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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Withholds Articles of Impeachment from Senate Until Assurances of Fair Trial are Provided by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell; President Trump Prepares for Impeachment Trial During Vacation in Mar-a-Lago; Jewish Members of Congress Sign Letter to President Trump Asking for Ouster of White House Adviser Stephen Miller; Suspect Named in Mother and Daughter Death and Kidnapping; Two Carnival Cruise Ships Collide; Eddie Murphy to Return to "Saturday Night Live." Aired 2-3p ET

Aired December 21, 2019 - 14:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:00:39]

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

Today President Trump is at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida for the holidays, and before departing he signed a $1.4 trillion spending bill preventing a government shutdown. With that behind him he's now preparing for his upcoming impeachment trial in the U.S. Senate. And just two days after his impeachment in the House, he accepted an invitation by Speaker Nancy Pelosi to give his annual State of the Union address on February 4th, a speech which could be overshadowed by his upcoming trial. The president wants an immediate trial in the Senate, but the timing is now up in the air as Democratic and Republican leaders clash over the rules. Some House Democrats are urging Pelosi to indefinitely withhold the articles until Majority Leader, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell agrees to hold a fair trial.

CNN's Kristen Holmes is in West Palm Beach near the president's Florida home. So Kristen, despite the impeachment, the president was able to pass a spending bill. His daughter says he is energized in all of this. What more can you tell us?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, that's right. So essentially here is where we are in this entire process. We know that President Trump passed this sweeping spending bill last night, actually two of these packages. And I want to stop right here and break down how surprising it is that Republicans and Democrats during this incredibly divisive time in Washington were actually able to come together and get something done, and on top of that were able to pass something that both sides were able to claim had various wins in it.

You have to keep in mind, just one year ago that was the time where a debate over border wall spending shut down the government for the longest amount in time in our nation's history. So let's talk about what exactly is in this spending package. One

thing that we know is in there is that border wall funding, but it's not nearly as much as President Trump or the administration had asked for. On top of that, it also has, this package also has pay raise for military and civilian federal employees. It includes funding for research, various grants, including research on guns. And it also eliminates three taxed that helped pay for Obamacare. So you can see just in that highlight reel there how Democrats and Republicans might both be gloating on the passage of this package.

And I do want to note here, I spoke to one person who is close to the White House who said that White House aides are really hoping that with this squarely behind them that President Trump will begin focusing and preparing, using these next two weekends to get ready for that pending Senate impeachment trial.

We do know that Pat Cipollone, the man who is slated to lead President Trump's defense team as well as several top other officials are slated to be here at the end of his trip. So we'll see if that's what he does. But, as we know, President Trump can easily go off script. We also know that when he's in his Mar-a-Lago resort, he is surrounded by a lot of friends who can help him steer him towards his instinct, which is not necessarily what the instinct or the direction that the White House wants to go in.

WHITFIELD: Kristen Holmes in West Palm Beach, thank you so much.

Meantime, we still don't know who Speaker Pelosi will appoint to be House managers in Trump's U.S. Senate trial. This comes as negotiations over the rules remain at a standstill.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITCH MCCONNELL, (R) SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: I admit, I'm not sure what leverage there is in refraining from sending us something we do not want. We'll see whether House Democrats ever want to work up the courage to actually take their accusations to trial.

REP. NANCY PELOSI, (D-CA) HOUSE SPEAKER: Our founders when they wrote the Constitution, they suspected that there could be a rogue president. I don't think they suspected that we could have a rogue president and a rogue leader in the Senate at the time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Joining me right now, CNN reporter Marshall Cohen. Marshall, what is the latest on where things go from here? It may be about two weeks before folks are back in Washington at their jobs and maybe revealing what's next?

MARSHALL COHEN, CNN REPORTER: Right. Not much expected to progress here in D.C. Of course, Congress is on recess. Most of the lawmakers have gone back home. But we did report in the past few days that some members of the Democratic staff for those key committees that worked on this impeachment will be staying here in the nation's capital to prepare for that potential trial. [14:05:04]

But as you mentioned, there is no agreement yet on what the rules of that trial are going to look like. Democrats have been clamoring for witness testimony, key players, like the former National Security Adviser John Bolton, or the current White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, to come in and tell their story about what the president did with Ukraine.

