good morning everyone, it is tuesday, may 31, 5:00 a.m. here in new york. thanks for getting an early start with us. i'm laura jarrett. >> and i'm christine romans. welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. just hours from now, we could find out whether uvalde, texas could be the tipping point for gun safety, it hinges on nine senators who will begin talks later today. president biden promised action on guns after talking to

survives and families from uvalde, but knows full well that he needs republicans on board. >> i think there is a realization on the part of rational republicans, and i consider senator mcconnell a rational republican, i think that there is a realization on their part that we can't continue like this. >> bright and early this thus mor tuesday morning, jasmine wright is in washington for us. he called them rational republicans. does that bode well for the white house? >> reporter: i think only time will tell, but i think that the president sure hopes that it does. he said that it was his hope and prayer that people are being becoming more rational about these things especially after the two back to back major mass shootings. now, i think that the president, he said that he is optimistic about having republicans like cornyn deputized by mitch

mcconnell leading these efforts, but he also acknowledged in terms of executive actions that there are only a limited amount of things that he can do really begging the need for the republicans to come to the table. take a listen. >> i can do the things i've done and then any executive action i can take i'll continue to tarks but i can't outlaw a weapon, i can't, you know -- >> reporter: he had not yet held any direct negotiations with the republicans on the issue of gun law reform following these two shootings. but i think one thing that is sure, we could see just how close or far apart republicans and democrats are after the talks begin today because we heard from the president in that moment he said once again that he did not believe that the second amendment was absolute and he said that that it shouldn't be possible for people

to fire up to 300 rounds again talking about the assault weapons. cornyn for his part focused extensively on mental health when he talked about how he was approaching these issues. so once again compromise can seem kind of far away when you think about just how democrats and republicans are approaching this issue differently. >> jasmine, thank you. and speaking of senator cornyn, he says he sees common ground as these bipartisan talks kick off later today. >> first and foremost is keep guns out of the hands of people who are mentally ill or criminals. to me that should be a point of consensus. but i think that we also need to look at some of the school safety measures, obviously there was a failure point there are the door was basically propped open and he was able to gain ready access to the school. and then obviously in small towns like uvalde, they don't have the resources for training

for law enforcement, first responders, that perhaps larger areas like san antonio, dallas and houston do. i mentioned access to mental health treatment and diagnosis is absolutely critical because of course the background check system is administered by the fbi, the nationalistic background check system. there are limitations under federal law what sort of firearms that you can buy and own and maintain particularly if you have a criminal or mental health record. and we'll be looking at all that. i will do as i've always done and that is try to lean forward and meet my colleagues across the aisle halfway particularly on matters involving the seriousness and gravity that this does. >> let's bring in tyler pedro white house reporter at the "washington post." so great to have you on "early start." you heard cornyn layout there what he hopes to achieve. pretty modest when you are

talking about background checks, mental health. what do you think is realistically going to come out of this process? >> obviously it is not as far as democrats would like to go on this issue, something that they have been fighting for for quite some time. but i've spoken with sources on the hill and at the white house who say that they just want to get something done at this point. they understand it is unrealistic to see the sort of expansive gun reform that they have been pushing for, but anything would be progress from where we are now. so i think senators like senator chris murphy from connecticut who is leading these negotiations for the democrats along with chuck schumer would really like to see some sort of compromise. and so i think background checks are something that they will really target as an area where they hope that they can get ten republicans join them in supporting them, but there is some fear that there will be a repeat of the process after the sandy hook shooting where they negotiated for weeks and months and ultimately couldn't get the votes to pass that bill which

mostly centered on background checks. >> and they made plenty of concessions and it still didn't get through. >> it is so frustrating because they had some drills very recently in uvalde over school shootings. and you talk about -- john cornyn talked about mental health funding. some some states have cut mental health funding. so they talk about the small modest solutions or pieces of the solution, but when you look at practice, this country doesn't put these things -- these common sense things in to practice. and mitch mcconnell has a decades long history of opposing gun safety proposals. the president very pointedly called him and john cornyn rational republicans. what is that strategy do you think, the thinking behind the scenes there at the white house? >> yeah, we've heard the president say that before. we heard him talk a lot about that during the campaign when he ran for president, that he said that republicans would have an epiphany and they would work with democrats to get things done.

