Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Police Expand Search for Gabby Petito's Fiancee; White House: President's Meetings with Key Democrats Productive; 5,000 Plus Migrants Remain Under Del Rio Bridge; Some Haitians at U.S. Border Released, Others Sent Home; CDC: U.S. Vaccinations at Slowest Pace in Two Months. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired September 23, 2021 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, under water dive teams join the search for Gabby Petito's fiancee. The latest on the manhunt and a look at where in Wyoming the couple spent time.

Pressure builds on the Biden administration as migrants continue to flood the border and deportation methods are criticized.

And documents show Facebook knows Instagram is harmful to the mental health of teen girls. Hear from one young woman who agrees it's toxic.

And we begin in the United States with a search for the missing fiancee of Gabby Petito has expanded in a nature reserve in Florida. It's been nine days since Brian Laundrie's family says they last saw him. According to his parents, Laundrie said he was headed to a swampy 25,000-acre reserve in the town of Venice. Police have brought in specialized divers trained to recover evidence in low visibility bodies of water.

Meanwhile, a vigil was held for Gabby Petito in Salt Lake City on Wednesday. Petito's remains were discovered in Wyoming over the weekend. A coroner has ruled her death a homicide. Petito had been on a cross-country road trip with Laundrie when she disappeared. CNN's Randi Kaye follows the route they may have taken on their way to a remote camping area in Wyoming.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, this may have been how Gabby Petito and her fiancee Brian Laundrie drove their van to enter the Spread Creek dispersed camping area. We are in Bridger-Teton National Forest about 28 miles outside of Jackson, Wyoming. We just turned off highway 191 and we're driving now on Forest Road 30290. If you take a look, you can see the road is a gravel road and it stretches for miles into the camp site.

KAYE (voice-over): Remember, video blogger Jen Bethune and her husband Kyle captured this video of a van they believe was Gabby Petito's on the side of the road inside the Spread Creek dispersed camping area. They posted it on YouTube and gave it to the FBI. The Bethunes told us they spotted the van on August 27 around 6:30 p.m., but that the van was dark and they didn't see anyone near it.

KAYE: The video bloggers sent us the coordinates where they say they saw that van. Still we're trying to find that location right now. They said it was about 2 1/2 miles in or so, and the van was right on the road.

KAYE (voice-over): This dispersed camping area is an undeveloped camping area that offers few services. It's a popular spot so it's no surprise Gabby or her fiancee seem to have chosen it. It's on the eastern boundary of the Grand Teton National Park and the views are breath taking.

KAYE: While we don't know for sure, this clearing could be where that van was parked certainly based on the distance we were given. It is right on the road, so anybody walking by or driving by certainly could have seen a van parked here. Otherwise, it's pretty private. There's trees on the other side of the clearing. And then if you look out there, there's really not much other than some really big rocks and some gravel, and there's a creek that you can actually hear if you listen closely while you're standing here or parked here in this clearing.

KAYE (voice-over): The forest where the campground is located spans more than 3 million acres. Law enforcement has not said exactly where Gabby Petito's remains were found or what specifically led them here. But somewhere among all this beauty, something terrible happened.

KAYE: Even though that campground has now reopened, there are still a lot of questions and the FBI is still seeking information. They are asking anyone with any information, perhaps they saw Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie in those final days of August in that campground. They're asking that they come forward with information. They need to piece together what happened between these two and how Gabby Petito ended up dead.

Randi Kaye, CNN, Moose, Wyoming.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And the search for Brian Laundrie will resume in the coming hours. Authorities say the specialized team of divers will return to the nature reserve. CNN's Amara Walker is following that part of the investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[04:05:00]

AMARA WALKER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A search here at the Carlton Reserve has ended for the night, and we are told that law enforcement will be back here to resume the search in a similar operation first thing tomorrow morning. But as you said, an underwater dive team was called out. They arrived at noon from the Sarasota sheriff's department. And they are usually called to help search for evidence in bodies of water or even victims in bodies of water. We don't know exactly why they were called out, what they are specifically looking for that remains unclear. But Northport police tell us, look, this is part of an overall search process and it doesn't necessarily mean that they had found something.

But I do want to note something very interesting because the search for Brian Laundrie here at the Carlton Reserve was actually called off on Monday. That same day a search warrant was carried out by the FBI at Brian Laundrie's home. The FBI questioned his parents, and they were in that home for hours carrying out boxes of evidence presumably, also bags of stuff, and they also ended up towing a car. And then the next day on Tuesday, they ended up announcing that the search here at the reserve was back on. So, it's unclear what happened between Monday and Tuesday, but clearly there is a reason why they are so focused on the 25,000-acre reserve here behind me.

