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Protests Erupt Across China In Challenge To Zero COVID Policy; Nearly 55 Million People Were Expected To Travel Over Thanksgiving Holiday; Early Voting Underway In Georgia Ahead Of Key Senate Runoff; People Still Working To Solve University Of Idaho Quadruple Homicide; Idaho Alum Raising Money To Buy College Women Personal Alarms; Elon Musk Offers Amnesty To Previously Banned Twitter Accounts. Aired 1-2p ET

Aired November 27, 2022 - 13:00   ET

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

[13:00:27]

PAULA REID, CNN HOST: Hello. Thanks for joining me, I'm Paula Reid in today for Fredricka Whitfield.

We begin this hour with unprecedented acts of defiance in cities and university campuses across China. Anger and frustration boiling over against the government's strict Zero COVID lockdowns.

Protesters in Shanghai chanting "step down" aimed at China's leader Xi Jinping and his ruling Communist Party. But also this, videos from Shanghai earlier today showing protesters being roughed up and dragged away by police. People can be heard yelling release them.

CNN's Steven Jiang has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: It was just extraordinary to hear the protesters in Shanghai chant the slogans directly targeting Chinese leader Xi Jinping and the ruling Communist Party because up to that point even the most vehement opponents of the Zero COVID policy have been dancing around this issue and saying how the top leadership had its heart in the right place, but instead blaming local law enforcement, pointing finger at overzealous or incompetent local officials.

But those protesters in downtown Shanghai really directly challenging the legitimacy of the party and its strongman leader, and saying the problem really lies with the system. That's obviously somebody not tolerated in this one-party dictatorship. So there was growing worry and concern about the fate of some of the protesters who got taken away by the police. So on Sunday, there was another crowd gathering on the same spot in Shanghai, demanding those protesters' release.

But now we understand there's a heavy police presence on location with the authorities sealing off a larger area around this protester site but also clearing everyone from this location. So there's obviously a lot of fear on the part of the authorities that this kind of messaging could inspire others across the country. But this latest wave of protests really triggered by a deadly

apartment fire in Xinjiang and how the authorities there handled the aftermath. Remember, on one hand officials there insisted that the COVID measures they put in place had nothing to do with the firefighter's delay in reaching the fire to put it out, but on the other hand, after insisting for weeks that lockdowns must be maintained because of the outbreak, they all of a sudden announced they phased reopening after the fire.

So all of that really serving as the latest and loudest wake-up call to a lot of people here in terms of how increasingly unscientific and ineffective as well as potentially dangerous this policy has become. Not to mention all the absurdities surrounding its enforcement. That's why across the country we are seeing people trying to take matters into their own hands, taking to the streets, demanding their freedoms and also tearing down metal fences or barriers set up by local officials to seal them inside their residential compounds.

And also, of course multiple vigils and protests spearheaded by university students on campuses across the nation. Because, remember, for many of these young people, they have lived their entire college life in the past three years under some forms of lockdown. Just imagine all of that pent-up anger and frustration.

Steven Jiang, CNN, Beijing,

(END VIDEOTAPE)

REID: And just a short time ago, our Selina Wang was at one of the protests in Beijing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SELINA WANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm in the center of a protest in Beijing right now. They're chanting that they don't want COVID tests, they want freedom. They've been chanting this for hours. People have gathered here at the center of Beijing to protest the COVID measures.

We are in Chaoyang District. This is the city center. This is also where the authorities have urged people to stay at home because the COVID outbreak is severe here. Now the area is also important because this is where the American embassy is over there, there are many foreign embassies over here. There is a heavy police presence. I am surrounded by police, they're telling me to shift in a little bit, and if we just turn the camera around you'll see there is a row of police.

There is -- mostly young people who have gathered here. And many people are also holding white papers in their hands which is a sign of solidarity against censorship.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

REID: Selina Wang, thank you.

Let's bring (INAUDIBLE). He is a senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations and director of global health studies at Seton Hall University.

All right. We've seen protests in China before, but this time it seems different. This is an unusual sight to see, especially in a city like Shanghai.

[13:05:04]

YANZHONG HUANG, SENIOR FELLOW FOR GLOBAL HEALTH, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: Well, absolutely. This is the most unprecedented protests we have not seen over the past three decades in terms of the size, in terms of the demands raised compared with previous protest which tend to be more isolated. They tend to be more individualized and also limited to (INAUDIBLE). But this is very indeed unprecedented.

