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Laredo Mayor Victor Trevino Discusses Mexican Officials To Visit U.S. Next Month For More Border Talks; Netanyahu Meets With Families Of Hostages; Paul Whelan Marks 5 Years In Russian Detention; Mortgage Rates Drop For 9th Straight Week. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired December 28, 2023 - 13:30   ET

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

[13:30:00]

MAYOR VICTOR TREVINO (LAREDO, TX): And furthermore, police, local police, don't have immigration instruction. They don't have immigration training. They don't do the same thing as immigration officers.

So Mexico is a trade partner. Also, we just can't start profiling people on the way they look.

So, these are all issues that are concerning and that's the reason we brought them up.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Mayor Victor Trevino, we have to leave the conversation there. Very much appreciate your time, sir.

TREVINO: Thank you. Appreciate it.

SANCHEZ: Of course.

Still ahead on CNN NEWS CENTRAL, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's meeting with the families of hostages held by Hamas. We are going to speak with one father, who was in that meeting, speaking to Netanyahu.

And new numbers just in. Mortgage rates dropping for the ninth week in a row. We're going to break those numbers down and tell you what it means for home buyers.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:35:13]

SANCHEZ: Today, new warnings for the Palestinian people as the Israeli military tells civilians to evacuate parts of central Gaza immediately, including a refugee camp near Wadi, Gaza.

This comes as the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health says that at least 50 people were killed by an Israeli airstrike, or rather, several Israeli airstrikes, all across Gaza earlier today.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: And in the meantime, we're learning that another hostage taken by Hamas has passed away. This time, Israeli- American Judy Weinstein,

Her kibbutz confirming her death today, saying the 70-year-old was killed on October 7th, along with her husband. Both of their bodies remain inside Gaza. This means the six remaining American hostages are all men.

SANCHEZ: Meantime, Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to visit Israel next week. Again, to push Israeli officials on restarting hostage negotiations.

Today, families of some of the hostages met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who told them that talks to get their loved ones back or ongoing.

Joining us now is Ronan Neutra. He is one of the family members that met with Prime Minister Netanyahu today. His son is one of the hostages still being held in Gaza.

Ronan, thank you so much for sharing part of your afternoon with us.

We are wondering what you might have learned about your son's status or his condition during the meeting with the prime minister.

RONAN NEUTRA, SON, OMER NEUTRA, TAKEN HOSTAGE: Yes, unfortunately, there was no immediate or new news that even Netanyahu, prime minister, could share with us.

There's a large group of hostages' families that are sitting in the dark for 83 days without any information about their loved ones. Very little is known as far as their whereabouts and medical condition.

That's probably one of the toughest parts for us families, not knowing anything about the condition and any signs of life of our dear ones.

KEILAR: And what did he say and what did family members say to him that they felt he needed to hear?

NEUTRA: Well, our message to Prime Minister Netanyahu was clear. It's his responsibility and his administration to bring the hostages back home. He needs to pull every lever to bring them back.

According to Prime Minister Netanyahu, unfortunately, the problem continues to be Hamas. Hamas is refusing to come back to the negotiating table and to take out any offers.

That is exactly the reason why we need all the U.S. allies in the region, particularly Qatar, to do their part and get Hamas back to negotiate and get all the hostages back home. Sooner rather than later.

SANCHEZ: Ronan, I imagine the news earlier this month of that horrific tragedy with the Israeli military accidentally shooting and killing three hostages, that had to have rattled you.

I'm wondering if that came up in the conversations with the prime minister, if he said anything about that, how military perhaps plans to make sure that something like that does not happen again.

NEUTRA: Well, obviously, our family, as well as everybody in Israel, here, and the prime minister and his administration, were horrified about that piece of news about a week ago.

And we were told that the army is doing everything they can to try and avoid a situation like this. We don't think that, you know, there is any blame to be put on anyone else but Hamas.

The situation on the ground is very complex. And we just have to make sure that, you know, negotiation comes back and the hostages will be freed.

And we can't blame the army in making a mistake like this, which is horrific, but really, part of a very tough war that they have to go through and deal with.

KEILAR: Ronan, you have met, as well, with President Biden. Omer, of course, is a dual Israeli-American. A bright, young man who took a gap year to go from New York to Israel. Are you getting what you need from U.S. officials right now?

[13:40:04]

NEUTRA: Well, we definitely thank the Biden administration and the president, himself, for all the efforts they are doing and their commitment to bring back our loved ones.

The families of the hostages have protected conversations with the highest ranks in government, including the president himself. We are trying to push every possible lever and make sure that U.S. government is also putting the pressure on their allies in the Middle East.

We are hoping that those efforts are going to bear fruits sooner, rather than later, because we know the situation is bad.

It's 83 days. We're close to three months. Some of the hostages are wounded, bad medical conditions. Even those that are not, under those conditions of starvation, lack of oxygen, what have you, it's a really tough situation.

And we are hoping that the remaining six American hostages will be brought back as well as all the other 130 hostages. The families are craving to see them. And of course, we do, too. Omer, we miss him dearly.

KEILAR: Ronan, we will keep telling Omer's story and we thank you so much for being with us. We will keep focusing on these hostages, as we know that your family and so many others are doing everything that you can to bring him home as well.

NEUTRA: Thank you very much for having me.