Republicans have been holding the line. Mitch McConnell as you showed in that clip, taunting Democrats, taunting Speaker Pelosi, they don't want any additional fact-finding. They've been saying for the time for investigation is behind us, and what needs to happen now is a prompt trial and a prompt vote, and get this all out of the way.

WHITFIELD: And then what will the House Speaker Pelosi be weighing when trying to determine what House managers to appoint?

COHEN: Well, CNN's been reporting that she wants to put on a presentation that represents the diversity of her caucus. They have members from all across the country, many from New York and California on the coasts, but they've got other folks that played a key role in this investigation from other states. They have racial diversity as well, and people with a national security background that can make the case on the merits here that, as they claim, what the president did with Ukraine put American security at risk and put the integrity of the 2020 election at risk. So that's what she's going to be thinking of, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Marshall Cohen, always good to see you. Thank you so much.

COHEN: Happy holidays.

WHITFIELD: Happy holidays.

Earlier today I spoke with South Carolina Congressman James Clyburn, the House Minority Whip, about the withholding of impeachment articles. And he explained why the Democrats are fighting to have a say in how the Senate conducts this trial.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMES CLYBURN, (D-SC) HOUSE MAJORITY WHIP: We think this process ought to be fair. There should be transparency. Everybody in the country ought to be able to look in on this process and be proud of it. I do not see, and nobody in my caucus can see, how we can be proud of the process when we have two senators, one from my state of South Carolina, saying we aren't interested in any facts. We aren't interested in bringing any witnesses. We aren't interested in being fair. That is not anything that anybody in this country ought to be proud of.

We have a process. We ought to go through that process. It ought to be transparent. It ought to be fair. And it shouldn't have any semblance of a rigged system. There's been too much in the history of this country about rigging courts, just going through a process, knowing full well that you have a preordained outcome.

I tried to lock in this legislative process to our judicial process. We in the House of Representatives act as what we would call a grand jury. You have probable cause. You're looking to see whether or not there is reason to send something to trial. You don't have all your witnesses before the grand jury. You don't have the entire process before the grand jury. You're determining whether or not there is sufficient evidence to go to a trial. So that's what we did in the House. We found sufficient evidence to send this thing to the Senate for a trial. We expected and still are expecting the Senate to do its job, put on a full, fair trial, call the witnesses. We have put forth four witnesses that we think ought to be called.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Also weighed in, House Majority Whip Congressman Clyburn, also wade weighed in on the controversy senior White House adviser Stephen Miller. Twenty-five Jewish lawmakers are calling on President Trump to remove Miller from the administration after leaked emails show Miller showing white supremacist views.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES CLYBURN, (D-SC) HOUSE MAJORITY WHIP: I'm so glad that many fine people from the Jewish community are now speaking up about Steven Miller. This guy is really a cancer on this country, not just this presidency.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN correspondent Sara Sidner has more on the call for Miller's ouster.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA SIDNER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is the latest in a long string of folks who have come forward to say that they think Stephen Miller should be fired. Now 25 Jewish members of Congress have signed a letter to the president asking him to fire senior White House adviser Miller. This all comes after his emails were leaked by a former Breitbart editor who says that she was a white nationalist, and calls Stephen Miller a white supremacist who further radicalized her with his ideas.

[14:10:00]

Now, the emails that were linked almost always mention immigration or anti-immigration, if you will. Usually it is targeted towards black and brown people, trying to keep people from certain countries out of the United States. The congresspeople have written this both because they are extremely disturbed by what Miller has said in these emails in particular, and for the policy that has come out of the White House when it comes to immigration which he has a hand in.

They are also disturbed by exactly how the White House defended Miller. And I will read you just a portion of their letter, when it comes to what happened when the White House defended Miller, they basically went after the Southern Poverty Law Center, saying that since they first revealed these emails, that they were going after Miller, and here's how they put it. They said that the Southern Poverty Law Center "is engaged in a vile smear campaign against a Jewish staffer. And while Mr. Miller condemns racism and bigotry in all forms, those defaming him are trying to deny his Jewish identity which is a pernicious form of anti-Semitism."

