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Fate of Dreamers Uncertain; Las Vegas Shooting Survivors Create Fund; Weinstein Accusers at Oscars. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired March 05, 2018 - 08:30   ET

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

[08:30:00] ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: CNN's Sara Sidner is live in Los Angeles for us this morning with more. Sara?

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Erica and Chris, you know, this was the deadline for dreamers, but then the court stepped in and now it's more of a political embarrassment since all the polls that have been done on dreamers with Americans say 80 percent of Americans say, look, we think the dreamers should have a path to stay here. Now the dreamers are again in legal limbo.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SIDNER (voice over): These are the faces of dreamers. Amritpal is one of 2,550 DACA recipients born in India. Christine is one of 7,060 recipients born in South Korea. And Oscar is one of 544,150 recipients born in Mexico.

Monday was supposed to be doomsday for the program that allows them and nearly 700,000 others to be in the United States legally. President Trump set March 5th as the end of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I have a love for these people and hopefully now Congress will be able to help them and do it properly.

SIDNER: But they didn't.

SIDNER (on camera): He says he has a heart, but then he ended the program. What does that tell you?

CHRISTINE, DACA RECIPIENT: He has a heart that beats, but that doesn't mean anything. Everyone's heart can beat, but can he relate to us?

AMRITPAL: It almost feels like -- like we're just a game. You know, like this is one big chess game for them.

SIDNER (voice over): According to a lawsuit filed in New York against the Department of Homeland Security, the March 5th memo would have met 1,400 DACA recipients would lose their legal status every working day, but the Supreme Court stayed out of the dispute which allowed a federal court ruling that the memo cannot be enforced to stand while the case goes through the courts. It means DACA recipients are left in limbo. Amritpal has been the

family translator, a second mother to her sister and an income earner all while attending college and dealing with pain.

AMRITPAL: Like, people think just because we're here we have all these benefits and we're, you know, leeching off the government. But it's like, we don't have medical. Like, half of my mouth is like rotting.

SIDNER: As a DACA recipient, she is not eligible for government medical insurance programs or federal financial aid for school.

AMRITPAL: I'm emotional because some days it feels like our sacrifices aren't enough and our trauma isn't enough.

SIDNER: Oscar was his high school class president but then his father got deported. Since then he's had to work up to four jobs at a time to help his mother feed a family of six.

OSCAR, DACA RECIPIENT: I worked in the (INAUDIBLE), a taco stand. I worked in a food restaurant. Just about anything just to make sure my family has food on the table.

SIDNER: Now he manages work and college.

SIDNER (on camera): When do you sleep?

OSCAR: Hardly ever.

SIDNER (voice over): Christine got into the college of her dreams. Her father tried to pay for it but that dream eventually died with no financial aid.

CHRISTINE: He wanted me to be there. And every time I see him write the amounts on the check, just seeing that just -- I just couldn't anymore.

SIDNER: At 25 she now works at the Korean resource center hoping to make a better life for other immigrants like her. She says politicians have failed them.

CHRISTINE: It's quite tiring, exhausting to know that people are playing with your life.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIDNER: And when it comes to what they do next, their next biggest deadline is their work permit deadline, which comes up every couple of years. But they say they will continue to fight and go to Washington to try to change the minds of politicians to get them to do something for the dreamers.

Chris. Erica.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Right. It's all -- it's all really dicey still, right? I mean the deadline was supposed to be today. That's arbitrary. Trump just said it. They have two federal courts that are holding it in abeyance saying he has to keep processing.

SIDNER: Right.

CUOMO: But those can be litigated and lost. So this is something that lawmakers are going to have to do. We know they like to duck the hard stuff. That's why we're here to pressure them.

Sara, thank you so much for the insight in that piece.

So, we saw celebrities taking to the stage and picking up the microphones and saying things that matter to them. You heard a lot about the Me Too movement. You heard a lot about times up. What were the key moments and what do they mean? We have them, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:38:15] CUOMO: Time now for the "Five Things to Know for Your New Day."

President Trump doubling down on his plan to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. In tweets this morning, the president apparently tied the tariffs to issues with Mexico and Canada, saying the tariffs will come off if a new NAFTA deal is signed.

