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Twelve Million Texans Face Water Disruption After Storm; Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) Cancun Trip Sparks Outrage; Interview with Florida NAACP Manatee County President Robert Powell. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired February 18, 2021 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:00]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: The lingering bitter cold has broken pipes, making many homes uninhabitable.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our whole (INAUDIBLE) apartment, our whole apartment! Look at the -- y'all, I cannot believe this, I cannot. Y'all, I cannot believe it. I can't believe this (INAUDIBLE) puddles of water.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Homes getting damaged as grocery shelves are emptying out of supplies, and that includes bottled water, which is desperately needed as nearly 12 million people are facing water disruptions from systems buckling under the cold. People are being told to boil their water, but that is a challenge when there's no power. CNN's Ed Lavandera is joining me now from Dallas.

Ed, we should mention the weather is actually improving, but still some people may not have power for at least another day.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's going to take some time because now, I think, we're starting to move into the part -- the people who are without power might have been without power because of damage to power lines and that sort of thing. But there is still a great deal of work that needs to be done -- I don't want to minimize that -- in terms of getting the power generation fully restored.

But there's been a dramatic drop so far, you know, at its peak, we had about 4.4 million households without power across the state. That number is down to about 500,000, and it has really dropped significantly since late last night. So that is the good news.

The other bit of good news is that while there is some snowstorm still moving through parts of Texas, warmer temperatures expected here in the next day or two. So once we get above freezing, it sounds like things will begin to improve a little bit more quickly.

But we've also learned some new details, Brianna, of just how dangerously close, as bad as this has been, how dangerously close it could have been Monday night. We were told by a Texas congressman from Ft. Worth, Mark Veasey, yesterday that he had been told that the power grid system here in Texas was minutes away from a total collapse.

We had reached out to state power grid officials yesterday, didn't hear back. But in a conference call with reporters this morning, those power grid officials essentially confirming the details of that story, of just how precariously, dangerously close the entire power grid system here came to collapsing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL MAGNESS, CEO, ELECTRIC RELIABILITY COUNCIL OF TEXAS: Well, I think, you know, if we hadn't taken action, it wouldn't have been that we would have waited a few days and saw what happened, it was seconds and minutes. Given the amount of generation that was coming off the system, at the same time that the demand was still going up significantly.

We are going to walk away from this very soon, we hope, and have an electric system that works just like it did last week, because we were able to control the situation by using these outages, as difficult as they were.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: And Brianna, this is significant because as we well know, ERCOT, which is that state power grid agency, has been under tremendous fire and criticism, especially from the governor here in Texas, who is calling for an investigation of the organization, as well as executives to resign. But those officials are saying that they did what they had to do to prevent a worse catastrophe -- Brianna.

KEILAR: It's terrifying to hear him say that. Ed Lavandera, live for us in Dallas, thank you.

Despite his fellow Texans suffering, freezing, going hungry -- some of them even dying -- Senator Ted Cruz last night flew to Cancun, Mexico for a family vacation. There were pictures of him at the airport and on the plane that popped up on social media.

And moments ago, he confirmed that was him. He felt he needed to trade the prickly cactus of his recorded podcast for the inviting palm trees of the Yucatan Peninsula, apparently, in the middle of a crisis, a disaster of historic proportions. And what makes this even worse is that Cruz used police resources, in the middle of said crisis, to make his way to the sky zone, Houston Police confirming, moments ago, that Cruz' staff requested assistance to get him to the airport.

Now, the irony here is thick because one of Cruz' re-election selling points in 2018 was that he helped Texans during the Harvey disaster.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When disaster struck, Texans came together, helping each other, everyone doing their part. Like Ted Cruz, who brought home billions in disaster relief and passed emergency tax relief for those hit by Hurricane Harvey.

MARK HENRY, JUDGE, GALVESTON COUNTY: No official, state or federal, has been more involved in the recovery of Galveston County than Senator Ted Cruz.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When the hurricane hit, you stood up for Texas and Ted Cruz stood up for you.

SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX): I'm Ted Cruz and I approve this message.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: But now, Cruz is not up for re-election, he is abandoning hist state. It's bon voyage, MTV Spring Break-style, where, in Cancun, the temperature is a lovely 85 degrees. But in the city that he flew from, home to the people that he serves, it's near freezing there.

Of course, Cruz has already proven he's not too sentimental when it comes to those who are suffering through disasters, but normally it's other states. When heat waves caused massive power outages last year in California, Ted Cruz mocked the blue state after the governor called on folks to conserve energy.

