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New Day Saturday

Decision Overturning Roe V. Wade Sets Off Demonstrations; Supreme Court Overturns Roe, Leaving States Free To Ban Abortion; State Sen. Alessandra Biaggi (D-NY), Is Being Interviewed About Her Reasons For Running In New York Congress; Witnesses: Trump Tried To Misuse DOJ To Stay In Power; World Leaders React To Court's Decision Overturning Roe V. Wade. Aired 7-8a ET

Aired June 25, 2022 - 07:00   ET

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


[07:01:00]

CHIRSTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: Well, good morning to you and to your NEW DAY, I should say. It's Saturday, June 25th, and I am not alone.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Look at us. Here in the studio together. It's great. Fantastic. Great to be with you, Christi.

PAUL: It is so good to have you right here, right where you are right now, especially with all the news that we have to talk about today.

SANCHEZ: So much going on today. Demonstrators taking to the streets across the country following that U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade, ending the constitutional right to an abortion. A moment that anti-abortion rights activists are describing as a victory that's been decades in the making.

PAUL: Yes, abortion rights groups plan more demonstrations today. Take a look at what was happening as protesters, yesterday. We're in major cities around the country. And let me tell you about what happened in Phoenix, Arizona. Of course, the demonstration got rowdy people were banging on the glass doors of the State Senate building. Look at this.

Now, we're told Troopers used tear gas to disperse that crowd, and authorities say a monument was also vandalized during the protests.

SANCHEZ: At the White House, President Biden blasted the Supreme Court decision. He says that it puts women's health in jeopardy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This decision is a combination of a deliberate effort over decades of set balance of our law. It's a realization of an extreme ideology and a tragic error by the Supreme Court in my view. The court has done what has never done before, expressly take away a constitutional right. That is so fundamental to so many Americans that had already been recognized. The court's decision to do so will have real and immediate consequences. Now, with Roe gone, let's be very clear, the health and life of women of this nation are now at risk.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: And congressional leaders on opposing sides of the abortion debate reacted to the Supreme Court's decision.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-CA): People have won a victory. The right to life has been vindicated. The voiceless will finally have a voice. This great nation can now live up to its core principle that all are created equal. Not born equal, created equal.

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): What this means to women is such an insult. It's a slap in the face to women about using their own judgment to make their own decisions about their reproductive freedom.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: Those two reactions you just see there are examples of the Supreme Court ruling being a devastating setback for abortion rights supporters and anti-abortion activists celebrating what they see as a hard-fought victory.

SANCHEZ: CNN's Justice Correspondent Jessica Schneider has more on the court's decision and its impact.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, no, we don't Roe.

JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Roe v. Wade no longer the law of the land, with the Supreme Court overturning nearly 50 years of precedent. The court eliminating the constitutional right to an abortion and leaving all decisions concerning abortion rights to individual states. The final 5-4 majority opinion strikingly similar to the draft from Justice Samuel Alito, that was leaked last month. "Roe was egregiously wrong from the start," Alito writes, "Its reasoning was exceptionally weak and the decision has had damaging consequences."

In a dissenting opinion, the courts liberal justices lament the current state of the conservative court saying, "With sorrow, for this court but more for the many millions of American women who have today lost a fundamental constitutional protection -- we dissent." The monumental move made possible by a conservative super-majority including three of Donald Trump's nominees. Chief Justice John Roberts diverging somewhat from the majority voting to uphold Mississippi's 15-week abortion ban but stopping short of overturning Roe v. Wade. The decision is a turn for two of the justices who voted to overturn Roe, after they seem to indicate at their confirmation hearings, they wouldn't.

[07:05:21]

BRETT KAVANAUGH, SUPREME COURT JUSTICE: It is an important precedent of the Supreme Court.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's the law of the land. I accept the law of the land Senator. Yes.

SCHNEIDER: Democrats, including President Biden are outraged.

BIDEN: This is not over.

SCHNEIDER: And urging voters to back candidates who back abortion rights in the midterm elections.

PELOSI: How about those justices coming before the senators, and saying that they respected the precedent of the court? This cruel ruling is outrageous and heart wrenching, but make no mistake, it's all on the ballot in November.

