Return to Transcripts main page

Erin Burnett Outfront

Trump Zeroes In On A VP Pick; Bannon Set To Report To Prison For 4-Month Sentence; 1,000 Feared Dead Due To Extreme Heat, Americans Among The Dead. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired June 21, 2024 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:01:01]

ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: OUTFRONT next:

The breaking news, Trump's VP list focusing on three candidates with his family and allies now split on who's best. We'll tell you who wants whom.

Plus, Steve Bannon making a last-ditch effort to stay out of prison. We'll show you the facility where he set to serve his sentence. And a man who has served time there himself will tell us exactly what Bannon can expect.

And more breaking news this hour, 1,000 people feared dead because of extreme heat, temperatures as high as 125 degrees Fahrenheit.

Let's go OUTFRONT.

(MUSIC)

BURNETT: And good evening. I'm Erin Burnett.

OUTFRONT tonight, we begin with the breaking news, Trump zeroing in on a VP. CNN with new reporting tonight because we are learning, it may come down to three men here wearing identical ties. They are Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, and Florida Senator Marco Rubio.

All three are currently being vetted and all three have high profile backers who are pleading their case directly to the former president.

So let's start with Trump's oldest son, Don Jr. He, we understand, currently going to bat with his doppelganger, Senator J.D. Vance. Rupert Murdoch is pressing Trump to consider Governor Burgum. While one of Trump's most trusted television advisers, Sean Hannity, is making it known he'd like to see Senator Rubio on the ticket.

For months, these three men have been campaigning for the job, positioning themselves to become Trump's pick, frequently appearing on shows they know Trump watches, showing up at fundraisers, rallies courthouse, of course, tripping over themselves to seeing Trump's praises.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. J.D. VANCE (R-OH): The world is on fire and I sort of see Donald Trump as a bit of a fireman.

GOV. DOUG BURGUM (R-ND): I wish every American could see President Trump the way we've seen in the last six months. He's genuinely exceedingly funny, but as you know, Jesse, the best comics are really smart people, highly intelligent and highly perceptive and they know their audiences. And I think President Trump's been amazing.

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL): When Donald Trump was president of the United States, this country was safer, it was more prosperous. The country and the world is a better place when he was president. And I would love to see him return to the White House.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Okay. So they're all saying good things about Trump.

The reason that it is so remarkable that these three individuals have managed to become the biggest contenders for VP is not what they're saying now, it's what they've said in the past, what they've said about Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VANCE: I'm a never Trump guy. I never liked him.

BURGUM: I just think that it's important that you're judged by the company you keep and I --

INTERVIEWER: Just wouldn't do business with him.

BURGUM: No, I wouldn't.

RUBIO: What we are dealing with here, my friends, is a con artist. He's a con artist.

Friends do not let friends vote for con artists.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: All right. Alayna Treene is OUTFRONT live in Washington tonight.

And, Alayna, it is your reporting breaking the story tonight. What more are you learning about the behind-the-scenes sort of machinations, the push and pull for Trump's VP pick?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Well, Erin, I've talked to many of these allies, advisers, and donors. And what I've learned is that really at every corner of Donald Trump's orbit, from his own family to conservative media figures, to his former advisors, all of them are trying to have Donald Trump's ear on this and push them towards one particular candidate. And really these conversations have taken on more urgency as we inch

closer to the Republican National Convention next month. That is the self-imposed deadline that Donald Trump has set for when he is going to announce his running mate. And at the same time, Erin, Donald Trump himself, I'm told, has been really taking on a much more serious and earnest approach to how he is considering who he is going to choose. And that is a departure from what he has been doing previously, I'm told.

Now many of these people, many of these candidates that you laid out, that it's narrowed down to really three, I'm told, which is Doug Burgum, J.D. Vance, and Marco Rubio, and each of them has some people pitching them directly to Donald Trump.

[19:05:04]

J.D. Vance, for instance, Donald Trump, Jr., his son, is really pushing Vance. He's a close friend of J.D. Vance's and he's often I'm told, gone to Donald Trump directly and said, I think this is the man to be your running mate.

He's also had support from Steve Bannon and Tucker Carlson, both people I know continue to talk to Donald Trump frequently.

Burgum on the other hand, has garnered the support of Rupert Murdoch and we've kind of seen Murdoch's empire within Fox News Corp starting to shower the North Dakota governor with favorable media coverage. We saw "The New York Post" and "The Wall Street Journal" offer some of that favorable coverage to him.

And then Rubio is actually become a favorite of the donor class. And one anecdote I can tell you, Erin, is that at a dinner following Donald Trump's Manhattan conviction last month, it was with some dozen Wall Street donors, Donald Trump took an informal straw poll and Rubio won that. He also has the support of Kellyanne Conway, I'm told, and Sean Hannity. So, a lot of different people in Donald Trump's ear.

