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Nine Killed In South Dakota Plane Crash During Blizzard-like Storm; Fifty-Million-Plus Under Winter Weather Alerts From Oregon to Maine; More Than 1,000 Flights at U.S. Airports Canceled Today; Trump Facing Two Big Deadlines For Impeachment Proceedings; Nineteen Killed In Gun Battle In Mexico Near Border With Texas; Biden Blitzes Iowa On "No Malarkey" Bus Tour; Trump: We're Working On Agreement With Taliban Right Now; Admin Official: U.S. And Taliban Haven't Formally Reopened Peace Talks, Despite Trump Claims; 2020 Democrats Scramble To Court Black Vote; Biden Surges Among African-American Voters; Buttigieg Fails To Register With African-American Voters; New Book Discusses Incredible Success Of Rapper Jay-Z; Hero Starts Nonprofit To Help Children Cope With Loss; Sanders Surprises With Night Of Campaign Trail Dancing. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired December 01, 2019 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:00:00]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello, again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Sunday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

Nine people are dead after a plane crashed during a brutal snowstorm in Chamberlain, South Dakota, the victims reportedly belonging to one family and two are children. Miraculously, three passengers on the downed plane survived.

Officials say visibility in the area at the time was less than a mile and snow was falling up to an inch an hour. That storm that has blanketed the Midwest is part of the same system that is now moving through the northeast right now.

Let's begin with Nick Watt and this tragedy in South Dakota. Nick.

NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, weather will clearly be a central focus of the investigation into this crash. The FAA and the NTSB are already on that investigation. One county official told us weather was a factor, but it will be some time before we get anything near confirmation on that.

This was a small single-engine Swiss-built plane with a pretty good safety record but, as you mentioned, crashed shortly after takeoff from Chamberlain in what was described as terrible weather. An inch of snow falling every hour, low visibility, and of course, first responders also had to deal with that weather. Let's take a listen to another county official talking about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THERESA MAULE ROSSOW, SOUTH DAKOTA'S BRULE COUNTY STATE'S ATTORNEY (voice-over): The first responders are incredibly well-trained individuals in Brule County. So they were able to reach the crash site as soon as they found out about it in a timely manner. We believe that once we found out about it, they were on the spot incredibly quickly and did an amazing job. It was incredibly bitterly cold out there. They had to deal with very cold conditions, wind, blowing snow. It was very bad out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATT: And they did manage to pull three people alive from that wreckage. They were taken to the hospital in Sioux Falls, but nine people perished in that plane. The plan was to fly west 600 or 700 miles to Idaho Falls. They barely made it off the ground, crashing soon after takeoff. Fred.

WHITFIELD: So terribly sad. Nick Watt, thank you so much.

WATT: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Also developing this hour, a desperate search for a six- year-old girl. That's underway right now after she was swept away by flashfloods. The little girl's family was driving over a creek yesterday when their vehicle was suddenly overcome by floodwaters. Two other children, who were swept away with the little girl, have been found dead. Four other children and two adults managed to get to safety.

All right. More than 50 million people from Oregon to Maine are under some sort of winter weather alert. Heavy snow and ice have caused many drivers to spin out and crash into ditches, as they hit the roads this holiday weekend. This is Minnesota, where blizzard-like conditions have closed highways and dropped 20 inches - 20 inches of snow, in some areas.

Meteorologist Karen Maginnis is in the CNN Weather Center.

So, Karen, that is pretty bad.

KAREN MAGINNIS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It's terrible. I go to Minnesota almost every year. And you see these types of snow events. And in Duluth, Minnesota, which is north of Minneapolis, some areas saw two feet of snowfall.

On top of that, if you are sitting in an airport and you're wondering why your flight has been delayed, it's because of this massive winter storm system. Almost 4,000 delays into and out of the United States and over 600 cancellations. So it's been a very frustrating day for travelers.

And here's one of the reasons why. The core is this area of low pressure kind of trekking across the lower Great Lakes, the secondary area of low pressure. This is going to move to the east. We have got that warm air coming up from the south and it's bumping into that colder air to the north.