SCHNEIDER: Protests are popping up around the country as individual states are set to move rapidly. 26 states are likely to ban abortion completely, including 13 states that have trigger laws on the books, which set abortion bans into motion as soon as Roe is overturned. The Supreme Court's decision also could put other precedents at risk, like the right to same sex marriage and access to contraception.

Justice Clarence Thomas explicitly calling for the court to reconsider those other rulings writing, "We have a duty to correct the error established in those precedents." While Alito promised, "Nothing in this opinion should be understood to cast doubt on precedents that do not concern abortion." But the liberal justices warning, "No one should be confident that this majority is done with its work." Jessica Schneider, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Jessica, thank you for that. In some states, abortion became illegal as soon as the Supreme Court issued its ruling. 13 states have trigger laws in place that will soon be activated by the court's decision if they haven't been already.

PAUL: Now, CNN National Correspondent Nadia Romero is with us in Jackson, Mississippi with more. We know Mississippi, of course, one of the states with a trigger law. It was also we need to remind you at the center of the case that the court ruled on. So, Nadia, I know it's been a little dicey, where you are this morning, how are you, and what's going on there where things stand now?

NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Oh, Christi, it has been a very dicey this morning, confrontational, to say the least, but the folks here that were being the most confrontational, are now singing and they have the right to come out and protest and exercise their First Amendment rights. So, that confrontation has died down a bit this morning, they've switched over to singing songs.

And now, more of the clinic staff and volunteers have shown up to begin their day at the clinic because here in the state of Mississippi, that 15-week abortion ban doesn't began right away, the Attorney General has to certify that into law. And that usually takes about 10 days. So, there's still a time period for women in Mississippi to still come to this very last standing abortion clinic and the state to get an abortion. But after that, in order to have that 15-week ban, you cannot have an abortion even if it's for rape, even if it's for incest.

But the leaders here in the state are very happy with their Supreme Court's ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade. Religious leaders, state leaders are excited about that. They feel that they are proud that Mississippi is leading the nation that it was their law that was sent up to the Supreme Court. I listen to the Speaker of the House here in the state of Mississippi explain why this meant so much to him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. PHILIP GUN (R-MS): With this decision comes new opportunities. Our work is not done. We have fought long and hard to save the lives of the unborn. Now, there are going to be new challenges that we face. There will be, in this, in this state particularly, we want to make sure that those who are born have the resources that they need.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMERO: And so, that was a speaker of the house here in the state of Mississippi. We also heard from Governor Tate Reeves, who released a very long statement, very -- and congratulatory to the Supreme Court and to the legislators, to lawmakers who pushed that bill forward. Of course, here though, there will still be abortions that will happen today, appointments are still being taken today, and that will happen throughout the day in the next 10 days before that law becomes certified here in Mississippi.

They want people to know that you can still come out here after those 10 days, Boris and Christi. After those days, you can move forward with going to a fund that the pink house behind me has set up to help women be able to go to other states to access abortion or other health care. But in that time period that we'll be able to have to go further away because Mississippi is surrounded by other states that also have trigger laws in place. Boris and Christi.

PAUL: Yes, very good point. Nadia Romero, we appreciate it. Thank you so much.

President Biden lashed out at the Supreme Court calling its reversal of Roe vs. Wade a "tragic error" and he's urging people channel your anger and your frustration, if that's where you are right now, into the ballot box, in the upcoming election.

[07:10:10]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: This fall, Roe is on the ballot. Personal freedoms are on the ballot. The right to privacy, liberty, equality, they're all about.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: Alice Stewart, a CNN Political Commentator, Republican Strategist and Former Communications Director for Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz with us; as well as Maria Cardona, a CNN Political Commentator, and Democratic Strategist. Ladies, always so good to see you. Thank you for being here.

MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good morning.

ALICE STEWART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good morning, Christi.

PAUL: Good morning. As we are taking off of what we just heard there from President Biden, in one sense, we're only four months away from midterms. In another sense, we're only four months away from midterms. And there can be a lot of headlines in between now and then. So, I know you tweeted, Maria, that women will remember this come November. My question to you is, with President Biden and Speaker Pelosi saying this is now on the ballot, it's always been on the ballot, but it's not always been effective, this is the only reason I'm going to go vote and it's going to shape the way I vote. So, how potent do you think abortion is now, as an issue at the ballot box?

