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Joe Biden Approves Disaster Declaration For Texas; Congresswomen Survey Impact Of Storm That Crippled Power Grid; WH Advisor: Bad Weather Created Backlog Of Six Million COVID Vaccines; House To Vote On Biden's $1.9 Trillion Relief Bill; Graham Heading To FL To Meet With Trump Amid GPO Divisions; DOJ Charges Nine Oath Keeper Suspects In Biggest Insurrection Conspiracy To Date; Biden Admin Begins Gradual Entry Of Migrants Forced To Stay In Mexico Under Trump Era Policy. Aired 12-1p ET

Aired February 20, 2021 - 12:00   ET

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

[12:00:00]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: And carrying her own baked items that she has just purchased, which also sends a very strong signal of just, you know, I want to be able to be - any - in all places as the First Lady.

KATE BENNETT, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and I think that's what we're going to continue to see from Joe Biden. This is someone who has an agenda and is ready to go and is ready to be focused, and have to watch this unfold, but one month in certainly, and she's taking on quite a bit.

All right, Kate Bennett, thanks so much. Good to see you.

WHITFIELD: Alright, hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me, I'm Fredricka Whitfield. All right, we begin in Texas. President Joe Biden approved a major disaster declaration for the state, as millions face a shortage of food and water and heat.

Right now, nearly half of the Texas population is under boil-water advisory, after frigid temperatures crippled the power grid. Thousands of people are waiting in long lines, if they're able to do so, trying to get their hands on bottled water. And today, several Democratic Congresswomen are surveying the damage left by that winter storm, which knocked out power to millions of Texans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-NY): When disaster strikes, this is not just an issue for Texans, this is an issue for our entire country, and our whole country needs to come and rally together behind the needs of Texans all across the state.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. The storms have also created a backlog of coronavirus vaccines; the White House saying 6 million doses have been unable to be distributed because of the weather. All right let's get started with the millions struggling in Texas

right now. CNN's Natasha Chen is at a food bank in Houston. Natasha, certainly a disastrous situation, they are across the state, what are you seeing and what are you hearing from people there?

NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, the desperation right now is really related to the water crisis that's happened since the weather has warmed up a little bit, and the power is starting to come back for a lot of people.

Now it's all about the burst pipes in people's homes. There are about more than 1300 water systems in the state affected by this and that's really covering more than 60 percent of Texas counties. And we had people yesterday coming up to us, showing us pictures of the burst pipes in their apartment homes, the flooded rooms in their homes.

And so, there's a lot of - there are a lot of folks who are very concerned about how long it's going to take for those repairs to happen. Some of them don't have a place to stay. And the food bank where we're at, the three Congresswomen, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Representative Sheila Jackson Lee and Representative Sylvia Garcia, they were here to talk about the crisis, and as you said to survey the area, but also Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio- Cortez had helped raise more than $3 million now for several Texas organizations, including the food bank, where they volunteer today.

Here's Representative Sheila Jackson Lee talking about what she's hearing from constituents.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. SHEILA JACKSON LEE (D-TX): We were getting calls from children, adult children, whose parents live in older homes left behind that were trying to get them out of the freezing conditions because they thought they might die during the night. That was unacceptable and unnecessary.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHEN: And there is a boil water notice in so many places, including here in Houston, many cities telling their residents to please conserve water. The Houston Police Chief yesterday telling folks, please take two-minute showers and other cities asking people not to wash their cars. So, a lot of this is still happening even as the weather improves, Fred.

WHITFIELD: OK. All right, Natasha, thanks so much. And I understand that Texas - Houston Mayor has spoken recently, we're going to try and find out what he's been able to share with his constituents momentarily on this crisis.

All right, with me right now to talk more about the crisis unfolding in Texas is Derrick Chubbs. He is the President and CEO of the Central Texas Food Bank. Derrick, good to talk to you. Last time we talked we were talking about the greatest needs as a result of the pandemic. And now, on top of that, you've got added need because of dire situations there because of this weather.

So, tell me how you're meeting the demand and what are the demands, what are you hearing from people?

