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Early Voting Underway In Some States; Early Voters Start To Weigh In As Key Races Tighten; Election Officials Dispel Conspiracy Theories; Borrowers Waiting After Court Pauses Student Debt Relief Program; New FBI Database Focuses On Missing Native Americans; Hospitals Overwhelmed By Surge Of Respiratory Illness in Children. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired October 23, 2022 - 14:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:00:28]

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

All right, we're just 16 days out from the midterm elections and in several competitive states early voting is under way right now. In Georgia, in fact, more than 740,000 people have already cast their ballots.

A new NBC poll finds sky high interest and polarization ahead of the midterms. It shows about 80 percent of Democrats and Republicans believe their political opposition will destroy the country if they are not stopped.

As campaign '22 is hitting the homestretch, Democrats are also facing economic head winds with poll after poll showing swing voters shifted toward Republicans.

Today Senator Bernie Sanders is sounding the alarm. He says Democrats need to focus less on abortion rights and start touting their economic vision before it's too late.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT): I am worried about the level of voter turnout among young people and working people who will be voting Democratic. And I think again, what Democrats have got to do is contrast their economic plan with the Republicans.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. Joining me right now to discuss Margaret Talev, she is a CNN political analyst and managing editor for Axios; Ryan Lizza is a CNN senior political analyst and chief Washington correspondent for "Politico". Good to see both of you.

All right. Margaret, you first. Bernie Sanders saying that Democrats need to start talking about the

economy. How do they sell their economic plan with Democrats also being in control of the House, Senate and the White House, and inflation being what it is and on the rise?

The economy, it would seem by many, is really on shaky ground. Why sell the economy? Why is that advantageous for the Democrats?

MARGARET TALEV, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Fred, it's a great question. And I think in the closing two weeks of the campaign here, the polling is telling Democrats that they have to deal with this issue. They can't ignore it.

You saw a letter from Nancy Pelosi, a "Dear Colleagues" letter from the Speaker to Democrats over the weekend saying that the upcoming election will be decided at the kitchen table.

Reading between the lines, what she's saying is you can't count on women's frustration and concern about protecting abortion rights to carry you over the finish line. You have to deal with the inflation and people's fear about it.

And so what we're going to see, what we're starting to see is a real uptick in the argument that Donald Trump and Republicans mismanaged COVID, that corporate greed is driving a lot of the inflation.

At some point Democrats have to own it. They're in charge, you know. People are going to blame the party in power. And so you'll hear a lot of messaging, I think, around what the Democrats and President Biden have passed including the stimulus, but also including most recently the -- what they call Inflation Reduction Act.

The most powerful part for Democrats is this promise -- this future promise that that legislation will help bring down the cost of prescription drugs for Americans and help seniors in particular.

And I think you're just going to see a lot of that return to the health care and reducing health care cost message. The question is will it be enough?

WHITFIELD: And Ryan, more on that. I mean Nancy Pelosi was asked today, you know, about the criticism that Democrats were focusing too much on abortion, not enough on the economy. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Nobody said we're doing abortion rather than the economy, but it's about both. And I can tell you that that issue is very, very provocative and encouraging people to vote across the country. Having just been there, not sitting in Washington, but going around the country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So, Ryan what will be the formula to tackle both? She says you've got to do both. RYAN LIZZA, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: That's right. Look, you had

some strategists, according to Politico reporting, saying -- advising candidates that 90 percent of their advertising back in September should be on the abortion issue.

Now that's changed. And why has it changed? I think a big explanation seems to be that gas prices started going the other way. The Dobbs decision coincided with a 99-day decline in gas prices.

[14:04:51]

LIZZA: That ended in September and they've been ticking up a little bit and the, you know, people are very, very sensitive to the daily filling up the car at the pump. And it's the main thing that reminds them of inflation.

We've also got a couple of inflation reports since the Dobbs decision that haven't been great. And so the whole landscape of the midterms is going back to the sort of traditional first midterm of a first-term president where there's usually a backlash against the party controlling the White House and the anger and frustration that a lot of Democrats have over what the Supreme Court did in overruling Roe has dissipated just a little bit. And you see those numbers on swing voters and independents moving back towards caring about inflation.

And don't forget crime, too. Most of these GOP campaigns, especially if you watch any of the Senate debates recently, it's not just inflation. Crime is a major issue. Immigration is a major issue. And there are some vulnerabilities Democrats have on those two as well. So the Democrats have a difficult messaging problem here.

