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Record Amount Of Immigrants At Southern Border Daily Amid Unprecedented Surge; TX National Guard Defends Response To Incident Amid Unprecedented Surge; Wayfair CEO: Employees Need To Work Longer Hours; AAA: 115M People To Fly Or Drive Over 10-Day Stretch; Report: Unruly Airline Passengers Still Pose Serious Problems. Aired 1:30-2p ET
Aired December 22, 2023 - 13:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[13:33:23]
JIM ACOSTA, CNN HOST: The number of migrants crossing the U.S. southern border is at a record high according to Custom and Border Protection officials.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Last month, authorities said they apprehended nearly 200,000 migrants between ports of entry. That is a 2 percent increase compared to October's numbers.
CNN White House reporter, Priscilla Alvarez, is here and has more on this new reporting.
Priscilla, the situation, of course, has only worsened here in recent weeks it appears.
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: The numbers are only getting higher. A Homeland Security official telling me that the seven-day average in December was 9,600 encounters.
Compare that to late November where they were at 6,800 encounters. At that point, there was already alarm bells going off about the stresses that it placed on federal resources.
But this is not just a matter of numbers. It is where it is happening. These surges, they are happening in remote areas across the U.S. southern border.
The challenge for authorities when that occurs is that they cannot easily decompress sectors or process migrants the way they usually would. That creates a whole set of challenges.
The situation becoming so dire that President Biden called Mexican president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, yesterday asking him to do more to stem the flow of migrants. And placing pressure on his Mexican counterpart on that front.
The two agree that additional enforcement is, quote, "urgently needed." In the coming days, senior U.S. officials will be going down to Mexico to continue these discussions.
But this is the type of situation that the White House was hoping to avoid, especially on the cusp of a presidential election, where Republicans are going to seize on this issue.
[13:35:03]
But what the White House is also up against is record mass migration across the Western hemisphere that is landing at the U.S. southern border.
If you add misinformation spread by smugglers, the makeup of who is coming, different nationalities of ages and families, it all just makes it the more difficult with a very outdated immigration system.
The White House is trying to navigate both logistical and political challenges here. But officials tell me that this is the breaking point and there is really no end in sight.
ACOSTA: Priscilla, let's talk about the situation with the Texas National Guard and a video obtained by us that shows an emigrant woman trying to cross the Rio Grande River with her infant child.
Several Texas National Guard officers allegedly not assisting her, despite signs that she was in distress.
Let's show some of the video and we'll talk about it on the other side.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
(SHOUTING)
(SCREAMING)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
(CRYING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: My goodness. That is just shocking video. You can hear the child screaming as well.
Priscilla, how are Texas officials responding to all of this? And has the White House weighed in?
ALVAREZ: Well, these are the types of incidents that cause alarm at the White House, which has slammed Texas for its, quote, "extreme policies" when it comes to its border mission.
But in this video that you saw there, two National Guardsmen, Texas National Guardsmen were watching in two nearby boats as the woman was carrying a child and yelling for assistance. They did not intervene, though we do know that the woman did eventually get to the Mexican side of the border with the child.
That video being filmed December 12th by an immigration activist who was in the area.
But the Texas Military Department saying that, quote, "Texas National Guard soldiers approached by boat and determined that there were no signs of medical distress, injury or incapacitation. They had the ability to return the short distance back to the Mexican shore. The soldiers remained on site to monitor the situation."
Again, it is a troubling video. It is also indicative of what is happening along the U.S. southern border as migrants desperately cross in large numbers overwhelming all authorities.
ACOSTA: All right.
I don't know how you can be in that boat and see a mother and a child screaming, obviously in distress, saying, help me, floating in the Rio Grande.
And then, I mean, I would think anybody would just go over that to that woman and that child and bring them into the boat or help them get to the other side.
KEILAR: It is distressing to watch.
ACOSTA: It is horrible. It's just awful to watch.
All right, Priscilla Alvarez, thank you very much. We appreciate it.
In the meantime, a new report out this morning is the latest evidence that the Fed's fight against inflation may be working. Let's look at the numbers next.
KEILAR: And Wayfair's CEO has a holiday message for his workers. Maybe they should try working longer hours. The online reaction, not very merry, perhaps --
(CROSSTALK)
KEILAR: -- but not surprising?
ACOSTA: Yes. Not at all. Sounds a little bah-humbug to me.
KEILAR: Sure does.
ACOSTA: Yes
KEILAR: We'll have that next.