DERRICK CHUBBS, PRESIDENT AND CEO, CENTRAL TEXAS FOOD BANK: Well, it's just as you said, it's - food insecurity and the challenges associated with food insecurity is one thing. But then when you pile on the pandemic that we've talked much and talked quite a bit about, and now we pile on this unprecedented weather event that we're all looking at, the need is higher right now than we've ever seen before.

Also, I need to mention that it has also impacted our food banks. Our food bank here in Central Texas in Austin, we were down for this entire past week because our fleet, our equipment, our facility, everything was impacted by the low temperatures. We had pipes that broke as well.

[12:05:00]

So, we are literally just getting back on our feet and trying to start to do distributions again today. In fact, when we finish this interview, I'll be headed to a mass distribution, where I'm told the parking lot is already full and we'll be trying to distribute food and water as long as our water last, I expect to give all of that away.

But we're seeing the exact same thing that we've been seeing over the past several months, and instead people (inaudible).

WHITFIELD: So people had already gotten the word that you were going to have distribution at that location, even though you've been hampered by all of these other obstacles, and they are waiting, and waiting for you and others for reinforcements essentially to get that assistance out. I mean, that's quite extraordinary.

Well, let me ask you about other efforts that are taking place. On the federal level, you've got of course Texas Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, who is all hands-on deck. And then she was joined today by New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who has helped get contributions in the - to the tune of nearly $2 million to $3 million to help food banks such as yours and others. How much does that kind of assistance give, I mean, how does that help you kind of go a few extra miles for people?

CHUBBS: It is absolutely essential that we get that type of support, and I could not - and I'll speak for myself as well as my fellow Food Bank CEOs that were all - all of us that were able to get some of these donations, one of the challenges that we're going to start to see is the food supply or the supply chain as well.

And what those donations give us the opportunity to do, it gives us the opportunity to purchase the types of food that we need to meet the needs. We all know that water is in very short supply at this juncture. We're all reaching out all across the country to try and get water. Water is on its way, thank goodness.

WHITFIELD: So what about the delivery though, right, because I mean we're talking about coronavirus and the vaccine deliveries that have been hampered by this, then what about the deliveries that you're expecting in the form of food and water, when so many roads are impassable or there have been so many obstacles that have created these delays?

CHUBBS: Yes, there have been, and we expect those to continue. We're hoping, as we try and return back to normal operations next week, that the roads and the warm roads will start to clear, and these donations will start to appear.

But we're all chasing this thing at this juncture, and I don't know when or if we'll be able to catch up, both from a water perspective, as well as from a food donation perspective. So, we find ourselves yet again in a crisis that's just as challenging as what we've been seeing during the pandemic.

WHITFIELD: So, you're not only overseeing and leading this effort at your food bank, but you're also coming into close contact with people who are in desperate need. They're reaching out to you directly in many cases telling you what they need. Can you think of a few instances of family or individual stories that have really touched you, or help underscore how great the need is right now?

CHUBBS: I think one of the most heartwarming stories that I heard had to do with a family who was basically bringing in other families from their entire neighborhood, primarily because they had a stove that could burn wood.

The power was out throughout the entire neighborhood. The water wasn't running, there was no heat, and they were literally opening their doors to their entire street, and to get as many people in the house as they possibly could. And so, I think we've seen neighbors trying to help neighbors. We ourselves, from a food bank perspective, have tried to support our other food banks.

But this is something that we've - that we have not seen in quite a while and hope to never see again. But I think we're all just banding together to try and get through this thing, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Well, but I think that we have seen it so many times, that really has been kind of the Texas way, right. I mean, we saw that during Hurricane Harvey and even now, it's been the case for some of my family members, where my aunt Frieda (ph) was taken in by her neighbor on her street because she lost power and water, and her neighbors were able to - were still able to have that and open their doors not just to her, but to other people who were suffering the same way.

CHUBBS: Yes.

WHITFIELD: So that's wonderful and heartwarming stories to see many times over there in Texas. Well, Derrick Chubbs, thank you so much, all the best to you and good luck today as you make your way to that distribution center where people are anxiously awaiting.

