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Record Number Of Americans Expected To Travel For The Fourth; Student Loan Forgiveness Plan Stuck Down; Political Implications Of Supreme Court Rulings; Biden: Republicans "Snatched Away" Hope for Borrowers. Aired 7-8a ET

Aired July 01, 2023 - 07:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:00:00]

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: So, how much would you pay for a microscopic bag, handbag, that looks like a designer bag? Zero. Nothing.

Well, a Brooklyn-based art group called, Mischief, sold one for more than $63,000 this week during an online auction. The fluorescent yellow-green tote designed in the style of a Louis Vuitton handbag is barely visible to the eye and narrow enough to pass through the eye of a needle.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Now, when you look closely at this bag, it appears to be based on the labels the on-the-go currently retails a full size for $4,300. So, this microscopic version of the bag is worth more than 13 times the actual bag.

WALKER: Look, if it's art, wonderful. But you've got to be able to see art. You can't even see the art, do you?

BLACKWELL: Do you have to see it?

WALKER: All right. I mean, then if you do purchase that, whatever the purchaser does, I would be curious if they put a microscope.

BLACKWELL: They've got to put it like between glasses somewhere. Hang what, you can't put a string through it?

WALKER: Yes, well, it passes through.

BLACKWELL: Yes, it passes through the needle. These are also the people who brought you those big red boots. So, you know, take it with a grain of salt.

WALKER: Hey, you have me to laugh at your jokes. No one else is laughing in here. The next hour of CNN This Morning starts right now.

BLACKWELL: I'm laughing.

WALKER: Who knew? Victor is a comedian. You are so funny.

BLACKWELL: I am a funny guy.

WALKER: Good morning, everyone and welcome to CNN THIS MORNING in this Saturday, July 1st. I'm Amara Walker.

BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell. Thank you for being with us. We are in the back half of 2023, starting a holiday weekend. Here is what we are watching for you this morning.

The holiday weekend, searing temperatures are coming and severe storms to millions of people across the country. We've got a look at your holiday forecast and a look at where we are still seeing travel delays, flight cancellations after a surge of traffic

WALKER: The Supreme Court handed out a series of monumental rulings this week including striking down Affirmative Action in college admissions. The impacts we'll have on incoming students for years to come.

BLACKWELL: More than a thousand people lot of people have been detained in France after a fourth night of protest after the death of a teenager at the hands of police. We are live in Paris with the latest.

WALKER: From office buildings to pickleball courts, how some landlords are being forced to get creative to make money as commercial buildings remain empty after the pandemic.

BLACKWELL: We are in it now. The holiday weekend and the travel start. It is in full swing this morning and flight disruptions have improved some. We are still seeing delays and cancellations. Already, more than 600 flights have been delayed.

More than 100 have been canceled across the U.S. Over the long weekend, AAA expects 50 million Americans to travel on the roads or in the skies. If you're traveling by car, some good news when it comes to gas.

The average price per gallon is down now at $3.51, I should say. That is the cheapest, a dollar cheaper than it was this time last year. As for weather, it's a mixed bag for extreme weather with feels like temperatures reaching 115 degrees. Also, severe weather producing hail and some tornadoes.

CNN Meteorologist Allison Chinchar is with us now to break down the biggest risks this weekend. Some people already seeing some warnings. Where are those?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, if you were kind of hoping maybe if I get out early enough, you know, to start my travel, I can probably beat some of the bad weather. That's not necessarily going to be the case in some cities, especially places like Indianapolis, Chicago, Cincinnati. You've already got a lot of these storms making their way into those cities as we speak.

We've even had a few severe thunderstorm warnings off and on this morning. That is likely to continue throughout the day, not just for those cities, but all of these areas you see here have the potential for damaging winds, large hail, and even some isolated tornadoes. And the secondary area across portions of Western Texas, that threat for today coming in two rounds.

