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Barry Makes Landfall In Louisiana, Weakens To Tropical Storm; Louisiana Governor: "Just The Beginning" Of Storm-Related Problems; Washington State Police Fatally Shoot Man Seen Throwing Molotov Cocktails Outside ICE Detention Center In Tacoma; Panicked Migrants Skipping Work, Hiding Out Ahead Of ICE Raids; Pence Visits Migrant Facilities; Emotions High During Hearing On Detentions Of Child Migrants; Biden On Iraq War Vote: "Mistake I Made Was Trusting" Bush; "The Movies: The Nineties" Airs Tomorrow at 9:00 P.M. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired July 13, 2019 - 15:00   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:00:19] ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Ana Cabrera, in New York. Thank you for being here.

It's breaking news on CNN. The storm named Barry roaring ashore in Louisiana right now. No longer a hurricane but it has made landfall and is still very frightening and very dangerous.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(WIND BLOWING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: The most powerful bands of the storm whipping parts of the state west of New Orleans right now. It looks like the city itself will be spared the worst of the predicted flooding and threats to the levees.

But outside the New Orleans area now, Tropical Storm Barry is pushing water over roads, forcing officials to close bridges, potentially cutting off people from help if they need it.

Barry is this year's first hurricane, even though it was only strong enough to be a hurricane for a couple of hours. It's still a powerful storm. It's moving very slowly. That's the biggest concern, because that means heavy rainfall and flooding could be a huge problem.

Forecasters telling people along the entire gulf coast that floodwaters are coming and could remain high well into next week.

We'll go to the weather center in just a minute. But here's a rough track of the storm, where it is now, and the best guess for the coming days.

And this was just a little while ago in Myrtle Grove, Louisiana, along the Mississippi River south of New Orleans. These horses found themselves in the fast-rising water, and some quick-thinking men in boats were able to help get them to safety.

Morgan City, Louisiana, is about 85 miles west of New Orleans, and CNN's Natasha Chen is there.

Natasha, give us an update on the conditions where you are.

NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, for the past couple of hours, Ana, it's been very heavy wind gusts, and the rain just pummeling down. Right at this very moment, we're feeling maybe a lull in the wind gusts. They have died down just a little bit.

But the rain is not letting up. I want to show you that people have used sandbags around town, because, as you mentioned, flooding is the biggest concern.

This city has not gotten a major storm since 2012, and the mayor is extremely concerned that if they get all of the rain they're anticipating, about 10 to 20 inches, if that comes all at once nonstop, their pumps will not be able to handle that, even though they got extra pumps yesterday to try and prepare for the situation.

And over here, we are seeing the highest water levels that we have seen all day, since we have been here early this morning. That you're looking at there's the top of a trash can. So typically, people are supposed to be able to walk out there.

Of course, this river was already flooded before the storm came through. So you're talking about an existing river at flood stage and then add a hurricane on top of that.

So right now, there are people throughout the city without power. There are downed trees and power lines blocking roads. And that's going to be a concern, especially, Ana, if there are folks who need emergency medical attention.

CABRERA: OK, Natasha Chen, we'll check back with you. Thank you.

Barry lumbering ashore in Louisiana as a category 1 hurricane. Pretty much immediately weakened to a tropical storm. Those terms have to do with wind velocity. And that's about the last thing people are worried about.

The biggest worry is the water that Barry is carrying. How much rain, how large a storm surge, how much can the overstressed levee system take?

Randi Kaye is in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

And, Randi, you're on the banks of a very windy Mississippi River. What kind of effects are you feeling there?

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR & CORRESPONDENT: Well, they have been talking about this triple threat, Fred, that's the rain, the wind and the flooding. And we're definitely seeing all of it. I can tell you that. But certainly more of the flooding. Because you can see here, we're

on the banks of the Mississippi, as you said, just outside the Belle Casino in Baton Rouge. And the water is coming up more than it was even just an hour ago. And then if you look out here, you can see it's definitely rougher. It's moving quite a bit. There's a lot of action in the water.

The trees are blowing. And the rain is definitely getting heavier. And the water seems to be splashing up quite a bit more. So we're going to continue to watch this.

