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Border Security Bill Fails For Second Time In Senate; Red Cross: 100-Plus Feared Dead After Landslide In Papua New Guinea; Garland Refutes False Claim FBI Was "Authorized To Shoot" Trump. Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired May 24, 2024 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[05:31:00]
JESSICA DEAN, CNN ANCHOR: Five-thirty a.m. here in Washington. You are looking live at Capitol Hill. Good morning, everyone. I'm Jessica Dean. I'm in for Kasie Hunt today and it is great to be with you.
Another attempt to pass a sweeping bipartisan border security bill failing to advance in the Senate yesterday. Democrats brought that measure back up after an unsuccessful attempt earlier this year. This move designed to underscore GOP resistance to the measure and attempt to shift the narrative on border security, but the bill also exposed divides among some Democrats as some came out against it as well. Still, Senate Dems saying they plan to use the vote to target Republicans in November.
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MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The vote today is all about protecting you. What do you say to that?
SEN. JON TESTER (D-MT): About politics?
RAJU: Yeah. They --
TESTER: Do they -- do they forget who told them to vote against a perfectly good border security bill that would have secured the border for political reasons? Really?
SEN. GARY PETERS (D-MI): Well, it just confirms that their trying to put the authorities necessary to secure the border more effectively, and Republicans are unwilling to do it. So I think you have to look at Republicans basically being very hypocritical and are hypocrites.
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DEAN: Joining me to discuss, Juliegrace Brufke, Capitol Hill reporter for Axios. Good morning to you.
JULIEGRACE BRUFKE, CAPITAL HILL REPORTER, AXIOS: Good morning.
DEAN: Thanks for coming in early this morning. So you've been covering this. This is now the second time they've tried to vote. This is the standalone on the standalone legislation.
Did it work -- what the Democrats were trying to achieve?
BRUFKE: It's going to be a difficult thing for Republicans to kind of navigate moving forward. The first time around obviously Trump came out and some Republicans that were kind of leaning toward voting for it -- for it the first time around ended up flipping. And we're hearing a lot of Democrats saying the only reason that they're voting against it now is because of Donald Trump. And I think only Sen. Murkowski is the only Republican that voted for it.
So, I mean, generally, polling has showed Republicans have been -- Americans trust them more with the border. But I think they're really kind of -- Democrats are kind of looking to seize on the issue and flip that narrative there.
DEAN: Right -- and give some cover to their candidates and also to the president to reclaim that issue.
It was interesting to see Kyrsten Sinema, one of the architects of the legislation, voting against it. She called it, essentially, a political stunt, political theater -- whatever you want to say.
Let's listen to Thom Tillis from yesterday.
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SEN. THOM TILLIS (R-NC): It's a total political stunt, you know? Look, I mean, here's -- if it was a serious attempt to get the bill passed do you think that he would have at least gone to the person who expended the time, the energy, and the political capital on the Republican side to get it done, James Lankford? James heard about it when we all did. That is the best testament to the fact that it's a political stunt.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: And he's talking there about James Lankford, the Republican architect of that bill.
And just to, like, bring everybody back up to speed, just a little refresher. Lankford, Sinema, Chris Murphy got together. It was really the most stringent legislation we've seen on border security. And Republicans really killed it, essentially, after the former president said he didn't want it. He wanted it as a campaign issue.
So watching this all unfurl, we see a lot of political moves on Capitol Hill. Did this feel -- do you agree that, like, with Tillis, how did it play on the Hill yesterday?
BRUFKE: Listen, I mean, Republicans are obviously not thrilled that this came up again.
DEAN: Um-hum. BRUFKE: I mean, the first time the vote came up we heard members of leadership saying it was the most conservative bill they could get, even if Republicans controlled both chambers. So, I mean, I think they see it as a little bit of a problem there. But, I mean, since it failed the first time, I think --
DEAN: Yeah.