BURNETT: All right. Alayna, thank you very much and all that new reporting.

I want to go now to David Urban, the former Trump campaign adviser, and Kate Bedingfield, former Biden White House communications director.

Just to understand what were talking about here, David, so top three contenders, Vance Burgum, Rubio. You've got at Don Jr., Tucker Carlson, Steve Bannon for Vance, Sean Hannity for Rubio, Murdoch for Burgum.

So in your experience with Trump, who will eventually have the most sway over his pick?

DAVID URBAN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Melania Trump, his wife, right? I mean, that's -- if I was -- I'd like to know who Melania likes, right? That's really probably his closest advisor of all the people who weren't mentioned, right? I think she has a great deal of influence over her husband and the president and I -- has been in these peoples presence, all three of them, if not more.

And so it'd be interesting to see who she likes. But listen, the president gets information. He simulates information. He takes lots of phone calls and polls like you said, like Alayna just reported at the dinner that Steve Schwarzman is a big backer, I know, of Marco Rubio and, you know, there's different people, whether they're policemen at a photo op or, you know, billionaires at a fundraiser dinner that he's listening to them and hearing what they have to say and the ultimate decider is, of course, Donald Trump and hell, hell do it probably.

The reporting says right before the convention.

BURNETT: Right, right. Well, he loves nothing more I think these sorts of conversations happening.

So, Kate, who do Democrats most want on Trump's ticket?

KATE BEDINGFIELD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I would make a really strong case that actually J.D. Vance is probably one of the would be one of the most helpful voices on the ticket because he is somebody who has wholeheartedly embrace the MAGA message, he's shown a willingness to pick all the fights Donald Trump wants to pick, and ultimately, that's a message that doesn't resonate with the swing voters, the moderate voters, the people who are ultimately going to decide this election.

So from my perspective, I know there's an argument that, well, J.D. Vance is a fighter and he needs strong debater. But I actually think he is somebody who really underscores some of the most unpopular elements of Donald Trump.

But I also think the important thing to remember here is the reality of the dynamic in this race is that Donald Trump is the supernova and the VP is a flashlight, right? I mean, Donald Trump is the one who's going to drive -- who drives the message, who is going to be be the person that the Biden campaigns running against.

So whoever he picks ultimately this race is about Donald Trump.

I do like the analogy.

URBAN: Kate, what an analogy.

BURNETT: I know, I say I liked that, Kate.

If you had to pick, if you were the one, who would you say he should choose?

URBAN: Me?

BURNETT: Yeah, you.

URBAN: Erin, you ask me. Oh, listen, I like all those candidates and others, right? I mean, I think I can make an argument for Governor Burgum. I can make an argument for Marco Rubio. I can make an argument for my class West Point classmate, Mike Pompeo, was not on the list, or Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the governor of Arkansas.

There -- we are -- we have an embarrassment of riches on the Republican side, their potential VP nominees. And so, I think any one of them be good. It's what the American voters -- who could they see standing in the shoes as the president of the United States, I think that's the most important thing because that's the role ultimately the vice president would play.

BURNETT: So, Kate, do you think any of these people that were talking about? If the moment came, right, for January 6 type of moment, would any of them, despite what they're saying now, obviously, they all said different things before now that now they're in Trump's corner. What any of them stand up to Trump like Mike Pence did?

BEDINGFIELD: You know, as an American, I want to believe that they would. I'm not sure I see a whole lot of evidence that that's the case.

I mean, if you look at the history as you as you know, we were looking at all of the video at the top of the show. I mean, these are people who have said -- you know, J.D. Vance said, I'm a never Trump or and now he's essentially begging publicly to be put on the ticket with them.

[19:10:07]

So, you know, if you're -- if you're an American voter, it's hard to trust that if the moment came that any one of these people would stand in the breach. And so, I think, you know, if you're somebody who is concerned that Donald Trump represents a threat to our democracy as frankly, if you're a voting American, you should be based on what he's done. I don't think you can trust that any of these people would stand up to him in the moment. They're not doing it now.

BURNETT: You know, David, I hear, you know, and we all hear these conversations about who he's going to pick and that he the first day if he wins, that he was president, he's a lame duck, right, that's it. Of course, assuming that the system holds people go out of office when were supposed to and all those sorts of basic things.

But the argument is been able, Doug Burgum is the guy to pick because he isn't going to be tried to take Trump's job from day one like ostensibly J.D. Vance or Marco Rubio would be because they would be potentially looking at their own future of being president. And he doesn't want someone who's going to be campaigning from day one.

Do you think that those are fair concerns, David, that he has those thoughts?

URBAN: Look, I don't -- I don't think -- as Kate said earlier there, my esteemed colleague there, Donald Trump is a supernova and the vice presidency is a flashlight. That's, you know, that is a pretty apt analogy. There is not much oxygen left in the room when Donald Trump walks in, right?

