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GOP Rep. Santos Pleads Not Guilty, Released On $500K Bond; Homeland Security Chief Announces New Measures Amid Migrant Surge; Border Cities Prepare For Migrants As Covid-Era Expulsion Policy Ends; Mayor Victor Trevino (I-Laredo, Texas) Discusses End of Title 42: "Like A Hurricane Coming"; FDA Advisers OK First Birth Control Pill Without A Prescription; Florida Rejects Dozens Of Social Studies Textbooks For K-12. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired May 10, 2023 - 14:30   ET

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

[14:30:00]

EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: But there's is this one allegation about, you know, stealing money, essentially from the taxpayers of New York under the guise of being unemployed, when, in fact, he was getting paid about $120,000.

According to this indictment, he got -- was getting about $25,000 in unemployment payments.

And that's one of the things that I think will come back. It is going to really resonate with the voters in that district.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Yes. He was claiming that he was unemployed and reaffirming that for so many months.

I want to go up to Capitol Hill --

PEREZ: Every week.

KEILAR: Every week.

I want to go up to Capitol Hill and to Lauren Fox.

There's a lot of political churn in this, Lauren. And if we think back to the midterms, we'll recall, George Santos was part of this wave of Republicans who did well in New York, when Republicans really didn't do all that well anywhere else.

He's part of the reason why there is a Republican majority in Congress. And you're sort of seeing that play out as the Republican doesn't have a lot of wiggle room.

What are other Republicans saying

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's exactly right, Brianna. In fact, it's playing out right now on Capitol Hill, as leaders are trying to scuttle their way through this GOP border bill.

They really don't have the kind of margins for error that you would need for a large-scale defections on key legislation. And you're right, Santos was a key part of getting them the majority.

It's partially why you have heard from the House speaker over and over again that he thought it was up to the House Ethics Committee to investigate this matter. And he did not think that George Santos should resign. In fact, he repeated that today. In fact, he repeated that today, despite the fact that now Santos has been indicted. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-CA): Like every American, you'll have your day in court just like another member inside the House. Santos was never put on committee, so he won't serve on committee. He'll go through his time at trial and we'll find out what the outcome is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOX: And there's a number of House Republicans who aren't friendly with George Santos and argue that he really has been nothing but a headache for the Republican conference.

But many of them even said that the precedent in the past has been that even when a congressman or a Senator is indicted, that they can continue to serve in the chamber. They just can't serve on committee.

Santos is currently not on any committees, so that is not an issue here.

I talked to Representative Dusty Johnson, a Republican from South Dakota, who said, you know, I'm not a big fan of the guy, but we have to look at the past precedent -- Brianna?

KEILAR: Lauren Fox, thank you so much.

Thank you, as well, to Evan and to Paula for their reporting on this.

I want to bring in Carrie Cordero now to talk about the legal angle of all of this.

That's, of course, what this boiled down to, that he was there in federal court today, pleading not guilty to 13 charges.

What do you make of this?

CARRIE CORDERO, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: I think the story that the Justice Department is telling in their indictment is one of lying, stealing, and documenting it.

And so this case, because it involves bank transfers, because it involves money, because it involves filing of forms.

And what the Justice Department is alleging his false filing of forms, whether it's with the state of New York for employment benefits or whether it's with the House of Representatives on his disclosure forms there, he was filing lots of documents.

And according to the Justice Department, they were lies and they were false.

And they are going to come to this case, if it ends up going to trial -- he's entered a not guilty plea. That would be the presumption right now.

They'll come to this case with many, many documents that they are going to then have to prove are fall.

KEILAR: If they have the documents, if they have the receipts, the prosecutors do, and they prove that, yes, these are accurate, what are George Santos' options here?

CORDERO: Well, he has the constitutional right to defend himself and to make the government prove its case and any criminal investigation, any criminal case that's brought.

So he has now entered his not guilty plea. That's his right to do it.

My understanding is that the next hearing is scheduled for later this summer in June. And so the process now continues.

And that legal process is completely separate prosecute political process that our reporters were describing before. That legal process can play itself out and he has the ability to go to trial if that's what he decides to do.

KEILAR: June 30 h will be his next court appearance.

So the legal process continues, the political drama is going to continue, as well.

Carrie Cordero, thank you so much for breaking all of that down for us.

Boris?

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: There are just hours left for the pandemic- era migration policy, Title 42. And border encounters are way, way up. We're going to show you how the Biden administration is now responding.

Plus, birth control pills on the same shelves as Tylenol. This could soon become a reality after an FDA panel voted in support of approving the move today.

[14:34:59]

CNN NEWS CENTRAL returns in just moments.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: With Title 42 set to expire tomorrow, the Biden administration is taking steps to boost resources at the border, as some 155,000 migrants are reportedly waiting for tomorrow's deadline to cross into the United States. Many of them have been misinformed, according to officials, about the

end of the border policy that called for the immediate expulsion of these migrants to control Covid.

