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Biden Addresses, Apologizes For Race Issues Raised By Opponents; Southern California Brace For Aftershocks After 7.1 Earthquake; Inspectors Capture Images Of Overcrowded Migrant Centers. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired July 6, 2019 - 19:00   ET

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


[19:00:00]

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ANA CABRERA, HOST, CNN NESWROOM: You're live in the CNN Newsroom. I'm Ana Cabrera in New York. Thanks for being with us this weekend. You could call it somewhat of a take responsibility tour.

Democratic Front runner Joe Biden talking to voters in South Carolina, owned a number of issues on race, raised by his opponents. He apologized for the remarks he made about Segregationist senators. He talked about his support for the controversial 1994 Crime bill and said he was responsible for the things that got right and the things that went wrong.

And then you turn the finger any pointedly took on his rivals. Here's the former Vice President.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Was I wrong a few weeks ago? To somehow give the impression the people that I was praising those men who I successfully opposed time and again? Yes, I was. I regret it. And I'm sorry for any of the pain or misconception they may have caused anybody. America in 2019 is a very, very different place than the 1970s.

And that's a good thing. I've witnessed an incredible, incredible amount of change in this nation. And I've worked to make that change happen. And yes, I've changed also. I'm not the same person out of the Senate at age 29. I don't pretend to have gotten everything right.

I don't pretend that none of my positions have changed. I've grown. And I think it's good to be able to grow, to progress. If you look at the issues I've been attacked on, nearly every one of them somehow has something do it before 2008 as if my opponents want to believe I served from 1972 to 2008 and then took a hiatus.

The next eight years. They don't want to talk much about my time as Vice President of United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CABRERA: CNN Arlette Saenz was at Biden's event. Arlette, this is a

very different Biden than we've seen really since the start of this campaign. Why the change?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Well Ana, Joe Biden has been under fire, under criticism from his 2020 Democratic rivals on a variety of issues since he entered this campaign but recently there's been a big social focus on issues regarding race.

There were those comments that he made about working with segregationist senators as well as that fiery exchange with Kamala Harris on the issue of school busing and right now, you're showing Biden this awareness that he needs to take on those critiques, that criticism of his decades long record and also express some remorse for certain situations.

So you heard him you know, say he's sorry. That's not something you hear Biden say very often about his comments, about working with segregationists senators. Cory Booker was someone that had called on him to apologize at the time for that.

He's now apologizing about three weeks later. Booker says that he's grateful. He wished he wouldn't have taken that long but he's grateful that the former Vice President is expressing that remorse and you also heard him you know kind of tick through this list all of these issues that are around from his time in the Senate.

Whether it is his vote to authorize the use of force in the war in Iraq, back in 2002, that's something that he's taken criticism for. He raised that today saying that despite that President Obama still put in a position to work on Iraq in the White House. Biden also pushing back on a suggestion that he might be too cozy with the banking industry, saying - talking about his support for a Bankruptcy Bill that Elizabeth Warren had opposed.

So you're seeing the former Vice President really get out there and try defend elements of his career that have become a little controversial and he's also pointing to his service alongside President Obama as a testament to his record and character.

He's arguing that President Obama vetted him to be Vice President and did not find the problems and was still able and decided to go ahead and select him. And he said that he values the President's opinion more than anyone else's and that's something you often hear him talk about on the trail, especially here in South Carolina.

He is often talking about his work, reminding people that he was President Obama's number two, his running mate, his partner and Biden is here in South Carolina over these next two days, really trying to court the African-American vote.

[19:05:00]

Biden has been dropping in the polls but you still see a significant amount of support among black voters and he's trying to keep that momentum and trying to expand it here in South Carolina, Ana. CABRERA: OK, Arlette Saenz in South Carolina for us, thank you. Senator Cory Booker calling Biden to apologize weeks ago for the remarks he made about working with segregationists senators.

At the time you'll recall, Biden refused in fact, he said Booker was the one who needed to apologize to him. Here's Booker's response today after finally getting that apology.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CORY BOOKER (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm frustrated that it took so long but I'm grateful for him doing this and we should all. I mean, we can't have a culture where, you can't have a leader that can't stand up and say, I've been imperfect, I've made mistakes and I apologize so I'm sorry we had to go through all this.

