so leyla, what more can you expect there about the topic of conversation? >> reporter: we can expect him to talk a lot about immigration, a lot about climate change as well as education, criminal justice reform. that's what he's been talking about. let me kind of walk you through what's happening right now. amy o'rourke, his wife, is now on the stage. she's already said she's very excited. beto o'rourke is in the crowd. he came out sort of shaking hands. we expect her to introduce him. now, before mrs. o'rourke took the stage, we heard from congresswoman veronica escobar who described him as the son of the border. this is where he's from. we are only about half a mile away from the u.s./mexico border so that's why you can really expect that he will be talking and hitting it heavily about immigration, especially given the timing of this. remember, this is a day after president trump threatened to close the border. this is a day after beto o'rourke visited the international bridge where there are hundreds of migrants that are being held there, families, child

cnn correspondent leyla santiago is there. leyla, he has said he has made a decision. that's the big question right now, fredricka. the doors have just opened so folks are starting to come in for it. this documentary, there was a big crowd outside waiting for him, a lot of people wearing those beto for senate t-shirts now coming in. while a lot of those folks are excited about this documentary, excited about the former congressman, beyond this theatre, the big question that they're focused on, what you said, will he run for a seat in that oval office to become the next u.s. president. remember, i asked him last week when he said he had made a decision what that decision was. he would only say soon, soon he would be telling everyone at the same time. that said, he's been pretty quiet on social media in the last few weeks. his team continues to send out e-mails talking about his thoughts on immigration, talking about how he sees the justice system, laying out point by point what his proposals would be. today they sent out another e-mail asking folks to sign up to be on a

first to leyla santiago. his third of the day in the state capital, immigration a crucial part of o'rourke's rollout, apparently? >> reporter: right. he started this three stop campaign 2020 launch in texas in el paso, in the shadow of the southern border. his hometown, his turf there, so obviously immigration playing a key role. that's something he's talked about for years and now a very big part of the issues that he has pushing as a presidential candidate. now he's back in texas after about two weeks ago, he put out a video on social media announcing that he wanted to become the next u.s. president. he went to those key early voting states, iowa, new hampshire, south carolina and he took some time to listen to voters and let voters know where he stood on some of the issues saying that that would mold sort of his future policies. now, he's talking about those things, health care, education, criminal justice reform and, of course, to your point, ana, immigration. >> and if we truly believe that we are a coun

cnn correspondent leyla santiago in austin, texas, and sarah westwood is near mar-a-lago. but natasha chen is live for us in mcallen, texas. good morning to you, natasha. what are you learning this morning from where you are? >> good morning. we are at the hidalgo port of entry mere mcallen. 30, 40 miles from us we were talking to the city of brownsville city manager yesterday about the fact that they have any seeing customs and border protection drop off migrants for the past couple of weeks in their area just because of the overflow problem. the facilities exceeding capacity. at first they were seeing about 50 people a day for the first week and a half and then the city manager tells me that recently that is really ramped up. they have been averagie ining 3 people per day. the city of nonprofits are helping these people contact familiar members in the u.s. and get bus tickets to go on to other parts of their journey. this is a very challenging problem for them. at the same time president trump is threatening to close the border if mexico does not stop all illegal immigra

cnn correspondent leyla santiago is at that event in el paso where many people have turned out to hear beto. what is going to be his big message at this rally today? >> reporter: if i were anyone watching i would certainly expect immigration to be a top topic. he's expected to be here in just the next hour. we've just started to hear on and off chants of his name, beto, so the crowd is waiting for him to arrive. let's go over what we should expect here and then we'll go over the context of the timing of this and the issue of immigration. he has been on the road for almost two weeks now meeting with folks, voters in the early states, iowa, new hampshire, south carolina, listening and talking. so it will be interesting to see what he says here in terms of how those conversations shape his strategy, his future campaign and also if they provide some clarity on his policies. you'll likely hear him talk about climate change. that's a big one for him as well as health care and then let's circle right back around to immigration. the context, the timing of this, is definitely noteworthy. just a

