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Table For Five
CNN Saturday Morning Table for Five. Recent Poll Shows 34 Percent Approval Rating for President Trump; Senate Republicans Refuse to Confirm Todd Blanche as Attorney General Without Meeting Demands about Trump Administration's Weaponization Fund and Tax Immunity Deal; New Reporting Indicates Secret Service Followed Former FBI Director James Comey without Warrant and Kept President Trump Informed on Their Interviews with Comey; Dr. Anthony Fauci Pleads Fifth Amendment During Senate Hearing on COVID Lockdowns; Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Stars in Government Funded Cooking Show. Aired 10-11a ET.
Aired August 01, 2026 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[10:00:40]
ABBY PHILLIP, CNN ANCHOR: Today, the cheerleader in chief tries to paint a rosy picture after a reality check of a week.
DONALD TRUMP, (R) U.S. PRESIDENT: America is safer and stronger and far more successful than it was two years ago.
PHILLIP: With 94 days to the midterms, is this just the beginning of the trouble ahead? Plus.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who the -- do you think you were for doing that? You've done more to harm science than anybody in my lifetime.
PHILLIP: Fauci takes the Fifth more than 100 times as Republicans bring back COVID into the headlines. But is that what Americans want Congress to focus on?
Also, Trump's retribution tour. New court filings show the DOJ pressuring the Secret Service to track James Comey and Trump wanting details on the interview with the former FBI director.
And the $5 meal MAGA style.
ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR., HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY: America, it's time to eat real food.
PHILLIP: RFK Jr.'s new cooking show pushing the flipped food pyramid and touting affordability.
Here in studio, Tim Parrish, Jemele Hill, Paul Mercurio, and Charlie Dent.
It's the weekend. Join the conversation at a "TABLE FOR FIVE".
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIP: Hello. I'm Abby Phillip in New York.
President Trump had a hell of a week, and not in a good way. His approval rating is in the toilet, his pick to be the next attorney general has stalled, the economy is losing steam, and there are no signs of progress in the war with Iran.
Let's start, though, with the drama on Capitol Hill, where Todd Blanche suffered serious blows in his confirmation battle. Republican Senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis have refused to support Blanche until their demands are met. They want a written guarantee that Trump's slush fund for his allies is dead, and they want clarity on Trump's tax immunity deal. But the president is unwilling to let this go, so he's threatening to pull Blanche's nomination until Cornyn and Tillis are out of office.
Now, as Trump faces growing Republican resistance, a new CNN poll is showing that Americans are souring on him. Just 34 percent approve of his job as president, a record 73 percent say he doesn't have his priorities straight. But despite all of this, everything I just said, the polls, Blanche, the economy, Iran, Trump says there is nothing to see here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, (R) U.S. PRESIDENT: When I see these fake polls where the Democrats have wonderful numbers on this stuff, and they are horrible what they've done.
Todd Blanche is a very, very good man, and he shouldn't be in the middle of this. He should get approved because you will never get anybody like him.
Iran is doing very poorly. Just in case you read incorrect stories, they're doing very, very poorly.
This administration is going to blow my last administration away.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIP: President Trump, as usual, Charlie, seems to be in denial about his own political standing. But the consequences for his party are pretty significant. And, I mean, Tillis and Cornyn are the two guys saying something because they can, but they've said repeatedly this week they're not just speaking for themselves. They're representing a lot of other Republicans who don't feel as comfortable saying something.
CHARLIE DENT, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, of course, they're speaking for a lot of other Republicans. The weaponization fund and the IRS tax immunity deals, these are indefensible and inexplicable. And these guys aren't running for office right now, but they have a lot of colleagues who are, and they can't explain this. And so Tillis and Cornyn are doing their Republican colleagues an enormous service by trying to drive a stake through the heart of this thing.
And by the way, this IRS tax audit deal, I mean, every American wants that deal.
(LAUGHTER)
DENT: Sign me up for that.
PAUL MERCURIO, HOST, INSIDE OUT WITH PAUL MERCURIO": Charlie, what are you saying? There's been talk about you.
(LAUGHTER)
DENT: Exactly. But the point is that the president and his family, we get that benefit. No one else. I mean, come on, how do you talk about this? So they're so good for Tillis and Cornyn. They're on the right track.
MERCURIO: It seems like there's a broader issue here for the Republican Party, which is these new constitutional and political norm. There's not trust within the party. And that has to be a concern. Handshake deals within the party don't matter now, right?