That has very much angered these Jewish congresspeople who have written this letter to the president. The way that they responded to it is by saying "We are deeply troubled the administration is claiming that the legitimate criticism of Miller is anti-Semitic simply because Miller is Jewish. Nothing could be further from the truth." They say in this letter that weaponizing anti-Semitism is incredibly dangerous. By muddying the waters, they say, that we're no longer able to see and fight against real anti-Semitism.

So again, these 25 lawmakers are adding on to the 100-plus Democratic lawmakers who have already asked for the resignation or firing of Stephen Miller back in November. So far, the White House has only responded when we questioned them about Miller and some of the things that he has said with absolute positivity that Miller is not resigning. We have not gotten a comment from Stephen Miller throughout the reporting of this story.

Sara Sidner, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Still ahead, a collision rocked ships, cruise ships. Coming up, we'll hear from some of the passengers about what they saw and experienced.

Plus, a suspect arrested after a mother is found dead in Texas. A baby found unharmed nearby. What we're learning about the case, coming up.

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[14:16:11]

WHITFIELD: Some pretty scary moments for passengers aboard two Carnival cruise ships. The Carnival Glory cruise ship was trying to dock at the port of Cozumel, Mexico, when this happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yep.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's going to hit us next.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, there you can see the Carnival Glory just crashing right into the Carnival Legend there. When it was all said and done, the Glory's deck was crushed, and at least six passengers suffered minor injuries. Witnesses onboard told CNN they couldn't believe their eyes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAKENNA MORRIS, CARNIVAL LEGEND PASSENGER: All I saw was a boat, the Carnival Glory was starting to turn, and I saw it half of it turning. I was like, oh, no, where is the other half? And then I realized, that's a big ship. I'm like, it might run into us. And then all of a sudden, I started hearing people from the other boat, the Royal Caribbean, which was to the right of us and was in the port as well, they started screaming, people on there.

And then I hear this loud bang and scraping, and our boat starts to rock. And I started to record again, and then the Carnival Glory came into view. And it -- the back of the boat where I guess it was where their dining room is, went to the right. The right side was -- the windows were shattered, the boat was bent in. I guess some of the lifeboats were scraped up as well. I realized at that moment, I'm like, oh, my gosh, they just crashed into us. I was just recording. I was like, oh, my gosh. Holy crap, this just really happened.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: We're told high winds might have been a factor. However, in a statement to CNN, Carnival Cruises say there are no issues that impact the seaworthiness of either ship.

Still to come, a suspect arrested in Texas after police find a mother dead and what is believed to be her one-month-old baby girl inside a home alive. More on the case, next.

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[14:22:22]

WHITFIELD: Just in to CNN, a sixth person now has died in an overnight fire in Las Vegas. The fire broke out at the Alpine Motel Apartments overnight, and according to Law Vegas Fire and Rescue, when responders arrived some residence were hanging outs of the windows as heavy smoke was seen coming out of the building. One witness say some people jumped form the apartment to escape the fire.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOMONIC WILKINS, WITNESS: So then they just started jumping. And once they started doing that in a panic, I just started trying to help them, guide them down. You know what I mean, they were jumping from the second floor, third floor. A lady, I think she was pregnant, she hit her head preyed bad. Her and her husband, took her to the doctor. I hope she's doing all right. A few people dropped. I think another guy broke his leg jumping from the third floor. Just in a panic people were just trying to get out of the building.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness. The cause of the fire still under investigation. But the spokesman for Las Vegas fire tells CNN that residents said some people didn't have heat in the building, and were using their stoves to keep warm.

And a tragic end to a terribly sad story. A missing one-month-old baby girl is found safe and sound, but her mother is found strangled to death in Texas. And now another woman is behind bars. CNN's Rosa Flores joins me now with the charges, the search for more clues, some pieces to put all of this together.

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this is just a tragic story. But about the charges, the suspect is charged with two counts of kidnapping and one count of tampering with a corpse. Here's the thing, Fred. Authorities are not releasing the name of the suspect. However, CNN has confirmed the name of the individual through a source that's familiar with the case, and that name is Megan Fieramusca. And according to this source, she is the woman that is linked to the disappearance of Heidi Broussard. She's the 33-year-old woman from Austin who went missing with her infant daughter Margot more than a week ago.

