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Trump Repeats Election Lies in Town Hall; Fact-Checking Trump's Lies; Migrants Line Up at Border; New Measures to Track Migrants; New Inflation Numbers This Morning; Van Der Sloot Extradited to U.S. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired May 11, 2023 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:49]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: New reaction this morning after the town hall with former President Trump. What Democrats and Republicans are saying and how this might shift the race for 2024 in surprising directions.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Key economic data just into CNN showing inflation is cooling. Weekly jobless claims, however, have ticked up to the highest levels since October 2021.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: And Title 42, it ends today. So, what happens next as thousands of migrants are said to be waiting just across the southern border. We are following these major stories and more.

This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

BERMAN: OK, so what now? This morning we are getting fresh reaction to former President Donald Trump and his appearance on a CNN town hall last night. President Biden wrote, quote, it's simple, folks, do you want four more years of that? A super PAC backing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis put out a statement that called it, quote, over an hour of nonsense that proved Trump is stuck in the past. After 76 years, Trump still doesn't know where he stands on important conservative issues like supporting life and the Second Amendment. How does that, they wrote, make America great again?

So, by the past, they might have been referring to this, which is also simply not true.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Most people understand what happened. That was a rigged election and it's a shame that we had to go through it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: So, CNN's Jeff Zeleny, who was working before, during, and after the town hall.

Jeff, I know your phone has been burning up. I want to focus on the now. What moments are you hearing are having an impact as we move forward?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, there was so much backward-looking talk from the former president, but it is the forward looking conversations that actually could shape policy right now.

First and foremost among that is the debt ceiling debate. As we've been talking all week long there is negotiations going on right now, or there should be, between the White House and congressional leaders. But when you take a look at what the former president said he would do on the debt ceiling, essentially telegraphing the message to House Republicans, that certainly could be problematic. He said this, if they don't give you massive cuts, you're going to have to do a default. So that certainly is an implicit message to House Republicans and even perhaps Speaker McCarthy as they are deep in negotiations here. So, what effect will that have on this debate to come? That is yet to be scene. But that is one thing Republicans I'm talking to today are a little bit concerned about, what the fallout from that is.

Also classified documents. When you listened to how Kaitlan Collins questioned the former president on those classified documents that were taken to Mar-a-Lago, the former president gave some revealing answers from there. He said, I took the documents. I'm allowed to. But he also did not say he didn't show them to other people. And that is exactly what the special counsel, Jack Smith, has been looking into.

So, across Washington today, from Capitol Hill to the White House, and at the special counsel's office, you can bet they are looking and parsing the former president's words because his answers last night on a variety of topics, yes, were about the campaign, but also could affect legislation and perhaps even the investigations that he's still very much a part of.

BERMAN: They could have a direct impact on policy and legal matters starting right now.

ZELENY: Indeed.

BERMAN: Jeff Zeleny, thanks so much for being with us this morning. Great to see you, my friend.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: And as you guys were just discussing, there was a lot there last night. Fact checking required in real time. And afterward, on some of the many falsehoods that you have heard before from Donald Trump.

CNN's Sunlen Serfaty is looking at some of it for us this hour.

Sunlen, let's focus on three areas, the border wall, the 2020 election and the Trump tax cuts. First, last night Donald Trump claimed that he had finished the border wall, building hundreds of miles of wall. What have are you found?

[09:05:02] SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Well, his claim, Kate, is not true. The numbers clearly show here that the border wall had not been finished as he claimed last night. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection, they put out a report on the status of the wall. That was just two days after Trump left office. And in that report they say that 458 miles of the wall had been completed under Trump, but 280 more miles in that had been identified for wall construction. Those miles had not been completed. And very notably here, just 52 miles of new wall had been constructed in locations where barriers previously did not exist.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: On the 2020 election, look, John and Zeleny were talking about it just before us, but he -- Donald Trump has not changed his position at all in denying the results, even after court challenges against the election results were tossed out by Trump appointed judges after the election. But what did you see -- we have one of the - one of the many ways that he said it last night -- in his claims from last night. What do you find here?

SERFATY: Yes, this is a huge one, and one he kept repeating. This is simply not true. There is no evidence that the 2020 election was rigged or stolen. And Trump's own campaign and senior officials found no evidence for his claims of widespread fraud either. Biden earned more than 7 million more votes than Trump did and won with 306 electoral votes to 232 electoral votes for Trump.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: So, then the 2017 tax cuts. He passed - he was able to pass that along with Republican majorities in Congress. He said last night they not only they created the best economy in history, but what I picked up on was the biggest tax cuts in the history of our country. And how about that one?

