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Police Say American Scientist Died Of Asphyxiation; Rep. Will Hurd (R-TX) Discusses Immigration Raids Targeting Thousands To Begin Sunday; Beyond The Call Of Duty: Ohio Officer Pulls Five Teens From Storm Drain. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired July 12, 2019 - 07:30   ET

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

[07:30:00] MAYOR FRANCIS SUAREZ (R), MIAMI, FLORIDA: So, you know, I think -- I think from a human perspective, it's something unfathomable. In terms of what the capacity of this country is to house people humanely in a dignified way, there are concerns.

Obviously, we have a facility in Homestead. I visited with a bipartisan group of mayors. I tried to visit the facility in Torneo, Texas right when the family separation policy began and was unable to see that facility.

I did see the facility in Homestead months ago and at that time, it did not seem to be overwhelmed or overburdened and the kids did not seem to be being in sort of inhumane conditions. That may have changed since I went to see it months ago. And certainly, hearing reports about some of the lack of basic services in those facilities is incredibly concerning as a father and as a public official in this country.

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: And as a son of two Cuban exiles, I know that you have not heard from the president yet --

SUAREZ: Absolutely.

GOLODRYGA: -- but given the fact that he does, as we know, watch the show on many mornings, what is your message --

SUAREZ: Yes.

GOLODRYGA: -- to him prior to these raids Sunday?

SUAREZ: My message to him would be this is a country of immigrants. We should embrace that.

As a Miamian and as, as you said, a son of Cuban exiles, but for the generosity of this country my father would not have been the first Cuban-born mayor of the city of Miami. I would not be the first Miami-born mayor of the city of Miami. We are an immigrant success story and there's so many stories like mine throughout this country.

If we just put aside politics and we focus on solving the problem -- and that's what mayors do. Mayors solve problems. We're elected on a nonpartisan basis throughout the United States. We don't have the luxury of being able to make these issues partisan.

We've got to solve this problem and we've got to solve it now. Get in a room and come up with a bipartisan solution so we can move on to other pressing issues in our country, like affordable housing and sea level rise.

GOLODRYGA: Mayor Suarez, we appreciate your time this morning. Thank you so much.

SUAREZ: Thank you.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: So it was a knock at the top that these smugglers did not see coming. The Coast Guard's amazing seizure of one large haul of cocaine. This video is simply stunning. We'll show it to you, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:36:49] BERMAN: New details this morning in the case of the American scientist found dead inside a former Nazi bunker on the Greek island of Crete. Police are now revealing that she died of asphyxiation.

CNN's Arwa Damon live in Crete outside the cave where the scientist was found. Arwa, this case is stunning.

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's actually quite eerie inside. It's a labyrinth of passageways. But just to give you an idea what's out here, you still see the evidence that the forensics teams did come through.

And what we're now learning from the chief of police is that her body was found quite by chance because the search area wasn't focused here at all. They thought that she'd gone for a run or perhaps a swim and then something had happened to her.

But two locals, by chance, happened to have come. They were exploring this fortified tunnel system that was dug out and used by the Nazis. Up there you have the -- one of the entrances -- and that's when they happened to find her.

We went inside and found the location that matches what the chief of police told us where they found Suzanne's body. And there is a hole above it up on the hillside. They say the body was dumped down into this tunnel system.

And they say that it also had small stab wounds on it but that they weren't lethal. The case of death was asphyxiation.

And they have now launched a massive homicide investigation and they do say that they have some solid leads. But this entire island is reeling because of this horrific act of violence. This sort of thing just doesn't happen here and everyone is shocked and trying to come to terms with it, Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, the story is becoming more and more disturbing as we're hearing about other details coming in. Our thoughts, obviously, are with her and her family -- her two children, in particular.

Arwa, you'll be covering this story for us as we get more details. Thank you.

Meantime, it's now time for "CNN Business." The debt crisis is looming and new numbers from the Treasury Department aren't making the situation better.

Chief business correspondent Christine Romans is in our Business Center with the numbers. So, Christine, the market's doing great but does anyone care about deficits anymore?

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT, ANCHOR, "EARLY START": Yes, well, let's look at these eye-popping budget deficit numbers. Look, lawmakers are running out of time to raise the U.S. debt ceiling and frankly, Wall Street doesn't seem to be paying any attention at all.

