Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Defiant New York Governor Cuomo: I Am Not Going To Resign; Stimulus Payments Hitting Some Americans' Bank Accounts; Officials Warn Of Ongoing COVID Threat As Spring Break Kicks Off; CNN Witnesses Dozens Of Migrants Trying To Cross Rio Grande; Award-Winning Photographer, John Moore, Captures Faces Of Immigration Surge; Mother Speaks Out One Year After Breonna Taylor's Death. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired March 13, 2021 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:01]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I missed you, too.

I love you guys!

UNIDENTIFIED KID: I love you, too.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I missed y'all.

(END VIDEO CLP)

ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: Thanks for joining us in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Ana Cabrera in New York.

Let's begin with the American comeback. One year almost to the day since the deadly coronavirus shut this country down, there are a few cautious signs that real recovery may be coming into view. Stimulus cash, it is on the way to millions of American families. Today, $1,400 checks. That much per person already hitting bank accounts this weekend.

Plus, major progress on COVID vaccinations. More than 101 million doses administered so far, but that could be upended by scenes like this.

These are live pictures from Miami Beach where you can see crowds are out in full force as spring break kicks off. And in many cases, masks are hard to spot, as Americans, tired of more than a year of restrictions, let loose. The TSA is reporting that Friday was the busiest travel day since the pandemic started.

We are also following another major new involving the embattled governor of New York, losing more support as he struggles to stay in office. Even New York's two senators, both Democrats, are now calling for Governor Andrew Cuomo's resignation. This is after yet another woman came out with accusations of sexual harassments.

Let's begin there with CNN national correspondent Athena Jones live in Albany, New York.

Athena, Governor Cuomo is quickly running out of support amid all of these very serious allegations.

ATHENA JONES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Ana. You're exactly right. You just mentioned those two big names in New York politics. The two U.S. senators who came out in a joint statement Friday, calling on the governor to resign. And it shows he is losing support amid this mounting allegations.

The latest one comes from a woman named Jessica Bakeman. She had been a capitol beat reporter here in Albany for several years. And she wrote a first person piece from New York magazine in which she alleges multiple incidents of sexual harassment, accusing the governor of multiple instances of sexual harassment. She writes: Andrew Cuomo's hands have been on my body, on my arms, my shoulders, the small of my back, my waist -- often enough. Later she writes, Cuomo never let me forget I was a woman.

Now, Bakeman describes her job at the time as someone who was supposed to be reporting on the governor's every move. She said the alleged unwanted touching made her not want to go to the holiday party at the executive mansion in 2014 where she says this happened. She describes the incident, saying, he put his other arm around my back, his hands on my waist and hold me firmly in place, and said, I'm sorry, am I making you uncomfortable? I thought we were going steady. I stood there shocked and humiliated.

But, of course, that was the point. Bakeman says she did -- he made his comments in front of her colleagues. That's one thing to let to feel humiliated. And she said that she never felt the governor's actions were about wanting to have sex with her, they're about wanting her to feel powerless.

Now, CNN has reached out for comment on this. We have not heard back. We also reached out to the governor's office for comments on this specific allegation from this latest accuser, they have not responded directly but the governor did address the allegations overall in a news conference on Friday. Here is what he had to say.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D), NEW YORK: People know the difference between playing politics, bowing to cancel culture and the truth. Let the review proceed. I'm not going to resign. I was not elected by the politicians. I was elected by the people.

I never harassed anyone. I never assaulted anyone. I never abused anyone. To the extent you say people, well, he took a picture with me and I was uncomfortable, I apologize for that. I have not a sexual relationship that was inappropriate, period.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

JONES: So, there, the governor continues to say he did nothing wrong. He says women do have a right to come forward but he is urging the public to wait for the investigation and wait for the facts -- Ana.

CABRERA: Ana Jones in Albany, New York -- thank you, Athena. I want to bring in our CNN commentators, former Clinton White House

commentator, Paul Begala, and political columnist for "The Bulwark", Amanda Carpenter.