SERFATY: That's right. This - that's right. This term "big" is wrong. Trump is referring here to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 that he passed where there were numerous changes made to the tax code. But in at least two analyzes they found that it was not the largest tax cut in history as Trump claimed on that stage last night.

And, notably, the Treasury Department here, they found that since 1968 three other tax cut bills have been bigger, including notably here former President Ronald Reagan's 1981 package. That was something that Trump specifically referenced on stage and wrongly claimed his package cut more than.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: It's good to see you, Sunlen. Thank you so much for that.

SERFATY: Thank you.

BOLDUAN: And we'll have more fact checks throughout the show.

Sara.

SIDNER: In just over 14 hours, a pandemic era policy that allowed U.S. officials to quickly expel migrants for the last three years will come to an end. Title 42 has been used nearly 3 million times to send people back. But with this expiration, the mayor of one border town told CNN he can't see a light at the end of the tunnel. Another mayor told us his city is preparing as if a hurricane is coming.

Agents in three regions along the border have been apprehending more than 2,000 migrants per day. As of yesterday afternoon, more than 26,000 migrants were already in Border Patrol custody along with National Guard troops. The Biden administration is sending personnel from Homeland Security and the Defense Department.

CNN's Nick Valencia is in Brownsville, Texas, for us this morning.

Nick, I know you've been talking to officials and those people who are trying to make a better life here in this country, the migrants.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Sara. The scene is incredibly more active than it was in the previous days that we've been here. And we noticed the uptick in activity, those immigration buses that come and drop off people here after they're released on humanitarian parole. It got noticeably more crowded yesterday.

And we want to introduce you to one of the migrants that, you know, he's been here on the streets for a couple days, Pedro.

VALENCIA: (Speaking in foreign language).

You're here from Venezuela?

PEDRO: (Speaking in foreign language).

VALENCIA: (Speaking in foreign language).

What are you running - what are you running from?

PEDRO: (Speaking in foreign language).

VALENCIA: From a dictatorship and the crisis.

(Speaking in foreign language).

What's the crisis in Venezuela?

PEDRO: (Speaking in foreign language).

VALENCIA: A humanitarian crisis there.

PEDRO: (Speaking in foreign language).

VALENCIA: It's just a horrible dictatorship.

(Speaking in foreign language).

You're here because you're waiting for your wife.

(Speaking in foreign language).

You've been separated.

PEDRO: (Speaking in foreign language).

VALENCIA: (Speaking in foreign language).

How many days have you been separated?

PEDRO: (Speaking in foreign language).

VALENCIA: Five days counting today.

(Speaking in foreign language).

You have no information about her, but you don't know where she is, but you guys crossed together?

PEDRO: (Speaking in foreign language).

VALENCIA: (Speaking in foreign language).

The majority of the people here are waiting for loved ones as well that they've been separated from.

PEDRO: (Speaking in foreign language).

VALENCIA: He said, yes, they passed through an open field and that's where they were processed. And now -

(Speaking in foreign language).

Everyone here waiting for family.

PEDRO: (Speaking in foreign language).

VALENCIA: (Speaking in foreign language).

[09:10:08]

Were you aware of Title 42 and that they were going to open the border come - like before the pandemic?

PEDRO: (Speaking in foreign language).

VALENCIA: (Speaking in foreign language).

That's why you came?

PEDRO: (Speaking in foreign language).

VALENCIA: Yes. OK. Well, thank you.

(Speaking in foreign language). Pedro represents a lot of the stories here, the migrants that we're hearing on the streets. So many officials here have told us they are ready for what's coming next, projecting an air of confidence.

Sara, only time will tell if they're right.

Sara.

SIDNER: Yes, interesting to note that he was well aware of Title 42 coming down. That's what a lot of people are worried about, that it is going to cause that same surge, which has been happening.

Nick Valencia, thank you so much, live there from Brownsville, Texas.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: And then the question is, what happens next, Sara? When Title 42 officially ends tonight, the policy of the United States government essentially returns to what it was pre-2020, which is the decades old section of the U.S. code that lays the ground rules for processing migrants. It is called Title 8.

Here's how it works. The federal government is required to give asylum seekers an opportunity to make their case essentially. That is called a credible fear interview. A chance for people to explain why they left their country and why they face persecution if sent back.

Now, if customs officials do not see enough there or if the migrant doesn't request asylum, they then can be put into expedited removal proceedings and deported back to their country. People from certain countries, though, like Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela, they also can be deported to Mexico.

And here's a difference from Title 42. If you're sent back under Title 8 authority, you are subject to a multi-year ban from the U.S.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: Title 8 of the United States code, our traditional immigration authorities actually deliver a consequence, because when someone is removed, when someone does not qualify for relief and is removed from the United States, they face an at least five-year bar from admission into the United States. So, the consequence is going to be more severe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Now, other side of this. If an immigration official sees credible evidence for an asylum claim, that can trigger the often years long process of then trying to prove it in an immigration court. Those folks can stay in the United States during that process, either in a long-term detention facility or they're released into the community with a commitment to check in and attend all court hearings.

