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Thousands March On Capitol Hill To Protest Cuts In Environmental Budgets; President Trump Campaigned On A Promise To Divert Money Away From Climate Change Projects; House Republicans Nearing Breakthrough On Repeal Of Obamacare?; Carter Page Denies Inappropriate Conversations With Russian Officials; New Video Of Confrontation Aboard An Airplane Getting Ttentions; Jeanette Vizguerra Has Been Named To Time's 100 Most Influential People In The World. Aired 4-5p ET
Aired April 22, 2017 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[16:00:00] ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: This was Berlin earlier today, large crowds turning out in large cities and small towns all around the world. Their protests partly fueled by opposition to Trump's threats of budget cuts to agencies that fund scientific work.
And in London, in every city, scientists and their supporters organized to counter what they see as a growing disregard for evidence-based knowledge.
In Washington thousands marched from the mall to Capitol Hill with a message to the Trump administration, don't slash environmental budgets. This is part of an earth day statement from the president. He says quote "economic growth enhances environmental protection. We can and must protect our environment without harming America's working families."
Let's bring in CNN's Sara Sidner who joins us from San Francisco this evening.
Sara, what are you hearing from demonstrators there?
SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ana, the marches have begun. They have taken over the main street here in San Francisco, market street, and headed toward civic center plaza right in front of city hall.
What we have been seeing is a lot -- a lot of clever signs. I want to show you one here, chemists have all the solutions, endorsed by the American chemical society.
There are lots of different signs, some of them are very much based on trying to get people excited and interested and knowledgeable about science, others are very political. There is a lot of concern here about rolling back the regulations that the EPA has put in place. And if you will remember, this all started back in 1970, that was the first huge march for science on earth day which was created because of that.
People are getting quite excited, waving, shouting, yelling, but back then after the march the EPA was created and now fast forward almost 50 years and some of those regulations that the EPA had in place are now being pulled back by the Trump administration. So there is a lot of concern here about that and people are saying, look, you have to look at --
CABRERA: All right. We are going to have to break away here, Sara. We are losing your signal probably because it's a live view. So all of those people who are using their cell phones impacts that signal. Sara Sidner reporting from San Francisco. Huge crowds there for the science march.
Now, President Trump campaigned on a promise to divert money away from climate change projects. CNN's Jennifer Gray has that part of the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's time to put America first. We are going to put America first. That includes the promise to cancel billions in climate change spending for the United Nations.
JENNIFER GRAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That campaign pledge is sending shock waves across the globe where millions of people are spending the money on, well, survival. The U.S. contributes significantly to international pools of money that the U.N. and its partners use to help vulnerable regions adapt to climate change. For example, 32,000 Bolivian potato farmers use international funds to prepare their crops for a harsher climates. And a Vietnam rice bill U.N. program to help protect crops from rising sea levels. But the Trump administration says --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are not spending money on that anymore.
GRAY: Experts say it's a move that ignores not just overwhelming scientific evidence but important diplomatic relationships as well.
ANDREW LIGHT, FORMER SENIOR ADVISOR, U.S. SPECIAL ENERGY FOR CLIMATE CHANGE: When the U.S. pulls out it sends a signal to other countries that one of the biggest emitters on the planet is really not going to help the rest of the world and that's the kind of thing that will dull cooperation overall.
GRAY: Andrew Light was a key member of the Obama administration's climate change team working around the globe and seeing the benefits of international funding firsthand.
LIGHT: The U.S. pulling back is going to be very difficult in terms of the stability of these systems.
GRAY: If Trump sticks to his plans it would be an about face. From the previous administration's aggressive climate change agenda.
BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are going to contribute $3 billion to the green climate fund so we can help developing nations deal with climate change. GRAY: President Trump's proposed budget eliminates contributions to
the green climate fund. It would also cut more than $10 billion from U.S. aid in the state department, two of the world's leaders in climate work.
TRUMP: We are going to cancel the Paris climate agreement.
GRAY: Many Trump supporters including those in his cabinet applaud these proposals as a way to prioritize domestic interests.
SCOTT PRUITT, EPA ADMINISTRATOR: It's a bad deal for America. It was America's second, third or fourth kind of approach.
GRAY: But money isn't the only concern.
ANTONIO GUTERRES, U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL: As water gets nor scarce it threatens to become a catalyst for conflict.
GRAY: A 2016 study published by the national academy of sciences found that climate change was linked to 23 percent of armed conflicts in ethnically divided areas.