So I'm not quite sure that whoever the vice president is going to be is going to steal anybody's thunder, whether it's Marco Rubio, J.D. Vance, whomever, whomever the pick is. I don't think that'd be a big concern at all.

BURNETT: All right. Well, thank you both very much. I appreciate it.

URBAN: Thanks for having us.

BURNETT: All right. Happy Friday.

BEDINGFIELD: Thank you.

BURNETT: And also tonight, their preparations behind closed doors for this most important event of the 2024 election thus far, that is the CNN presidential debate, which is now just six days away. Biden is at Camp David preparing. Trump is meeting with senators and advisers at Mar-a-Lago, both taking this incredibly seriously.

Trump is now trying to temper expectations tonight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT & 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I watched him with Paul Ryan and he destroyed Paul Ryan. Paul Ryan with the water, he was chugging water at a left and right. I didn't think a human being would be able to drink so much water at one time, and he beat Paul Ryan. So I'm not underestimating him. I'm not underestimating him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Brett O'Donnell is OUTFRONT now. He helped prepare George W. Bush, John McCain, Mitt Romney, and many other candidates for presidential debates.

I'm curious, Brett, because Trump is now trying to raise the bar for Biden. You know, I'm not underestimating him. This is a guy who recently said basically the Biden would have to be on cocaine to do well in the debate, right. So he had talked about lowering the bar.

So what do you make the strategy now? He's now trying to suddenly say actually, I'm not underestimating him?

BRETT O'DONNELL, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, that should be the strategy.

We should all have high expectations for Joe Biden's performance. He's the president of the United States. He's the incumbent president. He's had four years in office and he's asking for another four years, so we should all have high expectations of them.

The Trump campaign should set those expectations high. I remember when George W. -- when we were preparing George W. Bush, Mark McKinnon went in the press the day before the debate and said that John Kerry was the greatest debater since Cicero.

So we should have high expectations for both of these folks going into the debate. And it's right that the Trump campaign to set those expectations up high.

BURNETT: I want to play, right, one of the most memorable moments from Trump and Biden's first debate in 2020. Just take a listen to this if you will.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS WALLACE, DEBATE MODERATOR: So, my question to you is you have refused in the past to talk about it, are you willing to tell the American people tonight whether or not you will support either ending the filibuster or packing the court --

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Whatever position I take in that, that'll become the issue. The issue is the American people should speak. You should go out and vote. You're in voting now, vote and let your senators know how strongly you feel.

(CROSSTALK)

BIDEN: Let -- vote now.

TRUMP: Are you going to pack the court?

BIDEN: Make sure you, in fact, let people know, your senators.

TRUMP: He doesn't want to answer the question.

BIDEN: I'm not going to answer the question because --

TRUMP: Why wouldn't you answer that question?

BIDEN: The question is -- the question is --

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: -- radical left.

BIDEN: Will you shut up, man?

TRUMP: Listen, who is on your list, Joe? Who's on your list?

(CROSSTALK)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: So, all right. And it's -- will you shut up, man, right, that gets sort of at the moment there, but that constant overtalking, Trump asked him to answer the question. We saw that the entire debate, it was widely seen as chaotic.

But this time around, Biden want to Trump's microphone muted, but if he wasn't speaking. They've -- they've agreed to this muting. Do you think that could prove to be a mistake or do you think this is a good idea?

O'DONNELL: I think it helps President Trump. It's huge disincentive for President Trump to interrupt Joe Biden, to let him talk, and if his microphone is going to be cut, he won't try to do it because no one will hear him, which will force get him to debate more like he did in debate two. And I think if Donald Trump debates like he did in debate two against Joe Biden, the Trump campaign will feel pretty good about their candidate's performance.

[19:15:08]

BURNETT: So who do you think actually has the upper hand in this debate that does that mic issue actually turn it for you to Trump?

O'DONNELL: Well, I think it helps Trump for sure. I don't think the audience situation really hurts either person. But the person who has the advantage in this debate is going to be the person who actually focuses on voters, tries to connect with them rather than make personal attacks throughout the entirety of the debate, and actually focuses on the issues that those voters care about. That's the person who's going to have the upper hand.

Now, both of these men have been president of the United States. They both know these issues the question mark is, who's going to frame the race and provide an actual warrant and message for why they should be the next president of the United States.

BURNETT: Well, we'll see if its a debate that is that serious and substantive I think it will surprise a lot of people will be very interesting to see who that actually benefits since it isn't what many people expect.

Brett, thank you.

And next, from being locked in an outside cage to only occasionally getting Ritz Crackers as a snack, new details tonight on what Steve Bannon could be facing, what he heads to prison next month from someone who has been there in that prison and knows. We're going to take you to the prison itself, next.

