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Three Presidents Hit Campaign Trail For Critical Pennsylvania Races; Inflation, Economy Remain Top Concerns For Voters; At Least 19 Dead After Commercial Plane Crashes Into Lake Victoria; Countdown To Midterms; Former President Trump, Florida Governor DeSantis Holding Dueling Rallies Today; Inflation, Demand & Bird Flu Behind Thanksgiving Price Hikes. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired November 06, 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 HOST: Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Sunday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. All right.

Just two more days in the midterm election season and it's an all-out dash to the finish line with many key races coming down to the wire.

Critical battleground states of Georgia, Nevada, Arizona and Pennsylvania could tip the balance of power to either party in Washington.

Many voters have already made up their minds. More than 38 million early ballots have been cast in 47 states. President Biden and former President Obama and Trump all campaigning in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania this weekend where a razor close race could hold the key to a Senate majority.

CNN's Jessica Dean and Jeff Zeleny are tracking all the action on the campaign trail.

Jeff, good to see you. There you are in Georgia, a state that could hold the key for control of the Senate. What has been the message today from the candidates?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well Fredricka, Georgia is absolutely essential to Democrats holding their Senate majority because Senator Raphael Warnock is one of the most vulnerable Democrats going down into the final days, during the final hours of this election season.

You can see behind me here Herschel Walker, the Republican challenger, is shaking hands here. He just finished speaking a few moments ago. Now President Joe Biden has not been here to Georgia for quite some time. He's not been campaigning here for Senator Warnock.

But that was the theme of Herschel Walker's message, tying Senator Warnock exactly to Biden, the agenda and the White House.

Take a listen to what he said just a few moments ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HERSCHEL WALKER (R), GEORGIA SENATE CANDDIATE: My opponent Senator Warnock is campaigning. The people on the left, they're campaigning. They're lying to you. They're telling you that this is a new normal. they're trying to get you all tracked. They're trying to mislead you and tell you that this is the way it's going to be.

And I'm telling you they have a new way. And I remember my offensive linemen used to tell me, Hooker, follow me. I'll take you to the promised land.

So I'm going to tell all of you to vote for me and we all going to get to the --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENY: So the promised land here would be, to continue his metaphor, in his view would be Republicans winning control of the Senate. So we will see if that happens on Tuesday. But Fredricka, as you know well, about 2.2 million Georgians have already cast their ballots. So Tuesday all eyes will be on this state but also because of Georgia's run-off election rule, if Senator Warnock or Herschel Walker do not get more than 50 percent, this goes into overtime and that run-off race is December 6th, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Yes, indeed. Jeff, thank you so much.

Jessica, to you. Democratic Pennsylvania Senate candidate John Fetterman, he was weighing in on his Republican opponent Mehmet Oz today as well as his own positions in this close contest.

So what is he saying with now two days to go?

JESSICA DEAN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, with two days to go, Fredricka, Mehmet Oz the Republican in this race and John Fetterman, as you mentioned the Democrat are spread out across the commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

We saw their big star power surrogates coming in to the Commonwealth yesterday. Former President Donald Trump here on behalf of Republicans, former President Barack Obama and President Joe Biden here on behalf of the Democrats. That was all about firing up the base.

And today both candidates are back to work, back to the campaign trail by themselves without those former presidents and current president trying to get whatever edge they can in this incredibly tight race, the most expensive Senate race in the country, millions and millions and millions of dollars spent because it is an open seat and it could very well determine the outcome of who holds power in the U.S. Senate.

So we have seen Mehmet Oz really seeking to win over Independent voters. That could really make the difference for him there. And he has done this in his ads. He's done it at his campaign stops. He did it last night at the Trump rally. He really stuck to that message talking about unity, really selling himself as a moderate even though he was a Trump endorsed and is a Trump-endorsed candidate and needs that base to rally support him to win state wide on Tuesday.

For his part John Fetterman talking today and really trying to cast Oz as a phony saying that this whole thing about being a moderate is simply not true. Take a listen.

