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Trump Praises the Late, Great Hannibal Lecter at Rally; Trump Says He Got Indicted More than Al Capone; Cohen Takes the Stand Today; Rare DC Flyover Celebrates 85 Years of General Aviation. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired May 13, 2024 - 06:30   ET

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

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[06:32:33]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: They're emptying out their mental institutions into the United States.

"The Silence of the Lambs." Has anyone ever seen "The Silence of the Lambs"? The late great Hannibal Lecter is a wonderful man. He oftentimes would have a friend for dinner. Remember the last scene. Excuse me, I'm about to have a friend for dinner, as this poor doctor walked by. I'm about to have a friend for dinner, but Hannibal Lecter, congratulations, the last, great Hannibal Lector.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KASIE HUNT, CNN ANCHOR: But Hannibal is a wonderful man, apparently, according to the former president, Donald Trump, who was back on the campaign trail this weekend for a pretty large rally on the Jersey shore. He was saying that I guess to connect migrants with the infamous serial killer Hannibal Lecter. The fictional one. "Have you seen "The Silence of the Lambs" he wants to know.

President Biden was also - he was raising money at a private fundraiser in Seattle, and he said this about Trump. Quote, "something snapped in him. He is not only obsessed with losing in 2020, he's clearly unhinged."

The panel's back, joined by Stephen Constant (Ph).

OK, so, who's seen "The Slience of the Lambs"?

MATT GORMAN, FORMER SENOR ADVISER TO TIM SCOTT'S PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN: Yes.

ASHLEY ALLISON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I have not.

HUNT: You've never seen "The Silence of the Lambs"?

ELLIOT WILLIAMS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Oh, Ashley.

GORMAN: But he ruined the ending.

WILLIAMS: Yes, spoiler alert.

GORMAN: Yes.

WILLIAMS: You know -

ALLISON: It's OK. My mom didn't let me watch things like that when growing up.

WILLIAMS: Oh, snap. She went there.

HUNT: I wasn't allowed to watch it when it came out either. I have to say that.

GORMAN: It's not very gory. It's, again, that was - I thought it was more gore when I was going to watch it. It's less - more (INAUDIBLE).

ALLISON: I do know Clarice.

WILLIAMS: You know, as someone who, as Ashley knows, as someone who's know for making movie references that are far out of date myself, it's a 33-year-old film, and there are more up-to-date films about serial killers and psychopaths some - "Joker," 2019, there was - there was a whole body of material he could have drawn from here that he chose not to.

HUNT: Well, he's not a cannibal, right?

GORMAN: He's - yes, no, no, he's a bomber.

WILLIAMS: All right.

GORMAN: Like, he - the iPad choices. Like the movies from the latent '80s, early '90s. This is just like his cultural era, right?

ALLISON: Yes.

GORMAN: Like I guarantee you he's not -

WILLIAMS: Fair enough.

GORMAN: You know, watching the "Joker." This is - that his - he just golfs and watches like insights (ph).

WILLIAMS: American movie (ph) go (ph). I don't know. I'm just - I'm - work with me here, man. I just don't know.

GORMAN: Yes.

WILLIAMS: But, point taken. It's a -

HUNT: I just feel like the point was the eating of the other -

ALLISON: Person's body.

WILLIAMS: Oh.

ALLISON: I do know that. Like -

WILLIAMS: I thought - well - but this is -

HUNT: Like -

WILLIAMS: But this is problem -

HUNT: Have a friend for dinner, right, that's the pun.

WILLIAMS: I didn't - joking aside, I thought it was, they are letting people who are mentally ill into our country who are committing crimes, not necessarily cannibalism.

But this is - but this is the problem, he gets on - gets on a stage and makes these -

[06:35:04]

ALLISON: Yes.

WILLIAMS: Rambling, meandering statements that resonate with people who are there - certainly people were clapping and applauding - but - but it's hard to tell where he's going other than Mexicans are making America bad.

HUNT: Right. Well, I mean, and that is, of course, been a theme since he came down that golden escalator.

I mean Stephen Collinson, you're famous here for doing all of our kind of big picture looks at the world since this is something you do day in and day out. I mean what is the big picture of - for - you know, getting Donald Trump - this is - I guess it's like par for the course, basically?

STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Right. You know, Donald Trump likes tough guys, but that's taking it to extremes, I think. But I do think, having been to a lot of Trump rallies, he gets on a roll and it almost feels like he tries to test how far he can go. He knows everybody's watching. He knows people are going to be outraged. And this is part of his - his secret sauce to his supporters is that he can say absolutely anything and get away with it.

And I will say, when he was saying that, if you've have watched the people in the crowd, everyone would have had a smile on his face. That's the Trump - those people like and that's his attraction. So, there's some method in the madness perhaps.

HUNT: Yes, maybe. Well, and so we also - I mean speaking of - of exactly this, where the crowd gets fired up by something that typically, historically would have been considered to be inappropriate, here was Trump doing - this has become a recurring bit on the campaign trail where he talks about Al Capone. But let's remember this is as we are heading into this day of Michael Cohen, the president's former fixer, being on the stand in a New York courtroom.

Watch for Trump said again at this rally.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Al Capone was so mean that if you went to dinner with him and he didn't like you, you'd be dead the next morning. And I got indicted more than him on (EXPLETIVE DELETED).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: I mean, Matt Gorman, if you had told me that a Republican presidential candidate was going to be bringing out a crowd like that, like say that -

GORMAN: Yes.

HUNT: On the Jersey shore of all places.

GORMAN: Well, it's another movie references. It's "The Untouchables" from like the Al Capone movie or the dinner with Al Capone. Again, he - the boomer lives in the early '90s, late '80s movie era. But you're right. I mean, look, I feel like we have these conversations for the last ten years, ever since he came down the escalator, to your point, right?

HUNT: Yes.

GORMAN: Like he starts riffing. He - these things are, you know, entertaining above all else and you never know what he's going to say and that's kind of half the attraction for folks watching or - that's why we know have - everybody covered these live for the last eight years. And that's why people go.

HUNT: Yes.

Ashley, I mean, you want to -

WILLIAMS: You have the floor.

HUNT: You want a whack at this.

ALLISON: I'm - no.

HUNT: No.

ALLISON: I don't know. I mean I - yes, Donald Trump is an entertainer and maybe should have stayed in that column and I hope never gets out of that column and not a president. Like, I don't - I can't tell -

GORMAN: It's a little late for that.

ALLISON: I know. Right. Right. I mean -

HUNT: He was already the president, I will say. ALLISON: Go back and stay is my - was the key point of that sentence. But I can't tell if like someone was wrong with my earpiece, but I just kept hearing like beep, beep, beep. It's like, was he using that must profanity? Was it necessary?

HUNT: The crowd was chatting BS, BS and I guess we can't play that on morning television.

ALLISON: Chatting - oh, OK. But that's - yes, but I'm like, is that - is that - is that your guy, right? Like, is that the person - is that - is that America's guy? Is that America's president? Is that our future president? Is that who we want? And I hope the answer is no in November. But that's where we are with the Republican Party. He is the -

HUNT: Well, he's the presumptive Republican nominee, yes.

ALLISON: The presumptive nominee. And - and the thing that is crazy is that our last segment was that there are people falling over themselves to be his number two with that type of behavior.

GORMAN: He's winning. Like we had the New York poll came out today. He's up in five - five of six - six of seven swing states. I mean like there's no attachment here on the week. Again, we - I feel like we've had these conversations the last decade, but he's - but he's - it's catching something in the country. So, it's not like the guy is the presumptive nominee at 35 percent nationally.

WILLIMAS: Yes, just at what cost?

HUNT: Right.

WILLIAMS: And the question is, if Ronald Reagan - well, I'll speak as a Republican, I guess. If Ronald Reagan saw that, how would Ronald Reagan react to it? If, I don't know, Gerald Ford saw that, how would Ford react to it? And I just, you know, yes, he's winning, but what is the price the modern Republican Party is willing to pay for winning? And I just - that's a comment in the form of a question. I don't - I don't know if you want to speak for all Republicanism. But, I - but I - I really do wonder that when I watch something like where we can't play the sound of what's happening at this rally because of how offensive the languages is at it, driven by the standard bearer, the guy on the stage.

ALLISON: But, Elliot, I think the - the difference - the better question perhaps -

WILLIAMS: Yes.

ALLISON: It's a great question, but the better question is like, if you see that, what - what do you want?