Plus, breaking news with temperatures as high as 125 degrees. Now, a thousand people feared dead as a result, those numbers could go much higher.

And Democrats tonight are up against the clock because they launch a major effort to stop RFK Jr. from his tracks.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:21:05]

BURNETT: Tonight, Steve Bannon's Hail Mary. Bannon filing an emergency appeal with the Supreme Court to stay out of prison, this after an appeals court denied Bannon's bid to delay his prison sentence for contempt of Congress. So Bannon is right now set to serve his time at this low security prison in Danbury, Connecticut, and he's going to go on July 1st.

He is scheduled to serve four months there and it's a place my next guest knows well.

Ian Bick served time there for wire fraud, and he is OUTFRONT now.

Actually, Ian is standing right outside that Danbury prison where you spent time. I know you also host a podcast called "Locked In With Ian Bick".

So, Ian, tonight, Steve Bannon's doing everything he can to avoid his sentence at the prison you are standing in front of it this very moment. You have personally spent time there, which it Steve Bannon expect when he walks in that prison on July 1st?

IAN BICK, SERVED TIME AT CT FEDERAL PRISON WHERE BANNON IS SET TO SERVE: Well, thanks for having me on the show today. Right behind me is the Danbury low-security federal prison.

And, you know, Steve Bannon is going to go through exactly what I went through when he comes through the doors here right behind us, we're standing at the main entrance. I got brought here on a prison bus, but he's going to be getting dropped off by a loved one or a family member and attorney in the wee hours of the morning, probably at 4:00 or 5:00 a.m. and he's going to -- once he gets in, he's going to go to R&D.

He'll probably be by himself, will get special treatment in regards to that because he is of celebrity status but they're going to treat them like a normal inmate when it comes to security. They're going to strip him out. He's going to be, you know, butt naked in front of a male guard and he's going to be forced to squat and cough.

Then he's going to have to see medical. He's going to have to see a counselor. And then after that, after that process, which I'm sure is going to be expedited because he's of a celebrity status, whereas in my case, I was there for several hours going through that procedure.

But he'll either be A, put in a general population or B, which is most likely because he has a short sentence and because the federal government is not going to want anything to happen to him is put them in solitary which is kind of like protective custody. But in the federal system, it's all the same.

And I actually spent four months nearly at the Danbury federal prison right behind us in solitary. It's kind of like Alcatraz with the bars.

BURNETT: So, what is it like when he's in solitary? How would you describe it? Steve Bannon's in solitary confinement since you did it for four months herself.

BICK: Yeah. So I can tell you off the bat, you know, he's going to lose a lot of weight. You get three meals a day. You get handcuff just to take a shower, which is three showers a week. You're in your cell, a cage cell with bars on it, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, except they'll bring you to rec, which is another cage outside.

They handcuff you, walk you to that outdoor cage and that is for one hour a day. It's not a pleasant place. There's no extra food. You don't get any special commissary. You might be able to order some Ritz Crackers, but that's about it.

BURNETT: And so, he says he's going to -- he's not worried about any of this and that he's actually going to be recording his podcast. It's almost like he's just going to kind of do it from some sort of a hotel room. I mean, here's what he said, Ian.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE BANNON, FORMER TRUMP AIDE: July 1st, hey, I served my country on a navy ship, I'll serve my country as a political prisoner in a federal prison for a misdemeanor. It doesn't -- I don't bat one eye.

There's nothing that can shut me up and nothing that will shut me up. There's not a prison -- there's not a prison -- there's not a prison built -- there's not a prison built or jail built that will ever shut me up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: And, Ian, he said that NBC News asked me if he could broadcast from their and reportedly he responded his regular podcast will continue four hours a day, five days a week. Okay.

Is that possible and solitary confinement? I mean, recording a podcast? I mean, never mind, does even have -- no phone, nothing, right?

BICK: So, in low-security federal prisons, there is a ton of contraband cell phones that you can pay thousands of dollars for, which a reason why I think I'll end up putting them in solitary here. But to get away with recording a podcast and that cushiness, that would be at a federal prison camp, which I also spent time and that's where, you know, there's only one guard for 120 inmates, very lax security. There's no fence.

But he's not going there. He's going to a low-security federal prison. There is a fence, as you can see behind us, and they're going to have all their eyes on him. I mean, we saw with Philly Macfarlane and other celebrities when it comes to that high profile status, they're on top of you. They want to make sure nothings happening to you and I'm telling you right now, they're not going to let him operate a podcast from in those walls.

BURNETT: Right. Well, Ian, I appreciate your time and thank you very much joining us from outside that Danbury prison, where, of course, you -- yourself, spent time in solitary. Thanks.

BICK: Yep. Thank you so much for having me.

