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Texas Mall Shooter Possibly Motivated By Right-Wing Extremism; Title 42 Nears End With 150,000-Plus Migrants Waiting In Mexico; Two New York Counties Trying To Block Migrants From New York City; Biden Meets With Top Lawmakers As Debt Default Looms. Aired 11-11:30a ET

Aired May 09, 2023 - 11:00   ET

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

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SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): And who killed eight people at a Texas outlet mall. They reveal a person obsessed with Nazis, guns and mass shootings.

He shared photos of various firearms and bullet-ridden targets and ammo boxes. One post shows a picture of a tactical vest that investigators say he wore in the rampage. And pictures of the mall weeks before the massacre include a screen shot noting the times of the day when the area was the busiest.

Our security correspondent Josh Campbell is there on the scene in Allen, Texas, for us.

And Josh, the disturbing revelations that we are learning from social media and you are there on the ground, seeing what people are leaving for the victims.

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Hey, my friend, great to be here with you. And this makeshift memorial here, as we know, covering so many of the stories, this is what often occurs. You will see the community outpouring of support to honor those who were killed.

And also, I want to give you new information about the suspect here. A law enforcement source said they have centered on the suspect's social media and possible right wing extremism being here at play in the motivation.

And we are seeing some of that for ourselves, as our colleague, Paul Murphy, has identified an account on Russian social media and believes it's owned by this shooter. It is replete with vile posts about Nazis, an obsession over weapons and past mass shooters.

It is so cihlling to look at the imagery. It appears he had actually done pre attack reconnaissance in the weeks ahead of the shooting. There are pictures of the mall, the parking lot, research on the busiest times of the day at this mall.

SIDNER: Josh, good to see you out there.

Have all the victims been identified?

CAMPBELL: We are learning the various names. Officials have released the full list of all eight people who died. Of course, it is so important that we focus on them and honor them.

We learn that 20 -year old Christian LaCour was a security guard here at the mall on the day of the shooting. He was killed with 32-year-old Elio Cumana-Rivas and 26-year-old Aishwarya Thatikonda.

This also impacting children. A school district says two sisters were killed, Daniela and Sofia Mendoza, 11 and 8. And a family as well, parents Cindy Cho and Kyu Song Cho and their 3-year-old son, James Cho.

Witnesses who were here -- this is graphic but so important to hear. One man spoke to our colleague, Anderson Cooper. He rushed to the scene, trying to save lives. He says he knows his story is graphic but America can't get numb to this gun violence.

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JOSHUA BARNWELL, WITNESS AND FIRST AID PROVIDER: She had a pretty large portion of her neck that had been compromised. Both of her legs, her arm that was visible, both with just massive, atrocious bullet wounds, to the point where the bone was splintered. And, you know, the tissue was everywhere.

I want people to really -- I want it to really sink in. I want people to really and truly understand the depths of the depravity that occurred. And you know -- and, if in the detail, it upsets them, then I'm glad because it should, because it was a disastrous situation.

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CAMPBELL: The depths of depravity is something that describes so many of these incidents that we have covered across the country. And this man is speaking out. And finally, officials will be giving updates and it has been some time since we heard from law enforcement. They'll be speaking at 2 pm. We could learn more about the investigation.

SIDNER: Josh Campbell, live there from Allen, Texas, with details that are just horrific. John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you, Sara.

This morning, over 150,000 migrants are waiting in northern Mexican states to cross into the United States. Officials estimating hundreds of thousands more from Central America are on their way as Title 42 expires Thursday.

Texas putting up new wire barriers to close off some illegal crossing sites. Currently 25,000 migrants are immigration custody and each day 8,000 more try to enter the United States. Nick Valencia is in Brownsville, Texas, where, you know, the shelters are already crowded.

Nick, what are you seeing this morning? [11:05:00]

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, the nonprofits are saying they are at capacity. Team Brownsville saying they have about 1,000 migrants in the respite center and are expecting more.