john delaney, and john hickenlooper, all -- but -- leyla santiago is there. this has become a major campaign stop for democrats this year. what did you see today? >> reporter: there was films and conversations broadband had about immigration, about the economy, about criminal justice reform. hoping to tap into that conversation, and the union and engaged audience that comes with it. you have senator elizabeth warren, really trying to differentiate, saying i'm not a democratic socialist, to make her different in a very crowded field. then you have those, like democrat beto o'rourke, who hasn't made an announcement yet, but really disappointed people who were hoping that maybe he would say something here today, at a documentary called "running with beto" he was specifically asked when will you make a decision? and he deflected, talking about some of the other local races and candidates so you're seeing -- in a very crowded field and take advantage of the audience that's here, very young, very engaged, and very much educated on some of the key issue that is you'

cnn correspondent leyla santiago is in el paso. it was a pretty good turnout there in his hometown. and his message was that of inclusion. >> reporter: right, he actually said that he's not going to use what he says president trump uses, which is the effort to divide the country, with rhetoric that he does not believe in. he talked a lot about the need to not let differences define us. but to your point, he really did focus a bit on immigration, as one of his top issues and that's again where we are right now, just half a mile from the southern border. u.s. and mexico, where they meet, talking about what has really become a big headline over the last few days, a lot of families who are now being housed under an international bridge, saying they are humans, too, and we must treat them as human beings. so immigration certainly a big part of his speech, talking about his hometown, when he was introduced by congresswoman melanica escobar, she called him a son of the border and talked about the importance of coming back to el paso to officially launch his campaign. but remember, he actua

cnn correspondent leyla santi o assistant yag go there. >> reporter: a lot of folks excited about the documentary that will be on the screen called "running with beto" in which they will take a look back at his run for the senate. while people are here excited about seeing this documentary, about talking to the former congressman outside of this theatre and even in the theatre, the focus is on that big question, will he run to become the next u.s. president. we know he's been pretty quiet on social media over the last week, but he has been pretty active in terms of e-mailing his supporters. he had sent out a plan for what he believed the immigration system -- how it should work. he has sent out a plan for what he would like to see when it comes to criminals, the justice system, and even today he sent out an e-mail. his team sent out an e-mail sort of teasing this announcement, saying, get on a list and you'll be the first to learn what his decision is. now, that said, our sources are telling us that this is a matter of any day now he will make this announcement and share it with every

leyla santiago is live from el paso. >> we want to begin with natasha. tell us more about what president trump said and what may be in the works this morning. good morning. >> good morning, christi, president trump claims that a closure of the border would be a profit-making move for the u.s., fact, that would be a huge economic loss for both countries as so much commerce goes between these ports. we right now are here at the mcgowan hidalgo bridge where a lot of border town residents go back and forth for errands and business. on twitter yesterday, president trump ramped up the rhetoric saying the u.s. has weak immigration laws. he says if mexico does not stop all illegal immigration, he will close the border. >> we're not going to give them hundreds of becomes of dollars and tell them that they're not going to use their strong immigration laws to help the united states, so there is a very good likelihood i'll be closing the border next week. >> that will be just fine with me. >> reporter: a senior homeland security official says that for now, they are

leyla? has a rally on his home turf, saying it is important for him to come back to this area, an area that he knows best. this is after about two weeks ago he had a video announcement via social media, he took to the early states talked to voters, engaged with those who he wanted to know more about, and who he wanted to share a bit of himself with. and now he took that, and brought it back to el paso, and i want you to listen to exactly what he told this crowd. >> we will find security, not through walls, not through militarization, we will find security by focusing on our ports of entry, that connect us to the rest of the world, so we have a better idea of who and what is coming in here, and we facilitate the trade and travel connected to the millions of jobs around this country. >> o'rourke addressed climate change and health care, and of course, immigration here. talking about what has really made headlines over the last few days, with migrants who are now under the international bridge