The budget deficit is now $741.1 billion, jumping 23 percent in the first nine months of the fiscal year. Federal spending also hit a record for the same period.

Now, the government is spending so much more money than it brings in and the debt ceiling is -- that deadline is fast approaching, too.

This week, the Bipartisan Policy Center said the U.S. government could default on its debt in early September. The U.S. reached that $22 trillion debt limit -- that limit on borrowing -- all the way back in March. Since then, the Treasury Department's been using what it calls "extraordinary measures" to pay the bills -- moving the money around.

And the calendar is a minefield as lawmakers head to the August recess. Lawmakers must work out a budget deal by the fall. Another government shutdown or deep spending cuts are failing to raise that debt limit.

[07:40:05] All these are risks for the economy. A default, of course, would risk the position of U.S. debt as the global safe haven investment. That could rattle markets. But for now, markets are not paying any attention. They are enjoying record highs.

And the president taking all the credit, of course. I want to show you stocks since his inauguration -- a big rally over the past 2 1/2 years here. Very looking at the short term, certainly, in markets -- not at the long term which those deficits, guys.

BERMAN: That's right. These hot rising stock markets not going to make those deficits go away -- not even close. And it's exactly what people predicted over the last two years.

ROMANS: You're supposed to fix the roof when the sun is shining, right? The sun is shining in the economy. You should be fixing these bigger problems.

GOLODRYGA: Fed chairman Powell, this week, said that there will, at one point, be consequences -- perhaps higher interest rates -- but we're not there yet.

ROMANS: We're not there yet.

BERMAN: All right.

At least 35 people injured after severe and sudden turbulence sent passengers on an Air Canada flight flying into the ceiling.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It just seemed that the plane just sank and then flew up. The lady in front of us -- I don't think she had her seatbelt on -- she hit the ceiling.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Oh.

BERMAN: The flight was on its way to Sydney, Australia from Vancouver. It was forced to make an emergency landing in Hawaii.

This video from inside the plane shows the aftermath of the turbulence with the oxygen masks hanging.

An Air Canada spokeswoman told several media outlets that all passengers taken to the hospital were treated and released.

GOLODRYGA: Now, there are worse places to make an emergency landing, right, than Hawaii. But I think that the takeaway here is always wear your seatbelt regardless --

BERMAN: Totally, yes.

GOLODRYGA: -- of how long you are on the flight.

Well, we have new video this morning of an incredible -- you've been talking about this -- an incredible Coast Guard operation to stop drug traffickers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COAST GUARDSMAN: Alto tu barco! Alto tu barco!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: "Stop your boat," he's yelling.

The boat is actually one of the infamously exclusive narco-submarines built by cartels to haul huge amounts of drugs.

Three guardsmen slip onto the sub, pound on the hatch, and a suspected trafficker pops out with his hands up.

Listen to that.

Officials said the operation netted $569 million worth of cocaine and marijuana -- more than $230 million on this boat alone.

BERMAN: That's really the image there that's crazy.

GOLODRYGA: Yes.

BERMAN: That Coast Guard guy just jumping on, pounding on the hatch. They are doing their job. You don't often see the Coast Guard video --

GOLODRYGA: Yes, it looks like a commando.

BERMAN: -- like this. It's really amazing.

And look at those subs. These are military-grade subs smuggling drugs. This is what the Coast Guard is up against -- wow.

GOLODRYGA: Right -- some video.

BERMAN: Good on them.

All right.

This weekend, immigration raids are set to begin. We're talking about Sunday. We're going to speak to a key border state Republican about whether he supports the operation, next.

GOLODRYGA: Millions of people along the Gulf Coast are bracing for potentially unprecedented flooding. We're also standing by for a new update -- this is very important -- a new one from the National Weather Center. We'll bring you the new watches and warnings as soon as we get them.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:47:16] BERMAN: In just a few hours, the House Oversight Committee will hold a hearing on the treatment of migrant children separated from families at the southern border. This comes as the Trump administration is set to conduct deportation raids in 10 cities beginning this Sunday.

Joining me now is Texas Republican Congressman Will Hurd. He represents a district that covers much of the state's southern border with Mexico. Congressman, thank you very much for being with us.

