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Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R) Illinois is Interview about the Wall Emergency; FDA Approves New Depression Treatment; Megan Harmon's Story in Turning Points; Andy Parker Shares his Fight After Daughter's Murder. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired March 06, 2019 - 08:30   ET

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

[08:30:00] REP. ADAM KINZINGER (R), ILLINOIS: But the active duty is on the border hardening these ports of entry, which my friends on the other side of the aisle say is the problem. So they should be supportive of that.

Secondarily, there are drugs that come over the border outside of the port of entry. There's also human trafficking. All you have to do is look at the numbers. It's a fact.

So what a border wall does is it shrinks the amount of border you have to actively monitor. So, for instance, in Arizona, you would have a predator that would go over, have like one radar sweep and it would see all these different groups that have crossed. And then they would prioritize. They only had one of our air assets, so they'd say, which group do we go after first? They'd put you on that group. And we'd coordinate Border Patrol.

And it takes basically an entire shift to get one group because of the rugged terrain. So what you do is you shrink the amount of the border you have to monitor and then you can focus your resources on that.

I'll tell you, Alisyn, I did not work one area of the border in Arizona that had a wall because they weren't going over it.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Congressman, because you have experience with this and because you're a veteran, I do want to ask you about the priorities. And, you know, these are real life choices that have to be made.

KINZINGER: Sure.

CAMEROTA: This isn't Monopoly money. You know, this is money that was assigned to other things that the president will take for the border wall.

And so one of the things that it was assigned for is military housing. And as you know, there's been all sorts of reporting lately about the horrible, squalid conditions that our service men and women are living in, in military housing. So are you comfortable taking the -- part of the $8 billion from them to build the border wall?

KINZINGER: Well, the first $2.5 billion comes out of counterdrug -- DOD counterdrug, which this obviously is a counterdrug issue. So what we allocated plus the counterdrug, if they get through that -- I'm not sure if they can get through that by the rest of the fiscal year -- then they can go to what's called MILCON-VA. Now, MILCON is not necessarily veteran housing or military housing. It can be for construction of a new front gate or a new squadron ops building at any base. So prioritizing that funding's going to be important.

Also, military housing now is private contracted. So where we need to make sure if it -- when veterans are living or when military members are living in houses with mold and bad conditions, we need to hold those private companies accountable that we basically give what's called BAH, basic allowance for housing --

CAMEROTA: Yes.

KINZINGER: To those companies to keep the soldiers and airmen (INAUDIBLE).

CAMEROTA: But -- but just so I understand, to be clear, you're saying that no money will come out of military construction or military housing for the border wall? You're sure?

KINZINGER: No, what -- what I'm saying is, when it comes to military construction, there's any number of things that involves. So as the administration -- if they get to that pot of money, prioritizes, my guess is they'll look at what is not important. You know, the construction of a new front gate is nice at an Air Force base. It's probably not the most important thing. So I am very comfortable that the executive branch will take a look at what the high priority and low priority is. But also keep in mind it's -- the housing is done through private contracting. Those people need to be held accountable to the bad conditions, because they're taking money from these soldiers and airmen and marines and sailors and they're giving them bad standards of living.

CAMEROTA: Absolutely. I mean and as long as you're sure that's not what the White House is about to do also and take money away from them.

Also, the new numbers out by --

KINZINGER: I'm comfortable about that.

CAMEROTA: OK.

The new numbers out by Customs and Border Protection are staggering. And what it shows is that the numbers have spiked in February in terms of apprehensions at the border. And it's a humanitarian crisis. I mean it's families, as we know, showing up. It's unaccompanied minors showing up. And so part of the strategy to deal with that is to deal with it at the point of origin, the countries, Guatemala, Honduras, where there are -- people are living in this abject poverty. So, again, how -- since they're showing up and presenting themselves, often at legal ports of entry, how is the border wall going to stop the humanitarian crisis that's happening now? KINZINGER: Well, I don't think it's going to stop because they know

how our asylum laws work. I spreads throughout the community. I don't think they're going to stop that from happening.

What we can mitigate, and every way we can mitigate this is important, is the human trafficking over the border so the coyotes, which are the drug cartel leaders basically, the guides that come over, and the drugs being stopped at the border.

Now, when it comes to our asylum laws, I think we need to fix them. Allow people to file for asylum in their own home country. I think that's a way to do it safely.