. >>> let's begin with leyla santiago. she's in iowa where beto o'rourke will campaign today. what's the situation there? >> reporter: not too big of a surprise. over the last four months he's sort of been hint ago the this. he initially said, no, i'm not considering a presidential run and then he said, okay, i'm thinking about it, sort of teasing along the way telling oprah he'd have a decision by the end of the month. and then this morning this. >> amy and i are happy to share with you that i'm running to serve you as the next president of the united states of america. this is a defining moment of truth for this country and for every single one of us. the challenges that we face right now, the interconnected crisis in our economy, democracy, and climate have never been greater. and they will either consume us or they will afford us the greatest opportunity to unleash the genius of the united states of america. in other words, this moment of peril produces perhaps the greatest moment of promise for this country and for everyone inside of it. >> reporter: so what should we exp

leyla pence, head of pence wealth management.e been very interested in the opportunity zone story because it is really an opportunity to attract investment but what does that mean for somebody with a portfolio buying stocks? >> it means a lot. it means someone can have a portfolio with a lot of capital gains they haven't been able to sell because of taxes. they now have the ability to sell, let's say a million dollars of their stock and they have a 500,000-dollar gain, they can take the million dollars, six months to do it, go into the opportunity fund zones, defer the gains up to 10%. hold it five years. up to 50%, hold it for seven years. liz: you say the opportunity zones in new york, california and texas are particularly interesting. do i look for companies or sectors that are based there and invest there? >> well, there is actually funds that are investing there but you can also buy your own properties there. you can look for properties. long beach has 19 zones. you can find a property or investment there. that would qualify

that's right leyla the e.u. has announced that it will be scaling back that maritime portion of the mission but it has extended the saffir mission for another six months to give members states time to organize a coordinated approach to migration they haven't had much luck with that so far of course no ships means obviously no rescues at sea. under the mission the mission was and is not set up to be there to rescue migrants it is not part of its remit instead it is there to combat people smugglers and weapons trade with illegally trading but obviously under international law that say rescuing people at sea has become a de facto obligation of the mission and as you know of the as i just said no ships at sea will mean no more risk use but if the italian coast guard who looks after the operation has been been funneling the ships that are there out to areas where there are no. excuse me people smuggling going on in any way effectively making them useless and in germany germany in january in fact already pulled out it

on leyla herat thank you so much for your company everyone well today should have been the day their britain marched out of the european union well instead it was the day that lawmakers dealt prime minister theresa may another defeat over the issue may was trying to pass a motion approving only part of the redraw all deal she agreed to with the brussels it was a bit to get around those who oppose her plan and at the same time gain a short deadline extension from brussels but her deal was. jetted by fifty eight votes well now it appears a much longer extension might be required from the european union as may hinted in her statement to m.p.'s after the vote. to speak arising could should be a matter of profound regret to every member of this house so once again we have been unable to support leaving the european here. the implications of the house's decision grave the legal to fourteen hours that united kingdom is due to leave the european union on the twelfth of april in just fourteen days time that is not enough time to agree that just late for in russia fired and yet the house is be

let's check in with leyla santiago where o'rourke just finished up the race., he took off this morning running saying he wanted to run a sub 10 minute mile race. he did accomplish that. and as he was running, he managed to talk to a doctor from here locally in iowa who had a conversation with him about health care. after the fact he also discussed health care among locals here as well as reporters saying that he wants guaranteed health care for all if he is president. he wants to find the quickest surest path to get there. but then he also admitted that there will be costs for that. so here was my followup question to him. what would be the fastest surest path to get to health care for all, what are you willing to give up for that? >> well, i think that becomes a discussion. i think that you ensure that the perfect does not become the enemy of the good. if you could expand medicaid in states that refuse to do so, that is an important step in the right direction. if you can introduce medicare especially into rural communities who only have one or two insurers c