GORMAN: Well -

ALLISON: It's - it's got to be better than just like he's the winner. It's like, what do we want as a leader in this moment? And I think that's what so many people have - I'm not a Republican, so that's not my guy, but like I want more for our country.

[06:40:02]

I want us to be in a race where the opponent is someone that like we don't have to bleep out their speeches because - and I want Americans to want more than that. And I guess I - it's not an - it's not an accusatory question, but it's like, what is it that people are seeing that is like invigorating them around this guy.

GORMAN: I mean I guess I'll throw the question kind of back at everybody else.

WILLIAMS: Sure. Sure.

GORMAN: It's lie - right. It's like then, if that's the way folks feel, than what does it say about the sitting president is losing to that, right? What does it even matter to the Democratic Party that they're looking at that then and saying, I want that guy and not that guy. I mean, I guess it's - it's a broader conversation.

WILLIAMS: Yes. Yes.

ALLISON: Yes. Fair.

COLLINSON: Well, you know, the point here is it's not Ronald Reagan's Republican Party anymore or Gerald Ford's Republican Party. There's been a complete change in the parties. It's a party now of working Americans, of revolt, of insurgency. And that - your question shows how much has changed.

WILLIAMS: Sure.

COLLINSON: And that tells, as a country - something about the country as well. The country is not the same as it used to be. And Trump is part of that. He didn't start it. He harnessed it. And he's pushing it forward.

WILLIAMS: OK.

HUNT: Possibly.

WILLIAMS: Many - Ronald Reagan, 30 year old - another 30 year old reference, wasn't the right one. What would Marco Rubio of six years ago say about that, what he saw there? What would frankly any of the mainstream of the party that's not Mitt Romney, who was here and alive and active in the political process but five or six years ago, say when they saw that? And they've just sort of, you know, I guess to your - to Steve - to Steve's point, everybody's sort of been pulled in the direction of chanting BS at rallies.

It's a fair question as to, well, how is this still beating the president, right? And maybe it's a question about the current president. But still it's really remarkable what's happened to the part, just as an outsider watching it.

HUNT: All right. Well, no shortage of things to talk about for this election year.

Coming up next, more on what to expect in Donald Trump's hush money trial today. We're going to hear from star witness Michael Cohen.

Plus, nearly 60 planes buzzing above the country's most restricted airspace in a historic flyover. Our Pete Muntean, our aviation correspondent was there. He was flying in the skies. He'll join us, ahead.

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PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Man, this is so awesome and surreal.

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[06:46:33]

HUNT: All right, this morning, the prosecution's star witness, Michael Cohen, is set to testify in Donald Trump's hush money trial in New York. Cohen is, of course, Trump's ex-attorney and x fixer, who once said he'd take a bullet for his former boss. Prosecutors hope he can directly connect Trump to the $130,000 payment to former adult film star Stormy Daniels. She is at the center of this case. The judge had to warn Cohen on Friday to stop trolling Trump online. Something he has been doing quite a bit of. Just like Trump, these are - this is from his TikTok show, for months.

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MICHAEL COHEN, FORMER TRUMP ATTORNEY: Not a good day for Donald in New York. Good day for New Yorkers and good day for justice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: All right, our panel is back.

So, in fact, let's - let's do this from your story, Stephen. You wrote recently, Cohen's appearance on the stand, quote, "will mark the zenith of a bitter personal feud between two brash New Yorkers who are obsessed" - we could keep going - "with betrayal and revenge."

You also said that Cohen is Trump's mirror in many ways. What did you mean?

COLLINSON: These two characters who very much reflect each other. Cohen wrote in his book that he became like Trump so that he could work for Trump, so that he could serve Trump. He said that he became a liar, a bully, and the thug. Pertinent to this case, especially in the prosecution case, he also said that he knew where the skeletons were buried because he buried them himself.

So, he is kind of Trump's alter-ego.

HUNT: Right.

COLLINSON: And, you know, it's kind of ironic that he's being told to stop trolling people online. That is Trump's, you know, modus operandi.

So, what I'm interested to see is, how much the prosecutors can get out of Cohen as to what he actually did, what Trump told him to do, while at the same time mitigating this bad side of his character, if you like, that the defense is going to narrow into and say, this was someone who was obsessed with Trump because he didn't get what he wanted, a good job in the administration, he's therefore got an axe to grind and he's not credible.