GUTERRES: Climate change is a menace to livelihood, to property and to businesses.
GRAY: In recent months President Trump has drastically changed his rhetoric on health care, and Chinese trade and even invited discussion on the Paris climate agreement before postponing it. Still, experts fear he won't change on climate change.
[16:05:10] LIGHT: It is not the big picture. It is that one particular program that I knew was hoping that one particular community that I don't know if that is going to last. I don't know if I can rally enough people so save that. And that hurts a lot.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CABRERA: That was Jennifer Gray reporting.
I want to bring in now Bill Richardson, former governor of New Mexico. He also served as energy secretary under President Clinton and as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
Governor, thanks spending some of your Saturday with us. Do you see anything in the president's policies on the environment that are encouraging to you?
GOV. BILL RICHARDSON (D), FORMER GOVERNOR OF NEW MEXICO: No, I don't. Thirty one percent cut of the environmental protection agency, a climate denier at EPA, now getting rid of the coal fire, coal powered initiative of President Obama. Now possibly getting out of the Paris climate agreement. No.
It's very disturbing because science -- this is not a political issue. Science says that pollution is manmade. This is a worldwide problem. Over 160 countries signed the Paris climate agreement. If we pull out the two biggest countries, China and the U.S. reached a landmark agreement. If we pull out the agreement is going to fall apart and it's going to be a real problem diplomatically, national security wise and environmentally this planet is very much at stake. All you have to do is see some of the South Seas islands, you can see the effects here out in the west. The argument of the administration is that it's got to be economic growth.
CABRERA: Right.
RICHARDSON: You can have economic growth with environmental protection, with renewable energy, green jobs.
CABRERA: In fact, when you bring that up I can tell you that the stats show there are for example 65,000 coal miners and yet there are 2.7 million people working in clean energy just in the U.S. alone that's from the environmental defense fund. So to your point, however, we have invited White House officials to come on and defend themselves. They have not taken us up on that. Let me just read to you what we have been told by a White House official saying this president quote "is not going to pursue climate change policies that put the U.S. economy at risk." They say their roll back of regulations is about job creation and eliminating federal overreach.
Do you think there is anything within the government red tape that should be cut in order to make the process of what our environmental policy is more efficient?
RICHARDSON: Well, no. No. I mean, I would suggest maybe approving some environmental standards faster. Maybe the liquefied natural gas terminals, approving them faster because it's a geopolitical issue with eastern Europe because Russia is trying to use oil and natural gas as a weapon. But I think these EPA -- the coal fire regulations, the regulations of the EPA on air quality, the regulations on climate change, these are so important endangered species out in the west, national parks, cutting national parks, drilling in national parks, next we are going to be drilling in the Grand Canyon.
I mean, this is an insane policy. I mean, I'm very unhappy, but I worry about international standing. We are supposed to be the leaders on moral issues, diplomatic issues. On the planet, I mean, you see scientists marching today but this is affecting young people. There are more young people upset about these environmental policies, climate change, than anybody I have seen. I think this could cause a real internal revolution, a real grassroots movement that is not going to be stopped.
CABRERA: We will watch and we will see.
Let's turn to immigration. President Trump says the dreamers can, quote, rest easy. That is a new quote from an interview he gave just yesterday talking to the AP. He says deportation efforts will not be focused on those people, the dreamers who have that DACA protection of some sort. Is that reassuring to you?
RICHARDSON: Well, it's not reassuring. Because the president changes his mind. There's -- every day there is a new policy. At the same time he is saying that deportations are continuing, they are continuing in New Mexico and Border States. You have got his attorney general and the head of homeland security talking about the border wall. They are in the border talking about this illegal immigration which, by the way, has declined dramatically. It's coming from Central America not necessarily from Mexico. We totally upset our relationship with Mexico on the border wall.
CABRERA: So your point about that illegal immigration declining basically that is a sign that their policies on being tough on immigration is working.
[16:10:07] RICHARDSON: No, no, they started declining when I was governing of New Mexico in the year 2010 under the Obama administration because we do need border security, we need more border guards, we need more technology, we need more efforts to stem that illegal tide. You can't justify illegal immigration. But, you know, they have declined dramatically and it's continuing to decline. And the rhetoric that they are using I think is just exacerbating the situation.