[14:04:40]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN FETTERMAN (D-PA), SENATE CANDIDATE: Dr. Oz wants to try to portray himself now a moderate after, you know, going very right, right, right, far right, you know, during the primary. Now he's trying to pretend that -- you know, there's no moderate -- no moderate if you are willing to share a stage with somebody like Doug Mastriano.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Mastriano, of course, is the Republican gubernatorial candidate in this race as well. Again Oz has really sought to make himself his own candidate and not tie himself to Mastriano or even Trump, not mentioning either of them by name on stage last night.

And Fredricka, one thing for people to watch, if you are watching the state of Pennsylvania on Tuesday, both of these candidates are going to end today in the Philly suburbs. They are rich with independent voters. That could make a big difference in a very tight contest.

So when the votes start coming in, keep your eye on those counties just outside of Philadelphia, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Incredible view of the tight races in Pennsylvania and in Georgia. Thanks to both of you, Jeff and Jessica. Thank you.

All right. Let's talk more about the landscape, if you will right now. Joining me now Barbara Boxer, she is former Democratic senator for California. Mia Love is a CNN political commentator and a former Republican Congresswoman from Utah. Good to see both of you, ladies.

Senator, you first. I mean you heard Barack Obama and President Biden in Pennsylvania yesterday talking about democracy, truth and facts, all of that is on the line on Tuesday. Do you believe that is a winning argument that will help Democrats keep control of the house and Senate?

Are those the messages that will resonate with voters as they cast their ballots?

BARBARA BOXER, FORMER DEMOCRATIC SENATOR: Yes, and they also talked about the economy. You just look at jobs, job creation. This is so critical to people. Inflation is hurting people and the one thing that's worse than that is to not have a job. And if you look at the record, you know, smashing all the records in

history, Biden with 10 million jobs in two years versus the loss of 3 million jobs by Trump in four years. 11 million jobs by Obama in two terms, 3 million jobs by George W. Bush in two terms.

So, yes. You know, I'm wondering just one second because this whole idea of the promised land, I love that by Mr. Walker because we know what they've promised us, the Republicans. We know what their promised land is, and it is cutting Social Security. It is cutting Medicare. It is reversing all the wonderful cap that was put on in insulin and allowing Medicare to bring down the cost of prescription drugs.

And lastly, I could go on, but the last one I would say is a national ban on abortion. So not even states could do what they want to do.

So that's the promised land from the Republicans. So I love that metaphor. Thank you, Mr. Walker. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: So Congresswoman, how do you see it? What do you think Herschel Walker means when he talks about the promised land?

MIA LOVE, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I think he's talking about a great economy again where people can go to work again, where inflation rates aren't so high on top of supply demand, labor demand issues. I want to talk about the idea of the promised land a little bit and just push back a little bit about what Republicans have promised versus what the current president has promised us when he said he was going to be president that he could fix these problems and that he had all these plans to make sure that our economy was running well.

And now people are suffering under high gas prices. I mean, I just want them, I just want the president to walk into a store and buy eggs, milk, just some groceries, the basics that people need, bread, in order to survive.

That is why these races in some blue states are as tight as they are. Inflation is a big deal for people.

WHITFIELD: But you are speaking about a global economy. and some of the characteristics that you just expressed that Americans are facing globally as a result of the pandemic, or coming off the heels of the pandemic, that is being experienced.

So I wonder, Congresswoman, I mean you heard former President Obama yesterday who talked about the legacies of the pandemic whether it be the short supply of goods, the high price of gas, that no one administration is expected to address those things but a candidate who makes promises or is helping voters see what they can do that is something that is going to motivate the voting public. Do you agree with that?

[14:09:42]

LOVE: Right. Well, there are some things that we can do that hasn't been done. For instance, energy independence. Energy independence is a big deal. If we were to be a country which we were before that produces so that we have enough to meet the needs for Americans today, our gas prices wouldn't be so high.

This is not because of the pandemic. These are things that we are not doing as a country to make sure that we are independent and we're providing needs. We're providing the necessary needs for the American people and, also, being a backstop to our allies when it comes to foreign policy.

There are some things we should be doing but Republicans, and I think the general public, view this as catering to the far left. And then you've got, of course, the Inflation Reduction Act that did nothing to decrease inflation. As a matter of fact, increase it in the short term.

So there is this idea that when you're going to the polls like what we're seeing -- when you're going to the polls, people are going to be concerned about what's happening in their pocketbooks and their ability to provide for their family. Those are just facts.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: So Senator Boxer --

LOVE: That's what we're seeing.

