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One Day Away, Biden and Trump Face Off Tomorrow Night in CNN Debate; DHS Says, Migrant Apprehensions Down 40 Percent Since Biden's Asylum Restrictions; CNN Reports, Latimer Beats Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D- NY) in New York Democratic Primary. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired June 26, 2024 - 07:00   ET

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

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[07:00:00]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Put the kids to bed, hang the stockings by the fire, it is historic CNN debate eve. The brand new spin from both campaigns this morning is what they claim their candidates will not do tomorrow night.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Plus, the trial begins in Russia for detained American Journalist Evan Gershkovich, on what the U.S. State Department says is a bogus espionage charge. In court, just hours ago, you see him there, the first time he's been seen publicly in months.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Parts of the Midwest underwater this morning still. Water rescues, levee failures and a dam at risk of collapse. After days of relentless rain, what cities are now doing as they remain at major flood levels.

For I'm Kate Bolduan with Sara Sidner and John Berman. This is CNN News Central.

BERMAN: Grover Cleveland and Benjamin Harrison never had this much fun. For the first time in history, a sitting president debates a former president. For the first time in history, a general election debate is in June. And for the first time in history, it is at 9:00 P.M. tomorrow night from CNN headquarters in Atlanta.

These are the last few hours that's it. I can keep going.

BOLDUAN: I was going to pause, but I'd love to see it.

BERMAN: These are the last few hours for the Biden campaigns and the Trump campaigns to spin and make claims about what the candidates will do. The news this morning seems to be the suggestion about what they will not do. We are told not to expect new policy from President Biden, and we are told that advisers hope Donald Trump is not as aggressive as he was the first debate four years ago and will not go down any rabbit holes beyond a few main issues.

CNN's Alayna Treene covers the Trump campaign and is with us now. So, what's the latest from there, Alayna? ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Well, look, you're exactly right, John. Donald Trump's team does not want him to focus on his grievances. Instead, they really want Donald Trump to talk about three key issues, all areas where they believe that Donald Trump polls higher than Joe Biden, and that's the economy, immigration and crime. We've heard this many times. These are the three issues that they really are prioritizing ahead of November and think Democrats are more vulnerable on.

But they also don't want him to be as aggressive as he was back in that first debate in 2020. Remember when Donald Trump has, you know, continuously cut Joe Biden off, barely let him get a word in, and we saw Trump's poll numbers fall shortly after that. And so that is what Trump's team is trying to push Donald Trump.

Now, of course, anyone who argues that they know which Donald Trump is going to show up on the debate stage on Thursday, they're lying. They do not know if Donald Trump is going to meander, if he's going to go on rants, if he's going to focus on some of his grievances. But that's really what they are pushing him toward.

Now, even though Donald Trump and his team are continuously saying that he doesn't need a lot of prep that unlike Joe Biden, he has not hunkered down, he has been in Mar-a-Lago for the past two days with nothing on his schedule and has been focusing on debate prep sessions, on these informal policy sessions with his advisers, with his team. And they are trying to really sharpen his rhetoric on many issues.

And it's not just the ones that he wants to focus about. They're also doing, you know, some recon on things that they think Trump himself is vulnerable on. That includes his plans to protect American democracy and his handling of the January 6th attack on the Capitol, his rhetoric on abortion, something Donald Trump has struggled with, as well as how to frame his conviction last month in a Manhattan courtroom.

And so these are all things that the Trump team is in Donald Trump's ear on trying to get him in the best shape they can before the two men find themselves on the debate stage tomorrow night. John?

BERMAN: Two days with nothing on the schedule at Mar-a-Lago. That sure does seem like debate prep. They can call it whatever they want. Alayna Treene, thanks so much for your reporting this morning. Kate?

[07:05:00]

BOLDUAN: Also out this morning, new numbers from the Department of Homeland Security showing a significant drop in the number of people trying to cross the southern border illegally. DHS says this morning that since President Biden announced the crackdown on asylum claims earlier this month, the seven-day average of migrant apprehensions has dropped by more than 40 percent, to under 2,400 encounters a day.

That is still not yet low enough, though, for the DHS secretary to begin lifting those new asylum restrictions. Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is headed to Arizona to visit the southern border today, just as President Biden and Donald Trump are sure to be readying their pitch and attack lines on the border crisis and immigration writ large for CNN's presidential debate tomorrow.

Joining me right now is the Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas. Secretary, thank you so much for coming in. So, looking at this new data coming out from your department, in the three weeks since the executive order took, your department reports a 40 percent drop in apprehensions. Can you say that this change, this trend is a direct result of that policy or is this also seasonal fluctuations?

ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY: Kate, we indeed have seen a tremendous success early on, and I should emphasize that it is early on in our implementation of the president's proclamation and our accompanying regulation. It is a part of a whole. It is an important element of the success that we have reached. But in addition, we have built lawful pathways for people who qualify for relief to access the United States humanitarian relief program in a safe and orderly way. So, I wouldn't look at this in isolation. It's part of a larger effort.