[10:05:04]
So it's sort of like, it's like you say, mom, I'm your son. And she's like, show me a DNA test. Right? Like this is not Republican and Democrat. And that should be alarming for the Republican Party.
PHILLIP: Yes, one of the reasons -- and look, and there's good reason for that, right? So it's not just that Republicans don't trust each other. They don't trust the White House, because on Friday morning, President Trump had this lengthy Truth Social post where he defends the weaponization fund. He says "American patriots who were hunted down like dogs and whose lives were unfairly and illegally destroyed by crooked Joe Biden, they're suffering still, many ruined. And I felt like they should be given compensation for what's been done to them." So if you're Cornyn or Tillis and you're like, yes, this guy is not on board with getting rid of the weaponization fund, he's saying so.
JEMELE HILL, CONTRIBUTING WRITER, "THE ATLANTIC": Right. And you have to look also at Todd Blanch's track record, which is that he has done pretty much everything that Donald Trump has asked him to do. So if you're a Republican, why would you ever just trust his word or a handshake? You need it in writing because he's shown that if Donald Trump asks him to do something, he's going to do it.
The bigger issue here is how Americans are absorbing all this. There's just way too much energy. There's way -- there's way too much put into things that do not matter now. People are worried about paying their bills. They're worried about food on the table. They're worried about much bigger issues. And we're constantly in this new cycle of Donald Trump just settling personal grievance after personal grievance after personal grievance. If there is ever somebody who doesn't understand the term "let it go," it's him. Dude, you've been in president, you've been in the presidential office twice. Let 2020 go. And he won't do it.
And it's a lot of Americans who are feeling upset at the fact that they're not being prioritized. The president is all about him and all about settling his personal agenda. And people are not buying it. That's why his approval rating looks the way that it does.
PHILLIP: It is a really important point, Tim, because I hear a lot from Republicans that, oh, everything is baked in the cake. Trump is a businessperson, so they're fine with him making money on the side. Trump is a builder, so they're fine with him spending all this time on redecorating the White House. And actually, the polls seem to suggest that voters think that he is totally not focused on what's important to them. And I think all of this stuff, the frivolous stuff, has added up to this moment.
TIM PARRISH, CONSERVATIVE STRATEGIST: Yes, I actually agree with Jemele's point, right? Like, I think that the Trump administration has a lot to offer the country and they made a lot of promises that they've made well on several of those, but they need to focus on continuing to gain those wins instead of focusing on some of these things, like you're saying, that are some of the frivolous items.
So, you know, I think I like it when, when the two branches of government disagree with each other. I kind of like the fight that's happening. That's by design, how it was supposed to work, right? The executive shouldn't be allowed to sort of just run roughshod over the legislative and, and vice versa. And so I actually like what's happening there between the two of them.
And I would also say this. The country needs an attorney general, right? It's a national security, it's a public safety issue that we have an attorney general. So I wish that we weren't holding hostage the attorney general role for this point, but I do agree --
PHILLIP: Are they holding hostage the attorney general?
PARRISH: Well, I would say, I would say that the process --
PHILLIP: -- refusing let go something that has absolutely nothing to do with the attorney general's job in order to get him through?
PARRISH: Whatever the reason is, Abby, I think that we should be focused for public safety reasons and all the imperative that, you know, work that comes out of DOJ, we should have an attorney general. Whatever the reason that it's being held up, we need an attorney general. But I agree. We should be focused on the wins that this administration has.
DENT: The Senate has an advise and consent role. And frankly, I think they've been doing a little bit too much consenting and a little less advising. They are doing advising right now. They're trying to help the administration here by killing these funds. They're doing the right thing. They should do this all the time. There was a time when the Senate would tell the president, don't send somebody over for nomination. We'll tell you who to send. That's what the Senate should be doing to avoid problems like the one we're facing. MERCURIO: But to pick up on the points that were just made here by
Jamele and Abby, if I hear Trump tell one more time how sophisticated he is in business and then ignore the economy -- the only way the economy is going to get Trump's attention is if it walks into Mar-a- Lago dressed as an Epstein file. OK?
(LAUGHTER)
MERCURIO: Like, so that is why the polls says 73 percent of Americans don't think he has his priorities. Americans aren't stupid. And you're right, I'm not, listen, I'm not a guy that's like, hey, hate Trump 24/7. God bless you. I want my president to succeed. I do think that that administration has things to offer. But it's bizarro world. And it's disgusting for him to sit there and call those people patriots who did what they did on January 6th. It's insulting.
PHILLIP: On the economy, one thing you always have to look at with Trump is who he's listening to.