WHITFIELD: Margaret, let me ask you about this new NBC poll that shows just how polarized America has become as we approach the midterms 16 days away now. It shows that about 80 percent of Democrats and Republicans believe their political opposition will destroy the country if they're not stopped.

So what message is that sending to party leaders and to candidates about how they need to channel their energies?

TALEV: I mean honestly, it's a pretty destructive message because the message it's sending is just aimed for the base because once you're aligned with the party, you don't really care what your nominee is like or what the other nominee is like. You just want your party to win.

And I think, you know, we're seeing some of those threats play out in the Georgia senate contest where Herschel Walker has had a lot of trouble in the closing weeks in terms of trust, credibility, you know, family values -- these kinds of questions but in survey after survey, in focus groups and interview after interview, you're hearing people say he is the best chance, you know, for Republicans to flip the Senate, so I'm going to vote for him.

And I think these kind of numbers coupled with -- like we have had also some Axios and Ipsos our surveys numbers talking about polarization. Really large minorities in both parties, in the Democratic Party as well, significant minorities saying if they're side doesn't win, their first assumption will be that it was voter fraud had something to do with it.

You know, these are really destabilizing figures. And I think as you look at these numbers in the closing weeks, the big question is, is the modeling right? Has the modeling captured women who have registered to vote, young people or voters of color who don't always vote. Have we under-polled or over-polled the impact of abortion.

So surveys are only as good as what they're seeking to measure and the assumptions they make. But what it shows us is a very close contest with a real hair trigger of voters saying they've chosen all sides and if their side doesn't win, they will mistrust the process. And that's a real problem for whoever wins.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Ryan, this week GOP Congresswoman Elise Stefanik suggested impeachment was on the table for President Biden and some cabinet members if Republicans take control in November. Here is how Republican Congresswoman Nancy Mace responded to that possibility earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Do you think President Biden has committed any impeachable offenses?

REP. NANCY MACE (R-SC): That is something that, you know, would have to be investigated. I am not interested in playing tit for tat. I am not interested in retaliation. Impeachment has been weaponized over the years and we've seen that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So what do you interpret from that, Ryan?

LIZZA: Most -- not most but many Republicans are leaving open the possibility of impeachment using it at the very least as a partisan talking point and not wanting to -- not wanting to concede that Biden has not committed an impeachable offense --

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: And over what? I mean is there any specificity coming?

LIZZA: I couldn't tell you.

WHITFIELD: Just checking.

LIZZA: It's become -- I don't see anything that's risen to that level personally. But it's something that a lot of Republicans use to stoke the base especially in a midterm election. We all know the composition of the Senate is very, very close and there's no chance that impeachment is going to succeed in the next two years.

I think it's a base talking point, it's a way to be anti-Biden. But the serious part is yes, the investigative machinery in Washington if Republicans take over the House is going to crank up.

[14:09:52]

LIZZA: And there will be plenty of Republicans (INAUDIBLE) who will make the argument for impeachment whether, you know, they know it won't get through the Senate or not.

So it's becoming a more routine -- it's likely to become a more routine tool in the coming years. I think we all can agree on that.

WHITFIELD: All right. We'll leave it there for now. Ryan Lizza, Margaret Talev -- always good to see you. Thank you so much.

LIZZA: Thanks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. As early voting surges particularly in Georgia, so are conspiracy stories about the election.

CNN has learned that election officials in the Peach State have been busy dispelling false rumors as voters contact them about various conspiracies concerning the election.

For more on this let's bring in Nadia Romero.

Nadia, what can you tell us about this very troubling development just 16 days away, and early voting, you know, really underway in a big way.

NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It really is, Fred and from the people that I've spoken with it really depends on how those voters fall when it comes to party lines. When I speak to Democratic voters, many of them are excited to be a part of the voting process, especially with that national spotlight over Georgia.

But when I was traveling to Rome, Georgia which is the district of Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is a big Donald Trump supporter and does believe in those election lies that the 2020 election was stolen, many of her supporters had their concerns about election fraud and voter insecurity for this election as well.

So that's what I found in just my reporting was it depends on who those voters have been listening to. But overall here in Georgia we're seeing record turnout.

