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Common Respiratory Virus Spreading Earlier Than Usual This Year Among Children Throughout U.S.; Parents In Parts Of Ukraine Searching For Children Taken By Russian Military During Occupation; Two Los Angeles City Council Members Resist Calls For Their Resignation After Audio Leaked Of Them Making Racist Statements; Polls Indicate Hispanic Voters Shifting Towards Republican Party; Landscapers Uncover Car Reported Missing 30 Years Ago Buried In Backyard Of $15 Million Mansion In California; Senior Citizens In Florida Struggling To Recover After Devastation Left By Hurricane Ian; Former President Trump's Boeing 757 Used During His 2016 Presidential Campaign Spotted Making Test Flights. Aired 2-3p ET.

Aired October 22, 2022 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:04]

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

And we begin this hour with an alarming outbreak that has some U.S. hospitals struggling. A common but potentially deadly respiratory virus, RSV, is spreading rapidly among children. Doctors telling CNN the spike in cases is unprecedented for this time of year. PCR tests reveal more than 7,000 cases last week alone, according to the CDC. That's higher than any week in the past two years. And 74 percent of pediatric hospital beds are currently full across the country. CNN's Brian Todd has more on this troubling surge.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

REBECCA, MOTHER OF FIVE-YEAR-OLD WITH RSV: The drive to the emergency room was really scary and really intense.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This mother of a five-year-old who was hospitalized with difficulty breathing told us of an anxious drive to the emergency room.

REBECCA: Things have actually gotten worse since we were admitted. I have seen starting last night that he is progressively having a harder time breathing.

DR. RUTH KANTHULA, PEDIATRIC INFECTIOUS DISEASES SPECIALIST, MEDSTAR, GEORGETOWN: RSV is one of the scariest infections to see in a child, especially when it's in your baby. So you will see your baby breathing really, really fast, and you feel like there is nothing that you can do.

TODD: Around the country doctors are reporting a spike in cases of RSV, Respiratory Syncytial Virus, a common respiratory illness that is occasionally severe in babies and young children. Pediatric hospital beds are more full now than they have been in the last two years.

Some children's hospitals are overwhelmed, scrambling to make space, using tents. And it's only October. Why is it spiking this year? Experts say one key reason is because kids are back in school after the pandemic. Many children haven't built up their immune systems, and masks and social distancing are a thing of the past.

KANTHULA: For these kids, this is the first time they are seeing a lot of three viruses.

TODD: RSV symptoms sometime seem similar to cold and flu -- runny nose, decrease in appetite, coughing, sneezing, wheezing, and fever.

KANTHULA: You should think about bringing your child to the emergency room when you notice that your child is having what we call respiratory distress or increased work of breathing. And so that's typically characterized by breathing really fast and a difficulty catching their breath.

DR. JIM VERSALOVIC, PATHOLOGIST-IN-CHIEF, TEXAS CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL: That should be an alarm for any parent. We can see this disease rapidly progress, that children need attention quickly.

TODD: There is no vaccine and no specific remedy, but severe cases can be treated it in a hospital with fluids, oxygen, or even a ventilator, and icepacks to bring down the fever.

ZOEY GREEN, MOTHER OF FOUR-MONTH-OLD WITH RSV: I don't know how, but she slept with those icepacks on top of her.

TODD: Four-month-old Lindy Green was taken by ambulance and admitted at Cook Hospital in Houston.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Started running a pretty significant fever, not eating as much.

TODD: Doctors say to avoid RSV, surfaces in your home, have kids wash hands, cover their mouths when coughing or sneezing, don't share things like toys and cups, and avoid close contact like kissing or cuddling. For cases that don't require hospitalization, keep a child hydrated and give Tylenol or Motrin if they have a fever.

KANTHULA: Day five is the peak of symptoms. So parents will notice that their child might be more uncomfortable day five. And then their symptoms resolve and they get better.