The first one, obviously, that we've seen this morning across the Ohio Valley. That same area then gets a secondary round this afternoon. And then, the southeast and the mid-Atlantic get a round of severe weather, potentially going into the day tomorrow as that storm system begins to shift a little bit farther to the east. So, again, both storms today and tomorrow likely to allow for at least some travel disruptions, both on the roads and in the skies. Here's a look at the heat.

Now, we're starting to see the focus shift from just Texas, a little bit farther east. Other southeastern states now starting to get into the mix and a new threat out to the west where temperatures are also going to start to reach record potential. Same thing across the southeast but it's also those overnight temperatures, Victor and Amra, that we can be concerned about as well.

[07:05:28]

WALKER: All right, Allison Chinchar, thank you for that. The Supreme Court ended its term Friday with two highly controversial rulings.

BLACKWELL: One to block President Biden's plan to forgive billions in student loans. The other seen as a major setback for gay rights. CNN's Jessica Schneider has details.

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JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Supreme Court ending the term with a dramatic finish and showing just how ideologically divided the justices are. First, all six conservative justices ruling in favor of a Christian web designer from Colorado who refused to create wedding Web sites for same-sex couples, citing religious grounds. She objected to a Colorado law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, saying it violated her free speech rights.

Justice Neil Gorsuch agreed, writing for the majority, "The First Amendment envisions the United States as a rich and complex place where all persons are free to think and speak as they wish, not as the government demands. Colorado cannot deny that promise."

LORI SMITH, WEB DESIGNER: Art is my passion.

SCHNEIDER: Lori Smith, who runs 303 Creative, lost in the lower courts, but prevailed before a Supreme Court that has repeatedly ruled in favor of religious groups in recent years.

SMITH: I want to design in a way that's consistent with my faith. But Colorado is censoring and compelling my speech and forcing me to create custom artwork, custom expression that goes against the core of who I am and what I believe. SCHNEIDER: But Justice Sonia Sotomayor warning this decision could

also lead to other kinds of discrimination: "Today, the court for the first time in its history grants a business open to the public a constitutional right to refuse to serve members of a protected class. A Web site designer could equally refuse to create a wedding Web site for an interracial couple, for example." While the majority disputed that notion, Colorado's attorney general warned.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This case will have the impact to cause considerable mischief, undermining the principle that once you open up the doors to the public as a business, you have to serve all comers.

SCHNEIDER: The Supreme Court also handing a stinging defeat to the Biden administration's student loan forgiveness plan.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: President Biden, please keep your promise.

SCHNEIDER: In another 6-3 decision, the conservative justices rejecting a program that President Biden in 2022.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I made a commitment, I made a commitment that would provide student debt relief, and I'm honoring that commitment today.

SCHNEIDER: It was aimed at delivering up to $20,000 in debt cancellation to millions of borrowers. Chief Justice John Roberts writing for the conservative majority that Biden's administration read a federal law too broadly when trying to enact the program: "The economic and political significance of the secretary's action is staggering by any measure," he wrote.

Adding the $430 billion price tag was just too big to justify action from the Secretary of Education instead of Congress. The question here is not whether something should be done, it is who has the authority to do it. The liberal dissenters claim the majority was making a political decision, with Justice Elena Kagan writing: "The result here is that the court substitutes itself for Congress and the executive branch in making national policy about student loan forgiveness."

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SCHNEIDER: The court's decision means student debt will not be canceled for the 40 million plus borrowers who might have been banking on it and they'll need to start repaying their loans beginning October 1st. That's when the pause that was in effect for COVID, that's when it ends. Jessica Schneider, CNN, Washington.

BLACKWELL: Jessica, thanks. So, last hour we discussed the religious liberty and the student loan decisions, but also on Thursday the court ruled that race could no longer be considered in college admissions. So, let's dig into that now. Joining me to discuss, Nii Quartelai- Quartey, Host of "A More Perfect Union" podcast and Professor at Pepperdine University; and Alice Stewart, a Republican Strategist and Senior Advisory Committee Member at the Harvard Kennedy School of Institute of Politics. Welcome to you both. Let's start here. We're a bit removed from the affirmative action

decision. So, maybe some time for deeper thought, hopefully deeper conversation here. Nii Quartelai, let me start with you and the impact you believe societally of the end of race as a consideration in college and university admissions.