Here's the thing. People look at the border wall and have said, well, the border wall is immoral or uncompassionate. I actually see it very differently. I think having a secure border where people know that if they make the journey they're not going to be able to cross, actually gives people the opportunity to do this the safe and the right way. And we need to have a generous immigration system. I'm all for it.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

KINZINGER: I'm all for comprehensive immigration reform. But right now paying the drug cartels to move people into Arizona and then abandoning them if they hear a chopper blade or think the CBP is near and they run and leave them to die --

CAMEROTA: Yes.

KINZINGER: That's not compassionate at all.

CAMEROTA: Congressman Adam Kinzinger, we appreciate you coming on with your perspective.

KINZINGER: You bet.

CAMEROTA: Thanks so much.

KINZINGER: Any time.

CAMEROTA: John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: And thanks for his service. He did just get back from a tour, you know, there on the border there. That's the National Guard.

[08:35:00] Here is what to watch today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ON SCREEN TEXT: 9:30 a.m. ET, Michael Cohen continues House Intel testimony.

10:00 a.m. ET, Secretary Nielsen testifies on border security.

4:00 p.m. ET, President Trump meets with CEOs on workforce policy. (END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: OK, you also have to hear this.

It's the first new depression drug to hit the market in decades. We'll tell you about it, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: All right, "Here's to Your Health."

More than 16 million adults in the United States are currently dealing with depression. About a third have what's called treatment resistant depression. They've tried multiple medications and still struggle to find relief. But the FDA just approved the first new drug in years for debilitating mental health condition.

Our chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta is here to tell us all about it.

Sanjay, what's going on here?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: This is one of -- a big development in the world of mental health. When you look at those numbers, 16 million, and you start to look at the entire globe, there's 300 million who have depression, 100 million people around the world, who just don't respond to medications. Nothing works for them. Sometimes they become suicidal as a result.

[08:40:19] This medication you're about to hear about is considered a save shot in some ways, a suicide rescue drug. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA (voice over): Robin Prothro says her struggle with depression began back in college.

ROBIN PROTHRO, ESKETAMINE PATIENT: I did say to my mother, I think I need to see a psychiatrist. And she said, no, you're OK. So I let it go. And I didn't see one for a long time.

GUPTA: When Robin finally did seek help, nearly two decades later, she was diagnosed with major depressive disorder. And for two more decades she tried medication after medication.

PROTHRO: They would keep me from being horribly depressed, but they never worked completely to make that feeling of depression really go away.

GUPTA: Then two years ago Robin heard about a clinical trial for a new drug called Esketamine. It's the chemical cousin of Ketamine, a powerful antiasthenic medication perhaps best known as a club drug. Over the last few years, some doctors have been using Ketamine off label to treat the most stubborn cases of depression. Now they have an FDA approved drug to do the same.

DR. HUSSEINI MANJI, JANSSEN PHARMACEUTICALS: It's for this about one- third of people who don't seem to respond to the existing treatment.

GUPTA: Dr. Husseini Manji is the global therapeutic head of neuroscience at Janssen Pharmaceuticals, the makers of Esketamine.

MANJI: All our previous anti-depressants work by serotonin or norepinephrine. This mechanism is completely novel. It works on the NMDA receptor and turns on what we think are some long-term synaptic changes.

GUPTA: Esketamine is a nasal spray which has to be administered in a doctor's office. Side effects include dizziness, nausea, dissociation, this feeling of being temporarily disconnected from your body and your mind. Critics worry about the safety of this new drug, its potential for abuse, and they want more research.

But, for Robin, Esketamine worked almost immediately. And she continues to take it every other week.

PROTHRO: It's really interesting to come from a place of being depressed for so long and so many years to not being depressed at all. And to not feeling that feels really great.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAMEROTA: Sanjay, this has been a life saver, obviously, for some people. It's great to see what it did for Robin. But it's not for everybody. Why not?

GUPTA: Well, you know, this is -- first of all, it's brand new. This has just been approved. It's for people who have already tried existing therapies. Therapies that have been around for some time. And they haven't worked. That's what makes them treatment-resistant. So you've had to have given a good try to at least two different medications.

Also, there -- look, this is Ketamine. You've heard of Ketamine probably. It's -- you know, some will say this is a club drug that you're trying to turn into a medicine. It may cause side effects including out of body experiences, things that might be really disconcerting to a patient. Some people may not be able to tolerate those side effects. But for people who are actively suicidal, taking anti-depressants takes a long time for them to work. The idea that you could take something now and that it could work now, I think, is potentially the real appeal of this.