that has largely not been the case during the biden presidency, but i think it is part of the mantra that he believes. and democrats want republicans to work with them and get the deal done. so i think that the president is being conscience not to degrade republican senators at a time when democrats are looking to find a compromise. if we don't see something get done in the coming weeks and months, that tone is likely to shift, but for now there is an opening and i think that democrats want to stay optimistic about trying to get something done. >> and that opening with midterms just around the corner this november. how does that change the calculus for the white house? you know, you ever such great sources over there, what are you hearing sort of behind the scenes? >> i think there is recognition that there is a limited time window at this moment. i think that -- i spoke recently with arne duncan who was secretary of education during the obama administration and played a big role after the sandy hook shooting on that bill

you brought up and he said it is important to get a vote right away, to use tragedy and the momentum that comes with to force senators to vote. but the midterms are coming up and people will hit the campaign trail and the partisan gridlock will only increase. so i think that there is a real sense in the white house that there is a limited time window they need to really push these senators to get to work quickly and see if they can find compromise or else that window will expire and they will hit the road for summer recess and then start campaigning full-time. >> tyler, nice to see you. thanks for getting up early for us. in canada, justin trudeau just proposed a new gun bill banning handgun sales and possession of military style assault weapons. >> we're introducing legislation to implement a national freeze on handgun ownership. what this means is that it will no longer be possible to buy,

sell, transfer or import handguns anywhere in canada. >> capping he says the number of guns in his country. trudeau says the bill would also increase criminal penalties for smuggling guns while also taking away licenses from people who commit domestic violence or criminal harassment. new audio obtained by abc news appears to show police in uvalde, texas knew children were still alive inside that classroom but waited instead in a hallway for backup. cnn has not been able to independently confirm the source of that audio or exactly when it was heard. the justice department now conducting an independent review of that police response. as nick watt reports, the school district's police chief could be a key focus.

>> i do believe that this is absolutely one of the worst police failures in modern u.s. history. those defenseless children in those classrooms had nothing. they were relying on the police. >> reporter: but the police were waiting outside the class rooms. treating this not as an active shooter but as a barricaded suspect situation. >> the benefit of hindsight, of course it was not the right decision. it was the wrong decision, period. no excuse for that. >> reporter: so the killer was inside a school filled with children for over an hour before he was stopped dead. and not before he murdered amerie jo. >> they needed to act immediately. there are kids involved. >> reporter: officials say this man made the decision not to go in. chief pete arrendondo of the

uvalde school district pd. >> safety measures were taken to make sure we had a safe release for the rest of the district. >> reporter: a pair of brief appearances in the hours after the slaughter and chief arredondo hasn't been seen by the press since. >> as far as his employment status is concerned, that is something that is beyond my control and i have no knowledge about. >> reporter: could lives have been saved? fewer kids shot? injured kids treated earlier and survived? that remains unclear. there was an initial burst of fire and then a lull during which kids inside called 911 pleading for help. and then more shots. seemingly directed at a door. >> we could have saved some of those kids. that is what i believe. you go in. >> reporter: a 50-year-old uvalde native, arredondo was approved as chief by the school board in 2020 at a time the super said that they were impressed by his experience, knowledge and community

involvement with they said 27 years in law enforcement. at another school district in laredo, texas and here in the city of uvalde police department. in march, arredondo posted about active shooter training at the uvalde high school. >> the doctrine requires every officer lines up, stacks up, goes and finds where those rounds are being fired at and keep shooting until the subject is dead. >> reporter: so arredondo's decision went against established active shooter doctrine and we're told against the facts on the ground. >> from what we know, we believe there should have been an entry as soon as you can. >> reporter: chief arredondo was elected to the city council in uvalde earlier in may and he was supposed to be taking his oath of office this evening in a special session. but we are told that that meeting, that special session, has now been canceled. the mayor says that the focus will stay on the families at this time. and in a statement he also said