Right behind me, we are in Dekalb County, this is one of two polling locations in this area. And we've been told by poll workers that they've already had about 200 people in just the first two hours since the polls have been open. This is a spot where you can come and vote. This is a spot where you can drop off your absentee ballot. And that's just this location alone.

Let's take a look at those statewide numbers. So far in Georgia more than 740,000 people have already voted. Now the numbers dropped, though, a bit when you compare Friday to Saturday. Friday we're looking at about 140,000 people. Saturday, though, only about 80,000. So we thought we might see more people on that first Saturday. But

right now, Fred, we're starting to see that after church crowd make their way to the polls.

WHITFIELD: And that typically is pretty big. All right. Thank you so much, Nadia Romero. Keep us posted. Appreciate it.

All right. Straight ahead this hour, we will not be stopped. A steadfast message from the education secretary as the president's student loan forgiveness program sits in legal limbo.

Plus, an intrepid 8-year-old alongside his dad hoping to become the youngest person ever to summit Yosemite's iconic El Capitan. I'll talk to the duo, the dynamic duo right after this.

[14:12:42]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The Biden administration is encouraging people eligible for student loan debt relief to keep applying online despite a court ordered temporary hold.

Debt cancellation was supposed to begin today but an appeals court paused the program as it reviews a challenge brought on by several Republican-led states that argue forgiving the loans harms state- related organizations that own or invest in them.

In an op-ed for "USA Today" education secretary Miguel Cardona criticized Republicans who oppose the program saying these same Republican attorneys general and officials didn't file lawsuits when $58.5 billion in pandemic relief loan were forgiven for their state's business owners. They didn't oppose to $2 trillion in tax cuts to the highest earning businesses and individuals as part of a Trump tax giveaway.

Still, many borrowers are left waiting and wondering what's next. Here is CNN's Camila Bernal.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It may take a little longer but Cody Hounanian is still expecting a third of his student loan to be forgiven.

CODY HOUNANIAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, STUDENT DEBT CRISIS CENTER: It's a light at the end of the tunnel.

BERNAL: He's referring to President Joe Biden's student loan forgiveness program that would cover $10,000 of his student debt. Because while he's been out of college for nine years, he still owes $30,000.

HOUNANIAN: I recently married. Me and my wife are going to be thinking about purchasing a home. So it's all of a sudden kind of right in front of me again because I'm thinking about the kind of debt I have and I need to finance my future and get a home.

BERNAL: But while the administration was expected to start granting loan discharges as early as Sunday, a federal appeals court put a temporary administrative hold on the program, a move being argued in and out of the courtroom.

USC economics professor Robert Dekle says that while all his students support the program he asks them to consider different perspectives.

ROBERT DEKLE, ECONOMICS PROFESSOR, USC: Relative to defense spending and the overall government budget, the annual cost is not huge. But it's going to be a burden on current taxpayers.

BERNAL: He also says if the goal was to help low-income families, the government should instead invest in, say, early childhood education. As an economist Dekle says he thinks short term, loan forgiveness will only make inflation worse. But as a professor, he believes long term this will make the U.S. More competitive.

DEKLE: We need people with skills. And the way to get it is in higher education.

BERNAL: And it's that education that Hounanian says got him to where he is today. Now the executive director of the Student Debt Crisis Center, a nonprofit focused on ending the student debt crisis.

HOUNANIAN: For me the only way to open the door was to take on student loan debt even though it's created really unnecessary challenges and, you know, we've had to be stressed and all that. But my future is brighter nonetheless.

BERNAL: Now he's not only waiting for his loan forgiveness but also fighting so that others can also get the relief.

[14:20:00]

HOUNANIAN: My dream, my vision for a better America in the future is one where my kids don't even have to consider student loan debt.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERNAL: Now it will at least take a couple of days for this process in the courts to play out. In the meantime, though, people continue to apply for this program. Cody Hounanian, who you met in that story, telling me it took him one minute to apply for this. He says he hopes that that one minute will then translate to a significant part of his student loan to be forgiven, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Camila Bernal, thank you so much.

All right. Coming up, Sadie Acevedo's sister is one of nearly 200 Native American and indigenous people listed as missing in New Mexico in the Navajo Nation and her disappearance haunts her to this day.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAIDE ACEVEDO, SISTER MISSING SINCE 1986: I have a hole inside of my life because we don't know where she is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: How the FBI is working to tackle cases many say have been long overlooked.

