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Prison Term For Steve Bannon Nears; Boeing CEO on Capitol Hill; California Battling Wildfires; Interview With Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY); President Biden Unveils New Immigration Rules. Aired 1-1:30p ET

Aired June 18, 2024 - 13:00   ET

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

[13:00:51]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: A major executive order on immigration, President Biden unveiling a new plan to offer legal status and protection to over half-a-million families. Undocumented spouses and children of American citizens could be impacted and so could the race for the White House.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: And a wildfire pushing an entire town in New Mexico to evacuate, squeezing it like a pair of tongs, while over 15,000 acres burn in Southern California, a wildfire only about 25 percent contained, as the Midwest also swelters under high temperatures.

And Boeing's CEO on a seat that may be hotter than usual, testifying before Congress on the heels of new whistle-blower allegations that the company hid questionable plane parts.

We are following these major developing stories and many more all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

SANCHEZ: We are standing by for a major announcement from President Biden on immigration. In the next hour, the president will unveil a sweeping new executive action impacting hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants.

It provides legal protection for about half-a-million spouses of U.S. citizens and roughly 50,000 children. This comes just two weeks after Biden took executive action putting new restrictions on asylum seekers. And it's happening at a critical moment in the 2024 race.

Next week, Biden faces off against Donald Trump in a historic presidential debate, which you can watch right here on CNN. And, of course, immigration is a big issue for voters in several key battleground states.

Let's take you now live at the White House with CNN's M.J. Lee.

So, M.J., walk us through the plan and the reasons behind the timing of it.

M.J. LEE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Boris, let me first lay out for you the top headlines from this significant announcement coming from President Biden that would offer protections for hundreds of thousands of immigrants who have been living illegally in the United States, but are -- but are married to U.S. citizens or are children of U.S. citizens.

Now, what do protections actually mean? It means that these immigrants are not going to be deported. It means that they are going to have an eventual pathway to citizenship. And it also means that they are going to be able to legally work in the United States as they wait for their status to work their way through the system.

One important piece of fine print is that they must have been in the U.S. for 10 years as of June 17 of 2024. That, of course, is yesterday, prior to this announcement coming out today. And it really does amount to the most expansive protections for immigrants via executive action in years and years.

And we saw the Biden campaign saying that all of this really boils down to the fact -- this is according to the campaign manager -- that families belong together. "It's that simple," they said in a statement. "It's why President Biden's actions today are so important. And it's also a powerful, stark reminder of Donald Trump's unforgivable legacy of ripping crying children away from their parents when he put in place his family separation policy."

Now, at this East Room event here at the White House, where the president is expected to lay out these details, we do expect a bit of a celebratory mood.

And we, of course, know that that is in part because politics is really heavily at play here on an issue that has been a really big political vulnerability for President Biden, with Republicans and critics continually hitting him for not doing enough to get the situation at the border in a good place, and also the -- just addressing more broadly the issue of immigration and what to do about immigrants who are here illegally.

And today's announcement is also just quite the contrast from the announcement that he made earlier in the week that really put in severe restrictions on asylum seekers. So, you put the two next to each other and you certainly see President Biden playing a bit of a juggling act on an issue that, again, has been such a challenging one for him and Democrats.

[13:05:07]

SANCHEZ: M.J. Lee live for us from the White House.

Thanks so much, M.J. -- Brianna.

KEILAR: All right, let's talk about this more now, this executive action by President Biden, with Congressman Adriano Espaillat. He's a Democrat who represents parts of New York City. He's also the first former undocumented immigrant to serve in Congress.

Thank you for coming into the studio. We appreciate it. REP. ADRIANO ESPAILLAT (D-NY): Thank you. Thank you, Brianna.

KEILAR: How much of this executive action today is a concession to progressives who are very dismayed with Biden's executive order, executive action two weeks ago that severely limited asylum?

ESPAILLAT: I don't think it's a concession. I think it's a balanced, commonsense approach to immigration issues that cannot just be about border enforcement.

