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Biden Renews Focus on Black Voters; Oversight Committee Devolves into Name Calling; Golfer Scottie Scheffler Arrested; Chiefs Kicker Under Fire for Graduation Speech. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired May 17, 2024 - 08:30   ET

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

[08:30:00]

ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Themselves from what's being said in the media.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, I mean, this is all setting up for a huge day Monday.

It's good to see you, Elie. Thank you.

John.

HONIG: Yes.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, the upside down American flag. Some see it as a sign of support for the January 6th insurrection. So, why was it flying outside the home of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito? The new report from "The New York Times."

And then, just out of control. The shocking attacks hurled back and forth at a congressional hearing overnight.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:35:01]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Today, President Biden renews his focused on black voters, speaking at the National Museum of African American History and Culture and at Morehouse he will be the commencement speaker this weekend. It comes as the Biden campaign sees a drop in support among some black voters.

CNN's Harry Enten is joining us now.

How does black voter's support look when compared to a few years ago?

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: Yes, I think this is the real thing. Sort of the drop-off, right?

Look, you look at 2024, Biden still leads among black voters over Donald Trump's 69 percent in an average of polls. But look at this number for Donald Trump, 22 percent. Where was Donald Trump at this point four years ago in the polls? He was just 9 percent of the votes. So, he's seen more than a doubling in his support among African Americans.

This margin, which was in the 70s just four years ago, look at where it is now, 69 minus 22. That puts it in the 40s. My goodness, gracious. If this held through the general election, and obviously we're still months away, this would be by far the best performance for a Republican candidate among black voters in a generation, two generations, probably since 1960 and Richard Nixon against John F. Kennedy. That's how long we're really talking about when we're looking at this margin here. This could be a truly historic margin. It's quite a troubling sign for the Biden campaigns, Sara.

SIDNER: So, where is Biden weakest among black voters? When you look at this number, who are they?

ENTEN: Yes, who are these voters? And let's break it down by age because I really think this gives you a good insight into what's exactly cooking here.

Take a look here. If you look among black voters age 50 and over, you see that Joe Biden has a very substantial lead here. Look at this, 82 percent to 8 percent. This lead is still in the 70s. This looks a lot like what we saw in the overall polling back in 2020.

But look at voters under the age of 50. Look here. Donald Trump is pulling 25 percent of that vote. Joe Biden is at just 62 percent of this. This leads, Sara, this lead is just - is south of 40 percentage points. This is historic. This is what a lot of folks been talking about, that Joe Biden has a specific problem among younger black voters. And that is exactly what's showing up right here. And this is, I think a lot of the reason why you're going to see Biden focusing more on black voters, why you're seeing Jim Clyburn go out there. Don't be surprised if they go to more colleges.

Because the fact of the matter is, older black voters still really much like Joe Biden. It's these younger black voters who very much are turning on him and being much more supportive of Donald Trump than they were four years ago.

SIDNER: Of course, this is not the only thing that Joe Biden has to worry about, although these numbers look pretty dire and very different than they did in the last election. So, give us some sense of what else he needs to be thinking about here.

ENTEN: Right. You know, when we talk about elections, we talk about two things. We talked about persuasion, which we're seeing here with these changing margins.

SIDNER: Yes.

ENTEN: But we also talk about turnout. What's going on in turnout? Certain to vote. Black voters absolutely certain to vote. This is according to "Washington Post," IPSOS. If you look four years ago, 83 percent of black voters said they were absolutely certain to vote. Look where that number is now. It's 73 percent. So, it's not just that Joe Biden's getting less juice out of the margins, he might have fewer black voters turning out and providing less support for him because they're going to be a smaller portion of the electorate.

SIDNER: One of the big things that the candidates have to worry about is whether people stay home.

ENTEN: Yes.

SIDNER: And that can be a huge factor as of this -

ENTEN: And this is what this is saying may very well happen.

SIDNER: Harry Enten, thank you so much.

ENTEN: Thank you.

SIDNER: All right.

John.

BERMAN: All right, lawmakers waking up this morning after a late night House Oversight hearing devolved into, I mean, it just devolved. This is the exchange that began it all.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JASMINE CROCKETT (D-TX): Do you know what we're here for? You know we're here about AG Garland (INAUDIBLE) the president -

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, just a point of - point of order.

REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-GA): I don't think you know what you're here for.

CROCKETT: Well, you the one talking about - I guess she's still (INAUDIBLE) -

GREENE: I think your fake eyelashes are messing up what you're reading.

CROCKETT: No, ain't nothing -

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hold on. Hold on.