Officials say the U.S. plans to open about a 100 more processing centers, deploy hundreds of more military troops and 1,000 officers to help process asylum applications and to add detention space.

Border authorities are also right to expand the use of a new app that apparently helps migrants make appointments for entry while also taking steps to cut down on misinformation.

Still, even President Biden himself admitted the weeks ahead will be, quote, "chaotic."

The head of Homeland Security today blamed inaction from Congress. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: I cannot overemphasize that our current situation is the outcome of Congress leaving a broken, outdated immigration system in place for over two decades, despite unanimous agreement that we desperately need legislative reform.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[14:40:10]

SANCHEZ: Let's take you to the border now with CNN's Rosa Flores who is in El Paso for us.

Rosa, you have been reporting now extensively for months that El Paso is one of many border towns that have been inundated with migrants, many of them camping out in the street. And this is before Title 42 is set to expire.

What are you seeing now? What's the mood there?

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, the scene has really changed, Boris, because of an enforcement action by the federal government yesterday here outside this church.

But let me show you around and tell you about it. Because what you're seeing now are streets that used to be packed are now empty. Look down that alley. There were so many times when I looked down this alley it was completely packed. Not the case anymore.

A lot of the resources that the city and the county have dedicated to this area because this was practically ground zero are still here. You can see a lot of the port-a-potties are still here and washing stations.

Even though the migrants are no longer here, because a lot of them turned themselves in, you can see that this street is closed and that the resources are still out here.

Today is actually Mother's Day in Mexico, so there's actually a Mother's Day event on site for a lot of the mothers so the mothers can have a meal today.

I want to show you live drone footage from just a few miles from where I'm standing. This shows you the current flow of migration.

What you're seeing is the border wall. This is El Paso. These officials have turned themselves into immigration authorities. And the reason why they're there is they're waiting for transportation to a processing facility.

Those are the images that we're going to be monitoring as Title 42 ends. Because we're going to be able to see, are those lines going to get longer or shorter? We don't know exactly what's going to happen.

Here's what we do know. According to officials here in the city of El Paso and the county, a county official telling CNN that they expect about 2,000 migrants to be released into the community, in El Paso, every single day.

Now, right now, about 150 to 200 are being released into the community. So that gives you a sense of the magnitude, Boris, of what they're expecting.

Now, all of the officials that I've talked to warn me, they don't know exactly what's going to happen when Title 42 lifts. Maybe it's fewer than 2,000, maybe it's more -- Boris?

SANCHEZ: The federal government certainly concerned, though, as we heard from Alejandro Mayorkas earlier today.

Rosa Flores, from the border, thank you so much.

Jim, this process not just difficult for these migrants, who are sacrificing so much, desperately leaving their homes, but also for officials in these communities have now have to manage this influx.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN HOST: Yes, the entire community.

And my next guest is -- says his city, Laredo, Texas, does have the resources for the migrant surge.

Laredo mayor, Dr. Victor Trevino, joins me now.

Mayor, first of all, thanks so much for joining us. I know you've got a lot on your hands.

You say you feel like you're bracing for a hurricane. You deal with this issue every day. Tell us how much bigger you expect it to be in the coming days?

MAYOR VICTOR TREVINO (I-LAREDO, TEXAS): Thank you, first of all, for having me. We're seeing some historic challenges in our border, as we know. As a

border mayor, we're in the trenches of every immigration problem. So we're boarding up like it's a hurricane coming.

Laredo continues to be one of the safest cities with one of the lowest illegal border crossings in the country. But we have been informed that we'll be receiving transfers from Brownsville, Texas, and El Paso, Texas, that are currently overwhelmed, as we saw.

Our fear is that we will be overwhelmed with this transfer of migrants and have the same situation as they have.

Some of these challenges include making sure that we have resources in our community and the humanitarian aid for these migrants that they need.

But beginning with our hospitals and medical structure that we're struggling with due to capacity and personnel, we also don't have a pediatric intensive care unit. And these are family units that are coming.

I'm also concerned about our commercial bridge is protected. At the end of the day, what has been a federal problem for decades, now has become a local problem for our border communities.

(CROSSTALK)

SCIUTTO: Mayor, let me ask you, because as you know, the Biden administration has changed the rules in effect to response to this. They have raised the threshold for an asylum petition to be approved.

And they've also, basically, re-upped the stay in Mexico policy from the Trump administration.

[14:45:02]

So a few people in Mexico, whether or not they come from Mexico, it could come from other Central American countries.

Do these rules, in your view, make a difference? Will they reduce the influx of migrants coming your way?

