Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

U.S. Job Growth Soars In September, 336K Jobs Added; Biden Admin To Directly Deport Venezuelans Back To Their Country; "Seeing Red: Running With The Bulls" Airs Sunday At 8:00 P.M. ET/PT. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired October 06, 2023 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: So, a huge jobs report. The U.S. added 336,000 jobs last month. The unemployment rate held at 3.8 percent, which is very low. The number of jobs added was almost double what economists were expecting.

CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich is with us now. So, I mean, it's a remarkable number, a big, good number you want to see jobs added.

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS & POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

BERMAN: But why is there a but here? What does it have to do with how Americans are actually feeling?

YURKEVICH: Yes. I mean, this number really blowing through expectations, double what analysts had predicted, and a lot more what we've seen over the course of the last year. But here's why, despite this robust report, Americans may still feel pretty terrible about the economy. Because when you have a number like this, this may indicate to the Fed that they need to continue to raise interest rates. Americans are already paying higher prices on almost everything right now. So, they're feeling that pain.

And that's what people feel every single day. They don't look at those numbers every day and say, hey, oh, there's 336,000 jobs. They say, how much am I paying for gas? How much am I paying for food?

So, what this report could do is signal to the Fed that they need to increase interest rates, which then means people have to pay more money on their car loans, on mortgage rates. The good news here is that wages are still outpacing inflation. That's good news.

BERMAN: Yes.

YURKEVICH: But wages are cooling. The Federal Reserve might like to see that because of higher wages and fuel inflation. But for everyday Americans, they do not want less in their wallets. They want more to try to combat these higher prices.

And also try to combat what the Federal Reserve may or may not do this month, which is will they raise rates. Maybe because of this report or maybe they want to wait and see a little bit more. See how this all plays out. But certainly, a number no one was expecting today.

BERMAN: So, this does not reflect in any major way what's been happening on the picket lines.

YURKEVICH: Yes.

BERMAN: Our crew joked when you walk in Vanessa, you're here. We know how -- who let you out of Detroit? You've been covering the strike there so very closely.

YURKEVICH: Yes.

BERMAN: What is the latest on the situation?

YURKEVICH: So, today at 2:00, we're going to hear from UAW president Shawn Fain in a Facebook Live, this is his signature Facebook Live he does every single week, we anticipate that he's going to give a significant update on bargaining between the big three and the union. We do not know though if he's going to expand any of the strikes at the big three.

There has been progress in negotiations this week. We know talks have been very active. We are -- according to one of our sources, General Motors and the union have made progress on key issues.

And that's important because if you recall for the past three weeks, the union has struck General Motors three times. They've only struck Ford and Stellantis twice. So, there's obviously movement in the right direction.

Will it be enough movement? Who knows? The benchmark, according to Shawn Fain, is there needs to be significant progress. We'll see at 2:00 p.m.

[11:35:04]

I think the automakers and UAW members are going to be holding their breath till then, because an expanded strike -- every time there's an expanded strike, that means a bigger cost. The automakers lost wages and billions of dollars in economic impact. So 2:00 p.m. is the -- is the time to watch.

BERMAN: There are a few more hours of uncertainty here.

YURKEVICH: Yes.

BERMAN: Vanessa Yurkevich, great to have you. Thank you very much.

YURKEVICH: Thank you.

BERMAN: Kate?

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Talking from one strike to another that we need to talk about now. The largest healthcare strike in the United -- in U.S. history is now in its third day. More than 75,000 Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers in California, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington.

They went on strike on Wednesday. They're demanding they're calling for higher wages, and a fix to staffing shortages, a real crisis there made worse by the pandemic. Where things are going to head here?

CNN's Natasha Chen is following this. She's in the thick of it right now. Natasha, what are you hearing there?

NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kate. We actually just got a statement from the union that I'm just reading in my e-mail inbox right now. It says that they have additional bargaining sessions now scheduled for next Thursday and next Friday because quite honestly, this past week -- at least in the last 24 hours or so, there have not been any active discussions between the two sides.

So, it does not seem that there would be any agreement reached, at least by the end of today, and this strike is scheduled to conclude by tomorrow morning. So, all these folks are going back to work Saturday morning. Just to remind folks, they include some nurses, there are technicians, receptionists, these are frontline healthcare workers who really worked through the pandemic and that they currently do not feel valued they tell me because of the severe understaffing that they've experienced.

