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DOJ Asks Supreme Court to Intervene in Abortion Pill Case; Floodwaters in South Florida; GOP Hopefuls to Speak at NRA Convention; Bud Light Facing Backlash; Snyder to Sell Commanders. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired April 14, 2023 - 06:30   ET

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

[06:30:00]

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: How they can get it unless the Supreme Court steps in here. So, let's go to our CNN senior Supreme Court analyst Joan Biskupic.

Joan. Good morning.

So, as I understand it from your reporting - I should note also your brand new book gets into all of this and how it's relevant to the court, "Nine Black Robes: Inside the Supreme Court's Historic Drive to the Right and its Consequences." This is sort of at the crux of that. You start that book out talking about overturning Roe versus Wade. And now the justices are going to decide today, Joan, right, gathered, just them, just the nine, no clerks -

: That's - that's right.

HARLOW: And they're going to decide, do we step in here in an emergency way?

BISKUPIC: That's right. What a week it's been, Poppy. You know, it just -- this all started last Friday with the lower court's ruling. And yesterday Attorney General Merrick Garland vowed that the Department of Justice would be going to the court to try to protect women's reproductive rights and preserve the ability of the FDA to review and approve drugs. Not just -- not just this abortion medication, but all existing and new drugs. This case really goes to its authority.

But they're -- you're right, they're back at a -- at a court that just 10 months ago eliminated all constitutional rights to abortion and said it should be left to the states. And this is a major case that will test just how available abortion still is in the states that keep it legal.

So, the court will have two main options. They can do a variety of things, but two main options when they privately consider it, as you noted, Poppy. One is to just grant the stay. That is to suspend all litigation for a second - or, not a second, but for a couple weeks so -- while these appeals play out rather than have this rushed situation that we're in and have a -- kind of a more reasonable judicial consideration of the merits of the case, just put everything on hold. That's one option. And that's what the Department of Justice would like as the appeals play out.

The other option is to deny it. And if - if the Supreme Court denies the Department of Justice's request, what will be in effect is that Fifth Circuit ruling that came yesterday, or actually into the evening going into yesterday, that said that FDA approval of Mifepristone could stay, but with these new restrictions that you mentioned.

So, it's a very momentous time in terms of access to the main way that women end their pregnancies in America today.

HARLOW: Especially since you have a conflicting decision coming from a federal judge in Washington state, which, you know, just makes it even more pressing that the Supreme Court make a decision one way or another.

BISKUPIC: That's right.

HARLOW: Yes.

BISKUPIC: That's right. What you're referring to is the fact that a lower court judge in Washington state, acting on the request -- acting on a case against the FDA, said that the FDA could not change any of its restrictions and protocols. That case was brought on behalf of 18 jurisdictions, 17 states and the District of Columbia that want to preserve the fullest access as possible to the first -- this first pill in the two drug abortion medication protocol.

HARLOW: Well, we'll know by tonight at midnight if the court's going to get in here in an emergency way or let the Fifth Circuit stand.

Joan, thank you very much.

BISKUPIC: Thank you, Poppy.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: This morning, a major cleanup underway in Fort Lauderdale. Look at that. That's after rounds of historic rain, flooding there. Our Leyla Santiago in those waters right now.

LEYLA SANTIAGO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning, Don.

It is stopped - it has stopped raining. That's the good news. But the cleanup now underway. You can still see that cars are under water, and rescue efforts still a part of the plan today. And more rain expected in the afternoon. The impacts, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:38:08]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A lot of people are still left in the neighborhood. And I'm worried about many of them. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Unable to make it out of one of these mobile homes. His sister is so concerned about him that we are on the way to try and rescue him right now. Obviously, he's inside of one of these residences. But you can see that there is just feet of water inside of each home that we pass.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: This is really astounding. You're looking at a rescue in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, that was on Thursday, where officials say about 600 people are filling emergency shelters this morning. More than two feet of rain fell in 24 hours there, followed by devastating flooding. Broward County now in a state of emergency as rescue teams are still answering hundreds of calls for assistance. There's water really everywhere, flooding the streets, trapping people in their homes and in their vehicles.

Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, not sure if (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. OK. OK. Just stand right here. Take a - take a breath. It's OK. It's OK. How long you -

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: That is a reporter from our affiliate WSVN in south Florida, capturing on camera, helping an 80 year old man in trouble.

We turn now to CNN's Leyla Santiago, live in Fort Lauderdale for us this morning.

Layla, good morning to you.

This is a lot that people are having to deal with.

LEYLA SANTIAGO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and those rescues, Don, are expected to continue throughout the day. Still a lot of people stuck in their homes.

So, let me show you exactly what I'm seeing where I am. I'm here in Fort Lauderdale, where you can see there is still standing water here. Now this, kind of hard to imagine, but this is an improvement from what we saw yesterday when we were in this area. But you can still see some of that damage. I mean you can see a car stuck over here in this area. And as I drove around this morning, I saw quite a bit of that, as well as utility crews working.

And I spoke to one Fish and Wildlife rescue team that said overnight they rescued about a dozen people, and they expect to be doing that throughout the day.

[06:40:04]

So that will be much of the effort.

But also the cleanup, because even if this water recedes before the other rainstorms are expected in the afternoon, this is ground that is saturated, so it really can't take much. So, you can see behind me over here some of the damage that they're going to be dealing with, the debris that's left behind, all the cleanup that - that, listen, if they get in time and pick it up before the thunderstorms, that would be a great thing. But again, with more water expected, that will be the challenge. I realize that the sun is coming up. So, I imagine a lot of neighbors here are going to be immediately looking out to see what the day looks like. And in the morning, you'll likely see people trying to clean up. But, again, that water is expected to come right back in the afternoon.

The schools have remained closed here, the Broward County school, saying that in the preliminary estimate $2 million in damage, and that's not even all the schools that they've been able to assess. You have roads that remain closed, and then you have the airport. The Fort Lauderdale Airport expected to open at 9:00 a.m., but that's been sort of a moving target. So, a lot of eyes by travelers on that Fort Lauderdale Airport to see if they can get that runway up and running in just a matter of hours.

LEMON: Yes, and you're right, Leyla, all that muck is going to clog the drains, and that's going to cause even more problems.

Leyla Santiago in Fort Lauderdale. Thank you very much for that.

HARLOW: In just a few hours. The National Rifle Association convention begins 100 miles away, just 100 miles from the latest mass shooting at the bank in Louisville. Donald Trump, Mike Pence both set to speak there today. We'll take you there live.

LEMON: And there's backlash and boycotts over Bud Lights partnership with the transgender influencer, but could it pay off for the beer company in the end. Our Vanessa Yurkevich breaks it all down for us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:46:05]

HARLOW: Just hours from now 2024 GOP White House hopefuls will take the stage at the annual NRA convention. It's happening in Indianapolis. And this year the convention is just days after a gunman in Louisville killed five people at a bank he worked at and just weeks after a shooter killed three nine-year-old children and three adults at a school in Nashville.

Last year the meeting happened just days after a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at Rob Elementary in Uvalde, Texas.

Our Kristen Holmes is live in Indianapolis.

This is actually like just 100 miles from Louisville. KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Poppy.

Well, that's right. And you mentioned Uvalde and that forum last year. And I want to note one thing, which was after that shooting, when they had this conference, we saw some Republicans handwringing. Some of them actually canceled speaking at the event. This year, in the wake of these two shootings, not so much. And it really goes to show you two things. One, that these frequency of these shootings has become really part of our lives, but, two, just how important this voting bloc is to Republicans, particularly in a primary year.

We have to remember, when we see these 2024 candidates, these hopefuls, up on the stage today, are delivering their message via video, as some of them are doing, they are trying to appeal to a group that opposes even the most moderate limitations on gun rights. So that's something to keep in mind here.