But as you said, water is the big concern here, because, back in 2016, there was a major depression that sort of hung out, not even a hurricane, over this area, dropped a foot and a half of rain in just a two-day period over the downtown area of Baton Rouge.

I spoke to one woman today who told me she got five feet of rain in her house in Dunham Springs, just outside the city of Baton Rouge. But it's certainly a problem. Even just a few weeks ago, in June, a man died here from flooding in Baton Rouge. So it's been a real problem.

But, Ana, I can tell you it's just -- we know the public works guys have been out. They're just trying to get a handle on all of this. They have been looking at the drainage systems, because they're worried that the water isn't going to be able to get out of the area, the water that does drop on this area of Baton Rouge. They're worried because the gulf is pushing the water this way, the water here is just going to sit and settle and flood these areas.

[15:05:19] So luckily, the National Guard is here. They have high- water vehicles, which can get through high water, and be able to rescue folks. They're also doing security in the area, so they're keeping an eye on things.

And we spoke with the mayor earlier, and she said she is confident that her city can handle all of this. And we also talked with her about shelters and preparedness, and here's a little bit of what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHARON WESTON BROOME, (D), BATON ROUGE MAYOR-PRESIDENT: We're encouraging people to stay off of the roadways, and they have been doing that, to shelter in place, to keep in contact with Baton Rouge government through our Red Stick Ready app. And we're keeping the lines of communication open. Our people are staffed and staged at MOCEP. We have a shelter ready for individuals who might want to go to a shelter. So we're ready.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: And it's really important to point out, obviously, they want people to stay safe, but they also don't want them to stay home with their pets, just because they have pets. So it's important to mention that these two shelters that are open here in Baton Rouge do allow pets. So they can bring their pets with them. They don't have to stay home. But if you can stay home and be safe, that is ideal.

We'll have much more from Baton Rouge. We'll continue to watch the waters here.

For now, back to you.

CABRERA: OK, Randi, we're glad to hear that the mayor there's confident. We know that area is already so saturated. All of the region from so much rainfall over the past few days.

Thank you.

Barry made landfall as a hurricane, now a tropical storm, continuing to hit the Louisiana coast. The concerns, the rainfall this afternoon is getting deeper by the hour. Louisiana's governor tells CNN, this is just the beginning of storm-related problems in his state.

Let's go to CNN Meteorologist, Chad Myers, who is tracking Barry's every move.

And, Chad, this storm is actually barely even moving. That's never good news.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: No. And barely even started. And I think the people there in Louisiana are saying, OK, this must not be happening. Because it clearly isn't happening right now. But in some places, it is already happening. Thirteen inches of rainfall right there. There's New Orleans. So about 60 miles from there, since midnight last night, they have received 12, and it's still raining. Near Fair Hope, in Alabama, they have picked up around six. And it's just started.

So here is your rub. This thing is only moving at six miles per hour to the north and to the northwest. So if we put all of this rain that's still offshore and put it on land, just like we had in this band out here, not that far from the mouth of the Mississippi, we are going to put down 10 or 20 inches of rainfall in places that can't take it. Places that have already seen very heavy rainfall, or very high water all year, because of the water that was in the Mississippi already from the rain that happened in Nebraska and Iowa and Missouri months ago. This is still coming down the Mississippi. That's why the water levels are so high.

And that white area right there to the west of Baton Rouge, not that far from Lafayette, that's 20 inches of rain to come before it stops.

The flood potential is high. The rivers may go up, especially this Comite River. We talk about this. Could go up 34 feet in the next 36 hours. That's a foot an hour. You have to get out of the way of that. If you live anywhere near these areas, if you live near a stream or creek that really floods a lot, and you know you're getting this much water, you need to take precautions right now.

It's not too late, but you need to do it now -- Ana?

CABRERA: And just to confirm with you, it's the rain that we're most concerned about, not necessarily the storm surge this time around?

MYERS: Correct. Surge was right around three feet. So that was a big surge for Grand Isle and places there. And there were some areas, some lower back bay levees that were overtopped. Not the Mississippi River levee. But that was a small surge, three feet.