CARDONA: I think it's going to be incredibly potent, Christi, because it's much more than just about abortion. It's about women's equality. It's about how women are now viewed in this country, Christi. We have now woken up in a country where you and I and Alice are less equal and have less rights than our dear friend Boris Sanchez.

I took my kids to bed last night, and I looked at them and I said, I am grieving because my daughter is now growing up in a country where she has less rights and is seen as less than, than my son. Women today have less rights than an AR-15, and then criminals who want to get their hands on guns. That is tragic Christi.

Not only that, but the pro-life movement, who is I know has been very focused on this, and kudos to them, they got what they wanted. But it is hypocrisy to call them pro-life, when in fact what they are is pro- forced-birth. Because I will tell you, what is going to happen now is abortions are going to increase and women will die.

And the pro-life movement is doing nothing to put in place programs to support women who have unwanted pregnancies to support the 400,000 children that are now in foster care, and to make sure that women are taken care of from the moment they have that child up until that child is able to take care of themselves. They have governors that don't even want to expand Medicaid for the most-needy. So, I'm sorry, but when they talk about how women can now go to these pregnancy centers, that is just plain B.S., and women will suffer.

PAUL: Alice, what do you say to all of that? And what -- is there any indication Republicans have answers to these other issues that Maria just outlined?

STEWART: I do. And I'm happy to outline them for you. First off, with regard to what President Biden said, look, this issue, the pro-life issue has been on the ballot for Republicans and pro-life conservatives for 50 years ever since Roe was, was enacted. And pro- life advocates have been fighting for -- to overturn Roe v. Wade for four decades and we have used this as a way to turn out voters for years. Every presidential campaign I've been on appointing Supreme Court justices who view the constitution from an, a strict interpretation of the constitution. That's been one of the issues we've campaigned on.

Meanwhile, Democrats have been asleep at the wheel. This is why they're off in a ditch last night, because they lost this battle. This is a tremendous victory for those in the pro-life community, because this takes the issue of abortion, out of the hands of nine unelected justices and puts it in the hands of elected representatives. And as to my dear friend, Maria's point about who's going to care for these women and babies now, the pro-life community has been prepared for just a time as this. There are crisis pregnancy centers across the country, 2,700 of them, they provide services for women expectant mothers before during and after having children and also provide counseling if they want to put the child up for adoption or if they want to keep them.

There is an organization called, Her Plan, that provides a, a financial assistance as well as counseling for women that choose life and choose to keep their children. There are organizations like the Texas alternative to abortion that has millions of dollars at their disposal to provide help and counseling and assistance to women that decide to keep their children or put them up for adoption. So, the argument that there is no plan in place for women that choose life is just not accurate. We have been preparing for this for decades, and we are ready to take this, take this on, and welcome life across the country.

PAUL: Maria, from a political standpoint, you made the case yourself, Republicans have prepared for this. How is the strategy for Democrats going to shift now?

CARDONA: Well, the strategy is that we are now going to mobilize and make sure that not just women, Christi, but the men who support them, the men who love them, who understand that the decision about a woman's body and what to do about her reproductive future should only be in the hands of that woman, her family, her doctor, and if she's religious, then her God or her clergy -- nobody else.

And this is an issue that is absolutely going to mobilize women, there have been polls that have been done across the country, where you have massive indication of how much this will mobilize, again, not just women, but you have the men that that also agreed, men who have daughters, who are also tragically waking up today, understanding that their daughters have less rights today than they did yesterday.

And yes, again, kudos to the pro-life movement, they have been focused on this for 50 years, I do think that we have missed a step, and have not done what we can to make sure that our voters understand how important it is to vote on judges and on the judiciary, and on senators and presidents who are able to appoint those judges in the judiciary. And this is now what we have. But moving forward.

This absolutely will be an issue that Democrats, and Independents, and, and suburban Republican women even will absolutely mobilize around when they sit there and they look at the person next to them, who is a man and they say I am a second-class citizen compared to this gentleman next to me. And that is thanks to six unelected, hyper conservative extremist judges, then I'm going to do something about this. And that's what that, that's what we're going to focus on in November.

PAUL: Maria, your point is well taken in a sense that there are polls out that show -- one of the latest polls shows that 66 percent of people who were polled: Democrats, Independents, Republicans included, did not want to see Roe versus Wade overturned. And with that, Alice, I want to ask you, because the two of you, you are in such a unique position. I think you're in a position that a lot of people are in at home. Your friends, you respect each other, and you have wholly different views on this. I want to ask you, how do the two of you maintain the decorum and the friendship? Because there are people sitting around a table right now with family and friends, and they don't know how to do that. Alice?