CROCKETT: Listen -

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Order.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Chairman -

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's beneath even you, Ms. Greene. That's beneath even you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Would you please (INAUDIBLE) order of your committee.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Order.

REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-NY): I do have a point of order, and I would like to move to - to take down Ms. Greene's words.

That is absolutely unacceptable. How dare you attack the physical appearance of another person.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Meeting will suspend. Meeting with suspend.

GREENE: Are your feelings hurt?

OCASIO-CORTEZ: Move her words down.

GREENE: Awe.

OCASIO-CORTEZ: Oh - oh, girl. Baby, girl.

GREENE: Oh, really.

OCASIO-CORTEZ: Don't even play with me.

GREENE: Baby girl? I don't think so.

OCASIO-CORTEZ: We're going to - we are going to move and we're going to take your words down.

Thank you (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I second that motion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: All right, with me now, former Hillary Clinton campaign manager, Patti Solis Doyle, and former White House spokesperson for George W. Bush and former spokesperson for the Indiana Republican Party, Pete Seat.

Let me stipulate. Like, I'm not some shrinking violet when it comes to Congress. I mean we've had members beaten senseless on the House floor in U.S. history, and this wasn't that. But what was this?

PATTI SOLIS DOYLE, FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN MANAGER FOR HILLARY CLINTON: That was just a really sorry display from our elected members of Congress. I mean to go to that level of personally attacking someone's appearance. But, you know, it's just - John, it's just really depressing and infuriating. There's this. And then we had the football player tell these young women who are about to embark on an entire world of opportunity and possibility to basically stay home.

[08:40:10]

And then, yes, there's one other thing. Oh, yes, our reproductive rights being stripped away. It's just - it's just a really sad time. But it's also infuriating. And I just hope that young women out there take a look at this and get out there and get engaged and go out and vote.

BERMAN: Pete, I - how do you think Marjorie Taylor Greene is feeling about this this morning? I - for some reason I doubt she's waking up with any regrets over it.

PETE SEAT, VICE PRESIDENT, BOSE PUBLIC AFFAIRS GROUP: I'm not sure shame is something she regularly feels, John. But I agree, it's disappointing to see when members of Congress, representatives of the people, act in such a way. And it does filter down. We just had our primary here in the state of Indiana last week and I heard it all across the state that this was the most contentious, vitriolic primary that people remember. It wasn't about policy, it was all about personality and personal attacks. And they get ques from members of Congress that they see acting out in this way on television and on the floor and in committee rooms and then start playing that way in local races.

BERMAN: Yes, the thing is, in just - I want to move on from this. I'm not sure it's a bug anymore for some members. It's a feature, right?

DOYLE: It's the status quo. It's - it's a way to get clicks. It's a way to raise money. It's a way to get attention. And it's, like I said, it's just a sorry display.

BERMAN: I want to ask you, Pete, about a report overnight in "The New York Times." Jodi Kantor has a pretty remarkable piece with photos of an American flag flying upside down outside the home of Justice Samuel Alito just days after the riots of January 6th, and just days before President Biden's inauguration.

Now, some people see the upside flag as a symbol of support for the insurrection, which beg the question, why is it flying outside Alito's house just days after January 6th. Alito told "The New York Times," quote, I had no involvement whatsoever in flying the flag. It was briefly placed by Mrs. Alito in response to a neighbor's use of objectionable and personally insulting language on yard signs." CNN has reached out to the Supreme Court. We have no response from them yet.

It was his wife who did it, Pete, but what is - what message does something like this send.

SEAT: I take Justice Alito at his word regarding this situation. But it is incredibly important that not just members of the Supreme Court, those who are in the robe and on the bench are impartial, but it also matters that their family members are. And they have to be careful about what they're doing in the public sphere, in the arena, because that is connected. I mean they have the same last name. They live in the same house. And it gives this orra that perhaps the member, the justice, the Supreme Court justice, is not themselves impartial.

So, it is troubling. I do take the justice at his word that it wasn't his doing and it was some neighborhood disagreement.

BERMAN: I mean, I'm sensitive, Patti. I always say my wife and my kids shouldn't have to deal with my crap, right. They're their own people. But I'm not a Supreme Court justice.

DOYLE: Correct. It's just a different level of responsibility in all honesty. And I do - I take the justices word for it too. His wife did it. But it was his house. And, you know, I don't know about your household, but if I put something out in front of my house, my husband sees it and says either, ah, maybe we should take that down if he doesn't agree with it.

So, it's just a different level of responsibility and - that they have to the country.

BERMAN: Yes, and, again, it's just one more image that makes you scratch your head and ask, you know, where are we right now?