this, pete arrendondo was duly elected to the city council. there is nothing in the city charter, election code or texas constitution that prohibits him from taking the oath of office. to our knowledge we are currently not aware of any investigation of mr. arredondo. >> nick watt, thank you for that. up next, brand new this morning, president biden on the offense against inflation ahead of a key white house sitdown today. plus europe's boldest move yet to try to starve vladimir putin's war machine of money. and china not so happy after a u.s. senator's surprise trip overseas. for strength and energy. woo hoo! ensure, complete balanced nutrition wiwith 27 vitamins and minera. and ensure completee with 30 grams of protein. ♪ ♪ ♪("i'veve been everywhere" by johnny cash) ♪ ♪i've traveled every road in this here land!♪ ♪i've been everywhere, man.♪ ♪i've been everhere, man.♪

♪of travel i've had my share, man. ♪i've been everywhe.♪ ♪

nothing like a weekend in the woods. it's a good choice all around, like screening for colon cancer... when caught in early stages it's more treatable. i'm cologuard. i'm noninvasive... and i detect altered dna in your stool to find 92% of colon cancers... even in early stages. early stages. yep. it's for people 45 plus at average risk for colon cancer, not high risk.

false positive and negative results may occur. ask your provider if cologuard is right for you. we're in. what's the #1 retinol brand used most by dermatologists? it's neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair® smooths the look of fine lines in 1-week, deep wrinkles in 4. so you can kiss wrinkles goodbye! neutrogena®

♪ my name is austin james. as a musician living with diabetes, fingersticks can be a real challenge. that's why i use the freestyle libre 2 system. with a painless, one-second scan i know my glucose numbers without fingersticks. now i'm managing my diabetes better and i've lowered my a1c from 8.2 to 6.7. take the mystery out of managing your diabetes and lower your a1c. now you know. try it for free at freestylelibre.us

soaring inflation top of the agenda when president biden sits down with fed chief jerome powell at the white house today. ahead of that meeting the president lays out his inflation fight in a washington street journal op-ed, he writes with the right policies, the u.s. can transition from recovery to stable steady growth and bring down inflation without giving up all these historic gains. let's bring in rachel siegle who follows the fed for the "post." those gains that he was talking about are job creation in 17 states you have record low statewide unemployment rates. he is talk about a new more sustainable fades, yet this inflation story something that you write that the fed have really got behind the 8 ball on very early here. tell us more. >> that's right. so if you look back over the course of the pandemic or even more recently over the past year and a half, there has been a steady series of really misreads

of the economy both from the federal reserve and from officials in the biorder securi administration over what was happening in the economy. it is difficult to see through foggy data points about whether the job market was healing, where inflation was made worse by the pandemic or supply chain issues. and all along the fed's message was hard to read in realtime. looking back now, we can see that they really did miss inflation and are now having to step in a bit too late. but they are trying to catch up as quickly as they can given how uncertain it was to track the economy over the past year and a half. >> and let's be fair, there were a lot of disconnected things that all together fed into this big story line. for example rental car prices. that is because they sold off their fleets. and then you have the supply chains. and then you had consumer spending changes. all of a sudden ways that we couldn't have predicted consumer spending change, but from the very beginning the fed kept

saying that it is transitory, janet yellen saying maybe a 3% inflation rate sometime in 2021. and that was just all wrong. but here we are where biden is saying that he has three parts to handling inflation. one part is the federal reserve's responsibility, they are the inflation fighter to be fair, but the administration and congress need to make more affordable homes for americans, they want to continue to reduce the federal deficit. this is what the biden plan is. a lot to do all at once. is it possible? >> it is a lot do all at once. he did mention plans to make housing more affordable by building more units. the biden administration has taken steps to increase oil supply in order to help bring down prices at the pump. but controlling inflation is chiefly the responsibility of the federal reserve. and the fed's main tool is through raising or lowering interest rates. they have a plan this year to raise interest rates in some of their most aggressive moves in