DR. NII QUARTELAI-QUARTEY, PROFESSOR, PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY: Victor, there's no doubt that the fabric of America has been loosened by this decision, a decision that was a shock to some, not to most of us. I think a lot of people were expecting this sort of activist Supreme Court to rule against affirmative action, or at least narrow the application of affirmative action.

You know, this is a win for all those that are engaged in the war against diversity, equity, and inclusion. And there's a big worry about how corporate America, how universities, and the public at large will misinterpret this decision, misapply this decision to further marginalize black folks and other minorities.

[07:10:28]

BLACKWELL: Alice, same question.

ALICE STEWART, SENIOR ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEMBER AT THE HARVARD KENNEDY SCHOOL OF INSTITUTE OF POLITICS: Look, I completely respect Dr. Quartey's view on how this is being taken by many people in the educational system and across the country. But look, I can tell you that Harvard has a tremendous school of kids and students from all ethnic groups, all racial groups, all across the world, and that adds to the unique and exceptional educational environment there at Harvard.

But I can say, me personally, with regard to the Supreme Court ruling. I agree with what Justice Roberts wrote, is that ending racial discrimination means ending all of it. And when you have students, the core of this case dealt with Asian students who are academically superior to students, and they were denied access to school based on their race. And when you are eliminating students who are academically superior to other students based on the race, that is a clear and absolute violation of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution of equal protection.

And it's important that what we have moving forward is that the justices did allow in this is that students can, in their application process, they can write essays that discuss and talk about their background and how discrimination has impacted them. So, this is still part of the application and the acceptance process. It is just not one of the big motivating factors in the process.

BLACKWELL: But Alice, that certainly would be a violation of the 14th Amendment if that's how Affirmative Action works. You used the phrase that academically superior to other students. Everyone who is considered or gets to the next phase of where question, race is a consideration, meets the requirements. I mean, that's how affirmative action works. No less qualified student gets in because he or she is black. I mean, that is a foundation of how this works. STEWART: Well, the core of this case, Victor, I'm sure you're familiar with, is that there were Asian students, and I've spoken with many of them, who had academic standards that were higher than others and then were denied access simply because they were Asian students.

And that's the core of this case when you are denying entrance to an educational institution because of a certain race. There are standards across the board and those that have a higher standard are not getting in because of the race.

The Supreme Court justices viewed that and look at that as a type of discrimination and they viewed that it's time to end that type of discrimination. That is not to say by any means, Victor, that this can't be part of the application process.

The students can use that as they write the essay, but it just cannot be one of the main reasons. And they're looking at this, we need to judge students based on their character and their accomplishments and not just the color of their skin.

BLACKWELL: Professor Quartey, your response to what you're hearing from Alice?

QUARTEY: I mean, you know, I think the Supreme Court in their attempt to usher in a colorblind America is, you know, being, saying one thing and doing another thing. I mean, you know, look at, for example, legacy admission. If they were so concerned about the disparate impact of these admission policies on Asian students and on other students, then why get rid of the application of affirmative action, you know, but keep it for legacy students, keep it for students from the military.

And so, this uneven, distorted interpretation of the law, this distorted interpretation of the law is really going to create more disparities, not less in higher education. You know, and to the point earlier about, you know, students that may be academically superior, you know, I'm a professor at Pepperdine University in the Graduate School of Education and Psychology, and I would not characterize any of my students as being more academically superior to another student because of their race or because of any other characteristic.

It's important to note that affirmative action is a tool. It is a factor. It's not the only factor. And I think a lot of folks on the right, you know, try to make Affirmative Action and the being something that it isn't. And you know, and we've seen the President respond to this, the President in his response to the decision -- actually, walk people through what Affirmative Action is and what it isn't. And we shouldn't believe how it's being distorted by folks on the court and folks on the right.