HILL: "The New York Times" reporting Special Counsel Robert Mueller is investigating possible efforts by the United Arab Emirates to buy political influence with the Trump administration by funneling money into Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.

CUOMO: President Trump meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House today. Netanyahu is facing allegations of bribery and fraud back home. He's expected to ask Trump to fix or nix the Iran nuclear deal.

HILL: West Virginia school teachers entering the eighth day of their strike. They want a 5 percent raise and better benefits. Nearly 277,000 students forced to stay home as a newly formed committee tries to settle the impasse.

CUOMO: "The Shape of Water" swimming away with the most Oscars. The romance drama won four, including best picture and best director for Guillermo del Toro. Gary Oldman, Frances McDormand, they won the best actor Oscars. >

HILL: For more on the "Five Things to Know," just head to cnn.com/newday for the latest.

CUOMO: All right, now to a story of hope in the aftermath of the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history. Survivors of the Las Vegas concert massacre now stepping up to help each other. How they're giving back. That is "The Good stuff" and then some, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:43:40] CUOMO: All right, it's time for "The Good Stuff" and for some really special guests.

Do you remember Lisa Fine and Brian Claypool? You should. We spoke to them during our coverage of the Las Vegas shooting that next morning. Lisa and Brian, thank God, they survived. They then decided they had to do something with the experience. So they founded the non-profit, Route 91 Strong to help other survivors. And they've been doing things. They got together -- they did this quickly, also. They've been raising money and now issuing their first checks to those effected by the shooting.

Lisa and Brian join us now.

It's so good to see you both. We've only be talking on the phone.

I've never worked harder to get people on this show than I have with the two of you because you've been so busy, but thank God for your efforts. I know it matters to you both personally because it's helping you process what happened but you're giving back to the people who need it.

So, Lisa, tell me what you've done, what it has meant to you, and then we'll get to what's next.

LISA FINE, LAS VEGAS SHOOTING SURVIVOR: Yes. We have pulled together a team of survivors and incredible experts and professionals to bring together Route 91 Strong and funds to catch people that are falling through the cracks that are, you know, survivors that went through exactly what we went through and we are on a mission of support, hope, strength, change and love. And we gave our first checks out and it was the most -- probably the biggest extraordinary experience I've ever personally had to work so hard to make a difference for others and not let people fall. That was the biggest thing.

[08:45:17] CUOMO: Good for you, Lisa.

Brian, how much have you raised? How much do you want to raise?

BRIAN CLAYPOOL, LAS VEGAS SHOOTING SURVIVOR: Well, Chris, we've raised I think a little over $30,000 right now, but that is just a drop in the bucket for what we plan on raising. We've got another benefit concert coming up in June, on June 27th, here in Hollywood. And then Lisa and I and other board members are going to be approaching corporations, corporate sponsors, in the next six months or so.

And this is a lifelong mission, Chris. Not -- this isn't just an aberration for Vegas victims. This is going to last a lifetime. Constant fund-raising and impacting people in a positive way.

CUOMO: Smart move. We see a lot of corporate citizens wanting to step up now and getting involved with some of the direct and indirect issues that are presented in these shootings.

Lisa, back to you. What kinds of needs are you seeing? What did you expect and what did you not expect?

FINE: Yes. When we first got our applicants applying, it was clear to me that a lot of these survivors, what was happening is post-traumatic stress, complete shock, trauma, which Brian and I know all too well. And our first check was really special because there was a woman, her name's Colly (ph), and she was pregnant at the event and she had to scale a ten foot wall while being shot at to survive. She had a two- year-old at home. She was a single mom.

After this event, she couldn't work. She was literally bedridden and basically giving up. And she was one of our first recipients of our checks. And we just said, we are not going to let you fall. We are family now. And we ended up making sure that she had her bills paid for, that she could just have that baby and relax and just let her know that we are family and we're not going to let anything take away that, you know, joy of having that baby after surviving such a tragic event.

CUOMO: How's the baby?

FINE: The baby's not here yet, so we're waiting.

