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104 Civilians Killed In Gaza While Gathering At Food Aid Trucks; Today: Biden Visits Border City, Will Speak On Migrant Crisis; Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) Calls For Florida Surgeon General To Resign Over Measles Response. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired February 29, 2024 - 07:30   ET

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

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[07:33:10]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: This just into CNN. The Israel Defense Forces is now saying it is investigating reports from the Palestinian Red Crescent and other eyewitnesses that over 100 people were killed by Israel gunfire as they were waiting for food from aid trucks.

Let's get over to CNN's Jeremy Diamond who is pulling together more details as we're learning about this. He's in Tel Aviv. Jeremy, what are you hearing about this?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Palestinian Ministry of Health now says that 104 people, at least, were killed in this incident; 760 people injured. This happened on Al-Rashid Street in western Gaza City where we know that in northern Gaza, the situation has grown increasingly desperate with about half a million people on the brink of famine.

And so, what appears to have happened is that hundreds of people were surrounding these aid trucks trying to get aid from trucks that had just arrived in northern Gaza. Very few trucks have actually been able to make it into northern Gaza over the course of the last month. And at some point, it appears that the Israeli military, both tanks as well as drones, opened fire -- machine gun fire, according to eyewitnesses -- on those crowds.

Now, some of the individuals appear to have been killed by Israeli gunfire; others appear to have been killed in the ensuing chaos with several of those trucks apparently running over individuals amid all of this.

Now, the Israeli military, in a statement, says that during the entry of humanitarian aid, Gazan residents surrounded the trucks and looted the supplies being delivered. They say that during the incident dozens of Gazans were injured as a result of pushing and trampling.

And separately, an Israeli military official is telling us that the crowd approached the forces in the area in a manner that they say posed a threat to the troops. And they say that those troops then responded with live fire. The Israeli military also saying that this incident is under review. [07:35:06]

But obviously, the bottom line here is that over 100 people were killed as they were desperately trying to get much-needed food aid.

And this also just underscores a broader point about the situation in northern Gaza, and that is that even as not only have very few aid trucks actually been able to make it into northern Gaza but when they do, they have very little actual security around them. And that is in part because the Israeli military has been repeatedly targeting police forces that have been around some of these aid trucks in the past. There is very little security for these trucks. And the people on the ground are so, so desperate for this much-needed aid.

But we will, I suppose, get more information in the coming hours and we'll bring that back to you -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: All right, Jeremy. We'll get back to you as this continues to develop. Thank you very much for the update -- John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. In a few hours, President Biden and Donald Trump will battle for the spotlight at the border as they both head to Texas, each trying to prove they are the best person to handle the crisis there. The trip comes as the president is weighing new execution action to restrict asylum claims.

With us now, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. Thank you so much for being with us this morning.

What does it tell you --

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Thanks, John.

BERMAN: -- that both President Biden and Donald Trump are going to be at the border on the same day?

JEAN-PIERRE: Here -- there's a difference here and I want to be very clear about this. Because the president is going to, as you just said, Brownsville, Texas to hear directly from the Border Patrol agents and to hear directly from the frontline personnel on what is going on on the ground. And let's not forget the president was at the border just about a year ago in January of 2023 to do the same. This is not about politics for the president.

And let's not forget, on the first day of his -- of his administration, three years ago -- more than three years ago -- he put forth a comprehensive immigration policy. And what happened over and over again is that Republicans kept on getting in the way. They kept on rejecting any effort that we asked to get more resources.

We took four months -- four months to come up with the bipartisan deal that came out of the Senate -- four months. And it was not about politics; it was about an issue. When you think about the border and you think about the immigration that's been broken for decades, it's about an issue that the majority of Americans care about. So the president wanted to get to work and came up with a bipartisan deal out of the Senate. Again, Republicans rejected it. Why did they do that? They did that at the behest of the former president, Donald Trump, who asked them to not take it up because of his -- for his own political gain.

