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Jamil Jaffer is Interviewed about Waltz; Vance Calls on Pakistan to Cooperate with India; Musk says DOGE is Long-Term Enterprise; Judge Rules on Alien Enemies Act Use; Trump Praises Whitmer. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired May 02, 2025 - 06:30   ET

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

[06:30:00]

AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR: Trial is set to begin Monday. He had pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including sex trafficking.

And a high court in England will soon rule on a major case involving Prince Harry. Since giving up his royal duties, the Duke of Sussex has received downgraded police protection when he is in Britain. He's appealing that decision. Harry argues that he's being singled out and that security concerns have affected his ability to visit the U.K.

Now back to our lead story today.

President Trump shaking up his national security team after the now infamous Signal group chat scandal. The president removed National Security Adviser Mike Waltz from that job and is now nominating Waltz to be U.N. ambassador. Secretary of State Marco Rubio would replace him for now. The White House is not saying that this is punishment for the Signal chat scandal, but some on Capitol Hill have linked it directly to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MARK KELLY (D-AZ): I think they're holding the wrong guy accountable. I think the, you know, the part that was most troubling to me about this was the information that was shared, not accidentally putting a journalist on there.

SEN. KEVIN CRAMER (R-ND): The real problem with it, of course, to your point, is the sharing of at least confidential, if not classified information on a - on an insecure platform.

I don't know that Mike Waltz is the last person to lose his job over it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: We're going to discuss this with former counsel to the assistant attorney general for national security, Jamil Jaffer.

Welcome to CNN THIS MORNING.

JAMIL JAFFER, FORMER COUNSEL TO THE ASSISTANT AG FOR NATIONAL SECURITY: Thanks for having me on.

CORNISH: Now we should note, you are familiar with these players, with - with Waltz and also, I believe, Alex Wong, who was his deputy. Do you think that this is a demotion? How is this move being seen?

JAFFER: Well, look, obviously being the U.N. ambassador is an important job. It's an important job in any administration. And this administration.

CORNISH: Even this one that doesn't believe in the U.N. really?

JAFFER: Well - well, maybe so because, you know, you're away in New York. You're able to sort of run your own book. You know, Nikki Haley did it successfully for a number of years during the first Trump administration. So, this actually might be a good post for Mike Waltz to get a little space away from the White House, all the chaos and all of what's going on down there.

So, I think it's a - it's, in some ways, a promotion for him because it benefits him being out of the chaos of D.C., you know, the sort of the treadmill of the Trump administration. At the same time, I think that, you know, I think people are going to view it as a demotion because it - you know, he wanted to be in that role. He wanted to be in the White House. The president had given him that confidence. And it appears, probably not because of Signal-gate, but more because of questions about alignment of policy and, you know, this whole Laura Loomer thing that we saw happen where a number of people were fired.

CORNISH: And we should say that - not to gloss over that - you had somebody who has the ear of the president come in and say, I don't think these people are loyal to you. Whatever else she introduced. But it ended up gutting the people kind of in his department.

JAFFER: And - and some of the key people who were leading some of the most important initiatives. You think about national security advisor. This is the person who helps the president run global policy. Now, the president's close to Steve Witkoff. He's been using him a lot for stuff that you typically use the national security advisor for, the secretary of state for. So, we'll see how this goes. Marco Rubio now playing four different jobs in the administration.

CORNISH: He does.

What's interesting here is that this job, national security adviser, you're supposed to resolve differences, right, between the Pentagon guys, the State Department, the intelligence agencies. It's a lot of moderating, mediating that you're supposed to be doing. How disruptive is this for our national security?

JAFFER: Look, I think it's very disruptive. I think this goes back to the chaos of the first Trump administration with the firing of his first national security adviser, all the turnover in the White House. We're seeing that start again. It's going to happen. It's sort of the nature of it. In a lot of ways, you know, this -

CORNISH: But it's not the nature of it, right? Like, isn't the argument that basically you want stability in these positions specifically? It's not like, I mean, no shade to the interior secretary, but like there are certain jobs where if there's a little bit of turnover, you're like, it's OK.

JAFFER: No, you're exactly right. In fact, you know, in terms of the former Trump administration, right, you think about sort of the chaos, the sort of - the "Hunger Games" esque nature of the White House where people - everyone's sort of stabbing everybody in the back and trying to - trying to get their edge. You see that happening here. You're - it's clear that - that people in the administration weren't fans of Mike Waltz. It appears he had a tussle with the vice president, J.D. Vance. That's, obviously, a problem.

