Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
CNN International: Biden to Expand Border Wall He's Long Been Against; Migrants, Northern U.S. Cities Reaching Breaking Point; Health Care Worker Walkout Takes a Toll on Patients. Aired 4:30-5a ET
Aired October 06, 2023 - 04:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:30:00]
MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to The NEWSROOM. I'm Max Foster. If you just join us, let me bring you up to date with the top stories this hour.
The race for U.S. House Speaker took a surprising turn in the past few hours with former President Donald Trump endorsing Ohio Representative Jim Jordan. He and Steve Scalise are the only two Republicans who've said they'll seek the leadership position when the House reconvenes next week.
Plus, a stunning new report from ABC News. And "The New York Times" about Donald Trump and America's military and nuclear secrets. The outlets cite sources who say Trump allegedly revealed details about U.S. nuclear submarines to an Australian member of his Mar-a-Lago club months after leaving the White House.
The U.S. president currently says he's being forced to add some new construction to Donald Trump's border wall, even though that means violating a campaign promise. Joe Biden insists border walls don't work but claims he can't get out of expanding the barrier. CNN's MJ Lee explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MJ LEE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The contentious political issue of the border wall --
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Don't worry, we're going to build that wall.
LEE (voice-over): -- back in the spotlight. The Biden administration announcing that it is waiving 26 federal laws in order to green light the construction of a border wall in South Texas. The wall will be built using previously appropriated funds, specifically year marked for this purpose under the Trump administration. But the building of the wall clashing with this explicit promise that Biden made as a presidential candidate.
JOE BIDEN, THEN-U.S. DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There will not be another foot of wall constructed on my administration.
LEE (voice-over): His then opponent, Donald Trump, made construction of a border wall a major rallying cry in his reelection campaign.
TRUMP: And we are now building that beautiful wall. And this powerful border wall is going up at record speed.
LEE (voice-over): The administration's decision, coming amid a surge of migrants at the U.S. southern border. The administration facing intense pressure, including from some Democratic lawmakers, to get the situation under control.
SEN. MARK KELLY (D-AZ): I am from a border state and you know it's been a crisis on the border, you know, on and off for decades. And we've spent a lot of money on it. But, you know, we could always use more resources. You know, money for Border Patrol.
LEE (voice-over): President Biden, himself defending the move on Thursday, saying he was powerless to stop the use of the funds.
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The border wall, when money was appropriated for the border wall, I tried to get them to reappropriate to redirect that money. They didn't. They wouldn't, and in the meantime, there's nothing under the law other than they have to use the money for what it was appropriated for. I can't stop that.
LEE (voice-over): But Biden also bluntly rejecting the efficacy of a border wall.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you believe the border wall works?
BIDEN: No.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: While a major shift in U.S. policy towards Venezuelan migrants, the U.S. will deport them directly to their home country if they entered illegally and lack of legal basis to remain. The policy change comes as senior U.S. officials met with their counterparts in Mexico City on Thursday. The immigration crisis was at the top of their agenda. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said they'd made headway, but they faced significant problems.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: I think one of the defining challenges that we're dealing with is, it is unquestionable that we have made real progress. And yet the challenges we face are in many ways historic in nature. And we might have to make sure that our progress not only keeps up with the challenges, but actually gets ahead of it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Venezuelans make up a large share of southern border crossings, but for years the U.S. has been unable to deport them due to frosty diplomatic relations with Caracas. The policy change follows a recent move to extend what's known as temporary protected status for some Venezuelans, allowing them to stay in the U.S. for 18 months. In Mexico City, the U.S. Homeland Security Secretary emphasized other lawful pathways available to certain migrants.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS, U.S. SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY: Today's high level security dialogue is the first to include migration as part of its agenda, an essential component of our national and regional security. The United States is committed to continuing to work closely with the government of Mexico as we implement the model that has proven effective. A model that pairs the historic expansion of safe, orderly and lawful pathways for migrants to come directly to the United States or elsewhere. To obtain humanitarian relief outside the smuggler's grip with strict consequences for those who do not use those lawful means to enter our country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: As officials need to find solutions to the migrant crisis on the ground, the situation is getting more dire.