CHUBBS: Thank you very much. [12:10:00]

WHITFIELD: All right. And then Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner just recently spoke to reporters. Let's listen in on what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR SYLVESTER TURNER (D), HOUSTON, TX: The system across the board has now normalized itself. Couple of days ago, the water pressure, for example, was around averaging 29. And then on yesterday, we say between 32 and 34, 35. You want to be 35 and above across the entire system. But today, because of the efforts of Public Works, Director Carol Haddock and her team, we are above 50 PSI, above 50.

(APPLAUSE)

So, you should be seeing a noticeable improvement in your water pressure. And - and so, I have said that the goal was to come out of this Boil Water Notice, I said on Monday could - a day or two on either end, could be Sunday, could be Tuesday, but Monday I thought I just want to - we are just working around the clock.

The team is working around the clock to expedite us coming out of it but wanting to make sure that the water - the quality of the water is good. And so, they are doing a Yeoman's - Yeoman's job. We have one of the largest water systems in the entire country, in the entire country. So, they're doing a Yeoman's job and let me - let me bring up Director Carol Haddock for her report.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, we're hearing from the Houston Mayor there who says and announces that there are water pressure and quality improvements being made there in the Houston area for residents. We will keep tabs on other developments.

All right. Meantime, federal money is now on the way to the state. President Biden has approved a major disaster declaration for Texas and says planning to head to - he is planning rather to head to Texas later on in the week. All right. For more on this, let's bring in Priscilla Alvarez. Priscilla, so how will this new disaster declaration make a sizable difference for the folks in Texas?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN IMMIGRATION REPORTER: This is a significant action by President Biden that, as you mentioned, really unlocks more federal resources to go to the state. So, here's what FEMA says the assistance will provide. It will have grants for temporary housing and repairs, but it will also include loans to cover uninsured property losses, as well as opening up other programs for Texas residents.

So again, this is significant for Texans who suffered devastating losses throughout the week. Now Texas Governor Greg Abbott has responded, and he has called this an important first step and said that the state will continue to work with federal partners to help the state get back up on its feet. WHITFIELD: All right. Priscilla Alvarez, thank you so much. We'll check back with you. And for more information about how you can help Texas through this winter storm, go to cnn.com/impact.

All right, so who bears responsibility for the mass blackouts and the lack of resources? Well, it depends on who you ask. The debate over accountability straight ahead. Plus, the House is expected to approve President Biden's massive coronavirus relief package next week, but there are some key issues that are dividing Democrats. Can they find common ground in the debate over minimum wage?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:15:00]

WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back. House Democrats take another step toward passing President Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief deal. Lawmakers unveiling the bill which includes a $15 federal minimum wage hike and funding for stimulus checks, schools and the vaccine rollout. I'm joined now by CNN's White House correspondent Arlette Saenz, so, and to Suzanne Malveaux on Capitol Hill. So, Suzanne, you first, what's the latest?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, good afternoon. This is going to happen within just weeks at lightning speed. The President Biden had hoped that there would be in his first piece of legislation bipartisan support, it's not going to happen. The Democrats have just a slightest lead in both the House and the Senate. They're using a process of budget reconciliation.

They do not need the Republicans to push this through. They say there's a sense of urgency here that millions of Americans are suffering. And these are just some of the highlights that is part of this $1.9 trillion COVID package.

They're talking about $1,400 in direct checks, stimulus payments for those making $75,000 or less, enhance unemployment aid from $300 to $400 a week for the 11 million Americans unemployed, assistance for small businesses, money for childcare, aid for states, local tribal governments in the tune of $350 billion, schools $170 billion, increased support for vaccines in the tune of $20 billion. And Fred, as you had mentioned, an increase in the minimum wage of $15 an hour.

Now, the senate parliamentarian would have to approve that because there are strict rules when it comes to a budget bill and what is included in that. There are also some Democrats, Fred, who do not want to see that minimum wage hike as part of this bill, at least two of them, that being Joe Manchin and also Kyrsten Sinema. So, that might not be ultimately included in this. But the timetable here, really very, very fast. Monday is when the House Budget Committee will meet to take all of this up.