BLACKWELL: Alice, let me get your reaction a 2020 study. Professor Quartey is at Pepperdine in California which through Prop-209, I believe it was 1996, if I have that year right, ended Affirmative Action at their public colleges and universities. And this is what was found from the study in 2020, from the University of California: "Black and Latino admissions at the more competitive campuses of UCLA and Berkeley dropped 40 percent. Annual wages of underrepresented minority University of California applicants dropped by five percent from ages 24 to 34. And early career underrepresented minority Californians broadly making over $100,000 dropped by at least three percent."

[07:15:46]

Your reaction to the impact several years on of when this was ended in California for people who might have gone on to other University of California system schools but did not get in to those campuses or even in some cases, according to the study, did not apply.

STEWART: Well, look, I think that the most important thing.

BLACKWELL: That was for Alice. Go ahead, Alice.

STEWART: I'm sorry, Dr. Quartey. I'm sorry.

QUARTEY: No, go ahead.

STEWART: Look, I think the most important thing that we can do is to make sure that all students, no matter where their background, their race, or their ethnicity, understand that higher education is available to them. They seek all avenues of seeking higher education. And look, this decision does not say that race is not a factor in your application process.

It is simply not the main factor and students can use their unique backgrounds and their lived experiences to apply to these colleges and have the exact same education that other students have. That's one of the blessings, I think, of being on campus.

I see students that could never afford the opportunity to receive such a tremendous education, but because of the fact that they are able to get in and have scholarships and rely and use their unique life experiences to enrich the educational experience for all students.

That is critical and it's still out there, it's still available, it's just not going to be the main factor. And the point being, to your question, Victor, this helps them not just in school but after school in seeking a greater job of greater wealth, of greater income. And the more we can make sure that students have the opportunity to receive this higher education, it helps them not just in school but afterwards in terms of their career and their earning potential.

BLACKWELL: I will say that the court did not say that race cannot be the main factor, although Affirmative Action is not that the main reason a student gets into a Harvard or University of North Carolina is because they are an underrepresented minority. What they said is it cannot be used in admissions, the impact on one's life as it relates to maybe a hardship can be used in a personal statement. But I just want to make sure that the way that this is being interpreted or at least colored here in some way in the, the conversation is correct. Quickly from you, Dr. Quartey, and then we got a wrap.

QUARTEY: When you look at the impact of Affirmative Action, the ban on Affirmative Action in my home state of California, that's not an abstract exercise for me. You know, I was applying to college in California at the time and didn't get into U.C. Berkeley or UCLA, great grades, you know, holistic profile, you know, student leader, but did get into the University of Southern California.

This will be a boon, potentially, for some schools, but for other schools, maybe not so much. And it's going to be interesting to see how many students decide to vote with their feet and go to HBCUs where they don't have to wonder whether or not their admissions packet is being considered through a political lens.

BLACKWELL: All right. Dr. Nii Quartelai-Quartey, Alice Stewart, thank you both.

WALKER: For a fourth night in a row, protests erupt across cities in France after a teen is shot and killed by police. We're going to have the latest from Paris.

[07:19:12]

Also, the Supreme Court hands down a series of major rulings that will impact the lives of millions of Americans. The legacy of this court after what has been a monumental term.

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BLACKWELL: This morning, a fourth straight day of violent clashes in France. Demonstrators are protesting the death of a 17-year-old boy who was shot and killed by police during a traffic stop.

WALKER: Cars were set on fire, as you see there. Buildings have been damaged in major cities across France resulting in more than 1,300 arrests overnight. But so far, the French government has resisted calls to impose a state of emergency. Let's go now to CNN's Nic Robertson live this morning from Paris. Nic, what's the latest? What are the scenes like there, like this morning?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, the French government is taking a graduated approach. The arrests were up last night, but there were more police out. They had more heavily armored vehicles at their disposal. There were more restrictions in place.