And then you saw that Signal chat doing something very interesting. The person who comes in to say, here's what the president wants is not Mike Waltz, it's Stephen Miller. Stephen Miller, who really, you know, shouldn't be playing a role, he's the deputy chief of staff for policy. In theory, he has some role in this. He's a homeland security adviser. I mean he's another person with a lot of jobs, right? So, you see these players, Steve Witkoff, Stephen Miller, some people that are close to the president, and then outside influences, like Laura Loomer, you know, sailing in, getting people fired at the White House. This is not a traditional administration, to your point, and it's not typical and it's not good for national security. The chaos.

CORNISH: One more thing. The reports that Waltz was too sort of hawkish. Now that you have someone like Marco Rubio serving an interim role, do you think that there's a significant shift here, or is he really a placeholder?

[06:35:05]

JAFFER: Look, in a lot of ways Marco Rubio and Mike Waltz, similar on a lot of national security issues than other people in the administration who are much more isolationist, who think we ought to step back from the world, you know, the sort of lead from behind mentality of prior administrations. That's not the Mike Waltz and Marco Rubio view of the world. And so we'll see this internal fight within the Trump administration we're seeing sort of play out on national television.

CORNISH: All right, Jamil Jaffer, thank you. Always appreciate you coming on the show.

He's the former counsel to the assistant attorney general for national security.

All right, we're now going to talk about rising tensions between India and Pakistan. The U.S. is trying to help prevent an all-out war. Last week, a gunman killed 26 people, mainly tourists, in the area of Kashmir that India controls. And India is accusing Pakistan of being involved in the attack. Pakistan denies this.

Now, since then, there's been this back and forth of hostilities.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our hope here is that India responds to this terrorist attack in a way that doesn't lead to a broader regional conflict. And we hope, frankly, that Pakistan, to the extent that they're responsible, cooperates with India to make sure that the terrorists sometimes operating in their territory are hunted down and dealt with. That's how we hope this unfolds. We're, obviously, in close contact. We'll see what happens.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Nic Robertson is live in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan.

Good morning, Nic.

I just want to start with Secretary of State Rubio, Defense Hegseth, who have both been in contact with officials from both countries. Can you tell us what you've learned about discussions?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, it's broadly seen by Pakistani officials here that the U.S. is significantly trying to help, as it has done in the past. They're seen as being a fair interlocutor who's sending a - the similar message to India, that this is not a situation where they feel that the United States is favoring one side or the other. They see them as an honest, good broker in this who's trying to help. Obviously, you know, a few eyebrows raised at one of their interlocutors, Mike Waltz, who sort of dropped by the wayside, if you will. But the fact that Secretary of State, now national security advisor portfolio too, Marco Rubio was in conversation with the prime minister, it's all seen very positively here.

But the perspective from Pakistan at the moment is, the ball essentially, whether or not this escalates and how it moves forward, is in India's court. They feel here there's a very strong assessment that they believe India still could and intends to strike in Pakistan, perhaps in the next 72 hours. The question is where? If it's in the Pakistan controlled area of Kashmir, that's one thing. If it was in the main part of Pakistan, that would be an even greater significant escalation.

And tensions remain very, very high. Airspace here is being patrolled along the border and - in a very determined and careful way. Other air flights in the country are carefully restricted and controlled. So, this is a - this is a country that is hoping that diplomacy and the U.S. role in it, and the role of other countries in the region, others as well, can play a difference.

But at the moment, the sense here is that there is still a strike yet to come from India and to which Pakistan says 100 percent, if India strikes Pakistan, Pakistan will respond. Nobody should be in any - any doubt about that.

CORNISH: Nic Robertson, following developments in Pakistan, thank you.

Now, here in the U.S., the world's richest man doing some reflecting. Elon Musk is on a goodbye tour of sorts as he prepares to scale down his duties at DOGE. And this comes as Tesla is denying a report from "The Wall Street Journal" that said the company's board was looking to replace him. Musk says while he may be stepping away from DOGE, it could be here to stay.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELON MUSK, SENIOR TRUMP ADVISER: It's a long term enterprise because if we take our eye off the ball, the waste and fraud will come roaring back.

We're trying to have it be such that the - the funding is - is removed, so the grants are gone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Group chat is back.