He already addressed that. But it also has to provide some help to some people that have a meritorious argument to be made why they should stay here. And I think this action balances that out in a real smart way.

KEILAR: If it balances it, does it make the other executive action make more sense to you?

ESPAILLAT: Well, it says that border protection is important, but that the spouses of U.S. citizens and their children that have been here for over 10 years also deserve to work and to regularize their status.

So this is important that it is balanced in its approach, that it's commonsense, that it's practical, and that the American people see it for what it is, a smart way to move forward.

KEILAR: The ACLU is suing the Biden administration over that executive action that will limit asylum once the average number of entries hit a certain threshold.

Do you support that lawsuit?

ESPAILLAT: I haven't seen the details of the lawsuit, but there will be lawsuits from both sides.

And I think the president has moved forward because Congress has not acted. And, in light of that, I think he has shown leadership to move forward and address what seems to be more and more an important issue to the American public.

KEILAR: You have -- that lawsuit is not brand-new. I just want to be clear. And there was a similar lawsuit with the Trump administration because former President Trump used similar authority.

And the Congressional Hispanic Caucus supported that lawsuit against the Trump administration. Why not then support the ACLU's lawsuit? I'm trying to understand the balance of that between the Biden administration and the Trump...

ESPAILLAT: I mean, I have to see the details of the lawsuit. I haven't seen that. And so I will cross that bridge when I get there.

I think that I am very happy that the president has taken this action today to help dreamers, DACA recipients that have been here since they were little kids and that have been educated by our universities. Why not give them the opportunity also to get a job?

And so this is very smart, very practical. The American people understand this. And I think this is the first step forward. There will be greater discussions about other factors within the immigration debate.

KEILAR: The lawsuit targets the authority that the president is using, which is the same, Section 212(f) of the 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act, which is what Trump used.

Are you giving Biden a pass on that, when you didn't with Trump?

ESPAILLAT: No, no, no, no, no. I mean, I think that there's some level of border security that should occur. I don't know if that executive action maybe went too far for me, obviously not for everybody.

But I'm happy with what's happening today. And I think just to do enforcement or just to do what we're doing today alone is not an answer to the vast majority of the American people that are concerned about this.

KEILAR: What do you say to Senate Republicans like John Thune who are worried that this new policy will create pull factors, that it will incentivize more people to come?

ESPAILLAT: No, no, that's not true.

I think that people come because of different reasons. Some become because of violence, because a mom is being threatened by a gang to recruit her 13-year-old. Some of them come because of food security after a drought or an environmental crisis. They come for different reasons.

I don't think that necessarily these actions will generate greater numbers at the border. In fact, amnesty was really implemented by Ronald Reagan. That was the full amnesty program there. And I think the senator and other senators look at Ronald Reagan as an American hero.

So, he was the one that implemented amnesty. These are very important parts of the broader immigration debate that has TPS. It has family reunification. It has dreamer and DACA recipients. It has also farmworkers. The immigration debate is very broad. It's complicated.

[13:10:06]

And these are very specific items within that broader debate that are being addressed.

KEILAR: Are you forgiving Biden the executive action on asylum because of this one?

I ask just because there...

ESPAILLAT: I believe in asylum, yes. KEILAR: Well, but I ask just because there does not seem to be at all

close to the same level of heat for him that there was for Trump.

ESPAILLAT: No, no, some people are very upset. And I am a strong supporter of the concept of asylum, a fundamental part of the American experience for someone who's being persecuted by dictatorship to come to our border or to come to our ports and knock on the door and say, I don't want to be killed by that government. Can you let me in?

That's a fundamental piece of America, right? And I think that we, as a democracy, must always provide asylum for Ukrainians, for people fleeing communist regimes, for people fleeing violence in a war-torn country or in a country gripped by gang violence. This is so important to the American experience.

I'm not willing to sell that out, absolutely not, not anything that has to do with immigration, because I'm an immigrant. But I think that today's action is a good one. It's one that makes us look forward. And I think that Biden should be commended for it.

KEILAR: Congressman, thank you so much for joining us.