So we can't exactly predict when you're going to see rain, when you're going to see snow, but it looks like there is going to be this transition that takes place overnight, Sunday night into Monday morning. In places like New York, you'll see some freezing rain. Some areas have already seen some snowfall with some gusty winds.

Here's a close-up view. It seems like that dividing line is just about in this vicinity, essentially along Interstate 80, Interstate 84. That's kind of the core of the snowfall area. Also, for northern sections of Long Island, now it looks like it's transitioned to rainfall. We had seen the snowfall earlier.

And for Boston, you're due for eight inches of snowfall, 12 inches of snowfall. Fredricka, it is a moving target right now, but it has been dreadful since so many people are trying to head back to work for Monday after this long holiday. Maybe it was lovely taking off, which most areas weren't, and now it is a dreadful situation. Just really hamstringing travelers.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Dreadful, indeed. All right. Karen Maginnis, thank you so much.

And meantime, we are learning that weather played a role in a Delta flight that skidded off the runway as it landed in Buffalo, New York today. CNN's Athena Jones is at LaGuardia Airport in New York.

So, Athena, what more can you tell us about this?

[16:05:00]

ATHENA JONES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fred. That's right. The operator of the Buffalo Airport confirming that that was a weather- related incident, a Delta connection flight landing this morning. It landed normally, but then it exited the taxiway, as they put it, as it was on its way to the gate.

And that's just an example of the kind of problems that can arise when you have this kind of wintry weather mix. Any surface, whether it's a road or a runway, that can ice over and freeze over as we face this vast swath of the country being affected by this winter weather.

As we heard you mention, some 50 million people or more are under some kind of winter weather alert, and this coming on the busiest travel day for U.S. airlines ever, with some 3.1 million people expected to travel.

Now, as you mentioned, there was a - there's planes getting off the runway in Buffalo. Here in New York, I'm looking out the window here. The rain has kind of tapered off. We expect it to come back. So, at LaGuardia, things haven't been all that bad just yet. We talked to a few travelers earlier. Listen to what they had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We both need to be back to work tomorrow. So we are worried about it, but so far so good.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just heading back. We're just hoping everything is on time. JONES (voice-over): And so far so good, right?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So far so good as long as it lands. And it still says on-time. So we're just hoping for the best. We know what's coming.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: So people are hoping for the best. I can tell you that the Federal Aviation Administration says that here because of the weather, there is a traffic management plan in place at LaGuardia, which means that some arriving flights may be delayed by about an hour.

And if you look across the region though, it looks like about 25 percent of the flights are delayed coming into New York, about 30 percent in Toronto, about 22 percent into Minneapolis. And we're seeing similar numbers when it comes to departures.

The board of flights behind me, they've been about double the number of delays, but we're still talking about a relatively small number. So, so far, we're not seeing the kind of major delays and cancellations at least here at LaGuardia that you might expect. Fred.

WHITFIELD: Yes. But frustrating nonetheless, that's for sure.

All right. Athena Jones, thank you so much.

All right. Still ahead, a critical week for President Trump. Will he or his Counsel be present in the upcoming impeachment hearings? Plus, a nearly two-hour shootout between police and suspected cartel gang members leaves at least 19 people dead outside a government building. Details on the gun battle. Straight ahead.

[16:10:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. It's the first day of December and it's the first of a consequential month for President Trump. Starting with this week, the White House now has just a few hours to make a major decision. Will White House lawyers participate in the Judiciary Committee's first impeachment hearing set for this Wednesday? And another critical deadline is just days away.

Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler has also given the White House until Friday to determine whether it will be involved in the process at all. All of this as the House Intelligence Committee prepares to release its formal impeachment report after holding two weeks of public testimony. House leadership has signaled a wish to vote on impeachment by Christmas.

Toluse Olorunnipa covers the White House for The Washington Post. And he's joining me right now here in Atlanta.

Toluse, good to see you.

TOLUSE OLORUNNIPA, WHITE HOUSE REPORTER, THE WASHINGTON POST: It's good to see you.

WHITFIELD: And happy holiday weekend.

OLORUNNIPA: Yes. Same to you.

WHITFIELD: All right. So there has been some indication from the White House that they may not involve themselves in this process. Would that be a big mistake?