decades, but only time will tell not only if that is enough but if interest rates are enough to meet the kind of inflation problems that you layout, raising interest rates cannot build more houses, it cannot increase oil supply, it cannot provide more rental cars or used cars. these are all the problems swirling around the economy that interest rates might not be a match for. >> and you had record high gas prices over the weekend but you don't want the federal government setting gas prices. that is not what we do here. later today the president and treasury secretary will meet with the fed chief jerome powell. what does biden need to say to powell to make some progress here? again, this is the purview of the fed, fighting inflation is the fed's job. >> that's right. and it is a rare meeting. also a bit of a tricky meeting. there is a very respected important line between elected officials and the federal reserve. and it is a line that was not at all respected during the trump

administration when president trump routinely pressured jerome powell to make the economy work the way trump wanted to. but it is clear that inflation has become the top economic concern and priority for officials fed, for officials at the white house. and how the two sides communicate over that is not only important for lig city of the biden and the legacy of the fed, but frank lit entire economy moving forward. it is both their jobs to make sure that controlling inflation and cooling the economy down just enough doesn't upend the very strong recovery that we've had given where we started at the beginning of the pandemic. >> the pandemic really -- you could argue that the fed and the white house have been dealt a really terrible hand of cards, but how they play those cards is so critical here and we still have to see some progress. rachel, thank you so much. coming up, president biden drawing the line on firepower for ukraine. what he is not willing to give,

next. and a hurricane's direct hit on a stretch of tourist beaches. ♪ life can be a lot to handle. ♪ this magic moment ♪ but heinz knows there's plenty of magic in all that chaos. ♪ so different and so new ♪ ♪ was like any other... ♪

to be clear, we have never been accused of being flashy, sexy or lit. may i? we're definitely not lit. i mean seriously, we named ourselves booking.com which is kind of lit if we are talking... literal... ha ha. it's why we're planet earth's number one site for booking accommodation. we love booking stuff! and we're just here to help you make the best of your vacation. ow... hi... booking.com booking.yeah

right now, we're all feelin' the squeeze. but walmart's got your back with thousands of rollbacks so you get everything you need to keep your summer rollin'. because when you save money, you can live better. you love rich, delicious ice cream. but your stomach doesn't. that disagreement ends right now. lactaid ice cream is the creamy, real ice cream you love that will never mess with your stomach.

lactaid ice cream.

new this morning, the european union agreeing to a partial ban on imports of russian oil as part of a new sanctions package against the kremlin over its war in ukraine. clare sebastian is joining us live in london on this story. europe is of course the biggest buyer of russian oil, so what impact will this have on putin's war machine.

>> reporter: there is no simple answer. on the one hand crude oil is russia's biggest export and europe pre-war was its biggest customer, it bought about 60% of russian crude exports. so it is very significant. it is very likely to hurt russia's budget which is about 45% of it by oil and gas in 2021. so it is significant but there are other things at play here. one is that europe has already been cutting back on its oil imports and meanwhile the amount of revenue russia has made has only been going up because the price has been going up, ironically the disruption they caused playing into their own hands. and secondly, this is being phased in over time. 90% of russian oil will be banned in europe they say by the end of the year. that could give russia more time to sign contracts with alternative customers. we've already seen china ramping up, india has significantly ramped up its purchases of russia oil this year.

listen to what europe's top diplomat had to say about that today. >> certainly we cannot prevent russia to sell their oil to someone else. but we are the most important client for russia. they will have to look for another one and certainly they will have to decrease the price. the purpose is for the russians to get less resources, less financial resources to feed in the war machine. and this certainly will happen. >> reporter: this is a very complex market and it is likely that western officials don't actually want all of russian oil to come off the market because that could lead to prices going even higher sending, you know, oil and gas prices around the world even higher. they touched their highest point today since early march. >> clare, thank you so much. so president biden says that he will only go so far when it comes to arming ukraine.

