Dreamers Deal with Democrats; Musician Plays Guitar with his Feet
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Deal on protecting dreamers that marks a shift from a key campaign promise. So are democrats on the verge of cutting a second deal with the president? Joining us now is Democratic Congressman Henry Cuellar of Texas. Good morning, congressman.</s>REP. HENRY CUELLAR (D), TEXAS: Thank you. Good morning.</s>CAMEROTA: So you believe that this outreach that you've seen to Democrats is actually a new strategy coming from the White House. What gives you the impression that it's a thought-out strategy rather than just today making a deal with Democrats makes sense, tomorrow making a deal with conservatives makes sense?</s>CUELLAR: Well, you know, because their other strategy, trying to run over Democrats, has failed. And the president and Republicans have gotten nothing done for the country. So I specifically asked that question to the White House legislative director. And I said, hey, you ought to try this. He said, we're going to try this. And I also told the president, listen, every major piece of legislation that has passed the last few years, at the end, not the first messaging bill but the final version of the major bill, including the Harvey bill, is the majority, the majority of the votes are contributed by the Democrats. And we're the minority in Congress. So I told that to the president. He said he understood that. He said, we'll give this a try. If not, we'll go the other way.</s>CAMEROTA: So if this is the dawn of a new era, what happens when conservatives rise up and the president sees all sorts of negative headlines from Breitbart, Ann Coulter tweets, et cetera, saying, you know, you're breaking your promise to us?</s>CUELLAR: Well, I think that's the president's problem that he's got to deal with a base that -- that he created from those -- that rhetoric that he used during the campaign. Bottom line is this. Bottom line is that the president has seen that, you know, his promise of -- when he said we're going to win, win, win, win, you're going to get tired of winning, we know that hasn't happened. So this gives us an opportunity to work in a bipartisan way. But I do say this, no -- looking at the president, studying the president, he makes everything temporary. So we might just be temporarily allies and then he will shift over. So, you know, I go into this with clear eyes, understand this is a temporary type of environment with him. But while we have this environment, we are going to try to protect the dreamers. We're going to go ahead and have a tax reform that really helps the middle class. And as long as we have a say so, it will be bipartisan.</s>CAMEROTA: And, congressman, what about the wall? We've heard the president, in just even the past 48 hours, say lots of different things as to whether or not the wall is still a must, nonnegotiable. Let me just play for you what he said yesterday about his strong feelings about it.</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are looking for extreme border security and surveillance -- you know, surveillance, everything else. We also have to get the wall. It doesn't have to be here, but they can't obstruct the wall, whether it's in a budget or something else when we're ready. Ultimately, we have to have the wall. If we don't have the wall, we're doing nothing. They cannot obstruct the wall. The wall, to me, is vital. If I don't get the wall, then we will become the obstructionists.</s>CAMEROTA: What does all that mean to you? The wall is vital. They can't obstruct the wall.</s>CUELLAR: I'm just amazed that here we are in the 21st century and the president and the other Republicans are still using a 14th century solution called the wall. The wall will cost 21 mile -- for every mile, 21 -- over $21 million. $21 million. All I need is a $100 fence -- I mean a $100 ladder and that can be taken care of. So we've just got to be smart on how we secure the border. I don't just come to the border and spend five minutes and go back and say that I know the border. I live here on the border. I raised my family here. I breath the air here. I drink the water. I understand the border. So I want to see a way that we can sensibly secure the border using technology, cameras sensors, the right mixture of personnel and, at the same time, making sure that we work with our neighbors to the south because we have a shared responsibility to secure our border.</s>CAMEROTA: OK. So, in terms of the border security deal that the president appears to be hatching with Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, as well as protecting the dreamers, when will this happen? I mean Nancy Pelosi put out a statement that seemed to suggest that it's going to happen in the next couple of weeks.</s>CUELLAR: What the president -- it was interesting because I was watching and listening to every word the president was telling us. The first he said, hey, it's been six days, you know, since we've talked -- you know, since I made my order and nothing has happened. He said, I don't want to wait six months. I want to get this done as soon as possible. It's interesting that after we spoke to the president and our leaders spoke to the president that the -- that the Republicans have set this informal committee of Republicans, House members, to talk about DACA. I know those members on those. Those are good people that can actually work something with us. So at least there's some movement within the House. And I told the president this, Mr. President, if we put DACA or the dreamers bill on the floor right now, it has the votes. It will pass. And I said, we've got to put that bill on the floor. And he looked at me and he said, Henry, we will have a vote on this. You will see a bill on the floor. So, again, he doesn't speak for Paul Ryan, but at least there's some momentum moving into that direction. All we need is a vote on the floor and we'll get it done.</s>CAMEROTA: OK, Congressman Henry Cuellar, thank you very much for talking to us on NEW DAY this morning.</s>CUELLAR: Thank you.</s>CAMEROTA: Chris.</s>CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: All right, not all news has to be heavy. The Cleveland Indians have a new mantra, refuse to lose. They have a record-breaking win streak. And, guess what, it's alive and well. We have details in the "Bleacher Report."</s>CAMEROTA: But first, Tony Melendez is a successful guitar player who uses his toes to strum the chords. Born without arms, he's proven that talent has no bounds. Dr. Sanjay Gupta has his story in this edition of "Turning Points."</s>DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tony Melendez's mother was given a medication for morning sickness while she was pregnant which may have affected his development.</s>TONY MELENDEZ: I came into this world missing the two arms and a left foot was clubbed. In my eyes it was normal. So it's not like, oh, I lost them. It was, I never had them. So I was able to, with my toes, reach out and do things that people just said, how's he doing that? I wanted to be a priest when I was younger.</s>GUPTA: At the time, a person was generally required to have a thumb and an index finger to become a priest in order to give communion.</s>MELENDEZ: So I had to find something else. At 16 someone showed me how to turn the guitar different. That opened the door to be able to do the toe picking. I was able to sing for John Paul II in 1987. That moment led to a lot of things. I've recorded now six different albums. If I could go back and have two arms, it would say the only reason I would do that would to just be able to wrap my arms around my wife and hold her.</s>GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN reporting.