Since then, local, state and federal law enforcement agencies have been scouring the areas, following clues, interviewing witnesses, family members, friends, pretty much anyone that they could get ahold of. Those clues led them more than 100 miles away to Houston, Texas. That's where authorities found the body of a woman in the trunk of a car. And pathologists later identified that woman as Heidi Broussard. Now, here's the thing. Authorities also found an infant in the property that was in the area where that car was found. And authorities do believe that that infant is little Margot. Little Margot is safe. Here is what law enforcement had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[14:25:07]

CHIEF BRIAN MANLEY, AUSTIN POLICE: It is heartbreaking circumstances that bring us here today. Again, everyone hoping for an outcome different than the one it appears that we had, and that is with the loss of life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FLORES: Now authorities say that they are conducting a DNA test to confirm that the infant is indeed little Margot, but they do say that they do believe that it is the infant that went missing. And Fred, when it comes to Fieramusca, we learned that she was transferred overnight from Harris County to Travis County where Austin is, of course, and that that she faced a judge overnight as well, and she is being held on $600,000 bond.

WHITFIELD: Horrible situation. All right, thank you so much, Rosa Flores, good to see you, appreciate it.

Coming up, a political impasse, the impeachment trial of President Trump being held up in the U.S. House. Will Democrats give in to Republican demands? Or vice versa? What happens next, straight ahead.

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[14:30:12]

WHITFIELD: Democrats and Republicans remain in a standoff over what an impeachment trial will look like as they head home for a two-week holiday break. So what are the next steps here? Joining me now to discuss, Patrick Heely, CNN political analyst and politics editor for "The New York Times," and Tim Naftali, CNN presidential historian, former director for the Nixon Presidential Library and co-author of the book, "Impeachment, An American History." Good to see you both, and happy holidays.

PATRICK HEALY, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Happy holidays.

TIM NAFTALI, CNN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: Hi, Fred.

WHITFIELD: So Patrick, what do you expect to happen over this holiday recess?

HEALY: Well, Nancy Pelosi is holding pretty firm to the two-week holiday recess that members are taking. She is saying that they are ready to go with naming impeachment managers, that the articles of impeachment could be transmitted to the Senate at any point once House Democrats are assured of what they're calling a fair trial.

Now, the problem here for Pelosi is that we have spent months hearing from Democrats that this was a serious and somber constitutional duty that the Democrats were undertaking in the impeachment investigation, that they were doing this by the book, that they were not making this a political or partisan act. And the reality is that while Democrats want to negotiate for some kind of leverage to ensure a trial that is to their liking, Fred, it's going to start looking political pretty soon. That is a real risk.

And with the House Democrats and the House Republicans out for two weeks, the possibility of this sort of pushing a trial even later into January, Democrats see that as some kind of leverage because Trump wants a quick trial. But it could be a problem in terms of the presidential primaries that are coming up in early February that they're trying to separate.

WHITFIELD: So then Tim, 17 witness testimonies, there have been six hours of lawmaker arguments, that just happened on Wednesday, and then there was the House vote for impeachment. The two articles have not been transmitted. The Constitution does say the House has the power to impeach. The Senate has the power to hold trial. But then constitutional history also calls for impartiality. So is this unprecedented for a Senate majority leader to say the trial outcome will be x, y, z, before there is even a date set on a trial?

NAFTALI: Well, there are a lot of elements to this story that are unprecedented. Certainly, Leader McConnell's statements were unprecedented. In fact, his behavior right around the impeachment vote was quite different from that of his predecessor in the 1998, 99 impeachment crisis for Bill Clinton. And his predecessor then was Trent Lott. But there's another part of the story that is unprecedented. We've

never had before a divided Congress during an impeachment crisis. Every previous impeachment crisis in our history, one of the parties controlled both Houses. So what Speaker Pelosi is doing is testing for the first time in history whether indeed there is any leverage at all, that one house, the impeaching House, has that it can use to shape how the trial house, the Senate, deals with the next part of this process. It's never been attempted before because no one has ever had to attempt it before.