OLORUNNIPA: Well, there are some Republicans, even some Republican lawmakers sort of saying that it would be good for the President to have his lawyers involved. The President has spent a lot of time saying they aren't allowing me to have my lawyers, there's no due process. So now that he has an opportunity to have his lawyers, if he declines, it will make it seem like all of those complaints were not credible in the first place.

But what you are seeing from the White House is that they're trying to show the President taking on his Presidential actions. He's going to be in London this week for the NATO meetings. He went to Afghanistan over the last few days to meet with troops, and they want to show that the President is being Presidential.

WHITFIELD: Maybe taking a page out of President Clinton, which was - keep doing the job of the Presidency and let your people handle the whole impeachment proceeding, except that we don't know if his people are really handling it. They may be ignoring all of these requests to be in participation.

OLORUNNIPA: Right. And then you also have the President who tweets a lot and spends a lot of time consumed with the process, consumed with the impeachment process. So even though the White House wants to show that he's being Presidential and taking this page out of the Clinton playbook, the President still has access to his Twitter account. He's going to be complaining about the process.

So, for him to complain about the process, on one hand, while not even participating or having his lawyers involved, will make it seem like the White House is talking out of both sides of its mouth.

WHITFIELD: So you wrote in "The Washington Post" that the White House Counsel Pat Cipollone has deemed the impeachment probe as illegitimate. President Trump continues to call it a scam, et cetera. So that explains the unwillingness to participate potentially, because by participating then says it is a legitimate process, we are taking it seriously. And that kind of restates the strategy.

OLORUNNIPA: And they also would have to fight on the issue of substance, which is much shakier ground for them to talk about what the President was doing when he withheld this aid from the Ukrainians.

They'd much rather be fighting about process and saying that this is all a hoax and all a scam than having to explain what the President actually did and having to counter all of these witnesses, even from the President's own administration, who said that his call with the Ukrainian President and what he did with the aid was not in keeping with American foreign policy.

WHITFIELD: Might there be any wiggle room that they may rethink that strategy? Because there have been some Republicans who have come out, particularly this weekend, who say it would be a mistake for the President not to set the record straight, participate, whether it be through his testimony or whether it be his Counsel to appear.

OLORUNNIPA: There are some Republicans who say that the President should try to be a little bit more forthright and should try to explain what he was doing, try to put the best positive spin on what happened over the past few months with Ukraine.

There are others, including some of the President's closer allies, who say that you should just delegitimize the entire process, don't give it any credibility. They know that the House Democrats want to vote on impeachment as soon as before Christmas--

WHITFIELD: Yes.

OLORUNNIPA: --and because this process is moving so quickly, the President can try to muddy the waters by talking about the process and then fight on firmer ground for him in the Senate where he has a Senate Republican majority, and then he can spend the time with the Senate trial trying to prove his side of the case and allowing Adam Schiff and the House Democrats to debate him on the issues are something - that's something that a lot of Republicans say is a bad idea. Wait until it gets to the Senate next year and fight on that ground when you have a better majority on your side.

[16:15:00]

WHITFIELD: And continued silence from Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell.

OLORUNNIPA: Yes. He hasn't said very much about this process.

WHITFIELD: Not a peek.

OLORUNNIPA: He hasn't said what the Senate--

WHITFIELD: Not even a Happy Thanksgiving.

OLORUNNIPA: He's been very silent. I think when we get over to next year, if the House votes on impeachment, we will have to hear from Senate Majority Leader McConnell about how he's going to have the process play out, how he's going to try to make it bipartisan if he decides to do that, and whether or not the President decides to participate once it gets over to the Senate.

WHITFIELD: All right. Well, Happy Thanksgiving to you and family.

OLORUNNIPA: Yes. Same to you.

WHITFIELD: Toluse Olorunnipa, good to see you.

OLORUNNIPA: Thank you. WHITFIELD: All right. I want to bring in New York University Law

Professor and Constitutional law expert, Melissa Murray.

Melissa, good to see you. So--

MELISSA MURRAY, LAW PROFESSOR, NYU SCHOOL OF LAW & CONSTITUTIONAL LAW EXPERT: Good to see you.