STEWART: Well, I can say, I love and respect Maria, and I love and appreciate her feeling and opinion on this. And we respect the fact that we have different views on this. And look, I think it's really important to note, my upbringing and my role in this is to protect the life of the unborn and make sure that their voice is out there and someone is speaking up for the unborn.

And I look at what the Justice Alito stated in his opinion that Roe was egregiously wrong from the start. So, this should have never been in the hands of nine unelected justices. And she points out that six justices have made this decision to take this right away from women, it never should have been put in the hands of the courts. This should be in the hands of elected justices at the state level, to make it more of a, an issue that is closer to the people.

Now, people in the states have the ability to elect representatives that will reflect their views and values. And again, I think what you're saying is extremely important. People need to use their calm and respect and have civil conversations because I know a lot of people that have been out Supreme Court this week are seeing tense emotions, and threats, and intimidation. You need to just -- I would encourage people to take a breath and respect and love people that disagree on this issue because it is very divisive.

PAUL: It's divisive, but it's very emotional for everybody involved. Alice Stewart, Maria Cardona, we appreciate both of you so much.

STEWART: Thank you, Christi.

CARDONA: Thanks, Christi.

PAUL: Of course.

SANCHEZ: Well, following a breaking story overnight, police in Norway have charged a man with murder, attempted murder, and terrorism in connection with a shooting at a gay nightclub in Oslo. The suspect is in Norwegian citizen, apparently originally from Iran. The attack happening at the London pub, leaving two people dead, sending eight others to the hospital. Police say at least three remain in critical condition. The Pride Parade in Oslo that was planned for later today has been cancelled because of the shooting. And Norway's intelligence service is looking into whether more violent acts perhaps have been planned. [07:20:34]

Still ahead, a major milestone in the fight against gun violence. Next hour, President Biden is expected to sign a historic gun safety bill after a bipartisan breakthrough on Capitol Hill. Plus, from a push to seize voting machines to baseless conspiracy theories. The January 6th Committee revealing more details about Donald Trump's relentless pressure campaign on the Department of Justice to help him overturn the election.

And cities across the country bracing for record hot temperatures this weekend. We'll tell you what to expect and whether there's any relief in sight. We're back after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:25:20]

PAUL: 24 minutes past the hour, and in the next hour, President Biden is expected to sign the first piece of federal legislation tackling gun control in nearly three decades. This is a bipartisan bill. It includes $750 million for crisis intervention programs that expands background checks for people between 18 and 21. It closes the boyfriend loophole, and it requires more gun sellers to register as federally licensed firearm dealers. A total of 29 Republicans in House and Senate joined Democrats in passing the historic gun reform bill.

SANCHEZ: The Supreme Court overturned a New York State law this week prohibiting people from carrying handguns outside their homes, a decision that many New York lawmakers say will make their communities less safe. Let's discuss with Democratic New York State Senator Alessandra Biaggi, she's running to represent New York's 17th District in Congress. Alessandra, thank you so much for sharing part of your Saturday with us. I want to ask you about a response that you had for your governor, Kathy Hochul. She called the court's ruling on guns shocking, and you said that is intellectually dishonest, why?

ALESSANDRA BIAGGI (D), NEW YORK CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: Well, thank you for having me this morning. And good morning. Well, what I meant by that is that we have all known that this ruling, and frankly, the Roe ruling were coming. And that's because Republicans have been working for decades to buy a conservative majority Supreme Court, to achieve the far right, extremist political agenda using the courts.

And so, really, I think it comes back to the question of how will Democrats respond? And how are we going to actually change how we are leading in response to how they have been attacking our rights. And so, you know, Democrats control the White House, Congress, the Senate. In New York, we have the super majorities in the legislature, we control also the governor's mansion.

And so, we need to be using our power to the fullest extent at every single level of government to fight back. And so, for me, that really means that as Democrats and as people who are leading the state of New York, we really need to be as aggressive and determined as the other side is. And so, I am looking forward to the special session that's coming up

this week on Thursday. We're going to be going back to address this issue, but it's really important that we are really being clear that these are threats to our rights that have been not hidden by the Republican Party. In fact, they are very much in plain sight.

