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Biden Has Until 5 p.m. To Respond To Migrants Rule Extension; GOP Senators Slam Dems Over Spending Bill Scramble; Stores Limit Sales Of Children's Pain Meds As Viruses Spread. Aired 2:30-3p ET
Aired December 20, 2022 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
REP. VICENTE GONZALEZ, (D) TEXAS: Last year, we calculated that cartels had made $5 billion bringing people to our southern border and this would clip them at the knees. Every migrant who is processed in federal court here is asked how much did you pay to get here? And almost every single one will give a number between $6,000 and $8,000. That's how much they're paying to get to our southern border. They're paying cartels and smugglers to get here. And I think we need to address it. We need the --
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: The Safe Zone Act that you -- I was going to get to this later, but now you've introduced it, let me get to that. The plan is to create the zones that will house and feed and care for, and educate what could grow to be hundreds of thousands of people. How is that going to work? You also in the announcement for this said that these people would get a review from a judge within 90 days. The backlog right now is 2 million and a half years is the average wait time or 4.3 years. How would you get it done in 90 days?
GONZALEZ: Yeah, so -- well, what the safe zone does is it processes the asylum claims as they do here and then they give them a court date. If we're going to make them walk to our southern border and ultimately give them a pass to come into the country and see a judge at some point in time, we should do it at that juncture. It would be a humane American operation working with local governments and ask the same questions that we asked here by officials, just the way we do here by American officials. Everything that we're doing here in South Texas, we could be doing it on that border of Guatemala.
The President of Guatemala has agreed to this idea. I think we should embrace it. I think we -- until we build long term immigration infrastructure further away from the border, we will always be dealing with this issue. People are running from poverty around the world and they're coming in very high numbers. And I think our laws are antiquated and we need to fix them and we need to create legislation that fits modern day --
BLACKWELL: In the short-term., the White House says that there is a plan. They're surging resource to the border. How much of this plan are you aware of? And give me a gauge of your degree of confidence in the administration's plan after Title 42?
GONZALEZ: Yes. (Inaudible) any real detail plan. And I'm concerned and obviously when we talk to officials on the border and we talk to border Patrol and Customs, they're all concerned and they're all concerned that they will be overwhelmed if Title 42 is lifted. Our small communities of Brownsville and McAllen and Weslaco and all along the border are concerned of how -- what resources, local resources have to be expended to kind of process these folks. Catholic Charities, we have a lot of NGOs down here that do this work. They would be overwhelmed if we just lifted it right now.
BLACKWELL: All right, Congressman Vicente Gonzalez, Texas, 15th. Thank you, sir. Good to have you.
GONZALEZ: Thank you.
BLACKWELL: All right, lawmakers introduce a sweeping bill to fund the government. We're going to tell you what's in the bill and what is not, and if it will make it to the President's desk in time to avoid a shutdown. Stay with us.
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[14:37:37]
BLACKWELL: Lawmakers on Capitol Hill have unveiled a $1.7 trillion spending bill today. They're trying to prevent a government shutdown and they have until midnight Friday to do it. That's when government funding runs out. CNN Chief Congressional Correspondent Manu Raju is following developments for us. All right, let's talk about the bill. What is in, what is out?
MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, this is a massive bill that was dropped in the middle of the night at 01:23 a.m. when just days before the Friday deadline to avoid a government shutdown. Remember, the initial deadline was September 30, then they put it to December 16. They couldn't meet that deadline. They extended it to this Friday. And finally, lawmakers unveiled the bill this morning. There's a bill more than 4100 pages in length, $1.7 trillion funding every single federal agency. So, it has all programs across the board, including more than $44 billion in aid to Ukraine, which is a big priority of the administration and lawmakers on both sides. It also would overhaul the Electoral Count Act, which is the 1887 law that governs how Congress counts state certified presidential votes. That was done in response to Donald Trump's efforts to pressure Mike Pence to overturn the electoral results on January 6, 2021. That can't happen again under this legislation.
In addition, includes new retirement programs as well as a measure to ban TikTok from federal devices. Now, what Republicans and in particular are livid about is the fact that they have had virtually no time to review this bill. They're suggesting that this bill needs more time to essentially understand what was in there. So, the public can understand the impacts it could have on them. Many saying this process needs to change.
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SEN. KEVIN CRAMER, (R) NORTH DAKOTA: No, it's awful, and it's why I'm going to vote against this package. And to do it this way, I just think it erodes what little confidence people have in us.
SEN. RICK SCOTT, (R) FLORIDA: Well, first off, it's discussed, and it was put out at 1:28 in the morning. It's three times the size of the Bible. We're expected to read that this week.
RAJU: I mean, you have a couple of days before the deadline, and members don't have the time to review it?
SEN. RICHARD SHELBY, (R) ALABAMA: Well, that's the way it works nowadays, but it's not regular order. It's not the way it ought to work.
(END VIDEO CLIP)\
RAJU: Now, that last senator of Senator Richard Shelby, he's actually one of the Republicans who cut this deal, even acknowledging the process here does not work, and it does not work for most members of Congress. These members are still concerned about some of the provisions that did not get in this bill. Democrats in particular have been pushing for an expansion of the child tax credit that did not get in this bill.
[14:40:08]
Also, there's a bipartisan push to include what's known as the Afghan Adjustment Act to help Afghans who were -- who helped Americans in the U.S. war there, that was not included in this proposal and a lot of corporate individual tax rates not included as well. So, members grappling with this, but still a push to get this done. It is likely still to pass this week, potentially as soon as tomorrow, even though it was unveiled this morning, Victor, one reason why, a big snowstorm is coming and senators want to get out of town. Victor.