No big gatherings allowed. Buses and trams were taken off the streets at 9:00 p.m. last night. Two police officers were shot. The violence not as bad as it has been in and around Paris, although it was bad, we're still talking about 1,350 cars set on fire, 26 city halls attacked, 24 schools attacked, so the numbers are still big.

The biggest violence in Marseille in the south, the Mediterranean port city, and Lyon in the center of the country, and it was on the outskirts there where those two police officers were shot. So, overall a slight tamping down but in part because the security presence just bigger and stronger.

[07:24:53] BLACKWELL: This teenager's funeral is today. What do we know about the traffic stop? What happened around that that has everybody so up in arms?

ROBERTSON: Yes, the incident literally happened here behind me. The beaten post and the flowers, as you can see, that's where his vehicle crashed into after he was shot. A police officer has been detained and has been charged with voluntary homicide. The family wanted murder charges. He says that he was legally entitled to discharge his weapon. The funeral for Nile is going on, the services are sort of underway right now.

There is a funeral home, his body being taken right now from the funeral home to a mosque for a service and then to a cemetery in the next couple of hours. So, these very tense moments in this neighborhood is happening not far from here and very sort of if you will the possibility here that violence decreases or I think the authorities really looking at how events play out today but obviously very tense because of the funeral right now.

WALKER: All right. Nic Robertson, appreciate you breaking that down for us thank you very much. Let's turn now to the war in Ukraine and Ukrainian forces claim to be advancing in the southern front and in the east but progress remains slow.

BLACKWELL: We learned that CIA Director William Burns visited Ukraine recently and met with President Vladimir Zelenskyy. His trip happened before the Wagner Chief Yevgeny Prigozhin's rebellion. It's still unclear where Prigozhin is.

WALKER: CNN Senior International Correspondent Ben Wedeman joining us now from Eastern Ukraine. Hi, there, Ben. What's the latest? What's happening there where you are?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's essentially the same situation as we've had for the last few days. The fighting continues and I can tell you, Amara, the closer you get to the front, all of this news we're talking about with William Burns meeting Zelenskyy and Prigozhin and the mutiny in Russia sort of becomes background noise to the reality of troops on the front fighting and dying on a daily basis. Now, we got an opportunity to go to a field hospital close to the battles around Bakhmut, but we have to warn our viewers that this report may be disturbing for some.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WEDEMAN (voice-over): The doctors and nurses here have done this time and time again, treating the wounded from the front, assuring the soldiers that despite the pain, they'll be all right.

Near the battles around Bakhmut, this field hospital, known as a stabilization point, is where the wounded, after being hastily bandaged up by combat medics, get their first proper treatment by a full medical team.

These soldiers were advancing on Bakhmut when they came under intense Russian artillery fire.

This stabilization point has so far on this day received more than 50 troops from the front, suffering from shrapnel, from artillery and concussions.

The Ukrainian military doesn't issue data on casualties. A recent poll conducted here found that almost 80 percent of Ukrainians have close relatives or friends who were injured or killed as a result of the full-scale Russian invasion.

Andriy, a vascular surgeon, is surprised there aren't even more wounded. Even during this counter-offensive, he says, we have lower casualties than we expected. Once the wounds have been cleaned and bandage is applied, the soldiers will be moved to better equipped hospitals elsewhere.

Valentino was studying biotechnology in Kyiv when the war began on the 24th of February last year. By February 26th, I started working as a nurse, she says, and then worked in evacuations, clinics, and now at this stabilization point.

Eduard is still in shock, but his injury isn't serious. I'm OK, he says, but it burns a lot. I think it was a piece of shrapnel. Something flew by me like this. I got lucky. It went right past me. Not everyone here was that lucky.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WEDEMAN: And this is just one field hospital. Keep in mind that the front in Ukraine is 600 miles long, so scenes like that are repeated day in and day out all along the front. Amara.

[07:29:40]

WALKER: Ben Wedeman, thank you for your report.

BLACKWELL: Still ahead, the Supreme Court hands down several opinions that will re-shape America for generations to come. We'll discuss the political implications of a historic term in the high court. That's next.