WHITFIELD: Ok, what's your response to that, Senator Boxer?

BOXER: I mean my response is the congresswoman is really, really struggling. When she says look at jobs, I just told you about that. We've seen 10 million new jobs from the Biden administration in two years and the loss of 3 million jobs under Trump, the worst record in history.

She talks about the Inflation Reduction Act doing nothing. That may be her opinion, but --

(CROSSTALK)

LOVE: A labor shortage issue, is that what you're saying? Because that's what I addressed.

BOXER: She says -- she says the inflation reduction act is doing nothing. Just ask seniors who have to buy insulin and finally have a path on insulin. Just ask --

(CROSSTALK)

LOVE: I didn't say -- I'm sorry. Fred, She's putting words in my mouth. I said it's doing nothing --

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Hold on. Let's let the senator finish --

LOVE: She's putting words in my mouth. WHITFIELD: -- and then Congresswoman let me allow you to respond to

it. Go ahead and finish, Senator.

BOXER: I will reiterate the congresswoman said the Inflation Reduction Act is doing nothing, and I said talk to the people --

(CROSSTALK)

BOXER: -- excuse me, when you see the relief that comes to senior citizens and you call that out as doing nothing, it shows what your MAGA wing of the party is doing. They're out of touch. Their idea -- and they have said it -- cut Social Security, cut Medicare, reverse the tax on corporations who have never paid a penny while nurses and police and all the rest of us pay a lot more than that. And instead cut deep into the heart of programs that help people such as Social Security, Medicare, transportation, education -- all the things that people need.

So what we have now is mainstream Democrats versus extreme Republicans who -- they don't care about the people. All they care about is the power.

WHITFIELD: Ok, so, congresswoman, let me allow you to respond to the issue of reducing prescription drug costs and how that is not a pocketbook issue because that is part of the Inflation Reduction Act.

LOVE: Ok. Look, look I did say that it did nothing to reduce inflation. I don't want anybody putting words in my mouth. I will take full responsibility for the things that I said. I also didn't say that there weren't some good items in that bill. There are some good items in the bill -- prescription medication -- I'm fair. I'm absolutely fair.

But I am talking about specifically inflation and how it's done nothing to actually reduce inflation and to call it that is disingenuous.

BOXER: Not true. Not true because it cut the deficit because it raised taxes on corporations who have never paid a dime. And Republicans want to reverse that and instead cut programs that people need like Social Security and Medicare.

Look, that's what the Republicans have told us. They've told us. It's in writing, so everything is at stake. And I just hope people from all sides of the equation vote because, you know, the congresswoman and I can debate this all day. People know who is on their side. Get out and vote.

Young people, if you want to make sure you have control over your own health care, your own bodies -- vote. If you want to make sure if you're retiring that you get Social Security and Medicare -- vote. Democracy on the line, it's all on the line.

So however you come down, just vote. We don't know what's going to happen in this election. It's up to the people. It really is. WHITFIELD: So this conversation certainly underscores the issues that

are driving people to the ballots. They have been in early voting and, of course, we will continue to do so on Tuesday.

It looks like, Congresswoman, you have one last very short point to make?

[14:14:55]

LOVE: Yes. And I agree with that, vote. Get out and vote. Vote about the issues that matter to you. Vote for the people -- vote for the people that connect with the issues that matter to you.

WHITFIELD: Ok.

LOVE: That's incredibly important. We need to make sure that we have great voter turnout. And I see, again, in some blue states if we're not listening to what people are saying, you're going to lose. And that's on both sides of the aisle.

And so I'm really excited to watch what is going to happen especially in states like Pennsylvania and Georgia and Arizona, you name it, Ohio. There's a lot to watch out for.

WHITFIELD: I mean bottom line, people need to feel excited about the fact that people have been so galvanized to vote and you can see it in the record turnout in so many states in early voting and that's always a good thing.

Ladies, I appreciate you being with me. Congresswoman Mia Love, Senator Barbara Boxer -- good to see you.

And of course, don't forget on election night join CNN for special coverage starting Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. Eastern time. We'll have up-to- the-minute results on what's happening in all of the key races across your state and, of course, across the country.

WHITFIELD: All right. Still to come, at least 19 people are dead and dozens rescued after a commercial flight crashed in Lake Victoria in Tanzania.