Speaker Pelosi says they hope for a vote from the full House by the end of the week, it kicks over to the Senate, potentially back to the House the week of March 8, and then look for the deadline here, March 14. That is when they hope to get on the President's desk for a signing because that is when those critical unemployment benefits run out for so many Americans, Fred.

WHITFIELD: And Suzanne, does the President feel a little bit more comfortable or confident that there might be some Republican support in the Senate in that second week of March?

[12:20:00]

MALVEAUX: There is no sense that the Republicans are signing on to this. There was a $600 billion plan that the Republicans, a group of senators brought forward and spoke with the President about. That has been roundly dismissed by the administration and by the Democrats, and so they are going to try to move this forward to get this done with Democratic support alone.

There were some Democrats and some Republicans who were talking about splitting off the vaccination distribution money from the rest of the package, so that you'd have some sense of bipartisanship. Ultimately, that debate was ended; that didn't go anywhere. And so, they're talking about this full thing, and it is going to be big, and it is going to have (ph) Democratic support.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks, Suzanne. Arlette, to you now, coronavirus vaccinations have been delayed. We're talking about Texas in particular, with all that bad weather and in some other states too, there have been some shipping delays. So, what kind of steps has the White House taken to kind of make up for lost time?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, the White House has acknowledged that there have been some setbacks in that vaccine distribution due to those severe winter storms across the south and they are taking steps to try to make sure that they get those vaccines out to the states.

A top White House COVID Advisor Andy Slavitt, yesterday said the states are about to begin receiving more vaccines than ever before. They will be shipping out not just this past week's shipments, but also next week's doses as well. And one thing that the White House is really encouraging these states to do is ramp up their vaccination appointments and also extend hours for those vaccinations to actually take place.

There have been so many setbacks in these states that have been affected by the winter storm and right now, there's a backlog of about 6 million vaccine doses from this past week. Now yesterday, President Biden traveled to a Pfizer facility in Michigan, where he not only was promoting that $1.9 trillion COVID relief package, but was also stressing the safety and efficacy of this vaccine.

But one thing that the President was very careful about was placing any type of timeline on when things could return to normal in this country. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I believe we'll be approaching normalcy by the end of this year. God willing, this Christmas will be different than last. But I can't make that commitment to you through other strains of the virus. We don't know what could happen in terms of production rates, things can change. But we're doing everything the science has indicated we should do, and people are stepping up to get everything done, that has to be done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: Now one major question that still remains is, when Americans will all be able to receive this vaccine. The president saying that vaccinations will be available, or those vaccines will be available for all Americans by the end of July, but it's unclear exactly when those shots will be in American's arms.

WHITFIELD: All right. Arlette Saenz, Suzanne Malveaux, thanks to both of you ladies, appreciate it.

All right, a short time ago, Prince Charles was seen arriving at a London hospital where his father Prince Philip is currently staying. The 99-year-old was admitted Tuesday evening as a precaution, we're told, after feeling unwell according to a royal source. It was not an emergency, we're told, and Prince Philip walked into the hospital unaided and the source added that his illness was not COVID related. We'll have more right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:25:00]

WHITFIELD: All right, today Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Sheila Jackson Lee and Sylvia Garcia surveyed the power grid that left millions of Texans in the cold. And this comes just days after Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz abruptly returned from a family trip to Cancun, Mexico, as millions of people in his state suffered. He has since apologized for leaving in the middle of this crisis.

Well, joining me right now to talk about all of this, David Swerdlick is an assistant editor for The Washington Post and a CNN political commentator, and Erik Wasson is a Congressional reporter for Bloomberg. Good to see you both.

Erik, you first, so we're seeing a real political divide and even method of tackle in Texas right now. What's behind this push from Democrats teaming up of Representatives from Texas to New York to help in a state that really boasts of strong Republican leadership?

ERIK WASSON, CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER, BLOOMBERG: I think it's really a politically savvy move from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. She's raising her national profile, there's even talk of her running for Senate in New York, potentially. But beyond that, she's really trying to promote the idea of a resilient power grid.