[10:10:00]
And one of the main reasons I believe that Trump is not responding properly to what's really happening in the economy is because there's nobody around him telling him what's actually happening. Here's the treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, talking about how amazing things are in America right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT BESSENT, TREASURY SECRETARY: I think if we look back, whether our founders was President Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton could not have imagined the economy that we would have created. It is the envy of the world. We've never seen anything like it. And we're pulling away from the rest of the world because of your leadership.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MERCURIO: That's the best comedy show I've ever seen.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIP: I mean, these cabinet meetings are historically glaze fests, to put it the way that the Gen Zers put it nowadays. But I mean, come on, it is not helpful to the president to have people saying that, you know, the founders would be in awe of this economy. It's also questionable what he even said there about whether we are outpacing the rest of the world, because actually our inflation has been going up when the rest of the world has been bringing it under control. Our debt has been going up. I mean, that -- those things are not in line with what you just heard there.
PARRISH: No. And Abby, look, I agree, when I was reading through some of those polls, I do think that there's a disconnect between what we see in these cabinet meetings and what the American people feel. And I understand a lot of promises were made, and a lot of -- we were told that a lot of things would be different and no new wars and that type of thing, and then we saw the exact opposite.
So I get it. There's a disconnect between -- I hate those cabinet meetings, by the way. I hate that they're televised and that it's just the, like, you know, telling everyone they're the greatest thing since sliced bread. It should be, you know, what are what are the Americans feeling at home? What are they talking about at their kitchen table?
So you're not going to find any disagreement with me. I understand that those polls are because there's a disconnect. I'll go back to the first point I made earlier. This administration has a ton to offer the country, and I wish they would focus on, A, those wins and, B, communicating those wins to the American people, because there's clearly a disconnect.
HILL: But this is working really by design, because Trump purposely surrounded himself. Everybody knew that was going to be the difference between Trump 1.0 and 2.0. He was, at least at 1.0 there were people who were actually interested in governing, and there was a sense of decorum. There was some guardrails that were there.
We knew that this second iteration of Donald Trump was not going to be that. He was just going to surround himself with people who's going to tell him what he wanted to hear. We know the president is prone to flattery, and we knew that was going to be the case.
And so really, they're just all playing a part, because they're hooked and attached to the power. And people can see that. Like, the lack of political courage in that entire group, really throughout this whole administration, I could even extend that to Congress, is really stunning, alarming, and disrespectful to the American people.
If you don't have it in you to stand up and tell the president, hey, this is wrong, we're doing people wrong, then you don't deserve the office. We have to remember, this is public servants. And he has never been a public servant in terms of how he has treated people his entire life. So I'm not surprised that he's behaving the way that he is.
PHILLIP: All right, next for us, the doc in the hot seat. Anthony Fauci pleading the Fifth over 100 times after Republicans dig in on COVID. But is that what Americans care about right now?
Plus, amid an ongoing food illness outbreak, the Health and Human Services secretary wants to teach you how to cook. We'll discuss RFK Jr.'s new reality show ahead.
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[10:18:14]
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, FORMER WHITE HOUSE CHIEF MEDICAL ADVISER: I respectfully decline to answer based upon my rights under the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution.
I respectfully decline -- I respectfully decline --
I respectfully decline --
I respectfully decline to answer based upon my rights under the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIP: One-hundred-and-twelve, that is how many times Dr. Anthony Fauci pleaded the Fifth on Wednesday, each time refusing to answer questions about his handling of the COVID pandemic. For Republicans, the hearing was about putting COVID back in the spotlight, reviving a yearslong effort to hold Anthony Fauci accountable for all of it.
And now, new CNN reporting explains why Fauci refused to engage. People close to the former health official says invoking the Fifth was really the plan from the beginning. They concluded that there was, quote, "no other option", fearing the testimony could be used to pursue new perjury allegations. Senator Rand Paul is now promising to hold a contempt vote.
But as Republicans revisit this COVID debate, many Americans are focused on today's issues, the economy, the rising cost of living. A new CNN poll finds that many believe that both parties are missing the mark. Instead, they want lawmakers to prioritize the issues that directly affect their lives.
Paul, I wonder what you think the effect of this hearing and all the theatrics around it had on Americans.
MERCURIO: I think it's perfect that you tied it to the economy. Right now, it's the summer. There's a family whose mom and dad are working two or three jobs to make ends meet, and they have to tell their kids, we can't go to Disney World. We're just going to have to go to the beach we go to every year. And we're six years past this, and that's what we're doing. Even the virus is like, we're done. It's over. Right? No, seriously, it's like -- this is like the virus is like sort of a classic rock band, like the Stones. Greatest hits are fine, but there's no new material here.