But it's the water. If you talk about two feet of water, that all has to run off somewhere. It's going to get deeper as the area goes down, as the water level goes down or the land goes down. So those are the areas that will likely flood over the next coming days.

I know we've been talking about this now for three solid days. People are tired of us talking about it. But it's here now. And we're going to talk about it for two more days, because that's how long it's going to take before it finally goes away -- Ana?

CABRERA: Chad Myers, we'll check back with you, because, again, this storm is really just getting going.

MYERS: Yes.

CABRERA: We're going to stay on top of what is now Tropical Storm Barry, came ashore as Hurricane Barry. Stay with us.

Also breaking, reports that police in Washington state killed a man seen throwing Molotov cocktails outside a migrant detention center. Hear what else police say he was armed with.

Again, stay on top of breaking news. Barry now downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm. Part of a Louisiana coast is still getting slammed with rain. We are hearing reports that at least one levee is overtopping in about 25 spots. In the New Orleans area, we'll go live there, when we come back.

[15:10:07] You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM. Don't go away.

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CABRERA: Breaking news right now on CNN. Barry making landfall in Louisiana, no longer a hurricane, a very powerful tropical storm, pushing water over levees. State officials say, so far, none are actually breached. None are broken.

The biggest threat from this tropical storm, as we keep repeating, because it is so important, is the heavy rain that will likely flood communities all along the storm's path, flooding that may last for several days.

Let's get right out to CNN's Nick Watt. He is just outside New Orleans in Youngsville, Louisiana, where there is growing concern about water spilling over some backwater levees. Right now, one of two levees, not reinforced after Katrina, is overtopping in several spots.

Nick, what is the concern from this levee? NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Ana, that is down in Plaquemines

Parish, 40 miles or so outside of New Orleans, as you mentioned. The levee being overtopped.

And we heard from the lieutenant governor who said that people in the southern part of that parish only have two or three hours to evacuate before Highway 23 there is inundated and closed. He said they don't want to evacuate people along the tops of the levees, because there will be water on both sides and a car tipping off that could be fatal.

Now, as you mentioned, New Orleans, so far, fine. The levees on the Mississippi, so far, fine.

Let's get an update on that from the governor of Louisiana.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[15:15:10] JOHN BEL EDWARDS, (D), LOUISIANA GOVERNOR: We actually anticipated that the back levee would be overtopped, and so we are not surprised by what has happened.

But what everyone should understand, no Mississippi River levee has been overtopped. And not a single levee in the state of Louisiana as of right now has failed or breached.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NICK: Now, the next thing, of course, as you mentioned, Ana, that we're looking at is the rain coming from above. We have been expecting it here for the past few hours. The forecast keeps on pushing it forward. Barry is very slow-moving. Moving right now at just a little bit more than a walking pace.

But the fear for towns like this that are low-lying -- this is low- lying farm country, cattle and corn country. And it is low. We're about 10 feet lower than Lafayette, just up the road a little bit.

And when they settled these towns, they built the church on the highest ground. And as these towns have expanded, now we're seeing subdivisions getting built on the flood plains outside of town, and that is where the danger could arise.

Here, they had 17 inches of rain in just four hours back in 2016, 600 homes flooded. They have improved their flood defenses since then, but there's only so much you can do, as the public works director here told us. Drainage systems sometimes -- however well you build them, they just can't handle if you get that 15 or 20 inches of rain at a time. That's the fear here.

This storm moving slowly. As you mentioned, back down to a tropical storm. That often happens once these storm systems come onshore and lose essentially the fuel that is keeping them going. So it is unclear how much slower Barry is going to get and just how much water he is going to dump on southern Louisiana -- Ana?

CABRERA: New Orleans officials on Wednesday said they saw nine inches of rain from a big storm that day and the pumps could not keep up. It was already overworked. And they said there's no pump system that could keep up with that amount of rain. So that's why these warnings are so important and all the residents there need to listen to local officials.

We'll, of course, continue to give the best information that we have.

Nick Watt, thank you for being there for us. We hope all of our reporters and camera people and the residents stay safe.