[04:35:00]
Migrants who have been transported from Texas to Democratic controlled northern cities are facing desperate conditions. Resources in the city of Chicago are stretched to a breaking point because of huge influxes of migrants. Now, Chicago's mayor says he plans to go to the southern border soon to assess the situation there. CNN's Whitney Wild reports from Chicago.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the end of a six-week long journey from Venezuela for Carla Garcia and her five-year-old niece Angeli.
CARLA GARCIA, MIGRANT FROM VENEZUELA (through translator): So tired. We don't have a decent place to sleep.
WILD (voice-over): They sleep in a corner of a South Side Chicago police station, while dozens more migrants lined the sidewalks. More than 3,000 migrants live at city police stations, and airports.
BRANDON JOHNSON, CHICAGO MAYOR: I've been over the course, since I've been in office, we have been flooded with buses, with individuals who are in very desperate circumstances.
WILD (voice-over): Mayor Brandon Johnson expects the number of migrants who have descended on Chicago to reach 20,000 in the coming days. Migrants started arriving in August 2022, when Texas Governor Greg Abbott added Chicago to a list of sanctuary cities, where he plans to send buses, saying, relief is needed for overcrowded southern border towns.
JOHNSON: This is very much tied to the politics of the Republican Party, that has made it very clear, they want to de stabilize cities like Chicago. WILD (voice-over): Tension is flaring between Illinois leaders and the White House for more help. The pressure to manage this crisis will only grow. Next summer the Democratic National Convention comes to town, officials believe that will prompt even more buses.
J.B. PRITZKER, (D) ILLINOIS GOVERNOR: There are other things the federal government can do, other than sending us money, that they haven't yet done. And I do believe -- and I have spoken with the White House since even, over the weekend in a letter, to make sure that they heard us.
WILD (voice-over): Johnson's instruction is working rapidly, to house migrants, opening up one shelter per week. But closing some public facilities to make room for migrant housing has angered some residents.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our rights are being infringed upon because instead of having the ability to say yes or no.
WILD (voice-over): The city has inked in nearly $30 million deal for military grade tents, a temporary solution, while the city races to move migrants off the street before Chicago's brutal winter sets in.
JOHNSON: I'm very much committed to making sure that we get people off of the floors of police districts and police stations, and out of our airports. Because it is not humane. These are awful conditions.
WILD (voice-over): Back at the police station, Carla isn't sure leaving Venezuela was worth the sacrifice.
GARCIA (through translator): We don't know yet, because we're here. All of this uncertainty, and just sleeping here. If you are thinking about coming here, think twice, because this is very hard.
WILD: The Department of Homeland Security sent people here to Chicago to assess the situation. Meanwhile, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson says he plans to go to the southern border. He said he understands with Southern states are dealing with, but he wants to go himself to assess the situation.
Whitney Wilde, CNN, Chicago.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Terrifying moments at the Wisconsin State Capitol building on Wednesday, after an armed man demanding to see the governor was arrested, posted bail and then showed back up with a rifle a few hours later. You see him here on the ground after he was taken into custody the second time. Officials have identified the man as Joshua Pleasnick and says he's undergoing a psychiatric evaluation.
Funeral services have been held in San Francisco for the trailblazing U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein. Her body lay in state in San Francisco City Hall ahead of Thursday services. The city is where she was born and where her historic political career began. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Vice President Kamala Harris were amongst those who paid tribute to Feinstein at the private memorial.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: Diane commanded respect and she gave respect. She was a serious and gracious person who welcomed debate and discussion, but always required that it would be well informed and studied.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Feinstein was a strong advocate for gun control and women's rights and was seen by many as a role model. She served more than 30 years in the United States Senate, making her the longer serving female Senator in American history, Dianne Feinstein was 90 years old. We'll be right back.