This border wall now may cost $60 billion. Mexico is not going to pay for it. The Congress is not going to fund it. We are ruining our relationship with NAFTA and Mexico. We are insulting the Canadians on dairy prices. You know, I don't understand this international effort, this America first effort. We're putting America last.
CABRERA: Listen to what the department of homeland security secretary told our Dana Bash regarding that border ball funding.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So will the president go to the mat and insist on funding his border wall as part of the stopgap government funding measure?
JOHN KELLY, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: Again, I think it goes without saying that the president has been pretty straightforward about his desire and the need for a border wall. So I would suspect he will do the right thing for sure, but I would suspect he will be insistent on the funding.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CABRERA: Governor Richardson, you were a member of Congress. I hear you say you're skeptical that this funding is going to get into the spending measure but we all know at the end of the week if there isn't some kind of agreement on spending the government could shut down. Do you think Congress will be able to avoid a shut down this Friday?
RICHARDSON: Well, it's April 29th. I think it's going to be very difficult to avoid a shut down when the president is saying we're going to do healthcare reform next week or this coming week, or we're going to do tax reform. You know, the Congress can't do more than one thing at a time in a whole year. It's like walking and chewing gum at the same time.
CABRERA: Shouldn't they be able to do more than one at a time?
RICHARDSON: No, they can't because they are so massive. And what you have is mainly opposition in the Republican Party that is not making healthcare reform and tax reform move forward. And this issue of the border tax is going to probably divide Republicans more than Democrats with tax reform and paying for this wall. This wall is, I believe, never going to be built and it shouldn't be, and Congress is not going to fund it. And just ask Republican congressmen on the border whether they are going to support it. Nobody is going to support this at the border level because it doesn't work and it's too expensive.
CABRERA: Now, you have been to North Korea several times and we have obviously been talking a lot about what's happening there, there has been an escalation of tension between the U.S. and North Korea. And the vice president was just at the dance and we brought to your viewers live here last weekend. Listen to what the vice president said for his hopes of getting a deal with North Korea.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE PENCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The president made it very clear to president Xi that we were looking to China to step up and use that unique relationship that it has with North Korea to achieve an end to the nuclear ambitions and the ballistic missile ambitions of that regime.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CABRERA: So will China step up if needed?
RICHARDSON: Well, it looks like they are. And I'm going to say that I think the administration on North Korea while they have very different messages from their foreign policy leadership may be doing the right thing and really leaning on China and giving China incentives to move North Korea. They have leverage over North Korea. They give them food, energy assistance, all kinds of economic assistance. So they have the leverage and it looks like maybe China leaned on North Korea not to do a nuclear test. They did a missile test. The problem is I think that North Korea is going to proceed with some kind of test. They are so unpredictable.
And I think it's important that the Trump administration set up a long range policy, work it out with China, with South Korea, work it out with the Congress because right now, you know, there is a lot of rhetoric, preliminary military strikes. This is a very unpredictable country. We have got 30,000 American troops in South Korea. We have got 50,000 in Japan. We have got Seoul, Korea, South Korea, our ally, 25 million. It's a tinderbox.
Let's talk about diplomacy. Let's talk about a long range strategy. Let's talk about a way that we can deal with North Korea. OK. Give China a chance to put some pressure.
[16:15:07] CABRERA: All right. Governor Bill Richardson, thanks for joining us this weekend.
RICHARDSON: Thank you.
CABRERA: President Trump this weekend staying in the nation's capital and performing one of the most solemn duties of an American commander in chief, presenting a U.S. service member the Purple Heart for being wounded on the battlefield. The president awarded this medal to army sergeant first class Alvarado Barrientos who lost part of his leg in Afghanistan. It was the president's first visit to Walter reed hospital since taking office.
The president also announced today he would address Veterans issues in a press conference this coming Thursday. Also coming up this hour a Trump adviser targeted by Russia. Carter page on the defense after CNN's exclusive reporting that Russian operatives tried to use him and other advisors to infiltrate the Trump campaign last year.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nothing I was ever interested to do or no information I was ever asked for was anything beyond what you could see on CNN.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CABRERA: More from that interview coming up this hour, but first round two of the healthcare bill battle. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[16:20:20] CABRERA: House Republicans may be nearing a potential breakthrough on efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare. On the negotiating table as we know it essential health benefits such maternity coverage of prescription drugs. Plus, rules on covering people with preexisting condition and how to pay for costs of caring for the sick. Health and human services secretary Dr. Tom Price would have to oversee the implementation of any new health plan,
CNN's chief Dr. Sanjay Gupta talked one-on-one with secretary price. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: You have done so many things in your life. You're obviously a doctor and orthopedic surgeon but also a legislator and now cabinet secretary, only the third doctor to hold that position.