REID: And how did China get itself into this situation? I mean, how is it possible that they're facing more COVID cases now than ever before, even with these policies?

HUANG: Well, it is indeed because of the policy that -- the Zero COVID policy, which managed to keep the infection level and the death level very low, but about two weeks ago, they started to soften the policy by introducing certain kinds of flexibility. But then the government decided to retighten the policy after seeing the increase of the cases, which indeed was part of the result of this softening -- policy softening measures. And so with the rise of the policy, the people also were their dissatisfaction.

Zero COVID also reached a record high. I think in this way the government actually overestimated the people's ability to endure all the pains associated with Zero COVID.

REID: And does China have the ability to ramp up, for example, a vaccination program? And would that help the situation?

HUANG: Well, it actually has the ability to ramp up the vaccination rate, especially when we talk about the increase in the vaccination rate among the elderly. But the problem here is that, as long as the government continues to insist on Zero COVID, it cannot tolerate any infections, then the vaccination would continue to be a marginalized tool responding to the pandemic because even the best vaccines cannot guarantee 100 percent protection.

REID: That's right. And China has seen a record number of new COVID cases, but almost no correlating deaths. Can we trust that statistic? Does it mean that there haven't actually been any deaths or they're just not being publicly reported?

HUANG: Well, according to the government statistics so far the death level remains very low. And they report that 90 percent of the cases are symptomatic, according to the government statistics. Well, that number I think it is still overall reliable, though you have to keep in mind there might be a different way the calculating COVID-related deaths.

REID: We hear some of these protesters calling for President Xi Jinping to step down. That does not appear to be a realistic expectation. But do these protests pose any kind of threat to his power?

HUANG: Well, I think this -- again, this is very rare, but in part because President Xi tied himself to the Zero COVID policy, so when people are protesting against the excessiveness of the policy, it becomes more likely to challenge directly the leadership himself. So if that volatile situation is not handled appropriately by the central government, it could evolve into a big political crisis.

REID: Interesting. Well, thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate it.

Now to the severe weather that could impact travel plans for millions of people heading home from the Thanksgiving holiday. Rain and gusty winds from the southeast to the Midwest and northeast could create treacherous conditions on the roads and cause flight delays and cancellations. A few western states are also facing winter weather advisories. There are already more than 1700 delayed flights and that number is only expected to rise.

The rain, snow and wind coming on what the TSA and AAA expect will be the busiest travel day of the year. AAA says nearly 55 million people are traveling for the Thanksgiving holiday.

And meteorologist Tom Sater is in the CNN Weather Center for us. All right, Tom, where are you seeing the worst weather today?

TOM SATER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It's going to be the eastern U.S. Now unlike getting to grandmother's house where travelers could stagger their travel through many days. Like you said everybody wants to come back on Sunday, and unfortunately we have the worst weather for the entire week.

[13:10:02]

Now currently winds are causing hour delays at Newark. Earlier it was just volume delays at LaGuardia but now they're tossing the winds in there as well. The weather is going to go downhill. Because when you look at this radar and these colors of green, this is real time, so it's good to at least see even with the rain at Detroit and Chicago, no major delays, Indianapolis. Now if you're traveling by automobile, this is a whole another story because it's blinding rainfall in some areas. There's going to be snow in (INAUDIBLE) Michigan. Southern Michigan the heavy rainfall and toward Pennsylvania.

And then you get into Delmarva, you get into Washington, D.C., Dulles International Airport, Baltimore, and then all the way up Philadelphia and New York. This is all going to be moving in, throughout the afternoon, and get heavy at times even this evening. Behind the rain we've got problems. These are all wind advisories, parts of the Tennessee Valley and Ohio Valley, even some wind warnings. You get those higher ridges of, you know, the Smokies and the Blueridge.

But again, this is going to be some heavy rainfall. And it a tails all the way back in toward northern Florida. So we could have some delays there. Spotty rain back behind me, that's where the winds are picking up. Now we've got another problem and this is out in the Pacific northwest, so another new storm system but blinding rainfall really on the coastline, but a lot of mountain snow and valley snow, so regional flights could really be affected there.

So the forecast, and that's what this is with the colors, look in areas of yellow, minor possible delays. Chicago, Detroit, and then it gets a little worse when you get to the larger cities on the East Coast. But a lot of snow for those who have that, we have that. Here's the problem, though, Paula. Tuesday, a severe weather event, it's a rare event, so we'll be watching this for the possibilities of the tornados. This is a level three out of five, could go up to a level four. Pretty rare. Be careful.