>> are you going to send long range rocket systems to ukraine? >> we're not going to send to ukraine rocket systems that will strike into russia. >> cnn's inatasha bertran is ir us. it looks line president biden is being careful not to antagonize putin. >> he is being extremely careful and this is the subject of intense debate within the administration, the idea that the u.s. should send these multiple launch rocket systems to ukraine that have an extremely long range. and they have been wavering kind of for weeks of whether to take that step and send those systems. ukraine has been pleading for them saying this could be a game-changer in the war against russia especially there in the east where the ukrainians have said that they are outgunned and outmanned. but the president of course has been very wary of antagonizing

russia even further and these systems because they have a capability of launching rockets so far, they could be viewed by russia as extremely provocative. these systems do have a range of up to 300 kilometers, that is about 186 miles that these systems could launch. and of course the fear is that the ukrainians could use them to launch rockets into russian territory. that is not something that the united states wants. so the discussion now has begun to center around the possibility that they could egypt those systems with shorter range rockets. so essentially sending them the systems that they want but not giving them the kinds of munitions that are capable of going that long, long distance to von say to the russians that the united states is not facilitating essentially ukrainian attacks on russian soil. but it has been subject of intense debate over the last several weeks. the president has not officially signed off, so he could still

change his mind, but as of last week, what we were told is that the administration is preparing to announce the approval of some of those weapons systems. >> interesting the u.s. and its allies trying to strategize not to avoid crossing any red lines from the putin regime. it is putin of course who is the original provocateur, not the west. all right. keep us updated 3. a top iz have h adviser is to president biden's plan. melissa bell has that angle for us. what is the reaction to biden? >> reporter: well, disappointment for the timing. so far these last few days what we've been hearing from ukrainian military intelligence sources, but also from ukrainian military sources on the ground in towns like this, zaporizhzhia, all along that front line of what is becoming an increasingly hard border between the russian controlled territories and ukrainian held territories like the town of

zaporizhzhia where i'm speaking now. but it isn't far from here that the villages to the south are themselves bearing the effects of russia's long range rocket systems. there has been artillery fire but also some of the long range rockets being used in the south of here. and that is part of the story from the point of view of the ukrainians who have this -- hundreds of miles long border now to try to defend because it continues to inch forward. not just here, but of course we've been hearing further to the north, severdonetsk appears to be falling in russian hands as we speak. and the russian forces appear to be pressing ahead along this line with ukrainian sources saying, look, it is only a matter of time if we don't get the weaponry we need. now, they say they need those long range rocket systems for precisely these parts of the country from where they need to be able to take on the russian positions that are inching forward, but also attacking some of the villages on the other sideline. we were speaking yesterday to one of the mayors from the russian held territories who had

fled here and he said look, we need these now because what we feel in towns like this is that they are going to continue to move forward and we're going to it in-to lose. one source from ukrainian military intelligence said to me the other day, we've received a lot of weaponry and of course i was asking him about those switch blade targeted drones that we saw in action for the first time here in ukraine last week, very effective because they can be launched from 25 miles and drive themselves towards russian tanks, that russian artillery that has proven so devastating to ukrainian forces. but he said to me, look, we are a country of 40 million people. opposite us is a country of 140 million people. it is just a question of time if we do not get the weapons we need. >> all right. fair enough. melissa bell, thank you for your reporting. so the ukrainian band that just won the eurovision song contest is using the winnings to help their country's fight against russia.

♪ >> they auctioned off the trophy on facebook and it sold for $900,000. the band says the money will be used to buy drones for ukraine's military. coming up, k-pop at the white house. ♪ more on biden and the biggest boy band in the world. and the midwest community cleaning up after what looks like a tornado strike. are ours too.t your gos and vanguard retirement tools and advice cacan help you get there. that's the value of f ownership.