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[13:40:54]
ACOSTA: Welcome back to CNN NEWS CENTRAL. Now to some other headlines we're watching this hour.
Russian opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, has missed two more scheduled court hearings according to his team's. It adds to his fears further his health and safety. They're offering an award for information about his whereabouts.
The imprisoned Putin critic has been missing for more than two weeks. The Kremlin told reporters that they have neither the intention nor the ability to monitor the fate of prisoners.
And prosecutors in Idaho have proposed a summer 2024 start date for Brian Kohberger's murder trial. He's accused of murdering four University of Idaho students last year.
Prosecutors say a summer start date means avoiding the school year sparing students and educators the distraction of increased media attention. They expect the trial to last about six weeks.
Last month, for the first time since April 2020, prices fell on a monthly basis. That is according to a report released by the Commerce Department, just out today.
It also found inflation cooled a little bit more in November and is getting closer to the Fed's target rate.
Also, a new consumer survey shows Americans attitude about the economy rose 14 percent this month. So feelings are getting a little bit better.
And work longer hours? OK. That is --
(CROSSTALK)
KEILAR: Who doesn't love to hear that.
ACOSTA: Exactly.
(LAUGHTER)
ACOSTA: Such a nice holiday message.
That's the end-of-the-year message from Wayfair's CEO, who wrote in a memo to employees -- look at this -- "Working long hours, being responsive, blending work and life, it's not anything to shy away from. There is not a lot of history of laziness being rewarded with success."
Wow, these are some gems here.
KEILAR: Yes.
(CROSSTALK)
ACOSTA: It's like a Hallmark card.
KEILAR: Maybe should've seen that coming. Wayfair business surging during the pandemic. But the company has struggled as people shift back to shopping in person.
CNN's Nathaniel Meyersohn is with us now.
Nathaniel, tell us why --
(LAUGHTER)
ACOSTA: Yes.
KEILAR: -- the CEO of Wayfair sent this letter to employees.
NATHANIEL MEYERSOHN, CNN CONSUMER REPORTER: Yes, merry Christmas from the Wayfair CEO.
ACOSTA: Exactly.
MEYERSOHN: So we are seeing this happen
ACOSTA: I have their jingle in my head. Anyway.
MEYERSOHN: Yes, right.
(LAUGHTER)
[13:45:00]
MEYERSOHN: There you go.
We're seeing this happen because, during the pandemic, people had really started to rethink their work life balance, pull back a little bit on work, prioritize family.
That has given rise to the term, "quiet quitting." So 59 percent of employees say they are kind of checked out, they're disengaged, they're quiet quitting from work.
And look, the Wayfair CEO is taking a stand against quiet quitting. He's basically saying, screw work-life balance. We need you guys to be working longer and harder in the new year.
(LAUGHTER)
ACOSTA: I mean, so heartwarming. It is like a Hallmark movie I'm watching.
And what is the state of Wayfair's business right now? Could that be driving things?
MEYERSOHN: Yes, kind of an interesting moment for the Wayfair CEO to be releasing this. The company has been on a rollercoaster ride the last couple of years.
Early in the pandemic, when people were stuck at home and they're buying new couches and furniture, the company's stock ballooned.
But as people have returned to stores and maybe switched from, they have the new couch already, they are going back to Taylor Swift concerts, going to see "Barbie," they don't need that anymore.
So the stock has tumbled. The company has really struggled. It has had a couple rounds of layoffs. So morale is a little bit low right now at Wayfair. But an interesting way to try to boost it.
KEILAR: "Barbie" is out on streaming. Your couch might actually come in handy.
ACOSTA: There you go.
KEILAR: That could be the ad.
Look, Nathaniel, no one -- I think quite quickly doing is kind of tough. Even when we understand the people are doing it, we think that, maybe, there should be a way for them to not do it.
So then the question is, how do you engage them? How do you make those workers happy and not want to quiet quit?
MEYERSOHN: Yes, so, Shaw, the CEO, he's trying to motivate employees, incentivize employees. But there are other ways to do that, workers say.
So company culture, improving company culture. That is a big one. About 59 percent -- excuse me, 41 percent say they want improved company culture.
Increasing pay and benefits is also really important to engage employees. And 28 percent say that is important.
Improving well-being. That means longer -- longer breaks, different ways to boost company culture.
These are all perhaps better ways to motivate employees than tough emails right before Christmas.
ACOSTA: Yes.
KEILAR: Nathaniel, we are going to need you to come in tomorrow.