ESPAILLAT: Thank you.

KEILAR: We really appreciate it -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: Extreme heat is putting 65 million Americans at risk.

That's about a fifth of the entire population. Right now, people in at least 19 states across the Midwest and Northeast are under heat alerts, as millions more face temperatures topping 90 degrees this week. Meantime, 29 large active wildfires are raging across the United States, among them, a pair of fires burning in New Mexico going through tribal lands and forcing thousands to evacuate.

And north of Los Angeles, crews continue braving dangerous conditions as they race to put out the Post Fire.

CNN meteorologist Chad Myers joins us now.

So, Chad, what's the deal with the wind? The big question is whether they're going to ease up and allow firefighters to better contain these flames.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Right.

For the Post Fire, this is Northern Los Angeles County, Ventura County. That wind has really died off. They are really now trying to mop up the northern part and really put out the southern part, the way the wind is blowing, but only five to 10 miles per hour. This is Ruidoso. This is in New Mexico.

This popped up at 9:00 local time yesterday and now we are up to 13,000 acres. That is the size of Manhattan that has burned in just 26 hours. The wind's not going to die down for them, though, 15 to 20 today. And then we have a tropical storm that may make wind in an opposite direction, but that's a story for a few more maps later.

Twenty-nine active wildfires, as you said, most of them in the West, very hot weather across the eastern half of the country, most of the eastern half of the country above 90. Look at Toledo. Got to 99 degrees yesterday, and that's not adding in the humidity; 150 more record highs are going to be broken before the weekend. And the heat is on.

It's even on in New England, where places in Vermont will get very close to 100. That's the state with the fewest number of air conditioners in the whole U.S. And then look at the heat index for Syracuse, 102. Yes, right now, today, it's in parts of the Ohio Valley. That's where the heat is.

Pittsburgh, you're going to see 90s. Then we talk about this potential tropical storm which will likely become Tropical Storm Alberto later today, and that will push some rainfall into Mexico. And if you have been paying attention the past couple of days about our story here about the water wars going on, man, could this really help.

Well, you don't need 10 inches anywhere, but if you get rain right where they need it, this could be a big help -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: Potentially some relief on the way. Glad to hear it.

MYERS: Yes.

SANCHEZ: Chad Myers in the Weather Center, thank you so much.

Still ahead: a Boeing bombshell. The plane maker's CEO about to face lawmakers over a string of safety concerns, and a new whistle-blower claiming the company likely installed broken or mismatched parts after hiding them from regulators.

Plus: He was a key face of the government's response to the COVID pandemic, and now he's telling Sanjay Gupta it was painful to correct former President Trump during the shutdown.

And pop star Justin Timberlake arrested, allegedly driving while intoxicated. We will have new details on his first court appearance in just a few moments.

Stay with CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:18:58]

KEILAR: After months of bad press and countless safety incidents, the CEO of Boeing will face his first congressional reckoning about his company's problems.

Next hour, Dave Calhoun will testify on Capitol Hill for the first time and explain to a Senate subcommittee why Americans should feel safe on Boeing planes, despite issue after issue like the ones you see here. And as if there weren't enough questions, now a new whistle-blower

says Boeing managers not only tried to hide nonconforming parts for 737 MAX planes, but that Boeing retaliated against him for trying to expose the problem.

We have seen an aviation correspondent Pete Muntean on Capitol Hill following all of this.

Pete, this whistle-blower is actually one of a dozen speaking to Senate investigators.

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Along with Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun, who will be in the hot seat here.

This was really a chance for him to course-correct after months and months of bad press about Boeing. Now it seems like he's really walking into a buzz saw here in front of the Senate committee. He just arrived here at the House -- the Senate Hart Office Building for this hearing that starts at the top of the hour.

[13:20:09]

And he acknowledged to CNN the families of the 737 MAX 8 crashes who will be in the audience here today. What is so significant about this is that we will also hear from a new whistle-blower. Add that to the list of about a dozen Boeing whistle-blowers who have come forward alleging problems with Boeing.