[10:20:07]
I thought it was disgusting that they were spending their time doing it, and that's, for anybody watching, It's not because I'm a Democrat, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. This is like COVID, and I had COVID and I was a long COVID person. So I just feel like how people sit there and why they would do this with 94 days left in the midterms, and they're, and they're behind the eight ball as it is. It's like they're tone deaf. They're politically not astute. I don't get it.
DENT: People aren't looking at. Look, most Americans aren't focused on the 2020 election. They're not focused on COVID. And by the way, Tony Fauci, I had the privilege of working with that man. And, you know, on zika virus and on Ebola. And we are aware what he did on HIV- AIDS, and his contributions. And I thought he was treated very disrespectfully.
It's never good to take the Fifth, don't get me wrong, but I totally get why he did it. I mean, when the chairman of the committee says he wants to see him behind bars, well, you know, you got to be worried about a perjury trap. And with this DOJ, you never know what can happen. So I get it. And the guy is 85 years old. So, but again, Americans aren't focused on this. They're focused on all these other issues, the cost of everything. And here we are talking about --
PARRISH: Congressman, I would say that you don't have to be worried about a perjury trap if you tell the truth consistently. Right? And I and I think the characterization that we're hearing around at the table with the COVID thing, I also had COVID three times and long COVID, and there are American families across the country who lost loved ones during COVID. I mean, this was a generational --
MERCURIO: Not because of Tony Fauci.
PARRISH: I didn't say it was because of Rony Fauci, but I do say, but I do say.
PHILLIP: Several Republicans have said it.
PARRISH: I do think that the American people deserve answers. You know, this this idea --
MERCURIO: To what?
PARRISH: This idea, to how we got to the virus.
MERCURIO: Whatever answer you want from that, then you need to give me an answer in 2026 about something.
PARRISH: To what happened, to what happened. How do we prevent it again? I mean, come on. He was the top health guy.
PHILLIP: Do you think that was the point of the hearing?
PARRISH: I do believe that was the point of the hearing. And I think that that Dr. Fauci should have given answers. Anybody had to be concerned about --
PHILLIP: I think that there are definitely ways that Congress can investigate those very questions. But it was very clear from the beginning that Senator Rand Paul and others, Josh Hawley, whoever, the point was to assign blame to one person, which when you look at the totality of the COVID response, makes absolutely no sense. It makes no sense because Anthony Fauci was up there at the White House standing next to Donald Trump and to Deborah Birx, and then states, we have 50 states in this country. They each had a role in an unfurling how they were going to address COVID. So why is this all about one person?
HILL: Well, because it's about them having to ride out a conspiracy theory that they started years ago when they made Dr. Fauci, because they were upset about masks, because they were upset about restrictions. They are still trying to deliver on that. PARRISH: Who is they? The American people were upset about masks?
HILL: No, I would say conservatives are the ones who are upset.
PARRISH: Are you kidding me?
HILL: Yes, absolutely.
PARRISH: People around the country were upset about restrictions.
HILL: I'm not saying that it was only conservatives, but that was where that energy was completely coming from.
PARRISH: Respectfully, COVID was not, and it should not have been political. People from across the political spectrum were upset about having their kids' basketball hoops being cut out, and pools being closed.
HILL: I don't think you can deny at where that was coming from.
PARRISH: And the economic impact. And so, yes, the American people absolutely deserve answers. Anthony Fauci led the operation on COVID, and he's the guy that --
HILL: Here's what I'm going to find some common ground with you because I don't want to later be proven a hypocrite, because we know after this administration is finally done, there's going to be some investigations. There's going to be some people who have to answer.
PARRISH: And there should be.
HILL: And I'm going to want to know those answers. But that being said, I think what was so disrespectful about this is that Dr. Fauci did everything he could to try to prevent Americans from losing their lives. As you said, this is a generational pandemic. This man was in service, and the only reason they're trying to put his head on a platter is because they're -- they have built so much of their party support around conspiracy theories. And at some point, you've got to deliver.
MERCURIO: And they're desperate on the midterms. So they're going to grab on to anything that could undermine --
(CROSS TALK)
MERCURIO: But the issue right now is I'd rather see, I'd rather see that time spent on a big issue right now like A.I.
PHILLIP: Let me just --
PARRISH: I 100 percent agree.