And they only have to write - you know, sew doubt in the mind of one juror and this is over. So, I think a lot of it is going to depend on whether Cohen is that Trump-like figure on the stand or he's more sober and temperate.

HUNT: Yes, so I interviewed Michael Cohen in 2022. This was - and I asked him about whether he had spoken to the Manhattan DA's office. This was in the context of a different case. But, bottom line, same problem, Michael Cohen's credibility.

Here's what he told me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: Did you ever talk to them about your credibility? Did they ever talk to you about your credibility?

MICHAEL COHEN, FORMER TRUMP ATTORNEY: Absolutely.

I spoke with ten different law enforcement agencies. What I did - and you will probably remember this at the House Oversight, I brought in documentary evidence. I didn't want anyone to question my credibility. You know, this is something that irritates me, right, because Donald Trump is the one who labeled me a convicted liar.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: So, in fairness, he was labeled a convicted liar, Elliot, in the courts and went to prison. But that's - I mean that's his - his attempt to try to say I am - I am credible. I - what - how - how do you expect that to play out today as we start to see him on the stand? Is the prosecution - prosecution going to acknowledge they have a problem with his credibility?

WILLIMAS: Oh, they - the prosecution has to acknowledge that they have a witness with baggage.

[06:50:05]

And prosecutors often do this. It makes far more sense to get the witnesses' baggage out there yourself rather than leave it to the other side to do it. So, you can say, sir, tell me about your conviction for lying. Sir, tell me about your Twitter feed and all of the above so that it's not later on in the trial where the defendant out - for the first time the jury hears it pulls out the tweets and that - and the bad statements.

I think a challenge for the defense in responding to all of this is that a lot of these credibility things can actually backfire on the defense, sort of like Michael Cohen had said there, that he did so at the direction and sort of for the benefit of the former president.

Also, some of the statements he made are insulting the former president. So, does the defense really want on the record that this witness called him, as Stephen said, liar, bully, thug, and also on other occasions he calls him a con man, a cheat, and a racist.

Now, those all speak to the witnesses' credibility because they suggest the witness has a beef with the defendant. But do you want your client having those words said about him in court. So, the defense has a balance here too.

HUNT: Yes, it's really interesting.

Well, and I - I love this quote that you - just to repeat what Steve just said about Cohen, "I know where the skeletons are buried because I was the one who buried them," right. It's like there is something about as well someone that used to - you used to be close to turning on you in such a personal way.

GORMAN: Yes, it seems like for Trump, if he's like a boomer at heart, then Cohen's like a gen-z (INAUDIBLE), shut up, online, just over shares and gets himself in trouble. Like -

HUNT: Trump also has that tendency.

GORMAN: Yes, that's true too. That's true too.

HUNT: Yes.

GORMAN: But, no, I mean, you're right, right. And people, I mean, Kasie, look - we, you know, we covered Trump back dating to the Mitt Romney -

HUNT: Yes.

GORMAN: When he was nominated. Like, Cohen was always the - like at least for like Romney folks, you'd go through Cohen. Like, he was - he was ubiquitous.

HUNT: Oh, he was - he was everywhere.

GORMAN: Everywhere.

HUNT: That's how I got to know him. Like, I had known him for years before Trump got elected.

GORMAN: Yes, he - like CPAC stalwart Michael Cohen was always like roaming the halls, right? Like, you know? So it's - you're right, like, he does know a lot. And, you know, so I think one of the things too - and, Elliot, correct me if I'm wrong, but Todd Blanche has been kind of hanging back a little bit from some of the cross-examination. They're kind of saving - he was like Trump's main lawyer. And maybe the idea is they really sent him only after Cohen.

WILLIAMS: Perhaps. They don't have to do a ton with him on cross. And it's important to know that sometimes the questions you don't ask are far more valuable. Because of the fact that the witnesses' credibility issues will be front and center, you're not going to gain a ton by banging your shoe on the table one screaming at him. Just get the information out there. And then in closing statements say, ladies and gentlemen of the court, you just saw a star witness who is himself a liar, a cheat, a fraud, a convicted felon, who wrote a book called "Revenge" about the defendant. And I think that alone, far more than screaming at him, is going to be valuable for the jury.