And in the meantime, the FBI continues to ask the public for help. They're asking for any information locating Brian Laundrie and finding out what exactly happened to Gabby Petito. And they're saying, look, you can reach out to us anonymously. They want to know if anyone had contact with them. Maybe they saw their vehicle between August 27th and 30th.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And CNN spoke earlier with Chris Swecker, a former FBI assistant director for the criminal investigative division. And here's what he had to say about where the public tips can actually help the FBI in their search.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS SWECKER, FORMER FBI ASSISTANT DIRECTOR CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS DIVISION: Whenever you open it up to the public like this, you're going to get -- you're going to go down rabbit holes. You're going to get extraneous information, people that want to be involved in some way. But you're going to get that nugget in there somewhere. And if you have enough manpower to search through it and corroborate the information that comes in, you know, it is a great force multiplier. And I think the internet is a game changer here because there are quite a few internet sleuths out there that are able to do internet dark web, you know, and pretty broad internet searches that dredge up information that law enforcement may miss. So, they're right to go out to the public in a case like this. I think they are getting leads and have gotten quite a few good leads out of it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And for more on this investigation, be sure to visit our website at CNN.com.

Well, the White House says President Joe Biden held productive and candid meetings with key Democrats, including moderates and progressives. Mr. Biden is looking to unify party members as Democratic divisions threaten to derail his economic agenda. CNN's Ryan Nobles has more from Capitol Hill.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN NOBLES, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wednesday was a crucial day for the Biden White House as the president inviting a number of lawmakers currently at odds over the path forward on the Biden economic agenda to come to the White House and attempt to hash out some of their disagreements. And the president meeting with Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic House leaders. Then a group of moderate lawmakers, and then a group of progressive lawmakers.

The goal here, to try and find a path forward that would allow them to not only pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill, that $1.2 trillion plan that would entail roads and bridges and other things, and then at the same time pass a much larger $3.5 trillion human infrastructure plan that would serve as kind of an overhaul of the American federal social safety net. Dealing with things like education, climate change, health care, and many other things.

Now, coming out of those meetings, lawmakers seemed optimistic that they did make some progress, but acknowledged that they had a long way to go. There are a lot of members of Congress on the Democratic side who are uncomfortable with spending as much as $3.5 trillion. So, Senator Mark Warner of Virginia who is part of the moderate group said there was a robust discussion around that top line number. Whether or not that number should come down a bit.

Now, on the progressive side, they've been insistent that Monday is much too early to vote for that bipartisan infrastructure bill because if the House were to pass it, the president could ultimately sign it into law. And their concerned that would mean the reconciliation package won't be as strong as a focus of the moderate members of both the House and Senate, and for some reason the entire situation could blow up. Now, the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, after her meeting with President Biden, insisted that they were on the right track.

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA) U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER: I will not be talking about that right now. We are on schedule. That's all I will say.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, ma'am.

[04:10:00]

PELOSI: And we're calm, and everybody's good, and our work is almost done. So, we're in good shape.

NOBLES: Important to point out there Pelosi is saying they are on schedule which would indicate that she still plans to bring that bipartisan bill up for a vote on Monday. Now, Pelosi has a history of not bringing anything into the floor that she does think can pass.

So, the big question is, what could happen between now and then on the broader $3.5 trillion plan that would make her feel comfortable and, more importantly, her progressive caucus members feel more comfortable that they could vote yes. That is going to be her challenge over the next couple of days. Ryan Nobles, CNN on Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Still to come on CNN NEWSROOM, why Haitian migrants are crossing back into Mexico from the migrant camp under the Del Rio International Bridge.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. We have new developments on the migrant crisis at the U.S./Mexico border.

[04:15:00]

About 5,000 migrants, mostly from Haiti, remain under the Del Rio International Bridge as they seek asylum. That's down from as many as 14,000 over the weekend. CNN's Priscilla Alvarez takes a look at the growing pressure on the Biden administration to contain the crisis.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN REPORTER: The Biden administration facing fresh criticism from Democrats and Republicans as they respond to the situation in Del Rio, Texas, where thousands of migrants, primarily Haitians, have amassed under an international bridge.