Paul, Governor Cuomo has now lost the support of both New York senators, Schumer and Gillibrand, plus most of New York's congressional delegation, as well as Democratic state and local leaders. There are now billboards calling for him to resign.

[15:05:02]

How much longer can he remain defiant?

PAUL BEGALA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Until he's got until the investigation from the Attorney General Letitia James comes back. There is another investigation the assembly is doing in Albany. So, he's got two investigations. I think --

CABRERA: And that's an impeachment investigation they've already started.

BEGALA: Right, right. And I think the contents of the James investigation, the attorney general investigation will probably determine the outcome. She's a highly respected person. She happens to be in the same party, she is a Democrat.

But I think when he says let's wait for the investigation to conclude, I think it buys him enough time. And I think that a lot of New Yorkers will say, well, OK, we have seen allegation after allegation. Let's see them all collected, investigated by professionals and see what that investigation is. That is going to drive the outcome.

CABRERA: Amanda, I think people were surprised when he invoked cancel culture playing a role here, which we usually hear from Republicans. He suggested that his accusers maybe had political motivations. What is your reaction to that?

AMANDA CARPENTER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yeah, they have political motivations. They don't like the way that women were treated under his control. I mean, he has a lot of this use here.

It's kind of surprising he didn't have more scrutiny for what happened in nursing homes but I do think the two scandals are intertwined. It stems from a brutal -- you cannot question me style of leadership rooted in arrogance. And it has not been accessible.

Now, I think Paul is right. He probably can buy time until the investigation, probably get better if he said that he wasn't going to run for reelection for another term. He probably can write it off that way if more information doesn't come to light. But I think there is a lot more notice now of his leadership style and what a disaster, an unspoken disaster has been until people were willing to talk about it.

CABRERA: You both have said he has time to wait until the investigation is completed, and yet a lot of Democratic leaders are not waiting. They are saying it's time to go, Paul. Why do you think that is?

BEGALA: I guess they want to get out ahead of the story. I think there are still a lot of grassroots Democrats who are quite bitter about Al Franken being pressured to resign. He's a senator, Democrat from Minnesota, he was accused of harassment, and he was -- he chose to resign but he was pressured to resign before the ethics committee could do investigation.

And I think there's a lot of Democrats who are saying, look, let's investigate this. This is very, very serious. I'm not at all sure the governor can survive this. Amanda may be right, if he says, I'm not going to run for re-election, that may take the pressure off.

But I do think there's an interesting and painful for Democrats, frustrating contrast, when you have had a Pentagon inspector general investigation of now Congressman Ronny Jackson, former doctor to President Obama to President Trump, a lengthy investigation of his that alleges quite a bit of wrongdoing, not vis-a-vis sexual harassment, but alcohol abuse alleged by the then-doctor.

When you have other Republican politicians, Madison Cawthorn, the 25- year-old congressman, brand new congressman from North Carolina where scores of his college classmates are accusing him of serious misconduct.

CABRERA: So, is there a double standard though because Democrats are calling on a Democratic governor to resign, while you're not hearing Republicans not hold their own accountability in the same way?

BEGALA: I think it is a double standard, and I think the Republicans need to take a good hard look at some of their folks. At least the Democrats are policing their own team, and I think that's admirable. But I think the Republicans got to do a better job at policing their team. They seem not at all interested in these very serious allegations against Congressman Jackson and against Congressman Cawthorn.

CABRERA: Amanda, is there a double standard?

CARPENTER: Yeah, sure. I mean, what Paul is saying is music to my ears. I wish the Republicans would exercise a lot more accountability. It would make both sides better. Rather than playing both sides the bottom of the barrel, if both sides police their teams, we would have better team in office. We would have better government, we couldn't be caught up in all these ridiculous, embarrassing scandals day in and day out.

And so, I do think that Democrats sort of realize this, which is why people like Chuck Schumer and Gillibrand are willing to call on Cuomo to resign, right? Like they want to be a party that exercised accountability and, you know, good for them. Do that.