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[07:33:39]

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: This morning, we are following the fallout from the final rulings, this term, by the U.S. Supreme Court, which included new limits on LGBTQ protections, and blocking President Biden's student loan forgiveness plan.

In response to that decision, President Biden insisted that the High Court got it wrong and announced new actions aimed at easing student debt.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I didn't give any false hope. The question was whether or not I would do even more than was requested. What I did I thought was appropriate and was able to be done and would get done. I didn't give borrowers false hope. But the Republicans snatched away the hope that they were given. And it's real. Real hope.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: And former President Trump hail the Supreme Court decisions as big wins for conservatives and accused President Biden of trying to buy votes by promising student loan forgiveness in his 2020 campaign.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Today, the Supreme Court also ruled that President Biden is not allowed to wipe out hundreds of billions and perhaps trillions of dollars in student loan debt, which would have been very unfair to the millions and millions of people who paid their debt through hard work and diligence.

This was a way of trying to buy votes. That's all it was.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: All right. Here to discuss the political impact of these rulings with me is Tia Mitchell, Washington correspondent for the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

[07:35:03]

Tia, good morning. Thank you so much for coming in.

I'm sure the last 48 hours, you know, were very interesting for you to digest and for a lot of Americans. Look, these were generational history making decisions made by the Supreme Court.

And yes, the conservatives do have the momentum right now. But when you look at the makeup of the Supreme Court, the decisions that they're making, strictly along ideological lines, this is a court that's reshaping America, isn't it?

TIA MITCHELL, WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT, ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION: Yes, it's a court that is doing what it was designed to do, in a way a Republicans hoped that if they got more conservatives on the Supreme Court, and not just conservatives, they looked for ideological conservatives that they felt would help them carry out an agenda to roll back some of the changes, protections for LGBTQ, we saw that happen.

Rolling back affirmative action, we saw that happened. And so, these justices, particularly the three justices, appointed by former President Trump, were selected not just because they were conservative leaning, but that conservatives hoped that they would make the decisions they're now making. WALKER: And considering the fact that Trump, I mean, he has had a major influence on the Supreme Court makeup, as you said, three of six of the conservative justices he appointed during his one term, how do you expect voters, Republican voters and Democratic voters, especially when it comes to Biden's rejected loan forgiveness program to react to all of this?

MITCHELL: So, we're already starting to see that on the Republican side, they are rejoicing. Again, they're saying, thank you, President Trump. This Court has been reshaped by you. It's -- they are giving Trump credit for what this Court has accomplished this term.

And I think that further solidifies Trump as the leader of the Republican Party, as the front runner for the nomination in 2024. Because the other candidates can't deny what he accomplished with the Supreme Court, and they can't deny that he is getting the praise.

Now on the Democratic side, it's giving a rallying cry because a lot of Democrats, what we saw in in response to the rulings with people saying this is a direct result of the 2016 contest. So, if you don't like what happened, then let's learn our lesson from 2016. Let's not let Donald Trump win again. Let's help Joe Biden. That's what we're hearing from Democrats.

WALKER: So, this just underscores the high stakes for 2024. Right? So, let's say we do see a Republican president in 2024 with a Republican Congress, how could or would they take advantage of this conservative supermajority Supreme Court in terms of, you know, firearms regulations and other potential rollbacks of certain protections for groups, like minorities and the LGBT community?

MITCHELL: Yes, I think you're right, because the conservatives believe that right now, the makeup of the Supreme Court makes it more likely that issues that they pass where it comes to guns, schools, religion, things like that, that the court will take the conservative side.

And again, that's the perception. I don't know if that's going to be great for the Supreme Court in the long term. But the perception right now is that the Supreme Court is, in a lot of ways a political body, and its politics are conservative. I think it will.

You know, we see a lot, both with President Biden, pushing for the student loan forgiveness and saying, I think I can do it. We'll let the courts tell me if I can't.