TODD: Dr. Ruth Kanthula says what worries her about this uptick in RSV cases is unlike previous years when the virus was seasonal and predictable, this time, she says, it has the potential to circulate beyond next spring when it might normally subside and extend into next summer or possibly even beyond.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEO TAPE) WHITFIELD: All right, so for more on all of this now, let's bring in Dr. Jennifer Shu. She's a pediatrician and edited the book "Baby and Child Health" for the American Academy of Pediatrics. Doctor, so good to see you.

DR. JENNIFER SHU, PEDIATRICIAN: Thanks for having me.

WHITFIELD: So you have been working in pediatrics for more than 25 years. What do you see happening this year that may be contributing to the early rise in these cases?

SHU: I think what happened was a lot of people got more comfortable with COVID and relaxed some of those respiratory precautions. Masks have gone away. People are getting together indoors more, back in schools. And so RSV is one of the things that we've started to see earlier than usual this year.

Normally it's a maybe December to March kind of thing, and now we are seeing by October. And we started seeing even a little bit in the summer, but it really cranked up after about Labor Day.

WHITFIELD: Wow. So for parents, this can be a really scary time. My twins were one month old when they got RSV, and one barely survived it. But thank goodness they were in the hospital, and after being in ICU for 10 days, they came out OK. They're now 10. So I celebrate that.

But at the time, I didn't even know what RSV was, and I certainly didn't know what the symptoms were because we thought they just had a cold before it was something really serious. So what do parents need to be looking out for? When do they were it's an emergency?

[14:05:00]

SHU: So you're right. It can range anywhere from a minor cold, symptoms that you would expect with a minor cold like cough and runny nose, to something really severe, high fever, labored breathing. And maybe that's what your twins had. But that's where you start to see the child being really upset.

They can't get air in. They're huffing and puffing. They might be panting or even grunting, like -- so it looks like they have been running a marathon, even though these kids are tiny, so you might see lips turning blue.

If you have a pulse oximeter it would start reading in the low 90s or even lower than that. So those are lots of warning signs that you need to seek care.

WHITFIELD: Yes, it was the latter for us and the turning blue, and not breathing, really. So thank goodness we're past that. But I really feel for a lot of families right now because it just comes as a big surprise on what to do and how seriously to take it.

So it's RSV, on top of our concerns about the flu season. Folks are getting flew shots right now or perhaps delaying it. What are your thoughts, or what is your advice to parents who are trying to figure out the whole COVID booster idea, flu shots, how to protect yourself against RSV, all of that at one time right now?

SHU: Right. So definitely always talk to your pediatrician to see what is recommended for your child's situation and age. And if your child is eligible for shots and boosters, I recommend getting them, whether it's flu shot or COVID booster, COVID vaccine.

Unfortunately, there's not a vaccine for RSV at this time. Some researchers are working on a vaccine for infants as well as for pregnant women, so that's something to look forward to in the future. For premature babies, there are monoclonal antibodies that can be given preventively, monthly during RSV season.

So there are some options, but really there's no good preventive at this time except for handwashing and avoiding sick people. Use common sense. If you're going to be in a crowd, anyone who is old enough to wear a mask, that's two and up, should wear a mask. And keep your distance from people, if possible.

WHITFIELD: Even with mask mandates largely gone, it's your recommendation that people need to reconsider some of that right now?

SHU: Yes. I think it's not that we're not supposed to mask at all. It's now that masks there optional, we should use our best judgment. And if you're going to into a crowded place, if there's a lot of sick people, airplanes, airports, crowded places like that, use your judgment, and that might be a time to break out the masks again.

WHITFIELD: Advice and message to the little ones, what do they need to be doing?

SHU: Yes, to the little ones, I feel so bad for them because they can't get a flu vaccine until six months of age and they can't wear masks until two, so everyone around them should be sure to protect themselves and, in turn, not pass anything to these babies.

So this is why we say to vaccinate against other things, because you don't want to have multiple things at once. Today I saw a girl who had both flu and COVID. Imagine if she also had RSV, and she had asthma.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh.

SHU: And so these are the kids that we really want to protect as much as possible.

WHITFIELD: Yes, indeed. Dr. Jennifer Shu, so good to see you. Thank you so much for great advice, per usual.

SHU: Thank you for having me. Thanks.