I'm sorry at one point he tried to shift blame to me but this - I'm grateful. I just want to say thank you. I'm never - we need to extend grace to each other and I'm never going to not accept somebody I respect and admire that finally has come to terms with this and has apologized.

I was very hurt by what he said and then even more hurt that he would try to almost felt attacked that he was saying that I should be apologizing for him when he clearly as he says now was one that did something wrong. But this - this - we need leaders that are going to be models of forgiveness and be models of grace and help to heal and he took a step towards healing today.

And I, as somebody who was directly targeted by him and saying, I needed to apologize, want to extend to him grace as well and forgiveness for what he said about me, forgiveness for that as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: With us now Opinion Columnist for The New York Times, Charles Blow and former adviser to four U.S. Presidents, both Republican and Democrat David Gergen. Charles, first your response to what we just heard there from Booker.

Charles Blow, Op-ed columnist, The new York Times: Magnanimous and that's great. I do think that his question about why it took so long is a valid one. I can't imagine somebody that could have been handled worse than the way Biden handled this situation because he hurt himself and he didn't have to do that.

It is perfectly normal to recognize a person's pain, empathize with that, apologize for it and - and move on from that and that could happen immediately but Biden almost felt bristled at the idea that you could have felt pain which is which is such an odd response to that.

And it was - it is a fair criticism because it did sound like he was saying that he was rather clubby with though segregationists senators. And I also believe that he missed an incredible opportunity to have a big moment, a big speech about how white liberals throughout the entire history of this country have tried to negotiate with, work with, compromise with white supremacists in order to move forward incrementally.

Abraham Lincoln started out his career with the same kind of attitude. That Lincoln Douglas debate had some horrible language in it about how he as much as any other person wanted to make sure that white people were in a superior position, horrible language in it.

We let - liberals let reconstruction collapse because the presidential election of 1876 was so unresolved that the deal was that they would give Hayes, the presidency if they would remove federal troops from the south and that was the only thing that was keeping white supremacist terrorists in check.

And what they - what they knew was going to happen, happened which was they took over enough - sent people in their state legislatures. Mississippi called constitutional convention. They literally say we're going to write white supremacy into the DNA of Mississippi and every southern state follow suit after Mississippi.

And lynching surged peaking in like, I think 1910. This is what - white liberals have done this thing of trying to figure out how do we work with the people that we don't share their values but they're part of the government, how we do it?

I think Biden could have taken that moment and said, this is the history we have and I have lived in that history and I have tried my best sometimes to work with people who I vehemently disagree with and that is not - that is our history and we have to grow from it and I can grow from it, that would've been an amazing moment for him to have that history lesson for America.

But instead he bristles and says you apologize to me, it was horrible.

CABRERA: All right, today it was a different town and you know, I spoke with a Bernie surrogate - Bernie Sanders surrogate professor Cornel West few minutes after Biden apologized and I just want to play his reaction

[19:10:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CORNEL WEST, BERNIE SANDERS SURROGATE HARVARD PROFESSOR: He's now regretted what he said, he now apologizes two weeks later. Two weeks ago he said he wouldn't apologize. He said, oh, I see, you checked the polls and find out where you really stand. He's changed a lot in two weeks not just changed a lot in 40 years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: David, what do you make of Biden's change in message, in tone, his apology and the timing of it.

DAVID GERGEN, FORMER PRESIDENTIAL ADVISER TO NIXON, FORD, REAGAN AND CLINTON: Well, listen, I, after his speech, was inevitably reminded of Barack Obama running for President back in 2008 and he was involved in controversy about race and went to Philadelphia to give a speech. It was one of the most eloquent statements we've ever had in politics. It was a wonderful speech. I think it really cleared the air. Joe Biden is just not a Barack Obama as an orator but I do think he helped himself some with his speech today.

He's - he's finally apologized. Yes, it was late but he apologized and he's also fighting about his record, he's not going to go down quietly. I do think ultimately, he should lead the country, if he wishes to be the President of all the people, he should lead the country and have a serious conversation about race, touching up on many of the same issues that Charles just talked about.

CABRERA: Well, I think it's interesting too because remember, how he started his campaign and it was all about Charlottesville.

G: Right.

CABRERA: Let me just pivot a little bit because Biden said something else interesting in the last couple of days. He talked about if he were to be elected, he would nominate Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court. We know the history there. On one hand, I wonder if this is a way to try to win over more moderates, maybe some conservatives and then on the other hand you look at who President Trump has put on the Supreme Court during his time.