CABRERA: In the category of ridiculous and perhaps should be embarrassing, Paul, I want to ask you about these comments made by Republican Senator Ron Johnson about the Capitol insurrection. Take a listen. (BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

SEN. RON JOHNSON (R-WI): I knew those were people that love this country, that truly respect law enforcement, would never do anything to break a law. That's why I wasn't concerned. Now, had the tables been turned, Joe, this could be get me in trouble, had the tables been turned and President Trump won the election and those were tens of thousands of Black Lives Matter and Antifa protestors, I might have been a little concerned.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[15:10:08]

CABRERA: A couple of things there, the obvious racism in that statement. But also, I guess, was he watching a different riot than we were? Because, Paul, I didn't get from these images that these was a group of people that respect law enforcement and love this country.

BEGALA: No, and I have to say, my friend Amanda Carpenter wrote a terrific book about this called "Gaslighting" and everybody ought to read it because that's exactly what Senator Johnson is doing here. These were not patriots. These were terrorists. A patriot is someone who looks their country, and that can take lots of forms.

A terrorist is someone who wages war against their country for a political end, or against anybody, a terrorist attack innocents for political end. That's what these people were doing. They were insurrectionists. They were criminals, they were terrorists.

And for Ron Johnson to say, you know, most terrorists, they would have gone, they would have be OK with me because I'm on their team, he sees them as kindred spirit. I think in that respect he's telling the truth. I think he does identify with those terrorists and white supremacists, and I think that's a really shocking thing and it's certainly not what the people of Wisconsin want in their senator.

CABRERA: There's also a huge contradiction here, Amanda, because Johnson is praising the crowd and in the past tried to claim it was driven by left wing provocateurs who were trying to make Trump supporters look bad. So, which is it?

CARPENTER: Listen, Ron Johnson is peddling misinformation. He is doing it in a very assertive way, a consistent way. It was only a few weeks, a Senate hearing on Capitol security, he suggested the violence was conducted by fake Trump supporters, agent provocateurs as you said. That is a lie. That is a lie.

They showed what happened during the impeachment hearing. We also have the video, maybe he was getting a glass of milk or something. Maybe he was busy. But he knows this. This information has been presented to him, it's not the first time he lied about it.

And almost every public forum, he not only tries to down play the idea this was violent event but he blames the violence on Antifa, somebody else. I mean, it is really crazy, but we should have to parse it because it's just a plain fat ugly lie.

CABRERA: It is a fact that was not the face case. And he has been called on that, in front of all of his colleagues during congressional testimony by those who would know, those in law enforcement and the intelligence community.

Thank you so much, Amanda Carpenter and Paul Begala, for the conversations, always good to see both of you.

To the airports, that is where more and more people are heading. TSA reporting a record-high number of travelers, the most since the pandemic began. That was yesterday. We go to Miami Beach where spring break is kicking off. That's right after this.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:17:12]

CABRERA: Help and hope are finally here. Some Americans will start seeing those $1,400 stimulus checks hitting their bank accounts this weekend. There is also promising news on the vaccine front. The U.S. has topped more than 100 million doses, 101 million, in fact, have now been administered.

And while President Biden has set July 4th as a goal date for a return to some normalcy, there are signs many Americans aren't willing to wait that long. The TSA is reporting the highest number of travelers since the start of the pandemic, more than 1.3 million passengers went through airports nationwide yesterday, some apparently headed to Florida for spring break.

That is where we find CNN's Natasha Chen today.

And, Natasha, you were in Miami Beach. So, tell us what you're seeing and what you're hearing from officials there?

NATASHA CHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ana, it's a struggle here because they know they need business for the businesses that have struggled here in the past year, but it's still a pandemic. You can tell from the traffic behind me, that everyone is headed to the beach right now. The Florida Department of Health has reported an increased of more than 5,000 new cases since yesterday, and they've been seeing an uptick in new cases for the last five days after seeing a decline. So this is trending in the wrong direction right now.

Just to be clear about what's allowed in Florida, the state fully allowed businesses to reopen in late September, local jurisdictions can have a mask mandate, but there is no way for them to actually fine people were not wearing a mask.