Details after the break.

[14:16:15]

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WHITFIELD: At least 19 people died after a commercial plane crashed into Lake Victoria in Tanzania, according to an official. The airline says 24 people have been rescued, and it's pretty dramatic video showing people standing on the plane's wings as the remnants of that plane sits in shallow water.

CNN's Larry Madowo is in Johannesburg, South Africa for us. So how did this happen, Larry? LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What we know is that when this

aircraft was approaching the final way before the runway in Bukoba, that's in northwestern Tanzania it appears to have lost control and crash landed in the lake there.

Lake Victoria is Africa's largest freshwater. This runway is very close to the lake, just 200 feet between where the runway begins and where the lake is and even in the best of times is not the easiest of landings.

Precision Air is a regional airline in east Africa that flies most into Tanzania but also into Kenya an in Uganda. And they managed to rescue 26 people out of this aircraft. And that extraordinary scene where people who got to the scene first -- local villagers, fishermen, other people in the area -- rushing to the scene with boats and canoes just doing what they can to pull as many people as possible out of the fuselage of the aircraft and get them to safety.

Authorities initially during the day said that they were in contact with the pilots. That they were still communicating with them hoping that they would get them out. We don't know who survived and who did not survive out of this aircraft because the identities have not been revealed. At this time authorities in Tanzania and officials from the airline are contacting and notifying family members. But it's just been an extraordinary scene, equal parts terrifying and inspiring to see members of the public who are not trained for this sort of work just trying their best to make sure that they get as many people as possible to safety.

Precision Air has been around since the early '90s. It flies these ATR aircraft, this specific one was manufactured in France, has been in operation with the airline since 2010 and the airline has a decent safety record. So this is one of the worst accidents in its history. And the CEO was in tears today in front of the press trying to apologize for this scene and hoping for the best, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Wow. And Larry, I guess one of the most extraordinary things about the story that you've been telling and the details you've been learning is that nearby fishermen, you know, jumped in. You talk about how, you know, folks without any kind of training in rescues just simply jumped in, among them fishermen, people who just happened to be right there at the shore of Lake Victoria.

MADOWO: Right.

WHITFIELD: Pretty extraordinary. Larry Madowo, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

All right. Coming up, with just two days now until the high stakes midterm elections and big names are hitting the trail to make final pitches to voters.

President Biden will be in New York today and former President Trump in Florida. We'll take you to both places live, next.

[14:23:15] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: President Biden returned to the campaign trail two days before the midterms in his final push for Democrats. He'll be in Yonkers, New York later today to support Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul. She is running against Republican Congressman Lee Zeldin in a race that has become surprisingly close.

Meanwhile former President Trump is in Miami, the third stop in a four-city tour that has effectively made him a leading player in the Republican fight to control Congress.

CNN's Kristen Holmes is in Miami and correspondent Gloria Pazmino is at an early voting place in New York.

So Gloria, you first. What are voters telling you about the big issues, how enthusiastic they are about this race for governor?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Fred, actually I've been listening to a poll worker here talk about how it's been the busiest day today.

It is the last weekend of early voting here in New York so we do expect to see an increased amount of activity before election day next week.

And you talk about the issues. Voters here in Manhattan, which is where we are, have been talking to me about how they are surprised that this election is so close. In New York usually Democrats are not worrying about whether or not they're going to move an election. And there hasn't been a Republican governor here in 20 years.

As you mentioned Lee Zeldin really getting surprisingly close to the incumbent Kathy Hochul, who has been just hitting the campaign trail really hard in the last several days trying to drive people to the polls and trying to remind them that this election should not be taken for granted.

In fact, we heard from her earlier, she talked about how usually the enthusiasm is focused on the primary election and not the general election. But that is certainly not the case this time around.

Voters here also talking about how they are concerned that crime has taken a central focus in this race.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEXANDRA RHODE, NEW YORK VOTER: People say, well, New York, it's ok. You know, it's going to go Democratic but the idea that it's even close is, frankly, horrifying to me.

JOSEPHINE KIMBALL, NEW YORK VOTER: As a new voter I'm still learning about everything that's going on in our country. but I just know when I was young this is never been anything that was -- that I worried about.