Two guys who are much younger, who are known conservatives and I wonder would Merrick Garland be somebody progressives would cheer, Charles.

BLOW: I think that would be a disastrous. I mean, this idea, trying to be less liberal is that something that, that's the way to the White House? Can you go too far in any direction, right or left? You absolutely can't. Can you turn off people by doing that? Yes, you can.

But Biden is basically telling you know, it may work, I don't know. But you know, the interview he gave with Cuomo, it was all - it basically was saying dream smaller. I'm not sure that's a primary message when people are looking at how - that - feeling like the country is basically being destroyed before their eyes.

And they're saying, if we're just going to be destroyed, we're going to build something new out of these ashes. He's basically saying you know, he's giving the 1960 sitcom dad speech which is calm down and I'll make everything go back to normal. I'm not sure that people things back to normal on the liberal side is where they want to be.

CABRERA: David, what do you think?

GERGEN: Listen, I agree that the many on the liberal side don't want to go back to pre-Trump. They're looking for much more vision, they're looking for much more bonus but at the same time you know, I think Biden speaks for a lot of people further in the Democratic Party who are not that liberal yet, who are voters.

And if you're going to win a national election, you've got to pay attention to that. If you can you know, what he's going to have trouble with now if people like Kamala Harris you know, who presented the plan today a bowl plan, $100 billion plan for to close the gap on housing in this country because blacks have so often been denied housing opportunities they deserve.

That is a - the proposal on its face is a very attractive one but when you have a whole series of these proposals, there are going to be a lot of people in the middle of politics who say, how much is this all going to cost? How are we going to pay for this? How realistic is it?

And I think on that score, Biden you know, and Charles is going to be unhappy with Biden all the way through this because he is not a visionary, does not bring that that kind of capacity but he may be bringing what will win a general election.

CABRERA: Let's talk about another number and that is fund raising. We can see these new fund raising numbers roll out. We know at this point, Mayor Pate Buttigieg has raised the most of any candidate in the second quarter over $24 million and yet we've seen him now, kind of slipping in the polls. How do you square those two things, Charles?

BLOW: I mean, there is a portion of the Democratic base that has a lot of money and they donate money to candidates and they see him as a very attractive candidate. There are a lot of other people particular African-Americans generally do not donate as much.

So when we look at the voting with your money -

CABRERA: When you're talking about African-Americans, important to know in the most recent CNN poll, Buttigieg got 0% of African-American votes.

[19:15:00]

BLOW: Exactly, that's why I was - when we were - they were making these rules about who's going to be on the stage I pointed out that including that - that small donor number is actually skews it a little bit because they know as well as I know that African-Americans generally have less money and they donate less money to candidates but they do show up to vote.

So it's not necessarily an actual representation of how much support a person is getting so I think Buttigieg has a particular group of people who have money and are giving it to him but it's not necessarily the same as people who are going to show up and vote. A lot of these poor people vote religiously, they just don't have money to give to someone.

And he is going to have to, like you said about African-Americans, he has to figure out where he fits in, there are several different constituencies within the African-American community. One is you know, older women in the South who go to church a lot, some are blue collar men in South, not go to church much, they are religious but also they look at things like immigration and they get nervous about that because they're like, it's the same job that I'm competing for.

There's a reason that in 2016, Trump got 4% of the black female vote but he got 13% of the black male vote, these are not the same constituencies, they are very different. He has to figure out where he can find a place where some - one of those constituencies will be on his side and he hasn't found that yet.

CABRERA: All right, Charles Blow, David Gergen, got to leave it there guys, thank you both for being with us.

GERGEN: Thank you.

CABRERA: Millions of Californians on edge this evening. The state is being rocked by hundreds of aftershocks after two massive earthquakes in as many days. We're live in the scene near the epicenter and talking to residents, you're live in the CNN newsroom.

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[19:20:00]

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CABRERA: Breaking news out of South Florida. We have new information about a major explosion that shattered parts of a shopping mall and injured at least 21 people. We're learning 13 of them have been released from one hospital. Now the explosion taking place at a strip mall with an LA Fitness Center filled with people doing their Saturday work outs.