BRUFKE: -- the narrative that it was a political stunt -- I can see how they're kind of seizing on that since --
DEAN: Right, right. And it's kind of --
BRUFKE: They're trying --
DEAN: Yeah, obvious.
BRUFKE: They're trying to ramp up pressure on the administration, arguing that Biden's got the power to use executive action to fix all of this. So I think they're kind of going to continue to press that narrative and say that he un-winded the Trump regulations that were in place there to try and stop things down at the border.
But, I mean, it's going to be interesting to kind of see how they navigate that moving forward because I'm sure there's going to be a lot of attack ads kind of released on them as election season heats up.
[05:35:04]
DEAN: Absolutely.
Let's talk about this ongoing issue with Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito and the flags. There was the upside-down flag at his home. Now there's the beach home flag. And we're seeing Republican senators and hearing from them really supporting him and reacting to this.
Here's kind of a consortium of all of that.
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SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R-TX): I just think Democrats are determined to harass members of the Supreme Court. Obviously, they don't like Justice Alito or the decisions he makes, and this is just part of a longstanding harassment of the courts.
SEN. SHELDON WHITEHOUSE (D-RI): I think the question is how many MAGA battle flags does a Supreme Court justice have to fly until the rest of the court takes it seriously?
RAJU: Should he recuse? Should he recuse?
WHITEHOUSE: Absolutely.
RAJU: Should Alito rule on these cases impartially -- these January 6 cases impartially, in your view? SEN. BILL CASSIDY (R-LA): Yes. There's a question of law.
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DEAN: Juliegrace, we asked the senators a lot to react to things that the Supreme Court justices are doing or saying, or whatever the case may be, but there's yet to really be an appetite -- a big appetite for any sort of major oversight of the Supreme Court.
Do you -- do you -- what's the latest on all of that?
BRUFKE: I mean, I feel like Democrats would really like to see --
DEAN: Right.
BRUFKE: -- a lot more of that. And, I mean, I've talked to Republicans who are arguing that despite being a public figure and the optics being bad there that you can't necessarily take responsibility for what members of the Supreme Court or other public officials in the political realm -- what their family members are doing. So I feel like that's kind of been a big talking point there.
DEAN: Yeah.
BRUFKE: So, oversight -- I think that's going to be something we continue to see Dems push for and recusal from some of these January 6 cases. But, I mean, I've talked to a number of Republicans who are, like, these optics are not great. It's not something I would have done. But I think you probably won't see any calls for him recusing himself on those cases.
DEAN: Right. That seems to kind of be the consensus from Republicans -- exactly what you just underscored. That maybe they wouldn't have done it and they don't like the tone of it, but let's all move on kind of thing.
BRUFKE: Yeah. That seems -- kind of seems to be the theme -- yeah. I mean, some Republicans -- I mean, they're like there was a similar flag outside Mike Johnson's office and there's been some pushback on him on that front. And I think it could be a bigger issue and kind of something to look out for. Democrats are going to kind of look to keep pointing out with GOP officials.
DEAN: Right.
All right, Juliegrace Brufke. Thanks so much. Good to see you this morning.
Developing right now, more than 100 people feared dead after a landslide hit a remote area in Papua New Guinea. Rescue efforts are slow-going. That's according to the Red Cross. The landslide burying a main highway leading to the community.
And CNN's Anna Coren is following this for us. Anna, what more are you learning? ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Jessica. Emergency crews in Pangaea trying to access this remote village in Enga Province. It's in the north of the country where more than 100 people are expected to have died.
The landslide happened around 3:00 a.m. this morning in Kaokalam Village. It's situated in the Highlands. And it was hit by this enormous landslide, flattening houses. One eyewitness said that the entire village was gone.
And look, the pictures on social media -- really, they show villagers trying to find any survivors in this earth and rubble. But the reality is this is now a recovery operation. Large boulders, tree trunks, collapsed buildings scattering the earth. And residents say the debris is making it really hard to find the bodies.