We are at what is effectively the intake center, where migrants, after they pass through ports of entry, families mostly, or are detained in the open fields by Border Patrol, they're brought here after being released on humanitarian parole.

Those manila envelopes all have -- they have all been processed here and are allowed to be here before they get to their next destination. Something here, we have been talking to these individuals after they cross. Some who say they just got here yesterday.

All of them that we have spoken to are from Venezuela. They are trying to get money to get to their next destination. And I have talked to some of the individuals. They said the gas station is allowing them to use the hose to wash cars, to get donations to get to San Antonio.

I asked one of the men washing cars, what are you running from?

Some said, we are not running. Some said we're just here for a better future for our sons and daughters. Others said the political climate in Venezuela encouraging them to leave.

Across the street, there's a non-profit, the City of Brownsville helping out. Team Brownsville, that non-profit I mentioned, say they processed 750 migrants yesterday. When Title 42 ends, they expect the number to swell over 1,000.

I tried to interview them but they're too busy. Their centers are at capacity and they're dealing with so many record numbers of people coming into the country.

BERMAN: Record numbers, a key week. Nick Valencia, thanks so much.

Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: So this crisis is not just escalating at the border but in other places of the U.S. where migrants are being bused, places like Denver, Chicago and New York.

Since last spring, New York City officials say they have processed tens of thousands and other 37,000 are currently in their care. And these same officials project the city will spend $4.3 billion on dealing with this influx of migrants by the end of June next year.

To deal with this, mayor Eric Adams has a plan to send up to 300 migrants to counties just outside the city, Orange County and Rockland County. But these Republican-led counties are fighting back and pushing back, even enacting emergency orders to block the plan from New York City.

Joining us is Juliette Kayyem, national security analyst and former top official at the Department of Homeland Security.

And Juliette, I want to play for, you because one of the top local officials in these counties outside of New York City was speaking to John Berman earlier about this back and forth, why put in place an emergency order to block what Mayor Adams is trying to do. And let me play for you what Ed Day said.

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ED DAY (R-NY), ROCKLAND COUNTY EXECUTIVE: If the mayor is going to come up with a ridiculous plan like this, which is not viable and not workable, that's been established already, he should have picked up a phone and contacted us and truly coordinated this.

The mayor of New York City called that move that you referenced morally bankrupt.

Well, what do you think is happening now?

The mayor is doing exactly the same thing. This is political tit for tat.

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BOLDUAN: The move he's referencing,the Republican Texas governor Greg Abbott in the move to initiate busing migrants from his state up to, including New York City.

What do you think of the back and forth and who is right or what went so wrong that you now have local leaders, you know, having dueling orders against each other?

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Let's start with the obvious. These are human beings. Whatever the motivation was, whether it is running from something or running to something, this is unbecoming of a nation like ours to use people and families in this way.

So I will be obvious; everyone is wrong. This is a ridiculous move by the New York mayor, to surprise jurisdictions, not because he's obligated to take all of these people, since all of these undocumented immigrants are coming from Texas, but because you don't surprise surrounding jurisdictions with people who are going to need their social services.

There is just absolutely no reason for it. Put it in perspective, it is about 100 people. We're talking about New York City. New York City is not going to come to its knees. It is being stretched by what Texas is doing. That is why we have rules and regulations and procedures, by which surrounding jurisdictions assist New York City.

But this surprise aspect of it, both -- I will be honest, both from Texas and governor Abbott and from the mayor is creating a crisis, where there already is one.

[11:10:00] KAYYEM: Why would you exacerbate it?

BOLDUAN: There's potential that this crisis will get worse when Title 42 is going to lift --

KAYYEM: It will. It will.

BOLDUAN: What are we going to see?

KAYYEM: Yes, so Title 42 will essentially be lifted. And that is because the overriding public health laws are going to expire. We are out of the emergency and I believe that is going to be that we cannot sustain trying to solve all of our public policy problems through the lens of COVID-19.