PHILLIP: Matt Walsh, a conservative podcaster. He had this kind of facetious tweet. "Wow, did you hear those Republican congressmen saying to that -- what they said to that bad guy in the hearing? Lol man, they really ripped him apart. It was so awesome. What's that? Oh no, the bad guy won't be arrested or charged with any crime or suffer any consequences of any kind?" He goes on to say, "He even used a cuss word, a real cuss word. He's so tough and so brave. I'm so impressed."
I think the point of this post, even from the right, the theatrics didn't land. You know, Bernie Moreno dropping the f bomb for seemingly no reason other than that he could, what's the point? And that's what he's asking here.
[10:25:02]
I mean, people on the right do want Anthony Fauci in jail, but that's not what was accomplished this week.
DENT: No. I mean, again, there is no point to this. I mean, they should be talking about the Democrat Socialists of America. They have a lot to talk about. But the more they're talking about Tony Fauci and the 2020 election, they're not talking about that woman from the DSA who is out there saying to get rid of the Senate and to abolish the police. No. They wasted their time on an 85-year-old man who has a very distinguished public health record. Whether you like him or not, he's a remarkable man. And I'm just shocked that this is how were treating him.
PARRISH: I didn't impugn Dr. Fauci at all. I agree with you, Dr. Fauci did a did a great job during COVID. And I agree with you that he was in service. But he was in service in government. And there was a generational pandemic that impacted the lives of hundreds of millions of people in this country, and the country -- let me just finish my point, please. The people in this country want answers. And the idea that we can make this political and say, well, it was only conservatives that were concerned about shutdowns, that's absolutely not true.
PHILLIP: Well, the reason I said that is because here's a "Lancet" study that found that worse COVID 19 outcomes were associated with the proportion of a state's voters who voted for the 2020 Republican presidential candidate. State governments use of protective masks -- mandates, excuse me -- were associated with lower infection rates, as were mask use, lower mobility, and higher vaccination rates, while vaccination rates were associated with lower death rates.
So the study basically says straight up that politics was the factor that that helped determine who lived and who died after the pandemic began. That is so unfortunate and it's so shameful, and there should be answers for that, too.
PARRISH: There should be answers for all of that. I agree.
DENT: My daughter was in medical school and residency during COVID. And after the vaccines came out, she was attending to people, 100 percent of the people who were dying of COVID in the hospitals in Philadelphia and Jefferson Hospital, all of them were unvaccinated, after the vaccines were available. I mean, that's what broke my heart. People could have protected themselves, and all the rest of us had they just gotten the vaccine. But we have all these people --
(CROSS TALK)
PHILLIP: But you still have Republicans to this day attacking the vaccine that their president developed through Operation Warp Speed. It makes no sense.
PARRISH: Republicans aren't attacking the vaccine.
(CROSS TALK)
PARRISH: They are attacking being forced. They are attacking people being forced to get a vaccine.
PHILLIP: No, Tommy Tuberville.
PARRISH: They are saying their body, their choice. They don't have to get a vaccine if they don't want it. That's what Republicans are saying.
PHILLIP: Tommy Tuberville said that Anthony Fauci is responsible for any adverse reactions or deaths associated with the vaccines. He claimed that the vaccines were the source of deaths in COVID.
PARRISH: Coach Tuberville doesn't represent the entire Republican Party.
PHILLIP: Listen, that is. I'm just saying --
PARRISH: I know that you'll take a soundbite and apply to the whole party. He doesn't represent the entire party.
PHILLIP: You're telling me that there are no Republicans saying that the vaccine is the problem, and I'm telling you for a fact that's not true. The Health and Human Services secretary, who we'll talk about later in the show.
PARRISH: Abby, the fact you quoted one Senator of 100.
PHILLIP: He is -- his biggest anti-vax crusade has been against the COVID vaccines. He is in government right now.
PARRISH: Right. But Abby, quoting one, quoting senator does not say the entire Republican Party --
PHILLIP: He is the Health and Human Services secretary.
PARRISH: I have people in my family that got the vaccine, and they're staunch hardcore Republicans.
PHILLIP: Tim, Tim.
PARRISH: I talked to Republicans around the country that got the vaccine and they're staunch Republicans.
PHILLIP: I'm so happy that you're family is vaccinated. But you might want to talk to RFK Jr. about his attacks on the COVID vaccine, which go on even day. PARRISH: You can't apply that to the entire Republican Party and to say, and to say --
PHILLIP: OK, we are going to leave it there.