[04:40:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: Welcome back. The new trading day gets out of way in the U.S. in just about five hours. Here's where futures standing right now. They're looking pretty positive to finish the end of the week.
Meanwhile, European markets are already up and running, and they're positive as well. So that will no doubt add momentum to Wall Street when it opens. This is how it all started with Asia, only the Nikkei was down across that region.
No big developments moved the markets on Thursday in particular. All of the major indices closed relatively flat. The markets will be closely watching though, for signs that inflation is still not under control and the September jobs report could be a key indicator of that. Economists are predicting a slowdown in the jobs market, according to Refinitiv Data, the Labor Department is expected to report that employers added 170,000 new positions last month. That's down from 187,000 jobs added in August. Analysts say the labor market is still strong, with unemployment expected to inch down to 3.7 percent.
Now patients are starting to feel the impact of the largest healthcare worker strike in U.S. history. Some 75,000 employees of Kaiser Permanente walked off the job on Wednesday, complaining of staffing shortages and demanding better pay. They include nurses, pharmacists and other workers in six States and Washington, DC. Whilst Kaiser says patients should still seek necessary medical care, some of them say they had to postpone their non-emergency services, including ultrasounds or lab work. Just listen to this woman who says her cancer-stricken mom can't get any blood work done.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTINA CAMPBELL, MOTHER IS KAISER PATIENT: I think. Kaiser should be stepping up and doing a little better job of keeping their facilities staffed. This this is just wrong. You know, this is wrong on all levels, not just for -- I feel bad for the nurses, but I feel worse for the patients.
[04:45:04]
I'm going to have to figure out if maybe one of the hospitals I can take her to Baldwin Park and see if by chance they're doing lab work. I'm not really sure what to do at this point.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Meanwhile, negotiations over the actors strike resume later today, the SAG-AFTRA Union and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers finished their last bargaining session on Wednesday. The two sides are also expected to work internally over the weekend before they are due to hold more talks on Monday. The Actors Union has been on strike since July.
Sources tell CNN there are signs of progress in talks between car maker General Motors and striking auto workers. GM says it has provided a counter offer to the United Auto Workers most recent proposal. The UAW declined to comment, but the union president is due to update members later today. The union has made progress with Ford and Stellantis but there hasn't been significant movement for -- in those talks with GM before now. The company reported record earnings last year and strong earnings for the first half of this year. And the Union has twice expanded its strike against GM. Here's how one worker described why they are on strike.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CELIA ROSALES, UAW MEMBER ON STRIKE: We're really fighting for the middle class. We want better wages. We want what every American wants, a good fair wage. So you can go to work, be proud of what you do, feed your families.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Northeastern states are in for another soggy wet weekend. This time because of Tropical Storm Philippe. It is still hundreds of miles from the U.S. and it's expected to be a post tropical storm by the time it makes landfall in Maine or Atlantic Canada on Saturday night. Phillipe will bring heavy rainfall, potential flooding and gusty winds to the region. Last weekend, parts of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast were inundated by record-breaking rainfall.
Typhoon Koinu getting closer to Hong Kong and is now within 186 miles or 300 kilometers off the city. But it's not expected to make landfall there. It has strengthened to the equivalent of a Category 3 Atlantic hurricane in open waters. That's after the storm killed one person and injured more than 300 others in Taiwan on Thursday. It struck the island's southern tip with its heavy rain and strong winds, knocking out power for hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses. Excuse me -- Taiwanese officials say close to 3,000 people were evacuated there. The storm is expected to strengthen in the next 12 to 24 hours before weakening again.
Experts say western Europe's highest mountain peak has shrunk yet again. They say Mont Blanc has lost more than six feet -- about two meters during the last two years alone. Surveyors measure the mountain every couple of years. They say Mont Blanc is down to its lowest level since precise measurements began more than two decades ago. Mapping specialists aren't drawing any conclusions from their data, but they say climate change specialists and other scientists would try to explain exactly what's happening.