So the Miami Beach mayor told me he is giving out the Miami Beach face masks and giving out free disposable masks in hopes that tourists will take them and wear them. Here is what he told me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR DAN GELBER (D), MIAMI BEACH: I think there are 30 or 40 ambassadors out. We have lots of police officers, we have park rangers, but even that's not going to change a lot if someone doesn't want to carry it. They take it and throw it away. We found them all over the place.

So it does feel a little bit like you're stopping the water from coming over the dam and it's just coming over everywhere.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHEN: The city's motto right now is tell people to vacation responsibly. But again, that has been a struggle. We have seen packed restaurants. We've seen people not wearing masks on the beach.

I saw folks getting really excited at one business, getting up to dance, and the servers were telling them, if you're going to get up from the table, please put your mask back on. But there are a couple servers versus a lot of people there, Ana.

CABRERA: OK, Natasha, thanks for being our eyes and ears there in Florida, spring break.

Let's bring in Dr. Carlos del Rio, the executive associate dean of Emory University School of Medicine.

[15:20:05]

Dr. Del Rio, always good to see you.

What is your message to people who are traveling or ignoring guidelines during spring break?

DR. CARLOS DEL RIO, EXECUTIVE ASSOCIATE DEAN OF EMORY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, GRADY HEALTH SYSTEM: You know, Ana, I think we have to be careful. I keep telling people, we are landing the plane. And when you land the plane, not the time the captain says, take off your seat belt. It's fine. You can walk around. We're almost there, you don't have to worry about -- it's the most dangerous part of the process, right?

So, when you're landing the COVID plane, we're doing it carefully and we're rolling out vaccines, we have to more than ever wear our mask, socially distance, be careful. You know, not congregate with a lot of people because we are going to see an increase in cases, and the variants, especially the B.117, the U.K. variant, it's highly transmissible, and the race between variants and vaccines could easily be lost.

CABRERA: The CDC continues to advise people not to travel for spring break. But the agency has yet to really specific guidance on travel for people who are fully vaccinated. And I think there's been some debate over whether they should have perhaps loosened the reins there. Did they miss an opportunity to potentially further incentivize people to get vaccinated? DEL RIO: Well, Ana, there are not Americans actually vaccinated, maybe

11 percent or so Americans are fully vaccinated. And most people fully vaccinated are over the age of 65. So --

CABRERA: Why can't they travel?

(CROSSTALK)

DEL RIO: -- those decisions. But I think they did miss an opportunity. I think rather than telling people what not to do, we need to tell people how to do it.

CABRERA: And what would you -- what would that be?

DEL RIO: Well, my recommendation is get tested before you travel, 72 hours before you get on a plane or travel, three or four days after you arrive, you get tested again. You try -- you wear your mask. You socially distance.

You don't go into bars, restaurants with a lot of people. I mean, there's ways to vacation that are safe in this day and age, and we need to let people vacation. But it's not the right time for parties. I think when I see spring breaks and I see, you know, thousands of kids and young people in a bar or restaurant, I really think that is going to create a lot of problems and we're going to pay for it.

CABRERA: I think your guidance is important. Clearly, people are traveling. As we reported earlier, it was the peak travel we have seen all pandemic just yesterday.

I want to move on because a number of European nations have now suspended the use of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine because of concerns of blood clots. AstraZeneca says that its analysis shows no evidence of an increased risk of blood clots.

But here is why it matters to our viewers in the U.S. "Reuters" is reporting that AstraZeneca is asking for emergency use in the U.S., or in April. Do you see red flags with the AstraZeneca vaccine?

DEL RIO: You know, Ana, I read those reports, but I haven't seen the data to tell you if it's concerning or not. I am confident in the USFDA. The vaccine and biological advisory committee, the VRBPAC will review the data very carefully. The CDC, the FDA scientists will review the data very carefully. They'll get access to the file.