New developments on just how far the DOJ went and how involved the president was in investigating James Comey and his infamous seashells post. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:33:14]
PHILLIP: New court filings reveal the Secret Service tracked former FBI director James Comey under pressure from the DOJ, and apparently acting without a warrant. After that infamous 86-47 seashells post, Comey's attorneys allege that the agents surveilled Comey and his wife on a drive from North Carolina to Virginia. Lawyers for Comey are accusing the DOJ of vindictive and selective prosecutions, and reveal details about just how the feds were building their case against him, including with an interview with a convicted mobster and searches on ChatGPT.
The filings also show just how much President Trump was involved. Secret Service agents who were interviewing Comey were instructed to send their notes directly to Air Force One. One agent messaging, quote, "It's a hot topic on the plane and that Trump is very interested." That's a quote. I'm stuck on the mobster piece of this.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIP: I am.
MERCURIO: Sammy the bull.
PHILLIP: Literally they go to Sammy the bull and he says -- and by the way, Comey early in his career had a role in putting away this mobster family, right? And he says he reiterated that based on the positions Comey held in his interactions with Comey, that had those -- the interactions Comey had with those involved in organized crime, there was no way he didn't know that the term 86 was used in the context of killing someone. Is this real?
MERCURIO: There is a federal report somewhere with a footnote that says source Sammy the bull. That's your government at work, everybody. Yes.
PHILLIP: This is real. They went to a convicted mobster who was put away, basically by Comey, and was like, please give us a character reference.
[10:35:05]
HILL: This is this is the running theme. It's like there are so many other things the Department of Justice could be doing. And it's like we're in this repeated trap and cycle of having the government have to carry out Donald Trump's personal grievances, his whims, and his retaliations.
And listen, this is -- we had a conversation earlier about Todd Blanche and the DOJ, and this is probably the troublesome and scary part about this, is that any time he decides to go after somebody, they're just going to do it with no pushback. I don't think any of us want a government or a president that operates that way. I want the DOJ actually focused on prosecuting real criminals, not James Comey. Again, how many times are you going to run back the same old songs? Comey, Biden, we got it. Like this is this is frustrating to see.
DENT: Politically motivated investigations and charges, we've seen them before. I mean, I've never watched "The Godfather", any of them. I had no idea what 86 meant. I really didn't, and I suspect a lot of people didn't either. So again, I think this is a total waste of DOJ resources going after Comey for something like this. Weve seen other cases, you know, Letitia James and the original Comey prosecution --
MERCURIO: But in terms of the behavior, there was abuse of emergency, emergency surveillance procedures. OK? They were -- because Comey was not considered an imminent threat. They continued to build a case when there was no evidence. They followed he and his wife to the grave of their child. Like, there are some serious problems here beyond, like, just a DOJ person has to go home and say, dad, would you do work today? Well, I --
PHILLIP: Well, yes. And remember that Trump, this is what Trump said when he was asked about the Comey case back in May. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, (R) U.S. PRESIDENT: I don't want to take a position on it because that's going to be up to Pam and all of the great people. I have Kash, I have Pam, I have great people, and I'm going to let them, because if I -- if I tell you something, they'll say, oh. I'm not going to get involved. But I will say this. I think it's a terrible thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIP: Well, someone on Air Force One was apparently so interested in it, and the Secret Service believed that person was Trump.
PARRISH: I'm glad they're interested in it. You have a president who there's been --
PHILLIP: You're glad Trump was involved in the ongoing prosecution?
PARRISH: I'm glad. No, you just said the Secret Service. And I'm saying, I'm glad --
PHILLIP: No, no, no. Let me clarify.
PARRISH: Yes, please.
PHILLIP: They said.
PARRISH: They?
PHILLIP: The Secret Service said as they were investigating that this was a hot topic on Air Force One and that Trump was very interested in the case. So that's why they were sending the interview records directly to Air Force One.
PARRISH: Yes. Abby, if I, Abby, if I had --
PHILLIP: So that's the question is, should Trump -- Trump apparently knows he shouldn't have been involved.
PARRISH: Abby, if I had been --
PHILLIP: But apparently these documents show that he was.
PARRISH: I don't know if any of you guys have ever been shot, but President Trump has. And he has multiple attempts on his life, both as --
(CROSS TALK)
PARRISH: You know, it's so interesting. I let you guys finish your points. And I never interrupt. You should probably take a page out of my book. The president has been there's been assassination attempts on his life multiple times. There's an active threat from Iran against the president. I'm glad everybody is taking this serious in the federal government. I wish people at this table would take it serious. And yes, the president is probably interesting --
PHILLIP: Do you think that James Comey was threatening Donald Trump's life?