that's where we find leyla. beto o'rourke isn't announcing if he is running for president, but he is there and taking attendees behind the scenes on the recent senate campaign. tell us more. >> reporter: we had a chance to watch a very -- a documentary with a lot of access to that run for the senate, which he went up against ted cruz, raised $80 million, lost narrowly by three points. more importantly, for a lot of people in this audience, i was here in this theater and those outside the theater, he took a question from an audience member who said, what's the deal? are you going to run in 2020? he sort of deflected. he didn't give a straight answer. instead, he decided to highlight other candidates that are currently looking at a big run in local elections. so, he didn't quite answer that, even though he was here with his wife, amy as well as his daughter. interesting timing. this morning, his campaign sent out, excuse me, not his campaign, his staffers sent out an e-mail telling supporters to sign up for the an

. >> leyla santiago on the trail. >>> growing concerns in the midwest.ng from the president's tariffs and plunging crop crisis now dealing with historic flooding. we'll take you live. i don't keep track of regrets. and i don't add up the years. but what i do count on... is boost® delicious boost® high protein nutritional drink has 20 grams of protein, along with 26 essential vitamins and minerals. boost® high protein. be up for life. leave no man behind. or child. or other child. or their new friend. or your giant nephews and their giant dad. or a horse. or a horse's brother, for that matter. the room for eight, 9,000 lb towing ford expedition. this is a very difficult job. failure is not an option.a. more than half of employees across the country bring financial stress to work. if you're stressed out financially at home, you're going to be too worried to be able to do a good job. i want to be able to offer all of the benefits that keep them satisfied. it is the people that is really the only asset that you have. put your employees on a path to financial

leyla santiago, thanks so much. >> let's talk with cnn senior political writer and analyst, harry enton good morning. we love the time together with you on saturdays. >> i do as well. >> where does o'rourke stand in the polls. there was a slide after he waited for weeks and then more than a month to announce a decision. >> if you look at the polling, he is mid single digits in polling there, nationally in the low double digits in december after he lost to ted cruz. i think there's a question of whether or not he waited too long to get in. there are still 11 months to go to the iowa caucuses, time to makeup ground. seems to a few of us that maybe his time has passed. i know it sounds crazy, but polls do indicate that. >> but let's talk about how much money he can raise. he was a money raising machine for awhile when he was running against senator ted cruz, of course, in texas. does he have that same power at this point, that same potency that we know? >> he raised $80 million from individual contributors during his 2018 bid, far more than anybody else, more than double the next closest i

. >> leyla, stand by. mark, give us an idea, who else is there that has made south by southwest the place to be? >> it certainly is. there was a headline on usa today a couple days ago, austin the new iowa, i don't think it's the new iowa, but it's a place if you are a democrat and you are running for president, this is the place you want to be. you want to be here because these are the types of supporters that you want to woo. these are people coming from all around the country, coming here for ten days to talk about the arts, gaming, and to talk about music and politics as well. we've seen this festival which really started in 1987 as an arts festival to bring people together to help shape ideas, to really evolve into a festival that has gone well beyond that now, and is really shaping ideas not only in the entertainment space. but certainly in the political space. we're going to see folks from all across the country here, trying to talk to themselves, talk to themselves about the future, and this is whe

liz: leyla pence, pence wealth management. markets off session highs but hey, a win is a win. that does it for "claman countdown." melissa: the dow ending up 140 points. it's a two-day winning streak. i don't know if that is a streak but we'll take it. connell: we'll take it. >> dow and s&p 500 ending in positive territory for first time in three days. look at dow winners, disney, 3m, johnson & johnson. i'm melissa francis. connell: i'm connell mcshane. this "after the bell." more on big market movers. first here is what is new at this hour. the green new deal's first test on capitol hill. we're moments away from the senate's vote on this controversial proposal. even though some democrats support the plan, it doesn't mean they will actually vote yes this hour which we will explain. then at the white house president trump meeting with lawmakers in the cabinet room, trying to secure the passage of the north american trade agreement. we'll speak to one of those congressman speaking to the president as soon as he comes out of the meeting. >>> shocking turn of events in the jussie