If they see any signs or concerns, they're not going to give emergency use authorization to this vaccine. We have enough vaccines as it is right now, we can probably to continue doing it with the vaccines we have.

I would say, you know, I trust the FDA. They will make the right decision.

CABRERA: And there is more good news about the vaccines that have been authorized so far. Pfizer announcing that the vaccine was 94 percent effective in transmission of asymptomatic COVID-19. There, of course, has been a concern that vaccinated people could still get COVID-19 and spread it, maybe, you know, a asymptomatic carrier. So what does the finding mean for that concern?

DEL RIO: I think it's really something that is very good and we're all excited to see it. I would say, I think the vaccine -- my gut feeling is the vaccines prevent infection and therefore would prevent transmission. But to see actual data, out of Israel, which has a significant number of their population already immunized, it's really reassuring, and I think having a vaccine that prevents transmission is really critically important. And that's why CDC has told us, fully vaccinated individuals can congregate in small groups in close environments without wearing their masks.

CABRERA: This week marked a whole year now since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic, and we saw some amazing, inspirational, heart warming videos of grandparents finally hugging their grand kids for the first time in months, if not a year plus. Here is one of those moments.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Take off your mask.

UNIDENTIFIED KID: Ah! Oh!

[15:25:01]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi.

UNIDENTIFIED KID: Hi.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Surprise!

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: So whether it's hugging a grandparent or just another loved who you haven't been able to see, I wonder, you know, personally for you, Doctor, what are your thoughts on what this nation has been through and what the next few months will be like?

DEL RIO: You know, what we've gone through as a country is just simply absolutely horrible. I mean, there's no way that a year ago, we could have predicted that half a million Americans and more would be dead by this time. There's been devastation in that sense, from health perspective.

There is economic devastation, and many thousands of people have lost their job, have lost their income, food, security, and also, we have seen an important -- a disproportionate impact in minorities, in black and brown people and native Americans, and the poor.

So, I would hope after the pandemic, we strive for a better nation. I don't want to go back to where we were. I want to go forward to a better place in which we learn the lessons of this pandemic and we apply them, and we really make health equity one of our major focuses because if we don't do that, we're going to be susceptible. We're going to be, you know, have a high risk of another pandemic like this in the near future.

CABRERA: What a wake up call this whole experience has been? It has literally shaken us to our core in identifying, you know, what is wrong with health care in the country right now.

Dr. Carlos del Rio, thank you for your time, and all do you. Good to see you.

DEL RIO: Good seeing you, Ana.

CABRERA: Coming up, we have stunning video from the southern border as CNN investigates a surge of migrants.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You can see that this is a serious operation. There are dozens of migrants. Still above the hills there, and it's quickly moving.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:31:18]

CABRERA: The White House is now facing growing criticism for how its handling a dramatic surge of migrants at the southern border, many of them unaccompanied children.

Lawyers tell CNN that children detained in an overcrowded government- run tent facility say they have not been able to shower for days or contact parents.

Attorneys who spoke with the children said the situation is becoming a humanitarian crisis.

CNN's Ed Lavandera recently traveled to the southern border and he gives us a firsthand look at who is making the trek to America and why a surge now.

Here is his report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): As the sun sets on the Rio Grande, our boat winds its way through the deep bends of the river that separates Texas from Mexico near the town of Hidalgo.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're good.

LAVANDERA: That's when we stumble across a group of migrants loading into a raft.

(on camera): Hey, amigos!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey.

(CROSSTALK)

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Our group eases the tension. A few men appear to lead the raft full of parents and young children to the U.S. side.

(SHOUTING)

(CRYING)

LAVANDERA (on camera): The Rio Grande Valley has been ground zero of the latest surge of migration. And here you see it the operation unfolding here in front of us.

(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

(CROSSTALK)

LAVANDERA (voice-over): After the first raft crosses the river, the magnitude of this moment reveals itself. Dozens of migrants emerge and walk down to the river's edge.

(on camera): You can see that this is a serious operation. There are dozens of migrants. There are still some above the hills there. And it is quickly moving. A handful of guys move people back and forth on these rafts. They have life vests for the migrants.