On these raids, first. Homeland Security officials told "The New York Times" that the Trump administration's goal is to use the operation as a show of force to deter families from approaching the southwestern border.

Do you think these raids will be an effective deterrent?

REP. WILL HURD (R-TX): Only time will tell, right? Ultimately, there's about a million people in the United States who have gone through immigration courts and have been found that they don't have standing to be here in the United States, all right? And so, those are allegedly the folks that are going to be targeted. What I would like to see is those resources within ICE to be used at the border. There are a number of people that have recently come in that could ultimately be deported. And I think the bigger effect would be address the people that have come most recently in, not folks that have probably been here for over 625 days.

We should be enforcing our law but we are still dealing with a crisis along the border, and we should have those ICE resources dealing with that immediate crisis.

BERMAN: So you do not think that these raids -- again, scheduled for Sunday -- targeting some 2,000 migrants are the most effective use of government resources?

HURD: I think there's other ways that would help us resolve the current humanitarian crisis that we're dealing with. But again, time will -- time will tell what impact this has.

What we should be focusing on are root causes, as well --

BERMAN: Right.

HURD: -- which is violence, lack of economic opportunity, extreme poverty in the Northern Triangle.

We should be going after human smugglers because these are the folks that are bringing folks through our country. We have a lot of information on them. We should be using that information in order to -- giving that stuff to the CIA, the NSA to dismantle those human smuggling networks that are -- that are in Mexico and throughout the rest of Central America.

BERMAN: Officials say that they will also collect migrants who may not be targets of these raids and to conduct collateral deportations if they find people who might be near their targets.

Is that something you approve of?

HURD: Look, I ultimately believe you should have a valid reason for being in this country and we should be using our resources in the most efficient way possible. And I think right now, that's along the border.

[07:50:07] There is that hearing today in Congress to talk about the detention of children and we've already seen Border Patrol, itself, has had a number of I.G. reports that have said those facilities are not housed for people and here's what's happening because ICE and HHS don't have the resources to process people.

That has turned Border Patrol into being in the detention game. That's not what they're designed for. And so, if we alleviate that bottleneck with ICE that is going to make sure that we don't have people in facilities that really shouldn't be in those facilities.

BERMAN: I want to ask you what you want to hear at these hearings today as the House Oversight hearing. And we're going to hear from, among other people, the inspectors general of the Department --

HURD: Yes.

BERMAN: -- of Homeland Security and HHS.

I just want to throw up -- before you answer that question -- some of the things you purpose. You want a special representative for the Northern Triangle -- this is El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala -- to deal with the conditions there driving people north. Also, dismantle smuggling rings, more immigration judges, and also change the asylum process.

But what do you want to hear today from these officials?

HURD: Well, ultimately, I don't think there's going to be anything we hear in this -- in this hearing today that we haven't already heard. Most of them are inspector generals who have already issued their reports. They can go into it a little bit deeper.

The I.G. from DHS has been issuing those reports. I'm sure some of my colleagues that are testifying on that are going to suggest dismantling DHS and things like that. Those are not things that are helpful.

The people that I would love to hear from are senior officials within ICE, senior officials within HHS to talk about why they are a kink in the process and what they need for those resources.

I would love to have the State Department come in and talk about what is the plan to marshal all of our different aid programs from USAID and OPIC and State Department to address those.

And I'll be asking in intelligence hearings of the NSA and CIA and FBI everything that they're doing in order to counter human smuggling.

These are the kinds of things that I want to hear --

BERMAN: Yes.

HURD: -- but unfortunately, I don't think you're going to hear that today at this hearing on Oversight.

BERMAN: I want to -- I want to ask you one political question. It has to do with the former House Speaker Paul Ryan and the current President of the United States, Donald Trump.

Paul Ryan had some critical comments in this new book that's coming out next week, suggesting that President Trump didn't understand government.

The president responded overnight, lashing out on Twitter, saying that the speaker (Speaker Paul Ryan) had an "atrocious record of achievement" and was a "long-running lame duck failure."

Is that how you view the Paul Ryan speakership? HURD: Well, I've enjoyed getting to know Paul Ryan and working with him. He is somebody that was instrumental in helping me be successful up here in Washington, D.C. He was someone that I found incredibly intelligent and tried to listen to all of the members of his conference. And he has been serving his country for most of his adult life.