They also talk in this recent statement about Kaiser outsourcing some of the jobs which they are not happy with. Of course, these three days of strike that were scheduled have resulted in some inconveniences for patients who are members of Kaiser across the United States. The most impact of course, here in California where the majority of people walked out, but here are some voices of patients who talk to us about their experience this week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRIESHA MALBROUGH, KAISER PERMANENTE PATIENT: I cried when I walked into the threshold of the -- of the hospital. Like I teared up and I cried, and I felt bad. And I even told the personnel that I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry. I feel bad.

CHRISTINA CAMPBELL, DAUGHTER OF KAISER PATIENT: I think Kaiser should be stepping up and doing a little better job of keeping their facilities staffed. This is just wrong, you know. This is wrong on all levels not just for -- I feel bad for the nurses, but I feel worse for the patients.

RUSSELL FRANKLIN, BROTHER OG KAISER PATIENT: There are long delays for getting appointments. The website is kind of lousy too. And there just not enough staff. COVID shot I had to make an appointment for one was a month away.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHEN: In the L.A. area, at least we talked to a lot of patients who did not have any issues getting the care they needed during the strike, especially because everything is still open. The doctors are still working.

But they do tell me that they understand why these people are on strike because they themselves have had a lot of difficulty getting appointments months out, just even without the strike happening. So, they say they agree with the understaffing, and they know why these workers are walking on the sidewalk right now, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Yes. Natasha, in the middle of it there in Los Angeles, thank you. And you can see just suddenly unions the big strikes that are happening right now across the country in various industries, John.

BERMAN: All right. A major move from the White House on the migrant situation. A new policy that could have an impact on the border, but how soon?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:43:12]

BERMAN: New this morning. The Biden administration will soon begin deporting Venezuelans who crossed into the country illegally directly back to Venezuela. The hope is this might curb the record influx of people crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.

One figure shows that more than 7.7 million people have left Venezuela, fleeing a humanitarian crisis there. The majority of them do stay in Latin America or the Caribbean. But estimates do show that hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans have made it to the United States, many seeking asylum.

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez is here with the latest on this. This is something the White House has wanted to have the power to do but hasn't. Why now?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: And that's why it's a breakthrough, John, that for years, the U.S. was not able to carry regular deportation flights to Venezuela, that change now. Senior administration officials not offering too much detail as to what exactly changed. But the why now is crystal clear. And that is that there is an increasing number of Venezuelans coming to the U.S.-Mexico border, and they make up a large share of those who are crossing the border.

And up until this point, the options were really only to process them and release or detain them, or in some cases, send them back to Mexico. And those aren't many tools when you are looking at the numbers we're looking at, which is thousands of Venezuelans every month, who are also causing strain in cities in the United States, like New York, which has been publicly critical of the president and his border policies.

So, this is a big moment for the administration. The question is, what does -- what change happens now? So, how many flights will there be? And will it really make a dent to drive down these numbers? And that's what one former DHS official told me. It all comes down to how many flights will they have that can at least start to send the message that the -- these people could be deported to Venezuela.

BERMAN: And, Priscilla, you're getting new opinions from the White House about the new construction of a border barrier, a 20-mile stretch in the Rio Grande Valley. How were they explaining what seemed to be a reversal here?

[11:45:13]

ALVAREZ: The resounding message is that these were funds that were appropriated in 2019 for the purpose of the border barrier, and so they had to use these funds. And that's what sources tell me as well that they were up against the deadline. It was the end of fiscal year 2023. That these funds had to be used for the sole purpose. And that's why they decided to move forward and to focus it on an area where there is high traffic.

But to be clear, and a pretty stern message the Homeland Security secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, said that there is no change in the way that they view border wall so much as they had to move forward with this because of the law and because the funding was there and needed to be used. But again, as you point out, John, even as the message from President Biden has been they're not going to build an extra mile of the wall, their reality looks a little different right now, and that is that they're going to have to build up to 20 miles of it.

BERMAN: All right. Priscilla Alvarez, keep us up to date on this. Thank you so much for your reporting. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Coming up for us. The running of the bulls. Part of the rich history of Spain and Spanish culture. Wild, crazy, controversial dangerous. A perfect assignment for CNN's David Culver for a spectacular look at this Spanish tradition. We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:50:53]

BERMAN: So, the running of the bulls in Pamplona in Spain is a tradition that has been going on for centuries. It's dangerous and sometimes deadly but it attracts tourists from all over the world.