PARRISH: I really wish I could finish a point.
PHILLIP: Tim, Tim.
PARRISH: The president.
PHILLIP: But it's a serious question. The whole point is predicated on this idea that the 86-47 post was a credible, imminent threat. Do you actually believe that it was?
PHILLIP: The Secret Service leaves no stone unturned when it comes to --
PHILLIP: What do you think?
PARRISH: Yes, I do. I think they should --
HILL: You think James Comey was like, I'm going to --
PHILLIP: You think James Comey was planning to assassinate Donald Trump.
PARRISH: We can opine, and we can laugh about it at the table.
HILL: You don't believe that. I know you don't think that.
PARRISH: The Secret Service should leave no stone unturned and should investigate, especially when you have a president --
PHILLIP: So when James Comey, in the conversation with --
PARRISH: Assassins and people who try to kill people come in all shapes and sizes, so --
HILL: Do you think James Comey?
(LAUGHTER)
(CROSS TALK)
HILL: I don't think it's him.
MERCURIO: Can I just say we have a special opportunity --
HILL: We've seen attacks on conservatives.
HILL: I don't have to watch "Law and Order SVU" and be Olivia Benson to know it wasn't him.
(CROSS TALK)
MERCURIO: -- to send a message to the American people with analysis that makes sense. That comment, and you're very nice guy to suggest to people at home that this man had an agenda to take a picture of seashells --
PARRISH: I didn't say that. I didn't say that.
HILL: You pretty much just said that.
(CROSS TALK)
PARRISH: That's absolutely not what I said. I said --
MERCURIO: I that's where you lose the American voter.
PARRISH: I said --
MERCURIO: That's where you lose the voters.
PARRISH: First of all, you want to make this about politics. I want to make it about protecting the sitting president of the United States.
PHILLIP: I think it's -- actually, all right.
PARRISH: You have to leave no stone unturned when you're investigating a presidential --
PHILLIP: listen, this is actually about, this is actually about common sense, right? PARRISH: Yes. I agree.
PHILLIP: And a picture of seashells on a beach, you know. And then they call and then they call and he says, oh, I didn't realize that, you know. Hang up.
[10:40:01]
PARRISH: So what does that mean? What does that mean? Why do you post it on social media? These pretty seashells.
PHILLIP: It's about common sense. But I think what this case will actually end up being about is about the sloppiness of how they prosecuted this case. So we'll see how that goes down in court.
The man who is known for picking up roadkill now has a new cooking show. We're going to discuss what RFK Jr. has been up to. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR., HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY: I'm traveling across America, connecting with renowned chefs to show families how to cook delicious, nutritious meals with real ingredients, and all at affordable prices.
[10:45:00]
America, it's time to eat real food. Let's get cooking.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIP: RFK Jr. Is taking his MAHA message to a kitchen near you. He's rolling out a new government sponsored cooking series featuring celebrity chefs making budget friendly meals based on the administration's new dietary guidelines. And in his debut episode, the HHS secretary served up this message to Americans amid rising costs.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR., HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY: The cost of meat has gone up. We're doing everything that we can in the administration to bring that down and increase the size of the herd. But until that happens, this is a fantastic option. And as you say, this has the omega three. It has many of the vitamins and nutrients that are not available in meat.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIP: What in the great recession?
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIP: I thought they were trying to tell people that everything was fine. MERCURIO: First of all, is there a better way to spend your time? Go
ahead.
PARRISH: I would just say like, as the conservative guy at the table, I always say, I want the government like out of my boardroom, out of my wallet, out of my living room, and now out of my kitchen. Like, I don't know that I want the federal government -- first of all, I know you guys are going to bring up about use of resources and all that, so I'll leave you -- for that to you. I just don't want the government telling me, like, what to eat, how to cook, or any of that stuff. I want you to go build a food pyramid, and like, tell kids to eat vegetables. But like, I don't know that --
HILL: Well, you especially don't want -- be honest. You don't want that guy to be the one to tell you --
PARRISH: I don't want anyone. I don't want anyone. I don't want a Democrat or Republican.
PHILLIP: And this is not a knock against real food or anything like that, right? Like we love the protein, fruits and vegetables. That's all good.
DENT: I'm glad. I'm glad that the secretary is trying to encourage us to eat better. I think that's actually a good thing. But I got to tell you, this TV show, it's a hell of a lot better than having to pore over as HHS secretary Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement schedules and all that. I'd rather be doing this. It's a lot more fun.
But it just strikes me that the secretary, he loses a lot of people when he gets to public health and vaccinations, but he's on the right track when he says we should eat better.