SANCHEZ: I want to ask you specifically about a portion of Justice Alito's concurring opinion on that concealed carry law in New York. He says that the New York law prohibiting concealed carry wouldn't have stopped the mass shooting that we saw in that grocery store in Buffalo a few weeks ago. What's your response to that?

BIAGGI: Well, first of all, the reason for that is because we no longer have an assault weapons ban, because at the federal level, that was that was expired and was never reinstated. And so, that was a failure at the federal level, something that's quite important to me, as a legislator, not only at the state level, but also if elected to Congress.

That's the reason why this our gun laws in New York were not able to address the issue of unfortunately, the buffalo shooter attacking and assaulting and, and, and gunning down so many individuals in Buffalo. But the real, the reality here is that when a law is not strong enough to do the job, the answer is to strengthen it, not to abolish it.

SANCHEZ: So, you recently called for an expansion of the Supreme Court. There was a commission that was put together by the White House that ultimately was agnostic on that idea. It doesn't appear that President Biden urgently wants to remake the court. He's calling on voters to hit the polls in November, he's calling on Congress to add abortion rights to the Constitution, essentially, would you like to see the president and other Democrats make this a bigger issue expanding the Supreme Court?

BIAGGI: I would and I think it's time to do that. I think that right now, it's very clear that with a six, three radical Supreme Court, we as Democrats, but also as a country, are not fully represented by six individuals who are making decisions on behalf, behalf of 330,000 -- excuse me, 330 million Americans.

[07:29:46]

And I think that, you know, what this really signals to me and I think to many people is that right now, what our country needs is not just fierce independent fighters, but people who are unafraid to stand up to Republicans, to corporate interests to deliver for the United States. And that's one of the reasons why I am running for Congress in New York.

[07:30:06]

BIAGGI: Because my opponent, Sean Patrick Maloney is frankly another establishment politician who makes a lot of empty promises instead of taking action. And it's time really, to do something different.

And if we want to get something different out of Washington, we need to send someone different to Washington.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): If you do wind up succeeding and expanding the court, when it Republicans just push to expand it even further, when justices rule against them doesn't undoing the precedent that set when it comes to the makeup of the Supreme Court, just open a can of worms legally?

BIAGGI: So, first of all, I think that, you know, there is a lot of plans out there that point to the way in which the appeals court is run. Right? 20 justices, and a certain set of rules that would allow for us to really follow how other courts already are functioning at the federal level.

But, that aside, I think it's really important that everyone at home and all of us who are elected and also wish to go on to be elected to higher office are very clear about the fact that we should all have respect for our institutions. Absolutely.

But when society changes, when the culture changes, when we are made aware of different facts and circumstances that update our thinking, then, that means that our institutions also have to change.

And I think that the Supreme Court is not immune to that. In fact, Thomas Jefferson, himself, has a quote, very specific to the fact that it is really frankly, almost barbaric to stay in a set of rules or circumstances when you know, as a leader, or as a person, that the culture or society has changed.

And so, it's that time now, it's very clear to many people, it's clear to myself. And I think that it's really important that we are not just beholden to institutions and to rules that no longer work, but that we update our playbook and our thinking to be able to actually lead in this very moment.

And frankly, this really just points to the larger problem of Washington, D.C., which is frankly, full of a lot of status quo politicians who are refusing to take bold action, as extremists are literally stripping away our rights, our rights to abortion, to safety, from guns, to tackling climate change.

And so, I think that all of those problems, and the fact that we can do something about it means that we ought to.

SANCHEZ: We got to leave the conversation there. New York State Senator Alessandra Biaggi, thanks so much for the time.

BIAGGI: Thanks so much for having me.

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): Well, after the break, we're going to take a closer look at President Trump's relationship with the Department of Justice, and how he tried to use it to keep his grip on power.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:36:57] SANCHEZ: New this morning, a source is now telling CNN that Arizona Republican Party chair Kelli Ward and her husband have been subpoenaed as part of the federal investigation to appoint fake electors to try to keep former President Trump in office following his election lost to Joe Biden.

PAUL: And CNN's Brian Todd has a closer look at how select committee witnesses say Trump himself tried to misuse the Justice Department to hold on to power.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The dangerous moves of a desperate defeated president, trying to get the Department of Justice to do his bidding.