We're going to be looking at a major infrastructure package coming from the Biden Administration and the Democrats in Congress, as soon as the stimulus bill is done. This is giving some attention to that and the need to make it more resilient power grid. And also, she's really made something of a nemesis of Ted Cruz.

They've had some signs of they're going to work together early on in her tenure, and after the riot and so forth in Capitol Hill, she basically accused him of planning to murder her and so forth. So it's got really tense, and I think politically, it's an interesting sort of bold move here for her to go down there and do some humanitarian work when he had gone to Cancun.

[12:30:04]

WHITFIELD: So I wonder what's the door open to that, particularly Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's involvement and then her, you know, arrival there in Texas, particularly because it was the Texas Governor who preemptively was criticizing the Green New Deal when it really has nothing to do with what has grasped Texas right now with this winter storm, Erik. So I wonder, is there more to assisting, you know, another state in this crisis, and also a response to what the Governor was, you know, implying or being critical of?

WASSON: Yes, I think energy policy is definitely wrapped up in this, you know, that there's certainly strong evidence that climate change has played a role as polar vortex coming down from the Arctic and causing this, you know, she's trying to raise the profile of that issue, raised the, you know, defend the Green New Deal, and also soften her image, you know, doing charity work at handing out $3.8 million worth of food and other supplies is really good for her for image when, especially on "Fox News," and others she's often portrayed demonically.

So I think, you know, she's seeing that strategically, but also, I think, you know, she generally wants to help people, and she's down there trying to do her best.

WHITFIELD: And David, perhaps you caught the last hour, you know, I interviewed the Mayor of Manor, Texas, and I was struck by something that he said about this very terrible situation there. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR LARRY WALLACE, MANOR, TEXAS: Honestly, I've lost all faith in senior leadership, they have proven time and time again over the last 12 months and for us having three declared disasters, COVID which was the first national that went across all states, this threat on violence that Governor Abbott declared here and renewed it back in January and then now the inclement weather. I have only heard from council members and fellow mayors that I've built relationships with around here, my county commissioner and our brand new county judge, everybody else is a lost hope. I'm just going to be frank with it. And that's how everybody feels.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So David, I mean, he is being very frank, fair, and honest, as he says, you know, he's lost all faith. His city is jurisdictionally caught in the middle. So how can particularly these federal national leaders repair that trust when we're seeing the suffering exemplified in big cities and small cities in Texas, caught in the grip of this winter storm?

DAVID SWERDLICK, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, Fred. Good afternoon. It's a Republican run state. And Republicans did not respond to this at the outset with a sense, at least outwardly to the public that this was an all hands to the pump situation. They tried to blame this on Democratic policies, even though they run the state. And there wasn't a sense of urgency culminated with Senator Cruz being sort of caught going to Mexico on vacation with his family.

And it's not surprising then that you have local leaders saying, hey, we really need help here and we haven't seen the leadership top down. When you talk about someone like Senator Cruz, it was so stunning that someone who has presidential ambitions would be seen as not wanting to jump into the breach and try and help any way he can, though he's a federal elected official, not a state official, what voters will often want to see.

And I think this is the frustration that the Mayor there was talking about, is that they understand government can always solve every problem. They do want to feel like their elected leaders give a damn. And that's not what came down, at least initially in this week.

And as Erik said, that's why this was an opportunity, both to help people in a meaningful way, but politically for Congresswoman Ocasio- Cortez to sort of parachute in with a couple of million bucks and say, hey, we're not from Texas, but we're going to try and help anyway.

WHITFIELD: Yes. You remind us of those presidential ambitions that Cruz had. I'm using past tense because after that debacle, do you believe he still does, David?

SWERDLICK: Oh, I think he does. He shows up in polling of potential Republican 2024 contenders. He's super ambitious. And he is one of the best known Republicans in the National Party. And he comes from a state with 38 electoral votes.

But no question, this has dinged his prospects at least in the short term, because it's put him in a position where he's had to not just backpedal, but also hasn't able to respond effectively to the idea that he was more interested in, you know, sort of his own needs in the moment rather than representing his constituents in a situation where people really in Texas were in dire straits because of the weather and the power grid.