CUOMO: No, but I'm saying, but everything's going well with the pregnancy? Everything's good so far?

FINE: The baby -- the baby is fine. The pregnancy is fine. And you can imagine the stress on her and we just wanted to make sure that we carried her.

CUOMO: Yes, that's why I'm asking.

FINE: Yes, thank you for asking and caring about that.

Many of the survivors we've given checks to are so special because they tell us that they want to help out. They want to support us supporting other survivors. So we're basically survivors helping survivors.

CUOMO: And, Lisa, what is it doing for you personally? I know you're still processing. And you have to do it. You've lived through some really horribly frightening moments that night. You were very aware that you were lucky to escape. What does this work do for you?

FINE: Yes. You know, I have felt like getting a second chance at life. I had to do something really big with my life. And this really is healing. And I just know that we're here for a purpose and a reason. And I want to be the voice of people, as well as like -- if that was the night that I died, I would hope somebody would be that voice for me and want to make a difference for the world.

You know, bringing hope, support, change, strength and love is the biggest thing for me for the rest of my life. That is what my focus will be with my team. My team is incredible. They work tirelessly. They are just -- I mean they have full time jobs and they are putting hours and hours into this. So we're really excited about other survivors helping survivors, pulling together to make the world a better place.

CUOMO: Brian, you know, when we met, you were dealing with some heavy questions about why you're still here and what you had -- what you would do with this opportunity and what this event would mean going forward. Now we just lived through another one. What have you come up with for yourself in terms of answers?

CLAYPOOL: Well, first off all, I want to thank you publicly, Chris. I've never done that. You were incredible covering the Vegas shooting. You were very heartfelt and genuine and that meant a lot to Lisa and I. And you brought Lisa and I together that day, if you'll recall. And because of you --

CUOMO: You brought yourselves together. You -- this is very nice of you. Thank you very much. We're -- that's -- we're happy to do the job. But you guys had a commonalities. You had a shared sense of purpose. And sometimes horrible things even happen for a reason and you guys came together and you're helping other lives. That's what matters.

Do you have an answer to any of these tougher questions because I'd love to know the answers myself?

CLAYPOOL: Yes. Well, let me tell you this, I'm still very angry about the shooting and I -- as I was dodging bullets and saying to myself, hearing these automatic weapons, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, I can still hear them. I said to myself, man, if I do live, I have got to do something to eliminate assault weapons. Because I'll tell you, Chris, they -- and then Parkland. Parkland happened. I didn't sleep for three nights. I could not sleep because I felt the helplessness of those kids in the classrooms, the administrators.

We have no chance against assault weapons. Make no mistake about it. I saw your prior guest talking about, well, let me look at the -- the proposal for gun control. Let me speak to the country on this and lead -- and -- for myself as a survivor. You have no chance when you're in a shooting where there's an assault weapon.

[08:50:20] And, Chris, I'm telling you, if we don't get gun reform then -- through legislators, then they're going to have blood -- they already have blood on their hands in my opinion. But then we've got to go through the private sector, like Dick's Sporting Goods, and I'm going to start calling distributors, retailers. That's going to be my next mission. I personally will call these companies and ask them to not sell assault weapons.

And one last point. I read an article over the weekend, stunning. A lot of people don't know that these bullets that are used in these assault weapons, they are so much more devastating and destructive to your bodies. It's what's called yawing. They go into your body, Chris, and they go to the side and they explode inside of your body. Now I'm still angry because we live in a society, we purport to the world that we are the most civilized society in the world, but we're not. We are not because we allow people access to these destructive weapons and this destructive ammunition that does nothing but ruin lives. It has to stop.

CUOMO: Well, it's a big fight, you know, and I keep telling people who are doing this, politicians, many of them are good men and women, but the way their system is designed is, they don't often act out of conscious, they act out of consequence. And if things don't change in terms of who votes on this issue and who doesn't, you're not going to see a lot of legislative change.

But we made you a promise that day when we met you. And I say we because it's not about me. You know, it's about our team. It's about our reporters. You deserve to be heard. Your efforts warrant being reported on and that will not end. I will continue bothering you on your texts. Don't try to duck from me. I will always find you, Lisa Page (ph) and Brian Claypool, do you understand me? I will always find you.