Quote, "California is now unable to perform even basic functions of civilization, like having reliable electricity." Democrats "want to make California's failed energy policy the standard nationwide. Hope you don't like air conditioning!"

Now, when called out on his cruelty, this tweet, a couple days ago, Cruz said that he has no defense, and he did the Twitter equivalent of a shrug. "Not good," he said, about what was going on in his state. "Stay safe," he added, not long before Flyin' Ted made like Frankie Avalon and bounced back to the beach.

Joining me now is CNN political commentator Ana Navarro, and Lisa Falkenberg who is the editor of opinion at the "Houston Chronicle."

You know, Ana, to you first, I've spoken with many people in the past who are -- you know, they would consider themselves political foes of Ted Cruz, but they will tell you he is a very smart person. How did he do this?

ANA NAVARRO, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Incredible tone deafness, incredible lack of sensitivity. Look, Ted Cruz is not an electrical engineer, he's not going to go fix the electrical grid.

But people want to see, in the middle of a catastrophe like this, like a hurricane in Florida, for example, you want to see your local government, your state government, your federal government working in tandem. You want to feel that people understand, that your elected officials understand your suffering, your distress. You want to feel solidarity.

And when you take a look at -- you know, Beto O'Rourke was on a phone bank, checking in on seniors, and Chef Jose Andres with the World Central Kitchen, are on their way to Texas to help feed people. While their senator is on a flight to Cancun, to an adult playground, to go drink margaritas and get some sun? It is obnoxious, it is offensive. And from a political perspective, it is downright stupid.

KEILAR: Well, and that brings us to his statement, Lisa, because a short time ago, the senator responded with one. He said, "With school cancelled for the week, our girls asked to take a trip with friends. Wanting to be a good dad, I flew down with them last night and am flying back this afternoon. My staff and I are in constant communication with state and local leaders to get to the bottom of what happened in Texas... My team and I will continue using all our resources to keep Texans informed and safe."

Look, we've seen his wife in the pictures, but it seems like maybe he's insinuating that this was his plan to drop his daughters in Mexico? What are your thoughts on this?

LISA FALKENBERG, EDITOR OF OPINION, HOUSTON CHRONICLE: It's a sorry excuse. I mean, if you're trying to set an -- as Ana said, you should be setting example, as a leader for your state. You can set an example for your children as well, showing them that you're doing your job and you are representing Texans and trying to help in any way you can.

No, he can't fix the problem directly, this is largely a state issue, not a federal issue. But yes, we need his presence. We need for him to be advocating on behalf of Texans.

And here in Texas, the headline went from "Lyin' Ted" to "Flyin' Ted." He's already had, you know, newspapers in his home state calling for his resignation over his part in the Capitol riot. And coming on the wake of that, it just -- it's unbelievable. Because Ted Cruz is usually nothing but calculated, and this a very poor calculation, very callous.

KEILAR: And he -- you've covered him, Lisa, he's also very into social media, so it's not like this would have been surprising to him, that people would take pictures of him and this would pop up.

FALKENBERG: Exactly. I mean, I don't understand it except that sometimes he is known to put his own self-interest above those of the state, and this is just another example.

KEILAR: And Ana, this comes at a time where the CDC is urging people not to travel.

NAVARRO: Yes. Look, at least in these pictures he's wearing a mask. I've seen several pictures of him flying before, where he's not wearing a mask. And you know, Lisa's very right. What we've seen from Ted Cruz in January was him peddling lies that led to an insurrection, and an act of domestic terrorism that led to death and the injuries of over 140 police.

And what we see from him in February, is him fleeing the state while his constituents are burning furniture and sleeping in their cars in order to stay alive and not freeze to death. It is a level of who cares, it is a level of it's-all-about-me that really, you know, tells you he has no place in public service.

[14:10:10]

This is inexcusable, and Texas should be outraged. I think we are outraged on behalf of Texas because we are seeing the images of just how much they are suffering right now, and it should be enraging for all Texans, and he needs to do a lot better than just say the dog ate my homework, and I, you know, pretended that I'm going for one night to drop off my kids.

Look, we all saw the bags, we all know that's not true. At least confess to the fact that you were insensitive, that you made a mistake, and that it was very, very wrong for you to leave your state and your constituents in the midst of a crisis like this.