A crackdown is about to get under way across the country. ICE agents are gearing up for raids in multiple major cities. But did President Trump jeopardize his own plan by announcing it?

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:21:16] CABRERA: Thousands of migrants across at least nine major cities are preparing for tomorrow's ICE raids.

Yet, one city that isn't on this list is garnering a lot of attention right now. That's Tacoma, Washington. Early this morning, a man, who police say was armed and was seen throwing Molotov cocktails, was fatally shot outside the city's northwest ICE detention center.

CNN Correspondent, Polo Sandoval, has been following the details here.

Polo, when officers arrived on scene, what did they find?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A chaotic situation. Quite the chaotic situation as well. According to a spokesman for the Tacoma Police Department, police were initially called early this morning to find a man throwing Molotov cocktails at vehicles and even potentially at officers. Officers were forced to open fire, shooting and killing the man.

Now they are beginning their investigation here as those officers involved are on administrative leave, which is standard procedure any time an officer has to use their firearm.

Authorities are now trying to find out exactly what the motive was. At this point, they have not said exactly who this person was. But, of course, that is something they're trying to answer right now. The medical examiner now will be performing an autopsy.

But what police do say, this individual obviously showing signs he was disturbed here.

So far, based on what we're hearing from authorities, Ana, it's simply just timing when it comes to any possible connection with the controversy, obviously, and the expected ICE raids that are supposed to be carried out, starting tomorrow. At this point, police have not established any sort of connection with that. So at this point, it seems like could have just been timing.

It's something we're going to be continuing to follow to see if that is perhaps a part of the motive here.

CABRERA: So we don't know the motive why he was there throwing Molotov cocktails?

SANDOVAL: Simply a disturbed individual who was creating this scene --

CABRERA: OK.

SANDOVAL: -- and, sadly, was shot and killed.

CABRERA: We're going to be interviewing the governor of Washington State, Governor Jay Inslee -- he's also a 2020 candidate -- coming up next hour so I hope we can get additional details from him.

(CROSSTALK)

SANDOVAL: I almost forgot to mention, Seattle is not actually one of the states -- one of the nine states listed as those locations where we'll be seeing these ICE raids tomorrow.

CABRERA: Right. Right.

SANDOVAL: So something to consider, especially when you speak to the governor.

CABRERA: Absolutely.

Thank you, Polo Sandoval.

SANDOVAL: Thank you.

CABRERA: Again, the shooting outside of a migrant detention center in Tacoma comes as thousands of undocumented immigrants are already on edge this week. And ahead of these planned and highly publicized ICE raids, many are skipping work, going into hiding out of fear they could be among those picked for deportation.

The raids are expected to start tomorrow in nine major cities. Our understanding is they will target around 2,000 families who recently arrived in the U.S. and have already been given orders for removal.

But there could also be collateral deportations, meaning migrants that weren't the original targets but are at the scene will be detained, as well.

Usually, these ICE raids are not announced before they happen. But President Trump has changed that. He's talked about them on Twitter and on camera. He's used as bargaining chips with Congress and as a way to rally his base.

Here he is outside the White House yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It starts on Sunday and they're going to take people out and they're going to bring them back to their countries or they're going to take criminals out, put them in prison, or put them in prison in the countries they came from. We're focused on criminals as much as we can.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: How many --

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: Before we do anything else.

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: So we are really specifically looking for bad players, but we're also looking for people that came into our country, not through a process, they just walked over a line. They have to leave.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: I want to bring in Ron Vitiello. He worked for Border Patrol for 30 years. He served as the acting ICE Director under President Trump until this April. He was nominated for the permanent position but President Trump pulled his nomination saying his administration was going in a tougher direction.

Thank you, sir, for being with us.

A senior administration --

RONALD VITIELLO, FORMER ACTING ICE DIRECTOR & FORMER BORDER PATROL CHIEF: Great to be with you, Ana.

[15:25:06] CABRERA: Thank you.

A senior administration official told our Jim Acosta the president's comments about these raids could actually jeopardize the operations. Are you concerned about that?

VITIELLO: Well, we do have to balance the officer safety aspects of this. The men and women of ICE, the professional deportation officers, will take care to make sure they do this operation safely, specifically for themselves and for the people that will be targets in these cases.