Thank you for your beautiful efforts.

CLAYPOOL: Thank you, Chris.

FINE: Thank you.

CUOMO: Keep us in the loop of what you're doing next. You're helping the right people. Thank you for being with us this morning. God bless.

FINE: Thank you.

CLAYPOOL: Thanks, Chris.

FINE: God bless.

CUOMO: All right, Erica.

HILL: All right, Chris, thank you.

A wonderful -- powerful women, rather, commanding the stage at the Oscars. Can the Me Too and Time's Up movements usher in a new era of inclusion? The night's big highlights, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:56:33] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIMMY KIMMEL: Oscar is the most beloved and respected man in Hollywood. And there's a very good reason why. Just look at him. He keeps his hands where you can see them. Never says a rude word. And, most importantly, no penis at all. He is literally a statute of limitations. And that's the kind of men we need more of in this town.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: As promised, Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel did not shy away from addressing the Me Too movement. Three of Harvey Weinstein's most outspoken accusers, Ashley Judd, Annabella Sciorra and Salama Hayek taking to the stage as well to tell him and other predators their time is up.

Joining me now, CNN's senior media correspondent and host of "Reliable Sources," Brian Stelter. And you made -- just made a great point to me, which I will leave to you to make, the difference in what we were seeing on this night versus 2017 and so many years prior.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Harvey Weinstein was on the red carpet this time last year celebrating like a media mogul that he was. This used to be Weinstein's stage. He would mount these elaborate Oscars campaigns and help actors and actresses win these fantastic prizes.

Now, of course, six months later, we learned about this disgusting behavior in his past. He was kicked out of the Academy and what a difference a year makes to see his accusers on stage instead. Ashley Judd, who was the lead of that original "The New York Times" story, was on stage saying, a mighty chorus is saying time's up right now.

And I thought it was important these actresses said, we are just at the beginning. Change is going to take time. Erica, the most strike statistic for me from -- about last night was that 39 people were on the stage accepting awards. Thirty-nine winners of the Oscars. Only six of those winners were women. So Hollywood has a long way to go in terms of gender equality and it was very visible, very obvious last night.

HILL: So it -- and I would say not just gender equality, but for all of the uproar that we saw over Oscar's so white, they are trying, right?

STELTER: Yes. I remember that hash tag.

HILL: And there was talk about that with this.

STELTER: Right. Right.

HILL: Frances McDormand saying we all need inclusion riders. We need to make sure there's more diversity both on screen and behind the screen. And at the same time, not only was it Oscar so white, we saw a lot of Oscar so male last night too. There's still a lot of catching up to do. A lot of it.

STELTER: Exactly. Hollywood talks the talks, doesn't always walk the walk. And certainly last night, for example, Jordan Peele was the first black screen writer to win for original screen play for "Get Out." An incredible movie. A huge night for him. But we're still talking about those kinds of firsts when it comes to racial and gender parity.

HILL: (INAUDIBLE).

STELTER: It's a reminder that Hollywood, like other industries, has a long way to go. And I think as much as there's -- this is a self- congratulatory night. There were signs of those -- of those barriers that still need to be broken.

You know, meanwhile, "The Shape of Water" wins for best picture. Lots of other films picked up an award here or there. Allison Janney had a wonderful speech. Gary Oldman won as well. You know, it was sort of something for everyone last night.

HILL: Yes.

STELTER: But like you said, the issues of gender and racial equity, I think very visible on stage.

HILL: Absolutely.

Brian, good to see you. Thank you. Thanks for staying up late for us.

STELTER: Sure. Sure.

HILL: Time now for CNN "NEWSROOM" with John Berman.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. John Berman here.

So nothing like jumping into a once in a generation trade war by the seat of your pants. Pants that, by the way, could soon become prohibitively expensive in some places.

[08:59:54] This morning, the president seems determined to send a giant tremor through the global markets. Tariffs on steel and aluminum that will have the greatest impact on, wait for it, Canada. And there are signs that he is doing it over the objections of not only America's allies but also the world's economists, members of his own party and even his own staff.