(LAUGHTER)
ACOSTA: Exactly, yes. If he does, I'll be here. So there you go!
(LAUGHTER)
ACOSTA: I hear they call the CEO Santa Claus.
KEILAR: Oh, yes.
ACOSTA: That is his nickname all year-round.
KEILAR: Nathaniel, thank you for that report. And for having a little fun with it with us.
ACOSTA: All right. KEILAR: So if you or a loved one are traveling this weekend, meditation, take a deep breath here. Millions of people are doing the same. And a new report suggest that lots of flyers, let's just say they may be on Santa's naughty list this year.
ACOSTA: Uh-oh.
KEILAR: We'll have more on that ahead.
ACOSTA: All right. He's watching!
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[13:52:45]
KEILAR: The peak holiday travel rush is on.
ACOSTA: It certainly is.
KEILAR: Not for us.
ACOSTA: No.
KEILAR: Here we are. We are not rushing. But millions of Americans are. They're heading out right now to their vacation destinations, potentially setting new records for both air and road trips.
ACOSTA: American Airlines, the country's largest carrier, expects it to be their busiest of the holiday travel period.
CNN's Polo Sandoval is at New York's LaGuardia Airport.
Polo, I hope everyone is behaving themselves out there. How is it going?
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, us included, too, Jim. Look, it is very clear that Americans are on the move this holiday season.
What is really shaping up to be, as you mentioned, it's shaping up to be an extremely busy and perhaps even record-breaking holiday travel season.
Just look at the numbers released by the Department of Homeland Security from yesterday indicating that 2.64 passengers, so just over two and a half million passengers, using TSA checkpoints yesterday.
That number exceeded expectations. In fact, the number for today will likely exceed that number, according to officials.
Only about 7.5 million Americans taking to the skies. I say only because, if you compared it to the larger number of the close to the 150 million Americans that will be traveling at least 50 miles away or more from their homes.
That is certainly an impressive figure according to AAA. And it's a figure that is only going to continue to rise. In terms of what we are seeing here at LaGuardia, it is not that
obvious. What we witnessed is a steady flow, a steady stream, if you will, of outbound passengers.
Looking at the board, little to no impact with little cancellations or delays, at least here. But when you look at the wider map, there are some impacts being felt, particularly down south, possibly weather related.
But no question, also, that the airlines have been under tremendous pressure, especially since last year's situation with Southwest Airlines. You can recall tens of thousands of flights that had to be canceled during the meltdown of that travel season.
So what we have seen from the federal government here, Jim and Brianna, is really pushing some of these airlines to make sure they are ready.
Yes, the weather is out of their control. But in the event that there is a weather situation, the federal government wants to make sure that airlines know how they can lessen that impact.
[13:55:03]
Back to you.
KEILAR: Yes. Look, it happens.
ACOSTA: Yes.
KEILAR: You have to know how to get through it.
Polo, thank you for that report.
And amid the frenzy and stress of holiday travel is coming a disturbing new report on airline passengers behaving badly.
Federal regulators telling the "Wall Street Journal" that in-flight disruptions, ranging from the annoying to the dangerous, are still happening at really worrisome levels.
More than one year after airlines dropped the mask requirement, which was a major reason behind a surge in in-flight altercations in 2021.
So far this year, the FAA has recorded nearly 2,000 in-flight incidents. And that is up 71 percent from 2019, lower than 2021's unprecedented peak of 5,973.
Just look at that. Pretty amazing!
ACOSTA: Yes. I mean, right after Covid, it spiked. It is still going down.
We've reported on many of these major incidents. American Airlines customer-service manager had to be hospitalized last month after being punched in the face by a passenger who was being removed from a flight in Miami.
And this incident last month when a Southwest Airlines flight was waiting at the gate in New Orleans. A passenger opened an emergency exit, climbed onto the plane's wing, and jumped to the ground.
Do not do that! You will regret that.
KEILAR: That's right. You might end up with coal in your stocking. And that might be the least of your problems.
ACOSTA: I'm going to say probably more than that.
KEILAR: Yes.
ACOSTA: A visit from law enforcement might also happen, as well.
KEILAR: I think you're right, Jim.
ACOSTA: And they do not bring coal.
KEILAR: They don't.
ACOSTA: They do other things.
(LAUGHTER)
ACOSTA: All right, coming up next -- you better behave out there, guys.
Ahead on CNN NEWS CENTRAL, new evidence showing how Donald Trump tried to overturn the results of the 2020 election. This time, caught on tape. That is after a quick break.
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