And so let's take a look at who's actually going to be here and who's speaking today. We have Vice President Mike Pence, Asa Hutchinson, Ron DeSantis will give a video message, Nikki Haley, Tim Scott, who obviously just launched that exploratory committee, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu, Vivek Ramaswamy and Donald Trump, of course, is that keynote speaker.

And one thing to point out here is that Donald Trump actually got the NRA's endorsement back in 2016. Something that his team is really working for now. They want that endorsement again. But I talked to a number of sources close to some of these other candidates, some of these other 2024 hopefuls who think that there might be an opening on gun rights, that some of these gun owners actually don't think that Trump went far enough when he was in office.

So, something to watch here. We don't expect the NRA to endorse anyone in the primary at this point.

Poppy.

HARLOW: OK, Kristen Holmes, in Indianapolis, thanks very much.

LEMON: All right, well, that siren probably wakes everyone up.

There have been really backlash, boycotts, support for beer company Bud Light, right, after they launched a new ad campaign featuring transgender activist and influencer Dylan Mulvaney.

Take a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DYLAN MULVANEY, TRANS INFLUENCER AND ACTIVIST: This month I celebrated my day 365 of womanhood. And Bud Light sent me possibly the best gift ever, a can with my face on it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: So, the buzzword, woke, was once again brought into the mix with people posting videos of them dumping out beer calling for a boycott.

Despite all of this, an expert tells CNN that once a social media backlash blows over, the long term benefits of a company taking a cultural stand like this may be more impactful.

So, let's bring in now CNN business and politics correspondent Vanessa Yurkevich.

Vanessa, good morning to you.

I -- look, I think it's crazy, but I want you to walk this -- walk us through this. What is going to -- walk us through, why is Bud Light getting such criticism here?

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's been a tough two weeks for Bud Light and for Dylan Mulvaney. Bud Light is the best selling beer in the country. But you have this ad that you just showed our viewers where Dylan Mulvaney receives a gift as part of her transition to becoming a woman, and she's a paid partner by Bud Light. And what Bud Light does is they hire many influencers in order to sort of promote their brand. And they're also looking for a younger demographic and different demographics. And Dylan Mulvaney certainly fits the bill here.

But then the backlash starts and enter Kid Rock. He, a couple days after this ad is posted, he posts this on social media.

LEMON: Oh, boy.

YURKEVICH: You see Kid Rock here. He is shooting tons of Bud Light cases. He's clearly using a rifle to do so. And at the end of this clip, he uses an expletive and he says that in terms of Bud Light and Anheuser Busch.

[06:50:06]

So, of course, Anheuser Busch is responding to this. They say that they work with a bunch of influences across brands as one of the ways to create authenticity, connect with audiences across various demographics.

So, you're hearing from a lot of people about this. You're hearing from Howard Stern about this, saying, I wish I could reach out to Kid Rock and figure out why he's so upset about this. And then you hear from Joe Rogan. Here's a conservative talk show host. But listen to what he says about this Kid Rock/Bud Light squabble.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE ROGAN, HOST: What they're doing is just spreading the brand to an extra group of people.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

ROGAN: Why, if something is good, do you give a (EXPLETIVE DELETED) who's got it? (END VIDEO CLIP)

YURKEVICH: So, he is raising the question, why does Kid Rock and why do others care so much about the fact that Bud Light has partnered with this transgender activists Dylan Mulvaney?

So, we have -- this is not the first time we've seen cultural backlash. We have seen this with other brands. Nike also works with Dylan Mulvaney. Nike, if you remember, they had an ad with Colin Kaepernick after he started kneeling during the national anthem. And what ended up happening with Nike is they ended up winning any awards for that particular commercial with Colin Kaepernick.