PHILLIP: Yes, but one thing to just keep in mind, I mean, in this moment, measles cases are at a 35 year high. There's an explosive diarrhea parasite in in 25 states.
HILL: Oh, God.
PHILLIP: There's -- 1.6 million cartons of eggs are being withdrawn over salmonella risks. Foodborne outbreaks have hit 12 different cases. I mean, there are a lot of issues going on. I want to know that the government is on top of that.
MERCURIO: That's fine, that's fine, Abby. But you're missing the point. Finally, we're going to have a show that's going to tell us if our olive oil has been lying to us all these years.
(LAUGHTER)
MERCURIO: Which it has. And so, so look, I think the larger point is this is an interesting inflection point in terms of the government's relationship with voters, right? It used to be rules, regulations, institutions, and we listen to them and trust them. So what is this? What is the phrase, a way to a person's heart is through their stomach, right? So now there's this intimacy. And now do all cabinet secretaries have to be social media influencers? Is the secretary of transportation going to be like reviewing carryon luggage?
PHILLIP: He has a reality secretary --
HILL: Yes. He was on "The Real World", yes.
PHILLIP: But he did a reality show this past year.
HILL: Yes, he did.
PHILLIP: So anyway, that's all happening.
All right, next for us, the panel is going to give us their unpopular opinions.
But a quick programing note for you. Take a further dive into defining moments and athletes that have shaped sports across the decades. The new CNN original series "Decades in Sports," premieres on Sunday at 9:00 p.m. on CNN, and also the next day on the CNN app.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:53:20]
PHILLIP: We're back, and it's time for your unpopular opinions. Paul, you're up first.
MERCURIO: Oh, OK. Technology, I think it gives us too much information at times. All right, my phone randomly, without my asking, generates memories, movies, right, pictures. Let's call it what it is. It's an emotional drive by, right? It's like, hey, here's a picture of your ex.
HILL: What do you have in your phone?
PHILLIP: I mean, it can pull up all sorts of thing.
MERCURIO: It's true. It's a picture of your ex, your dead dog, and your hairline from 2014. Enjoy your day.
(LAUGHTER)
MERCURIO: I don't need it. I don't need it.
PHILLIP: All right, Jemele?
HILL: All right, I think we should just do away with all all-star games. Like, I'm so sick of hearing people complain that they don't play hard enough. It's not like a real game. You know what? Just name them all stars, have a little skills competition. I'm coming off going to the WNBA all-star weekend, and all people did was complain about the lack of defense. It's an all-star game. It's an exhibition. You hear the same complaints when it comes to Major League Baseball and the and the NFL Pro Bowl, which they've had to doctor 1,000 different ways. It's like, just get rid of these games. All they are corporate, you know, just money making money, making entities like. Yes, that's it. Like I don't care. DENT: Keep the homerun derby, though.
HILL: Yes, but that's good. That's a skills competition.
PHILLIP: All right, Charlie.
DENT: Mine? OK, we're going to go back the games here. Pickleball, it's pickleball season.
MERCURIO: If you say you like it, I may come across the table.
DENT: No, I'm going to say pickleball is hospice for tennis players.
(LAUGHTER)
DENT: That's where we go to die. It's a -- it's an inelegant game. It is -- it's wiffle ball is to baseball is pickleball is to tennis. I've just had enough. What did the guy say in the video? You know, two unathletic for tennis, two poor for golf. This is their only hope.
(LAUGHTER)
[10:55:00]
DENT: I'm going to get a lot of hate for this one.
PHILLIP: I'm with you on that one. All right, Tim.
PARRISH: Charlie, you might not get as much hate as mine, because I'm going to say I'm glad the World Cup is gone. I am glad that were all over the World Cup. I go into places and like, OK, the ball, you're kicking it for an hour-and-a-half, 90 minutes, and there's no. And then the last like two, three minutes of the game is like action. I don't know. I'm glad it's over. I'm glad it's done.
MERCURIO: Do you like when, do you like when you touch them like that and they --
PARRISH: Yes, and they fall out. You know, you talk about theatrics, like watch a soccer game.
MERCURIO: Right. And they're up in 30 seconds.
PHILLIP: All right, everyone, thank you very much for being here. Thanks for watching "TABLE FOR FIVE".
You can check out "Confessions and Obsessions," our new streaming show. It's on the CNN app. And catch us every weeknight at 10:00 p.m. eastern with our Newsnight roundtable. But in the meantime, CNNs coverage continues right now.
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