This is not about politics for the president. This is about the American people. The American people are going to hear directly from President Biden today about what he has done to continue moving forward in dealing with this issue and how Republicans have gotten in the way.

BERMAN: You say it's not about politics. What then, specifically, will be improved by President Biden's visit to the border today?

JEAN-PIERRE: I think -- the president said this -- and he did say this that once Republicans rejected that bipartisan deal that came out of the Senate that would have dealt with the border challenges, that would have dealt with some of the issues that we're seeing with immigration.

Let's not forget that bipartisan bill was supported by the border patrol union, U.S. Chamber of Commerce. In this political time it is -- it is unreal and unheard of to see that type of support for a bipartisan bill. And so, that's what we saw.

Look -- and when they rejected it -- Republicans rejected it -- again, because of the -- because of the former president, the president said he's going to take it directly to the American people. The American people are going to hear from him about what happened. About how they put -- Republicans put politics -- they put politics ahead of dealing with issues that matter.

So let's not forget the president is going to go to Brownsville. Brownsville -- the mayor of Brownsville is Republican. So he's going to hear from people who are directly affected by this day in and day out.

So, again, not about politics. This is about coming together in a bipartisan way to try to deal with an issue that the majority of Americans care about, and that's a broken immigration system that's been broken for decades, and dealing with the border challenges --

BERMAN: One of the --

JEAN-PIERRE: -- that we're seeing.

BERMAN: One of the things that some Americans are focused on are crimes that are allegedly being committed by migrants who are in the country illegally. There was the death of Laken Riley in Georgia. There's been an arrest made there.

Republicans are directly blaming President Biden for this. Republican Sen. Josh Hawley said, quote, "These deaths are on him."

What's the White House response to that? JEAN-PIERRE: So, first of all, I want to offer our condolences to the family of Laken. I mean, this is a horrific, horrific loss for any family. And obviously, any -- if whoever is found guilty we need to make sure that -- make sure that happens. And obviously, we don't want to -- we don't want to see anything happen like that again.

[07:40:00]

But here's the thing. We have done the work to make sure we're dealing with a broken immigration system. The Republicans have gotten in the way. They have gotten in the way. And that's what we continue to see over and over and over again.

And so, look, this is a serious -- this is a serious matter. That's why the president is going to the border. The president was at the border a year ago in El Paso, visiting the border back in January 2023. He put a comprehensive -- a comprehensive immigration policy on day one.

This really -- the folks who are getting in the way here are Republicans. They are getting in the way and they are doing it because of what Donald Trump is telling them to do for their own -- for his own political gain. And so, this is where we are right now.

So the president is going to take it directly to the American people. He's going to hear by -- form folks -- from people who are -- who are directly impacted by what's happening with this broken immigration system.

But the president is not going to stop. He's not going to stop because this is not about politics; it's about the American people and what they want to see coming out of this -- out of Washington, D.C.

BERMAN: Has the president spoken to his son Hunter since Hunter Biden's testimony before the House committee yesterday?

JEAN-PIERRE: So, I get asked this question all the time, John, as you can imagine, at the podium. And I've always been very consistent I'm just not going to comment on the president's private family conversations. So I just don't have a comment for you on that.

BERMAN: Well, the White House publicly sent a letter to Fox News criticizing them for their coverage over the last few weeks of Alexey Smirnov, who was this FBI informant who has now been arrested for allegedly lying about Hunter Biden and President Biden.

Why did the White House decide to send that letter?

JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, the letter from my colleague speaks for itself. And you're right, that letter was sent.

What I will say about this more broadly is that we understand how difficult it is for all of you. We understand how difficult it is for -- and you know this, John -- how difficult it is to reporting. And we understand how important it is to report on the facts and to be accurate. And that's what we're asking for. We're asking to make sure that when reporting about issues that are critical -- that the American people are hearing about and need to -- it needs to be factual and it needs to be accurate.