We still don't know exactly what caused the explosion. Here's the Deputy Fire Chief of Plantation, Florida explaining why crews are still searching through the rubble.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOEL GORDON, BATTALION CHIEF, PLANTATION, FLORIDA: During the search, the search teams did not find anybody in the debris. Everybody appears to be an outside. At this point, we are still searching the core of the collapse but so for no. What we're searching where the bulk of the debris was, where possibly the center of the explosion is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: CNN's Rosa Flores is live near the scene. Rosa, you've been talking to witnesses who saw this explosion, what are they telling you?

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know Ana, they are counting their blessings today. I talked to one man who says that 15 to 20 seconds before that explosion happened, he was parked right in front of the building that exploded, putting his three children in the car ages 8,6 and 4.

And he says that he drove off, he was about 50 yards away and he said that he saw the explosion in the rear view mirror, take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JESSE WALASCHEK, WITNESSED EXPLOSION: My car's parked right in front

of the pizza place and like this space directly across from where the place had exploded with the gas leak, loaded the kids in the car, drove away, maybe 15 seconds, 50 yards away and just in my rear view mirror, we felt the loudest boom that you could probably possibly feel and - and I looked in my rear view mirror and it was just a dust cloud and I just kept driving.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FLORES: Now the number of injured has been increased to 23 according to Plantation police. 19 of those individuals were transported to the hospital. One of them was a juvenile. Now I'm standing about 100 yards from where this explosion happened and if you take a look behind me, you'll see the extent of the debris field.

From talking to one of the firefighters who was on scene, he described it as a war zone just because of the massive debris, the building that actually where the explosion happened, the apparent explosion, it looks more like a shell almost like a carcass with beams exposed.

The ATF is on scene of course, it's very early in this investigation so the cause of the explosion has not been determined yet but Ana, again, number of injured is increased to 23. The good news here is that no fatalities are reported.

CABRERA: Rosa Flores, thank you. Earthquake experts in southern California are measuring aftershocks every 30 seconds. That's after two very powerful quakes hit the part of the state between Los Angeles and the Nevada state line. Two big quakes in a little over 24 hours. The city of Ridgecrest, that's right on the spot where the ground shook most violently, the earthquakes tore open gas lines, triggered house fires. knocked out power, broke water mains.

The good news is that so far nobody has been reported killed, the not so good news is that another large jolt could hit the region at any time between now and the next week. That prediction has put the people of Southern California on edge. CNN's Alexandra Field is in Ridgecrest right now.

Alexandra, how are people there coping with the damage and their anxiety right now?

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ana, this is an incredibly difficult 48 hours. Look, people in this community, people in Southern California are certainly used to earthquakes, many of them will tell you about the worst ones that they have endured but this one leaves a mark. It rattled nerves, it certainly ratchet up anxiety level, a 6.4 followed just a day later by that far more powerful 7.1.

We were inside this Mexican restaurant at the time that 7.1 hit. You can see the food that was left behind, things that were even on the stove, plates smashed, glasses smashed as the 6 or so kitchen staff ran to safety.

[19:25:00] About another 100 or 150 people who were in the dining room, don't forget this happened on Friday night at dinnertime ducked under tables, got whatever cover they could, some of them just raced to the doorway. We spoke to one of the owners of this family restaurant. He's been through a lot of earthquakes. Here's how he felt about the one that we just went through.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JASON CORONA, OWNS CASA CORONA RESTAURANT: Earthquakes themselves, I don't know - from there, they're pretty deafening, they're just super loud, just the earthquake themselves and then especially if you're in a building then you add the rattle and the racket of the all the objects moving and then so yeah, the noise and you add everything moving around you and then you're trying to walk out and everything shaking so you can't lose it.

So you know your - your initial feeling is to get out but you have things jumping out at you and you have you know, you have the ground shaking literally before you and you don't know which way it's going to go so it's kind of like being in a crazy fun house.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FIELD: Despite that powerful instinct just to run when you feel that coming, Jason Corona stayed here, he knew he had guests under the table, he waited out that rumbling and helped direct people to the emergency exits, really helpful in the chaos and especially in the dark after all that power had gone out.

So today Ana, people are cleaming up a lot of surveys of the structures in this community, making sure that they remains sound, no reports yet of buildings entirely flattened but of course, you want to make sure that it is safe to be back in these buildings, especially as we anticipate dozens possibly hundreds of aftershocks still to come.