WHITFIELD: And this just in to CNN. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky has now tested positive for COVID-19. The agency says she is experiencing mild symptoms. Walensky is up to date on her vaccines, having just received a COVID-19 booster just last month. Per CDC guidelines, Walensky will isolate at home, but she is expected to participate in upcoming meetings virtually.

Still to come, she hasn't seen her son since Russians took him at the start of this war. Why this Ukrainian mother believes her son is still alive.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:13:14]

WHITFIELD: All right, new today, rockets reportedly seen passing over the city of Mykolaiv in southern Ukraine as air sirens sound across the country. It's the latest in another round of unrelenting strikes from Russia that have crippled Ukraine's infrastructure and power sources forcing widespread blackouts for many parts of the country. And, as the unrelenting attacks unfold, there are many families who are still searching for loved ones missing since the beginning of the war. CNN's Clarissa Ward has more from southern Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: In the Kyiv suburb of Hostomel, normal life has started to return. But the scars of Russia's five-week occupation remain. Olena Yuzvak hasn't seen her son Dima, a 23-year-old engineer, since Russian soldiers took him from their family homes seven months ago with no explanation.

"They took him from our front yard, and he's been held in the territory of the Russian federation," she says. "I know for sure he's alive because I received a letter from him. I demand Russia release my civilian son."

The letter, sent from Russia, was delivered via Red Cross in Geneva. There are just three words, "Mama, alive, healthy." Did you know immediately when you read it that it was him. "He wrote it," she tells us. "I feel he is alive. I know he is alive. I hope." What would you want Dima to know right now? "Dima should know that mama is waiting for him," she says, "and that mama is fighting for him."

[14:15:01]

Olena is not the only mother fighting. On Monday, 108 women, including 12 civilians, were released from captivity in Russia. According to human rights groups, hundreds of Ukrainian civilians have been imprisoned unlawfully there. The lucky ones are used as bargaining chips in prisoner swaps.

When we first met Katerina Andryusha in April, she was desperately looking for daughter Victoria. The young math teacher was taken from her home by Russian soldiers on March 25th, after they found message about Russian movements in the area on her cell phone.

She was taken to a detention center in Russia. "We hope that she will get in catch," Katerina says, "with somebody, somewhere." Last month, Victoria was one of two civilians returned to Ukraine as part of a prisoner swap. "It's over. Don't cry. You're home," the other woman released, comforts her. It is a moment Katerina will never forget. KATERINA ANDRYUSHA, MOTHER OF CIVILIAN RECENTLY RELEASED FROM RUSSIAN

PRISON (through translator): She called me when she first crossed into Ukrainian territory. I was crying and shouting. The whole neighborhood could hear.

WARD: The family home now is a place of celebration. Victoria tries not to dwell on what she went through.

Were you ever treated badly?

VICTORIA ANDRYUSHA, RECENTLY RELEASED FROM RUSSIAN PRISON (through translator): In the beginning, when I first arrived there, yes.

WARD: In what sense? What did they do? What did they say?

VICTORIA ANDRYUSHA (through translator): Different kinds of threats about what they could do to me and how they would do it. There was physical abuse, too. But I won't say it in front of my mom. Mom doesn't have to know this.

WARD: How does that make you feel as a mother to hear what your daughter went through?

KATERINA ANDRYUSHA (through translator): It's hard. So hard.

WARD: Outside and away from her mother, Victoria tells us more about her detention.

Were you assaulted in some way when you were held captive?

VICTORIA ANDRYUSHA (through translator): Yes. I was given electric shocks. They used sticks on the hands and legs. Really this was physical abuse. They were beating me. Psychologically, I had prepared myself for this possibility, and I knew this could happen at any moment. I was probably lucky that it only happened to me once.

WARD: International law is very clear that it shouldn't happen at all. Under the Geneva Convention, civilians are to be treated as protected persons, and the act of forcibly transferring them to another country is a war crime.

Katerina is now focused on the joy of being reunited with her daughter after months of horror. But for so many others, the nightmare continues.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

WHITFIELD: Wow. Clarissa Ward, thank you so much.