Well, we're going to see that as well as with Republicans saying, hey, we think we can do it. And we'll let the courts tell us if we can't.

But what they're banking on is this Court will tell them that they can.

WALKER: Right. How do you see this playing out for Biden, though, because this was a signature campaign promise, and he was not able so far to deliver on it?

MITCHELL: Well, Biden has always kind of suffered from the progressive base, saying, you're not going far enough, frustration. That's with any incumbent though, that being able to do what they say they're going to do, make good on those campaign promises. That's any president is going to face those pressures, but the president is Biden now.

I think with student loan forgiveness, though, what he's trying to say in the message he's trying to push is look, I tried, I went all the way to the Supreme Court. I got knocked down. Now, I'm coming back with some other options to address student loan debt. Will that be enough for people? That remains to be seen, but I think his campaign and the White House are trying to have a message, so that it paints Biden as someone who's attempting to do it, but Republicans are standing in his way.

[07:40:02]

WALKER: And this is obviously going to make the calls louder for a Supreme Court reform. Right? But I think, President Biden addressed this, and said that, you know, this would be a mistake. How do you see that playing out?

MITCHELL: Yes, we already saw, for example, Chuck Schumer, the Democratic Senate Leader, said yesterday in a statement that this makes the case for reshaping the courts. Now, we know that could --

(CROSSTALK)

WALKER: Or expanding the bench?

MITCHELL: Well, he didn't go that far.

WALKER: OK, OK.

MITCHELL: But expanding the bench is one of the options. Term limits is another option. Creating some type of rotation, where Supreme Court justices move in and out of the row.

These are all things that have been discussed. They would still be hard to do, because again, right now, conservatives are saying, we like the Supreme Court exactly the way it is.

And we know in the Senate, even when you're in the minority, the rules give a lot of power to every individual senator.

WALKER: Right.

MITCHELL: But I think, again, this week, we'll give people who would like to reshape the Supreme Court more ammunition to push for that to happen.

WALKER: Well, in a divided Congress, that that's clearly not going to happen. Right?

Tia Mitchell, great to see you. Thanks so much for coming in. Appreciate it. VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Up next, after decades of thriving growth, commercial real estate has hit a wall. So, what does that portend for the broader U.S. economy?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:45:44]

BLACKWELL: You know this. The office environment across the country has certainly changed post pandemic. And a lot of companies now, they're allowing their employees to work from home. So, the commercial real estate industry is suffering.

WALKER: From skyscrapers to retail spaces, many buildings are sitting empty. And now the owners of those buildings are having to find creative solutions to fill their vast vacancies.

CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich, explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN DIGITAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): They're statuesque, vast, and staggering, and their empty. Skyscrapers and office buildings one stacked high with businesses are experiencing high vacancy rates in the U.S., nearly 19 percent. 5-1/2 percent higher than before the pandemic.

STEVEN DURELS, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR OF LEASING, SL GREEN REALTY CORPORATION: I think it's a very unique moment, nothing like any disruptive marketplace that I've experienced over the past 40 years.

YURKEVICH (voice over): The pandemic emptied offices around the country. Today, the number of people returning to in-person work is less than 50 percent in 10 major metro areas, forcing companies to rethink physical office space.

Half of the biggest global companies say they'll need less real estate in the next three years. Leaving landlords with loans to pay in a bind.

YURKEVICH: If there's no tenant, you're not making money.

DURELS: Right.

YURKEVICH: What do you do?

DURELS: There's no recouping, you know, lost income for downtime.

YURKEVICH (voiceover): Steven Durels, runs the leasing at SL Green, New York City's largest commercial landlord. With more than 30 million square feet of space to rent, the collapsing demand for office space means their tenant vacancy rate shot up from three percent pre- pandemic to 10 percent today. That calls for some creativity.

AMANDA WEISENTHAL, HEAD OF SALES AND PRODUCTION, BACKLOT: You can build the set in here. You can have a fight scene in here.