KEILAR: Still ahead on CNN NEWS CENTRAL, today marks five years since American Paul Whelan was detained in Russia. CNN speaking to him today. Plus, what we are learning about the efforts to bring him home. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:45:48]

KEILAR: Today marks five years since American Paul Whelan was detained in Russia. The U.S. Marine Corps veteran was in Moscow for a friend's wedding back in 2018 when he was arrested on espionage charges, allegations that he vehemently denies.

Considered wrongfully detained by the State Department, Whelan has spent recent days placing phone calls to news outlets, expressing a sense of abandonment by the U.S.

SANCHEZ: CNN's Jennifer Hansler is one of the reporters who's been speaking with him.

Jennifer, you actually just recently got off the phone with him. What is he saying today?

JENNIFER HANSLER, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT REPORTER: Well, Boris, today, Paul Whelan's message is he does not want to be left behind again. He is urging President Biden to pull out all the stops to bring him back.

I just want you to listen to his exact words that he told me just an hour ago.

(BEGIN AUDIO FEED)

PAUL WHELAN, AMERICAN IMPRISONED IN RUSSIA: I'm more than past ready to return home. And I'm counting on the U.S. government to call for me in -- (INAUDIBLE). The time is now to take this -- (INAUDIBLE) -- bring this debacle to a close.

President Biden, please use every resource available to secure my release as you would do if your own son had been taken hostage.

(END AUDIO FEED)

HANSLER: So, quite a striking plea there from Whelan.

Of course, he has spoken numerous times over the past several weeks and months, and I've spoken to him over the past two years, and the sense of his desperation and frustration has grown over the course of those years.

He said he's concerned he's not going to see his parents who are in their 80s alive again. He has already lost friends. He's lost beloved pets. And he is concerned that his plight continues to go on.

He said it's surreal that he's marking five years in that Russian prison and that he is struggling with depression. However, he says he starts every day singing the national anthems of the four countries to whom he has citizenship, and he tries to keep his spirits high.

But he's urging the U.S. to keep fighting to bring him home. U.S. officials, of course, have said that they are working every day to try to get Whelan home.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken put out a statement last night saying they would not rest until they do so.

The special envoy for hostage affairs, Roger Carstens, said this isn't something that they sat down and -- a couple weeks later. This is something they're working on diligently to bring back both Whelan and the "Wall Street Journal" reporter, Evan Gershkovich.

We know that a serious proposal was put forward to Russia to bring both of them home and that proposal was denied by Russia -- Boris, Brianna?

SANCHEZ: Jennifer Hansler, thank you so much for the update.

Still ahead on CNN NEWS CENTRAL, more good news for potential home buyers. Mortgage rates are falling for the ninth week in a row. The average age of a home buyer, though, is way up. We will break down the numbers and what they mean in just a few minutes.

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[13:52:37]

SANCHEZ: Now to some good news for home buyers. We just learned that mortgage rates are down again this week, dropping to the lowest level since May.

KEILAR: That's right.

CNN's Matt Egan with us now to talk about those beautiful numbers.

Matt, what are you seeing?

MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Well, of course, Brianna, this is very good news. It's exactly what home buyers were hoping for.

Just two months ago, mortgage rates were flirting with 8 percent. But now they are down nine weeks in a row to 6.6 percent. This is really more of a plunge than a drop.

Now, rates are, of course, not low. They were much lower three years ago. But this is a big step in the right direction.

Remember, rates spiked when the Fed launched this war against inflation. But now, the Fed is preparing to cut interest rates as soon as March because inflation has cooled off. So, this is very important.

Let me show you what it means for the typical home buyers. Say you're in the market to buy a $500,000 home. You plan on putting 20 percent down. Your monthly payments are $319 less now, at current rates, than they would've been if you bought in the peak back in October. That's per month.

That is really helpful. Less money on interest means you can spend more money on childcare or saving for college. And this really adds up. Over the lifetime of a loan, we're talking about saving over $100,000 just because rates have dropped.

SANCHEZ: So, obviously, this is good news if you're looking to buy a home.

There's also new data, Matt, about the average age of an American home buyer.

EGAN: Right, Boris. The average age has gone up over the years and this is partially because of what we were just talking about, mortgage rates.

So, if you look at the typical repeat home buyer, it's around 58 years old now. That is up from 52 years old a decade ago.

And back in the early 80s, when my parents were buying in New Jersey, the typical repeat home buyer was just 36 years old.

We've also seen the median age of the first-time home buyer increase as well.

So why is this happening? Well, part of it is because a lot of young people, they can't afford to buy right now. This is the least affordable housing market since 1984 because home prices are at record highs, because borrowing costs are being elevated.

It's also a reflection of some demographic shifts, right? People are getting married and having kids later than they used to. They're also trying to pay off student debt.

[13:55:03]

Hopefully, though, Brianna and Boris, this average age will come down in 2024, as affordability improves.

Because we know that home ownership is the ticket to wealth generation in America. And the fact that a lot of young people are on the outside, looking in, is not a good thing.

KEILAR: No, it is not.

Matt, thank you for taking us through that.

So, still ahead on CNN NEWS CENTRAL, the house where four Idaho college students were murdered is now being demolished. We are live from the scene. Plus, why the victims' families tried to stop this.

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