I think the wild card is President Clinton -- President Trump. The wild card is President Trump. Leader McConnell has shown that when you're eyeball to eyeball with him he doesn't blink. We saw that the in the case of Merrick Garland. What we don't know is whether President Trump will blink.

WHITFIELD: And what do you mean by that? Because he is asking for the urgency of a trial? He says trial immediately. Mitch McConnell says, if there's a trial, there are no witnesses. Pelosi says we want witnesses. So when you say blink, what do you mean?

NAFTALI: What I mean is this. We saw this occur during the shutdown in 2018, 2019. The president undermined his own negotiating position because of his impatience and lack of discipline. I suspect the Democrats are hoping that over the next couple of weeks he will do and say things that will weaken McConnell's negotiating position because of his impatience for acquittal.

WHITFIELD: So then Patrick, when we talk about leveraging, who has leverage here, Pelosi or McConnell?

[14:35:00]

Yes, well, it appeared that it's Pelosi who says we're going to hold things up until -- on the condition that McConnell either responds to or gives in to some of the things that House leaders want to see before transmitting these articles.

HEALY: Right. In a normal political environment where you had a disciplined president who, let's say, was as disciplined as Leader McConnell is, Nancy Pelosi wouldn't have very much leverage. The trial is essentially for the Senate Republicans to decide the rules on. But Tim is absolutely right, that the president right now, from our reporting, is angry, is frustrated. And he wants to be acquitted as quickly as possible. In his mind the asterisk such as it is over his presidency that impeachment confers can be dealt with if the Senate acquits him quickly. And he wants that done. And every day that goes by where the storyline is simply Trump impeached, historic move against a president --

WHITFIELD: He thinks it's advantageous to say Trump impeached but acquitted?

HEALY: Very much.

WHITFIELD: Because the acquittal, if there's an acquittal, it doesn't change the impeachment portion.

HEALY: I think for this president, the notion that the button on the sentence here is he was acquitted, would be at least sufficient to get him to a place where he is still going to be angry but where it's simmering less.

WHITFIELD: Tim, last word, 20 seconds or less?

NAFTALI: Donald Trump is a television personality. He loves television. He wants a show trial in the Senate, and he doesn't want that not to happen, I believe.

WHITFIELD: We'll leave it there. Tim Naftali, Patrick Healy, good to see you. Happy holidays.

HEALY: Happy holidays.

NAFTALI: You too, happy holidays.

WHITFIELD: We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:40:58]

WHITFIELD: Welcome back. Lawmakers who will decide the political fate of President Trump are back in their home districts for holiday break, leaving Washington still at an impasse over how to handle the Senate impeachment trial.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. NANCY PELOSI, (D-CA) HOUSE SPEAKER: When we see what their process is, we will know who and how many we want to send over, not until then.

MITCH MCCONNELL, (R) SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: I admit, I'm not sure what leverage there is in refraining from sending us something we do not want.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, so where does the process go from here? Joining me right now to discuss CNN analyst and former federal prosecutor, Jennifer Rodgers. Jennifer, good to see you. Happy Holidays.

JENNIFER RODGERS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Thank you. You, too.

WHITFIELD: So how long is too long before the Senate receives the impeachment articles from the House?

RODGERS: Well, I think they can wait a little while. Certainly, we're all going to be on holiday break and there won't be any clamoring for anything. But I don't think they can give it much longer than this two-week break. People are going to get impatient. I think the momentum might shift. So to me I think they really need to do it as soon as we're back from break in January and get it moving.

WHITFIELD: To who's detriment would it be if it's longer than two weeks?

RODGERS: I worry it would be to the detriment of the Democrats here and the momentum for impeachment and removal, because the Senate is saying, we don't really want this. We're going to do it quickly anyway. There's nothing to see here. It's the Dems who are trying to press forward with the narrative that they've been able to tell over the past few weeks. And so if we stall and nothing is happening, then I think that they are the ones that lose the momentum ultimately.

WHITFIELD: So you see ultimately it undermines the impeachment case? The Democrats argued urgency as to why it rolled things out the way it did over the course of the last few months.