[14:30:03]

TODD PORTERFIELD, NEW YORK VOTER: It's a triumph of the right to make -- to exaggerate the issue. There is an increase in crime. It's much worse in red states than in blue states. It's mostly a vehicle to incite racism.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: So crime is certainly a focus not just in this race but all across the country, around the midterm elections and the governor, Kathy Hochul, out there trying to get some very last minute help from both former President Bill Clinton here yesterday and today from a President Joe Biden -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Gloria in New York.

Now, Kristen, to you in Miami. Perhaps this is a preview, you know, of a potential 2024 presidential primary showdown. Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will be holding dueling rallies today. Dueling rallies, but do they have a common message at all?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it depends on what you think that message should be, talking about 2024 and him running as president, then they might have a similar message. But I don't think that's what you're going to hear from Ron DeSantis. Look, what we have seen is this growing tensions behind the scenes between these two men, sources talking about it for months.

But as it becomes more and more likely, or at least seems more and more likely, like the two will face off in 2024 in the Republican primary for president, that tension has really spilled over into the public.

And last night in Pennsylvania, Trump actually took a swipe at DeSantis when talking about his own popularity in the party. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're winning big, big, big in the Republican Party for the nomination like nobody has ever seen before. Let's see, there it is, Trump at 71. Ron Desanctimonious at 10 percent. Mike Pence at seven. Mike's doing better than I thought.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Now, of course, we reported last week that Trump is eyeing the two weeks after the midterms before Thanksgiving to announce a presidential run. As for Ron DeSantis, he has not said he is running. However, he refused to answer if he would serve out an attire term as governor if he was reelected.

And one thing, Fred, I just want to point out, is even though there is a tension between these two man, we have heard several introductory speeches today. Both of them, all of, them praising both men. So, it'll be interesting to see how this ends up playing out. Again,

start of 2024, we haven't even had that 2022 election yet.

WHITFIELD: Oh my good -- that's right. That's still two days away. Let's get through that first please.

All right. Kristen Holmes, Gloria Pazmino, good to see both of you. Thank you so much.

All right. Coming up, an Iowa teen who killed her alleged rapist and was sentenced to probation's escape from custody. Details on that straight ahead.

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[14:37:10]

WHITFIELD: Just now, two months after the shocking case of an Iowa teen convicted of killing her alleged rapist. Now she, 18-year-old Pieper Lewis, is considered a fugitive. Officials say Lewis was able to cut off her electronic tracking device and slip away from a women's center in Des Moines early yesterday morning. Lewis was just 15 years old when she pled guilty to killing 37-year-old Zachary Brooks. She said Brooks raped her several times before she killed him.

Back in September, a judge ordered Lewis to pay $150,000 in restitution and sentenced her to five years probation. A condition of that probation was to stay at the fresh start correctional facility in Des Moines. And again, now, she is considered a fugitive having escaped from that center.

Joining us now is Philip Joens, a reporter with the "Des Moines Register".

Philip, so good to see you. This is a heartbreaking story and sequence of events from start to finish. So, what more are officials saying about how she managed to escape?

PHILIP JOENS, REPORTER, DES MOINES REGISTER: Well, Fredricka, you pretty much covered it. That's pretty much all we have heard of so far. At about 6:19 am on Friday morning, she cut off her GPS bracelet and left the Fresh Start Women Center. It's a halfway house for women on probation or parole to stay there.

She -- her whereabouts are not known at this time. She is not in jail. She is not apprehended, we know that. But it's really hard to say where she's at.

WHITFIELD: Yeah. And can you tell us a little bit more about her story? Does she have family? Because, you know, reportedly, when people were learning about this case, it was reported that she was homeless for a period of her life.

But what do you know about if one is to escape, who authorities generally think that person may go to? Family members, familiar settings, what? JOENS: Sure, let me set the scene. Back on may 31st of 2020, it was

one of the more intense nights of protests in the George Floyd protest in Des Moines. She -- between January and March of 2020, Lewis ran away three times. She alleged that her parents were emotionally abusive.

The second time she ran away, she was sexually assaulted -- she came back, her mother didn't believe, or she came right away again. Essentially, she and ended up staying in this notoriously seedy the apartment complex and falling in with this 28-year-old man who are worked at publication called "The Musician".