I'm a third generation physician, so my dad and granddad were doctors. I learned about the physician/patient relationship that we've talked about before I think from my grandfather. I will never forget that every house that he went to it wasn't who are you, what are you doing here, why are you here, it was the door flung open and they said, Dr. Price, and gave him a big hug. And to me that's what the doctor/patient relationship was all about.
Dr. Dan Barrow is the chairman of surgery at Emory University, my boss. He has been in the operating room with Tom Price and known him for almost 40 years.
DR. DAN BARROW, CHAIRMAN OF NEUROSURGEON, EMORY UNIVERSITY: I think there are a couple circumstances in life where you really see what people are like. One is when they don't think anybody is watching them and the other is when you are under some kind of stress or duress.
GUPTA: Where did tom price fit into that all that for you?
BARROW: I think he was one of the best that I dealt with.
GUPTA: But it does not get much more stressful than this.
TRUMP: Nobody knew that healthcare could be so complicated.
GUPTA: Trump administration having failed in its first attempt to repeal and replace Obamacare seems determined to move a new healthcare bill forward in the next week. And Price is the man responsible for implementing it.
GUPTA: You are the health secretary now so what responsibility did you feel as health secretary?
TOM PRICE, SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN RIGHTS: The responsibility that I have is to ensure that the piece of legislation moving through Congress is as responsive to the patients of this land as possible and that I do as much as I can do to educate the individuals who have the responsibility for voting on these plans.
GUPTA: Price went to med school at the University of Michigan, met his wife Betty during his orthopedics residency at Emory and has one son, Robert. And decades ago it was healthcare that inspired Price to make the jump from medicine to politics.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you allow the kinds of changes to occur that are beginning to occur right now then there are many, many physicians that won't be practicing med is sin at all.
GUPTA: At some point you transition from grady getting a legislator. What prompted you to do that?
PRICE: There were a lot of things. But now the least of which was -- I recognized at some point there were a lot more people in this building. And in Washington that were making decisions about what I could do for my patients than that building and none had any medical experience. And there was significant source of frustration.
GUPTA: Sam Zamarripa served as a state senator with Tom Price.
SAM ZAMARRIPA (D), FORMER GEORGIA STATE SENATE: You know, I think Tom lives and breathes public policy. I think that when he goes to sleep at night he is thinking about it. I think when he gets up in the morning he is reading about it. This guy is a born legislator with a lot of skill.
GUPTA: When you look at the last few weeks with regard to this healthcare bill, AHCA, what went wrong?
PRICE: Well, I think that what happened was the come pressed timeline for the sale of the bill, if you will. And the fact that there are a lot of competing parts in the area of healthcare. So what I believe is if you talk about -- as the president has -- you talk about the principles of healthcare, we want a system that's affordable for everybody, accessible for everybody, of the highest quality and provides choices for the American people, empowers patients, if you will.
GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CABRERA: So let's talk more about where things stand on this Obamacare repeal and replace with former chief of staff to Republican senator Ted Cruz and current director at the center for the tenth amendment action at the Texas public policy foundation Chip Roy.
Thanks for joining us, Chip. We will talk about Secretary Price's comments in a moment, but we just got a read out from the Republican conference today where essentially the bottom line is they don't expect a vote on a bill on repeal and replace this week. Why do you think there was so much energy drummed up only to backtrack again?
CHIP ROY, FORMER CHIEF OF STAFF, SEN. TED CRUZ: Sure, Ana. But first, thanks for having me on today. Good afternoon. There's been a lot of discussions over the last two weeks over the Easter recess and a lot of headway has been made and good conversations have been had. For all of the vicious attacks that a number of Republicans have levied against the house freedom caucus be they have been working in good faith to try to reach a consensus on what would be acceptable for them to make sure that we drive premiums down which is one of the chief concerns.
And so I think that there has been a lot of energy towards having a vote and moving towards something when they get back, but as I think Secretary Price just mentioned in that package, you know, part of the problem in the first instance is that they were rushing it through, much like some of the concerns we had with Obamacare in 2009. And so, I actually applaud it if they're not going to come back and rush through a vote next week. They need to take their time and have a conversations needed to try to get this done.