BURNETT: And OUTFRONT next, the breaking news, officials fear more than 1,000 people have died from extreme heat, including Americans, we have confirmed as temperatures soar above 125 degrees. Dr. Sanjay Gupta is next with what happens to our bodies when it is that hot.

Plus, another day, another delay under Trump appointed Judge Aileen Cannon. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:30:56]

BURNETT: Breaking news, around 1,000 people are feared dead tonight due to extreme heat. And that death toll is expected to increase. The State Department tonight is saying Americans are among the dead the brutal heat impacting an estimated 1.8 million people, making the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, where temperatures reached a size 125 degrees Fahrenheit this week, the highest temperature on record in Mecca history.

Now, I want to warn our viewers at what you are about to see may disturb you. But this is what the unbearable heat is leading to -- corpses lying on the side of the road. As people walk by, just people -- dead people there in the road, coming as record-breaking temperatures are being felt in the eastern United States and around the world.

Chad Myers is OUTFRONT at the CNN Weather Center.

And, Chad, as horrible what's happening in Saudi Arabia. And as we said, that death toll is expected to rise, there seems to be almost nowhere on Earth, right now, the northern hemisphere that isn't being hit by heatwave.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: That's true. And, you know, if we were talking July or August, maybe these temperatures wouldn't be so abnormal, but we're not. We're still only in the middle lake part of June, so I'm really not looking forward to what July is actually going to bring.

Big high pressure systems over the years U.S., over parts of Africa. And, of course, over parts of Saudi Arabia.

Now, the number you just said 125, I just wanted to make sure that everyone out there knows that that's in the shade, in a box with louvers on it. People were not in a shade box with louvers. They were on a road with the sun beating on them. So the temperature where they were experience dancing could certainly have been more than 125 without a doubt.

And it's still hot. Hot in Kuwait City, not quite as hot down in Mecca, so we've lost about ten degrees there, but still. Closer to home, we still have the heat dome here, Boston. Did you have a great day today? How about Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Atlantic, Canada, fantastic. You'll get one more of those for tomorrow, but not here for the southeastern part of the U.S.

Look at the size of the heat from Boise down to Vegas and all the way up the East Coast. These are summer -- middle summer temperatures, not the early part of June, 101 is what its going to feel like in Philly tomorrow, 102 in D.C. There'll be 50 more records highs broken over the next couple of days here across the east. And now that heat is going to settle down to the south because for a few days, Erin, it was cooler in Atlanta than it was in New York. Well, that's all going to change because the heat here is on the way as well.

BURNETT: It's unbelievable when you look at that and you think about all these temperatures over the past days. I mean, technically, we're at the end of spring, spring. I mean, you know, is it just sort of hit it home.

All right. Chad, thank you very much.

I want to go to Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN chief medical correspondent, of course.

So, Sanjay, a temperature of 125 degrees Fahrenheit in the shade. And anybody in this heat wave, and we understand the huge difference between shade and sun. So it would have been much higher than that.

What does that do to the human body?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, simply put, Erin, I mean, you're starting to push the threshold of human survivability, which is why you had to show all those terrible images of what's happening there. It's really hot and several things happen, the body is trying to keep up and part of the way the body does that, it starts to shift blood towards the skin to try and cool down the body.

But as you're doing that, you're moving blood away from organs in the body, including the gut, your gut is not getting enough blood flow, which is why people often feel nauseated when they're actually in the heat. But eventually your gut can start to leak toxins into the body that can cause organ failure, simply losing lots of fluids, especially for somebody who has underlying heart disease that can cause cardiac problems. And all of this can also lead to kidney failure as well.

So in an effort to sort of keep up, Erin, try and cool the body, ultimately, it can cause a lot of damage because the body is fundamentally can't keep up. If it's really humid outside, the body's cooling mechanisms of sweating that doesn't work as well. You start to get confused when it's that hot.

[19:35:00]

So maybe you forget to drink fluids or if you get to try and get some shades as Chad was talking about. So, all this is happening simultaneously.

It's also worth noting in some of these areas where you're seeing these images, it's not getting much cooler at night.

BURNETT: No.

GUPTA: Ninety-three degrees at night. So there's no reprieve for people. So heat-related deaths are increasing. If you go back to 1980 and compare it to 2016, nearly 40 years later, had gone up 74 percent --

BURNETT: Wow. GUPTA: -- heat-related deaths. So, it's getting hotter and we're paying the price. More people die of heat than hurricanes and tornadoes and floods combined, Erin.

BURNETT: So, I mean, that is a stunning statistic and even in places where it's 100 degrees, or heat index is 110, the Eastern Seaboard of the United States this week, you know, a lot of times you're told just drink water, but I understand that some people say actually don't drink too much. It can be -- it can be counterproductive or totally trying to understand why.

What do you do to protect yourself?