WHITFIELD: Yes. And the contrasting pictures will really serve for a very long memory who is going to be able to forget, you know, this and kind of turn the page and move on. All right, so let's talk about Capitol Hill now in another respect. A lot of infighting among Republicans about how much of a role the former president, you know, should play in that party.

Senator Lindsey Graham still is heading to Florida and will be meeting with the President. And Erik, it is to try to convince the former president to be less of an influence. I mean, how can Lindsey Graham, you know, come out with any fruitful results from this kind of trip on that? [12:35:27]

WASSON: You know, it's very interesting to where they're playing almost good cop, bad cop with the former President Trump. You know, we have Mitch McConnell, like, you know, condemning him and getting the wrath of Trump and Kevin McCarthy, the Republican leader in the House now, Lindsey Graham, going down there. Graham, we believe we'll be there all weekend playing golf with the President trying to play good cop.

And I think what they really want to do, they're looking to 2022. You know, it's a very slim difference in the Senate and House, and there's a chance for Republicans to come back in both places, but they need to get on the same page with the primary candidates try to, you know, come up with a strategy where a candidate that can win in those swing states can actually get nominated. So I think they want to try to coordinate sort of I think Graham has become the Trump whisperer, wants to calm him down. He can become a team player.

We know that's going to be probably a tall order. We probably understand that the former president very angry with many members, you know, of the Senate, especially those, the seven that voted against him on impeachment trial. So, you know, they're trying to sort of manipulate him as they always did when he was in power, but with mixed results, probably.

WHITFIELD: Right. All right, Erik Wasson, David Swerdlick, we'll leave it there for now. Thanks so much.

SWERDLICK: Thanks, Fred.

WASSON: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:40:39]

WHITFIELD: A Pennsylvania police officer is facing criminal charges after posting a video of himself battling other officers and yelling charge at the Capitol riot. CNN's Katelyn Polantz is with me now. So Katelyn prosecutors say the suspect is downplaying his alleged participation but then it's on videotape.

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: That's right. This man is named Joseph Fischer. He's out of Central Pennsylvania. He's a member of a police force there. After the riot, he posted video to Facebook and then took it down. And then was communicating with people over Facebook saying the FBI may arrest me LOL. And that this was a peaceful protest.

Now the video that the investigators were able to get did not show that. They showed a police skirmish. They've charged him with obstruction of law enforcement. And now he is going through the court system. He's been arrested. We may learn more about what happened during that skirmish in the coming days in court. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: All right, Katelyn Polantz, thanks so much in Washington. All right, the Justice Department unveiling the largest conspiracy charges to date in connection with the deadly capital insurrection, charging nine suspected members of the far right paramilitary group, Oath Keepers, for allegedly planning to disrupt the presidential election certification on January 6th. Here now is CNN's Sara Sidner.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA SIDNER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Members of the extremist antigovernment Oath Keepers --

CAPITAL INSURRECTIONISTS: Treason, treason.

SIDNER (voice-over): -- were a part of this siege.

CAPITOL INSURRECTIONISTS: Fight for Trump, fight for Trump.

SIDNER (voice-over): They are seen in combat gear brazenly bragging about breaching the Capitol.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Overran the Capitol.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're in the -- Capitol, bro.

SIDNER (voice-over): The extremist paramilitary group is known for recruiting current and former members of the military and law enforcement. It has emerged as one of the groups that is a major focus of federal investigators. The FBI is trying to hunt down the suspects in these photos, some of whom are wearing Oath Keeper gear.

These three alleged Oath Keepers and military veterans, Jessica Watkins, Donovan Crowl, and Thomas Caldwell, were the first to face significant conspiracy charges related to the Capitol attack.

REP. ERIC SWALWELL (D-CA), HOUSE IMPEACHMENT MANAGER: The leader of a militia group known as the Oath Keepers received messages while he was at the Capitol.

SIDNER (voice-over): The federal claims against the accused Oath Keepers even mentioned during the second impeachment trial against former President Donald Trump.