This week's hearings of the House Select Committee on January 6th, focus partly on Donald Trump's efforts after the 2020 election and before the January 6th attack on the Capitol to change the election results. Using that department as his lever.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD DONOGHUE, FORMER ACTING DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL: The president's entreaties became more urgent, he became more adamant that we weren't doing our job. We need to step up and do our job.

TODD: Part of a pattern that former Trump administration officials and outside analysts say Donald Trump exhibited almost from the moment he stepped into the Oval Office.

JULIAN ZELIZER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST (on camera): That the behavior is very dangerous. The former president saw the Department of Justice as an institution that should help his presidency, and the attorney general as someone who worked for him rather than who protected the law.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Welcome to the White House.

TODD: Early on, Trump relentlessly pressured his first attorney general, Jeff Sessions to oversee the Russia investigation.

When Sessions refused and recused himself, Trump publicly insulted him repeatedly. Like in an interview with Fox News.

TRUMP: And I put an attorney general that never took control of the Justice Department.

TODD: Trump eventually fired Sessions.

TRUMP: Oh, and there is James. He's become more famous than me.

TODD: Soon after taking office, Trump pressured then-FBI Director James Comey to drop an investigation into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. Comey later claimed Trump had made a personal demand of him. JAMES COMEY, FORMER DIRECTOR, FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION: I got the sense my job would be contingent upon how he felt I conducted myself, and whether I demonstrated loyalty.

TODD: Trump denied asking for Comey's loyalty, but ended up firing Comey. Later saying he was frustrated over the ongoing Russia probe.

Later, after then-Attorney General Bill Barr, who had been a loyalist, finally said he saw no evidence of widespread election fraud in 2020, Trump called Barr, "stupid", "a coward", "a swamp creature."

According to the Mueller report, Trump wants asked why the Department of Justice didn't fight for him the way he believed then-Attorney General Robert Kennedy fought for his brother, while John Kennedy was president. Experts say that's not how the relationship between a president and an attorney general should be.

ELLIOT WILLIAMS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST (on camera): There's a long standing practice in government that the attorney general -- that the present attorney general should not ever be communicating about cases. President Trump violated that pretty repeatedly throughout his administration.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (on camera): The analyst we spoke to are worried about the imprint Trump's behavior will leave on future presidents. They say that because so far Trump's really not been held accountable for his behavior with the Justice Department, that future presidents may think they can get away with similar tactics.

[07:40:04]

TODD: Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

SANCHEZ: Brian, thanks so much.

Still to come this morning, a Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade not only sending shockwaves across the United States but around the world.

Hear from world leaders in just a few moments. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: So, yesterday, Supreme Court decision overruling Roe v. Wade is having a far reaching impact. Around the world, countries are weighing in, including some of the United States closest allies.

[07:45:07]

PAUL: CNN's Nada Bashir is with us now. Nada, help us understand what other countries think of all of this here in the U.S.

NADA BASHIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL REPORTER (on camera): Lastly, Christi, Boris, it's not often that you see some of the U.S.'s closest allies, speaking out so boldly on domestic policy issues with the question of abortion rights. Really is a matter that transcends those borders, putting the U.S. government at odds with some of its closest allies. Particularly, if we look for example, at the European Union, the majority -- vast majority of E.U. member states allow abortion on request.

It is by a large viewed by European governments as a human right. And that is certainly the message that we've been hearing from European leaders in response to the Supreme Court decision.

The Spanish prime minister, for example, Pedro Sanchez, say that women must be able to freely make decisions about their own lives. And that was echoed by French president Emmanuel Macron yesterday. He tweeted and express his support for the women of the United States. He said that abortion must be accessible to all. That is a right that must be protected.

Now, we've also heard from the U.S. allies outside of the European Union, Boris Johnson, the U.K. Prime Minister, and his Canadian counterpart, Justin Trudeau have also spoken out on this issue. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BORIS JOHNSON, PRIME MINISTER OF THE UNITED KINGDOM: This is not our court. It's another -- it's another jurisdiction. But clearly, it has massive impacts on people's thinking around the world. It's a very important decision.

I got to tell you, I think it's a big step backwards. I think it's a big step backwards.