TREVINO: It is somewhat difficult. They've traveled 2,700 miles to get here. So they will cross. Their -- their goal is to cross. I don't think by traveling so far and suffering so much, they'll stay at the border. They'll make every effort to cross.

SCIUTTO: Let me ask you this, then. Because you have everyone complaining about the policy right now.

You heard the DHS secretary there say that this is Congress' responsibility. Both parties have failed to change the law there for 20-some-odd years.

In your view, from where you're sitting, is this a national legislative fix by Congress, or do you blame Biden and the Trump administration before it?

TREVINO: I think it's a federal issue that has to deal with immigration reform, that's long pending to be changed.

And because immigration has always been happening, but now this situation, we've never seen it before in such a great scale.

So if we had better immigration processes, we might have had less of the problem that we're seeing right now.

SCIUTTO: Final question, if I can. Would a wall fix the problem by itself?

TREVINO: No, a wall is probably not the solution. We have the -- largest part in the United States is Laredo, Texas. And 40 percent of the goods that come from Mexico pass through Laredo.

Billions of dollars are at stake. The life blood of supplies comes through here. A wall would not do anything better. As a matter of fact, I think it would be detrimental.

SCIUTTO: Mayor Victor Trevino, we wish you luck in the coming days. Thank you for joining us.

TREVINO: Thank you. Appreciate it.

SCIUTTO: Brianna?

KEILAR: Up next, a decision today that means that over-the-counter birth control pills could soon be available. We have details next on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:51:43]

SCIUTTO: Receiving birth control pills over the counter is now one step closer to reality. A panel of FDA advisers just voted unanimously in favor of approving Opill to be sold without a prescription.

CNN's Elizabeth Cohen joins us with more.

Elizabeth, explain what a difference this would make and how advisers came to this decision.

DR. ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: So, Jim, about half of all pregnancies in the United States are unintended.

Studies have shown that having to go back to the doctor for a birth control prescription for an updated refill prescription is a problem. It is an impediment for women. Some women aren't taking their pills because of it.

That's why the American Medical Association, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists for years have supported putting birth control pills over the counter. And basically, the FDA's panel of external advisers voted one by one

saying yes, yes, yes, this pill should go over the counter.

It's a specific birth control pill, called Opill, it's called a mini pill because it's progesterone, it's only one hormone and not two hormones in combination.

Advisers say, look, we think the studies that the company did show that American women are capable of reading a label and following it and using the drug the way that it should be -- Jim?

SCIUTTO: It's an enormous change in terms of access. Perhaps a reaction of the political environment and doubts about access going forward.

Elizabeth Cohen, thank you so much.

Brianna?

KEILAR: Florida's Department of Education is rejecting dozens of social studies textbooks for students K-12. Part of an effort led by Governor Ron DeSantis to fight what he calls "woke indoctrination" in schools.

Of 101 proposed textbooks, state officials say they are blocking 35, saying that some contain, quote, "information not aligned with Florida law."

CNN's Carlos Suarez is live for us in Miami.

Carlos, I understand Florida's Education Department provided some examples of the books that are in question.

CARLOS SUAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's exactly right. Brianna. The Florida Department of Education offered some examples of passages they rejected. But they did not provide the title of the books where the passages came from.

They also didn't say if any of the approved books were updated before being adopted.

In one example, a headlined a new call for social justice, an entire passage that talked about the murder of George Floyd and Black Lives Matter movement was removed.

Education officials listed their concern as a, quote, "unsolicited topic."

The passage talked about the impact mobile devices and social media have had on, quote, "The spread of images of police violence, sometimes deadly against black Americans."

And how the BLM movement called for an end to systemic racism and white supremacy. The books are for students in grades six to eight.

In another example, a reference to how some people, quote, "take a knee during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racism" was removed. The passage was on symbols that represent America and the state of Florida.

Now education officials listed their concern there as, quote, "not age appropriate," though the same passage goes on to encourage parents to talk to their children about the military and how they sacrifice their lives for us. The book is for students K through five.

[14:55:08]

Now school officials across the state of Florida have been waiting for this list in order to buy next year's social studies books.

In fact, here in Miami-Dade County, home to the third-largest school district in the country, officials are just now starting this process now that the list is out.

At least one board member, Brianna, told me that he had some discomfort saying that some of these changes are about events that have happened and that they are, quote, "proven facts."

Now, in a statement, the Florida education commissioner said, quote, "To uphold our exceptional standards, we must ensure our students and teachers have the highest quality materials available. Materials that focus on historical facts and are free from inaccuracies or ideological rhetoric" - Brianna?

KEILAR: All right, Carlos, thank you so much for that.

Boris?

SANCHEZ: Congressman George Santos just faced a federal judge pleading not guilty to 13 federal charges, including wire fraud and money laundering and stealing public funds. We're going to take you live outside the courthouse, when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)