GUPTA: Yeah. I mean, I think there's common sense advice. Obviously, you try to get inside, you try to get air conditioning, you try and stay cool if you can in bodies of water, or taking cool showers. When it comes to fluids, I think the thing to keep in mind this is where most people sort of just missed the boat on and actually trying to deal with heat-related issues.

BURNETT: Yeah.

GUPTA: Either they chug a lot of water quickly and then they don't drink for a long period of time. That's not a good idea. That's not the way the body works. You need consistent fluid. So, think about drinking a cup of water every 20 minutes or so.

BURNETT: Yeah.

GUPTA: It's a lot. I mean, just think about that, but you really have to do that.

Electrolytes can be important because you're losing a lot of electrolytes through your sweat. But not necessarily taking salt tablets. Because if you're taking salt tablets, you could actually throw off your electrolyte balance. Only certain people need to take electrolyte -- take salt tablets, do that with the advice of the doctor.

Also, keep in mind if you're trying to help somebody, people throw around the terms heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Heat stroke is worse than heat exhaustion. But just to give you an idea, heat exhaustion, you're typically going to see somebody who has cool skin, clammy, they're still heavily sweating. Their body is still trying to keep up. There pulses typically week.

When you have a heat stroke, your body, is that point is probably stop sweating. The skin is now dry and warm, no sweating. And now your heart is really trying to kick it saying, let me do everything I can to try and keep this body alive. So the pulse really picks up for a period of time.

Those can be tough to distinguish for a lot of people, even medical people, but its important, especially if you're trying to help somebody. But the advice regardless is really the same.

But I think the fluids really -- just thinking about carrying something around with you all the time.

BURNETT: Yeah.

GUPTA: And every -- every 20 minutes or so drinking another cup of water. That's because -- I think, you just said it, everyone says drink and then you just chug and then you think you're good. The whole way of doing it differently I hope is information that can help a lot of us.

Thank you so much, Sanjay.

GUPTA: Thanks, Erin.

BURNETT: Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

And next, another delay tonight and Trump's classified documents case after Judge Cannon holds an unusual hearing and then decides to offer no ruling. So what is going on there?

Plus, Congresswoman Lauren Boebert says America, quote, needs morals. This is from the person who was, of course, picked out of a theater for vaping and allegedly groping her date, now in danger of losing her seat in Congress.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:42:49]

BURNETT: Tonight, another day, another delay by Judge Aileen Cannon. The judge in Donald Trump's classified documents case not ruling on a bid to declare special counsel Jack Smith's appointment unlawful. Canson also -- Cannon also, I'm sorry, not saying when she expects to actually rule.

This is, of course, far from the first time that Cannon has kicked the can down the road in a case that has already been delayed indefinitely, there is no trial date. She is not decided on at least eight key issues outstanding, multiple motions to dismiss the case, when the trial begins. She has also sided with Trump who appointed her to be a judge in the first place on removing key facts from his indictment.

OUTFRONT now, Jeff Swartz. He was a Miami-Dade County court judge, as well as a former prosecutor and criminal defense attorney.

And, Jeff, I'm glad to see you again on this Friday. So thank you.

So, look, when you add all of this together, right. You're having hearings on all kinds of things that would ordinarily not merit a hearing. And then when you have a hearing, you don't actually make a decision at the end of the hearing. Is this a concerted effort by Judge Cannon to delay the trial?

JEFF SWARTZ, FORMER MIAMI-DADE COUNTY COURT JUDGE: I've been saying for awhile that that's exactly what's going on here. No judge, even one that's young or anybody that's been front of a judge, would allow themselves to delay things this much, unless it's exactly what they want to do, and that's exactly what she is doing.

BURNETT: So this comes a day after we learned that there were two federal judges, very senior, very seasoned, who urged Cannon not to oversee this case, told her that it was the wrong thing. She obviously rejected that.

Ty Cobb, the former Trump White House lawyer, last night, told me he believes that can inciting with Trump on this could actually be the final straw for here. Here's how Ty put it, Jeff.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TY COBB, FORMER TRUMP WHITE HOUSE LAWYER: You know, the worst thing that could happen to her is that she actually does rule for Trump on this because that would go to the 11th Circuit and then I think this petty partisan primadonna would be in her place and they would remove her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Do you agree, Jeff, that ruling for Trump could be the end? How come?

SWARTZ: Because at that point, Jack has a reason to take this up on appeal and when he does, he can allude to the problems that he's had with her overall of this, and the 11th Circuit looks at her like the Supreme Court looks at the Fifth Circuit.

[19:45:03]

There's just too much coming out, too many problems coming out, and they're just probably blue pretty tired about hearing about her. And now at this point, they would have to reverse her again. And I think that they would probably make a suggestion to the chief judge to remove her from his litigation and appoint somebody else to handle it.