CABRERA: Why give a heads-up then?

VITIELLO: Well, I think you have to balance the public interest here, right? We have to understand -- the public needs to understand who these people are, and why they became targets.

There's hundreds of thousands of people who have been ordered deported by a judge who are still in the United States. And this is a subset of that.

And then the president's remarks said there will be criminals involved in this, as well. And 87 percent of the arrests that ICE made last year were people who

were either criminally convicted or were criminally involved. And 65 percent of everybody they removed from the country had criminal activity in their background, as well.

CABRERA: We did also look up some other stats and found, in the president's first year, there was a 171 percent increase in the number of non-criminal immigrants being arrested. And CNN first reported just this past May the White House had been considering deporting migrant families in an attempt to, quote, "send a message to smugglers."

Is targeting non-criminal families the best use of ICE resources? We just heard from the president saying it could be families that get swept up in these raids.

VITIELLO: Well, there are thousands of families who have come into the country over the last several years.

When I was still in government, in September, the Justice Department put together a specific docket for the crush of families that were coming to the border in these 10 locations. They put together a specific docket for families. That means they got their cases heard faster than they would have, because they have all been released from the border. And so now these cases have been heard.

Many of the people who were, you know, applied for asylum or wanted to go to an immigration hearing did not go. They refused to go when the court noticed them. ICE subsequently noticed them again. And again, they refused to go. And now they have been ordered by the judge in absentia. So they've become targets of the Fugitives Operations Team.

So this is a group of people who crossed the border illegally, were released pending an immigration proceeding, then they failed to follow up on that proceeding, were subsequently noticed, and now are fugitives.

CABRERA: Which we also know the ACLU has pushed back on, saying they have some -- some being clients who never received a notice because perhaps they were sent to the wrong address or they showed up but the notice had the wrong date, the wrong time or place for their hearing. So there may have been some miscommunication. The ACLU filed a lawsuit to protect some of those people.

But let me move on and talk about the conditions we're seeing at these facilities. Vice President Pence toured a couple of migrant facilities yesterday, one that houses men, one that houses children and families.

Here's where the families are being held. And I think it's important to see both facilities.

We're told this is a rather new facility to help with some of the overcrowding. And the vice president said the children here were getting, quote, "excellent care." But it really was a different situation where migrant men are being

held. And I know we have that video. No beds. This all is very, very crammed. No access to water inside the cells. They have to ask for it. That's what Pence witnessed, even when they knew he was coming and cameras would be with them.

Some people have been held for weeks. It wasn't until just this past Thursday a shower arrived. Pence admits, conditions here are unacceptable.

And because of your experience, I have to ask, in your 30-plus years when you were at Border Patrol, did you ever see conditions like this?

VITIELLO: We faced similar challenges in 2014 when lots of kids and families with children came to the border in unprecedented numbers. That -- in 2014, that problem was a quarter of what it is today.

We are being overwhelmed in extraordinary conditions at the border. Thousands and thousands of people over the week come to the border with their children or children alone and the Border Patrol facilities that are designed to have people come in and go through the booking procedure, they're supposed to be in our custody for a very short time. They're being overwhelmed. So the conditions are what they are, because this unmitigated flow continues.

CABRERA: Are those conditions acceptable to you?

VITIELLO: They're not acceptable to anybody. But what is the alternative? The Border Patrol is required to take these people into custody and put them in proceedings.

The adult males and adult females that don't have children will be referred to detention at ICE As quickly as possible. The families and children -- the children will be moved and transferred to the HHS shelter nearby or somewhere in the country. And the families are all being released.

And I'm sure that the Border Patrol is prioritizing the movement of these young kids and these families with young kids. And so they're overwhelmed.

CABRERA: That's for sure.

Ron Vitiello, thank you for your time. Good to have you with us.

VITIELLO: Appreciate being here.

[15:30:07] CABRERA: We're keeping an eye on Tropical Storm Barry's path. More than 100,000 people are now without power in Louisiana, and heavy rainfall now is the biggest threat. We're live in the storm zone, just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: Tears and passion on Capitol Hill as lawmakers from both parties testified about the unforgettable scenes, the stories they were hearing, while touring border facilities.