The highway, as you say, has been cut off, making it inaccessible for rescue workers to get to the scene. And a Red Cross official, Jessica, told us that a recent earthquake and heavy rainfall in the area may have been responsible for triggering this deadly landslide.
We've heard from the prime minister of Papua New Guinea, James Marape. He issued a statement. Let me read it to you.
He said, "We are sending in disaster officials, PNG Defense Force, and the Department of Work & Highways to meet provincial and district officials in Enga and also start relief work, recovery of bodies, and reconstruction of infrastructure. I extend my heartfelt condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the landslide disaster."
Jessica, the scale of this disaster is enormous. They're talking about the size of three to four football fields and many fear that the death toll will rise.
DEAN: All right, Anna Coren for us with the latest reporting. Thank you very much for that.
Meantime, rising tensions off the coast of Taiwan as China launches a second day of largescale military drills around that island. The Chinese military calling the maneuvers "punishment drills," claiming it is testing its ability to seize power and occupy key areas. And it comes just days after the self-ruling island swore in a new president who calls these drills intimidation tactics.
[05:40:10]
CNN's Will Ripley joins us now from Taipei. Will, what more can you tell us?
WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Jessica.
Yeah, these drills are essentially designed to intimidate Taiwan, with Beijing claiming that they are a test of their power seizure capabilities - essentially, simulating an attack -- an occupation of Taiwan. We have seen warships. We've seen bombers with live missiles
encircling this island for the second day now. You're talking about a large number of aircraft -- not the largest we've ever seen, but dozens of aircraft. And dozens of ships in the seas around Taiwan as well.
These are exercises that Beijing is blaming on what they consider provocative language from the president of Taiwan earlier this week in his inauguration speech.
But I was out here in the Taiwanese capital speaking with protesters outside of Parliament who say it's not their president who is the problem but opposition lawmakers who are seen as friendly to China. And they accuse those lawmakers of trying to trade Taiwan's freedoms for better economic benefits from Beijing.
One of the protesters I met actually flew all the way here from California. He's lived in the U.S. for 40 years and was born in Taiwan. Here's what he's saying.
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RIPLEY: Why did you come all the way here?
LI HONG-CHENG, PROTESTER: Because I support democracy. I believe democracy is -- it's a freedom that people should exercise. And freedom come with very, very hard price.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIPLEY: A lot of the people out here in Taipei, Jessica, telling me that Taiwan has fought hard to build its democratic system and these drills just solidify their resolve to defend it.
DEAN: All right, Will Ripley for us with the latest reporting. Thank you very much for that.
Up next, the attorney general responds to Donald Trump's claim the FBI was authorized to shoot him during their search of Mar-a-Lago.
Plus, the Pacers lose their star in game two to the Celtics. The Bleacher Report up next.
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[05:46:32]
DEAN: Attorney General Merrick Garland forcefully denying a shocking claim from the Trump campaign that the FBI was authorized to shoot the former president during their 2022 search of Mar-a-Lago. Garland was asked about this fundraising email from the Trump campaign that claimed FBI agents were "itching to do the unthinkable."
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MERRICK GARLAND, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: OK. On that one, that allegation is false and it is extremely dangerous. The document that is being referred to in the allegation is the Justice Department's standard policy limiting the use of force. As the FBI advises, it is part of the standard operations plan for searches and, in fact, it was even used in the consensual search of President Biden's home.
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DEAN: And joining us now to discuss, former U.S. attorney Michael Moore. Michael, great to have you with us this morning.
We were just talking in the break.
MICHAEL MOORE, CNN LEGAL ANALYST, PARTNER, MOORE HALL IN ATLANTA, FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY: Um-hum.
DEAN: Just so people understand, what was in this document? It's pretty standard fare.
MOORE: Yeah. The document -- and I'm glad to be with you again.
DEAN: Yeah.
MOORE: The document itself really just lays out some parameters that is standard in federal search warrants. That it sort of gives the agents and officers an indication of what they can and can't do. It's not something that was designed for them to go specifically into Mar- a-Lago. There was nothing here that was nefarious or untoward, or certainly not some effort to do physical harm to the former president or anybody there.