OK, so, first let's just take on the legacy, so to speak. Musk is claiming $160 billion in estimated savings, obviously with a lot of cuts, but that is way less than was promised.

Rob, is it considered a success?

ROB BLUEY, PRESIDENT AND EXECUTIVE EDITOR, "THE DAILY SIGNAL": So far, yes, I would say. I mean, remember, DOGE's work isn't going to be completed until July 4th of 2026. We're only 100 days in. So, comparatively, when you go back decades and look at the failure of anyone, whether it be in the presidential administration or Congress, to reduce the size of government, you have to go back to, what, Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich, when they had a balanced budget, I'd say, yes, it's -

CORNISH: So, to you it was like a necessary fire starter.

BLUEY: Absolutely.

CORNISH: OK.

I want to talk about how Elon Musk thinks of himself.

[06:40:02]

This is from "The Washington Post." Asked who would lead it when he fades, he demurred, "is Buddha needed for Buddhism?" Was it not stronger after he passed away?"

LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, "NEW YORK TIMES" JOURNALIST AND PODCAST HOST: I - I just want to sit with that for a moment.

CORNISH: Yes, let's hold space for that.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Let's hold space for that. Beautiful. Beautiful.

Well, that aside, I think, in response to what you were saying, is it a success? If you consider slashing and burning the federal government with very little oversight and no sense of what comes after that, what is necessary or unnecessary, then perhaps it is a success. If you actually think that what was necessary is perhaps a scalpel and not a machete, or in his case, what was it that he was holding up?

CORNISH: The chainsaw.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: The chainsaw.

CORNISH: Yes.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Then - then perhaps not. I mean there is no question that what Elon Musk managed to do, no one thought he was going to be able to do. I remember talking about this before the administration came in, and - because -

CORNISH: You mean just the number, the target, or just the whole way?

GARCIA-NAVARRO: No, well, just - well, just that the - that, like, everyone had tried this, that his role, that he was going to get bogged down, that it was just never going to - you know, that all the sort of red tape of - and bureaucracy of the government wasn't actually going to be able to be cut. And - and of course he's managed to go through that.

But in the meantime, there are all these questions about what he actually has achieved, who he has put in there, what kind of, you know, control he now has over our information, data that is super sensitive. All of this stuff. There's no transparency. And it's deeply worrying to the American people. We've seen that over and over again.

CORNISH: Yes.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: He's not fading off into the sunset, I think because he wants to, he is deeply unpopular.

CORNISH: It's because it's taking the other businesses - right.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: And also - and also he's deeply unpopular. He's a political liability, except for die hard MAGA people.

CORNISH: You're talking about what he leaves behind. I do have to note that DOGE's most infamous staffer, known by the online moniker "big balls," revealed himself in an interview on Fox last night.

Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who's "big balls?"

EDWARD CORISTINE, DOGE STAFFER: It's me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What does "big balls" do?

CORISTINE: Right now I'm working on some (INAUDIBLE) computer stuff. So, one of our initiatives is to root out fraud and waste.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: So, here are the people who will be left behind.

KEVIN FREY, WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT, SPECTRUM NEWS NY1: Yes.

CORNISH: And I think this is significant because I don't think this is a chapter closing, right? Between the things you mentioned, surveillance. And I think if you're another president or waiting in the way of you're thinking about it, you're like, oh, I can create an agency out of whole cloth and have them, like, just kind of meddle around? I mean it's very enticing, the power that they have displayed in these last couple of weeks.

FREY: I would also say that I don't think Elon Musk is going away in the sense that he's going to be a boogeyman for the Democrats for the next year and a half.

CORNISH: Oh, yes, we're going to be hearing about him, yes.

FREY: I mean he is very easily identifiable by Democrats. They have made the economy, they have made the billionaires don't care about you really their mantra heading into next November. And whether or not you think that's a fair assessment, that's what they're arguing. And so having -

CORNISH: And because of who has said he is unpopular.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Yes.

CORNISH: Like his numbers are low.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: But that's not - that argument has worked.

CORNISH: Yes.

FREY: Yes. It's worked. And I guess the question is, if he does pull back a little bit, does the salience of that go away?

CORNISH: Yes.

FREY: That's kind of the outstanding question.

CORNISH: All right you guys, thanks for sticking with us. We've got more to discuss.