Republicans spoke of Border Patrol agents facing a crush of arrivals. More than triple the numbers seen in the past.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ANDY BIGGS (R-AZ): It is a crisis. It is real. And we do not get anywhere by blaming the people who are doing their best to help these people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Democrats described the conditions they saw in Clint, Texas, extreme overcrowding, migrants yelling, and telling the lawmakers that they were forced to drink from the toilets.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-NY): And what was worse about this, Mr. Chairman, was the fact that there were American flags hanging all over these facilities. That children being separated from their parents in front of an American flag. That women were being called these names under an American flag.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: But some of the most compelling sound came from not a lawmaker, but a lawyer who monitors migrant facilities and spoke directly with the children.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[15:35:07] ELORA MUKHERJEE, LAW PROFESSOR & DIRECTOR, COLUMBIA LAW SCHOOL'S IMMIGRANTS' RIGHTS CLINIC: Many had not brushed their teeth for days. They were wearing the same clothes they had on when they crossed the border. Clothes that were covered in in nasal mucous, vomit, breast milk, urine. Multiple children had a strong stench emanating from them because they had not showered in days.

At Clint, I met a 6-year-old boy who I will never forget. He was tiny and he hardly spoke. When I asked him if he was at Clint with anyone, he began to sob, nearly inconsolably for an hour. Nearly an hour.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: CNN's Pamela Brown was with Vice President Mike Pence as he toured facilities in Texas. And she pressed him about whether he was comfortable with the conditions he witnessed. Here's that interview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAMELA BROWN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: We went to two different facilities today.

MIKE PENCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Yes. BROWN: And there seemed to be a difference between the first one where the families were being housed and the one where there are single adult migrants.

When I went in there, one of them said to me -- I'm talking about the second facility -- this isn't human, the way we're treated. It was -- there was a horrible smell. I'm sure you smelled it. You were in there as well. They were sleeping on concrete, because there's not enough room for cots, we're told. It was hot. Some claimed they were hungry. Is that acceptable to you?

PENCE: No, it's not. And it's the reason why we demanded Congress provide $4.6 billion in additional support to Customs and Border Protection.

Look, for the last six months, Democrats in Congress have been saying this is a manufactured crisis. But as you saw firsthand today, here at the McAllen station, where our cells are overflowing and now our temporary facility you saw had to be established, and then the first facility that we saw where nearly 1,000 families with children are being detained, ought to be a very clear message to every American that the time for action is now.

And the time for Congress to act to end the flow of families that are coming north from Central America to our border is now.

BROWN: Should there be a different level of care for the families versus the adult migrants, single adult migrants?

PENCE: I think it's all the same standard of care.

BROWN: But what we saw today was very different for the families versus the single adult migrants.

(CROSSTALK)

BROWN: It was the same level of care.

PENCE: Well, what you saw today was a -- was a very clean facility, where people were being detained indoors. And then you saw a temporary facility that was constructed, because this -- this facility is overcrowded.

And we can't keep people in a cell beyond what the rules and regulations allow for.

But everyone even in that temporary facility, Pamela, is getting three meals a day. They're getting health care. They're getting hygiene. And the Customs and Border Protection is doing their level best in an overcrowded environment and in a difficult environment to address this issue.

But Congress has got to act to make it possible for us to reduce the numbers of people coming into our country illegally. And that's going to require us to change the loopholes, reform our asylum laws. And my hope is today. (CROSSTALK)

BROWN: Let's talk about the --

PENCE: I hope two things today, Pamela. I hope, first and foremost, that we put to the lie this slander against Customs and Border Protection. People saying that families and children are being held in concentration camps is an outrage. The Nazis killed people.

Our Customs and Border Protection, as you heard today, are saving lives every day. And you saw the profound compassionate care for those families and children in the detention facility today.

But the other thing is, I hope we also move past this rhetoric about a manufactured crisis. I mean, the president wanted me to come down here today to look in how families are being treated, but also to be able to show the American people that this system is overwhelmed, it's overcrowded.