Coming up, a pair of city council members in Los Angeles defying calls to resign after a leaked racist audio recording sent the city into political chaos. But does the scandal spell trouble for the Democratic Party? Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:22:41]

WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back. In Los Angeles, the drama of the city council continues. Councilmember Kevin de Leon vowed this week that he will not step down despite the leaked audio that reveals he took part in that closed door conversation that was full of racist and demeaning language.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEVIN DE LEON, LOS ANGELES CITY COUNCIL: I have to do the really damn hard work to repair and to restore the breach of trust that I've lost with so many folks. But my district does deserve representation, and I plan on continuing to represent my constituents.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So there has been a growing outcry for both de Leon and colleague Councilman Gil Cedillo to resign. Everyone from the Los Angeles mayor, Senator Alex Padilla, President Biden, even Magic Johnson are calling for them to step down. But so far neither seems to budge. Fellow city councilwoman Nury Martinez and the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera did resign.

CNN senior political analyst Ron Brownstein is in L.A. and joins us now. Let's talk about what's right in your backyard, Ron.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Digging does seem to work for some in office. Will it work in this case?

BROWNSTEIN: As you point out, in the last few years, we've had office holders dig in and withstand scandals that previously would have led irresistibly to resignation. Ralph Northam in Virginia, Herschel Walker now in Georgia, Donald Trump more times than you can count over the last few years. So I don't rule out de Leon staying in office until 2024, although it's going to be very difficult for him.

What is really striking to me about this is in some ways how anachronistic it is. This was the politics of the late 80s and early 90s in L.A. when there was a lot of tension between a rising Hispanic population and a black population that clearly had more political power at that point.

And we saw a lot of these kinds of conflicts. In fact, Fred, you remember in 1994 when California passed that prop 187, that very harsh ballot initially restricting services to undocumented immigrants, even forcing their kids out of school, a majority of black voters voted for that at that point.

[14:25:00]

But in the quarter century since, those tension had seemingly receded, and there was much more of a black-brown alliance, and the dividing line in the council increasingly seemed to be along ideological, not racial lines. And then all of this erupts. WHITFIELD: Wow. So de Leon ran this election cycle for L.A. mayor but

was beat out in the primary. So how does a scandal like this impact his political future potentially? He says he wants to work to help restore the breach of trust.

BROWNSTEIN: Well, he not only ran for mayor, he ran against Dianne Feinstein for the senate and had been president of the state senate and someone with statewide ambitions. It's very hard to see how he would go forward with this after that.

It is sort of a striking contrast between, as you noted, the broad denunciation that he is receiving, and the silence, for example, in the Republican Party when Tommy Tuberville, a Senator, delivered an openly, not in closed doors, in front of an audience of thousands of people, delivered a racist rant at a recent rally. And it's really hard for the Democratic Party to go forward with this.

It is also important to understand that not only his fate but this ideological struggle, I think, is really fascinating. Nury Martinez who stepped out as the city council president probably is closer to Rick Caruso, the white former Republican running for mayor, on issues of order and public safety than she is to Karen Bass.

And the conflict that was coming in the city council was between the forces who believed, like Caruso, that the city is losing control of its public spaces, and more liberals that have won a bunch of primaries, including beating Gil Cedillo. So that fissure seemed to be emerging.

Now it's been sort of pushed back by this new controversy. But I still think in the long run, that's going to be the core fight in L.A. over the next few years, and in many other major cities for that matter.

WHITFIELD: Wow, it's fascinating indeed, because this week an essay in "The New York Times" argued that this mess in Los Angeles points to trouble for the Democrats with midterms right around the corner, maybe expounding on the thought that you are about to elaborate on further. So you see this as not just a problem perhaps with Democrats there, or involving Democrats there in Los Angeles, but this may be an indicator of problems from coast to coast involving the Democratic Party?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, there are several different problems in that great piece by the great Tom Edsall. The Democratic Party is much more of a coalition than the Republican Party, 85 percent of Donald Trump's votes came from whites. White Christians are still two-thirds of the Republican Party. The Democratic Party now is essentially one-third white Christians, one-third nonwhite Christians, and one-third people who are religiously secular.