And again, the letter speaks for itself that my colleague sent out.

BERMAN: Does the White House feel as if the Supreme Court is acting urgently in regards to the federal case against Donald Trump, deciding to hear the immunity case in late April?

JEAN-PIERRE: So, I've got to be really mindful here. It's an ongoing criminal case. I'm just not going to comment on an ongoing criminal case. I'm just going to leave it there.

BERMAN: All right. Finally, the president --

JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

BERMAN: -- came to New York earlier this week and had ice cream with late-night host Seth Meyers and that seemed to be triggering for some people.

I want to read you a quote from Jessie Watters on Fox, who said, "A grown man, especially the president, should not be licking ice cream in public."

I wonder if you have a reaction to the outrage over the public eating of ice cream.

JEAN-PIERRE: That's just a false outrage. I don't really have more to say beyond that.

The president went out there to New York. I was with him. I traveled with him. He did -- he did an interview with Seth Meyers. He met -- he met Americans where they are. He reached more than a million people in that interview. He talked about really important issues that matter to the American people and gave substantive answers.

He obviously did it in a late-night show fashion. And look, this is what -- this is important. The president needs to meet different Americans in different -- in different vehicles, different venues. And he was able to do that and he was happy to be with Seth Meyers that day.

BERMAN: All right, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. Thanks so much for being with us. Appreciate it.

JEAN-PIERRE: Thank you. Thank you so much.

BERMAN: Kate.

BOLDUAN: On a very serious topic, where the line is is when you put toppings on the ice cream. That is when it becomes absolutely outrageous.

BERMAN: And then it's 24-hour coverage.

BOLDUAN: I mean, that --

BERMAN: Then you charter a jet to cover that.

BOLDUAN: Yeah. It's rolling --

BERMAN: Yeah.

BOLDUAN: -- and especially if it's gummy bears because they get frozen with the frozen ice cream. It's an outrage. Moving on.

Coming up for us, it was a remarkable rescue caught on camera. How authorities tracked down a 5-year-old girl with autism in the middle of a swamp. New images now coming out we want to share with you.

Also this. A measles outbreak sparking new controversy in Florida, putting the state's top health official directly at odds with health experts across the country.

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[07:48:58]

BOLDUAN: So, also on our radar this hour, Ivan Cantu, the Texas death row inmate who claimed he was innocent -- well, he has now been executed by lethal injection. He was charged in the murders of his cousin and his cousin's fiance, but he also filed appeals at both the state and federal level claiming that key witnesses had lied. His appeals were rejected. An official release says that he maintained his innocence in his final words.

People across the West are preparing for what is being described by forecasters as an extremely potent winter storm. This doesn't stop. It's expected to bring several feet of snow and big rain across the Pacific Northwest over the next three days. Flood watches are in effect for lower elevations.

A blizzard warning is in effect for California's Sierra Nevada Mountains, with warnings of life-threatening conditions. Over 100 inches of snow could accumulate -- that sounds crazy -- could accumulate in some areas, which could easily strand people for several days.

[07:50:00]

So, the teamsters union and Anheuser-Butch -- Busch have reached a tentative deal to avert a strike, and just in time. Five thousand workers -- they were about to walk off the job at the nation's largest brewer. The teamsters say the agreement raises pay for members by an average of 23 percent, offers a signing bonus, and also restores retirement benefits. The deal still must be ratified by members before it can take effect but it does appear that your beer may be safe for another day.

And the moments deputies in Florida find a missing 5-year-old girl wandering around the Tampa Wetlands all caught on video. Watch this.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on, sweetheart. Hi, baby girl. Let's get you out of the water.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Such a sweet voice when he finds her.

The child -- she has autism and wandered away from her home on Monday. And the sheriff's office says that she was found without injury, thank the Lord, and is now back safe with her family, John.

BERMAN: That is a wonderful story.

BOLDUAN: It is.

BERMAN: And by the way, Anheuser-Busch is a very muscular beer.