♪ ♪ ♪ voltaren. the joy of movement. ♪

♪ i'm chi lan, i am a mom, and a real estate agent. after having a kid, everything that you used to do for yourself goes out the window. the lines that i was seeing in my forehead were getting deeper than i was used to them being. and i realized, you know, what i can focus again on myself. so, what do you see when you look at yourself? i see someone who is growing and changing, who loves and is loved. botox® cosmetic is fda approved to temporarily make frown lines, crow's feet and forehead lines look better.

the effects of botox® cosmetic may spread hours to weeks after injection, causing serious symptoms. alert your doctor right away as difficulty swallowing, speaking, breathing, eye problems, or muscle weakness may be a sign of a life-threatening condition. do not receive botox® cosmetic if you have a skin infection. side effects may include allergic reactions, injection site pain, headache, eyebrow, eyelid drooping, and eyelid swelling. tell your doctor about your medical history, muscle or nerve conditions, and medications including botulinum toxins as these may increase the risk of serious side effects see for yourself at botoxcosmetic.com everyone knows eating well and exercise are a big part of losing weight. ww's news program actually teaches you how to do it. so i have a degree in nutrition and i always knew that healthy eating was important. ww helped me do it. ww has given me tools to develop healthier habits for a lifetime. it's sustainable and it's doable. what's your favorite zeropoint food? mine is popcorn. mine is broccoli. ok, we can't be friends anymore. join for 60% off. offer ends may 31st.

agatha the first pacific hurricane of the season has been downgraded to a tropical storm after making landfall in southern mexico as a category 2 hurricane. let's get to karen mcginn this. wha mcginnis. and we just got an update and it continues to weaken. it has done this over the last 12 hours. once it made landfall, we started to see it lose a lot of its energy. but it is not over yet. after 10 or 20 inches of rainfall at some of the interior sections of mexico when it made landfall as a category 2, it has continued to weaken, however the remnants of this in conjunction with some upper level disturbances we could see this redevelop, a 60% chance or likelihood that it could become a tropical depression over the next five days.

take a look at these images coming out of the area near minneapolis, we're looking at west central minnesota where there was a lot of tornadic activity, one in particular destroyed nearly 100 homes, damaged or destroyed. and that is all making its way towards the east on the central great lakes into the central plains, that is where the severe weather risk lies as we go in towards tuesday. the greatest threat right now appears to be large sized hail, but can't rule out the potential for an isolated tornado. there could be some locally heavy rainfall. and then going in towards the middle of the workweek, this system still has legs with storms moving into the eastern great lakes all the way down into oklahoma and texas. we're not looking at quite the violenc violent wet weather, but could see wind and large sized hail. and a top aide says that he

has been subpoenaed to testify over the january 6 capitol riot. peter navarro claims the subpoena seeks all documents requested by the committee investigating that attack as well as, quote, any communications with the former president. it is just the latest indication of the scope of prosecutor's inquiry here. navarro you will remember refused to comply with a separate subpoena issued by the january 6 committee itself despite the house voting last month to hold him in contempt of congress. just ahead, how burgers and dogs on the grill could burn through your summer barbecue budget. and a u.s. senator speaks about her surprise trip to taiwan. that disagreement ends right now.. lactaid ice cream is the creaeamy, real ice cream you loe that will never mess with your stomach. lactaid ice cream.

♪ my name is austin james. as a musician living with diabetes, fingersticks can be a real challenge. that's why i use the freestyle libre 2 system. with a painless, one-second scan i know my glucose numbers without fingersticks. now i'm managing my diabetes better and i've lowered my a1c from 8.2 to 6.7. take the mystery out of managing your diabetes and lower your a1c. now you know. try it for free at freestylelibre.us

[♪] if you have diabetes, it's important to have confidence in the nutritional drink you choose. try boost glucose control®. it's clinically shown to help manage blood sugar levels and contains high quality protein to help manage hunger and support muscle health. try boost® today. i love all types of dancing... salsa, and even belly dancing! i am a triathlete. i've always been into health, and wellness, and fitness... i tried everything with diet and exercise, and nothing worked. there was just kinda this stubborn area on my stomach. but coolsculpting worked for me! coolsculpting targets, freezes and eliminates treated fat for good. no needles, no incisions. discuss coolsculpting with your provider. some common side effects include temporary numbness, discomfort and swelling. you've come this far... coolsculpting takes you further. visit coolsculpting.com centrum multigummies aren't just great tasting... they're power-packed vitamins... that help unleash your energy. loaded with b vitamins... ...and other key essential nutrients...