[14:21:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back.

In New York officials say they're working to combat crime on the city's subway system. The announcement coming as police released new video today of a man pushing someone off the subway platform, you can see there, right onto the tracks. The victim was not hit by a train but was injured. The suspect is still on the loose.

Mayor Eric Adams and Governor Kathy Hochul say new plan will include more cameras, more police at major commuter hubs and new units at psychiatric centers to assist those with mental illness.

The NYPD says subway crimes have skyrocketed 41 percent from the same time last year. It's something Chris Wallace pressed Mayor Adams about when he discussed crime in his city.

(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 a narrative that you're going to look at the (INAUDIBLE) six crimes and put it on the front pages of your paper every day, so I have to deal with those six crimes a day, felony crime, and the perception of fear.

Yes, we decrease gun violence in the city, we had zeroed in on, decreased homicides. We had 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, CNN HOST: You are 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 the America, the crime wave is tackling all of our cities. New York City is the safest. So yes, we have a real crime problem that we are addressing. But part that is the perception that everyday those six crimes are being highlighted over and over again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. You can see the entire interview in an all new episode of "WHO IS TALKING TO CHRIS WALLACE" tonight at 7:00 only here on CNN.

All right. In New Mexico in the Navajo Nation there are almost 200 known cases of missing Native Americans. Some families have spent decades wondering what happened to their loved ones. Well, now they have new hope thanks to a new effort by law enforcement.

CNN's Josh Campbell has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's hard to believe that amidst so much beauty --

ACEVEDO: Lonely, it's empty.

CAMPBELL: -- there could be so much pain.

ACEVEDO: I pray that if somebody knows something that they would say something.

CAMPBELL: Sadie Acevedo lives an endless cycle of grief. Her sister Antoinette Cayevito (ph) went missing from her family's home in Gallup, New Mexico one evening in 1986, never to be seen again.

ACEVEDO: I have a hole inside of my life because we don't know where she is.

CAMBPELL: Antoinette is one of nearly 200 Native American and indigenous people in New Mexico in the Navajo Nation listed as missing today, according to the FBI.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I believe that number is a lot higher. I believe a lot of it is overlooked.

CAMPBELL: It's a crisis that has spurred the FBI into action, enlisting the agency's intelligence resources best known for fighting crime and terrorism to create a master database of those missing, connecting their faces with the public in hopes of bringing victims home.

To you this is more than just data?

DON METZMEIER, FBI INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: It is more than just data. These are individuals and these are individuals that are either in pain or are missing or in trouble.

You have to able to learn the land, you've got to be able to learn the cultural norms.

CAMPBELL: We rode along with an FBI special agent who works with tribal police to solve cases on much of the nearly 30,000 square miles of Navajo Nation land spanning Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.

We agreed not to name him as much of his work involves searching for violent criminals.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our number one challenge is (INAUDIBLE). For certain crimes out here. It will be some sort of family on family crime and they may not want the individual to go to jail.

CAMPBELL: So one challenge of working a missing persons case here, compared to say in the city is that you are limited in what evidence might be available?

[14:29:57]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, absolutely.

But that could be a neighbor with a doorbell camera. There's not going to be any exterior security cameras.

CAMPBELL: The bureau and the tribal police acknowledge the database was long overdue. Prior to the FBI's new database, law enforcement didn't have a firm grasp of the number of people actually missing.

RAUL BUJANDA, FBI SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE: Native Americans, everywhere we go, they're embedded in our fabric of who we are as a society here. We consolidated everything. That was kind of the biggest thing, right? So it is not that this work wasn't being done. It was being done by everyone in different ways.

CHIEF DARYL NOON, NAVAJO POLICE: We recognize that maybe we weren't doing something the best we could have. This is a result of that. And we want the public to understand we get it.

CAMPBELL: Few no better than Chief Noon whose family member went missing in California.

NOON: I understand, you know, the frustration and the need for closure. Because just having that hang over the family as a whole, the family unit, it's just -- it's horrible.

CAMPBELL: Police say the answers often lie within the Navajo Nation.

MICHAEL HENDERSON, DIRECTOR OF CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS, NAVAJO POLICE: We're not looking at a boogeyman coming from the outside of the Navajo nation stealing people. When people go missing, we're looking at domestic violence, or we're looking at sexual abuse cases.