And the federal authorities are known, frankly, for sort of having a plan -- a detailed plan laying out options and contingencies and then layering, again, contingencies on contingency plan.
DEAN: It's like a plan for a plan for a plan.
MOORE: Absolutely, right, right.
DEAN: But you would not go into any home --
MOORE: Um-hum.
DEAN: -- without some sort of plan.
MOORE: And certainly not here.
DEAN: Right.
MOORE: Right. I mean, so this was a unique situation where you do have a former president's home. They knew that he was gone. But they still are operating to try to treat this so that it doesn't look like he's receiving special treatment or that he's receiving treatment that is targeted at him specifically as a former president. So there was nothing in here.
And the problem is -- and I think the attorney general is correct. The problem is that this type of language and this type of discussion by the former president and his people is extraordinarily dangerous. And the reason is it sort of okays for extremists to maybe react now in the face of a legitimate law enforcement activity.
So let's say that you're -- you follow the former president. You think that you -- you know, he's directing this, and you think now he's told you that these people are bad and that they're out to kill you. And they actually come to your home for a search warrant and then you overreact. That creates conflict.
There's nothing in what he says that has any foundation in truth that they were there to do him any harm or there was some effort to shoot him or assassinate him --
DEAN: Right.
MOORE: -- or things like that.
DEAN: But that is -- the concern here is -- the underlying concern is that there is something nefarious going on. That it can give someone a greenlight to react to something that's very normal.
MOORE: That's absolutely -- that's absolutely the fear and it's well- founded.
DEAN: Um-hum.
MOORE: I mean, we've seen sort of them -- you know, we can go back to -- we've been talking about the use of words --
DEAN: Um-hum.
MOORE: -- and whether or not they can incite people to do things on January 6.
DEAN: Um-hum.
MOORE: And we talk about this all the time.
[05:50:00]
And so, his language is almost giving a greenlight to those who want to be combative in the face of a legitimate law enforcement activity, and that's dangerous to the men and women that are out there --
DEAN: Yeah.
MOORE: -- doing their law enforcement functions. So that's something to fear and I think it's -- I hate to see it in this type of setting because it sort of demeans the good work they do.
And again, he was not getting special treatment. He wasn't getting treatment that was aimed to harm him. It was just --
DEAN: It's a real fine line, isn't it? MOORE: Yeah, yeah, right. Because you don't -- you -- the -- his argument is well, I'm being mistreated by the courts. They're singling me out. Well, you can't single him out, right? He's a -- he's a defendant.
He's saying here I've been mistreated by the federal people coming to my -- he's not been mistreated. This is something that would be standard practice, standard policy, standard language that tells and removes the doubt for law enforcement officers when they're in the middle of an activity. They can already know what their parameters are without having to guess, I guess, and pause and risk harm by having some uncertainty there.
So this -- it -- I totally agree that I think that his language is over the top and dangerous to the men and women who are serving every day.
DEAN: Yeah.
All right, Michael Moore. Always good to see you.
MOORE: It's great seeing you.
DEAN: Thanks so much for coming in.
Turning to sports now, the Celtics are halfway to the NBA Finals after routing the Pacers in game two.
Andy Scholes has this morning's Bleacher Report. Good morning.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yeah, good morning, Jessica.
So, the Celtics -- they have finally won a game two. They had lost in the previous two rounds in game two to the Heat and the Cavs, but they came ready last night.
Boston trailing in the first, but then they went on a big 20-0 run in that second quarter. And Jaylen Brown scoring 10 points in that span. He would match his playoff career high of 40 in this one. And after that run, the Celtics -- they would never trail in this game.
Bad news, though, for the Pacers. Their star, Tyrese Haliburton -- he left this game in the third quarter with an injury -- a hamstring. The team says they're going to know more about his status later today.