WHITFIELD: --House Judiciary Committee's hearings will lay out the groundwork for articles of impeachment. What happens after that?

MURRAY: Well, once they have drafted articles of impeachment, they'll be submitted to the full House to vote. And in order to get through the full House, all that's needed is a simple majority, which Nancy Pelosi certainly has. From there, everything will shift to the Senate, where, as Toluse mentioned, the President will enjoy a much more receptive audience.

At the Senate level, the senators have the authority to make up the rules for the impeachment trial. It's not like an ordinary criminal trial. It is as much political as it is legal. And so the rules may be very different. They can determine the number of witnesses that may be called, the amount of time that those witnesses can be questioned, whether or not--

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: Do you think more witnesses would be called?

MURRAY: Well, I think, for the President, there will certainly be an opportunity for some grandstanding and maybe calling of Hunter Biden, which was something that punctuated the public impeachment hearings but never actually happened. But I think this is a place where you could see the President and his lawyers calling Hunter Biden to the stand.

But again, there's lots of rooms for the senators to make up their own rules, and the only person who oversees this or has any kind of oversight is the Chief Justice, whose job it is to interpret those rules, but who can also be overwritten by a simple majority of the senators.

WHITFIELD: There are deadlines this week about the White House Counsel being involved here. Do you think it's a mistake if they pass up this opportunity?

MURRAY: Again, as you said, it is both risky and perhaps an opportunity for the President. It's an opportunity to make a case to the American public.

And although the House members on the Intelligence Committee try to sort of scattershot approach to defend the President during the public impeachments, they just threw a lot of things at the wall, never really came up with a coherent defense for the President's conduct or the withholding of aid. This would be an opportunity for the President to make his own

narrative to the American people. But the risk of course is, as you say, that it would be legitimizing what the President has decried as an illegitimate process to actually participate.

It might actually serve him better to be impeached, although he would certainly take a hit for being one of the three Presidents impeached, but to take the impeachment, go to the Senate where he's much more likely to find a receptive and hospitable audience.

WHITFIELD: All right. Melissa Murray, always good to see you, and Happy Thanksgiving Weekend.

MURRAY: Likewise.

WHITFIELD: All right. Next, a nearly two-hour long gun battle kills at least 19 people. Next, an update on the shootout between police and suspected Mexican cartel members.

[16:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Nineteen people were killed in a gun battle between Mexican security forces and suspected cartel members trying to infiltrate the area. The gun battle lasted at least an hour, and a government building and police car can both be seen riddled with bullets.

A cell phone video obtained by "Reuters" captures the sounds of the gun battle raging outside someone's home.

Oh, my gosh. That whole incident taking place just 30 miles from the border with Texas. Rafael Romo is following the details on all of this.

So, what do we know about what led up to this and how frightening for a lot of folks who were just innocent bystanders?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, very concerning on both sides of the border. It was 11:45 in the morning when this happened. And according to Governor Miguel Angel Riquelme - this is in the State of Coahuila in Mexico - a group of about 12 vehicles entered Villa Union.

This is only about, as you mentioned, Fred, 30 to 40 miles south of Eagle Pass, Texas. It's an area that has seen more than its share of violence for the last few years. But they essentially attacked a local municipal building, killing four police officers, and then shootouts started ensuing in the rest of the town. Several of them - and in the end, there were 13 suspected cartel members who died, four police officers, as I said before, and two civilians.

The army had to be brought in to fight with these cartel members. And just picture a town of 3,000 people, 40 miles south of the U.S.-Mexico border, essentially living a battle. It was very terrifying for the residents there. And as you saw in the video, you could hear the gunshots loud and clear.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Serious barrage. Yes. So then, what about the overall battle with cartels? I mean, how are authorities able to manage this?

ROMO: Well, you and I were talking less than a month ago about another incident that happened. It was not close, but it's also in Northern Mexico where nine members of a Mormon community died - three mothers and six of their children. Very similar incident. A massacre.

And so it just happens that today, the Mexican President, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, celebrating his first year in office. And one of the reasons why he got elected was because he promised he would do something about it. And now we have these two incidents and a number of others that I can go down the list that have made the situation in Mexico very, very dire.