[14:40:00]

He told me that he didn't know what I was talking about. He told police that he let her stay with him as a condition of doing chores. But she said in court documents before that he made her have sex with him, quote, immediately, and then have sex with money, with men for money, including Zachary Brooks. So, on May 31st of 2020, the musician sends her over to Brooks apartment. . She was essentially pressured into drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana. Brooks raped her for the sixth time. He had raped her five times earlier that May while she was unconscious, according to her account.

She got up to leave. He was sleeping on his bed. She saw a knife on his bed stand and decided to stab him. She stabbed him at least 30 times.

The homicide detective who investigated said was one of the most violent crimes he had seen. So, Lewis was arrested the next day on June 2nd of 2020. Eventually her case was moved to adult court. She was charged with first degree murder and face the prospect of spending the rest of her life in prison.

So, she pleaded guilty to lesser charges a voluntary manslaughter. She could've been sent to prison for up to ten years on both of those counts. She pleaded guilty in June of 2021, essentially to reason that at the very late she could get out of prison us in her mid 30s.

She -- prosecutors never disputed the claim that she was a sex trafficking victim even up to the point of the sentencing, and even during the sentencing admitted that she was a sex trafficking victim.

WHITFIELD: Wow.

JOENS: Public leisure mounted that a judge sentenced her to five years probation. She would have to spend all of that at the Fresh Start Center.

WHITFIELD: Yeah, it is heartbreaking. And I mean, clearly, just listening to, you know, your account and all that we know, she has been through a lot. So, what has been the reaction from the community, whether it was when people learned of the story publicly, when she was convicted, how she was sentenced, what have people said if anything about her escape now, and the prospect that, right, if located, after not being considered a fugitive, she could face 20 years now in prison.

JOENS: It's a very interesting story, because our country is a very divided country. And yet, most of the reaction I saw to the story both when we published the original investigation back in November about a year ago and more recently when she was sentenced in September and this became a national story, it was behind her, most people were behind her with the thinking that this is wrong.

The musician, her alleged pimp, has not been charged to this point. So, that made it a very unique story in that regard. There were a lot of people who are upset that she had to pay $150,000 to Brooks' family because of an Iowa law created a 1997 that people who commit homicides have to pay money, pay that sum too the families of the people they kill.

More recently, I haven't had a chance to gauge public reaction to her escape. It's just another turn in this story that a lot of people view as a tragic event.

WHITFIELD: Yes, the story that is her life. I mean, wow, it's so sad and troubling on so many levels. Philip Joens, so glad you could be with us to help us see it and understand it from the start, middle, and I can't say finish. I guess for on a whole other chapter of what seems to be a continuing life story. Thanks so much, Philip.

JOENS: Thanks, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Kyrie Irving will miss Monday's Brooklyn Nets game against the Dallas Mavericks after he was suspended for comments he made regarding his tweet linking to an antisemitic documentary. Well, the Nets suspended the star guard after he initially defended his decision to share the link. Irving later issued an apology on Instagram. Both the NBA and the Nets owner condemned Irving for the tweet.

Joining us now to discuss is Scott Richman. He is a regional director for the Anti-Defamation League in New York and New Jersey.

Scott, so good to see you.

So, tomorrow's game will be --

SCOTT RICHMAN, REGIONAL DIRECTOR, ADL FOR NEW YORK, NEW JERSEY: Thanks for having me.

WHITFIELD: Yes, thank you.

Tomorrow's game will be the third of at least five game suspension. What are your thoughts on where we are with this?

RICHMAN: Look, Kyrie has been given ample opportunity to do the right thing. Apologizing condemn anti-Semitism. He's basically field at every step. So, unfortunately, you know, he was asked if he had any antisemitic beliefs. He didn't answer that with -- he didn't answer that straight, you know?

[14:45:02]

He answered it with equivocation. ADL took his word, NBA took his word, the Nets took his word, and he's equivocated on it. So, from our perspective, you know, the suspension was the right thing to do. His apology was a bit late. I'm really glad the Nets have put in place very clear guidelines to allow him back in.

WHITFIELD: So, here is the Kyrie Irving apology after his suspension. I had no intention to disrespect any Jewish cultural history regarding the Holocaust or Perpetuate any hate. I am learning from this unfortunate event, and hope we can find understanding between us all.