BERMAN: When will this be available, Sanjay, for people who need it?

GUPTA: So they're going to be pretty strict about this. There's a couple things. It's approved now. That's the big news. Centers where you can get it, those centers need to be certified. This isn't just a thing that you can get at your pharmacy. It isn't a thing that you can get in any doctor's office. Again, because we are talking about Ketamine here. So you will get it at your doctor's office after they're been certified and know how to deal with Ketamine. And that could happen -- you know, that's going to happen quickly. There's going to be a website. We'll show you the name of the website there. It's called Spravato.com. That's the name of the medication. It will give you ideas of locations of where this might be available.

CAMEROTA: Sanjay Gupta, thank you very much. This sounds like it could be hopeful.

GUPTA: You got it.

Thank you.

BERMAN: All right, the comics taking jabs at President Trump's increasing troubles on Capitol Hill and his decision to host another fast food feast. Here are your "Late Night Laughs."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, "THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT": Do you think Donald Trump ever regrets winning the presidency? Not as much as we do, but just a little? Because right now he's being investigated by multiple congressional committees. The Mueller report could drop at any minute. And that flag he hugged is being interviewed by Ronan Farrow.

JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST, "JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE": North Dakota States, who are the champions of what league I don't know, they were treated to a fast food feast, just like he did last month with the team from Clemson. And this is textbook Trump. He does something weird and then keeps doing it over and over again to try to make it seem normal.

[08:45:05] So there he is. You can see how -- he's never happier than when he's surrounded by Big Macs.

Trump runs the White House like a divorced dad who forgot he had the kids this weekend. We'll just pick up Chick-fil-a. It will be fine.

COLBERT: One of the biggest names being thrown around in the next election comes from one of the smallest men, former New York City mayor and grandpa catching you with his deck of erotic playing cards, Michael Bloomberg. Today Bloomberg announced that he will not run for president in 2020, explaining, I've come to realize that I'm less interested in talking than doing, talked he about not doing.

Now, I don't know what Bloomberg's going to do next, but I'm a bit concerned for him because other New York mayors who have left office have ended up in humiliating, dead end jobs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: I just -- the playing cards thing.

CAMEROTA: You didn't see that one coming.

BERMAN: I didn't see that one coming.

CAMEROTA: Yes, that was a bit of a left turn.

BERMAN: Yes.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

All right, meanwhile, we want to bring you this story. A father has turned his devastating loss into action. Andy Parker shares his emotional journey after his daughter Alison was murdered on live TV.

BERMAN: First, how a life-changing accident led one woman to a whole new beginning. This week's "Turning Points."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Megan Harmon is a natural on the slopes.

MEGAN HARMON, ADAPTIVE SNOWBOARDER: I feel this huge sense of freedom when I'm on snow.

GUPTA: But it took a life-changing accident to get her here. In 2009, surgeons amputated Harmon's left leg after a motorcycle accident.

HARMON: I became an above-knee amputee. And I went through pretty bad depression for about a year and a half.

GUPTA: But when her father learned about an adaptive sports program at the National Ability Center in Utah, Megan began to see a new future for herself.

HARMON: I had always wanted to try snowboarding. And I was like, this is awesome. I want to do this.

GUPTA: Once on the snowboard, Megan carved a niche for herself. She represented the United States in the 2014 Paralympic games in Sochi and now competes around the world.

HARMON: Ten, 15 years ago, if you told me I was going to be at the Paralympics, I don't think I would have ever expected my life to turn out this way.

GUPTA: When she's not shredding the slopes, Megan puts her love of speed to work at her job working on rockets.

HARMON: I guess you could say I'm a rocket scientist. I love a challenge physically and mentally. Those aspects really go hand in hand.

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:51:23] CAMEROTA: Twenty-four-year-old Alison Parker and her cameraman Adam Ward were gunned down in 2015 on live television. And since then her father, Andy Parker, has become an national advocate for what he calls common sense gun safety legislation. He chronicles the aftermath of her death and his battle over preventing more gun violence in his new book "For Alison," which is on bookshelves now. Andy Parker joins us now.

Andy, great to see you, as always.

ANDY PARKER, AUTHOR, "FOR ALISON": It's good to see you.