(voice-over): It's a highly organized system. We will watch the raft make about six trips back and forth. Scenes like this are escalating in the Rio Grande Valley.

There's the growing perception among migrants in Central America that the Biden administration is more welcoming, even though many are still being turned away.

CHRIS CABRERA, NATIONAL BOARDER PATROL COUNCIL: These are really, really high numbers. I have never seen it like this in 20 years.

LAVANDERA: Chris Cabrera is the National Board Patrol Council, the union that represents Border Patrol agents. He warns the agency's front line field stations, like this massive tent facility, are being pushed to the limit with migrants in custody.

CHRIS CABRERA: We are crowded. We are overcrowded. We don't have anyone where to put people. But we have them in our custody and the system has bogged down. And there's no place for us to send them because the next level is not open yet.

LAVANDERA: This is a rare view of the field station set up about a month ago by the Border Patrol. The tents are used to handle the initial field processing for the tens of thousands of migrants apprehended in the Rio Grande Valley. There are bathrooms, first aid care.

And migrants are removed from the area by a steady stream of buses.

While some migrants cross illegally, some are allowed to cross legally.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

LAVANDERA: Sandra is overwhelmed as she recounts living in a tent city with her son for the last year on the Mexican side of the border. She worked as a teacher in camp.

She is allowed to wait out her asylum case in the United States. The 38-year-old mothers said she fled Honduras after years of threats from a family member.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

LAVANDERA (on camera): Then, one day, he finally showed up at her house with a gun and started firing into her house. And that one of her older children and some others tackled the man and prevented him from killing her. And that that's the reason why she is seeking asylum here.

[15:35:05]

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE()

LAVANDERA: She says she can't live in Honduras and she would have to find someplace else to live.

(voice-over): That desperation is what we heard from the migrants on the rafts crossing the Rio Grande.

(on camera): (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

(CROSSTALK)

LAVANDERA: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

(voice-over): Some tell me they are escaping crime, have lost their homes. The last father on the raft tells me he is here with his wife and daughter.

(on camera): (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

LAVANDERA (voice-over): They're searching for a new opportunity, he says.

Back on the other side of the river, another group waits their turn.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: That was Ed Lavandera with that report. Let me bring in someone who has not only been closely following the

plight of migrants on the U.S. border for years but he has also taken us there and let us see the people, the families, the children, through his eyes.

John Moore is a Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer with Getty Images.

He also took what was recognized as 2019's World Press Photo of the Year for this now famous and heartbreaking image of that little girl in a pink jacket on the border, sobbing as she and her mother were taken into custody.

That was at the height of the Trump administration's Zero Tolerance Policy.

John, great to have you back.

You were last at the U.S.-Mexico border just a couple of weeks ago. Help us all understand how this situation compares to past surges? What is difference now compared maybe to your earlier visits?

JOHN MOORE, PHOTOJOURNALIST, GETTY IMAGES: Well, Ana, thank you for having me.

You know, a lot has changed in a very short period of time at the border right now.

When I was in Brownsville, in south Texas, right across the Rio Grande from Matamoras, there were large groups of people coming across as part of the new program to bring back the many asylum seekers who were in Mexico as part of the former president's Remain in Mexico policy, which is, of course, being rolled back right now.

And so you have people coming across officially across the bridge. And then you have others, families many times, coming across the river with smugglers -- coyotes they're called -- and they are being processed by the Border Patrol.

And the Border Patrol says that some are being released on a case-by- case basis there at the bus station. So it's unclear how many are being released and how many are not.

The Border Patrol and the CBP has been giving journalists much less access than we had before.

CABRERA: I'm looking at the pictures that you've shared with us that you've taken recently. And so many pictures of eyes and children, and you feel their pain.

When you talk to the people you photograph, what are interactions and conversations like? What do they tell you about their journeys and their motivations and their hopes?

MOORE: Well, we talk a little bit about the reasons why they left. In the case of many Hondurans, for instance, several hurricanes devastated their country this last year, in addition to chronic poverty which plagues much of Central America, which we've seen for many years.