And the apology, you know, coming more than a week after his initial tweet, and after he doubled down on his decision to share it.

So, what -- what do you believe this is helping to convey or teach? You know, when -- when I guess there's been so much consternation over the apology, the penalty, and, you know, where we are at this point.

RICHMAN: I think it's helping to convey the idea that we need to speak out against anti-Semitism, that people need to be firm, you know? In the case of Joe Tsai, the owner of the Nets, he quickly condemned anti-Semitism. He quickly condemned the book that Kyrie Irving put forward. So did the NBA.

You know, that matters. And, obviously, it's in stark contrast to the Kanye West case. I want to give you an example of what happens when you let hate get out of control like this. The book that Kyrie Irving put forward was a very obscure book. Nobody had heard of it. It's now number one on Amazon in two different categories.

You know, we say this a lot at ADL. Hate leads to hate, and it's exactly what happened here.

WHITFIELD: And, then, Scott, you know, returning now to the threat in your community and what's being face there in New Jersey. Last week, the FBI said it did identify the source of a broad threat to synagogues in the state. After that, you tweeted in part, crisis averted, but we should remain vigilant.

So, there has been a rise in antisemitic incidents across the country. What are your concerns for your community amid this rise in threats and displays of hate? I mean, look, that was a very visible instance, the threat that was made in the New Jersey synagogues. FBI acted quickly. We worked closely with them.

And very quickly, the threat was mitigated. I have to say, suddenly, there's so much attention being paid to anti-Semitism. From where I sit, this is not just something that happened over the past few weeks since Kanye West.

You know, from our perspective, ADL puts out an audit of antisemitic incidents every year. Our most recent audit shows that anti-Semitism in this country had reached historic highs. We had never seen numbers like this in the 42 years we've been keeping track of anti-Semitism. It's quadrupled the number we had just eight years ago. That for us is very troubling. I live at this reality every day of an

increase in anti-Semitism. But when you have sports figures, when you have celebrities putting forth antisemitic comments, people do take notice. But, unfortunately, a lot of haters take notice too.

WHITFIELD: So glad you could be with us today. Scott Richman, thank you so much.

RICHMAN: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: And we'll be right back.

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[14:53:15]

WHITFIELD: All right. If you are hoping for traditional turkey this Thanksgiving, expect to pay more at the checkout. Higher demand coupled with rising inflation and even bird flu, all factor into the price hikes. Meaning some families may have to get creative with their menus this year.

CNN business reporter Nathaniel Meyersohn joining me now with the details on all of this.

Nathaniel, so how much more will the Thanksgiving spread cost us?

NATHANIEL MEYERSOHN, CNN BUSINERSS CONSUMER REPORTER: Right, Fredricka. So, all signs are pointing to a more expensive Thanksgiving meal this year. One estimate this week predicted that Thanksgiving prices will rise 13.5 percent from a year ago. Some of our favorite sides will be more expensive. Potatoes, fruits and vegetables will be up 10 percent, baking ingredients up double digits.

And then when it comes time for dessert, pies are going to be up 20 percent. so, there is no escaping inflation this Thanksgiving.

WHITFIELD: Gosh, it doesn't seem so, it seems like we're all going to be eating smaller portions if anything. So, turkey prices, they are on the rise again, how come?

MEYERSOHN: Right. So, it's high demand from customers coupled with tight supply. And a bird flu killed more than 6 million birds over the past few months. That's leading to tighter supply. And then farmers and producers, they're also paying more for inflation, feed and fertilizer. So, that's going to hit -- that's going to hit consumers.

So, this year, a record low number of turkeys were raised, 212 turkeys this year. You look at the last couple years. It's more than 300 million turkeys. That's going to make its way to consumers.

Luckily, there are few ways that customers can save.

[14:55:02]

Walmart is offering last year's Thanksgiving prices. Aldi and Lidl, the German grocery chains, they are offering lower prices as well.

And B.J.'s wholesale club, they're saying that if you spend $150 when you shop, you're going to get a free turkey.

WHITFIELD: Okay, well, hey, look, you got me nervous when he said last year. That they were offering last year's turkeys. That's not so good. But yay on last year's prices.

All right. Nathaniel Meyersohn, think you so much.

And we'll be back.

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