SWALWELL: The leader was given directions to where representatives were thought to be sheltering and instructions to quote, turn on gas, seal them in.

SIDNER (voice-over): An accused leader of the group that day, Caldwell denies any involvement with the Oath Keepers. His attorney claims the FBI has shown no evidence of him inside the Capitol. In court papers, his lawyer says he worked for the FBI and has held a top security clearance since 1979.

CAPITOL INSURRECTIONISTS: USA, USA.

SIDNER (voice-over): But this is also Caldwell talking about members of Congress on January 6th.

THOMAS CALDWELL, ALLEGED OATH KEEPERS LEADER: Every single -- in there is a traitor, every single one.

SIDNER (voice-over): A source with inside knowledge of how the Oath Keepers operate told CNN about a dozen members were in federal law enforcement but purposely kept off the group's official membership database.

SIDNER (on camera): Would it be a surprise that someone was in federal law enforcement was a member of the Oath Keepers?

ALEX FRIEDFELD, INVESTIGATIVE RESEARCHER, ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE: Unfortunately, not, right? For years, Oath Keepers have been targeting, you know, military and law enforcement personnel, especially at the federal level with their messaging recruitments.

SIDNER (voice-over): Federal prosecutors say just days before the attack, Caldwell discussed with another extremist bringing weapons across the Potomac via boat. "We could have our quick response team with the heavy weapons standing by, load them, and ferry them across the river to our waiting arms."

Federal agents say he also sent messages to accused Oath Keepers Crowl and Watkins. In this one to Crowl, he says, I will probably do pre- strike on the 5th. Maybe can do some night hunting. And then mentions when his Oath Keeper friends from North Carolina will show up.

CAPITOL INSURRECTIONISTS: We want Trump.

SIDNER (voice-over): In video from January 6th, it appears the three may not have been acting alone. Watkins is seen with others marching towards the Capitol. The FBI said she was part of a group of eight to 10 people, all wearing paramilitary gear and Oath Keeper paraphernalia signifying their affiliation with the conspiracy-fueled anti- government group.

[12:45:06]

Here she is again behind the guy with the eye patch, the leader and founder of the Oath Keepers, Stewart Rhodes, in the November Trump rally in D.C. Two months later, Rhodes is seen outside the Capitol during the attack. He has not been charged with any crime. He was clear on his Oath Keepers mission in D.C.

STEWART RHODES, FOUNDER, THE OATH KEEPERS: You know, and our mission there, as we stated on -- in our called action to go to D.C. was what we always do, protect people, protect venues, protect events, and that's it, you know, do VIP escorts.

SIDNER (voice-over): And some did, appearing to stand guard with Trump adviser Roger Stone. This is Oath Keeper Roberto Minuta of New Jersey, according to several people who know him.

Later that day, Minuta is seen yelling at police outside the Capitol. Soon after, a man wearing the same goggles and clothing is seen breaching the Capitol.

Despite the mounting evidence and manhunt for some of his Oath Keepers, this is Rhodes 24 days after the siege talking about the current government.

RHODES: There is going to be resistance. The only question is, is what will it be the spark?

SIDNER (voice-over): Rhodes is still spewing the lie that the election was stolen and egging on his followers to act.

RHODES: We've got to declare this regime to be illegitimate. We've got to declare everything that comes out of King Biden's mouth as illegitimate and null and void from inception because he is not a legitimate president.

FRIEDFELD: He is continuing to use violent rhetoric and spread conspiracies that frame, you know, today's events in a way that necessitates action on the part of his followers.

SIDNER (voice-over): Though Rhodes says it was a mistake for people to actually go inside the Capitol that day --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Keep pushing.

SIDNER (voice-over): -- even in light of the insurrection, his rhetoric has not changed.

RHODES: They have plans for us that they know we'll rebel against. And they're afraid because there are 365 million of us. We outnumber them vastly, and we're armed, we're well-armed. So they have a problem and so they're afraid.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIDNER: So in total there are nine people who are either affiliated or members of the Oath Keepers, according to federal prosecutors who have now been indicted. We were not able to get in touch with the six people who are newly indicted. We did however reach out to Jessica Watkins public defender. She did not return our request for comment, back to you.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Sara Sidner.