RODGERS: I think that your point that you just made there is why. They've said this is so important. We have a president who is dangerous here, someone who not only has done really improper things but who will clearly do them again and continue to manipulate the 2020 election, which is fast approaching. So the notion that they are just going to sit back, not send the articles over and just wait and see what happens doesn't really square with the narrative that they've been promoting, which I think is the right one.

WHITFIELD: So flipside to that, this was the Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell last week when he set the stage for being anything but impartial.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITCH MCCONNELL, (R) SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: Everything I do during this, I'm coordinating with White House counsel. There will be no difference between the president's position and our position as to how to handle this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So is McConnell in violation of his oath of office? Do you see potentially that the Supreme Court chief justice would oversee the Senate trial would intervene in any way?

RODGERS: Well, I think he's certainly in violation of both his oath of office, but also the oath that he will take as a juror in the impeachment trial to impartially judge the matter. So he's in violation of multiple oaths at this point. Whether Justice Roberts will do anything to intervene, I doubt it. The problem is the Constitution doesn't really set out very many details about how this trial is supposed to happen. So I think Justice Roberts will say, look, as long as it's in broad strokes within what the Constitution says it will be, which is that the Senate will try the matter and that the senators should ostensibly be impartial, I don't think he's going to interfere too much.

WHITFIELD: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called Mitch McConnell rogue, so to speak. So who holds him or that leadership to account?

RODGERS: That's really a problem here, because ultimately it's just the voters, the constituents. And who else can? Of course, members of Congress can in theory be impeached and removed, but that's not going to happen. So we're really just talking about voters who will and should say if someone is violating his oath, we're not going to reelect him again.

[14:45:00]

WHITFIELD: Same question for, then, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Mitch McConnell says he questions her leverage by delaying transmitting these articles. So who holds her to account? I think we just lost our signal with Jennifer Rodgers, so I'm glad we got as much in as we did. Apologize for the abrupt ending like that. But thanks to Jennifer, if you can hear me.

Let's shift gears significantly now. He is one of the biggest stars to ever come out of "Saturday Night Live," and tonight Eddie Murphy is back, he's returning to Studio 8H for the first time in decades. Will we see some of his most famous characters resurrected? More coming up after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, he's back. Eddie Murphy will be back on the "Saturday Night Live" stage tonight for the first time in 35 years. The legendary comedian returning to the show that he had a huge hand in saving back in the 80s with these classic characters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EDDIE MURPHY, COMEDIAN: Who told you to say dammit, dammit? Who told you to say dammit? Did I tell you to say dammit?

(LAUGHTER)

[14:50:00]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thought it would be truer to the character.

MURPHY: Who's directing this picture? Me. Who wrote this picture? Me. This is the Gumby story dammit, and Gumby does not say "dammit." The line is "I am Gumby, by gum." All right?

(LAUGHTER)

MURPHY: Christmas. Do you know any other words that begin with "x" boys and girls? How about x-con?

(LAUGHTER)

MURPHY: Buckwheat, yes.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Buckwheat jeans.

MURPHY: O-tay.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: We all want to laugh like that again. And we're going to probably do that tonight. Joining me now Nischelle Turner, co-host of "Entertainment Tonight" and CNN contributor, and Bill Carter, a former "New York Times" media reporter and a CNN media analyst. Good to see you both. It's been too long. And thank goodness we have something fun to talk about.

NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Indeed. Indeed.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: Bill, let me begin with you. You covered "SNL" for a real long time. And you have the perspective of why is it that Eddie Murphy has been away so long, and why return now?

BILL CARTER, CNN MEDIA ANALYST: There's a lot of reasons he's been away for a long time, and possibly had to do with a little bit of his estrangement from the show because he was very upset when David Spade did a bit about him and one point. And he wasn't really part of the Lorne Michaels era. He came in at a small time when Lorne wasn't there. So he wasn't really attached to the show like some of the other guys were. But obviously his coming back is a gigantic event. It's been 35 years, and his characters are so memorable. You just showed them, and everybody still remembers them. It's extraordinary. It's amazing. And so I think the expectation is to the moon tonight, to the moon.

WHITFIELD: To the moon. Oh, my gosh, Nischelle, one of my favorites is the kid, the ice cream man is coming. So you spoke with him recently. Will he revisit any of these favorite characters, skits? Is he bringing something new? What are his thoughts about this return?