And so we anticipate that the department (INAUDIBLE) has anticipated for a long time, that in anticipation of that, people will be coming from South America and Central America. This is not a problem only from Mexico. Mexico is just the country in between these areas and the United States.

They will come here because, one, they believe it is going to be easier to get into this country and, two, because smugglers and the political atmosphere is telling them so. So when we are hearing the critics of the White House say that the borders are open, the borders are open, it is understood by migrants to be true.

It is also used by very, very unsavory people to potentially harm and hurt migrants that they can bring over the border. There is no question there will be a surge and we know that.

So we can calm a little bit and begin two things. One is implement harsher -- and this is true; no matter how it is presented, harsher rules regarding the ability of those who do not lawfully claim asylum to come into the country. That is what we have to do, otherwise everyone is coming here to claim asylum.

And the second is to process human beings. That is what they are, human beings. It's going to take governors working with each other and taking it out of the tit-for-tat we're seeing now. One can hope they can do it, because it is going to be hard.

BOLDUAN: Yes. Good to see you, Juliette.

Sara.

SIDNER: Hours from ow, a pivotal meeting at the White House as President Biden tries to keep the debt ceiling from crashing down.

And the U.S. sending a fresh round of aid to Ukraine as that country is preparing for a counter offensive against Russia. We will have the details.

Also, if you have a hold of your Thin Mints or Do-Si-Dos yet this year, you better hurry. Why the Girl Scouts are asking you to buy from one trailblazing troop here in New York City. (MUSIC PLAYING)

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BOLDUAN: The ongoing standoff over the debt ceiling is about to take an interesting turn. President Biden is going to be meeting with the four top congressional leaders. The importance of the meeting cannot be overstated and maybe not because of what will or will not come out of the sit-down.

But it is something, as we are less than a month away from a potential default. The so-called X date that could lead to lost jobs, higher borrowing costs, delayed benefits and even a plunging stock market.

Despite the dire economic predictions ahead across the board, there is no signal of how this going to end without disaster. The president says that Congress must raise the debt limit without conditions. And top officials telling CNN there is no plan B. Lauren Fox is on Capitol Hill and joining us now.

Lauren, what is speaker McCarthy's strategy, if you will, going into the big meeting?

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is roughly 100 days since speaker McCarthy sat down with Joe Biden to discuss this issue of the debt ceiling.

And in that time, the Speaker has gained more leverage in the negotiations; in part, because he passed that massive bill that would increase the country's borrowing limit as well as cut spending.

And the argument from Republicans on Capitol Hill is that he is the only leader who has passed a bill in their own chamber to advance this negotiation.

So today, when he is going into the meeting, aides as well as Republican allies who are close to the Speaker have told me that they feel like McCarthy might have more negotiating power than anyone in the room ever anticipated that he would at this point.

There is also a broad view within the conference that McCarthy has some negotiating room here. He has some leverage in terms of what he can get for his Republican members. And not to say that all of the conservatives might be happy with any deal that he might try to broker.

But it is to say that there is a belief that a lot of the Republicans in his conference are standing behind him. And one of them, Dusty Johnson, an ally of speaker and Republican from South Dakota, said that only thing that he wants to see is that the totality of the deal has to make changes to how the country spends and borrows.

But he argued there are many ways to get there.

We should take a step back. We don't expect a resolution of this meeting.

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FOX: This is really the beginning of the talks. But it is a step forward. It is important to keep in mind that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy wanted to pass a bill out of his own chamber and get back to the negotiating table. And now he is there. Kate.

BOLDUAN: We will stand by to see what happens next. Thank you, Lauren.

SIDNER: And this week, Donald Trump is speaking directly to New Hampshire voters at a CNN presidential town hall. But former Republican representative Liz Cheney has a message to viewers and voters right now, saying that Donald Trump is, quote, "a risk that America can never take again."