ALLISON: You know, the one thing I do wonder is want Trump is going to say at the end of court today because he is not allowed to go after Cohen because of the gag order.

HUNT: True.

ALLISON: And today, tomorrow, however long he's on the stand, if he starts to dig up some of these skeletons that he references in his book, will Donald Trump be able to restrain himself? That's the question that I really have at the end of the day.

HUNT: Yes, for sure.

And, I mean, look, we should note, Cohen was admonished by -

WILLIAMS: Yes.

HUNT: The prosecutors were told, hey, tell Cohen -

GORMAN: Yes.

HUNT: Stop doing this.

ALLISON: Reel it in.

HUNT: Right. On Friday in court.

All right. Stephen Collinson, thanks very much for being here. Always great to have you.

All right, it is 53 minutes past the hour. Now, here is your morning roundup.

Today, authorities will attempt to demolish a portion of Baltimore's Key Bridge. The official plan to use small explosives to make cuts in the collapsed structure in order to free the container ship that collided with the bridge in March.

Also today, jury selection set to begin in Senator Bob Menendez's trial. The New Jersey Democrat is accused of accepting gold bars, cash, and luxury goods in exchange for using his position to help foreign governments and American businessman.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Any thoughts about the trial as we head into next week?

SEN. BOB MENENDEZ (D-NJ): I'm looking forward to proving my innocence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: Menendez has denied the allegations.

Actor Steve Buscemi is OK after being punched in the face in what his publicist called a random act of violence in New York City. The NYPD is asking for public assistance in identifying this man, who they say they have identified as the suspect.

A tense moment in Australia as a small plane approaches the runway without its landing gear. The pilot pulls off what my script says is a textbook belly landing. I don't know what's textbook about that, but I'll take it, I guess. The craft circle the airport for hours to burn fuel before attempting the landing and all three people aboard walked away without injuries.

[06:55:04]

Man, they are lucky.

Pete Muntean, we're going to talk about your flight in a second, but like how hard is that?

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: That looked pretty good to me. I think textbook is actually the right way to describe it. That was actually pretty nicely done.

HUNT: Is it in the textbooks when you learn how to fly a plane?

MUNTEAN: Well, you know, it's in the pilots operating handbook and you go through it and try and do it just so. That one's pretty good.

HUNT: Yes.

MUNTEAN: I've seen some pretty good ones. This is up there. Maybe in the top five.

HUNT: OK. I mean those people are very, very lucky that -

MUNTEAN: No doubt.

HUNT: Whoever it was flying that plane was able to pull that off.

MUNTEAN: Yes.

HUNT: All right, we brought Pete here for this. Watch.

(VIDEO CLIP) HUNT: Rare sight at this weekend's D.C. - on the D.C. National Mall. So, usually this airspace is some of the country's absolute most restricted. But this weekend, nearly 60 aircraft filled the skies above our nation's capital. This was to celebrate 85 years of general aviation. And this public parade features an array of non-military aircraft. We do sometimes see military aircraft flying over. It included vintage planes that dated back to the 1930s. And one of those planes that was up in the sky belong to our Pete Muntean and his single engine super decathlon. There he is in there. He was soaking up the views.

Pete's here.

Pete, this is amazing. What did you get to see this weekend?

MUNTEAN: It was so cool. And I think you described it in the teases as this parade of planes. And that is so accurate. You know, I've been able to fly over cities big and small, New York, Chicago, LA. I was able to fly over DC once before during a practice flight for this, which is very scaled down. Nobody really knew we were coming. This time, all 55 planes.

And the buzz was really kind of electric. You know, I could see the crowds. I could see my friends down there. I could see the cameras.

HUNT: Yes.

MUNTEAN: And the highlight for me was the broadcast that I was able to do from the cockpit. There was a livestream by the Aircraft Owners Pilots Association. And I was talking with aviation journalist Tom Haynes (ph) here and also a name who may be familiar to longtime CNN viewers, Miles O'Brien.

HUNT: Oh, hey.

MUNTEAN: And I want you to listen to this now. This was real hoot.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, Pete. Loud and clear here. How goes it there?

