Return to Transcripts main page
CNN 10
Surge of Immigrants Pressures the U.S.-Mexico Border; U.S. Congress Passes a New Stimulus Package; Future Space Hotel May Offer a Weightless Stay. Aired 4-4:10a ET
Aired March 11, 2021 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CARL AZUZ, CNN 10 ANCHOR: Welcome to CNN 10. You`re objective overview of world events. My name is Carl Azuz. First story this Thursday takes us to
the border between the United States and Mexico. Some call the situation there a challenge for the U.S., some call it a crisis.
What it`s about is the dramatic increase in the number of migrants who want to cross the border into the United States and an increase in the number
who`ve been arrested for crossing that border illegally. This is put a strain on U.S. officials trying to guard the border and the facilities
America has for caring for migrants.
Part the reason more people from various countries have been coming to the border is because they believe the Biden Administration will make it easier
for them to enter the U.S. than the Trump Administration did. Last year, President Donald Trump`s government allowed U.S. Border officials to turn
away migrants arrested at the border out of concerns that they might further spread corona virus in America.
The law is still in effect but President Joe Biden`s government changed it so that it wouldn`t apply to children caught at the border. They`re now
allowed to stay in the U.S. while their cases for immigration are reviewed. And though U.S. officials say most of the people arrested at the border are
single adults, they have seen an increase in the percentage of families and children trying to cross.
There`s now a record number of kids being held in U.S. Border Patrol facilities and they weren`t designed for children. Many of the migrants`
home countries have been hit hard by the corona virus pandemic and that same pandemic has limited the number of U.S. Border officials who can
interact with and process the migrants. So all of this has made the situation more difficult and increased pressure on the Biden Administration
to determine what to do next.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sandra Caballero (ph) says she has spent a year sitting on the borders edge with her husband and three children. She
says they left the endless crisis of violence in Honduras to seek asylum. Sandra (ph) tells us she hopes President Biden will open the door to the
border because we need a better future for our children.
The increasing surge of migrants on the southern border is reaching emergency levels for the Biden Administration. U.S. authorities have
arrested and encountered more than 100,000 migrants in the four weeks before March 3rd. The highest levels for that same time period in at least
five years.
And new data reviewed by CNN shows there are more than 3,400 unaccompanied children in the custody of customs and border protection. Federal
immigration officials are scrambling to make room. We`re here in the town of Donna, Texas on the Mexico border and CBP has just opened up this
massive tent facility.
This temporary processing site for migrants was opened just over a month ago. A Homeland Security official told CNN, the facility is significantly
overcrowded, mostly with children. Republicans and some Democrats say the Biden Administration isn`t moving fast enough to keep the migration crisis
under control.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are completely unprepared but what is going on the border now and they`re going to be even more unprepared for what will be
happening in the coming months.
LAVANDERA: The Biden Administration says the majority of migrants are being turned away at the border and refuse to describe the situation as a crisis.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Look I don`t think we need to sit here and put new labels on what we have already conveyed as challenging, what we have
conveyed as a top priority for the president.
LAVANDERA: But many more families are being allowed to wait in the U.S. for their immigration court dates. We met Jose (ph) at a church shelter. We
were asked to protect his identity. He says desperation and fear is driving them to the border. He left Honduras with his son three months ago.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNTRANSLATED). Did you see a lot of children traveling by themselves?
LAVANDERA: Jose (ph) tells us he saw many children along the way begging or cleaning windows for money. Critics of the Biden Administration say that
the president is not acting fast enough to get the migration situation under control on the U.S. southern border. President Biden and his team
insist that what they`re trying to do is develop a much more humanitarian approach to immigration here in this country. Ed Lavendera, CNN, Dallas.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
AZUZ: It was exactly a year ago today that the World Health Organization, part of the United Nations, declared that the corona virus outbreak was a
pandemic, meaning it had spread worldwide. The WHO has labeled the disease a public health emergency last January.
But it had been criticized for not moving fast enough to sound the alarm about COVID-19. Governments around the world have been grappling with how
to respond to the disease. They`re challenge has been twofold, to limit the disease`s impact on their people`s health but also to limit its impact on
their economies.