CAMPBELL: Sadie Acevedo thinks her sister's disappearance may have been tied to a relative. The FBI says it's considered all options but needs new leads.

SADIE ACEVEDO, SISTER MISSING SINCE 1986: Just give us closure.

CAMPBELL: Acevedo hopes the public will scan the photos of the missing and perhaps end the family's pain.

What is your message to viewers who say I don't have time to see if I know who these people are?

ACEVEDO: Time, if was your child, it would be important. It is somebody else's child. Make it important.

CAMBPELL: Josh Campbell, CNN, on the Navajo Nation.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And health experts are warning parents to stay vigilant as cases of the respiratory virus RSV surge among young kids and overwhelm children's hospitals. What parents need to know, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:36:12]

WHITFIELD: All right. A new warning today as potentially deadly respiratory diseases and viruses spread across the U.S. a former FDA commissioner is telling parents not to let their guard down.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLP)

DR. SCOTT GOTTLIEB, FORMER FDA COMMISSIONER: For parents who have children who have an upper respiratory infection, many times they are testing them, finding out it's not COVID and feeling relieved. It could be RSV. It could be early flu. If you see progressive symptoms seek out help from a doctor. There are treatments that could help children with RSV.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Joining us right now Dr. Elizabeth Clayborne, an emergency physician at the university of Maryland capital region medical center.

Doctor, so good to see you.

DR. ELIZABETH CLAYBORNE, ADJUNCT ASST. PROF. OF EMERGENCY MEDICINE, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND: Good to see you, Fred.

WHITFIELD: So, we are indeed seeing cases of RSV and flu tick up. Covid-19 is still out there as well. Pretty scary time for a lot of parents. As a parent yourself and a doctor, what do you recommend are the best ways to keep our kids safe right now?

CLAYBORNE: Absolutely, Fred. I think parents need to remember we really are having an unprecedented season for both RSV and flu and we're seeing them earlier in the year than we expected. We think that's because kids have been either out of school, at home or fully masked. This is the first winter season we're going into where a lot of both adults and children are interacting and we're seeing a rise in RSV and flu already and that means a number of children are starting to get sick and very sick unexpectedly.

When the illnesses take place, sometimes they need to have an emergency interventions such as a breathing treatment, steroids and possibly admission when they get into respiratory discretion. So, what I tell a lot of parents, because I know it is nerve-racking, prevention is the best option. Make sure you are hand washing. You keep your kids at home if they're sick. And certainly make sure you are vaccinating both flu and COVID when available.

WHITFIELD: What have you been seeing at your emergency room?

CLAYBORNE: So, we've definitely seen an uptick in the cases of RSV in particular. I've seen quite a few infants, those under 3 months, getting RSV. And that population is particularly susceptible because it's hard to tell when they get sick. They don't have necessarily the same signs and symptoms such as cough or can't tell you they're not feeling well. They will refuse feeding or other times have a reduction in their urine output, fewer wet diapers.

Those kind of signs are things parents should pay attention to that may alert them that an infant is more sick than they realize and need to be seen in the E.R. because we have had a shortage of nursing staff and beds, it is hard to place these children. We tend to board pediatric patients. We are not a pediatric hospital, meaning we have to transfer them. It has been hard to find available beds. So, our wait times in the ER go up and these sick children have to stay with us for several hours.

WHITFIELD: What you just described earlier about the kids under 3 months is what I experienced with my twins when they were just 1 month old, and they got RSV and were hospitalized. It was incredibly frightening. They're 10 now so everything is cool. We're out of the woods, so to speak, on that one. I understand you have just dealt with that with your 2 and 4-year-old kids getting RSV. You knew how to identify it, but what did you experience as a family and as a doctor with your kids on trying to get them the necessary treatment? What was your journey like?

CLAYBORNE: Yeah, it's always hard as an E.R. doc mom because we worry about doing too much or too little. And so, most ER docs are not going to take their kids to the emergency department unless it's pretty serious. And, unfortunately, for my 4-year-old about three weeks ago, it got to that point.

[14:40:01]

She actually did have RSV and she really had a difficult time breathing and got into what I call respiratory distress, couldn't get her breathing under control at home even though he had a nebulizer machine at home. I knew she probably needed some steroids. I wanted to make sure she had not developed pneumonia. So, I had to take her to the emergency department.