Patti Solis Doyle, Pete Seat, great to see you both this morning. Have a great weekend. No fighting.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: So, every day this week we are bringing you stories of people who are "Champions for Change." Today, let us introduce you to a Florida man who created an inclusive workspace for people with autism, where people like his own son can shine professionally.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN D'ERI, RISING TIDE CAR WASH FOUNDER: The creation of Rising Tide -

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, guys, how's it going today.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good.

J. D'ERI: It was love and duty.

The mission of Rising Tide is to empower people with autism and related disabilities through gainful employment in the car wash industry.

THOMAS D'ERI, RISING TIDE CAR WASH CO-FOUNDER: Andrew is my younger brother.

[08:45:01]

And Andrew has autism.

J. D'ERI: Andrew's diagnosis came when he was about two-and-a-half to three years old.

T. D'ERI: As he got a little older, it became obvious that in order for Andrew to live a full adult life, we'd have to take action.

J. D'ERI: We call it the cliff was autism, where the school system stops for them.

T. D'ERI: What up buddy?

ANDREW D'ERI, RISING TIDE CAR WASH ASSOCIATE: Nothing, Tom.

J. D'ERI: There are no services. There is no way to the future. So, you start to say to yourself, what's going to happen when I'm gone.

I was sitting in a car wash one day, and I said, Andrew can do that. So, I decided I would create a business to help Andrew, where he could work. He needed community. Be surrounded by people like him.

T. D'ERI: This truly is a family business.

So, Andrew is gets up. He makes his lunch. And he's ready to go to work.

J. D'ERI: Andrew has a life. He has an identity.

A. D'ERI: Life at rising tide was amazing for me.

J. D'ERI: My role at this point is adviser. Thomas is the innovation. He can come to me with anything. I can give him advice.

T. D'ERI: About 80 percent of our staff is on the autism spectrum. The first thing that we do is try to look at the workplace through our employee's eyes. We designed to paddle. Now, instead of having a lot of difficult social interactions, we have a smooth process for both our team and our customers.

We clarify the workplace for our team members through a variety of systems and we try to embed training into the workplace wherever we can. If a team member forgets how to do something, they can quickly scan a QR code, review the training, and get back to work.

We use color codes as much as possible too.

TYLER KALPAKOFF, RISING TIDE CAR WASH ASSOCIATE: Welcome to Rising Tide car wash.

Here, I feel like I've just been able to learn more and grow as a person and as a professional.

BREYANA MATHIS, RISING TIDE CAR WASH ASSOCIATE: I want to be a manager. My new - my new goal is to travel by saving money.

SHAUN PAULL, RISING TIDE CAR WASH SUPERVISOR: It is an accepting place. It's like proof that people with autism can lead. And you can't just, you know, judge it just by one certain aspect of autism because everybody with autism is different.

T. D'ERI: By designing systems that work really well for our team, it's allowed us to scale effectively to our three locations, washing over half a million cars a year. We've had over 100 team members move on to all sorts of industries, hospitality, retail, to maintenance and auto body repair.

Our team members are incredibly talented. But this world has not been designed for them. My hope is that they find the confidence that they can do the things they want to do in this world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Please join CNN tomorrow at 9:00 p.m. Eastern for CNN's one our "Champions for Change" special.

Sara.

SIDNER: All right, breaking news this morning, you are looking at the mug shot of the world's number one golfer, Scottie Scheffler. He was arrested just hours ago on the way to a PGA championship. And now he's facing four charges, including a felony. We will discuss that in a bit.

Also, outrage still growing over a Super Bowl kicker's controversial comments during a commencement speech. The NFL now disavowing his comments on women. And the LGBTQ community responding as well.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:53:18]

BOLDUAN: We are following a developing story out of Kentucky. A lot that we still do not know. The world's top ranked golfer, Scottie Scheffler, arrested and booked in a local jail.

It all happened at the PGA championship gates. And an ESPN reporter was there and took video of it as it all went down. You can see Scheffler being escorted away by two officers in handcuffs. You can see it in the video here. Listen to this officer on the scene.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What (INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right now he's going to jail.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. He's going to jail. And there ain't nothing you can do about it. Period.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I -

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's - there's nothing you can do about it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. I -

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. Now, do you have (INAUDIBLE)?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: First -

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: CNN's Carolyn Manno is gathering all of these details.

Carolyn, we are also seeing his mug shot now here. What are you learning happened? CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kate, we're learning right now that Scheffler has been released from custody on his own recognizance. But these charges run counter to everything that we know about the world's number one golfer. You think about Scottie Scheffler. For those who don't follow the game of golf, he is so clean cut, he's not easily rattled. This doesn't sound like the golfer that we know.