Now, keep in mind, a majority of asylum claims that make it to court, they're eventually denied. And there's already a backlog of over 2 million pending cases in U.S. immigration courts.

So, a new surge is almost guaranteed, of course, then to create a fresh bottleneck.

John.

BERMAN: So, in addition to this, Kate, migrants released into the U.S. could be part of a new program called Family Expedited Removal Management, which is aimed at tracking migrants through the asylum process and perhaps their deportation. One requirement is wearing a GPS ankle monitor.

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez, who covers immigration issues so thoroughly, is at the White House.

You know, Priscilla, this is a big day. I mean the countdown is on. These ankle bracelets, this process is one small part of it. What's the administration saying today?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: John, I've been talking to White House officials and administration officials for three years now about when this moment was going to come. And it is here today and the administration is rolling out measures to try to manage the flow, including the one from migrant families. Migrant families are a vulnerable population. They are usually the most difficult to deal with for that reason. And so now the administration is rolling out a measure as part of its alternative to detention. So, not detaining them but adding a GPS ankle monitor, as well as home confinement for the ICE officials to be able to track them and sort of hold them accountable to their releasing conditions. Of course, all of this after vetting and screening at the border.

Now, there was a pilot last year to do this and at the time that home confinement or home curfew was from dusk till dawn. We still don't know all the details. But this is at least for some of the migrant families that will cross and go to four cities which the administration has not yet disclosed.

But, John, all of this is part of a concerted effort by the administration to try to manage the migrants who will be processed through into the United States if they are seeking asylum or even as they are going through their deportation process. What it looks like today and after midnight is that it's not only the number of people who are crossing, but going through the Title 8 process that you heard Kate explain there.

Officials have told me, under Title 42, you were looking at processing of about 30 minutes. When you go to Title 8, which is what we've used for decades, that's about an hour and a half, if not more. And what does that mean when you're dealing with a crush of people at the border?

[09:15:00]

So, all of that poses a challenge to the Biden administration and it is what the White House is watching closely. And it's what President Biden himself has conceded, that while there are preparations, how effective they are and how quickly they can be effective still remains to be scene. So, we'll be hearing from Homeland Security Secretary Alejandra Mayorkas again today who is likely to underscore the point that it is a challenging days and weeks ahead.

John.

BERMAN: The president himself has acknowledged there might be some chaos.

Pricilla Alvarez, thank you very much. A huge logistical challenge.

Sara.

SIDNER: He was the last person to see Natalie Holloway alive before she disappeared in Aruba 18 years ago. Now Joran van der Sloot will be extradited to the U.S. on charges he tried to extort thousands of dollars from her mother.

Plus, Israel says more than 500 rockets have been fired from Gaza as Palestinian officials say dozens are dead from Israeli air strikes. We are live.

And Americans one step closer to being able to buy birth control pills as easily as aspirin or allergy medicine. How soon that could happen, just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:20:12]

BOLDUAN: On our radar this morning, birth control may soon be available over the counter in the United States. That's because FDA advisors voted unanimously yesterday in favor of making Opill available without a doctor's prescription. The panel saying that the benefits outweigh any risks. The FDA is expected to make a final call on approval this summer.

So, what looks like a blanket of snow -- this is Aurora, Colorado - is actually piles of hail. People there saw hail larger than 2 inches in diameter. This is really fun. There are also seven reports of tornados. The threat, though, continues today for parts of central and - the central and southern plains. More than 30 million people are under alert for severe weather today.

Backpacks are now banned in two Michigan school districts. In Grand Rapid the decision came after school officials found a loaded handgun in a third grader's bag. That is now the fourth gun the district has confiscated this year from a student. Schools in Flint, they banned backpacks as of May 1st. The district there cited a nationwide increase in threatening behavior and weapons being brought to school.

Sara.

SIDNER: New inflation numbers just out this morning. We're talking about the producer price index. A key measure of price changes at the wholesale level, which trickles down eventually to how much you pay. It eased to 2.3 percent for the 12 months ending in April. That was below economists' expectations.

CNN business and economy reporter Matt Eagan has the numbers for us.

Why are these numbers significant to any consumer out there?

MATT EGAN, CNN BUSINESS AND ECONOMY REPORTER: Well, Sara, it's more evidence that inflation is cooling off. We have evidence of that two days in a row. Yesterday, consumer prices. Today, producer prices. Wholesale inflation.

Look at this chart.