He should be, right now, on the phone, liaising with the federal government, talking to FEMA, figuring out what the federal efforts are going to be to help Texas. There are roles for federal officials for this, and he was derelict in his duty, the same way he was derelict in his duty during the impeachment trial and before that, peddling lies.

KEILAR: All right, I'm going to have you guys stay with me, if you would. I also want to get your reaction to something else, which is what Rick Perry, the former Texas governor and former energy secretary, said about the outages in Texas in a blog posted on House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy's website.

It says this, quote, "Texans would be without electricity for longer than three days to keep the federal government out of their business... the sun will come out, the temperature will moderate, and this will become part of our rear view mirror. Real leaders have to stay focused on looking over the horizon."

Judge Clay Jenkins, the highest elected official in Dallas County and its emergency management director, strongly disagrees with Perry.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLAY JENKINS (D), JUDGE, DALLAS COUNTY: the choice is not a federal takeover or people freezing in their homes, the choice is to require winterization of equipment like all 49 other states do, including those with as low or lower prices than we have.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Lisa, you're a native Texan. I wonder how people there will receive -- maybe more in the long term, when they have electricity and can pay more attention to this stuff -- how they will kind of receive Rick Perry saying, oh, just hang in there, we don't want to be reliant on the federal system, which, in this particular case, could have bailed Texas out.

FALKENBERG: I mean, tell that to the people who are boiling snow to flush their toilets, tell that to the parents who are rushing (ph) their children to the E.R. with carbon monoxide poisoning because they tried to keep them warm by bringing in unsafe equipment, outside grills and things like that. Tell that to the Texans who are watching their little toddlers breathing, their breath appear in the living room, under winter coats as they're trying to keep warm.

I don't know where Rick Perry is right now, but he's probably not one of the people who's toting water in to flush toilets and struggling to keep warm.

You know, as governor, he at times showed flashes of compassion, and this is just -- this is outrageous. I think some of Ted Cruz' behavior, I'm almost numb to it at this point because you just kind of expect it, but this is really surprising thing, that Rick Perry has said, and frankly you know, it's disgusting.

For those who have long wanted Texas to be its own country? Well, we got our wish, didn't we? (INAUDIBLE) from this century. I mean, you can't believe in the energy capital of the country, right here in Houston, where I am, that you're begging for enough propane to fill a generator, that you're begging outside, in long lines at the grocery store, to get a few rationed bottles of water.

Governor Perry, this is not fine. Nobody would put up with even a day more of this to escape some federal rules that just might require weatherization and prudent preparation for a worst-case scenario like this.

KEILAR: So well put there, Lisa.

I do want to change topics real quick with you, Ana, because we actually learned today that Ivanka Trump has told Florida Senator Marco Rubio she will not challenge him in next year's primary. Why do you think that is?

NAVARRO: Oh, I don't know. But I also don't know that I would take anything that a Trump says as the Bible -- given that Marco likes to tweet the Bible out so much -- because what we have seen from Trumps is that they have no loyalty to anyone.

We saw the way they've treated Mitch McConnell and they've treated Mike Pence and they've treated Kevin McCarthy, people who were incredibly loyal to them. And so if I were Marco, I wouldn't be breathing easy assuming he wants to run for re-election.

[14:15:05]

And also, do not forget that there's another Trump child who's apparently moving to Florida, and that's Donald Trump Jr., who I suspect has liked his taste of politics.

And look, if you were in the middle of trying to get Marco Rubio to not vote to convict your father in an impeachment trial, maybe you'd promise not to run against him too.

KEILAR: Ana Navarro, Lisa Falkenberg, thank you so much. You both have been very generous with your time, thank you.

NAVARRO: Thank you, Brianna. KEILAR: Next, the governors of America's four biggest states, under

intense pressure for their response to the COVID crisis, and that includes Florida's governor, Ron DeSantis, who threatened to yank vaccines from one county after criticism that the wealthy were getting special treatment.

Plus, the man seen inside the Capitol with zip ties -- you can see him here in the tactical gear he was wearing -- ordered to stay in jail, and the judge is keeping his mom detained too.

And later, details on President Biden's proposal to offer a path to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants.

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[14:20:34]

KEILAR: Americans in the country's four biggest states are furious with their governors, demanding answers and action. In New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo, now under scrutiny by the FBI for an alleged cover-up of nursing home COVID deaths. Cuomo says no excuses, we should have done a better job in providing information. He is denying that there was any cover-up.