So, I understand, a lot of parents don't have my knowledge. They don't have my skill set, and sometimes don't have the same access to health care facilities the way I do. So, I feel so fortunate I was able to take my daughter in and she recovered, and they are both doing well now. It is scary.

That's why it is important to stay vigilant and pay attention to the symptoms. When they start to worsen, you can call your pediatrician or your doctor if you're worried. If you get to the point they are having a hard time breathing, breathing very fast, go ahead and head to the emergency department.

WHITFIELD: Yeah. Like right away, do not hesitate. Don't ignore all of those signs that you described.

Dr. Elizabeth Clayborne, glad your little ones are on the mend and doing well. Great to see you.

CLAYBORNE: Great to see you, too, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Thank you.

All right. One very brave 8-year-old is setting out to become the youngest person ever to reach the 3,000-foot summit of El Capitan. He and his dad begin their ascent tomorrow, and they're joining me live next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:45:46]

WHITFIELD: All right. Adventure enthusiasts around the world know El Capitan as the Mecca of climbing. It's a vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park in California.

And tomorrow, one young man will try to become the youngest person ever to reach its summit. Eight-year-old Sam Baker and his father, Joe, will begin their ascent up the 3,200 feet of vertical granite. Their journey is expected to take four days, and Sam will be leading the way. When he was just 6, Sam became one of the youngest to climb Lost Arrow Spire in Yosemite National Park and now they're attempting an even bigger adventure. They look so ready, don't they?

Joining me to talk about it are Sam and Joe Baker.

Good to see you, fellas.

JOE BAKER, SAM'S FATHER: We're excited to chat with you.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh. I'm excited to hear about this journey. So, Joe, you two obviously feel very ready to do this. What do the conditions look like tomorrow and how have you prepared for whatever comes your way?

J. BAKER: Yeah, it's a good question because we've been praying for good weather, and we have like five days looking really terrific weather. It's going to be a little chilly, but it's not going to rain, which is a huge blessing.

WHITFIELD: That is huge.

Sam, we've been looking at pictures of your climbs. You were just so extraordinary. What are you most excited about in this climb?

SAM "ADVENTURER" BAKER, 8-YEAR-OLD CLIMBER: I'm most excited to climb with daddy.

WHITFIELD: That is so lovely.

J. BAKER: He likes spending time with me.

WHITFIELD: I know you like doing this together. Joe, tell me about the equipment that it will entail. Just looking at the photographs, you all look like you're having so much fun. When I see that image there on when I see that image there on the ledge there in that hammock of a bed, I have to know details.

How are you bracing yourself for all of these things? Is that the fun part of it or the arduous, scariest part about it?

J. BAKER: Yeah, so the majority of what we're doing is rope ascent, he's going to be in a couple of pitches and maybe try to lead one, and so, we -- it's a four-man team. The first person goes up and sets the ropes, and then we will climb up after. It's going to be basically four days of hanging from your fingers or from your anchors, and there are very few ledges.

So, you know, we're going to have to bring up port-a-ledges like nylon cots you hang on the side of the wall and it's just a big adventure, a big family adventure.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh this is so exciting. Joe, tell us how you and Sam got into this? Or how did you lure Sam into it or how did Sam lure you it?

J. BAKER: Oh, yeah, it's definitely part of being in my family. My wife and I fell in love rock climbing. When Sam came along, he immediately started climbing with us. We had him in a harness I think before he could walk. He's been climbing since he was a little guy, and now he's like a world-class climber. He climbs really hard routes at the rock gym.

WHITFIELD: Incredible. So, Sam, tell me what's most exciting. Is it the ascent? Is it -- is it the climbing? Is it being on that cot, what I call a hammock, that looks scary to me, or is it coming down carefully?

S. BAKER: Getting to the top.

WHITFIELD: And then what's the view like that you expect to see once you get to the top of El Capitan? What are you looking forward to?

S. BAKER: I don't know.

(LAUGHTER)

J. BAKER: He also really likes -- why don't you tell them you like to cook on port-a-ledge.

S. BAKER: I like to cook lasagna.

J. BAKER: So we cook lasagna with the little packets in the jet boil and cook up all sorts of different meals. We have a stove that hangs on the port-a-ledge. It's really fun.

WHITFIELD: Oh, neat. Oh, that sounds -- I'm all about food, so I love hearing those details.

