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Warning Signs for Democrats; Limiting Morning After Pills; Biden Irritated by Democrats; July 4th Cookouts Cost More. Aired 6:30- 7a ET

Aired June 28, 2022 - 06:30   ET

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

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[06:31:13]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, primary day in some parts of the country today. We are just under five months before the 2022 midterm elections. And we are seeing some key trends in the numbers, which raise questions for both parties.

I want to bring in CNN senior data reporter Harry Enten.

Harry, looking at raw numbers, this is raw data from some of the key swing states --

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: Raw.

BERMAN: You are see something shifts in party registration.

ENTEN: We are. And raw like I like my steak and I like my salmon. I'm a raw type of guy.

OK, this party registrations. You can literally look up - look it up on your secretary of state's website. So I looked at the closest states in the 2020 presidential election that had party registration. Some states do not have party registration. And what do we see the GOP doing relative to the Democrat. Look in Arizona, Florida, Nevada, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. Compare this point in 2022 to this point in 2018. The Republicans are doing better in all but Arizona compared to the 2022 versus the 2022 baseline. The Republicans are doing better in all five states. They are gaining more registrants than the Democrats are.

This, to me, is a good sign for Republicans. And we see it in the raw data.

BERMAN: Let's drill down a little more into the raw here, Harry. Pennsylvania one of the swingiest of swing state.

ENTEN: Pennsylvania is. That's correct. Pennsylvania. It's a state that has a key gubernatorial race this year, a key senatorial race that will help determine control of the United States Senate. This gives you an idea of what's going on. So, this is a party registration by party margin. Back in 2018, Democrats had a 10 point lead on party registration. Back in June of 2020, Democrat had a nine-point lead on party registration. Today, Democrats still lead, but, look, that lead is down at just six points. So, we see Republicans gaining over the long term. This, to me, is partially due to those quote-unquote Trump Democrats who have switched the registration in coal country.

BERMAN: OK, this is registration. What are you seeing in terms of party affiliation, which is different in polling?

ENTEN: Right. So this asks you - this is a poll question that asks, are you a Democrat, a Republican or something else, maybe an independent and then maybe they push you as a leaner saying, if you are independent, do you lean towards more the Democrats or lean more towards the Republican?

What do we see here? This is national. So this isn't just states, this is national. This is Gallup polling. Look, in March 2020 to November of 2020, Democrat had a five-point lead on party affiliation. Then from December of 2020 to August of 2021, Democrat had a seven-point lead on registration. Look at the last nine months. What's going on? Republicans have a one point lead on party affiliation. This is a clear trend towards Republicans on how people are aligning themselves when you ask them in public opinion poll.

BERMAN: All right, there have been some actual elections. Some primary elections. What have we learned there?

ENTEN: So, this is the share of partisan primary turnouts in the states that have voted so far. So you look back at this point, in the same states that voted in 2018, more people have voted in Democratic primaries, 52 percent versus 48 percent in Republican primaries. Look at those same states now. What's going on? More people are voting in Republican primaries than Democratic primaries. It's a nine-point margin. A very clear shift towards Republicans. People are choosing those Republican ballots in primaries.

BERMAN: That tends to show excitement or interest more in the Republican races than the Democratic races in 2018. It was the exact opposite.

Special elections?

ENTEN: Special elections. Another sign. This, again, raw data. GOP - the GOP federal special election performances. Right now, what's going on, they're outperforming Trump 2020 by six points. They're doing six points better than Trump did in these same congressional districts.

If you look back in 2018, what was going on, they were underperforming Trump's 2016 margin by 13 points. A very clear difference in the national environment.

BERMAN: In terms of people who say they are definitely voting, where are they?

[06:35:01]

ENTEN: Exactly right, because in midterm elections it's not just about how you feel but there are major differences in turnout. What do we see? Certain to vote at this point? Back in 2018, Republicans and Democrats were equally certain to vote at this point, 68 percent of voters in each party said that. Look how. Look what's going on. Republicans at 82 percent say they're certain to vote. Just 72 percent of Democrats. Republicans doing better on this as well.