SIDNER: Wow.

EGAN: You can see the number, 2.3 percent. It's come down dramatically, miles always from the peak of around 11 percent last year. We actually have 10 straight months of cooling prices on an annual level. If you look month to month, 0.2 percent. That's been bouncing around, but it has also come down dramatically from last year. I think that this is more evidence combined with yesterday's report that the fed's inflation fighting medicine is working. Inflation has not been cured, but it has gotten a lot better.

SIDNER: A lot lower than where we came from.

EGAN: Absolutely.

SIDNER: There are some numbers out for jobless claims. Can you give us an idea what that means?

EGAN: Right. Well, you know, like any medicine, the fed's inflation fighting medicine has side effects. And, in this case, it is layoffs. So, 264,000 initial jobless claims in the last week. This is a proxy for layoffs. This is actually the highest level since October of 2021.

SIDNER: Yes.

EGAN: This is evidence that layoffs are picking up in this economy. We do have to remember, though, this is coming off of historic lows. I mean the unemployment rate, 3.4 percent. That's tied for a half century low. But we are hearing about more layoffs in tech, in media, in finance. This, though, would have to come up a lot higher to really alarm economists. I talked to Mark Zandi from Moody's this morning and he said anything around 250 is consistent with a healthy job market, 300,000 would signal negative job growth. The number to watch, though, 350. If it got to there, that's where you start to really worry about a recession. We're not there yet.

SIDNER: Hard to say that, though. That's a lot of people that are looking for jobs right now.

EGAN: It is.

SIDNER: New folks that are out there. Thank you so much, Matt Egan. Appreciate it.

EGAN: Thanks, Sara.

SIDNER: John.

BERMAN: All right, thanks, Sara.

A new twist this morning in a tragic case that intrigued this country for so long. The extradition process begins today for one of the last people to see American Natalee Holloway alive before she disappeared. Joran van der Sloot is being temporarily extradited to the United States from Peru. That is according to a family statement obtained by CNN.

Now, Peru had previously agreed to extradite van der Sloot but only after he finished serving a murder sentence there.

CNN's Jean Casarez has covered this case for so long.

So, how does this work, Jean, and what does this mean for the investigation here in the United States?

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There is such a history to this and there are current federal charges against van der Sloot for extortion and wire fraud. And he then, though, has been serving this sentence in Peru for murder, but they promised -- when I was in Peru for CNN, and when he was arrested, and when his legal proceedings were going on, they promised that they would extradite him. And they fulfilled that promise. Of course, it is under the extradition treaty.

But this all started in 2005 when Beth Holloway's daughter, Natalie Holloway, was going for her senior trip to Aruba. And the whole senior class went there. They had the senior party that night. But she wasn't on the plane to come home back to Alabama. Joran van der Sloot, in his own words, said that he was the last person to see her.

[09:25:00]

He was arrested. He was questioned. He was released. He was never charged. They had no answers.

In 2010, there was a $250,000 reward from the Holloway family saying we want answers where our daughter is. He heard about that. He went to an associate of the Holloway family, said, I can tell you everything. I will tell you how she died. I will tell you where she's buried. But I want the $250,000.

So, in working with the FBI, the associate went to Aruba, met with Joran van der Sloot, and he said, I was the last one with her. We got in an argument. She didn't want me to leave. I pushed her down. She hit her head on the rock and she died. I hid her body. And then my father helped me and he buried her underneath a house. I'll take you there.

They went in the car, found the house. He said, she's in the foundation.

Joran van der Sloot got $25,000 cash down payment for that. Went back home, the associate did, and then Joran van der Sloot sent an email, it was all a lie, nothing was right, I fooled you.

The sad thing is, it is believed he took the $25,000 to Lima, Peru, started to gamble it in a casino. We have the surveillance video of all of that. He met someone by the same of Stephany Flores, went to her apartment, and within hours she was dead. He was sentenced to murder, and he's been there since 2010 when he was arrested.

BERMAN: Jean Casarez. And this is just this new chapter in this long saga. You have to feel for the Holloway family here. Thank you so much for your reporting.

Kate.

CASAREZ: You do.

BOLDUAN: Absolutely.

So, the public health emergency over Covid-19 officially ends today. What that now means for Covid testing, treatments, and vaccines.

And we are just minutes away from the opening bell on Wall Street where market futures have been relatively flat today as we head into the start of the trading day today. Investors still weighting that new inflation data coming in from the Producer Price Index. The Nasdaq and S&P 500 rose yesterday after consumer data showed inflation cooling to its slowest pace in two years.

Still hanging over all of this, the debt ceiling, of course. This morning, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen offered this reminder to lawmakers, allowing a default is, quote, unthinkable.

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[09:30:00]