The Celtics win big 126-110 and take a 2-0 lead in the series.
And here was Brown on his big performance coming just days after being left off the All-NBA team.
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JAYLEN BROWN, GUARD, BOSTON CELTICS: I watch guys get praised and anointed who I feel like are half as talented as me on either side of the ball. But at this point in my life I just embrace it. It comes with being who I am and what I stand for and I ain't really changing that. We're two games from the finals so honestly, I don't have the time to give a (bleep).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: All right. Game two of the Western Conference Finals takes center stage tonight with the Mavs looking to go up 2-0 on the Timberwolves. Tipoff set for 8:30 Eastern on our sister channel TNT.
And busy nights for Dallas sports fans these days as the Stars are also in the Western Conference Finals. Game one against the Oilers, a classic. Down 2-1 late in the third, Tyler Seguin scores to tie the game with just over three minutes left. We would go to overtime. Dallas on the power play. Jason Robertson's shot -- look at this -- goes off the post. All the fans thought they had won. They just couldn't believe it.
Later, in OT, Connor McDavid, a great chance to end it. But Jake Oettinger -- the save here. We would go to double overtime. With just 32 seconds into double OT, McDavid would get redemption, scoring there to end the game.
Oilers win 3-2 to take game one. The Stars have now lost seven straight game ones.
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CONNOR MCDAVID, CAPTAIN, EDMONTON OILERS: You've got to win 10 games, you know. We're down to the final four teams and you don't get to the final four without being a great team. So all four teams are solid. Dallas is a great team and it's going to be tight hockey.
PETER DEBOER, HEAD COACH, DALLAS STARS: I mean, in a perfect world, we'd like to win game one. You know, we'd like to win every series for us, right, too. It just doesn't happen. I think the main thing is you've got to find a way to survive and move on.
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SCHOLES: All right. The NCAA and the Power 5 Conferences, meanwhile, have approved a landmark deal that paves the way for schools to pay student-athletes for the first time ever. The nearly $2.8 billion settlement of a class action antitrust lawsuit calls for paying damages to thousands of former and current college athletes who say old NCAA rules prevented them from earning endorsement money.
It also calls for a plan that would set aside up to $20 million yearly for each school to pay athletes.
All division one athletes dating back to 2016 stand to earn from the settlement, but as a part of the agreement they have to agree to not be a part of any further lawsuits. The deal still must be approved by the federal judge overseeing the case.
All right. And the U.S. Women's National Team continuing to prepare for the Paris Games and their new head coach, Emma Hayes, is now in charge. Hayes takes over after leading Chelsea to a fifth-straight women's Super League title. And yesterday -- well, she sat down with CNN's Carolyn Manno to talk
about what U.S. fans can expect as the Hayes era officially kicks off.
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EMMA HAYES, COACH, U.S. WOMEN'S NATIONAL TEAM: I think my job is to take the team to another level -- particularly, tactically -- to make sure we can compete with teams that are performing on the top stages in the world -- particularly, the world champions, the European champions, England. But I have no doubt it will be an amazing Olympics with a lot of top teams. We have to be our best. But if we follow the steps, we focus on the right things in our performance, I know we can put forward a team that can compete.
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[05:55:20]
SCHOLES: Yeah. Hayes is going to make her debut June 1 against South Korea in an Olympic tune-up, Jessica. And the U.S. Women -- they're trying to win gold for the first time since 2012. Hard to believe it's been that long since the U.S. Women won gold at the Olympics. But it should be an exciting game. I'm looking forward to it for sure.
DEAN: Yeah, we'd love to see it.
All right, thanks so much, Andy.
SCHOLES: All right.
DEAN: Up next, Nikki Haley may be voting for Donald Trump, but President Biden is determined to convince her supporters to vote for him.
Plus, a surprise guest shows up at a White House state dinner, and we're not talking about Brad Paisley.
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BRAD PAISLEY, SINGER-SONGWRITER: Singing "American Saturday Night."
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