BOLDUAN: And this Sunday, on "The Whole Story With Anderson Cooper," CNN Correspondent David Culver travels to Pamplona to see the thrill, the danger, and the cultural tradition firsthand.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): It's a bit terrifying because you're starting to think, all right, I'm committed, I'm on, and I'm going to stay on. As we gather as a group, we kind of find our positioning. It's crazy to think that you're standing your ground after, first the bells, and then that rocket goes off.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's the rocket. Oh, oh.

CULVER (voiceover): And you're holding your ground. And I'm listening to Dennis's command.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hold. Run.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BOLDUAN: Hold and run sounded a lot alike in that -- in those moments. David's with us now. What happened? What was it like? Tell us everything.

CULVER (on camera): Clearly, I didn't run fast enough. Walked away from that, fortunately alive but with a fractured foot and a bit of a dislocation in the part of my finger. But doing just fine now.

I know this was -- this was, I think, a surprise to not only my family but some of our bosses who said you did what? I think one thing I really wanted to understand was why people came to this festival. Because it's part of the Festival of San Fermin. It's an incredibly cultural and religious holiday and deeply rooted in many traditions there in Spain, and particularly in the north, in Pamplona.

But when you're there, you also want to get a sense of why it brings so many who are not Spanish. And I think oftentimes, when you think of the running of the bulls, at least this was kind of how I thought about it before. It's you think of one run that happens once a year.

Well, really, it's a multi-day festival. There's eight days of running. And there's six bulls that run each day.

Now, at the end of the day, and here's the really controversial part, those bulls end up being killed in a bullfight, which is really disturbing and tough to watch. And quite frankly, I think for a lot of folks, difficult to reconcile the two. But this portion of it, the running that you see and I think has probably gotten a lot of play on social media and over the you know regular media over the years is what most folks think about. And it can be terrifying. And I'm thinking now, once was definitely enough.

BERMAN: I want to get to the bullfight aspect of it in just a second. But I'm not going to let the fractured foot thing slide, David. Was that from a bull or a human or just a twist?

BOLDUAN: But wait. Also, I saw you in the office and I had no idea if that's why you were wearing that boot. I had no clue.

CULVER: It is a fashion statement now too. Yes. And you could hear me coming down the hall from about a hundred feet away. Yes, that's why I was wearing the boot. I'm out of the boot now.

It was, John, a bull that stepped on my left foot. It was just -- in fairness, I was in his way, right? So, we went right on it. That's quite a lot of weight too.

BERMAN: You're lucky to have a left foot, frankly, if a bull step on it.

CULVER: Yes, I know. BERMAN: At this point. All right. I'm sure we're going to find out much more about that when we watch the full hour on Sunday night. But let's talk more about the controversy here. They're -- in Spain when it comes to bullfights, they are well aware that they are being judged by many for this.

BOLDUAN: Yes.

CULVER: Yes.

BERMAN: For this custom which many people consider to be barbaric. You talked to plenty of people about this really on both sides. And what did you hear?

CULVER: And I think the important aspect is you go within Spanish culture to find even the division amongst what people make of it.

[11:55:02]

You know you have folks who are -- who are Spanish who believe that this is something that's deeply intertwined with their culture. It's something that's incredibly important. It's integral in who they are, and specifically those in Pamplona. And they don't see this as cheering on suffering, so much as cheering on a sport. And some have even likened it to art.

Then on the other side, you have many who just see this in the word you use, barbaric. And they think it's suffering. And you can't have an animal suffering and consider that to be art, let alone culture or sport.

So, we get into all of that. And we take you along for what is ultimately a festival that brings families together and folks of all ages. So, it's really interesting to be part of.

BOLDUAN: It's great. It's -- I'm really looking forward to seeing the full story on it. And it's great to see you, David. Thank you.

BERMAN: Healthy. Unoperated.

BOLDUAN: Healthy with two feet.

BERMAN: All right. David Culver, thank you.

CULVER: I will.

BERMAN: Be sure to tune in on all new episodes of "THE WHOLE STORY WITH ANDERSON COOPER," one whole hour, one whole story, two whole feet. It airs Sunday at 8:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific only on CNN.

BOLDUAN: Thank you so much for joining us. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL. "INSIDE POLITICS" is up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END