Now we are just minutes away from finding out who will take this year's Nobel Peace Prize. A look at the odds makers' favorites and the experts picks as well. It's all pretty unpredictable. We're going to try our best for you though.
[04:50:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: Well, the Chicago Bears call him one of the greatest players in NFL history. Hall of Fame linebacker Dick Butkus had died at the age of 80. He played nine seasons for the Bears and was selected to eight Pro Bowls. He was known for his intensity on the field but retired at age 31 after a serious knee injury. His larger-than-life personality led to a second career in acting. Now he appeared in a string of TV shows and movies, including "Any Given Sunday," "Necessary Roughness" and "The Longest Yard."
The Washington Commanders paid tributes to him before their game against the Chicago Bears on Thursday Night Football. The Bears had yet to win a game this season, but quarterback Justin Fields caught the fire -- caught fire early. He ended up with four touchdown passes on the night, three of them to DJ Moore. The victory breaks Chicago's 14 game losing streak, which dates back to October of last year.
Tom Brady's final game jersey could set a record when it hits the auction block next month in Las Vegas. Buyers are expected to bid up to $2.5 million for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers number 12 -- grass stains and all. That price would make it the most valuable jersey ever sold by more than double. Brady wore the jersey last February in the final game of his career, which spanned 23 seasons. He retired with seven Super Bowl rings and a long list of NFL Records, of course.
To basketball, where the Philadelphia 76ers say star center, Joel Embiid has committed to playing for the team -- Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The reigning MVP of the NBA was born in Cameroon and holds American and French citizenship. He told reporters earlier this week, it was a tough choice between the three options that he had. The six time All Star is set to join LeBron James, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant and others who express interest in playing for the U.S. The Paris Games are set to begin on July the 26th. What an opportunity to see them all together.
Now the top executives at the Golden State Warriors say they will be back -- they will back a new WNBA franchise in the Bay Area with league play to begin in two years' time. This is the first WNBA League expansion since 2007 and brings the total number of teams to 13. The name hasn't been selected. Here's WNBA Commissioner, Cathy Engelbert at the expansion announcement. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CATHY ENGELBERT, WNBA COMMISSIONER: We've used three consistent pillars when evaluating the data for an expansion team. A team in a city that provides a platform for deep and innovative fan engagement. Has a clear path for stakeholder and franchise success and adds value to the current WNBA content, media and entertainment footprint.
[04:55:00]
And the San Francisco Bay Area has proven to meet the mark. And well exceed the mark in each of those three areas.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Well, now to stories of the spotlight. And the Girls Scouts are pulling the plug on its cult favorite cookie. That is the Raspberry rally. The pink berry flavored confection was sold only online. Girl Scout officials say they opted not to sell the rally this season to focus on demand for classics. And to combat rising costs as well to make the sought-after sweets.
Those popular Croc shoes which became a go to for many during the pandemic, just took a whole lot of Western flare. Check out the cowboy style clogs the shoe giant Crocs unveiled on Thursday. The special clog will go on sale on October 23rd. If you're interested, it will sell for $120.00. The company credits the Croc fan base with the idea for the new shoe, pointing to fans buzzing about a Croc's inspired cow boot on social media for years, apparently. What do you think?
We're just minutes away from the announcement of the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize recipient. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian dissident Alexey Navalny are among the odd makers favorites. Although nothing is ever leaked from those very secretive talks. The Peace Research Institute also has its own short list of contenders. They include campaigners for women's rights in Afghanistan and Iran, a pair of Indigenous rights activists. The International Court of Justice Myanmar's Ambassador to the United Nations and the Human Rights Data Analysis Group. We'll wait to see. You're only minutes away with the announcement. Do join me for more on that.
Thanks for joining me here on CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Max Foster in London. We'll have live coverage of that Peace Prize announcement coming after the break.