REID: Yikes. All right, Tom. Thank you very much.

Let's check in on air travel now. We have a team of correspondents at various airports. Gloria Pazmino is at LaGuardia in New York, but let's begin with Nadia Romeo is in Atlanta.

All right, Nadia. The world's busiest airport. What's the situation on the ground?

NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Paula, you would expect it to be pretty busy today, and it has been steady. I was talking with hotel staff here that are near the airport. I spoke with people who work here at the airport and travelers, and they all say it's been busy, but not hectic or crazy. So take a look behind me. This is the sky priority line for Delta. So this is when you've got more status and you still have to wait in a line here just to get your bags tagged and on their way.

And so even if you have status, you've got more miles, you're a special card member, you have a special credit card, you're still going to be waiting in line because this is supposed to be the busiest travel day following the Thanksgiving holiday. So this is something that we're seeing really all across the airport on the Delta side here in the Atlanta, on the north terminal side where you have all the other airports.

But take a look at the line here. This is the general TSA boarding area. So this isn't precheck, this isn't clear, these are folks who are just trying to make their way in. Some of them have clear, so special access to get in through faster, and through screening. Other people are just going to general boarding. And you've got lines here, but it could be worse. You see, these are the rows that were filled when we got here a couple of hours ago.

So you could have started here. So it's not as bad as we've seen it. And really last year we were dealing with a trifecta of issues. We had bad weather around the Thanksgiving holiday. We had COVID sickouts for those airline workers, and we had people who were just not used to traveling, who had that travel delay from not traveling because of the pandemic, and that really slowed down a lot of the lines like getting through general screening.

I want you to hear from two travelers who say this year it's been a lot easier. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAM BENNETT, TRAVELER: There was a couple of delays. I think it was mostly weather related, I'm not sure. But yes, there were a couple of delays. It wasn't -- it didn't get too bad, thank goodness, but it's been pretty smooth so far.

TRACY GILLOOLEY, TRAVELER: Everything is just so much -- every bit the mood is even so much different this year. I'm a nurse, so I'm, you know, loving it, but everything just runs smoothly here and in Tampa. And I just couldn't be happier. It's nice to be able to travel again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMERO: So when you check FlightAware and look at cancellations and delays here in the U.S., not a lot to deal with at least right now. We're looking at about 1800 or so cancellations so far in the U.S. And when you talk about domestic travel, that is pretty good. That's pretty good considering -- Paula.

REID: Well, we'll take a little good news where we can get it. Thank you so much.

Now I want to go to Gloria Pazmino at LaGuardia in New York.

All right, Gloria, the rain, as we saw in the forecast, is moving into your area. I know you've been talking to travelers there. What are you learning?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's interesting to see the contrast between Atlanta and LaGuardia here in New York where we are. I'm at Terminal B at American Airlines where people have been checking in all morning. And it's been pretty controlled here, a good flow of people moving along, checking in their bags. And I've been talking to travelers today who told me that they came in here knowing that the possibility of delays was in the cards for them.

[13:15:03]

They know that there's bad weather on the horizon and they also know that this is the busiest travel day of the year. And post-pandemic they are expecting that travel to continue to increase. In fact, more than 54 million Americans are expected to travel today, at least they traveled at least 50 miles from their home, and many of them are making their way back today.

Now here in New York City, the three airports that service this area, LaGuardia, John F. Kennedy Airport, and Newark Airport in New Jersey have all asked travelers to come to the airport earlier than they typically would, and they're also recommending that people reserve a parking spot if they need it. The parking lots are filling in quickly.

So if you're coming into the airport and maybe you're in a little bit of a rush, you don't have a parking spot, that's going to make that travel experience a little bit more stressful. We talked to travelers here today, all of them had planned for the potential delays. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUSTIN SILLMAN, TRAVELER: Of course I'm going to be worried about not getting to my place on time. I'm supposed to be at a meeting soon tonight. So if I don't get there, I'm going to have make a lot of calls and text, and it's going to be pretty annoying so obviously I'm worried that if there's a delay, I'm not going to make it on time.

CHRIS RODESCH, TRAVELER: If it gets delayed, I think we will be fine because he has his car in D.C. so we have like this flexibility. So that should be fine.

SHARON ELLIOTT, TRAVELER: You just have to kind of maneuver and go with the flow.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: So the bad weather not quite in our area just yet, but we do expect it to arrive later today. So as the hours wear on, and more people try and get out of New York City, we do expect to see more activity and potentially longer delays here at LaGuardia.