Now, next on CNN THIS MORNING, if you can't beat them, join them. Michigan's Democratic governor keeps finding herself in photo ops with President Trump. Is that a bad thing?

Plus, the future is now. Ahead, details on the semis now riding America's highways with no one behind the wheel.

More from the group chat after this.

BLUEY: That's terrifying (ph).

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:48:12]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The judge doesn't make that determination whether the Alien Enemies Act can be deployed. I think the president of the United States is the one who determines whether this country is being invaded.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Vice President J.D. Vance responding to news that a Trump appointed federal judge in Texas had ruled against the White House's use of the Alien Enemies Act. He also blocked the administration from quickly deporting some individuals who were accused of being part of a Venezuelan gang. The judge says President Trump overstepped his authority by invoking the law, which is intended to be used when the U.S. is at war. But Vance says the legal fight isn't over.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're aggressively appealing this stuff. We do think that the higher appeals courts, and in particular the Supreme Court, is going to recognize, immigration enforcement is a core function of the president of the United States. If you tell the president he's not allowed to deport illegal criminals, then you're telling the president he's not allowed to be the president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Joining me now is former federal prosecutor and CNN legal analyst Elliot Williams. And also my friend in all things legal, because we're going to talk about a bunch of things today.

ELLIOT WILLIAMS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Oh, yes.

CORNISH: What's interesting about this judge is, first of all, this ruling is just for the folks within his district. It's not for everyone who's dealing with this. But he basically is giving an official word on that question J.D. Vance was saying about what does it mean to be at war.

WILLIAMS: Yes.

CORNISH: And is this a scenario where you can apply this law?

WILLIAMS: And kudos to the producers for this segment for noting the two different J.D. Vance clips, perfectly sum up the issue here, because the judge says, I can't weigh in on political questions. I'm not going to weigh in on the question of whether Tren de Aragua is an arm of the Venezuelan government. That's for you and your national security folks to work out. My job as a judge is to sort out the constitutionality of an action. And did the government apply this law correctly? [06:50:03]

He says, no, it did not, and he walks through all the reasons why, in his legal opinion, is -

CORNISH: Yes, which leads to J.D. Vance's second clip, right.

WILLIAMS: Yes.

CORNISH: Where, in a way, you're hearing a preview of their arguments to come about why they think the president should be able to do this.

WILLIAMS: And that should surprise nobody. The Supreme Court made clear, at some point - when the Supreme Court ruled -

CORNISH: Yes.

WILLIAMS: At some point we will have to address, or somebody has to address, the constitutionality of the application of this law. Not today. We will not. But a lower court in Texas will be the one to do that.

Well, guess what happened yesterday? A lower court in Texas resolved it. Now, maybe the administration accepts that. It sounds, from the vice president, that they won't. And so, it will get appealed up through the courts and will probably end up back at the Supreme Court.

CORNISH: One more footnote on Trump. We've been talking HR today, basically, and I was noticing that, on the Senate Judiciary Committee they have concerns about Ed Martin. This is Trump's nominee to serve as the U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C. People may think like, well, why do I care about who's - but a lot of things fall under the purview of this district. Can you talk about what the concerns are?

WILLIAMS: Yes. Yes. So, fun fact, the U.S. attorney's office of Washington, D.C., is the only one in the country that handles both state and federal crime because of Washington, D.C.'s, unique nature. Also, it's the biggest U.S. attorney's office in the country.

Now, this is an individual who's never been a prosecutor, not from Washington, D.C., never worked in the office, and it has a host of issues in his background of, you know, not stepping away from Nazi sympathizers and January 6th pardons and so on.

CORNISH: So, a lot is going to come out of this hearing. Yes.

WILLIAMS: Well, a lot's going to come out - well, there's going to be a hearing.

CORNISH: OK.

WILLIAMS: But here's the thing. You know, even - even when the president's popular, two things can sink someone's nomination in the U.S. Senate, playing with Nazis or questioning whether somebody's Nazi mustache is a Nazi mustache and beating up police officers January 6th, right? He has - this nominee has - has issues with both, at least tolerating or not criticizing the behavior of those things. It's made Republicans uncomfortable. It looks like this nomination's on the rocks.

CORNISH: No, it's made Republicans uncomfortable you're saying (INAUDIBLE).

WILLIAMS: Republican senators, yes.

CORNISH: Let's get to the trial for Diddy, because I understand that on Monday we're finally going to see movement, right? Is it jury selection? What's going on?