And Congress has got to step up to end this crisis of illegal immigration at our southern border.

BROWN: The first facility we went to with the families, is that really a fair representation of how most of the migrant families have been treated under CBP care?

PENCE: You are at the epicenter here in the Rio Grande valley of this crisis of illegal immigration. And 60 percent of those that are being detained coming across our southern border are coming through this sector.

So I think what we saw today was a very fair representation of how families are being treated.

And, look --

(CROSSTALK)

[15:40:07] BROWN: But there are several different facilities and this was one of them.

(CROSSTALK)

PENCE: I understand Americans are in trouble --

(CROSSTALK)

BROWN: -- how they handle the overcrowding.

PENCE: Americans are troubled by what they have read in the newspapers --

(CROSSTALK)

BROWN: Well, all we have to do is look at pictures like this. I mean, when you look at that, what do you see? PENCE: Well, I can't account for that. What I can account for is

that the facility that you saw --

BROWN: But you're the vice president. How do you not account for this?

PENCE: It's a facility that you saw today represents the level and the standard of care that we are working to bring to all those caught up in this crisis.

Remember, it was just a few short weeks ago that Congress finally acknowledged the crisis and gave us an additional $4.6 billion in humanitarian aid.

Now, we're going to continue to improve. We're going to continue to provide care at the standard the American people expect.

But, Pamela, remember, for the last six months, Democrats in Congress said it was a manufactured crisis. And it was all we could do to finally get the Democrats in Congress to agree to give us additional funding to deal with this crisis.

And so we'll continue to provide the level of care the American people expect, and we'll do it with compassion and with the generosity.

But ultimately, we have got to demand that Congress take the next step, reform these asylum laws, close the loopholes, and end this unprecedented migration.

BROWN: The DHS I.G. says some children under this administration's watch didn't have access to showers or hot meals. Does the administration take any responsibility for that? Democrats are not in the White House. Where does the buck stop?

PENCE: Yes. We read those reports. And I know that they're being thoroughly --

BROWN: Several reports.

PENCE: They're being thoroughly investigated.

I know there were also lawyers who were here who presented what ultimately became unsubstantiated allegations.

But make no mistake about it. Any allegation of people not receiving the standard of care that the American people anticipate is thoroughly investigated. The recent allegations of abuse are being thoroughly investigated.

But what you saw today, I hope, is an encouragement to millions of Americans. That even before Congress funded a temporary facility, we built that temporary facility to house families who are caught up in this crisis of illegal immigration.

And you saw not just three meals a day, children with snacks. There were diapers. There were hygiene products. Changing tables. Children sitting in a comfortable, air-conditioned environment, watching television.

This is how the American people expect us to treat people who are caught up in this crisis. And we're going to continue to work to make that a reality.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: Again, that was Pam Brown's reporting from the border.

Levees are overtopping as we talk about Tropical Storm Barry. Multiple areas where the levees are overtopping near New Orleans. As Barry moves over land, we're already starting to see flooding. More than 100,000 people without power in Louisiana. We'll take you there, live.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Ana Cabrera. Stay with us.

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[15:47:23] CABRERA: Democratic presidential candidate and former vice president, Joe Biden, speaking out today about something his critics have hammered him on, his 2002 vote in favor of the Iraq War.

Let's get right to CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich who joins us from Londonderry, New Hampshire, where Biden is campaigning today.

Vanessa, what did Biden say?

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: Hi, Ana. The vice president just wrapped up the second stop of the day in a two-day swing through New Hampshire.

But earlier today, he was at a House party in Atkinson, New Hampshire, and he opened the floor to voters who wanted to hear from them.

They were able to ask him many questions, including one voter who asked him about the war in Iraq. He asked why he voted for the war, and what mistakes he's learned along the way.

Take a listen to the vice president's answer to that question.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES & DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The mistake I made was trusting President Bush who gave me his word he was using it for the purpose of getting inspectors in to see what was going on, whether they were producing nuclear weapons.

My mistake was looking a man in the eye who had lied to me and said, I'm not going to take us to war, this is merely to get inspectors in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YURKEVICH: Now, that is the most we've heard from the vice president on the campaign trail about the war in Iraq and that vote that he made.