BURNETT: All right. So, maybe this is that point, finally. I mean, obviously it still doesn't get you a case by the election, but, but maybe get your trial at some point depending how that election goes.

So when Judge Cannon right now, I understand, Jeff, is hearing arguments from Jack Smith's team on events and this issue overall, but she's also allowing and this is highly unusual. I know, third parties lawyers, law professors, to weigh in that aren't related to the case at all. But even though that is unprecedented, you happen to be both judge, lawyer, law professor.

So what would you tell Judge Cannon?

SWARTZ: If I were the defense attorney, I'd be very happy that I'm getting this kind of help from people who supposedly carry some weight. If I'm the prosecutor, I'm sitting you're saying, why are these people here? They don't have an interest in this case. They have no dog in this fight. They're talking about the independent counsel rules that used to apply many years ago that don't apply to the special counsel as far as supervision or how they're paid, or any of those things don't apply here.

So, the answer is, I just don't understand what why these people are even talking.

BURNETT: I want to ask you about one other thing today since you're here tonight, Jeff.

The Supreme Court Justice Alito was not on the bench as the court issued opinions. This is the second day in a row he was not there. And the court usually gives an explanation when a justice is absent. That did not happen here. And it is highly unusual for Supreme Court justice to not be there when they are putting out the opinions.

So, highly unusual that this would happen, and for them not to give a reason and the context also here is, is that the court is under fire after those flags linked to stop the steal in January 6 were flown at Justice Alito's properties.

So does the Supreme Court need to address his absence where he is?

SWARTZ: They always have in the past unless its an extremely private matter, and then they will allude to either there's a medical issue without expressing what it is, or announced that the justice is on vacation or whatever it may be. But the fact that he has not been there two days in a row without an explanation, can raise issues that should be answered.

And I think that at this point these inquiries have got to continue to be made, and Justice Alito will have to answer for why he wasn't there. I have no explanation for it. I don't think he's giving into pressure of any kind. So -- and I don't think he's going to resign.

So, why isn't he there?

BURNETT: Right, and certainly at the very least you think with all of this a little bit of transparency on this sort of thing, could only help in terms of public confidence.

SWARTZ: You would think so.

BURNETT: Thanks so much, Jeff. I appreciate your time.

And next, Biden's allies now going to new lengths to keep RFK Jr. off the ballot. But will it work? We have a special report exactly what's happening where.

Plus, Congresswoman Lauren Boebert wants to bring morality back after getting booted from the Beetlejuice musical for vaping and groping. Are voters buying his righteousness?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:53:07]

BURNETT: Tonight, Democrats waging war on RFK Jr.'s bid for the White House. But Donald Trump says he's not so sure that RFK Jr. hurts Biden.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: They say he hurts Biden more than he hurts me. I don't know if that's true or not, but they say he hurts Biden because he's a serious left person. You know what, if he is, that's good. I don't really care.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Eva McKend is OUTFRONT.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERT KENNEDY JR., INDEPENDENT PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The DNC has done everything in their power to stop us and they'll continue to do that.

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pushes to gain ballot access in all 50 states, Democrats are ramping up their efforts to block him by filing legal challenges across the country.

RAMSEY REID, CAMPAIGN MANGER FOR THIRD-PARTY TEAM, DNC: There are a couple of filings that he put in in Delaware.

MCKEND: More than a dozen attorneys representing the Democratic National Committee are engaged in an aggressive campaign to keep Kennedy off the ballot.

REID: We have a nationwide legal team that goes state-by-state to hold him accountable, to make sure that he's playing by the rules and that he's following the same set of rules that everyone else is to get on the ballot.

MCKEND: While outside groups like the pro-Biden Clear Choice PAC launches separate legal campaigning against Kennedy. Democrats alleged the Kennedy campaign misleads voters by concealing Kennedy's name when gathering ballot petition signatures, improperly formed a minor party in North Carolina and made procedural errors in five states.

And new today, the DNC is asking Delaware officials to block Kennedy's ballot access.

REID: They didn't file it on time. They didn't file basic electors paperwork.

MCKEND: It's all part of a broader political strategy the Democrats are pushing in hopes of keeping the voters back President Biden in 2020. But may consider Kennedy come November.

[19:55:01]

Kennedy says he will overcome these efforts, which he dismisses as frivolous.

KENNEDY: Every case that we brought to court we've won easily and will continue to.

MCKEND: Kennedy won in Hawaii after Democrats objected there. He's on the ballot in seven states and has submitted paperwork in over a dozen more.

And they're lawyered up, too, successfully pushing back petition deadlines including in Utah, where Kennedy has qualified in the Beehive State.

Biden allies maintain their engaged in a fair fight.

What do you make of this argument that Kennedy should be challenged on policy alone, that if you have a policy dispute with him as Democrats, fine, but that keeping him off the ballot is unfair?