And so managing the needs and desires and even just the raw quests for power of all these different constituency parts is always challenging. I still think that -- and there is some evidence of anti-black prejudice among Latino voters that has become more relevant in the last few years, and partially as you see more conservative Latinos voting for Trump despite open appeals to white racial resentment. But I still think that in the long run, the bigger divide, the one

that is going to influence municipal politics and urban politics in more cities around the country is the one that is being somewhat overshadowed by this, and that is the kind of London Breed, Adams in New York, Caruso here, the belief that cities have to do more to restore order in the communities, deal with homelessness, deal with crime.

And I think that is where the council is likely to fissure more over the next few years. And in many ways, as I said, this has had the effect of strengthening the voices who want a more consistently left approach as many other cities are tilting the needle a few degrees to the right.

WHITFIELD: Wow, so fascinating. Ron Brownstein, glad you could be with us. Thank you so much.

BROWNSTEIN: Thanks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, the issue of immigration will likely play a major role in the upcoming midterm elections. And so could Latino voters, the fastest growing voting bloc in the country. Latinos make up about a fifth of registered voters in some key battleground states. And recently there has been a shift in communities all over the country with more Latinos voting Republican. Here's CNN's Boris Sanchez who talked with voters to find out why.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

ABRAHAM ENRIQUEZ, FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT, BIENVENIDO: If America is so bad, if America is so -- is such a terrible country to live in, why did 50 migrants die, suffocate in a trailer, to come seek a better life in this country?

SANCHEZ: The grandson of Mexican migrants, Abraham Enriquez, says Democrats are losing support among Latino voters because their rhetoric is out of touch and that their policies allow for what he calls unrestricted immigration. He says hardline policies like those pursued by former President Trump resonate with many voters like him.

[14:30:08]

ENRIQUEZ: I think Latinos, we don't care really much of what you say. It's what are you going to do, right? So many people are tired of politicians that just speak but don't act. And for the first time we had this political outsider that came in and spoke a lot, but acted even more.

SANCHEZ: Do you feel like either party is addressing that issue well?

CARLOS GOMEZ, IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY: No. No. Neither party is addressing the issue.

SANCHEZ: Immigration attorney Carlos Gomez stays a sensible, balanced approach so sorely needed but missing. GOMEZ: And either they talk to their base, they talk to the right or

they talk to the left, but they don't come and talk us to. They don't see what we are doing on a daily basis.

SANCHEZ: Justin Stubbs, an independent who supports Bernie Sanders in 2016, says it's the GOP that seems to be paying most attention to the border crisis.

JUSTIN STUBBS, INDEPENDENT VOTER: It just seems like the Republicans care and talk about more, they talk about the border issue a lot more.

SANCHEZ: While the immediate impact of immigration might be felt most strongly by voters here in Texas at the southern border, it's an issue that resonates all over the map.

Including here in Florida where there is also a large Hispanic population and a Republican governor that has taken a hardline stance.

MARIA CORINA VEGAS, DEPUTY STATE DIRECTOR, AMERICAN BUSINESS IMMIGRATION COALITION: This is not a policy. That's a stunt. I'm sorry. That is a stunt.

SANCHEZ: Local pro-immigration advocate Maria Corina Vegas says leaders like Ron DeSantis and Greg Abbott try to win votes by demonizing outsiders.

VEGAS: And that's what populists do effectively.

SANCHEZ: But the Venezuelan American warns the long-term costs could be devastating.

VEGAS: I never thought I would see that in this country. I saw that in my country. It tore my country apart. And it doesn't matter if it comes from the right or from the left. It's anti-democratic.

SANCHEZ: For Cuban-born entrepreneur Julio Cabrera, the issue of immigration is tied to the economy.

JULIO CABRERA, BUSINESS OWNER: This country moves because of the immigrants and Latinos.

SANCHEZ: Sixteen years ago, Cabrera says he was robbed at gunpoint by criminals in Mexico while trying to seek asylum at the southern border with his daughter. Today he is a successful restaurateur in Miami. The American dream, Cabrera says, would be impossible without immigrants. So he has turned off what he called incendiary rhetoric.