On the West Coast, California Governor Gavin Newsom, facing a possible recall vote over his handling of spiking coronavirus numbers. People in California are also calling him out for attending a crowded dinner during a COVID lockdown period.

Governor Greg Abbott of Texas is accused of deflecting blame for the massive power outages there. The debate over where and how Texas gets its power, and Abbott is blaming problems with renewable energy sources, even though the state relies on natural gas. That's why -- or predominantly, I should say. That's while millions of people in Texas have no electricity in the middle of a major winter storm.

Then, in Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis is accused of playing politics with the coronavirus vaccine. A state COVID vaccination site popped up in a very wealthy, exclusive neighborhood, and many Florida residents want the governor to keep vaccine distribution fair.

And this is the issue that we're going to delve into now. We're talking about Lakewood Ranch, which is a relatively wealthy, predominantly white retirement community that's located in Manatee County, Florida. It was reportedly hand-picked for a pop-up vaccination site, 3,000 doses just for residents there, when other parts of Manatee County have a lottery system for the vaccine.

Listen to Governor DeSantis yesterday, insisting this wasn't about zip codes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. RON DESANTIS (R), FLORIDA: If Manatee County doesn't like us doing this, then we are totally fine with putting this in counties that want it, and we're totally happy to do that. So anyone that's saying that, let us know. If you want us to send it to Sarasota next time or Charlotte or Pasco or wherever, let us know, we're happy to do it.

But I think most people, if we have an opportunity to bring vaccines and do it efficiently, I think that they're going to want it. And so, you know, there's going to be folks that are going to complain about getting more vaccines? I'll tell you what, I mean, I wouldn't be complaining, I'd be thankful that we're able to do it.

Because you know what, we didn't need to do this at all. We saw a need, we want to get the numbers up for seniors, and so the logical thing was let's go to where there's a high concentration of seniors.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Robert Powell is with us now. He is the president of the Manatee County branch of the NAACP.

You know, Robert, the governor, you heard him there, he's saying it's not about white and privilege, it's about getting senior citizens vaccinated. Do you buy this?

ROBERT POWELL, PRESIDENT, MANATEE COUNTY NAACP: I want to buy it, but it's kind of hard to believe at this point. Because of the -- how things went down. It's unfortunate because the black and brown community are suffering here the most, and for them to do it that way, to just limit it to that zip code, really just -- it actually just blew my mind, to tell you the truth, that they would do it that way.

I mean, I'm happy that we're getting the doses of the vaccine higher, but we want it to be done fairly and spread out over the entire county, not just there. And they wouldn't allow any other people to get the vaccine, so that troubled me, that troubled my community.

KEILAR: Yes, people couldn't go over to that dedicated pop-up unless they were from that area.

POWELL: Right.

KEILAR: In a county commission meeting this morning, the chair took responsibility for making the list of who would get vaccines, and for putting herself on it although she says she didn't actually get the shot. She also thanked Governor DeSantis. So I want to listen to some of that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VANESSA BAUGH, CHAIR, MANATEE COUNTY COMMISSION: I am thankful and appreciate the governor, that he brought 3,000 additional doses of vaccine to this county. It's 3,000 more than we would have had.

Now, I understand a lot of people are upset because it didn't go where they wanted it to go, OK? I understand that. But at the same time, he wanted to have it in Lakewood Ranch because the majority of the population are elderly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[14:25:02]

KEILAR: She says people are upset because it didn't go where they wanted it to go. But are people upset because of that? Or are they upset because it seems like maybe this is going to an affluent place, or this is going to a place where people might more closely hew to the governor's politics? What do you think?

POWELL: I think all of that. And one of the things that they're most upset about was the fact that nobody else could go out there, whereas the other sites that we have been (ph) vaccination and things like that, you enter a lottery no matter where you live and you are able to go.

We had one not long ago in our black community, and actually like 66 percent of the people that came were white. So I mean, if he would have opened it up to everybody, I don't think it would have been a big deal.

But to limit it to that area and just that zip code, and saying, OK, nobody else can go there to get the vaccine, that was really tough because, you know, so many people in our area need it, as opposed to out there.

KEILAR: Yes. Robert, I really appreciate you joining us today, Robert Powell with the Manatee County NAACP, thank you.

POWELL: Thank you, ma'am.

KEILAR: Next, CNN has learned the FBI once investigated the links between longtime Trump confidant Roger Stone and the far-right Proud Boys.

Plus, the GameStop scandal makes its way to Capito Hill: hear how the CEO of Robinhood explained what happened.

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