[16:25:38] CABRERA: Maybe they learned a lesson. But you talked about freedom caucus maybe getting more of what they want in this upcoming legislation but let's hear from a Republican congressman Rodney Stone, he is a member of the Tuesday group who is working on those negotiations with the freedom caucus. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. RODNEY DAVIS (R), ILLINOIS: I'm not going to be for a plan that's going to allow for preexisting conditions to not be covered. Waivers are going to be -- can be requested but that doesn't mean that they are going to be. And they are very limited in this discussion. And if that becomes a discussion point the key thing we lose sight over the fact that we are talking about covering preexisting conditions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CABRERA: So a comprehensive coverage is not mandated or a requirement or a part of the regulation for insurance companies that is the big question is will people with preexisting conditions have adequate insurance coverage. How do you see that squaring up?
ROY: Sure. And, look, Ana, I know you spent a lot of time raising money for cancer charities. Six years ago, it take a lot of my approached turned in Hodgkin's limb phone ma. I care about preexisting conditions immensely. I believe and I think the House freedom caucus believes that we need to ensure that people have access to affordable healthcare, get the care that they want from their doctors and be able to get insurance in the free market and drive premiums down.
Our concern all along has been that the proposal that was put forward won't do that. And in fact the CDO is predicting premiums would go up. So what the House freedom caucus has spent Easter doing is trying to get the Tuesday group to come to the table to embrace policies that we believe will drive down the cost of premiums.
CABRERA: Which sounds good but how are you going to drive down the cost of premiums and still provide enough coverage for everybody?
ROY: Well, sure. The answer lies in getting competition by getting rid of the regulations that are driving up the cost in the first place and as they are trying to discuss now have high risk and methods by which you can state by state provide options for people who have preexisting conditions.
CABRERA: So you're going to give the states the responsibility to have to figure out how those people who need more coverage or have more expensive healthcare costs are going to cope?
ROY: Well, I think there would be -- what's on the table is a federal high risk pool option as well as states being able to do it. Look, a lot of the states want those options. A lot of the states want to be able to come up with solutions for the people in their state including offering Medicaid to the states so you can take care of those people who need care on Medicaid system than jamming so many people in the Medicaid system who are able bodied and leaving the sick off of the rolls which is what Obamacare does. We have driving up costs by forcing people into Medicaid system and putting so many regulations on the insurance product that nobody can afford the insurance. That's what the house freedom caucus is trying to do, make sure we can get the market forces in there to drive down costs of premium.
CABRERA: All right, Chip Roy, thank you.
ROY: Ana, thanks for having me on.
CABRERA: Up next CNN has more details tonight into the investigation into Russian meddling in the U.S. election. Advisors into the Trump campaign were targeted by Russian operatives including Carter Page who response when we come back.
You are lie in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:33:13] CABRERA: In a brand new interview with CNN former Trump campaign adviser, Carter Page denies he had any inappropriate conversations with Russian officials. His denial comes after CNN exclusively reported that U.S. officials believe Russia tried to use advisors like Page to infiltrate the Trump campaign last summer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL SMERCONISH, CNN HOST, MICHAEL SMERCONISH SHOW: Are you aware of their efforts at using you to get into the Trump campaign? That's my direct question.
CARTER PAGE, FORMER TRUMP CAMPAIGN ADVISER: I was never -- nothing I was ever asked to do or no information I was ever asked for was anything beyond what you could see on CNN. There is great -- great depth of reporting, great information. Nothing I ever talked about with any Russian official extends beyond that publicly available immaterial information, Michael.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CABRERA: I want to bring in CNN crime and justice producer Shimon Prokupecz, who helped break this exclusive reporting and also with us CNN political commentator and Washington Ryan Lizza.
So Shimon, to you first. Is there any evidence that Russian actually did infiltrate or just that they tried?
SHIMON, PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE PRODUCER: Well, right now I think it's best for us to say that they tried. Certainly there is a lot of intelligence that the FBI is looking at that intelligence officials have been looking that points to a picture where different people working for the Russians, intelligence services, were trying to communicate with Trump advisors or people close to Trump to try to infiltrate. What they learned from that that is still not very clear to us but certainly maybe those Russian intelligence officials did infiltrate and had a door into the campaign.
CABRERA: Interesting. So, Ryan, Page says the keyword here is tried. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LIZA: Yes.