CABRERA: Everybody is an immigrant here, and we have done something remarkable for the community.

SANCHEZ: Younger voters like Marvin Tapia, a Colombian American who lives in Miami's little Havana, argued that demographic change is a blessing that more politicians should embrace.

MARVIN TAPIA, COMMUNITY LEADER: We're sharing a country built on immigrants, and we should kind of be proud of that, that we evolve and we grow and we change. Things can't stay the same forever. I believe that growth is pivotal to the growth of a country, especially like the U.S. We should learn from it instead of run from it.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

SANCHEZ: With early voting under way in many states, turnout in the Hispanic community could prove pivotal. In Florida, nearly a million ballots in Florida have already been cast. Of course, the question remains, Fred, whether that recent uptick in support for Republicans among Latinos will continue. Fred?

WHITFIELD: Boris Sanchez, thank you so much.

Coming up, landscapers at a multimillion-dollar mansion in California make an unexpected discovery, a car buried in the home's backyard. Details on the investigation next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:37:57]

WHITFIELD: Just devastating news here. A San Jose State University football player was killed when the electric scooter he was riding collided with a school bus. Officials say the bus drove through an intersection on a green light when freshman running back Camdan McWright was struck Friday morning.

California Highway Patrol says it doesn't believe drugs or alcohol were factors in the crash. San Jose State and New Mexico State have decided to postpone today's game following McWright's death. McWright had appeared in one game for the Spartans this season.

Investigators in California have uncovered a mystery in Silicon Valley. Landscapers found a car buried in the backyard of a $15 million mansion. But many questions still remain. CNN's Camila Bernal is in Los Angeles. So Camila, this is very suspicious and strange. What have police been able to uncover here?

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fred. Well, not much, at least not yet. And that's despite the fact that they found this car on Thursday. They worked on it all day Thursday, all day Friday, and still today. And yet authorities not clear whether or not there are human remains or what happened to this car.

Look, this is a very wealthy neighborhood. We're talking multimillion dollar homes. And this family decided to do a project when they brought the landscapers. That's when the crew found this car that authorities say was about six feet underground. It was a convertible Mercedes that was reported missing in 1992. And so what police did is they brought out cadaver dogs. And these dogs started smelling round, and they did detect something. Here's what police described it as.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COMMANDER DAN LARSEN, ATHERTON, CALIFORNIA POLICE DEPARTMENT: I've done a few questions with some different canine officers, and what they've said is it could be human remains. They could be reacting to blood. They could be reacting to old bones. They could be reacting to human vomit. It could be any one of those combinations of things that the dogs are reacting to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[14:40:01]

BERNAL: Now, again, as of now, no human remains, but they will continue to search.

Another thing that authorities said is, look, there were landscapers out there. Maybe someone got injured and there was blood. Maybe someone threw up. All of that could be what the dogs are smelling. But it could also be part of a bigger investigation. That's what authorities are looking into now. They are being extremely careful in terms of the digging because, of course, there is that possibility of human remains.

They also found just unused concrete bags in this convertible. It's unclear why they were there or what they were used for. This is all part of what we're asking authorities to give us more insight on because, of course, it's a mystery that everyone wants to figure out and understand how this all happened. The owners at the house at the moment, police say they are not connected to this car that was reported missing about three decades ago. Fred?

WHITFIELD: Wow, an unbelievable mystery. Camila Bernal, thank you so much.

Crime is a major issue topping the minds of voters ahead of the midterm elections. In New York, crime on the city subways is surging in 2022 compared to last year. City officials have stepped up efforts to combat subway crime, including increasing law enforcement presence and response. But in an interview with CNN's Chris Wallace, Mayor Eric Adams pushed back, calling the crime surge a perception.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR ERIC ADAMS, (D) NEW YORK CITY: We have an average of less than six crimes a day on the subway system with 3.5 million riders. But if you write your story based on the narrative that you are going to look at the worst of those six crimes and put it on the front pages of your paper every day. So I have to deal with those six rhymes a day crimes, felony crimes, and the perception of fear.