[16:25:00]

WHITFIELD: Terrible. All right. Rafael Romo, good to see you. Thank you so much.

ROMO: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Still ahead in the newsroom, Joe Biden may be sitting on top of the Democratic field, but he's not a front-runner in the key state of Iowa. So, how are voters now responding to him? We are live, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back. It's day two. Right now, Joe Biden's Iowa blitz, his agenda includes canvassing 18 counties that span across 800 miles in Iowa in just eight days. The Former Vice President is hosting multiple events today, as he looks to shore up support among undecided voters.

[16:30:00]

And if you look at the latest CNN/Des Moines Register poll, you'll see Mayor Pete Buttigieg soaring in the Hawkeye State, up double digits over Biden. Biden was asked about that trend last hour.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you took a chance on a guy didn't know well in Barack Obama in 2008, could Buttigieg be the Barack Obama of 2020?

JOE BIDEN, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Look, I'm not going to say -- anything I say about Pete will be taken as being a criticism or negative about Pete. And I don't have any negative feelings about Pete at all.

I think he's a talented guy and we'll see, we'll see. I mean, that's for the folks of Iowa to determine. And I think that we will find out whether it's accurate or not. Well, I think there may have been (INAUDIBLE) in the city of Iowa. I'm looking for somebody who doesn't need a whole lot of on-the-job training and we'll find that out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN Politics Reporter, Arlette Saenz, is on the ground for us in Iowa. Arlette, what have you been hearing from voters because you've been almost alongside that bus as it's been making its way around the state?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Yes, Fred. We're in Storm Lake, Iowa right now where Joe Biden in a short while is going to hold his fourth event of this eight-day bus tour. And I've been talking to several undecided voters along the way who have come out to these events trying to hear a little bit more from Biden and his message and what he's going to do for the country,

And take a listen to one voter that I caught up with outside of Biden's event in Carroll, Iowa just in the past few hours.

What do you think it is that Biden's leading in the polls nationally, but here in Iowa, he's basically battling for second place? Why do you think that hasn't reflected the same here in Iowa?

BRAD KNOTT, IOWA VOTER: I don't think he's been here enough, spent a lot of time here. That's what it usually takes for most Iowans. They feel like they got to see the people several times before they make up their minds. There's going to be a lot of changes between now and February.

SAENZ: Now, that voter left the event undecided but said Biden is one of the candidates that he's leaning towards supporting the caucuses. And one of the goals of this bus tour is trying to put Biden in front of as many voters as possible.

As one adviser told me, the more one-on-one interactions Biden has with voters the better that is for his campaign. They see his ability to connect with voters as one of his key traits heading into the caucuses.

Now, I also had the chance this morning to ask Biden about the fact he's the frontrunner, leading in national polls, yet here in Iowa, that hasn't exactly translated.

And what he told me -- he said, we're trying to translate those national polls into the same standing here in Iowa. He says it is still early, that there's still time for Iowans to change their minds and that he's going to be working to win here in the state come February, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Arlette Saenz, thank you so much. All right, let's talk more about Biden's strategy in Iowa. I want this bring in now Democratic Congresswoman Dina Titus. She sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and is a Biden surrogate. Congresswoman, good to see you.

REP. DINA TITUS (D-NV): Nice to meet you. Thank you. WHITFIELD: All right. So, you saw the latest Iowa poll that shows Biden has slipped five percent in the last two months. Why do you think he is not resonating as he once was particularly in Iowa?

TITUS: Well, I can't speak for Iowans. But I think it's great that he's there now doing this "No Malarkey" tour which definitely sums up his approach to government and people will see that and see how sincere he is. And having Former Governor Vilsack with him who is very popular, you heard yourself the Iowans say things are going to change a lot between now and their caucuses.

WHITFIELD: And what about that "No Malarkey" moniker on his bus tour? Do you think that's going to, you know, resonate particularly with the younger voters, the undecided, the more progressive, the people that he really needs to appeal to or has that kind of created some distance between he connecting with some those voters?