ESPN's Jeff Darlington, the reporter that you mentioned, Kate, saw all of this. He said that Scheffler attempted to drive past police officers this morning into Valhalla Golf Club, and that one of the police officers attached himself to the vehicle at one point in an effort to get Scottie Scheffler to stop and that Scheffler maybe moved an additional ten yards with the police officer on the vehicle so that when he did finally stop, Darlington is reporting that Scheffler exited the vehicle, that police officers shoved him against the car, immediately placed him in handcuffs.

[08:55:09]

And you can see this video showing Scheffler walking slowly, cooperating with officers in handcuffs, detained. For context, Kate, and this could be important, there was a separate incident this morning that caused PGA championship organizers to delay the start of the second round. There was an accident that occurred in early morning hours near the course when a man was struck and ultimately killed by a shuttle bus near the golf course. So, that incident impacted traffic, increased police presence. It's unclear whether or not that increased presence, or those traffic issues ultimately affected Scheffler's ability to get where he was going. Maybe it made things more confusing.

But those public shuttles to the course have resumed play. Play was set to resume just a short time ago at 8:35, though there is significant rain now that could impact that delay further. That would be a normal rain delay.

Scheffler's original tee time is scheduled for 8:48 a.m. It was moved to just after 10:00 a.m. And we've also learned, you know, with all of these charges that he has been charged with, that things could become a little bit more complicated. But with him being released, we're now all waiting to see when he's going to ultimately get to the course, is he going to resume play today. There's a lot still to workout.

BOLDUAN: Yes, is he going to play - I mean all - there's nothing but questions about what has happened already this morning and what happens now.

Carolyn Mano, thank you so much for bringing us up to speed.

Sara.

SIDNER: All right, the NFL distancing itself from Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker after he made some really controversial and offensive to many people comments during a commencement speech. Butker is facing growing backlash and calls for the Chiefs to cut him after he said women's accomplishments in the home are far more valuable than in their professional roles. And said pride month was dedicated to a, quote, "deadly sin."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRISON BUTKER, KICKER FOR KANSAS CITY CHIEFS: I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you. How many of you are sitting here now, about to cross this stage, and are thinking about all the promotions and titles you are going to get in your career. Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.

Part of what plagues our society is this lie that has been told to you that men are not necessary in the home or in our communities. As men we set the tone of the culture.

Be unapologetic in your masculinity. Fighting against the cultural emasculation of men.

Bad policies and poor leadership have negatively impacted major life issues. Things like abortion, IVF, surrogacy, euthanasia, as well as a growing support for degenerate cultural values and media all stem from the pervasiveness of disorder.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: With me now is CNN contributor and sports broadcaster Cari Champion.

Wow. First of all, when you saw this, what came to mind? What was your - what were your first initial thoughts?

CARI CHAMPION, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I wanted to know, Sara, what alternate universe I was living in. What world am I living in? The sport in which I cover, the NFL, for years, the last decade or so, is very clear about what you can and can't say. There's always push back if you say something that they do not agree with. And while I know they feel as if they're distancing themselves, Harrison received what I call a slap on the wrist. They said it was in his private time. And so, for me, I'm really confused. And that is sarcasm. Help me understand how, and I'll just go there and say it, how Colin Kaepernick can't speak freely on his own time but Harrison can.

And while he cloaked this entire speech with Catholicism and his love of Jesus, it felt very much like a construct that he said, most women had to abide by. And yet he started to attack the DEI. He leaned in on pride. I didn't understand the message of love and still criticizing and - but yet it's still OK. There are people saying what he said is not controversial at all. And I just disagree with that wholeheartedly. It's an insult.

SIDNER: I do want to ask you about, you know, because he chose to do this at a graduation. It was a Christian school. He can say whatever he wants and hold whatever beliefs he wants. That is what you can do here in America. But he said this in front of men and women graduating after four hard years to try and ostensibly have a career. Do you think that he was trying to shame those, because he seemed to be talking directly to the women in the audience?

CHAMPION: Look, Sara, you're right, he can say what he wants. We all can say what we want. We get paid to do that, to say what we want. But we also know that in the process of saying what we want, it's not our job to tell people what they should be doing with their lives. And when he said that to these group of women, I'm sure they were - I'm sure everyone - they said it was a standing ovation.

[09:00:00]

There was one young lady who went to the school and said most people stood for him. There were about 12 women, maybe a little less than, who were upset. This is all according to what she said.