WILLIAMS: Yes, exactly, jury selection. And a host of things are happening in this case that everybody should worry about. It's - you know, number one, this question came up of, can he even wear prison jumpsuits into court. That's a very relevant issue.

CORNISH: Is he challenging that?

WILLIAMS: He did. Well - well, he wants to wear his street clothes and he will be allowed to. This is an important question in constitutional law, what happens when a jury sees someone dressed up like an inmate? And does that have a prejudicial effect? There - there are a number of questions because of the sensitive nature of the allegations here. You want someone to get a fair trial.

CORNISH: Yes.

WILLIAMS: Even if this person's -

CORNISH: Someone as famous as this.

WILLIAMS: Even -

CORNISH: Yes.

WILLIAMS: Someone as famous as this, and someone who is alleged to have committed such heinous acts still is entitled to a fair trial. And questions like what evidence is brought up against him can - evidence of acts that he engaged in, in the past be brought into court, and what even does he wear are relevant.

CORNISH: We are going to be hearing a lot about this case over the next couple of weeks and months.

WILLIAMS: Oh, yes.

CORNISH: Elliot, thank you so much for the preview. Stay with us. Thank you for joining me this morning.

Now it is 52 minutes past the hour. Here's your morning roundup.

Starting today, all shipments from China will be subject to President Trump's 145 percent tariff. Overnight, the White House ended a rule that allowed packages worth less than $800 to escape the tax. Also overnight, China announced that it is, quote, "currently assessing an American proposal to begin trade negotiations."

Plus, this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JILL SOBULE, SINGER/SONGWRITER (singing): I kissed a girl.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Groundbreaking singer, songwriter and activist Jill Sobule was killed in a house fire in Minnesota early Thursday morning. She was 66 years old. Her 1995 hit "I Kissed a Girl" is considered the first openly LGBTQ-themed song to crack the billboard top 20.

And overnight, the Vatican installed a chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel. On Wednesday, all eyes will be on that chimney as the catholic cardinals begin voting on a new leader. After each round, their ballots are burned. If the smoke from the chimney is black, it means voting will continue. But when the smoke is white, the church will have a new pope.

And take a look at this. Driverless trucks are now on the road, making their first regular long-haul trips between Dallas and Houston. A trucking firm named Aurora says its trucks have computers and sensors that can see the length of more than four football fields.

And you could call them the odd couple of politics. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, seen as a contender for the Democratic nomination in 2028, is taking a lot of heat from fellow Democrats for appearing and working with President Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. GRETCHEN WHITMER (D-MI): It doesn't mean I have abandoned any of my values. It doesn't mean that I'm not going to stand my ground and fight where we have to. But this is - this is one of those moments where, as a public servant, you're reminded, your job is to put service above self. And that's what it was all about.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[06:55:06]

CORNISH: As relationships go, this one is complicated. Remember the photo of Whitmer covering her face in the Oval Office last month. She said he was signing executive orders that she disagreed with, but that she needed to stay for her meeting with him to help Michigan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. GRETCHEN WHITMER (D-MI): Well, I hadn't planned to speak, but I am - on behalf of all of the military men and women -

(END VIDEO CLIP).

CORNISH: This week, President Trump praised the governor during his visit to Michigan, declaring she's doing a very good job.

The group chat is back.

Kevin, I want to start with you because you cover delegations.

FREY: Yes.

CORNISH: You know, sometimes you just got to like get money, right, when there's disasters, when there's problems.

FREY: No, absolutely.

CORNISH: And I've been interesting to see how - I've been interested in how this has played out in a more punishing way in this environment as Democrats are trying to figure out what to do.

FREY: I mean I think it would be a little different if she wasn't considered kind of one of the - the tier of potential presidential candidates. I mean there is definitely, as you just noted, a degree to which you have to, you know, work with the federal government to get resources for your state. In this case it was some sort of investment, I think, at a military base.

And so there's a degree of, if I can deliver for my state, does that reflect well on me back home? However, in this heightened political environment we're in where every single photo, especially the one of her holding the binder in front of her face -

CORNISH: Yes.

FREY: I mean, you can see that in a campaign ad in a Democratic primary.