Yes, we've decreased gun violence in this city, which I have zeroed in on, decreased homicides. We have removed off our streets over 5,700 guns, 27-year high in gun arrests. We are attacking the problem exactly the way I stated.

CHRIS WALLACE, HOST, "WHO'S TALKING TO CHRIS WALLACE": You're saying that the crime problem in this city is more perception than reality?

ADAMS: No. It's a combination of both. New Yorkers must be safe. WALLACE: But, Mayor, the New York City crime statistics are that year

to date crime in the subways is up 41 percent over the same period last year, and serious crime, major felonies, are up even more than that. That's not perception. That's reality.

ADAMS: If you do an analysis of the six major cities in America, the crimewaves are tackling all of our cities, New York City is the safest. So yes, we have a real crime problem that we are addressing. A part of that is the perception that every day those six crimes are being highlighted over and over again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, you can catch the full interview in an all new episode of "WHO'S TALKING TO CHRIS WALLACE?" tomorrow at 7:00 p.m.

Plus, join Stanley Tucci as he explores Puglia, the heel of Italy's boot, a region known for its fresh and simple food along with its famous olive oil. Don't miss an all new episode of "Searching for Italy" tomorrow night at 9:00 p.m. right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:47:46]

WHITFIELD: All right, the IRS making changes to 401(k) rules in what is an unprecedented boost to how much you can save for retirement. Starting next year, you can contribute $2,000 or roughly 9.8 percent more into your retirement accounts. The new cap is $22,500. Contribution limits to traditional IRAs and after-tax Roth IRAs boosted as well to $6,500. The jump is largely due to inflation and comes days after the agency announced changes to tax brackets for 2023.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is awarding $5 million in assistance to residents who need help paying insurance deductibles following hurricane Ian. It has been more than three weeks since hurricane Ian devastated parts of Florida, and many are struggling to manage repairs and recovery, especially senior citizens. CNN's Gabe Cohen has more.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

GABE COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): More than three weeks after Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida, Johnnie Glisson is still sleeping in his pickup truck.

JOHNNIE GLISSON, HURRICANE IAN SURVIVOR: I just play with my guitar, read my Bible. It's all good.

COHEN: The storm flooded his house outside Fort Myers. There is little left beyond this damp couch on cinderblocks where he rests his back after long days of cleanup.

GLISSON: It helps me feel like this is still a home, and it's my home. So, probably more of a symbol than anything that says that I'm here and it's coming back. COHEN: The 74-year-old bought this home for retirement.

GLISSON: Breaks your heart. It breaks your heart.

COHEN: As he picks up the pieces, he says he has no insurance to help.

GLISSON: I'm not leaving.

COHEN (on camera): Do you know how you're going to afford to rebuild?

GLISSON: We have FEMA out there. And so I'm hoping to get some help there.

COHEN: A sprawl of destruction line so many streets in southwest Florida, the remnants of wrecked homes waiting to be hauled away. Thousands of Floridians are just starting their recovery, and relief groups say seniors were hit especially hard.

ROB GAUDET, CAJUN NAVY: Florida is where people come to retire. There's a large elderly population that really are facing their darkest hours.

[14:50:03]

LISA NEEDHAM, HURRICANE IAN SURVIVOR: I'm sorry I didn't tidy up for you.

COHEN (voice over): Lisa Needham's home in Arcadia is gutted down to the studs.

NEEDHAM: The water level was up to here.

COHEN: The items that made this house a home are piled by the curb.

NEEDHAM: I can't replace that. The house is a house, but those things. I still have the memory, though, so it's OK.

COHEN: The 62-year-old and her boyfriend are living in their friend's RV, expecting the rebuild could cost as much as $80,000 and take months at least.

COHEN (on camera): Have you thought about relocating?

NEEDHAM: No. This is what I wanted. It's what I always wanted. So, I'm going to stick with it.

COHEN (voice over): They have flood insurance but don't know how much they'll get back. Lisa retired last year. Now she says she may have to go back to work.

NEEDHAM: To put out that kind of money would be very tough on me right now.

COHEN: The storm displaced thousands of Floridians. Few had flood insurance, and rebuilding isn't an option for everyone. TOBY FREEMAN, HURRICANE IAN SURVIVOR: I'm going to be stuck here for a while, if not offer.