The Department of Homeland Security is getting ready to send as many as seven flights a day to Haiti. They are also in touch with Brazil and Chile to possibly repatriate some of these Haitians to those countries. These are Haitians who fled the 2010 earthquake and have lived in South America for several years. We've also learned that the Department of Homeland Security is releasing some migrants into the United States with a notice to appear at an immigration office where they will then continue on with their removal proceedings.

But all of this as they try to grapple with that situation on the ground in Del Rio, Texas. We know from the Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas that they anticipate clearing out that area between nine to ten days.

Priscilla Alvarez, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Even with so many Haitians being turned away, it seems thousands more could be headed to the border soon, as CNN's Rosa Flores reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As thousands of migrants wait in a makeshift camp under the Del Rio International Bridge to get processed by U.S. immigration authorities, a miles long steel barrier of Texas state trooper vehicles has gone up. To deter the up to 30,000 Haitians, CNN has been told could be heading towards the border. GOV. GREG ABBOTT (R-TX): If you are targeting Texas to come to, we're

going to show up in force and shutdown the border.

FLORES (voice-over): The camp beginning to dwindle in size. The fate of the migrants still there uncertain. Some are returned to their home countries. Others like Rolf Luis from Haiti are allowed to stay.

FLORES: So, he feels well he is able to stay.

FLORES (voice-over): One by one, migrants under the bridge, many of whom officials say are Haitian, are loaded onto buses and transported to U.S. immigration processing facilities.

ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS, U.S. HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: We do enforce our immigration laws. Those are not only the laws of humanitarian relief, but the laws of accountability, for those who seek to enter illegally and do not have a claim for relief under law.

FLORES (voice-over): Some are expelled to Haiti and other countries under a pandemic health rule. And nearly a thousand have been dropped off by border patrol at this nonprofit refuge pending their immigration cases in the past three days according to the group's director.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is a tremendous amount, like nothing we've ever seen.

FLORES (voice-over): That's where we met Luis, a Haitian who says he and his wife waited under the bridge for about a week.

FLORES: What did immigration tell you?

He said immigration told him that if he didn't appear in court that he could get deported.

FLORES (voice-over): His destination is New York.

FLORES: Did anybody tell you why some Haitians can stay and some Haitians have to be deported back to Haiti?

He said that his understanding is that because he had an address, a family member that he could contact in the United States, that he was allowed to stay.

FLORES (voice-over): CNN has not been able to confirm Luis's experience applies to everyone. The next stop for many of these migrants, a nearby gas station where vans and buses take them to cities across the nation.

FLORES: He's going to Miami.

FLORES (voice-over): That's where we met Peter Cimarron who is from Haiti, too.

FLORES: Bye Peter, thank you. FLORES (voice-over): As he says he's afraid of being deported to Haiti, he has to run. His van has arrived. It's what life has been like for these migrants recently. A hurry up and wait into an uncertain future.

FLORES: The Biden administration ramping up the deportation flights to seven a day. Now the destinations would not just include Haiti, but also countries like Brazil and Chile. According to the administration, these are some of the transition countries where Haitian nationals have been living for the past few years.

At last check, the Del Rio mayor says that there are more than 5,000 migrants still waiting to be processed by U.S. immigration authorities.

Rosa Flores, CNN, Del Rio, Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[04:20:00]

CHURCH: And now to the other side of the border where CNN's Matt Rivers says some migrants are crossing back into Mexico for supplies as conditions at the camp continue to deteriorate.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, a very busy day here at the U.S./Mexico border. We are in Ciudad Acuna just across the river there behind me from Del Rio, Texas. That is where thousands and thousands of Haitian migrants have been over the past week.

And we saw many of them during the day today actually crossing the Rio Grande behind me, coming here into Mexico. And we asked many of them why were they doing that, following this guideline that's strung across the river. They came to Mexico to get supplies. They say the conditions inside that encampment on the U.S. side are such that if you come to Mexico, it's actually easier to get food and water. We even saw a set of parents picking up diapers and clothes on this side of the border. That's something we've seen all day long.

Essentially these migrants are kind of trapped between both of these countries law enforcement entities both in Mexico and the U.S. If they choose to stay in the United States, some are being let into the U.S. after being processed by law enforcement. Others though are being deported to Haiti. The exact same thing is happening here on the Mexican side. Some are being let into Mexico if they have the proper paperwork in terms of asylum claims. Others will eventually be deported back to Haiti, according to government officials. That is the situation. These Haitian migrants have to choose which side to go to.