CABRERA: Exactly. Alexandra Field, thank you for that live report and just into CNN tonight, inept, insecure and incompetent. Do leaked diplomatic cables reveal what the U.K. really thinks of President Trump. Reaction from the White House. Next in the CNN Newsroom.

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[19:30:00]

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CABRERA: Inept, insecure, incompetent, that's how the British Ambassador to the United States described President Trump. Newly surfaced cables were leaked to and first published by The Daily Mail and CNN White House correspondent Boris Sanchez is joining us now. Boris, have we heard anything from the White House in response?

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: No comment yet Ana, from the White House's press shop. We're eagerly awaiting President Trump's response on Twitter, nothing here yet. This is really some eye opening perspective coming from the top ambassador to the United States closest ally, Sir Kim Derek sharing in these communications, his perspective of a White House that he sees as dysfunctional and a presidency that he says could crash and burn.

At one point in these communications he calls President Trump as you said, inept. He also questions President Trump's connections to Russians, his disposition on a potential military conflict with Iran as well, this is really awkward timing for the relationship between the United States and the U.K. considering President Trump was just there a few weeks ago, receiving all the pomp and circumstance of a state visit, saying that he believes the queen has not had as great a time in recent years as when she spent time with him.

As you know Ana, the President is very much a someone who punches back when he's criticized and so we are expecting a scathing response from President Trump to this but as yet he has yet to put anything out there, Ana.

CABRERA: How is the British government addressing this?

SANCHEZ: Yeah, they are not refuting some of the reporting in the Daily Mail about these leaks. The foreign and Commonwealth office putting out this statement, they write, "The British public would expect our ambassadors to provide ministers with an honest, unvarnished assessment of the politics in their country. Their views are not necessarily the views of ministers or indeed the government. But we pay them to be candid just as the U.S. Ambassador here will send back his reading of Westminster politics and personalities."

Again that coming from the British foreign and Commonwealth office so they're essentially standing by the reporting in the Daily Mail and their Ambassador's perspective saying that he's essentially just being candid though he may - his perspective may not be that of the entire U.K. Ana.

CABRERA: OK, Boris Sanchez reporting for us, thank you. We'll take a look at what people in California can expect in the coming hours up next. Plus CNN uncovering a second Facebook group with ties to border agents and we're hearing from one agent who says the vulgar and offensive Facebook contents isn't much different from what he hears from his colleagues on a daily basis.

That interview just ahead.

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[19:35:00]

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CABRERA: Back to Southern California now where we are seeing some incredible video of what it was like to be in the middle of a magnitude 7.1 earthquake. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get under the table, get under the table. Oh my God. Oh my God.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got it on video dude. Oh my God.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is a very strong earthquake.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pretty strong here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 8:21 here on the air we are experiencing very strong shaking, I think we need to get under the desk.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, we're going to go to break.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We'll be right back.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wow.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody OK?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All the pictures on the walls and everything turned over knows. We live on the top floor in an apartment complex so we was all trying to come out the home and we were shaking down the stairs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just noticed that the whole entire steps was actually shaking and theirs was leaning like almost 90 degrees and almost fell and I was like, you need to get out here right now, right now.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is definitely a robust sequence but it's far from unprecedented. It's just on the high side of average.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would probably start taking some stuff off of the walls if it's not already down and in high places make sure that - there's - you're not sleeping under something that still hung up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: I want to get CNN Meteorologist Chad Myers in here now. Chad, people who live in that part of southern California are used to earthquakes but little ones, not these major destructive events. Why are geologists so convinced that this wave of earthquakes may not be over yet.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Oh, this way it is not over I mean, we're going to get from a 7.1, we're going to get aftershocks for two years.

I mean, technically they're still seeing aftershocks in Fukushima over there in Japan from that large earthquake that you know basically destroyed we talked about those nuclear power plants for a very, very, very long time.

[19:40:00]

So yes, but the possibility of something bigger has now been reduced to 2%. The possibility of something somewhere in the 6 range is somewhere around 24% so we're still going to get aftershocks. We are still getting aftershocks although they are getting a little bit farther apart.

We've had 4700 aftershocks greater than one, now they were about every 30 seconds to a minute for a while and I've been watching on USGS just constantly the past couple hours and these are now down to about every 5 minutes. So that's something good but this is an interesting graphic.