TITUS: Well, I don't think so. I think it sums up the fact he is not scripted. He's not about sound bites. He's very sincere. I know that's the case here in Nevada. We say here, we're riding with Biden. And that sums it up for us. And we're excited.

WHITFIELD: That might have been more clever than the "No Malarkey", "Riding with Biden".

TITUS: Well, you know, well especially if you say it with an accent like and it rhymes. So, that's our approach. And he's building a coalition here that includes those young people that you mentioned.

WHITFIELD: So, Buttigieg, Mayor Buttigieg, you know, he is another moderate. His popularity has surged in that state, up double digits from where he was in September. Is the mayor the biggest threat at this point to Biden nomination?

TITUS: I don't think so. I think people don't know the mayor very well. He's exciting now. He's new. But if you look at the coalition of voters that Vice President Biden has put together, it is much broader.

Here in Nevada, we've got a large Hispanic population, minority population, Asian, students, military, labor unions. That's a broad coalition that the vice president has that these other candidates don't even if they're a little exciting right now.

[16:35:14]

WHITFIELD: So nationally, Biden is leading with 28% support. But in your view, you know, what are the most important issues that he needs to really drive home to cement support?

REP TITUS: Well, there are several things; certainly, his experience. And this president we have now has created such a mess. You need to know how to do things the day you walk in to take care of some of the things that Donald Trump has done. He doesn't need on-the-job training.

Also, he's widely respected internationally and that's very important, too, because our standing as a world leader has been greatly eroded. And third, and very importantly, I think he's got the best chance to win. And we have got to win in November. And he brings with him that experience, that knowledge, and that sincerity. People trust him. And so I think that's why he's the best candidate.

WHITFIELD: And what do you see as some of the risks for the former vice president?

TITUS: Well, I don't like to focus on any of the risks. He's going to work very hard to win every vote and you see that. Some people talk about age. But he's out there with the best of them. So, I think that's taken off the table.

WHITFIELD: All right. So, let me switch topics a little bit. Let's talk about impeachment and the inquiry and the new phase. It's about to, you know, embark on. What will you be looking for out of Wednesday's impeachment hearing in the House Judiciary Committee?

TITUS: Well, I serve on Foreign Affairs Committee. So, I was in the room with many of those depositions. And I think that Representative Schiff has done a masterful job of bringing that out in the public and having star witnesses that are just unimpeachable themselves.

They will vote on Tuesday about passing the report to judiciary committee. And that first hearing in judiciary is going to bring together constitutional scholars to explain to the public and to the members just what is an impeachable offense, how does impeachment work, what are the rules that we should be looking at putting in place. And I think that's a good place to begin.

WHITFIELD: OK. And being on the Foreign Affairs Committee, let me ask you about the Taliban and what it's saying that peace talks have not resumed with the U.S. despite President Trump's claims to the contrary this week and his surprise visit to the region. Have you or anyone on your committee been briefed about the potential discussions?

TITUS: We haven't. And I look forward to going back the first of the week and hearing that. But it's gotten to the point that no matter what the president says when he meets with people that we don't have minutes from or notes from or press coverage of, that changes from one day to the next. I'm not surprised.

WHITFIELD: All right, Congresswoman Dina Titus. Thank you so much. "Riding with Biden", I think you probably going to get their attention. They may have to rename that bus because "No Malarkey" isn't catchy enough. All right, Congresswoman, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

TITUS: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, the next democratic candidate could come down to a key voting bloc -- the black vote. Will that group of voters continue to support Joe Biden or is there any room for his rivals? I'll talk to author and professor, Michael Eric Dyson, about that and his new book.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:42:20]

WHITFIELD: Joe Biden continues to lead national polls in the race for 2020. And one crucial voting bloc may be a reason why. A new Quinnipiac poll shows Joe Biden support among African-Americans at 43%, nearly 30 points higher than his next closest competitor, Bernie Sanders.

And now, as the former vice president embarks on the final days of 2019, will that support propel him to victory in 2020? Joining me right now, Georgetown Sociology Professor, Michael Eric Dyson, so good to see you and have you this Thanksgiving weekend.

MICHAEL ERIC DYSON, GEORGETOWN SOCIOLOGY PROFESSOR: Thank you for having me.