YURKEVICH (voiceover): SL Green is now working with Backlot, a company that connects landlords at 332 buildings across New York and New Jersey with film and T.V. companies. This episode of "Law and Order" was filmed in this vacant office in midtown Manhattan. "The Watcher" on Netflix, and these east side offices.

WEISENTHAL: I think people are starting to look holistically at how they can support a revenue stream.

YURKEVICH (voiceover): This year, SL Green says it will earn three million dollars from film and T.V. shoots.

DURELS: It's really helped mitigate the loss of income during the downtime periods.

YURKEVICH (voiceover): Empty office buildings could be turned into residential. A big need. This project in Washington, D.C. once an office building is being turned into apartments.

But that's not an easy quick fix process. Less than one percent of apartments nationwide are converted from commercial properties.

And across the river in Arlington, Virginia, the city is trying to get ahead of its empty office space problem at 22 percent.

RYAN TOUHILL, DIRECTOR, ARLINGTON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: I'm sitting right today in Northeastern's D.C. campus. Last year, University was not allowed to take up space in a -- in an office building.

YURKEVICH (voiceover): Thanks to new city zoning laws, that's now possible along with seven new types of commercial businesses, like animal boarding, hydroponic farms, and pickleball.

It's already happening in South Jersey. This 22,000 square-foot pickleball facility was a vacant Burlington Coat Factory in a strip mall. Regional mall vacancy is at a record high.

YURKEVICH: Were there a lot of options like this on the market?

ANDREW PESSANO, CO-OWNER, PROSHOT PICKLEBALL: Yes. I think we had more opportunities than we thought there would be in the market.

YURKEVICH: Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in America. So, does that mean that the sport needs to find places to play quickly?

PESSANO: The greatest threat to the growth of pickleball is the lack of facilities.

YURKEVICH (voice over): Vanessa Yurkevich, CNN, Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: Vanessa, thank you. Speaking of commercial real estate, Walgreens is revealing plans now to close hundreds of locations around the world. The details behind the decision.

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That's next.

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BLACKWELL: All right. Let's look at some other headlines this morning. A federal judge has cleared North Carolina's 12-week abortion ban, say for one provision, just one day before the sweeping law was to go into effect.

A temporary injunction allows abortion providers to give medication abortions to patients at the early stages of pregnancy for the next two weeks.

And the bill was signed into law on Thursday. The judge's order comes after several groups, including the ACLU sued for clarification, calling the law vague and unconstitutional.

WALKER: Walgreens' planning to close 150 stores across the U.S. and 300 additional locations in the U.K. by the end of 2024.

CFO James Kehoe, said the closures are part of cost cutting efforts. The pharmacy chain reported lower earnings compared to the same quarter last year and falling share prices.

They're also facing lower consumer spending and a big drop in demand for COVID vaccines.

And from COVID-19 to the death of George Floyd and the presidential election 2020 was the year that change everything. Go inside those memorable 12 months on a new episode of the CNN original series, "THE 2010S", tomorrow night, at 9:00 Eastern on CNN.

[07:55:08]

Here is a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY PETERS, REPORTER, THE NEW YORK TIMES: Trump didn't see this as a crisis to pull the country through. He saw personal attacks on himself. And that's how a national awakening on racial injustice. That's how a pandemic becomes a personal attack on Donald Trump.

HASAN JEFFRIES, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF HISTORY, OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY: It also signaled what he was willing to do to shore up his power. It was a precursor to the things that he would be willing to do when he loses the election.

TRUMP: This election will decide whether we will defend the American way of life or whether we will allow a radical movement to completely dismantle and destroy.

(END VIDEOTAPE) WALKER: Make sure to watch a new episode of the CNN original series, "THE 2010S", tomorrow night at 9:00 p.m., right here on CNN.

BLACKWELL: It's been a rough week for travelers. If you've been at the airport, I don't have to tell you this. But now, airports across the country are bracing for more travelers' record numbers as people head out for the holiday weekend.

We'll tell you what to expect if you are still trying to get to your destination.

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