Well, you know --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) [16:35:05] PAGE: Now, remember, the headlines for many, many months, the Trump campaign colluded or there was nefarious things going on. Now, they really rallying (ph) things back? You know, someone is saying out there the word tried.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CABRERA: So, Ryan, as we learn more details does this feel like we are moving farther away from or closer to collusion?
LIZA: You know, I think that's an excellent question. I think there is a real gray area here about when does a campaign adviser or a campaign have in conversations with a foreign -- foreign official or even foreign intelligence officials, when does it cross over into something that's illegal? And I haven't really seen that spelled out. Partly because this FBI investigation is still sort of shrouded in secrecy, but, I mean, we do know certain things, right?
We do know from the intelligence community that Russian wanted -- they had a preference for Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton and they had so-called active measures campaign of stealing emails and documents from Democrats and Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman and then dumping them in a way that they knew would benefit Trump and damage Hillary.
The next thing here is did they go further than that and actually have someone in a role that would cross over into something that was illegal, colluding with a foreign state and either pushing certain policies -- trying to push certain policies on the Trump campaign or just exchanging information. I think there is a gray area, too. If carter page is just talking to Russian officials, I don't know, is that illegal, right? I mean, that there is this gray area that hasn't really been spelled out by the law enforcement yet.
CABRERA: And the bottom line here is what I know, Shimon, you are hearing is that they have perhaps more evidence of collusion, but it doesn't sound like they are at the point where there's proof of an actual crime having been committed and that's really important for us to note.
Shimon and Ryan, our thanks to both of you. We will continue the discussion throughout the evening because it's more information, more smoke as we continue to cover the Russia investigation.
But you can also catch Carter Page's full interview with Michael Smerconish tonight at 6:00 p.m. eastern. So keep it right here on CNN.
Up here next in the NEWSROOM, yet another airline forced into the spotlight after a passenger recorded this confrontation between a mother and flight attendant. What happened that left the mother in tears and the flight attendant daring at passengers to hit him.
You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [16:41:49] CABRERA: A new video of the confrontation aboard an airplane is getting a lot of attentions. Just two weeks after United made news for dragging a passenger off a plane this incident happened on American Airlines. American has apologized and says it is investigating. The video shows a sobbing mother holding a baby pleading with a flight attendant to give her back her stroller and then another passenger, a man in the polo jumps up, he intervenes. Let's play the entire clip.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just give me back my stroller, please.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, bud. You do that to me and I'll knock you flat.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You stay out of this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You get the hell off this plane.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'll knock you out.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tony. Tony, sit down.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You don't know what the story is.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't care what the story is you almost hurt a baby.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You keep looking at me and it shows me it's what you did to that lady.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Keep it quiet.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Well, I can see exactly what you did, maybe you will get videotaped, too, and be all over the news.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CABRERA: Let's bring in CNN's Polo Sandoval.
So Polo, we know this was happening when people were getting on the flight. What more have you learned about what may have happened before the video was rolling and what is American saying about it?
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. What we just saw there that's the actual confrontation that was caught on camera. But then there was also the incident that led you up to this. And according to witnesses aboard that Dallas bound flight out of San Francisco say it all started with a stroller, this argument about whether or not this woman would be able to fly or at least carry on this stroller versus checking it in. And one witness told CNN's affiliate KTLA that when the flight attendant attempted to take away that stroller that this woman became quite upset to the point that she was even screaming when that flight attendant said that she would be calling security. That's when things took a turn. But then you also have other witnesses aboard that plane that have told investigators that during this back and forth about the stroller the woman was apparently hit by the stroller and even the child as well.
So what is for sure, though, that American airlines is now investigating this. They have taken this flight attendant off the job saying that what you see in this footage does not reflect the values that American airlines have. Obviously very quick response after what took place on that united airlines flight two weeks ago.
CABRERA: Right. Regardless of what happens leading up to that video there is some evidence that shows what happened ultimately in that confrontation.
Polo, thanks to you.
Ahead here, a Colorado mother who has been living in the basement of a Denver church for 67 days was just named to "Time" magazine's 100 most influential people in the world. We will talk to her and her lawyer next here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
But first on this earth day, CNN's chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta explains how being outside with nature may help you live to 100.