This is a seismogram, not a seismograph because that would be on paper. This is a computer and what has been seeing in Wednesday July 3rds hour by hour transportation, all the way across here, 1 hour, 150 minutes, kind of earthquake right through here somewhere around 3:00 but then I'm going to take you to July 4 and all of a sudden it got active and that was the big quake.

That was the 6.4 and then it slowed down a lot. You can see a lot of white in here so not a lot of up and down, hour by hour. Not too bad Friday morning, one little jolt here then all of a sudden the last night, did it get busy. So I can take you now to the same exact graphic and I can take you to live.

This is the real time a five minute delay but you get the idea, kind of like the radar, five minute delay radar, there's a lot more white in here, not as many shaking up and down here and that's some good news. We are beginning to lose some of the aftershocks. Now does that mean they're over? Absolutely not.

Does that mean we're maybe seeing the possibility of more bigger ones? Sure, possibility but you know, everything at this point is a possibility. This is not certainly a perfect world. This is not like you know like medicine, they say this is not an exact science. We do everything we can but 20 million people felt shaking in the LA basin and many of them will feel more from these aftershocks that we're seeing today.

Now this is an image, it's interesting, I had to set it up, you're going to see the earthquake happened right there and when I push the button you're going to see the earth shake all the way across the country so there is the earthquake right here. It is going to continue to move and then all of a sudden. Well, that didn't work exactly the way I wanted it to but anyway, hold all best laid plans.

This is what Georgia looked like last night with that big earthquake. Actually the earth shook in Georgia, it shook in Vermont, it shook all the way down even to the south of the U.S. so earthquake at 7.1 equal to 1.3 billion sticks of dynamite underground 10 miles, blast them off, that's what a 7.1 this time looked like at about 40 miles long was the fissure, was the seam of the 7.1 earthquake.

So what does that mean? Does that mean it was a much bigger? Half as big as in 8.0? No, this is a logarithmic scale so from 6.4 to 7.1, it's five times bigger breaking, shaking but the power that it puts out is 11 times kind of like a 50 mile per hour wind is half as much as 100 mile per hour wind but 100 mile per hour wind is going to do a whole lot more damage than a 50. That's why it goes up exponentially, not just because of the shaking but things are breaking, gas lines breaking, water lines breaking and obviously the loss of life so far zero and I think that's outstanding.

CABRERA: Wow, yeah. You got a lot in that segment, Chad. And I liked how you roll with the punches when your toys weren't working. I got - I got - It took a lot away, thank you.

MYERS: You're welcome.

CABRERA: Now the Acting Head of Homeland Security has ordered an investigation into what he calls the disturbing and inexcusable activity by border patrol agents in a Facebook group. Got here from one border patrol agent who says that culture is widespread among colleagues. Next.

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[19:45:00]

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CABRERA: New questions tonight about U.S. customs and border protection officials and what they knew about that disturbing Facebook group used by former and current agents. CNN's Nick Valencia obtained offensive messages posted by members of that group and he spoke to a veteran border patrol agent who asked to remain anonymous, take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOICE OF VETERAN BORDER PATROL AGENT: There were a lot of negative comments back and forth, agents bickering at each other.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tonight, a veteran border patrol agent now speaking exclusively to CNN about the newly exposed secret Customs and Border Protection Facebook group calling itself I'm 10-15 where current and former border patrol agents reportedly made jokes about dead migrants.

Derogatory comments about Latino lawmakers including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and posted offensive memes. In a tweet today Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan says, he's ordering an immediate investigation into the offensive post and it comes as we learn about similar attitudes and comments being made by ICE agents.

This time in thousands of documents obtained by two advocacy groups. CNN reviewed some of the more than 5000 documents released by the organization 'Mijente', an internal ICE emails from 2017, ICE was planning raids dubbed Operation Mega. One email by an unidentified individual concludes with 'Happy Hunting' and 'Target Building.

But in response to these new documents ICE says it does not condone the use of offensive or politically charged language in reference to agency enforcement operations. Today we're also hearing new details about what's going on inside those detention facilities at the U. S. Mexico border.

[19:50:00]

Dr. Sara Goza, the President elect of the American Academy of Pediatrics toured two of these facilities, last week, describing the horror she witnessed firsthand.