BOLDUAN: I (INAUDIBLE).

BERMAN: It is. Just saying.

BOLDUAN: I only had one misspeak -- one misspeak -- and you get me.

BERMAN: This morning, Caitlin Clark is the all-time leading scorer in women's college basketball history -- 3,650 career points and counting.

CNN's sports anchor Andy Scholes is with me now -- and she's got more insight, Andy.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: She certainly does, John. You know, I'll tell you what. March Madness is going to be so much fun with Caitlin Clark. And it's going to start Sunday in her final regular season game, and she's just 18 points away from becoming college basketball's all-time leading scorer, men's or women's.

And Clark -- she was in Minnesota last night and she just had it all going. What does she do best? Those long three-pointers. And right away, she hit one from almost the logo. Then moments later, she did it again. And in the fourth quarter, Clark hit her eighth three of the game and with it, she passed Kansas' Lynette Woodward for the most points in major women's college basketball history.

Woodard played for the Jayhawks from '77 to '81 when women's sports was governed by the AIAW. The NCAA took over women's sports in 1981 but didn't carry players' stats. Many of those still recognize Woodard as the true record-holder. But now it's Clark. She finished with 33 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds in Iowa's 48-point win over Minnesota.

So up next for Clark is Pete Maravich's all-time college scoring record. Clark is going to need 18 points at home Sunday on Senior Day against second-ranked Ohio State.

Now, Pistol Pete's record at LSU has always been very highly regarded, especially considering he did it in only three seasons with no three- point line.

And Clark saying last night the chance to pass Maravich -- it's going to be very special.

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CAITLIN CLARK, GUARD, IOWA HAWKEYES: Honestly, Pete's record is getting closer and closer and that's somebody that I vividly remember even people in high school coming up to me and talking about Pete and being, like, you need to watch him on YouTube and certain things like that. So it's super special closing in on that. And I -- my first goal is focusing on Ohio State and beating them.

But it's super special just to be in the same realm of a lot of these really talented players that have done a lot of really great things for not just men's basketball or just women's basketball, but just basketball in general.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Yeah. The ticket prices for Sunday, which potentially be Clark's final home game and where she sets that record -- John, they're rivaling a national championship game. The cheapest ticket right now, this morning, going for more than 500 bucks.

BERMAN: Oh, wow. All right. I have to say, 18 points for Caitlin Clark -- like, what's the over-under of that happening in the first 10 minutes of the game? I mean --

SCHOLES: Yeah. Ohio State ranked second, though, John. It's going to be interesting. What if they are like we're going to -- we're going to try to clamp down and not let her get that record? It should be definitely fun to watch.

BERMAN: I can't wait.

All right, Andy Scholes. Thank you very much -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: Another reason to be mad at Ohio State. Just kidding. Just kidding. Just kidding.

All right, let's move to this. The measles outbreak in Florida is growing. There are now 10 cases reporter -- reported, all but one among children in Broward County, with the cluster -- which is where the cluster is linked to an elementary school. Seven of those children are between the ages of five and 14 and two of the children are under four years old.

So as cases rise, the guidance offered by Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo has faced serious scrutiny. He is still not urging parents to vaccinate their children against the highly infectious disease. Also, not urging parents to keep unvaccinated children home to avoid infection, which is against long-held CDC guidance when it comes to measles. You see what the guidance is right there from the CDC. Joining us right now is Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida. Broward County, where this is all happening, is in her district. Congresswoman, thank you so much for coming in.

With all of this --

REP. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (D-FL): (INAUDIBLE).

BOLDUAN: -- happening, you are calling now for the surgeon general of Florida to resign over this. Why?

[07:55:02]

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Well, because Ron DeSantis has appointed a surgeon general who has been a consistent -- a consistent opponent of vaccination and who is, himself, a misinformation superspreader. I mean --

By the way, this outbreak is in my hometown. The elementary school is down the road from my house. I'm a mom. You're a mom. I mean, it is the responsibility of the surgeon general of a state to make sure that they give the best and most supportive by science information to parents so that they can make decisions properly that are going to keep their children safe.