BLACKWELL: More than 4000 pages in just a day and a half maybe to read it. Manu Raju for us on Capitol Hill, thank you.
So, parents across the country, they are struggling to find children's pain and fever medications and pharmacies. High rates of respiratory infections, pushing retailers to limit purchases. What you need to know, that's ahead.
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[14:45:19]
BLACKWELL: A spike in flu and RSV cases has forced pharmacy retailers, CVS and Walgreens to limit it the sales of some children's pain relief medicine. CNN Medical Correspondent Dr. Tara Narula is here. So, are these helpful? Are they causing problems, these limitations?
DR. TARA NARULA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think they're helpful in this time where we're seeing spot shortages, not widespread shortages of these drugs that so many parents rely on. Children's Tylenol, children's Motrin. And we know that sales of these drugs have been up 65% compared to the same time last year. So there really is an increased demand from this combination of RSV, COVID and the flu. And so, what CVS has done is say we are going to limit sales in person and online, in store and online to two of these products, children's pain and fever reducers per person. And Walgreens has followed suit by saying we're going to limit sales only online to about six products, but in store there's no limitation. So, they're hoping that this is going to make access equitable, that this will alleviate some of those issues around demand as manufacturers are trying to ramp up supply to meet this.
BLACKWELL: OK, so folks are going to get together for the holidays. I'm just trying to make it to Friday to get on that flight. So, what do we need to dodge all these respiratory infections to make sure that everybody stays safe?
NARULA: Yeah, it's definitely hard. I think we've been playing dodge ball for a long time. So, the important thing is to say, what events do I want to go to? And then count back by about five days. And in that time period, you want to try to avoid large, indoor, unmasked crowds. If you do have to attend an event like that, you want to try to mask with a high-quality mask, certainly hand washing, making sure you're up to date on your flu and updated COVID booster is important. And then, whoever you're getting together with, you want to try to all do the same strategy and making sure that any vulnerable, people are protected. So, if you are sick or you have symptoms, staying home is important, and then, you know, ventilation can't underestimate the importance of that. So, HEPA filters, opening the windows, or if you're traveling somewhere warm, which I know you may be, having your celebration outdoors is a good idea. And masking for someone who's, you know, vulnerable, chronic conditions older inside in these settings may be helpful as well.
BLACKWELL: So, these indoor spaces with ventilation, how would a television studio match up to where we should be and stay safe?
NARULA: I'm not quite sure that we're there.
BLACKWELL: All right, well, give me to Friday. Dr. Tara Narula, thank you very much.
NARULA: Thank you.
BLACKWELL: So, in minutes, a key House Committee is expected to vote on whether to release details of former President Trump's tax returns to the public. We will bring you the hearing as soon as it begins. Keep it here.
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[14:52:22]
BLACKWELL: The former CEO of FTX could be extradited to the U.S. as soon as tomorrow. Sam Bankman-Fried is facing fraud and conspiracy charges after the collapse of his cryptocurrency exchange. CNN's Patrick Oppmann is live in Nassau, where an extradition hearing is scheduled for tomorrow. What's next in this case?
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there finally might be some light at the end of the tunnel and an extradition flight for Sam Bankman-Fried. Of course, this has been dragging on throughout the week. Yesterday were in court and there was no shortage of theatrics. I was sitting just next to Sam Bankman-Fried at one point, and even he seemed confused. Why his Bahamian attorneys seemed to be on a very different page than his U.S. attorneys, essentially saying that they had not agreed to extradition, although that was the reason for that hearing yesterday.
By yesterday afternoon, the attorneys here in the Bahamas, their tune had changed somewhat. They said they had the opportunity to consult with their client and that, yes, he would agree to leave this island, give up his fight for extradition, and that would involve him if all goes according to plan, tomorrow, having hearing behind me in the morning. And then he would be taken either from this location or the prison where he's currently being held. I imagine by a very heavily armed guard. He would, imagine, being escorted by U.S. federal officials and then taken to an airport here in Nassau, where he most likely be put on a private U.S. federal plane. And then flown, we expect to New York, where he faces charges, eight charges, and if convicted, could lead to over 100 years in prison.
And so, he would have to after arriving in New York, we imagine he'll be booked. And then questions like whether or not he could receive bail, something that was denied to him here in the Bahamas, will take place. So, while it may be the end of his time in the Bahamas, where he lived as a billionaire, it's only the beginning of his legal troubles in the United States. Victor.
BLACKWELL: Patrick Oppmann in Nassau. Thank you.
Airlines are bracing for a cold blast and a bomb cycle. It's during some of the busiest travel days of the year. You know that. And some experts say that now just may be the time to switch your plans.
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[14:59:00]
BLACKWELL: The U.S. is expected to send precision bomb kits and patriot missiles in its next round of security aid for Ukraine. CNN's Oren Liebermann is live at the Pentagon. And Oren, Ukraine has been asking for this type of support for a while. Explain how it changes their ability to fight off Russia?
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Victor, two different systems here. Two different capabilities. Let's deal with patriots first. This is a long-range aerial defense system, one of the U.S.'s most advanced systems. And that's what's key here as we see these continued Russian barrages of attacks against Ukrainian infrastructure, civilian energy, water. The Patriots will add to the systems they already have to help them defend against those sorts of attacks.
The other system is a precision bomb kit known as a JDAM, a Joint Direct Attack Munition. It's essentially a kit, tail fins, GPS guidance, inertial guidance that you bolt on or connect to a "dumb bomb," and it turns it into a precision munition. This fills essentially the same capability as other weapons the U.S. has provided. For example, the high Mars precision guided rockets, as well as Excalibur precision artillery rounds. It is very much in that mold.
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