircut.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:45:00]
LEMON: Are we on? Okay. We weren't sure what we're just talking.
HARLOW: Don, did you play Mario Kart?
LEMON: Yes, it's Monday. It's that kind of -- I did not play Mario Kart, maybe a little bit after my time.
HARLOW: My, childhood, I totally did, Duck Hunt Mario and Gameboy.
LEMON: Nice. So, the iconic, as we're on T.V., Nintendo video game, Super Mario Brothers, smashing box office expectations in a record opening despite some lukewarm reviews from the critics, but you never know critics. The real critics, right, the folks who go out and watch the movie.
Harry Enten, our senior data reporter, is here with this morning's number. So, just how well did you do with the box office
HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: Well, first off, I just want to say it's me, Harry. I had to do that. Sorry.
Okay. This morning's number is, take a look here, $205 million in the U.S. domestic box office. That is the largest gross ever for a five- day opening, so huge. We're not just talking animation, though. It did set the record for animation film for the largest five-day opening, not just domestically but internationally as well, near $400 million internationally.
So, it was an absolutely huge opening, but something that we were talking about here, which is the reviews. Who like Super Mario Brothers? Moviegoers, 96 percent of them like it. But look amongst the critics, just 56 percent of them like that. This is something we've been talking about. We talked about it going to awards season. There was this big divide between what the people actually like and what the critics like and we saw it right here. COLLINS: Well, I mean, to Don's point, you know, it's the critics are really the ones who are buying the tickets and determining how much money it makes. I mean, that's based on the review. But I do think --
LEMON: You mean the moviegoers are buying the ticket?
COLLINS: Yes. What did I say?
LEMON: You said the critics. It isn't.
COLLINS: Well, you are saying they're the real critics. And so why is there the disparity between how the reviews are and how it actually performed?
ENTEN: Yes. So, I think there are two things. Number one, look at who the Mario filmgoers are, 18 to 34. They were about -- 60 percent of them were 18 to 34. The U.S. media, just 25 percent of the U.S. media is 18 to 34.
There's also a racial element here. Look at this. What shares Hispanic, 41 percent of Mario filmgoers were Hispanic versus just 8 percent of the U.S. media. So, the fact is the U.S. media is not representative of the people who are actually going to see these films, and that's why I think we're seeing this very large --
COLLINS: That's actually really interesting.
LEMON: That is interesting.
HARLOW: That's really interesting on a lot like a lot of levels.
LEMON: So many levels about everything.
HARLOW: I'm taking the kids Friday afternoon. So --
ENTEN: Can I come?
HARLOW: Yes.
ENTEN: Great.
HARLOW: Can you watch? I'm going to go get a massage and you can take the kids.
COLLINS: Maybe just some babysitting dog.
HARLOW: No, come, come, come. I'll buy you a ticket.
ENTEN: Fantastic.
LEMON: Are you going to pay babysitting? How much do you charge for babysitting?
ENTEN: $15 an hour.
[08:50:00] HARLOW: You know how much smarter my kids would be after an hour of babysitting by Harry Enten?
COLLINS: Babysitter/tutor.
LEMON: A lot smarter.
HARLOW: Yes, they would be even more brilliant than they are. Thanks, Harry.
ENTEN: You're very kind.
COLLINS: Thanks, Harry.
LEMON: And hopping around like he does.
HARLOW: Totally.
LEMON: So, this morning, the 143rd White House Easter egg roll kicks off and a new bunny will be revealed. We're going to take a trip back in time to the historic White House event.
HARLOW: I can't believe it's been around that long.
LEMON: It's so weird.
COLLINS: And the best is who always dresses as the bunny. It's like which staffer is it? It was Sean Spicer when you remember --
HARLOW: Oh, my gosh, that's right.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: All right. We have a very newsworthy morning moment for you, in more ways than one. This morning, as we were talking about earlier, as the annual White House Easter egg roll, and this year, the iconic Easter bunny, which is normally played by a good-humored staffer, is getting a much needed upgrade. The historic role of tradition goes all the way back to 1878 under Rutherford B. Hayes, and it remains one of the oldest annual events actually in White House history.
[08:55:05]
The official White House Easter bunny was brought into existence, as you can see here by, Pat Nixon in 1969. Former Trump Press Secretary Sean Spicer actually had the honor of where in the suit during the Bush administration. He recently told CNN quote tradition is what makes a country unique. Every country has things that are woven into its fabric, and this is one of ours.
Spicer explained that multiple people play the role actually in the hour-plus long shifts over the course of the day's events. He says the big lesson learned is be the first person. Early is key. It doesn't matter what the temperature is. It still gets hot and gross quick.
Of course, Spicer's role as the Easter bunny was too much for Saturday Night Live to resist.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MELISSA MCCARTHY, AS SEAN SPICER: Hey, kids, Happy Easter.
Shut up. Don't push me. I'm sweating my Easter eggs off in this thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Moments ago, President Biden himself made some news at the Easter egg roll as he told Al Roker he does plan to run in 2024, just not ready to announce it yet.
HARLOW: Unofficial.
LEMON: Okay. Gross and sweaty and hot.
COLLINS: It's actually --
HARLOW: Be the first one.
LEMON: My producer, Zack Slater, was a mascot college has all the stories.
COLLINS: Really?
HARLOW: How do I not know this about Zack?
COLLINS: It's so good.
LEMON: Yes, we'll talk to him.
COLLINS: We'll get more on that later. Thank you so much for joining us on this Monday morning. CNN News Central starts right after this break.
LEMON: See you tomorrow.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:00:00]