MUNTEAN: Man, this is so awesome and surreal. I'm looking right at the Air and Space Museum, where I would go with my late parents who instilled a love of flying in me. They followed through. I see a lot of young people down there. And for the young at heart, it is never too late to learn to fly. Come and join us. General aviation is the coolest thing. The ultimate freedom. We have it so good here in the United States of America, and we're so thrilled to be able to share it with you all on the ground.

MILES O'BRIEN: Pete Muntean, you are a (INAUDIBLE) aviation in many respects all over the world. And you've got from a practice what you preach.

MUNTEAN: Thank you, Miles O'Brien, my mentor and pseudo dad and uncle. It is so cool to be able to talk to you on the radio. And you can see me right here in this smoke of Phillips Steinbach (ph). And we are passing - we're right a beam the Hirshhorn (ph) right now and here comes the right turn. We'll see you guys later.

O'BRIEN: All right, I'm getting ready to see Pete. Have a safe flight.

MUNTEAN: Later.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MUNTEAN: It is a little hard to see the monuments there, but we went essentially right over the Lincoln Memorial, down -

HUNT: Yes, we saw the Washington Monument pretty clearly.

MUNTEAN: Yes, down by the reflecting pool. The Washington Monument was very close out my left window. And then we were - we're dead center on Independence Avenue, right to the Hirshhorn (ph) and turn right.

The cool thing about this was, I really sort of like felt the -- the crowd was with me in the airplane. And aviation has become, I think, so mundane and anxiety producing for so many people. They know the airlines. They know the stress of it. This was really to bring the joy and fun of aviation to the people. And aviation really needs people right now. You know, there's this shortage of pilots. There's a shortage of air traffic controllers. There's a shortage of mechanics. Every level, from professional to the trades, we need people right now. There's never been a better time to get involved.

HUNT: Yes. Well, and sounds like Ashley wants to -

ALLISON: Sign me up.

HUNT: Get up there.

ALLISON: I was like, I don't - I don't need another hobby, but I definitely - this - learning how to fly an airplane has always been on my bucket list. So, if you are looking for a student, I'm here.

MUNTEAN: Anytime. Kasie has been talking about it for a long time.

HUNT: I'm already in line.

ALLISON: I'll be your people. I'll be your people. Teach me, Pete. Teach me.

MUNTEAN: Any time.

HUNT: I'm already in line for sure.

So, I mean, Pete, this - to your point about how, you know, aviation really is in kind of a tough spot. I mean the news that has come out about Boeing. Like all these - I mean normally when I see you on the air it's always covering something - thankfully they've mostly been near misses, right?

MUNTEAN: Yes, that's true. Yes. HUNT: But, I mean, why do you think we are - we are where we are and how do we bring this spirit back a little bit?

MUNTEAN: You know, I think aviation has become kind of unromantic. And I think people see it as very formulaic and it's so fenced off. And the cool thing about general aviation, which this is, which is all non-commercial and non-military flying, is that it's aviation for everyone. It's the most accessible form of aviation. These are airports that are in your backyard. They almost all have a flight school. I would encourage anyone to go out and take a flying lesson.

For a lot of people who were involved in this, aviation is also a vocation. They sell airplanes. They work on them. You don't have to be a professional to fly like one. For me it's a family tradition.

HUNT: Yes.

MUNTEAN: And the big thing here is that I was able to sort of honor my parents. And so it's so fitting that this was on the day before Mother's Day.

HUNT: There they are.

[07:00:00]

MUNTEAN: There's my mom and dad. I lost my dad when I was young. My mom died in a plane crash when I was 18. And I really try and carry their spirit and honor with me when I fly.

The big thing for me is continuing the crusade of my mom because she really wanted to get more women and people of color involved in aviation. And there is a really disproportionate lack of representation in aviation. It's primarily white men.

HUNT: Yes.

MUNTEAN: And so we need to fix that. And so the hope is that we can sort of bring this and inspire kids and inspired people who are older too. You know, it is, like I said in my broadcast rom the cockpit, never too late. You need to go flying with me.

HUNT: I am - I can't wait.

MUNTEAN: Yes.

HUNT: You've got to teach me.

MUNTEAN: OK.

HUNT: All right. Thank you, Pete. I really appreciate it.

MUNTEAN: Any time.

HUNT: Thanks to our panel for being here.

Thanks to all of you for watching. I'm Kasie Hunt.

CNN NEWS CENTRAL start right now.

[07:00:00]