CORNISH: But I thought it was a selling point that you could work across the aisle.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Theres, you know, it's so interesting. Governors are really - Democratic governors are - are really kind of going in two directions. Some, like Gretchen Whitmer, and if you remember the first Trump administration, that was not her tone. She was very combative with President Trump. In this one, she is adopting a very different posture, unlike JB Pritzker, someone else who is discussed, the governor of Illinois, as a potential 2028 Democratic primary candidate for the presidency who's being very combative. I mean these are two very different ways of trying to position themselves in what is a difficult moment for them. They need the federal government.

CORNISH: Let me go straight to your point, because Pritzker was at -

FREY: (INAUDIBLE).

CORNISH: Yes, Newsom. Well, I mean, he's podcasting his way through it. But Pritzker, who you mentioned, was actually on "Kimmel" last night. Here's how he talked about the president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GOV. JB PRITZKER (D-IL): At this point, we've got an authoritarian in office. He's essentially tearing apart the things that really matter to working families across the United States. And nobody's stopping him.

So, we've got to be out there, loud, proud, you know, stand up, speak out.

It's mayday, everybody. I mean it is literally -

JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST, "JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE": Yes, it is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: I feel like what made Trump distinct was not playing nice. He, like, looked at all the Bush era Republicans and he was like, that's nice for you. Here's what I'm going to do.

BLUEY: Of course, yes.

CORNISH: I'm going to basically punch people in the face rhetorically. So - but now we're seeing Democrats, right, try and lean in. So, which one of these paths do you - are you thinking about, Rob?

BLUEY: Well, the American people want - want a fighter. I think that the energy that you see with Bernie Sanders and AOC, you know, that is an example of probably where there's enthusiasm on the left.

However, I do think, to your point, there's a situation where you have those who are tacking to the left, and those who are trying to go more toward the middle. I think Gretchen Whitmer realizes Donald Trump won Michigan twice.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: She's in a swing state.

BLUEY: Yes, exactly.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: And essentially she's got - she's got to -

BLUEY: That's what she has to do.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: She's got to convince Republicans, or soft Republicans or independents that she is someone who can actually work across the aisle. It's just a very different -

BLUEY: And that's where the votes are, right? Yes.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: It's just a very different idea of what's going to happen.

However, we all know, primaries are where everyone fights it out with each other. And this is where -

CORNISH: Yes, we're in the earliest days.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: We're in the earlies days of this. CORNISH: Yes. Sorry, folks in the middle, it's going to be a minute

until anyone wants to hear from us.

OK, so now it's time to talk about what we're keeping an eye on today, looking ahead.

I know that, Lulu, are you interested in the world of tech?

GARCIA-NAVARRO: I am. I am very interested in Mark Zuckerberg's idea of what the American man in particular needs and wants at this point.

CORNISH: Wait, I have it for you because I knew you were excited about this.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: OK. Let's watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK ZUCKERBERG, META CEO: Already one of the main things that we see people using Meta AI for is kind of talking through difficult conversations that they need to have with - with people in their life. It's like, OK, my, you know, my - my - I'm having this issue with my girlfriend or whatever. Like, help me have this conversation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Yes. OK. Well -

CORNISH: I needed the loo. I needed the look.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: No, I - no, no, no, the glasses, the AI glasses, all of it.

CORNISH: You did it. You did it.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: He says the average American has three friends, but has demand for 15. And he thinks AI bots are going to fill that need. So we're going to now have AI bots filling the need of friendship. Not only everything else, our jobs, everything else -

CORNISH: OK, just -

GARCIA-NAVARRO: But now our friends to AI bots if Mark Zuckerberg has his way.

CORNISH: (INAUDIBLE).

Rob Bluey.

BLUEY: Yes. We should also note that Mark Zuckerberg's Meta AI was sued for defamation this week by Robby Starbuck for getting some egregious things wrong.

[07:00:02]

But I'm keeping an eye on the Kentucky Derby, Audie, because there are two horses, one called Journalism, another called Publisher that are running in the race.

CORNISH: Oh, sorry Journalism. Spoiler alert.

BLUEY: Journalism's the favorite.

CORNISH: OK.

Kevin.

FREY: A little less fun. I'm keeping my eye on state and local tax deduction talks on Capitol Hill. This is a very New York topic. But it could be really the House that could determine if this house of cards, that is the reconciliation package, lives or dies, depending on how these conversations go over the next couple days.

CORNISH: OK, like a poison pill.

Thank you to the group chat. Thank you all for waking up with us. I'm Audie Cornish. And "CNN NEWS CENTRAL" starts right now.