BERMAN: And that's as registration goes up as well. So, more of them are registering and more of those registering saying they're certainly voting (ph).

ENTEN: Exactly right, John.

BERMAN: Harry Enten, thank you very much.

ENTEN: As it was raw, good time.

BERMAN: It was good.

New reporting this morning on why President Biden is reportedly irritated at his own party.

Plus, two major pharmacy chains limiting purchases of the Plan B pill as demand surges with the end of Roe v. Wade.

Plus --

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BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: "Full House" star Jodie Sweetin thrown to the ground by police during an abortion rights protest in Los Angeles. The actress will join us on NEW DAY. How she is reacting, ahead.

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[06:40:04]

KEILAR: Demand is surging for emergency contraception in the wake of the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade. And now some of the nation's largest pharmacy chains are limiting purchases of the pills.

CNN's chief business correspondent and "EARLY START" anchor Christine Romans is joining us now to discuss this.

What's happening here?

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, you guys.

You know, some major pharmacy chains are limiting the number of these pills you can buy. The purchase of emergency contraceptive pills. CVS temporarily capping Plan B and Aftera to three pills per customers. A CVS spokesperson tells CNN there is ample sample but the limit is to, quote, insure equitable access and consistent supply on store shelves.

Walgreens is currently not limiting supply. But Rite Aid confirmed it is also capping purchases to three pills per customer citing increased demand. Also called the morning after pill, Plan B is a pregnancy preventing emergency contraception. Plan B is not an abortion pill. It does not terminate a pregnancy. It is sold over the counter without a prescription. Several companies produce different versions of Plan B.

In the wake of Friday's SCOTUS decision, many people took to social media encouraging others to stock up. But Planned Parenthood cautions against stockpiling these emergency contraceptives, noting both the limited shelf life, that's important, and that hoarding pills, it limits access for other people, for people who have an immediate need there.

So, watch this space here. Putting those limits on just to make sure that there will be supplies on store shelves.

But it tells you where people are thinking right now, right, a run on these drugs?

KEILAR: Yes, you can see a situation where someone does need at this moment and they're not going to be able to get it at their pharmacy.

ROMANS: Yes.

KEILAR: Christine, thank you so much for that.

There is some new reporting that reveals that President Biden is frustrated by those in his own party who are continuing to doubt that he is running in 2024 or that he should. "The New York Times" reporting Biden has been eager for signs of loyalty, and they have been few and far between, facing intensifying skepticism about his capacity to run for re-election when he will be nearly 82. The president and his top aides have been stung by the questions about his plans, irritated in what they see as a lack of respect from their party and the press and determining to tamp-down suggestions that's he's effectively a lame duck a year and a half into his administration.

Back with us now, CNN political commentator Errol Louis and Sophia Nelson, contributing editor of thegrio.com. And also the author of a new book, "Be the One You Need," which is the book that I need. I'm just going to tell you. We'll talk about it in a second.

BERMAN: Be the one Brianna needs.

KEILAR: Real - that's kind of what it is because there's some very helpful things in there, especially, I think, for women overburdened in the wake of the pandemic.

OK, but back to the president being irked by this. What do you think, Errol?

ERROL LOUIS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, look, he has every right to be. This is somebody who is now being challenged in a vague kind of a way, you know? I mean, look, he's done everything that he said he was going to do, or at least advanced most of the prospects that he had run on. He beat Trump, which was the biggest thing he could have done for his party and, frankly, for the country. He doesn't seem to have any support that is going away for a particular reason. It's one thing to say, oh, he seems to be elderly. He seems to be not on his game. He seems to be fading in the polls. All of those are legitimate things to say. But to then conclude you should not run gun? Well, who's supposed to run? You can't beat somebody with nobody, right? And so I think he's fighting against a ghost because there is no particular opponent who's out there trying to marshal all the forces and say, I should be the nominee and not Joe Biden. It makes it very frustrating for him, obviously.