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[16:45:13] GUPTA: I guess it was Kermit the frog that said it's not easy being green. But I'm here to tell you that being green can help you live longer. There's plenty of data to show that we living creatures need to be spending time outdoors and we just don't get enough of it. There was a study out of Harvard and Brigham and women's hospital, they looked at 100,000 nurses over many, many years. And what they found was that women who lived in the greenest areas had a 12 percent reduced risk of early death as compared to women who did not. They found lower rates of certain types of mental illness, lower rates of depression, lower rates of anxiety, and just lower the rates of some of these mental illnesses.
Look, if you are outside as opposed to inside, there is one absolute benefit that you are going to get and that is that you're less likely to be sitting. People have said that sitting is the new smoking. Here is an easy way to avoid it, get outside.
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[16:50:00] CABRERA: A Colorado mom, an immigration rights activist who right now is living in the basement of a Denver church finding sanctuary from the Trump administration's deportation push has been named to Time's 100 most influential people in the world.
Jeanette Vizguerra who came to the U.S. from Mexico about 20 years ago, she has been living here undocumented ever since and has three American born children under the age of 12. She has an older adult daughter. She came to the attention of U.S. authorities eight years ago during a traffic stop and since then she has had regular check ins with ICE. She has repeatedly been granted a stay of her deportation order, but during her last check in in February the first under the Trump administration her stay was not extended. She sought sanctuary at the church. This is her 67th day now living there.
Jeanette Vizguerra joins me now from that Denver church along with her attorney, Hans Meyer.
Welcome to you both.
Jeanette, you and I have spoken before. First, what is your reaction to "Time" magazine naming you one of the top 100 most influential people in the world?
JEANETTE VIZGUERRA, UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANT: It's a surprise.
CABRERA: You were surprised.
Hans, why do you think Jeannette's story resonated so deeply?
HANS MEYER, JEANETTE VIZGUERRA'S ATTORNEY: Well, it comes at one of the most important points about debate in this country about immigration policy. You know, we see Donald Trump's deportation (INAUDIBLE). And what we see Jeanette Vizguerra with courage of a person to stand up and ask for a change of immigration policy (INAUDIBLE). So she can actually have her case heard immigration lawsuit. So I think it really struck a nerve in this country because it's not just Donald Trump's immigration policy but a lot of Donald Trump's policies.
CABRERA: Now, legally where do things stand for Jeannette?
MEYER: Well, right now we have a stay of removal by (INAUDIBLE) rejected by ICE. But we have a pending application on both e-visa. It is a visa for a person who was a survivor of violent or serious crimes. We are simply waiting on the government's action to decide that case. We have been waiting for about 18 months. And that's fine. From the government who has been processing (INAUDIBLE) shouldn't have ICE trying to rip her away from her family until we have a final decision. So that's where we're at.
CABRERA: I see her child one of them there with her. I imagine it's difficult for the whole family and you work your way through this legal system. Now, in recent weeks we have seen the current administration making moves to really crack down on illegal immigration including plans to increase the tension and deportation capacity, immigration arrests we know are up about 33 percent over the same period in 2016.
So, Jeannette, how do you see this playing out for you moving forward?
VIZGUERRA: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
MEYER: We know that things right now are a lot more difficult under Trump.
VIZGUERRA: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
MEYER: But I'm ready. We are here and we're pushing forward to fight for change and we know that at any point hopefully we should be able to see some sort of change.
CABRERA: Well, we will continue to follow your story. I don't mean to interrupt. We are having a hard time with your audio unfortunately.
But Jeanette Vizguerra and Hand Meyer, it's nice to see you. And thank you for spending some time of your weekend with us. And congratulations on Time 100.
Coming up, exclusive CNN reporting on the criminal investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.
And reaction from former Trump aide Carter Page.
You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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[16:59:09] CABRERA: You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. Thanks for being with us on this Saturday. I'm Ana Cabrera in New York.
And we begin with exclusive CNN reporting on the criminal investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. The latest details suggest the cloud looming over the White House isn't clearly, instead it appears to be casting a wider shadow. Sources they will CNN exclusively that evidence suggests Russian officials tried to use Trump advisors to infiltrate his campaign last summer in an attempt to influence the election. U.S. officials say Carter Page is just one of those advisors Moscow targeted. But in a brand new interview with CNN Page denies he did anything inappropriate.
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SMERCONISH: Are you aware of their efforts at using you to get into the Trump campaign? That's my direct question.
PAGE: I was never -- nothing I was ever asked to do or no information I was ever asked for was anything beyond what you could see on CNN. There is great depth of reporting, great information. Nothing I ever talked about with any Russian --
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