The message is part of a minute-long attack ad paid for by Cheney's PAC. And the whole thing is set to broadcast here on CNN.

Kristen Holmes is joining us now.

Liz Cheney, a staunch lifelong conservative Republican, is not mincing any words here.

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Sara, she absolutely isn't. And that goes to show you how important the state of New Hampshire is. When talking about this ad, it is airing before Trump's town hall in New Hampshire, a place critical for all GOP candidates.

But it is particularly important for the former president. Advisers say it is twofold. They believe because he is a former president and leading in the polls, he has to win in New Hampshire, the first primary, to keep the momentum going throughout the nomination process.

The other reason that the state is so significant, is because there are some inside of his inner circle who believe that he has work to do with the voters in the state, maybe those who once supported Donald Trump and now have drifted away.

I want to play for you a part of the Liz Cheney ad, because it is going to show you the direct appeal she is making through this ad to voters about Donald Trump.

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LIZ CHENEY (R-WY), FORMER HOUSE REPRESENTATIVE (voice-over): Donald Trump is the only president in American history who has refused to guarantee the peaceful transfer of power. He lost the election and he knew it. He betrayed millions of Americans by telling them that the election was stolen.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Stop the steal.

CHENEY (voice-over): He ignored the rulings of dozens of courts. Rather than accept his defeat, he mobilized a mob to come to Washington and march on the Capitol. Donald Trump has proven he is unfit for office. Donald Trump is a risk America can never take again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: It is pretty powerful and I want to break it down in terms of what I heard from one Trump adviser. They believe that voters are fall into one of three categories. One, people who will always support Donald Trump. Two, the middle group who might support him but are currently unsure.

And three, the people who will never support Donald Trump. And what they want to do with the town hall and the outreach that we are seeing the campaign do with the mainstream media and smaller events that he is doing on the campaign trail, they want to reach the middle group.

Their desire is to get every single one of those votes but it will be difficult, because that group is also being targeted as you just saw in ads like that, that Liz Cheney is putting out and she is not going to be the last one who puts out these anti-Trump ads targeting that same group.

SIDNER: Kristen Holmes, good to see you.

And you can see that ad as well as the presidential town hall on CNN tomorrow night at 8:00 pm Eastern.

BERMAN: The U.S. just announced a new $1.2 billion aid package to Ukraine. This as analysts piece together what images from a parade in Moscow might mean about Russia's possible sagging military strength.

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[11:25:00]

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SIDNER: We are learning more details about the gunman who opened fire at a Texas mall, killing eight people. These are his social media posts, which reveal an obsession with guns and mass shootings.

He shared images of his many guns and the tactical vest that he would later wear in the Saturday rampage. He wrote approvingly about Nazi ideology and posted a photo of the mall weeks before the massacre.

A U.S. Defense official told CNN he was separated from the Army 15 years ago, because of a mental health condition -- John.

BERMAN: Thank you, Sara.

This morning, the U.S. has announced a new $1.2 billion aid package to Ukraine, which comes at a critical time for Ukraine as it is preparing for a possible counteroffensive against Russia. Oren Liebermann is at the Pentagon.

And what does $1.2 million buy you these days?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: John, a lot of this is the capabilities that have proven critical to Ukraine in the past 1.5 years at this point, as the war continues to sort of drag on and get longer and longer.

Part of that is .155 artillery ammunition, which is foundational to Ukraine's attempts to push back Russia and keep them from advancing as well as what we've seen as Russia is continuing to launch aerial barrages.

And that is more air defense systems and munitions. Much of that makes up the $1.2 billion as well as sustainment, maintenance capabilities for the systems Ukraine has gotten and will get.

With this $1.2 billion, the U.S. has provided nearly $37 billion in commitments to Ukraine in terms of military equipment since the beginning of the war. This is more medium and long-term and not pulled directly from DOD stocks.