Some of them think that they may have a better chance now with the new Biden government. They have been told they have a better chance. And many of them think this is their opportunity.

And of course, the Biden administration is letting people over a little at a time officially at the bridges because they don't want to cause a stampede, another caravan.

It's very different now than it was just a few months ago when everything was really stopped at the border.

CABRERA: I think it's important that you point out -- and Ed also mentioned in his piece -- that a lot of these folks are people who have been at the border for, in some cases, months, maybe years, because they were forced to wait in Mexico for their court cases to be processed in the U.S.

But the Biden administration is now trying to let those people now come in the U.S. to wait for that process to play out.

I want to take a look at a specific photo you took. This is a picture of a little girl holding a toy. And you see she's surrounded by uniformed soldiers carrying rifles.

What was going through your mind when you took that picture?

MOORE: This is right outside a migrant camp that was on the Mexican side of the border, in Matamoras. These folks, many of them staying there over a year. They were waiting very anxiously to be allowed to across the bridge.

And the Mexican military, of course has quite a big presence there at the ports of entry on the border. It's a militarized border, not only on the American side, but the Mexican side as well.

There's quite a bit of Narco trafficking that happens around as well.

And in some ways, these soldiers also serve to protect the migrants that were in that camp. Because many migrants who have been waiting in Mexico have been preyed upon by Narco traffickers and smugglers alike. And so they've had a very difficult life.

[15:40:03]

And for me, as a photojournalist, what my job is, is to try to bring that reality visually, without editorializing, but show the reality on the ground. And often times, the look in a child's eyes really resonates with people.

CABRERA: It's so powerful. You're right. And it does tell the story, just seeing those images and what they say through their eyes or their smiles or their tears.

Thank you so much, John, for taking the time to speak with us and for the work you do in telling these stories. I know you are heading back to the border in the next day or two, so

good luck to you. And let's keep in touch.

MOORE: Thank you.

CABRERA: Thank you.

One year ago, a flawed police raid took her daughter's life. Now, on the anniversary of Breonna Taylor's death, her mother is still fighting for justice and talking to CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:45:02]

CABRERA: Today marks one year since Breonna Taylor was shot and killed in her own apartment during a botched police raid.

But for her friends, her family and community, the fight for justice and to keep her memory top of mind is ongoing.

CNN national correspondent, Jason Carroll, is there in Louisville where a memorial event has just wrapped up, or is still perhaps ongoing right now.

Jason, you sat down with Breonna's mother ahead of this day. Fill us in.

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Ana, you are right. The rally has wrapped up. As you can see right now, a lot of the organizers have gathered in the middle of the street. They are about to start their march.

And earlier today, before things got under way, I had a quick chance to talk to Breonna Taylor's mother. She said she was going to try to find the emotional strength to get through the day.

But her message is clear: Justice must continue.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TAMIKA PALMER, MOTHER OF BREONNA TAYLOR: It's been a year for people, but every day's been March the 13th for me still.

CARROLL: Every day?

PALMER: Every day.

CARROLL (voice-over): March 13, 2020, the day Taylor was killed during a botched police raid at her apartment.

PALMER: There's always be that sense of anger because you know that she should be here.

CARROLL: None of the police officers who raided her apartment have been charged in her death. Instead, a grand jury brought charges of felony one endangerment

charges against one of them, Brett Hankison, for firing through Taylor's wall into a neighboring apartment.

The states attorney general defended the officer's actions saying they were justified because Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, fired at the officers first that night.

DANIEL CAMERON, (R), KENTUCKY STATES ATTORNEY GENERAL: The male was holding a gun, arms extended in a shooting stance.

CARROLL: Walker argued he fired in self-defense, thinking someone was trying to break in. He says the officers never identified themselves but the officers say they did.

Just this week, a Kentucky judge permanently dismissed charges against Walker, who was initially accused of attempted murder for shooting at the officers.