And this goes to what experts have told us, Don. They say that there have been many cases of brands growing their business as a result of taking a strong stand that result in some criticism, but even stronger engagement with a key audience. And that key audience for Bud Light is younger demographics and people like Dylan Mulvaney. They want to bring in new audiences. So, it's a sting for Bud Light right now, but maybe some growth in the long run, Don.

LEMON: All right, listen, Joe Rogan I think is more of a libertarian than a conservative, but it's -- his take on this is interesting, as well as Howard Stern's.

So, I don't understand -- so what if someone who is transgender drinks Bud Light, how does that affect you? I mean, we all eat and drink and consume things that all kinds of people eat, drink and consume. So, what does it matter? I don't - I don't really get it.

YURKEVICH: Yes, and, listen, I think people are upset because Bud Light has been around since the 1980s. This is a very all-American brands. Some people see it as something that just -

LEMON: Mulvaney's not an American? You know what I'm saying?

YURKEVICH: Absolutely, all-American in the sense of -

LEMON: What is Mulvaney saying on this?

YURKEVICH: She not addressed this specifically, but on the Rosie O'Donnell podcast, she says that she thinks the controversy is because people misunderstand her.

LEMON: Yes.

YURKEVICH: She's also newly transitioned, just about a year, and she feels like people aren't really understanding who she is, what she stands for. The video, as you showed, was just a fun time with Bud Light, but some people taking it -- taking it a little hard.

LEMON: Yes, it's ridiculous.

Thank you. I appreciate that, Vanessa.

YURKEVICH: Thank you, Don. LEMON: Poppy.

HARLOW: The Washington Commanders may finally be getting the magic touch. The details of a multi-billion dollar deal to buy the team. That's next.

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[06:57:27]

HARLOW: Well, after nearly 30 years, one of the NFL's most controversial owners of a team is about to sell the team.

LEMON: Andy Scholes joins us now.

Andy, good morning to you.

I need to - I need some coffee.

Daniel Snyder is set to sell the Commanders in a record deal.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes, good morning, Don and Poppy.

So, a person familiar with the matter tells CNN Daniel Snyder, he's reaching an agreement to sell the Washington Commanders for $6.05 billion. That's easily going to break the record for a sale of a team. The previous mark was set last year when Walmart heir Rob Walton bought the Denver Broncos for $4.65 billion. Now the team is being bought by a group that is led by billionaire Josh Harris. Harris is already the co-owner of the NBA's 76ers and the NHL's Devils. NBA legend Magic Johnson, he's also a part of the group and would be a minority owner.

Now, the sale will end one of the most controversial ownerships in sports. Snyder has been under fire for a number of reasons over the years. For years he was pressured to change the team name but vowed to never do so. He finally relented in 2020 changing the name. Now that same year "The Washington Post" reported that 15 female former employees said they were sexually harassed during their time with the team. An independent investigation found that Washington's workplace was toxic and unprofessional, especially for women. The NFL fined the team $10 million and Snyder had to step away from the day to day operations. Congress also got involved, pushing the NFL to release the full report and added in December that Snyder had interfered with the investigation.

Now, Snyder has long denied allegations of misconduct. A deal for the Commander's likely is not going to be approved until the league meetings, which are scheduled for next month in Minneapolis.

All right, Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucs, meanwhile, they will host the winner between the Heat and the Bulls in the first round of the NBA playoffs. Giannis in the running for yet another MVP award this season. But he recently revealed that after signing the biggest deal in NBA history at the time in 2020, he almost retired due to stress. And he had that conversation with the front office. In an interview with "The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel," Giannis, though, said he found help, saying, I kept talking with this counselor. He helped me a lot. Not just being a better basketball player, being able to deal with it. But being a better partner, better father, better brother, better son, better person, being not locked into myself, being able to give people what I feel because at one point I was trying to get away from everybody. And that's not me. I'm very social. I like to interact with other people.

[07:00:03]

And I'll tell you what, guys, pretty powerful to hear Giannis say that kind of stuff. I'm sure it's going to help others.