But it's important to note, Ana, that the vice president rolled out a foreign policy speech earlier this week where he made no mention of the war in Iraq. Instead he was calling for the end to "forever wars," as he calls them. It's important to note that we do still have troops in Iraq.

Now, Ana, he is heading out again on the road for a three-day swing through Iowa, coming up just next week -- Ana?

CABRERA: Vanessa Yurkevich, of course, that's ahead of our next Democratic debates hosted by CNN here on the 30th and 31st of July.

Thanks.

Last fall, we shared the story of Luke Mickelson, a top-10 "CNN Hero" from Idaho who saw a need in his hometown and ended up quitting his day job to follow his new-found passion, giving kids a good-night's sleep by building free bunk beds. In less than a year, his project has taken off ways a small-town farm boy never would have imagined. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LUKE MICKELSON, CNN HERO: We went from just one little community to over almost 200 communities now, over 30,000 volunteers.

(SHOUTING)

MICKELSON: We've also received over 50,000 bed requests.

We're here to deliver beds. You want to show me where they go?

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Yes.

MICHELSON: All right.

We started a new program in 2019 to help those kids that have been affected by natural disasters throughout the country.

[15:50:02] Probably the best, huh?

Yes.

We bring dignity, self-respect.

Perfect.

We're bringing something they own and can be proud of.

Yes!

You like it?

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Go to CNNheroes.com to learn more about Luke's story and to nominate someone you think should be a "CNN Hero."

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: From "Goodfellas" to "Jurassic Park," "Titanic" and "The Shawshank Redemption," some of the most influential films from the '90s were shaped by a country looking for an escape from the doldrums of office life.

CNN's Tom Foreman takes a look back at the decade in film.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Everybody be cool, this is a robbery!

TOM FOREMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Some of the most iconic crime and punishment films of modern times came from the 1990s.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: As far back as I can remember, I've always wanted to be a gangster.

FOREMAN: Movies in which the bad guys had good lines.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: I ate his liver with some fava beans.

FOREMAN: And good guys got bad breaks.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: I had to come to prison to be a crook.

TIM NAFTALI, CNN HISTORIAN: "Shawshank Redemption" is about seeking justice in an imperfect world. And when the convicts win, you have a sense of relief and that somehow justice has been dean done.

(SHOUTING)

FOREMAN: In real-life, the headlines held plenty of drama. But the economy was steaming along, heroic moments seemed plentiful. And for many, the challenge was just getting through the workday.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Hello, Peter.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: What's happening?

[15:55:03] FOREMAN: To the rescue, a comedy boom the likes of which has rarely been seen. Over the top.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Smoking!

FOREMAN: Relentless.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Bill Connor, man! FOREMAN: Outrageous!

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Ow!

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: I just laugh my ass off.

FOREMAN: And the comedy craze had heart.

(LAUGHTER)

CHRIS CONNELLY, JOURNALIST: And you have a number of people who were especially adept at the form of the romantic comedy.

You have Sandra Bullock. You have Hugh Grant. You have Meg Ryan. And you have Tom Hanks.

TOM HANKS, ACTOR: My name is Forrest, Forrest Gump.

FOREMAN: Beyond the laughs, however, the '90s saw a serious new movement in film to.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: You got a problem here?

TODD BOYD, PROFESSOR OF CINEMA & MEDIA STUDIES, USC SCHOOL OF CINEMATIC ARTS: You really had, for the first time, a large collection of black filmmakers documenting what was going on in the culture.

FOREMAN: Animation came roaring back to the box office in a huge way.

The Cohen brothers expanded their rapidly growing influence.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: You're Mr. Lebowski. I'm the dude.

FOREMAN: It was, simply put, an immense decade for the movies. Hollywood, with the help of newly developed computer imagery, winding down one millennium --

(ROARING)

FOREMAN: -- and looking to the next.

(MUSIC)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: I loved "Titanic." That was one of my favs back in the day.

Be sure to tune in. The all-new original series, "The Movies," airs tomorrow night at 9:00 only on CNN.

We'll be right back.

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