And Senator Richard Blumenthal, who is the chair of this committee, says he has heard from a new whistle-blower, Sam Mohawk, a quality assurance inspector at the Renton, Washington, facility, the plant there that builds the 737 MAX.

That is critical because that is the plant that built the plane that left the Boeing facility there without the door plug bolts installed that led to the door plug blowout on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 back on January 5.

Blumenthal tells -- says that Mohawk alleges that Boeing is not able to keep track of parts that do not conform to its quality control standards. And I want you to listen to what Blumenthal told CNN earlier today. He calls these allegations incredibly serious. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT): This kind of violation of trust is part of a pattern, a broken safety culture at Boeing. The company seems to have continued to put profits and production speed ahead of safety and reliability.

And his account of the retaliation against him is particularly chilling, the pressure that was exerted on him to stay silent. They have a program called Speak Up. Well, he was told to shut up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MUNTEAN: Pretty strong (INAUDIBLE)

KEILAR: All right, Pete, unfortunately, we're having a little problem with your audio there, as we would like to hear what is coming up for Dave Calhoun.

But you can hear all of that activity behind Pete. This is going to be at the top of the hour, the outgoing Boeing CEO, Dave Calhoun, testifying there before senators, and it is going to be quite a doozy of a hearing.

And ahead: This could be awkward, former President Trump heading to the swing state of Wisconsin just days after he allegedly dissed the city of Milwaukee behind closed doors.

Plus, Steve Bannon's dreams of Club Fed dashed. The former Trump adviser isn't going to the cushy prison of choice. And an appeals court could decide today whether or not to spare him from reporting at all while he appeals his conviction.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:27:25]

KEILAR: Right now, Donald Trump supporters are awaiting the former president. He's set to kick off a campaign rally this afternoon in Racine, Wisconsin, which is just south of Milwaukee, the same Milwaukee that Trump reportedly called a horrible city behind closed doors only days ago, yes, that one.

It's also the city that is hosting the Republican National Convention less than a month from now, where Trump will likely accept his party's nomination for president. Trump scored a narrow victory in Wisconsin in the 2016 race, carrying the state by less than 1 percent. But, in 2020, Biden flipped it back to blue by a little over 20,000 votes.

Their rematch for the battleground state could prove pivotal -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: So, at any minute, we could get a ruling by a federal appeals court on the fate of former Trump adviser Steve Bannon. His lawyers have asked that the U.S. Court of Appeals in D.C. issue a ruling by today on his request to remain out of prison.

Bannon's team argued that Bannon should remain free as he mounts further appeals, including, he says, all the way to the Supreme Court. Now, he's been ordered to surrender by July 1 to begin serving his four-month sentence for not complying with a House subpoena in the January 6 investigation.

And CNN is learning that sentence won't be carried out at the comfortable prison known as Club Fed that Bannon had hoped for.

CNN political correspondent Sara Murray joins us now with the details.

Sara, what are you learning about where he's going to serve time?

SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, I mean, we will see if any of these legal maneuvers manage to push Bannon's sentence back.

But, for now, as you said, he's not going to be headed to the cushiest of federal prisons, Club Fed, as you talk about, this minimum security prison camp. Instead, we have learned he's going to be headed to a low-security federal prison in Danbury, Connecticut.

So, you could have plenty of white-collar criminals there, but you could also have some potentially violent offenders. And part of this is because of the nature of Steve Bannon's conviction. He defied a subpoena from the House January 6 Committee for documents and testimony. He was sentenced to four months behind bars.

But he also has these criminal charges in New York for allegedly defrauding donors as part of this build the wall scheme along the southern border. They basically said he raised this money and then funneled it to himself and his friends.

And, as part of that, he may face some pretty uncomfortable conditions. If that still goes to trial later this year, and Bannon is in custody, he could have to spend some time in Rikers Island in jail there, certainly not something that anyone is looking forward to.

SANCHEZ: Yes, Rikers obviously carries quite the reputation.

Sara Murray, thanks so much for the reporting. Appreciate it.