Dr. Sara Goza: When I opened the door, the first thing that we - that we - that hit us was a smell and it was a smell of sweat, urine and feces. And there were young children, boys - unaccompanied boys in there and they had no expressions on their faces. There was no laughing, no joking, no talking.

I describe them almost like dog cages and with people in each of them in silence or just hard to watch - hard to see.

VALENCIA: New pictures from inside a facility in McAllen, Texas depict a similar scene. These were drawn by migrant children, 10 and 11 years old. All held there. All three pictures drawn in marker with stark similarities, people behind bars held in cages. These pictures revealed just one day after a DHS Inspector General report released these images from inside border patrol stations in Texas.

The report quoting a border patrol official who described the situation as a ticking time bomb. On Monday Texas Democrat Congressman Joaquin Castro visited the Clint border facility, capturing this picture of migrant women sharing a cramp cell.

REP. JOAQUIN CASTRO (D-TX): The system is completely broken. People's human rights are being abused. And it's not just about money, it's also about the standards of care.

VALENCIA: Nick Valencia, CNN, El Paso, Texas.

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CABRERA: Still ahead in the Newsroom, the Trump campaign gets called out for using paid actors to give the President, a glowing endorsement.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: President Trump is doing a great job. I could not ask for a better President of the United States.

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[19:55:00]

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CABRERA: This Sunday night, tomorrow night, mark your calendars, set your DVR and tune into our new CNN original series, 'The Movies.' It delves into the stories behind the movies you love including huge hits from the eighties like Fast times at Ridgemont High.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There was so much reality in the script to Fast Times. The way that Cameron wrote Fast Times at Ridgemont High is that he went back to high school.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I never graduated traditionally so the idea was I could go back and have the senior year that I didn't have and write about what it is to be a high school student.

I learned so much, the pop culture establishment they don't know what's happening with kids right now.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Stacey, what are you waiting for? You're 15 years old. I did it when I was 13. It's not a huge thing, it's just sex.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These kids are having a super short adolescence, they're having sex years before you know they're having sex and they're all working. It's fast food, it's fast adolescence. It's all disposable and what are we doing to a generation that has to be adults at a younger and younger age.

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CABRERA: A CNN original series, 'The Movies' airs tomorrow night at 9 Eastern and Pacific, right here on CNN. Calling all royal watchers, the photos are here. Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex have released these pictures from their private christening ceremony today for their son Archie at Windsor Castle.

It was very intimate service with only 25 people in attendance. You may remember, there was a bit of an uproar over their decision to keep the media away especially since British taxpayers foot the bill for their lifestyle but Harry and Meghan did follow some royal traditions including Archie's royal christening rope which was also worn by William and Kate's children. Cheers.

Tonight supporters or stock footage. Turns out, there's more than meets the eye in some of the latest Trump ads. Here's Jeanne Moos.

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JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This Trump ad features Tracy from Florida, walking the beach, praising the President.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I could not ask for a better President of the United States.

MOOS: And he couldn't ask for a better testimonial unless it was from a real supporter because Tracy from Florida is just a model from istock photo but surely Thomas from Washington offering Trump religious support is the real thing.

Nope, not a prayer that he's real, just a bearded and tattooed hipster type from iStock and AJ from Texas. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: President Trump although I'm a lifelong Democrat.

MOOS: He's another model from iStockphoto available for a modest licensing fee of 170 Bucks. All this was first reported by the website popular info. What's an ad guy who's spent 17 years making Democratic spots think of this?

J.J. BALABAN, DEMOCRATIC ADMAKER: If I did anything remotely like this for any one of my clients, I'd be fired.

MOOS: Actually no word of firings from the Trump 'Make America Great Again' committee that made these Facebook ads. Now there is an itty bitty disclaimer that pops up on the ad for maybe two seconds but you better have your trusting magnifying glass handy.

Don't blink, it's coming. What do you miss says actual testimonial actor portrayal. Why would someone do this when they could just grab a real Trump supporter?

BALABAN: Sloppiness and laziness.

MOOS: Sloppiness is nothing new. There was that Marco Rubio screw up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is real.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stop the clip there, that's Vancouver, Canada.

MOOS: Someone on Twitter defended the Trump committee's use of stock images because the unhinged jackasses on the left would go to no ends to make some Trump supporters life a living hell.

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