TURNER: I think you will see some new stuff. But I said to him, are we going to see buckwheat? He said yes. Are we going to see Gumby? He said, yes. Are we going to see Mr. Robinson? He said yes. One of the reasons people loved him on "SNL" is because of those characters. So he would be remiss if he didn't do that.

But I will tell you, Bill, I read your article on CNN.com which was really good, and you made a point to talk about the fact that Eddie is nervous about this. He is. And you're right, I asked him about that. And he said listen, people know me for being funny. I want to be funny. I want to show people that I'm still funny. He's about to get back into stand-up. But he also knows that his comedy needs to evolve. So he's nervous because what he could get away with 30 years ago may not play in this society right now. So he said now with the culture, the cancel culture that's going on, people will pick it, people will say anything. So he's a little nervous about what to give the audience.

WHITFIELD: Right, because Bill, yes, culturally so much has changed. What you could get away with 35 years ago or what was considered funny 35 years ago may not necessarily translate with a completely different audience. And most comedians will tell you they've got those butterflies, being nervous, because they want to kill it all the time. And it's just such a hard fall if you don't.

CARTER: And Eddie didn't do live comedy at all for like 28 years. So he hasn't really done it. So he's challenging himself. I think it's really exciting for that reason. And yes, he used to push the envelope as far as you could push it when he was on. And really, he changed people's attitudes about whether you could do racially charged comedy. So it's going to be fascinating to see how far they go tonight. The guy is so funny and so talented, I don't think he should worry, but I could see why his tense about it.

WHITFIELD: Nischelle, yes, this could be a milestone, or is a milestone. It's a significant marker for Eddie Murphy, but also for "SNL."

TURNER: Absolutely. "SNL" has had a revitalization of some sorts the last few years, but it did go through a very down time. And like Bill mentioned in his CNN.com piece, when Eddie came in, they decided this is a once in a lifetime talent, we're going to revamp this entire show around this kid. So he really changed the face of "SNL" in so many ways.

So to come back, when we saw him on the 40th anniversary people really thought he was going to do something. They were excited. But he just came and really spoke from the heart. He was supposed do a Bill Cosby sketch but then thought better of it. But we have not seen him in this space. So this is a momentous night tonight. And I think it's a little practice for him. When I asked him, you're getting back, you're going to do stand-up again, he's going to have these Netflix specials, how do you practice? Does Eddie Murphy get in the clubs? This I think will be a practice for him tonight as well.

WHITFIELD: Wow. So Bill, oftentimes it's the artist who feels it needs an "SNL" appearance, but how much is it "SNL" needs an Eddie Murphy appearance?

[14:55:01]

CARTER: I think it really is important for "SNL." I think it will be gigantic show. I think it might be the most watched broadcast show on television this entire fall other than sports. Seriously, it's a late-night show but I would not be surprised. I would not be surprised. You have to stay up and see this. It's must-see if anything was.

TURNER: And they are doing the double run tonight on the west coast. So I think we'll get it early out here in L.A. and then get it again. But can you -- I'm so excited for an Eddie Murphy monologue. I cannot wait to hear what he's going to say.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: I know. I think we're all on the edge of our seats. I'm going to try and stay up. There's something -- it translates different when you're going to watch it on DVR the next day or on --

TURNER: Watch it tonight. Watch it live.

WHITFIELD: You got to watch it live. I'm going to try. I'll have bags under my eyes and circles, but I'm going to do it. I'll take one for the team. Bill Carter, Nischelle Turner, always good to see you all. Thank you so much.

CARTER: Great to see you.

TURNER: So good to see you, Fred.

WHITFIELD: She was a pop icon unlike any other before her. Now learn the true story of Linda Ronstadt in a new CNN film. Watch the premier of "Linda Ronstadt, The Sound of My Voice," New Year's Day, 9:00 eastern and pacific only on CNN.

And thank you so much for being with me today. I'll see you back here tomorrow. I might have bags under my eyes, I've got to stay up for "SNL." Who is not going to do that? We've got so much more straight ahead in the Newsroom with Ana Cabrera right after this.

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