We also saw some dramatic scenes earlier today. What happens here along the river is there are regularly scheduled dam releases. Basically, dams upstream that where water is released and the water levels rise pretty dramatically in this river behind me. We saw one man -- including migrants are not aware of that, are not used to that. We saw one man that you can see here with his daughter on his shoulders going across the river. Came here to get her a meal. Was going back to the encampment in the U.S. and they almost went under because of how strong the current was. Three or four other migrants had to jump in the water and help save not only the man, but the child that was on his shoulders.

And then a little bit later on, we also saw someone try and swim across. Clearly not a good swimmer. And was actually swept down the stream. Several other migrants jumped in after him. He was yelling, he was clearly panicking. And actually, border patrol agents from the U.S. side threw him a line and he was actually able to grab onto and pull himself to safety.

So, it's just a very dramatic scene here on the U.S. border. It's very difficult times for these migrants as they have to decide where do they go from here. Do they stay in Mexico, do they stay in the U.S., and do they take the corresponding risk from each side?

Matt Rivers, CNN, Ciudad Acuna, Mexico.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And the fallout from the Trump administration's harsh immigration policies still haven't been resolved. Attorneys are still trying to reach the parents of 303 migrant children who were separated at the U.S./Mexico border under Trump's so-called zero tolerance policy. The Biden administration has promised to help reunite these families. A court filing says so far, 50 children have been reunited with their parents in the United States.

Well, the Washington, D.C., Police Department has been hit with a massive $100 million lawsuit by black female officers who say they suffered years of racial and sexual discrimination and retaliation if they complained. Those details just ahead.

Plus, a strong new endorsement for booster shots in the U.S., but only for certain groups of people.

[04:25:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: In the U.S., the number of new daily COVID cases is falling. It's down some 14 percent from last week's daily average. But the death toll has surged to a six-month high, with more than 2,000 Americans succumbing to the virus each day on average. And that is despite most adults having ample access to vaccines for months now. And yet less than 55 percent, although pretty much nearly 55 percent are fully vaccinated.

Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration has now approved a Pfizer booster shot on an emergency use basis for people over 65 and those at high risk of severe disease. CDC advisers will discuss boosters later today and decide what to recommend based on this new FDA decision, but as CNN's Nick Watt reports, many are still refusing their first shot.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In North Carolina, dozens of UNC health employees have resigned rather than get a COVID-19 vaccine.

LAURIE SCHERBEKOW, UNC HEALTH NURSE: It absolutely is about our freedom. You know, we should have the freedom to choose.

WATT (voice-over): Meantime, in the ten least vaccinated states -- there they are in red -- the COVID-19 death rate was four times higher this past week than in these states -- the ten most vaccinated. Wyoming just activated the National Guard to help in overcrowded hospitals. In North Dakota, the school board members now facing a recall after winning the push for masks in schools. She's a pediatrician.

DR. TRACIE NEWMAN, SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER AND PEDIATRICIAN: Masks are one way of a layered approach to help us keep kids in school. And even if it's unpopular, I'm always going to try to advocate what's best for children.

WATT (voice-over): The mask war update from down in Texas, a couple with an immunocompromised kid at home went out for dinner, and --

NATALIE WESTER, MOTHER, ASKED TO REMOVE MASK: Our waitress came up and she basically said, you are going to need to pull your mask down, take it off, because this is a political situation. But the owner here doesn't believe in masks and, you know, there is a strict no-mask policy here.

WATT (voice-over): So, they had to leave.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I spent my money on this business. I put my blood, sweat and tears in this business. And I don't want any masks in here.

WATT (voice-over): In Florida, the mask wary governor just announced his new Surgeon General.

GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): We feel that Joe is just the right guy for the job.

WATT (voice-over): Last week he wrote that mask wearing has had at best a moderate effect on viral transmission. Not true. Studies show the effect is significant. Meantime, the nation's average daily death toll just topped 2,000 lives lost a day. Hasn't been that high in more than six months.

DR. JORGE RODRIGUEZ, INTERNAL MEDICINE SPECIALIST AND VIRAL RESEARCHER: We are going to be living because of some people's hesitancy to take vaccines at a plateau, hundreds of people, maybe even a thousand dying on a daily basis for the foreseeable future. And by that, I mean a year or two.

WATT: And late Wednesday the FDA in the United States has granted emergency use authorization for a third booster dose of the Pfizer vaccine for people 65 and up. Also, people at risk for severe disease and people who have jobs that put them at risk of infection.

Nick Watt, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)