I must say though at the very outset that this is no substitute for congressional action. It is only Congress that can fix our broken immigration system and deliver to the American people an enduring solution.

BOLDUAN: I mean, one thing that is long known, speaking to that is that more immigration judges are needed. That has to come from funding from Congress. That's definitely not in the offing anytime soon. You talk about looking at it as a whole in the broader context. If you look at the numbers over recent years, 2018 to now, in terms of number of encounters at the southern border, the numbers that you're looking at today And during the Biden administration are still quite a bit higher and more problematic now than during the Trump years. Why is that?

MAYORKAS: Kate, let's look at it in context. In 2019, there was almost a 100 percent increase in the number of encounters over 2018. That was the trend not only at the southern border of the United States but also throughout the region and the world. And then COVID struck in 2020 and really put an end to travel -- intercountry travel to a great extent.

We now have around the world the greatest level of displaced people since World War II, if not before then. And so what we are encountering at the southern border is not unique to the United States. It's something that a number of countries around the region and the world are confronting. And that is why we have to make sure that our broken and outdated system that has not been amended since 1996 is actually fixed to meet the challenges of today and not so many years ago.

BOLDUAN: If President Biden's border policies are working and having an impact, why do voters feel that they are not? Why do voters feel like Donald Trump can handle it better in poll after poll?

MAYORKAS: Kate, look, the fact of the matter is our policy is working. Our policies are working. We need our system fixed. The numbers that we inherited in 2021 were on the cusp of the COVID-19 pandemic and do not speak to the trends in immigration preceding the pandemic.

What we have done, what this administration has done, is we have brought the economy moving forward. We have conquered the COVID-19 pandemic more rapidly and more effectively than any other country. And so with a booming economy and with a healthy American public, we have regained our stature as the place of destination where everyone wants the opportunities that only America offers.

We need a system that can actually manage that desire in an orderly and logical and legal way.

[07:10:02]

We need the system fixed. And until that happens, the president is going to lead and use his executive authorities.

BOLDUAN: It still remains a disconnect between what I'm hearing you say in the messaging from the administration and what we do see consistently in poll after poll that is going to be up for the president to make his case tomorrow night in the CNN debate.

One thing I'm very curious about, there's been a lot of coverage on, are these eight Tajik nationals that were arrested this month believed to have connections to ISIS after they entered the U.S. crossing at the southern border last year. Federal authorities have not disclosed publicly what led investigators to believe that the men might be involved in terrorism to need to track them and pick them up. That investigation seems to still be happening. They have not been charged. But how real was the threat, Secretary?

MAYORKAS: Kate, it is our responsibility, our highest responsibility to protect the safety and security of the American people. And that's what our remarkable men and women in DHS do every single day. We screen and vet individuals at the border when we encounter them. If we learn of information subsequently that gives us any cause for concern, we take law enforcement action. That is indeed what we did in this case. And we are seeking to remove these individuals. They are in custody and in proceedings now.

BOLDUAN: But how does this fact, how does this circumstance and others not support and back up the criticism coming at the Biden administration that the border is not secure?

MAYORKAS: Kate, every year, every single year we encounter individuals that do indeed pose a threat to our public safety. That is not something unique to this administration. When I was the deputy secretary, when I was the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, when I was a federal prosecutor in the 1990s for 12 years, we encountered individuals of concern and we took enforcement action. That's not something that is unique.

In fact, in this administration, the different agencies and departments across the federal enterprise are working more cooperatively and more effectively and doing more robust screening and vetting than ever before.

The security and safety of the American public is our highest priority. These individuals are in custody, and they are in proceedings to remove them from the United States.

BOLDUAN: I've also just been handed some information, Secretary, I wanted to ask you about. This is some new reporting coming from the Associated Press about the arrests. There have been arrests in the murder of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray in Houston. This is a terrible story on its own, on its face. And it's also become a political flashpoint in the discussion that we're having right now about border policy, because as the A.P. is reporting now, a second Venezuelan man living in the United States illegally has been accused of killing this 12-year-old Houston girl and was ordered on Tuesday to be held on a $10 million bond, another man charged with capital murder in this 12- year-old's death as well.

This is something that's really that you have faced criticism for and how you've responded to these horrific -- these tragedies and deaths. What do you say about this news?

MAYORKAS: Kate, what I say is what I have said throughout, that our hearts are with the families of the victims. The criminals who committed these heinous acts must be held responsible with the fullest force of the law. And I saw cases like this in the 1990s when I served as a federal prosecutor. And we imposed the full force of the law then, and we will do so now. Our hearts are with the families, and we will hold the criminals accountable.

BOLDUAN: And looking ahead to tomorrow and the CNN debate, have you offered advice to President Biden, spoken about the best way you think to present Biden's record, your record, on immigration and border security? What does winning on this issue when you know polls are not reflecting it -- what does winning on this issue look like on a debate stage tomorrow?