WHITFIELD: All right. So, why do you think, let's talk politics first, why do you think Joe Biden has been able to command such strong support from African-Americans?

DYSON: Well, a few reasons. First of all, he's been intimately familiar with the issues that have driven African-American culture over the last 30, 40 years. And you know, regardless of the kind of difficulties that Joe Biden has encountered, some of the statements he's made, some of the positions he's taken, black people look at the overall trajectory of Joe Biden over these last few decades.

They look at the box scores, so to speak. They look at the average of his career, not the mistake he made, not the faux pas he made, but the general drift of his career.

Number two, his association with Barack Obama certainly stands him in good stead. Even though Barack Obama is receiving, some would say, righteous criticism now for his neoliberal politics, the fact is that Joe Biden was perceived of a public defender of a man who was subject to claims of birtherism from President Trump and the far right.

Thirdly, Joe Biden has generated his own interest among African- American people. You know, when you would go to Joe Biden's vice presidential mansion during black history month, it was a festive occasion. Some would argue even more festive than the one that was being held in the White House by the first black president of the United States of America.

It was more cozy. It was more intimate. Food was flowing. Conversation was flowing. It was a blacker event. So, when you put all that stuff together in aggregate and fourthly, the fact is that many African- American people, unlike myself, tack toward the middle are culturally conservative and politically progressive morally and ethically in the center.

And the bread and butter issues that Joe Biden speaks about, they resonate with, and when you put all that stuff together, that I think explains why Joe Biden is head and shoulders above his next competitor. WHITFIELD: So then, you have other candidates that take, for instance, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who is rising in the polls.

DYSON: Right.

WHITFIELD: But then apparently, you know, it's still flat lined. He's not registering with African-Americans. Why hasn't he made that connection? Or, you know, why haven't his efforts gotten him anywhere in making a connection?

[16:45:12]

DYSON: Yes, that's a great point. Think about Barack Obama when he was running in 2008. He was finding difficulty making traction among African-American because unbeknownst to many people in this nation, black folk don't respond when they're supposed to respond, right?

If you're black, you're not going to support a black candidate simply because the candidate is black. You got to see, do they have the proof in the pudding. Do they have the wherewithal to win? Black people, by and large as voters, want people who have the real chance of winning at the poll.

And so, until Barack Obama won Iowa, black folk weren't swinging his way. When he won Iowa, they started taking a look at this Barack Obama and figured out his name was Barack Obama and started taking him seriously.

I think Pete Buttigieg has the same kind of difficulties and barriers to overcome. Plus the fact that he hasn't been pronounced in his ability to secure black interests and draw and attract black support before becoming a presidential candidate. And now that he has, he's facing the difficulties of playing catch up.

Now, to his credit, when he called the writer from "The Root" the other day, Michael Harriot, and talked to him after Harriot delivered a scathing rebuke to him in his "Root" column, it shows that he has the presence of mind to understand that he doesn't have to be defensive. He can reach out to constituencies that doubt his legitimacy and embrace them as at least the first step in trying to secure and procure more interest among African-American voters.

WHITFIELD: OK. So, I want to ask you now about your new book because boy, you are an author of many, which really speaks to your versatility. You talk about culture, religion, justice, politics, natural disaster, and now, the subject is "Jay-Z: Made in America" is the title.

You know, it's a profile of the rapper, music mogul, CEO. He's got a lot of titles, too, Jay-Z and in it. You call him today's Robert Frost with a Brooklyn accent.

DYSON: Yes.

WHITFIELD: So, how in your view has he used literary devices to educate, to illuminate common experiences? DYSON: Yes. You think about Robert Frost. Whose woods these are? I think I know. His house is in the village though he will not see me stopping here to watch his woods fill up with snow. And you hear Jay- Z, God, forgive me for my brash delivery. But I remember vividly what these streets did to me.

So, there's a kind of poetic sense of metaphor, simile, analogy, metonymy. In jam, that means long sentences that you fit into smaller spaces for the meter. He is a guy who has used imagery, symbolism, his own understanding of the culture, understanding projects and politics and hustling. He's put it all together and brought us a powerful package.