COHEN: Seventy-seven-year-old Toby Freeman is in Buffalo, New York, where his daughter, Christa (ph) lives after he says seven feet of water wrecked his home. His wife, Karen (ph), is still recovering in a rehab center in Florida.

FREEMAN: The only thing I got out of that house was the clothing on my back, and I had to throw it away.

COHEN: They say they have little savings and no insurance, so they're moving to Buffalo. Christa (ph) is dipping into her retirement fund to help them find a home.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have to take care of my family. I wouldn't have it any other way.

COHEN: Alice and Richard Johnson aren't leaving Florida, but they're moving into their RV full time. They didn't have flood insurance, they say, and a lot of their retirement funds are tied up in this house.

COHEN (on camera): Was that a difficult decision?

ALICE JOHNSON, HURRICANE IAN SURVIVOR: Probably one of the most difficult decisions I've ever made in my life.

COHEN (voice over): Alice turns 85 next week, and they want to focus on enjoying life together.

JOHNSON: How many good years do I have left to live? I don't want to spend the next two years rebuilding a house, dealing with contractors, doing work ourselves, going -- even picking out furniture. For what, for who, for me? I think that we would rather sell it and live for the next couple years.

COHEN: Gabe Cohen, CNN, Fort Myers Beach, Florida.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

WHITFIELD: Colossal hardships that just continue to mount three weeks after Ian.

All right, Trump Force One is back, refurbished and running test flights after sitting idle for years. Is Trump's famed 757 gearing back up for a 2024 presidential run?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:57:00]

WHITFIELD: All right, the so-called Trump Force One is back in the skies. Former President Trump's Boeing 757 was spotted by CNN aviation experts running flight patterns this week. It is parked just 15 minutes from Trump's home in Mar-a-Lago, but it had been grounded during Trump's presidency. Its reemergence has many speculating about whether it means a potential 2024 announcement and whether that's on the horizon. CNN's Kate Bennett has more.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

KATE BENNETT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Donald Trump's beloved Boeing 757 for four years sat idle as Trump through around on Air Force One. Afterwards, empty and not able to fly, on a tarmac at a New York state airport. Now, the plan, renovated and rehabbed.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: They have never had anybody that owned a Boeing 757.

BENNETT: That plane, nicknames Trump Force One, appears to be back in action once again. Flight data from earlier this week shows the jet making a series of short flight loops at varying altitudes, taking off and landing at a small airport in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Some of the flights lasted less than 10 minutes, lower than 3,000 feet. Others were longer, 20 to 30 at altitudes ranging from 9,000 to 23,000 feet, test runs, aviation experts tell CNN, to determine if equipment is operating safely and smoothly.

CNN capturing the plane Thursday home in Palm Beach, having flown there Wednesday evening after almost one year of overhaul. The plane was a crucial prop from the start of Trump's presidential campaign.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Coming in a 757 jet to Iowa, how do you think that helps you relate to people in Iowa/

TRUMP: What am I going to do, go out and rent the plane?

WHITFIELD: Now, it very well could be taking the spotlight again as the political world waits for an announcement of a potential second run.

But Donald Trump's obsession with aviation goes back long before 2016. In the late 1980s Trump purchased an airline, renamed it Trump Shuttle, until it went out of business in 1992.

TRUMP: You have to find the right place.

BENNETT: Trump had his own Boeing 727 for several years and used it as a backdrop before selling it in 2009 and upgrading to the 757 in 2010, a plane he had fully renovated to include a master bedroom, guest suite, dining room, and VIP area, with metal surfaces from seatbelts to toilet handles plated in 24 karat gold, and a large "T" for Trump on the tail.

But once in the White House, Trump took off on plans to get a new Air Force One, envisioning scrapping the traditional light blue and white color scheme for a new one with more red, white, and blue. For now, it looks like Trump at least got the new red, white, and blue color on his own plane. And the "T" on the tail replaced by an American flag.

Kate Bennett, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

WHITFIELD: We'll be watching it take flight, maybe.

Thank you so much for joining me today. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.