The United States Congress has authorized several trillion dollars in spending to try to ease the economic problems related to corona virus.
Former President Donald Trump signed multiple bills last year. President Joe Biden plans to sign a $1.9 trillion bill tomorrow after making a
primetime address tonight. It will be his first speech to the nation since he was inaugurated.
The latest stimulus bill passed in the Senate last Saturday and the House voted 220 to 211 to pass it on Wednesday. No Republicans in either chamber
voted in favor of the legislation. Some criticized it as being too partisan, focusing too much on what Democrats wanted and spending too much
on programs that aren`t related to the pandemic.
One House Democrat also voted against the plan but every other Democrat in the House and Senate voted for it. Some saying it was needed to strengthen
the economy, save jobs and help people who need the money. Officials estimate that more than 90 percent of U.S. households will receive direct
payments from the package.
It will provide additional benefits to people who`ve lost their jobs, more money for public schools, more assistance for small businesses hurt by the
pandemic, additional funding for vaccines and hundreds of billions for state and local governments. But a lot of this isn`t spent immediately.
Roughly $1 trillion from last year`s stimulus plans still hasn`t been paid out.
10 Second Trivia. In what country would you find the world`s oldest hotel which dates back to 705 A.D.? Egypt, Japan, Italy or India. The Guinness
World Record holder for the oldest hotel is in Japan just a little west of Tokyo.
But Las Vegas, Nevada is where you`ll find the most expensive hotel room in the world. A certain suite there will set you back $100,000 per night and
it includes a pool suspended over the city. Well that covers the past and present but a hotel of the future, if it gets off the ground, could cost
considerably more than that. It will take millions to get you in the door or should we probably say, the hatch. Here`s CNN Contributor Chris James.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
CHRIS JAMES, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Hey Carl. Usually, I take you guys on incredible, virtual field trips right here on planet Earth. But today I am
taking you to the furthest destination yet, specifically a space hotel inspired by a cruise ship that could one day be floating above the Earth`s
atmosphere.
It goes by the name Voyager Station. This futuristic concept is comprised of 24 modules connected by elevator shafts that make up a rotating wheel
orbiting the Earth. These are the renderings of what`s promised to be a hotel like no other. It suggests an interior not too different from a hotel
you might find on Earth with some pretty out of this world views.
The design architect told CNN Travel, the hotel`s aesthetic hopes to bring a slice of Earth via warm suites and chic bars and restaurants. Yes, even
though guests will be in outer space, they will still be able to enjoy regular beds and showers. It`s set to be built by the Orbital Assembly
Corporation, a new construction company who`s CEO said that the golden age of space travel is just around the corner.
The space hotel construction is expected to begin in 2026 with a five star stay in space expected to be possible by the year 2027. One of the coolest
aspects of this hotel is the fact that you`d be able to jump very high and lift extremely heavy objects because of the gravity defying weightlessness
of space.
There are also plans to serve traditional space food like freeze dried ice cream in the hotel restaurant. The team is also hoping to build research
stations and spark space tourism and commerce opportunities. And they hope the government or private companies might be able to rely on them for
training crews heading to the moon, Mars and beyond. The price of a nightly stay, still to be determined. Back to you Carl.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
AZUZ: Our last story`s for the birds. They can be so graceful in the air but one of these at least needs to work on the landings. This is a northern
royal albatross. It`s OK, maybe a little embarrassed. The breed can soar for hours over the ocean but when it came to touching down to this nest in
New Zealand, well one of them face planted right in front of a six-month- old chick.
It`s like, "don`t try this at home kids". "Nest" time don`t be in such a "thrush". Oh you can "parrot" your long flight all you want but when you
come "beak", the "cardinal" rule is to "stork" the landing. That way the kids won`t be "paragrinning" like you just got "albatossed" to the ground.
I mean, the whole thing looked like land "fowl".
I`m Carl Azuz. Some of you are in Powell, Tennessee. But Carl, how do you know? Because Powell High School subscribed and left a comment on our You
Tube channel. Tomorrow`s Friday and you know what that means.
END