CAMEROTA: Why did you feel the need to write this book?

PARKER: Well, Alisyn, this is a book that I wish I never had a reason to write, but I did. And just as I had come out swinging that day and decided to make gun safety a part of my advocacy, I felt like that this was a way to honor Alison through action.

CAMEROTA: I'll read a portion of the book for everybody. You say, I want this book to hurt you. I want you to understand my hurt. If we hurt together, then maybe you can help me save others from ever feeling that pain. This is not a grief memoir, this is an anger memoir.

You have stuck to that, I mean, for these years, that that's what has propelled you.

PARKER: It is. You know, at first I was in shock and then I had just unimaginable grief. But then I became angry that this could happen over and over again in this country. So that's what fuels it.

CAMEROTA: I mean we've talked to you many times and it's always been -- we're always struck by how pretty quickly you swung into action. You know, you were grief-stricken, but you swung into action and you decided to try to change things in the country and not -- you were trying to have any other family prevented from feeling this way.

And I'm just wondering, over the course of these three and a half years, had there been more victories or setbacks?

PARKER: I think there have been more victories now. And I feel like I moved the needle when I came out swinging and I started advocating. And I think that things really picked up steam ironically with the elections in Virginia, the statewide elections in Virginia, where the Democrats picked up 15 seats.

CAMEROTA: And then what happened?

PARKER: And the gun -- the gun issue was like the number two issue in that race, followed by, you know, the Parklands shootings. And those kids put the -- really -- I think that was the -- the Virginia elections was the -- were the tipping point. What happened in Parkland put the issue on steroids.

And then you saw what happened in the midterms. So I think that the victories are there. Last week the House passed gun legislation that -- that they haven't taken up in two decades.

CAMEROTA: But that -- there-in lies the rub because that was a victory, a huge victory. So people said it couldn't be done. The House passed -- they made universal background checks. PARKER: Right.

CAMEROTA: They closed the Charleston loophole. Congratulations. It goes nowhere in the Senate. A setback.

PARKER: Well, and we know that was coming. But the statement is being made. And I think that, again, what we will see coming, you know, in Virginia in November and then in 2020, if you can't change their minds, which, unfortunately, most Republicans, 99 percent of them, are still, you know, walking in lockstep with the NRA, if you can't change their minds, then you change their seats. And that's what happened. And I think that's what's going to happen in 2020.

CAMEROTA: Did it take you a while to come around to that point? For a while after Alison's murder, were you trying to change people's minds?

PARKER: I was, Alisyn. I was trying to -- I really tried to do that. And I realized not too far along that you can't do it. And I thought initially that, you know, these guys are just taking the NRA money. That's -- they really are agnostic about it. But then I discovered that a lot of them are true believers. I mean you look at Steve Scalise. I mean here's a guy that gets shot. You would think he would have some kind of come to Jesus and say, you know, maybe I'm doing something wrong. But his answer -- you know, his -- it's -- his response is, we need more guns on the -- on -- we need more guns to save people. I mean we've got more guns in this country than we do people.

[08:55:32] CAMEROTA: So your battle has morphed into a political one to change -- to get the people who are of that kind of thinking out of their seats?

PARKER: Yes. I mean that's the only way it's going to change.

CAMEROTA: I want to read another portion of the book. You say, there's no getting over it. There's no getting past it. There's only getting through it. Each day a constant struggle not to be overwhelmed by all of the little things that remind me of her, of what I've lost, of what she's lost.

It's really heartbreaking, Andy, I mean that this is obviously a daily struggle for you. And how have you coped over these three and a half years?

PARKER: Well, writing the book was certainly a cathartic experience and it helped me get through it. But I look at, you know, the efforts going forward as using this book as a -- as a tool to continue the fight. You know, it's -- I'm diabetic. And I -- and I liken it -- it's an analogy to being diabetic you have good days and you have bad. And you just have to manage it and keep going forward and focus on the things that you can hopefully change.

CAMEROTA: Well, that is what you have done. And we've watched you do it. And we've cheered you on every time that we talk to you. And now yet another step forward. The book again is "For Alison."

Andy Parker, thank you so much.

Back to you, John.

BERMAN: All right. Such a great discussion there.

Michael Cohen is due on Capitol Hill any moment. A new day of testimony. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:00:06] POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: All right, top of the hour. Good morning, everyone. I'm Poppy Harlow.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Jim Sciutto.

END