[14:50:01]

So -- I mean, because you're going to be climbing for four days, so that means meals for four days. But you're not going to be -- I guess you would have to nibble and eat along the way all the time to keep your energy and stamina up, right?

J. BAKER: Yeah, yep, we snack all day and then we have a big meal in the morning and a big meal at night. And we also brought up a little chess set, so play a little chess on the trip, too. He's getting good at chess.

WHITFIELD: That's the calming portion of it all.

Well, Sam and Joe, I'm really envious. I'm very excited for you. All the best to you. I'm glad that the conditions so far look great for tomorrow. Much luck.

And perhaps we get to talk to you on the other side. Maybe at the end of the week, when you've finished your climb.

J. BAKER: Thank you so much. We're excited!

WHITFIELD: All right. Good luck to you. Sam and Joe Baker, all the best. You rock, pardon my pun. You rock.

J. BAKER: All right, see you.

S. BAKER: Bye!

WHITFIELD: All right. Good to see you.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:55:41]

WHITFIELD: All right, this week, the CNN original series "The Murdochs: Empire of Influence" reveals how the Murdochs maintained control of the empire when it was rocked by a sexual harassment scandal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Rupert, in honor of this relationship, in honor of the many billions of dollars that Roger had earned for him, let him off quite easy.

DAVID FOLKENFLIK, MEDIA CORRESPONDENT, NPR NEWS: They paid for him to leave the company, to buy him out, to go away. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: James didn't want to pay Roger that money, and

wanted to be much harsher. And he didn't have that kind of influence in the end.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ultimately, Roger Ailes left with $40 million.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Wow. That was, I guess, quite the prize, right?

Jim Rutenberg is the writer at large for "The New York Times." He's also a consulting producer for "The Murdochs: Empire of Influence," which features his exclusive reporting.

So, as we just heard in that clip, when FOX News, you know, had Roger Ailes, was accused of sexual harassment, Rupert Murdoch basically paid him off to go away. Some people interpret that as being really a reward with $40 million, to go away.

But then, that left a power vacuum, right? And we heard there that James didn't like the idea of him getting paid off. So what did it do to the empire, the relationship, to the product?

JIM RUTENBERG, WRITER AT LARGE, THE NEW YORK TIMES: Well, interestingly, first of all, we've been following this drama between these -- this family and part of our story is a succession battle between these two brothers. And before there's any disagreement, in fact, the two brothers come together to help push Roger Ailes out, because they had -- they both were furious about the scandal, but they each also had their own battles with him, that they had previously lost. But the product does change a bit when Roger Ailes is gone, but it's a much -- in way, almost a looser network under Rupert Murdoch, who will, in the interim, take over.

WHITFIELD: Wow. So, Jim, we also see this week the evolution of Rupert Murdoch's relationship with President Trump, with now former President Trump. In 2015, Rupert is critical of Trump, but quickly realizes that strategy isn't the best for his business. So how does this relationship change through the course of the election?

RUTENBERG: Well, again, an earlier episode of this series shows that Fox News has been pretty rough on then candidate Trump. Rupert Murdoch was no fan. When the sort of stars started aligning and it was clear that Donald Trump would be the Republican nominee, Rupert Murdoch really does end up coming onboard quite a bit more, and so in turn, do many of his stars.

WHITFIELD: This week, we also see more infighting between the Murdoch siblings for control of the empire. Just give us some tidbits of what we're going to learn.

RUTENBERG: Well, what you'll see here is that Lachlan Murdoch, the eldest heir to the throne, who had been sort of in his own world over in Australia will come back and this will cause a lot of drama within the family when he's kind of back in the running to take over this massive media empire. WHITFIELD: Drama, indeed. Jim Rutenberg, so good to see you. Thank

you so much.

Be sure to tune in, everybody, to an all-new episode of "The Murdochs: Empire of Influence." That airs tonight at 10:00 p.m., only on CNN.

And as more than $1.5 million Ukrainians remain without power following Russian missile strikes yesterday, on the electric facilities, many in the country are still finding the light in so much darkness.

Beautiful music with real healing powers, right? You're listening to a Ukrainian soldier underground in a bomb shelter, playing his violin. It's a powerful message of hope and those on the front lines of Ukraine are not just soldiers, but musicians, other talented individuals fighting for the freedom of their homeland.

I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Thanks so much for being with me today.

The "CNN NEWSROOM" continues with Jim Acosta right now.