So, I haven't read the book or seen the comments that you're speaking of but my opinion of Paul Ryan is a -- is a public service -- public servant who has cared about his country.

BERMAN: Congressman Will Hurd from Texas, thanks for being with us this morning.

HURD: Always a pleasure.

BERMAN: Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: The congressman and the president disagreeing, I guess, on how they view Paul Ryan.

BERMAN: Well, that was interesting. He's the first Republican we've really heard come forward and defend Paul Ryan over the last 24 hours.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. We'll see if others do the same.

BERMAN: Yes.

GOLODRYGA: Well, we are just minutes away from a new report about the potentially historic storm that's bearing down on the Gulf Coast. We'll bring you the latest updates coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:57:04] GOLODRYGA: Five Ohio teens are lucky to be alive this morning after getting swept away by the rushing waters of a storm sewer, and it's all thanks to one officer who went beyond the call of duty to rescue them.

CNN's Alexandra Field has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Young lives are on the line and in Officer Aaron Franklin's hands.

OFFICER AARON FRANKLIN, MASSILLON POLICE DEPARTMENT, MASSILLON, OHIO: That's him!

FIELD (voice-over): The rushing waters sweeping a group of Massillon, Ohio teens down into a storm sewer.

FRANKLIN: You can hear them -- you can hear them yelling. It sounds like they're saying "help."

FIELD (voice-over): Officer Franklin is first on scene. It's his first water rescue.

FRANKLIN: You guys alright?

FIELD (voice-over): His body camera records him trying to get close.

FRANKLIN: It's obviously a treacherous downslope. Everything's wet, including the slate rocks that are down here.

FIELD (voice-over): The officer spots two boys near the mouth of the tunnel.

FRANKLIN: Don't let go until you're all the way up here.

FIELD (voice-over): With help from the fire department, he manages to get both out on their feet.

FRANKLIN: You're the last one, right?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

FIELD (voice-over): There are three more boys still stuck inside.

FRANKLIN: There's no way of knowing how far down there they are.

FIELD (on camera): What do you know about that tunnel? What's it like in there?

FRANKLIN: Well, I know it's pitch black and obviously, just looking at it, I can see that the water's rushing. I knew that that tunnel continued down for approximately a mile and subsequently let out at the Tuscarawas River.

TOM BURGASSER, FIRE CHIEF, MASSILLON FIRE DEPARTMENT, MASSILLON, OHIO: I'm just going to use this to get down with, OK?

FIELD (voice-over): With Franklin holding on to him, Massillon's fire chief goes down to search.

FRANKLIN: Once he gets down there, he's out of my sight.

FIELD (voice-over): Soon, rescuers feel the weight of one boy on the line.

FRANKLIN: Take a deep breath, man. Take a deep breath.

FIELD (voice-over): Finally, they feel the weight of another.

FRANKLIN: Almost there. There's five-six grown men tugging, pulling as hard as they can -- pulling a 120-pound teen -- and it felt like we were pulling a truck.

Bud, stand up.

FIELD (voice-over): Word eventually comes a missing friend has made it out, too.

FRANKLIN: It's him. We got him, we got him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have him?

FRANKLIN: Yes.

FIELD (voice-over): Trever Gallion was pushed farthest through the tunnel.

TREVER GALLION, ONE OF FIVE TEENS RESCUED FROM STORM SEWER: I was trying to stand up and, like, fight my way out. And then, eventually, I realized I couldn't stand up towards the water. And so, I just -- I just let it take me.

FIELD (voice-over): A second team of rescuers found him clinging to a ladder.

TREVER GALLION'S MOTHER: One of the police officers told me if there was a grate at the end of the tunnel -- he said if he would have made it down there, you probably wouldn't have brought your son home.

FRANKLIN: All right, we're going to get you all looked at.

FIELD (voice-over): The officer says he was just in the right place.

FRANKLIN: Anybody that would be put in a situation that's in this line of work, they have an obligation to do so and we're going to do it.

How are you?

FIELD (voice-over): Trever is grateful rescuers reached him and his friends in time.

Alexandra Field, CNN, Massillon, Ohio.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: A wonderful story.

All right, a new advisory for Tropical Storm Barry has just been released. We'll bring you that as NEW DAY continues right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mandatory evacuations has Gulf Coast residents,

END