SOPHIA A. NELSON, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, THEGRIO: You know, I've got mixed feelings on this one. I agree with Errol. However, my suspicion is Ron DeSantis will be the Republican nominee. At least that's the way it looks to me today. He's younger. He's vibrant. He's married with kids. He's a younger man up against the old, elder statesman, who everybody, I think if they're honest, respects Joe Biden. He did his country a service.

But I have mixed feels if you want to run somebody who's in their 80s against somebody that's, what, 40 something, and the vision, and the future and the youth. And I just don't know. That's a tough one. And, you know, but I agree to you, what is he supposed to do, just step down and hand it to the vice president to run? I don't know how that works either.

So, it's a tough spot.

LOUIS: I'm not sure the Republicans are going to nominate somebody who's not named Trump, to be honest with you.

NELSON: I am. I'm pretty sure after January 6th (INAUDIBLE).

LOUIS: I - I -- everything I've seen suggests that it is his for the asking. And that, frankly, would be the best outcome for Joe Biden because he can say, I am the Trump killer. I beat him before. I can beat him again. All of these other people --

NELSON: You really think they're going to nominate this guy again after the January 6th hearings? Are they that bad?

LOUIS: For sure. For sure. For sure.

NELSON: Oh, wow, I - I don't - I think - I think Trump's done. I do.

LOUIS: I mean they - yes, they don't even have a (INAUDIBLE).

NELSON: He's going to get indicted, going to jail. He's going to jail.

LOUIS: You know, I mean, remember at the -- remember at the convention when they said our official platform as a party is whatever Donald Trump says it is. I mean -

NELSON: I remember. But I think they're over the fever.

[06:45:00]

I think they want DeSantis now. He's a different Trump. A better looking one. A smarter one.

BERMAN: Well, look, and this is what Joe Biden is no doubt looking at right now, and people within the White House.

Let's talk about Brianna.

KEILAR: Fix me.

BERMAN: No, I mean, we've been looking at this book all morning and this has really struck a chord with you.

KEILAR: This is great because, Sophia, I was just really inspired by why you decided to write this, which was something that I think resonates with so many people and so many women, which is just feeling very sort of strapped emotionally, spiritually, in the wake of the pandemic. And I think, you know, just take it from there. Talk about what you're trying to achieve here for other people that you were able to achieve for yourself.

NELSON: Well, two things. I think we can all agree -- and, by the way, men, this book is for you, too, not just Brianna and women. This pandemic, the culture, the politics, the anger, the division, the violence has taken a toll on all of us if you're honest. We all feel it. Something's amiss. The president of the United States said a couple weeks ago, Americans are feeling really, really low. It's inflation. It's gas.

So, take all that. I had Covid not once but twice. The first time it almost killed me. I got it in February 2020 before we even knew what it was. I was deathly ill. I know people who died from it. We lost a million Americans. I had a sick parent at home with a serious neurological problem. I'm the caretaker. It is what it is. I'm the girl. You know, the girl gets stuck with this stuff, right?

So the point is, is that I really started to question things about my life. I'm at mid-life. I hit that magic 50 number. Everything shifts when you get to that number, I promise you. You're not there yet. But you know some things.

And I know some things to be true now. And my goal is to help younger men and women, to help us a country, to begin to build bridges and not blow them up. Self-care is not going to the beach. It's not going to the spa. That's respite. Self-care is doing the work on you. Getting out of your own way. Making sure that you do no harm and take no, as I like to say, I'm not going to say that on air. But, at the end of the day, I think that we are in a place where we all need to practice some self-care and put ourselves first. Women need to do that most of all.

KEILAR: You talk about some simple questions that people can ask themselves. What do I want? Which that's very simple.

BERMAN: (INAUDIBLE).

KEILAR: What do I want? Which is hard to answer sometimes.

NELSON: It is. KEILAR: Especially when you're caring for other people.

NELSON: It is.

KEILAR: What do I need and how am I feeling?