...it's a tasty way to conquer your day. try centrum multi gummies. now with a new look. another crazy day? of course—you're a cio in 2022. but you're ready. because you've got the next generation in global secure networking from comcast business. with fully integrated security solutions all in one place. so you're covered. on-premise and in the cloud. you can run things the way you want —your team, ours or a mix of both. with the nation's largest ip network. from the most innovative company. bring on today with comcast business. powering possibilities.™

welcome back. a u.s. congressional delegation led by senator tammy duckworth making a surprise visit to taiwan, meeting with taiwan's

president on issues about the u.s.-taiwan relationship. >> there is tremendous support for taiwan within the legislative branch. our president has shown his support for taiwan. you've heard from our military and as a member of the legislative branch, i will tell you that it is a bipartisan agreement that the u.s. should stand with taiwan. >> let's bring in kristie lu stout. this comes at sort of a sensitive time. i mean, anytime is tricky here. what do you think the senator is hoping to accomplish exactly? >> reporter: laura, they are trying to achieve both u.s. and taiwan a closer stronger alliance. you have this u.s. congressional delegation led by senator tammy duckworth in taiwan for this unannounced surprise three day visit and they discussed economic cooperation, trade, as well as regional security issues. and the president thanked senator duckworth for america's

donation of covid vaccines as well as u.s. support in terms of security. listen to this. >> translator: we look forward to deeper and closer u.s.-taiwan relations in matters of regional security. at the same time to address the challenges of the post-pandemic era. taiwan and the u.s. have reviewed and assessed the many facets of our trade cooperation. >> reporter: china slammed this visit with its embassy in washington saying that it firmly opposes it and that the u.s. should, quote, stop all forms of official interactions with taiwan. this visit comes right after the u.s. president's visit to the region and the assertion joe biden made that the u.s. would intervene militarily if china tries to take taiwan by force, a comment he's made before which was quickly downplayed again by the white house. but tensions are rising. monday taiwan's ministry of national defense said 30 chinese warplanes made incursions into its air defense identification

zone. and this is the highest daily figure in more than four months. >> certainly noteworthy. just ahead, new reporting about the supreme court leak on abortion. full tanks and empty pockets, the cost of commuting to work as america heads back to the office.

to be clear, we have never been accused of being flashy, sexy or lit. may i? we're definitely not lit. i mean seriously, we named ourselves booking.com which is kind of lit if we are talking... literal... ha ha. it's why we're planet earth's number one site for booking accommodation. we love booking stuff! and we're just here to help you make the best of your vacation. ow... hi... booking.com booking.yeah ♪("i've been everywhere" by johnny cash) ♪ ♪i've traveled every road in this here land!♪ ♪i've been everywhere, man.♪ ♪i've been everywhere, man.♪ ♪of travel i've had my share, man.♪ ♪i've been everywhere.♪

♪ the tempur-pedic® breeze° makes sleep... feel cool. because the tempur-breeze° transfers heat away from your body... ...so you feel cool, night after night. for a limited time, save up to $500 on select tempur-pedic® adjustable mattress sets. open. it's a beautiful word. neighborhoods "open". businesses "open". fields "open". who doesn't love "open"? offices. homes. stages. possibilities. your world. open. and you can help keep it that way. ♪ my asthma felt anything but normal. ♪ ♪ it was time for a nunormal with nucala. nucala reduces asthma attacks it's a once-monthly add-on treatment for severe eosinophilic asthma. not for sudden breathing problems.

allergic reactions can occur. get help right away for swelling of face, mouth, tongue, or trouble breathing. infections that can cause shingles have occured. don't stop steroids unless told by your doctor. tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. may cause headache, injection site reactions, back pain, and fatigue. ask your asthma specialist about a nunormal with nucala. i brought in ensure max protein, with thirty grams of protein. those who tried me felt more energy in just two weeks! (sighs wearily) here i'll take that! (excited yell) woo-hoo! ensure max protein. with thirty grams of protein, one gram of sugar, and nutrients to support immune health.