Yes, he parties. Yes, he talks about materialism. Yes, he talks about the bling. But beneath that, there is tremendous gravitas and substance. You know, when he talked about police brutality, Bin Laden been happening in Manhattan, anthrax was -- crack was anthrax back then back when police was Al-Qaeda to the black men.

So, he's comparing terror in America with the experience of being terrified in African-American culture. Think about the brilliant movie that got leased this weekend, this Thanksgiving weekend, "Queen & Slim". That visual representation of the terror of police violence against black bodies was already precipitated by Jay-Z's brilliant lyrics more than a decade ago.

WHITFIELD: Wow. You like the way he is using his power and his influence. You say in your book, you break him down into three categories or portions of his power, from hustling, poetry, politics. I mean, you delivered it all there. And what does he think about the book?

DYSON: Well, I think so far, he digs it. You know, if you say who you know fresher that hov, who you know fresher than med (ph), riddle me that. The rest of you all know where I'm literally at. So, I think he appreciates the fact that I've taken his career, seen it through the prism of an analysis, scholarly analysis, but also a cultural appreciation for where he is.

And let's face it, he's turning 50 years old on December the 4th. I don't know how he aged and we stayed the same, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Oh gosh. OK.

DYSON: We stayed the same age but Jay-Z aged, right? But the thing is -- but the thing is when you -- when you think about the fact this man is 50 years old --

WHITFIELD: Yes.

DYSON: -- a couple of years ago, still releasing records that hit the top of the charts, still remaining relevant in an age and an era when younger people are competing at the age of 18 and 19 and 20 that says something about the longevity.

He's the kind of Tom Brady of hip hop culture right now. He's the kind of LeBron James of hip hop. He continues to extend his artistic trajectory into the future, deeply planted in the ground with his vast imagination continuing to express itself and people seem to buy it and resonate with him.

WHITFIELD: Well, that's a fantastic prism. All right, Michael Eric Dyson, so glad to have you. Thank you so much. Thank you for bringing --

DYSON: Thanks for having me.

WHITFIELD: -- all of your versatility of knowledge and depth to us this weekend and every weekend that you come with us.

DYSON: Thank you so much. I appreciate you so very much.

[16:50:05]

WHITFIELD: Thank you. All right, we've got so much more straight ahead in the "Newsroom". But first, after losing her dad when she was 14, one of this year's top ten CNN "Heroes" struggled with depression into her late 20's when she finally got help. Here's the story of Mary Robinson.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BELLA: My name is (Bella) and my dad died.

MARY ROBINSON, CNN HERO: Kids in grief are kids at risk.

JD: My name is (JD) and my mom died.

MARY ROBINSON: Time does not heal all wounds. Time helps, but it's what you do with that time and what you need to do is mourn.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When you hear other people's stories, it kind of brings comfort.

MARY ROBINSON: So, that's why a place like "Imagine" exists to give children a place to mourn their loss and find out they're not alone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Go to cnnheroes.com to vote for your favorite hero.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: 2020 campaign trail surprise this week. Bernie Sanders has soul with a capital S. Here's Jeanne Moos.

[16:55:02]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You know how Bernie Sanders could get a little grouchy?

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If we could keep that down a little bit.

MOOS: Well now you can't keep him down. This is the story of Bernie's night as a -- not quite two months after his heart attack. The sound of the Temptations lured him on to the dance floor. And Bernie invited woman after woman to take a spin even if this one shyly resisted his attempt to twirl, and even when he tried to stop. One after another, they kept cutting in. Flashes popping as they scored dancing selfies.

Would Bernie have been tempted to get down to the Temptations before he had his heart attack? Those who cover him say he's a more light- hearted, humorous man after the health scare.

Sure, he's not the only one burning up the dance floor. Mayor Pete Buttigieg's supporters have gone viral with a Panic at the Disco dance.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's all part of Mayor Pete's strategy to get a negative percentage of the black vote.

MOOS: Nothing strategic about Bernie's dancing. He was pounced on by 23 women and one guy as the Four Tops put it -- neither could Bernie. Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. Well, thank you so much for joining me this weekend. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. The CNN NEWSROOM continues with Alex Marquardt right after this short break.