NELSON: Right.

KEILAR: These are helpful, helpful tips.

NELSON: Those three questions matter because we don't do them. Again, men are socialized a little differently. They kind of aren't afraid to say what they want and need. We, as women, are socialized to be caretakers and nurturers. And the pandemic has brought the great resignation, right? The great people felling burnout. Workplace burnout is huge. People are tired and they want something more and deeper from their life. So, I'm going to try to help them with what I've learned and what I know to be true now, living 55 years.

BERMAN: I think these are such important questions to ask right now and I think this is so timely.

Sophia, thank you so much.

NELSON: Thank you for having me.

BERMAN: And congratulations on the book.

NELSON: Thank you.

BERMAN: Errol, great to see you as well.

So, the cost of your July 4th barbecue up in smoke. How much will the cookout cost because of inflation?

KEILAR: Plus, a toxic disaster and the video is chilling here of a poisonous gas explosion. We'll tell you the story behind this, ahead.

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[06:52:24]

BERMAN: This morning, a new survey finds the cost of a cookout for the Fourth of July this year is jumping 17 percent. The American Farm Bureau Federation says the increase is because of supply chain issues, inflation and, of course, the war in Ukraine.

CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich joins us now with a look at, you know, at what's going to be on that plate.

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, John.

So, if you're bringing the beef or the ribs, you are going to see the highest cost this year. So, the American Farm Bureau puts out this survey every Fourth of

July. So, from 2020 to 2021, we actually saw a decrease in the amount that a barbecue was costing the American people. This is for about ten people. But when we jump from 2021 to 2022, up about $10. That's where you're seeing that 17 percent increase. This is for about 12 items that the American Farm Bureau tracks that are basically staples in your barbecue.

And as you mentioned, John, the costs are going up because there are still those bottlenecks with supply chains. Americans know inflation is red hot right now and the war in Ukraine is really shuffling the global food supply chain.

So, let's break it down. Let's see what's costing you more this year. Take a look, beef, as I mentioned, up 36 percent this year. Chicken breasts, 33 percent. Potato salad, which I love, up 19 percent.

But you're going to get a little bit of cost savings. We're looking at strawberries down 16 percent. Chips down 4 percent. And the reason the American Farm Bureau says that you're saving on these items is because maybe farmers had favorable growing seasons, so the strawberries did a little bit better. They could offset some costs there. And chips and also cheese is down this year, and that's because retailers can maybe shift around prices a little bit more.

But this is not including alcohol, John. So, when you add the alcohol to the mix, that's really going to bring up the price. But the American people this year, 17 percent increase from last year. Fourth of July, unfortunately, is going to be hopefully fun for people but a lot more expensive this year.

John.

BERMAN: The only thing I'll say is, I think you're wrong about potato salad. I do think it's overrated.

YURKEVICH: No way. No way. Top item on the list this year.

BERMAN: All right, Vanessa Yurkevich, thank you very much.

The mystery witness revealed for today's surprise January 6th hearing. What Cassidy Hutchinson is expected to reveal.

KEILAR: Plus, Dana Bash is going to join us live on her exclusive interview with Vice President Kamala Harris. What she says about former Vice President Mike Pence's actions on January 6th, and why she warns the Supreme Court is not done after Roe versus Wade.

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[06:59:07]

KEILAR: A toxic gas leak in Jordan is said to be under control this morning. Authorities say that a crane loading chlorine container tanks on to a ship in the port city of Aqaba Monday dropped one of them causing this massive explosion of toxic yellow smoke and gas. At least 12 people died here, another 260 people were injured. Crews are now disinfecting the site where this leak happened. Officials say, though, it no longer poses any risk.

NEW DAY continues right now.

Good morning to viewers here in the United States and around the world. It is Tuesday, June 28th. And I'm Brianna Keilar, with John Berman.

The January 6th committee holds a surprise, unscheduled hearing here in six hours to present recently obtained evidence and at least one surprise witness who has been central to their investigation.

[07:00:08]