let's get a check on cnn business this tuesday morning. looking at markets around the world, a mixed performance in asia. europe opened also mixed with paris down and london up. and on wall street, giving back a little bit of last week's solid performance. u.s. markets were closed for memorial day yesterday after a reprieve in the selling last week. dow fell eight weeks in a row and then finally rose last week. it was the best week for the s&p 500 and dow since november 2020. nasdaq is still in a bear market, 23% below its record high. we'll see what happens this morning but leaning down a little bit. at the gas station, record high prices on memorial day. aaa reports the average price for a gallon of regular gasoline nationwide is now $4.62, that is up 44 creptents from a month ag. illinois, new york and arizona just pennies away from $5. the drive to the barbecue costs

more and so did everything you ate. mustard up 10%, buns 11%, franks and burgers 15% higher. ke ketchup, up 16%. >> doesn't bode well for fourth of july. >> and this is why the president is talking to the fed chief today about inflation. all right. the manager of the san francisco giants paused his protest of the national anthem for memorial day, a protest that began after the school shooting in texas. carolyn manno is joining us with the "bleacher report." you said this might happen. >> yeah, gabe kapler has said that this is a little controversial, but it is a personal decision and he will continue to navigate this day by day. he said the promise of what the anthem represents is not being delivered in his opinion. he did take his place on the field before monday's game with his left hand over his heart as then a themanthem played.

and he wrote while he believes strongly in the right to protest, he also believes in honoring and mourning our country's service men and women who died for that right. he said those who serve especially those who have paid the ultimate price deserve that acknowledgement. and that respect. so unclear whether the giants manager will resume his protest tonight. he said on sunday he will take it day by day. to the stanley cup playoffs now, game seven between the rangers and hurricanes, new york needed to steal a win at the hurricanes, something that had not happened yet this postseason. carolina the winner of six straight game sevens at their place, but this one belonged to the boys in blue. a pair of power play goals setting the tone for the entire night. rangers lit the lamp six times in all and they roll 6-2. they will host the two-time defending stanley cup champs back to back lightning, that starts tomorrow. tonight it is game one in the west between the avalanche and the oilers. puck drop 8:00 eastern on tnt.

and the other rangers, the ones in texas, check it out, eli white robbing tampa's choi deep to center. he scales the wall. would have been a three run shot for sure. choi stunned by this, but he just shrugged it off and gave a big smile. rangers get the win there. but nobody is catching this next one. rockies hosting the marlins, sanchez hits it a mile, almost a mile, towering shot for sure going triple decker to the right. his blast measuring 496 feet, longest home run in the majors since 2019. second longest ever at coors field. and miami's only run as they lost by six. and meantime a huge quarter final day on tap at the french open for you. djokovic and nadal renewing their rivalry maybe for the final time. nadal has been suffering from a chronic foot injury.

this could be his last time playing at roland garros. and coco gauff trying to gik to her grand slam final taking on sloane stephens. she beats sloane in straight sets. so the american women doing pretty well. >> really fun to watch. carolyn manno, nice to see you. all right. finally this morning, k-pop comes to the white house. ♪ members of the hugely popular south korean band bts will meet with president biden later today, they intend to discuss asian inclusion and representation as well as anti-asian hate crimes and disinformation. i will not ask you what your favorite bts song is. >> please don't. >> although you were humming that during the break. >> i was. once it gets in your head and

you realize you hear it all the time, it is so popular. born to run? no, that is not k-pop. thanks for joining us. i'm christine romans. >> and i'm laura ♪ good morning to our viewers here in the united states and all around the world. it is tuesday, may 31st. i'm john berman with brianna keilar. and this morning, we have a cnn exclusive. we've learned that the supreme court is taking new unprecedented steps to search for the person who leaked the drafted supreme court abortion opinion that seeks to overturn roe versus wade. according to three sources, supreme court officials are telling law clerks, supreme court clerks, to provide cell phone records, while also requiring them to sign affidavits.