MATT BENNET, EVP PUBLIC AFFAIRS, THIRD WAY: What about that is unfair. We are not keeping him off the ballot by force of arms. We're keeping him off the ballot by rule of law.

And the first mission of a third-party candidate campaign is to get your candidate on the ballot. If you'd think you could do that, well, go ahead and try.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCKEND (on camera): And, Erin, the Kennedy campaign paid nearly $3 million to one ballot access consulting firm just last month. It really gives you a sense of how these legal battles with the DNC and other Democratic groups could drain the campaigns resources. Now, as it stands Kennedy currently on the ballot in seven states, the most consequential, one, of course, Erin, is Michigan.

BURNETT: All right. Eva, thank you very much.

Everybody watching that, which states he's on the ballot on could mean everything.

Well, also tonight, we need morals, that's a, quote, and it comes from Congresswoman Lauren Boebert today praising the Louisiana a law that requires public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. LAUREN BOEBERT (R-CO): We need morals back in our nation, back in our schools. And if there's anything that we are going to present in front of our children, its going to be -- it should be the word of God.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Boebert, of course, was kicked out of a theater for vaping, alleged groping, but it comes just days before a crucial test, voters will decide her fate in a crowded primary.

Lucy Kafanov is OUTFRONT.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After, almost being bucked by voters in Colorado's third congressional district in the last election, Congresswoman Lauren Boebert is now trying to lasso support on the other side of the state.

BOEBERT: I want to say, I'm so grateful to each and every one of you.

KAFANOV: Hoping to represent Colorado's fourth congressional district, which is less diverse and more Republican.

BOEBERT: June 25th is coming up, and we have got to unite.

KAFANOV: If Boebert can secure the nomination in June, she'll be the clear favorite to win the seat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lauren Boebert.

KAFANOV: But she faces an uphill battle as a newcomer to the district, in an already packed Republican primary.

BOEBERT: I didn't go to Washington, D.C. to make friends and be a wallflower.

KAFANOV: The far-right firebrand, unapologetic persona, catapulted her to MAGA stardom. And she's touting her relationship with former President Donald Trump.

TRUMP: Lauren, you're going to do fantastically on your district. Lauren Boebert, thank you.

KAFANOV: Boebert is among a half dozen candidates running for the seat vacated by Congressman Ken Buck in March, a hard-line conservative who's clashed with his own party.

FORMER REP. KEN BUCK (R-CO): I don't think we can have the credibility we need with the American public if we continue the lies that were now telling.

BOEBERT: The 2020 election was stolen.

KAFANOV: But for some voters, Boebert's Trump style rhetoric strikes a chord.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: America first, and that's what Lauren Boebert stands for.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know, caused a lot of controversy when she moved to district four, we just felt that she's still the right person to represent us.

KAFANOV: But it's not just Boebert's move that's been controversial.

BOEBERT: President Trump is not going anywhere. He's coming back for another four years.

KAFANOV: She made headlines for turning up at Trump's hush money trial in New York last month.

BOEBERT: What is the crime?

KAFANOV: While skipping court hearing for her teenage son, who was facing misdemeanor and felony charges, suspected of being part of a group who used credit card stolen from cars to make purchases, court records show.

BOEBERT: I am the mother of four boys who I am raising diligently.

KAFANOV: Her rocky divorce has sparked public scrutiny, turning off some voters.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think that the things that are going on with her family are significant issues.

KAFANOV: Last year, Boebert was booted from the Beetlejuice musical in Denver for vaping and causing a disruption. The theater incidents, we surfacing again recently after Boebert slam Denver officials for welcoming newcomer of migrants writing, we need to vote out ever everyone in government who refers to illegal alien, criminal invaders as newcomers and do so quickly.

Denver Mayor Mike Johnson hitting back, writing: Did I forget a section in the playbook about not vaping and getting handsy at Beetlejuice?

Strong fundraising and name recognition do help Boebert but voters are divided about whether this candidate comes with too much controversy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't like her politics. I don't like her attitude.

AMITY WICKS, VOTER IN COLORADO: No one is perfect. And so therefore, I have to choose the person who I believe is going to uphold the values in Washington, D.C. to the extent that will protect my rights here in Colorado.

KAFANOV: So you're hoping to see fewer headlines about bad behavior are more headlines about policy.

WICKS: Absolutely.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAFANOV (on camera): Now, CNN's reached out to Boebert's son's attorney for comment on the charges he is facing. We have not heard back.

But for voters here in Colorado's fourth congressional districts, a controversial candidate may not necessarily be a deal breaker. After all, former President Trump won this district by nearly 19 points in 2020 -- Erin.

BURNETT: All right. Thank you very much, Lucy.

And thanks to all of you.

Anderson starts now.