. >> leyla santiago, thank you so much. >>> the president says weak immigration laws could be fixed easily if democrats cared about crime. >> near the president's resort in mar-a-lago, florida, we have sarah westwood to talk about that and more. good morning to you, sarah. >> reporter: good morning. president trump clearly fixated on the situation down at the border as he spends his weekend here in west palm beach. he is once again threatening to close down the border between the u.s. and mexico all or part of it if he doesn't get cooperation for mexico to do more to stop the flow of undocumented immigrants over the southern border. it's not the first time he has threatened to do so but the first time he is attaching a deadline to it. he is saying he'll close the border by next week if he doesn't get more results from mexico. here is what he wrote yesterday. what is really causing the strain is uninspected families over the border at their facility were not designed to handle this type of immigration flow. they say the status quo is unacceptable and cbp is calling for congressional action.

cnn correspondent leyla santiago is at that event in el paso where many people have turned out to hearo be his big message at this rally today? >> reporter: if i were anyone watching i would certainly expect immigration to be a top topic. he's expected to be here in just the next hour. we've just started to hear on and off chants of his name, beto, so the crowd is waiting

. >> and speaking of 2020, beto o'rourke announced he has made up his mind, and leyla santiago is "outfront >> when will you make that announcement? >> soon. >> reporter: former congressman beto o'rourke says he's reached a decision about a run for the white house after setting a timeline during an interview with oprah winfrey. >> have you given yourself a deadline? i'm serious about that. have you given yourself? >> and the serious answer is really soon. it is really soon, before the end of this month. >> weeks later, with a big smile, he tells us -- >> i'm going to be making an announcement soon. i'm going to be making the same announcement to everyone at the same time. i'm going to want to do it the right way. so that's what we're going to do. >> last night he told me he was waiting to make the announcement to do it, quote, the right way. you know him. what does that mean? what is the right way for him to announce? >> well, i think that all his family would have to be there. >> reporter: his sister charlotte o'rourke tells us she is eagerly awaiting an announcement, just like everybody e

arriving in iowa tonight, o'rourke and his aide declined to comment to cnn's leyla santiago or confirmt he's also on the cover of "vanity fair," looking a lot like a candidate. here to discuss, patrick healy from "the new york times" and former democratic nominee for governor of florida, mr. andrew gillum. thank you so much. i appreciate you both joining us. i should say mayor. so, mayor, listen, o'rourke doesn't shy away from his ambitions, telling "vanity fair," i want to be -- i want to be in it. man, i'm just born to be in it and want to do everything i humanly can for this country at this moment. so, he's ramping up to something, it looks like. >> yeah. i mean, it's clear. i think the congressman may be ready to make a decision. i will tell you, though, that a race for president clearly has to be about the people of the country. you got to feel it in your heart and in your nerve and in your sinew, that you're restless at night because you're so moved by the conditions in the country that it causes you to do something. and so i think that's what people are going to be looking for i

incident that has taken place in lancashire involving a search for weapons with police at a college in leylas he went to syria to volunteer as an aid worker has been stripped of his citizenship. the bbc has seen a letter from the home office telling tauqir sharif he would be a risk to national security if he returned to the uk. mr sharif who is in syria with his wife and children claims he has been delivering aid supplies but admits using weapons there. he is appealing against but admits using weapons there. to remove his british citizenship. our special correspondent lucy manning has been talking to him. manmac sharif left britain for syria nearly seven years ago. he says to volunteer and set up a charity. his aid worker has been featured by the bbc and other broadcasters but the government does not want him to return. in syria, being in a war zone for six years. he told the bbc has been stripped for citizenship, seen as a has been stripped for citizenship, seen as a threat to national—security. i got the home office ‘s letter here and it says er aligned with an al-qaeda aligned group no, o