All right, straight ahead, President Biden making swift changes to immigration and border control. And that could mean a reunion for families for years in the making. But first, here's this week's start small, think big.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVE SHALLENBERGER, LITTLE SHOP OF STORIES: As a children's bookstore, you constantly have to be creative.

MADISON HATFIELD, LITTLE SHOP OF STORIES: Little Shop of Stories is an independent bookstore in Decatur, Georgia that specializes in children's books.

SHALLENBERGER: It's always been part of our vision of the store to have families come in, browse, take some time, do some reading. So in March of 2020, it became very clear to us that we were not going to be able to function as a normal bookstore and we locked our doors. Our immediate reaction was fear.

HATFIELD: To go from a store where your entire model is people coming in into having zero browsing at all. I mean, it's in a complete pivot.

All right, there you go.

The first thing that we shifted over was story time, it could pretty easily just perform for my phone.

SHALLENBERGER: Online sales were very, very small part of our business.

HATFIELD: Before the pandemic we went from probably around 500 total orders. We're now in the 16,000s. We started doing pop up shops right outside the store.

[12:48:37]

We can be the hardest working people in the world and none of it matters if our community isn't behind us. We are the little engine that could. We are competing with the biggest company in the world and we're still here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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WHITFIELD: The White House has laid out a sweeping immigration reform package that would create a path to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants. Here's CNN's Ed Lavandera on the impact the new president is having on border crossings.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Several times a day, Customs and Border Protection officials drop off groups of migrants at the bus station in McAllen, Texas.

LAVANDERA (on camera): (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE) When did you cross?

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Edwin Rubio (ph) tells us he crossed the border the day before with his son.

LAVANDERA (on camera): (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE).

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Rubio (ph) is part of a rise in arrivals at the southern border that's been slowly increasing since last April. The migrants are driven by the COVID pandemic and the devastation left by two major hurricanes.

CBP reports about 78,000 people were apprehended at the southern border in January. These migrants have permission to move on with notices to appear in court.

LAVANDERA (on camera): The Biden administration continues to warn migrants coming to the United States that in many cases, they will be turned away. But the fact of the matter is there are still some of these migrants who are being released. What we've seen here in McAllen is many family units. You can see here, mothers and fathers and many young children.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): They wait inside an old nightclub that's been turned into a Catholic charity shelter, run by Sister Norma Pimentel. She tells us it's a confusing time on the border because while come families are being released, there are still roughly 20,000 migrants stranded on the other side of the border. These migrants are a result of the Trump administration's controversial Remain in Mexico policy.

[12:55:17]

NORMA PIMENTEL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CATHOLIC CHARITIES RIO GRANDE VALLEY: It is very confusing and they don't understand that. Why them first and not us? You know, we've been here, waiting for this day. And it's so disheartening to see them in such terrible conditions.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): While the Biden administration says it will begin processing migrants registered in the Remain in Mexico policy later this week, what's unfolding on the border captures the unstable reality of the country's immigration system.

JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Now is not the time to come. And the vast majority of people will be turned away.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Sister Pimentel says the numbers of migrants released to this shelter has jumped in recent weeks from a few people a day to about a hundred a day now. And it's up to the shelter staff to administer COVID-19 tests. Local officials tell CNN out of hundreds of tests, only two migrants have tested positive so far.

IVAN MELENDEZ, MISSION REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER: They absolutely need to take this seriously from a public health perspective, it's a complete nightmare.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Some migrants, like this family from Haiti who say they entered through California, were forced to quarantine in a hotel for two weeks as a COVID precaution. They're being assisted by the nonprofit Jewish Family Service.

The parents ask that we call them Faya (ph) and Dol (ph). Faya (ph) says it didn't matter who was president only that his family hopes to get asylum in the U.S. to escape the criminals who have tried to kill him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE).

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Ed Lavandera, CNN, McAllen, Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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