JUSTIN TRUDEAU, PRIME MINISTER OF CANADA: The judgment coming out of the United States, it's an attack on women's freedom. And quite frankly, it's an attack on everyone's freedoms and rights.

It shows how much standing up and fighting for rights matters every day that we can't take anything for granted.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASHIR: Now, in contrast to the criticism that we've seen that the Vatican's Pontifical Academy for Life has issued a statement in support of the ruling. I can just read you a bit of that.

BASHIR (voice-over): Saying, it's time, "to build a society and economy that supports marriages and families, and where every woman has the support and resources she needs to bring her child into this world with love."

BASHIR (on camera): Now, that is a support from the Vatican. But we have heard, of course, that concerted criticism. The U.N. has said that this will strip millions of women in the United States from the autonomy that they have.

Human Rights Watch has said that the U.S. is now in violation of international human rights obligations. Christi, Boris.

PAUL: Nada Bashir, we appreciate it so much. Thank you.

PAUL (on camera): I don't have to tell you about record heat, because I'm pretty sure you're probably feeling it to some degree. But here is the thing. Some of the temperatures we're seeing could create a really dangerous situation out west. We'll tell you what we're talking about next. Stay close.

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[07:52:39]

SANCHEZ: Right now, millions of people across the United States are under dangerous heat alerts. Some states even bracing for yet another round of triple digit temperatures.

PAUL: We want to bring in CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar, because Allison, we know that these temperatures mean real danger for some people in particular parts of the country.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST (on camera): Yes. I mean, yes, we get it, it's summer, it's supposed to be hot. But keep in mind, some of these places we're talking about, you don't have widespread access to air conditioning in some of these places. So, that's going to be one thing to consider.

Heat advisories around across several states in the South, but also in the Pacific Northwest. And those are the areas we're talking about, where not every household has air conditioning.

And so, when you get these big heat waves like this, it does have very dangerous implications.

Into the South. Mainly, we're looking at the temperature and the heat index combination. So, today little rock a high of 98. But that feels like temperature of 107.

New Orleans looking at 96 with a heat index right around 105. But out to the West, we're also going to start to see those temperatures rising and pretty quickly too.

Take a look at Portland, the high of 94 today, that's almost 20 degrees above their normal for this time of year.

Medford, looking at 102 also about 20 degrees above average. Same thing for Redding, California. And even as you go a little bit further south into California, you're also looking at additional temperatures that are going to be well above average.

But for areas like Seattle and Portland, again, a lot of these areas, you're talking 10, 15, even 20 degrees above where they would be this time of year. So, if you are one of those folks that does not have an air conditioner in your home, this is the time to go to the library, go to other places where you can get that cool off period that you'll need over the next several days. Also, another thing that happens in summer, we also start to see the tropics become a bit more active. And right now we have two separate systems that we are continuing to watch.

This first one basically over the south central portion of the Atlantic. That has a 60 percent chance of developing into a tropical system over the next two to five days.

The secondary system, this is the area in the Gulf of Mexico we're watching. Now, that only has about a 20 percent Boris and Christi. But regardless, whichever one gets named next will be the name Bonnie.

PAUL: All right. Good to know. Allison Chinchar, thank you so much for the heads up.

CHINCHAR: Thanks.

PAUL: So, in the new CNN film, "CITIZEN ASHE", directors Rex Miller and Sam Pollard explore the enduring legacy of tennis great and humanitarian Arthur Ashe.

[07:55:00]

SANCHEZ: And on top of his athletic achievements, Ashe used his public platform to condemn the apartheid in South Africa to speak up about the AIDS crisis and much more. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fill us in on your intention to play in South Africa.

ARTHUR ASHE, FORMER AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL TENNIS PLAYER: My condition is you have to start somewhere and it would at least be a crack and then apartheid wall down there if I did play.

When I formally applied for a visa, I was personally turned down.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was one of the people that they despised, most of all over there. They had no intention of bringing an outspoken black tennis player to South Africa.

ASHE: I hate South Africa with a vengeance.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Then, for him to say he would like to drop a H-bomb on Johannesburg. And, of course, the opposition is going to pick it up and say this is why we're keeping him out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ (voice-over): A powerful story. "CITIZEN ASHE" premieres tomorrow night at 9:00 right here on CNN.

Much more of NEW DAY WEEKEND ahead after a quick break.

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