STEVE ROMINES, ATTORNEY FOR KENNETH WALKER: He's just supposed to say thank you and walk away? No, there has to be a consequence. There has to be accountability.

CARROLL: Accountability is key not only to people like Walker and Tamika Palmer --

TIMOTHY FINDLEY JR, PASTOR, KINGDOM FELLOWSHIP CHRISTIAN CENTER: And they boxed us in.

CARROLL: -- but to thousands of demonstrators, such as Pastor Timothy Findley, who protested over the past year calling for police reforms in the wake of Taylor's deaths and the deaths of other African- Americans at the hand of police.

FINDLEY: When we think about March 13th now, it's Breonna Taylor, not just remembering her name, but it's become a rally call, a rally call for justice in our city, justice in our state.

CARROLL: Last year, the city of Louisville paid Taylor's family $12 million in a civil settlement and passed Breonna's Law, which bans no- knock warrants and mandates the use of body cameras during searches.

And the city's mayor says there has been a top-to-bottom review of the Louisville Metro Police Department.

MAYOR GREG FISCHER (D), LOUISVILLE, KY: There's a lot to do. We have done a lot. But we're going to keep working at this.

CARROLL: But it's still not enough for Palmer. With no officers charged in her daughter's death, she says justice is something that still eludes her.

With the help of her attorney, she penned an open letter to President Joe Biden in "The Washington Post," asking his administration to enact national policies to hold police accountable. LONITA BAKER, TAYLOR FAMILY ATTORNEY: I guess we're hopeful because

we're at a point of reckoning where, if we don't fix it, we're going to be in a lot of trouble.

PALMER: She's more hopeful than me.

CARROLL (on camera): Why is that?

PALMER: It's a trust thing. Like, at this point, I don't trust them.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL: So you can see the demonstrators have lined up there in the front line there, Tamika Palmer, Breonna Taylor's mother, along with other members of the group as well.

One of those who spoke out earlier, Ana, Kenneth Walker, who you heard from there in the piece, he talked about those charges being dropped against him. But he still says that justice must continue.

Actually, today, his attorney filed a lawsuit against the Louisville Metro Police Department, alleging police violated Walker's constitutional rights under the 4th Amendment, with, of course, protects people against undue search and seizure.

The Metro P.D. today, basically saying that they don't talk about pending litigation.

But you can see right now, the group has lined up and they are about to begin their march.

Again, their message out here very clear, that justice for Breonna Taylor must continue -- Ana?

CABRERA: Jason Carroll, thank you.

[15:49:31]

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: Welcome back.

The Grammys are tomorrow night. But don't expect everyone to be on Zoom. Host Trevor Noah says the show will have a musical festival vibe with parts of it taking place in and around the Los Angeles Convention Center.

The show is also switching things up when it comes to presenters. This year, some of the awards will be given out by bartenders, box-office managers and others who work in music venues that have been hit by the pandemic.

And it's expected to be a big night for Beyonce who has nine nominations. Featured performers include Taylor Swift, Cardi B., Billie Eilish and Miranda Lambert (ph).

This week's "CNN Hero" became paralyzed from the waist down. He struggled for years to attain a healthy lifestyle.

Now, motivated by his own successful journey, he provides an adaptive training and nutrition program that helps people with disabilities push beyond their limitations toward a fuller, happier lives.

[15:55:02]

Meet Wesley Hamilton.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WESLEY HAMILTON, CNN HERO: Whoo! Come on! Easy!

My main goal is to teach people how to take control of their lives.

Yes, there you go.

Take full accountability and embrace your reality.

Slowly. All right you can stop right here.

When we go through our program, it's only the beginning. I want to be there through your whole journey because I want to see you successful.

There we go. One more.

I gained so much from my injury. And I want other people to have that same mind set.

You're learning that you're about to do more.

I believe that, once we help someone, now they have the ability to help someone else. This is something that has to have a ripple effect.

We are coming together, empowering each other, being an inspiration for one another.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Yes. That is Wesley. You can learn more about his story and his work at CNNheroes.com.

We're back right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)