And he reached into this school, sent a letter to the parents, went around CDC guidelines that recommend that unvaccinated children are kept home. Unvaccinated people are kept home for 21 days. Did not declare a public emergency. And left the burden on parents and didn't even recommend that children -- unvaccinated children get vaccinated.

This is insane. I mean, this is what happens when you have a confluence of measles misinformation and MAGA, and it can be deadly.

BOLDUAN: You know, what's head-scratching as I looked through the letter that he had sent out is he spends basically the first two paragraphs to families listing out -- as he describes what "is normally recommended" when there is a cluster of measles cases, which is broadly accepted truly across the country.

And then he launches into the however --

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Right.

BOLDUAN: -- and why he is not supporting what is normal?

Have you received any further explanation or defense for the position that he is taking from the state level?

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: No, no. As a matter of fact, they won't respond to any of our questions. They're not responding to local press questions at home. They're not -- they're not saying -- the public health department is not responding to questions. That's part of the State Department of Health.

And remember, this is the same surgeon general, Kate, that altered a state study to make the COVID vaccine look more dangerous. That literally, whether -- we have studies in Florida that show that we had more deaths than we should have as a result of the surgeon general's and Ron DeSantis' downplaying of the need to get the COVID vaccination. Last month, this guy recommended that people don't get the COVID vaccine.

So he has fueled vaccine hesitancy and that's why we're only at 92 percent vaccination rate in our county as opposed to 95, which is where herd immunity is indicated.

BOLDUAN: Yeah. He's actually said in -- last month, he said that he thought the COVID vaccine was not appropriate for human use. Kind of pushing a largely -- I mean, widely debunked fears about the COVID vaccine.

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Right.

BOLDUAN: A reminder of a few things for people of what we're talking about. And we're not talking about COVID, which there -- people were learning about COVID.

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: No.

BOLDUAN: We're talking about measles. It's been around forever and studied and understood for, what, over a century? I mean, measles was declared eliminated by the United States in 2000.

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Yes.

BOLDUAN: Measles is rare in the U.S. because of the high vaccination rate and because of the widely expected -- accepted protocols.

Have you --

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: That's right.

BOLDUAN: This is your district. This is your hometown, as you said. What are you hearing from the parents about this? Do you know how the kids are doing who have gotten infected?

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: I'm not familiar with the kids who are infected cases, but this has caused a tremendous amount of angst among parents. I mean, I can't imagine what, as a parent, if I didn't vaccinate my child and I was left to fend for myself on whether or not to keep them home or not. That an emergency wasn't declared.

This is the most -- one of the most communicable diseases that we have. And yes, it was eradicated initially in the early 2000s. But we have the MAGA-infused vaccine hesitancy that has created more people who have decided not to vaccinate their children, and that's why we're not at herd immunity. That's why we have too low a percentage of vaccinations. And it's why one of the most communicable diseases is spreading through our community.

I mean, we're a tourism-driven state. The number one industry in our state is tourism. How many people are going to want to say hey, I'm going to take my family down, right before spring break, down to South Florida with a measles outbreak spreading? It's nuts.

He should be terminated or asked for his resignation, and Ron DeSantis needs to do that today to keep the public safe.

BOLDUAN: Yeah. I mean, this -- the cluster or the outbreak is not over. It does take 21 days -- we'll see --

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: I know.

BOLDUAN: -- to get past the infection period. So it's kind of still unclear if you're past the danger quite yet.

Congresswoman, thank you for coming on. Appreciate your time -- John.

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Thanks for having me. Thank you so much.

BERMAN: All right, thanks so much, Kate.

A new federal probe just launched into Boeing. This news just in. The Justice Department is now reviewing last month's door plug blowout.

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