MAYORKAS: Kate, I am incredibly proud to serve as the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security under President Biden's leadership. I have tremendous admiration for his leadership evidenced by the executive action that he has taken. I'm incredibly proud of the leadership that he's exhibited in every facet of our work, not only across the Department of Homeland Security, but across the federal government, his leadership of the American people in bringing our country back to its prominence around the world.

[07:15:11]

I have full confidence in the president and I hope that Congress takes the action that it has failed to take and the president has stepped into the breach and taken his executive authority to the fullest extent.

BOLDUAN: One thing that is fact and not up for debate is that Congress has failed to act with regard to immigration policy very recently and for years, but still a huge topic this will become tomorrow night on the CNN debate. And you're headed to Arizona to see the -- to do another fact-finding mission at the southern border today. Secretary Mayorkas, thank you for your time.

MAYORKAS: Thank you.

BOLDUAN: Sara?

SIDNER: All right. Thank you, Kate. Minutes from now, just this morning, WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange, who spent years in prison and has now pleaded guilty to espionage, has arrived back in Australia. WikiLeaks holding a press conference this morning. Will we hear from Assange himself?

Plus, one of the key progressive leaders in the House gets trounced in his primary in New York. Details ahead.

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[07:20:00]

BOLDUAN: A bad night for progressives, and the squad is now down one member. CNN projects New York Congressman Jamaal Bowman will not be re-elected, losing the Democratic primary to George Latimer. One issue that took center stage in this primary, the Israel-Hamas War, Bowman accused Israel of genocide and faced backlash for it. This race really highlighting the deep and growing divisions within the Democratic Party over that war and conflict.

CNN's Eva McKend has much more on this race. She's joining us now. Eva, what are you hearing about this result this morning?

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: You know, though, Congressman Bowman had some well reported political vulnerabilities, Kate, going into this contest, his loss really underscores that the progressive movement still faces an uphill battle in Washington. Despite voting with President Biden more than 90 percent of the time, Bowman was really portrayed as someone who was no longer in sync with the White House or his district.

That amount of money poured in from the pro-Israel lobby to negatively define him was quite significant. A super PAC linked to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee dumped around $15 million. That's more than any outside group has ever spent on a House race and ultimately was too much for him to overcome. And Bowman had a well resourced and well positioned opponent in the Westchester County Executive who ultimately prevailed. Let's listen.

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REP. JAMAAL BOWMAN (D-NY): Now, our opponents, not opponent, may have won this round, at this time, in this place. But this will be a battle for our humanity for the rest of our lives.

GEORGE LATIMER (D), NEW YORK CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: You are included, no matter what your demographic is. It doesn't matter your age, color of your skin, your religion, sexual identity, whether you're a right hander or a left hander, whether you're a Met fan or a Yankee fan, well -- and our inclusiveness in Westchester County is how we have governed.

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MCKEND: Now Bowman was the district's first black Congressman. All eyes now turned to Congresswoman Cori Bush in St. Louis, who famously slept on the steps of the Capitol to call attention to the plight of housing insecure people during the pandemic, and if she will be able to withstand a similar challenge from the pro-Israel lobby later this summer. Kate?

BOLDUAN: So, Eva, that's one of the, one of the big results coming out of New York, also some big messages and big results coming in Republican primaries as well.

MCKEND: Yes. Former President Trump made many endorsements, and while Congresswoman Lauren Boebert in Colorado was successful running in a different district by doing that, she sort of jumped districts there by reading the political tea leaves. So, the former president endorsed a replacement for Senator Mitt Romney in Utah, who was unsuccessful. Ultimately, Utah voters selected John Curtis, who was a Trump skeptic. So, the Trump endorsement not always a sure bet in every Republican primary, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Yes, another example of that. Eva, it's great to see you. John?

BERMAN: All right. This morning, large-scale evacuations after a wildfire tripled in size within an hour. And at this moment, this fire is 0 percent contained.

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[07:25:00]

SIDNER: This morning, WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange returned to Australia, you see him there coming down the plane, and is a free man after spending years in a British prison and fighting extradition to the U.S. over his role in one of the largest breaches of U.S. classified material ever.

His organization, WikiLeaks, published a trove of leaked classified documents about the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that U.S. authorities have said believes that his actions put lives in danger.

Journalist Alex Thomas joins us by phone right now at a news conference being held at this moment by WikiLeaks. Alex, have you seen Assange in the room? A lot of people are wondering if we're going to hear from him today.

ALEX THOMAS, JOURNALISTS (voice over): No, I haven't seen him. And it's absolute chaos here. And the reason I'm speaking to you on the phone is because there are so many people on their mobile phones streaming video of the family of Assange coming from the airport, streaming online, taking photos. We've got dozens of camera crews here from Australia and across the world. All connectivity is completely collapsed, even using WiFi and all the broadcast systems that we have at our disposal.

So, it's a pandemonium here, hundreds turning up at a small hotel about ten minutes away from Canberra airport, just outside the capital of Australia.

[07:30:01]

The political hub of this country and certainly close to the seat of power that's been so instrumental in securing Julian --