REID: All right, Nadia Romero, Gloria Pazmino, thank you very much for those important updates and some great tips.

Still ahead, more than 70,000 people voted on the first day of early voting in Georgia's Senate runoff election. We will have a live report from the campaign trail.

Plus, two weeks after four University of Idaho students were killed, dozens of local, state and federal investigators are still working to determine who carried out that brutal attack. What one university alum is doing to help students feel safe. That's ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:21:28]

REID: Georgia on many people's minds as early voting continues out of the key Senate runoff there. Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock and his Republican challenger Herschel Walker are on a sprint to their runoff election on December 6th. The Georgia Supreme Court rejected an emergency request from Republicans to block early voting on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

CNN's Eva McKend joins me now from Atlanta.

All right. This is high stakes. So what do the candidates have scheduled for today?

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Paula, I'm at a Souls to the Polls events in Atlanta. Senator Warnock is going to take the stage in just a little bit. I think actress Lynn Whitfield speaking now behind me.

Souls to the Polls is popular in the black church tradition. The idea being you go to church in the morning and then you get your souls to the polls, you rally and then you proceed to vote.

Black turnout has really been key to Democratic victories. And what we saw is huge black turnout yesterday during the Saturday vote. About half of the 70,000 Georgians that came out to vote yesterday were black Georgians.

Senator Warnock, a very busy schedule this weekend. He has run in runoffs before. He spoke to that on the trail along with Senator Cory Booker, who is campaigning for him this weekend as well. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. RAPHAEL WARNOCK (D-GA): This is now the fifth time my name has been on the ballot in less than two years for the same doggone job. It's the fifth time. So I'm committed to this work.

SEN. CORY BOOKER (D-NJ): I'm asking you for the next 10 days, to do everything you can, to encourage everyone you know to come out and vote. Because at the end of the day, it's not only about the people we elect, it's about the people we are.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKEND: Now Herschel Walker has no listed campaign events this weekend, but he will be campaigning this week in coming Dalton among other places.

Now we are in this position, Paula, because neither candidate, Herschel Walker or Senator Warnock, achieved over 50 percent of the vote in the general election. That is what prompted this runoff. And you have both candidates trying to drive tip turnout, get as many people out as possible during the early vote period this week, and then, of course, on election days on December 6th -- Paula.

REID: All right, Eva McKend, thank you so much for your great reporting on the ground there.

And coming up, two weeks after four University of Idaho students were killed, there's still lots of unanswered questions and plenty of concern. Next, I'll talk to an alum that is raising money to try to help students from her alma mater feel safer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:28:55]

REID: It's been two weeks since the killing of four University of Idaho students, and local, state and federal investigators are still looking for answers. After more than 1,000 tips and at least 150 interviews they have yet to identify a suspect or discover a murder weapon. Meanwhile, the small college town is reeling in the aftermath with residents and students worried about their safety.

CNN's Camila Bernal has the latest on the investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It has been extremely frustrating for the families and the friends of the victims, and frankly for the entire community because it's two weeks later and we still don't have a motive, we don't have a weapon, and we do not have a suspect.

Authorities saying they need more time to look over the crime scene, to process the crime scene. They say things like blood needs to be evaluated, fingers prints, tire marks. They've already taken about 4,000 pictures at the scene. They've also collected about 100 pieces of evidence, they've done 3-D scans, and there is more to do. That's all in addition to the hundreds and hundreds of tips that they have received, about a thousand so far.

[13:30:05]

And authorities say they've already done about 150 interviews, so it's going to take a lot of time and it is also going to take a lot of money. Governor Brad Little already pledging up to a million dollars to help in terms of resources for this investigation. And we've seen those resources there. Officers even working on Thanksgiving Day.

In terms of the case and the timeline it's pretty much the same. What authorities have been telling us is that these four students went out on Saturday night, November 12th, came back on Sunday at around 2:00 in the morning. They're believed to have been killed during the early morning hours, stabbed multiple times while they were likely sleeping. Some of them did have defensive wounds, so it's possible that some of them fought back.

But there are still so many questions as to what exactly happened that night. One thing, though, that authorities are saying is that they believe this was a targeted attack.

Camilla Bernal, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

REID: Camila Bernal, thank you so much.

And with no suspect in custody, students at the University of Idaho are left feeling unsafe. But now a former U of I student is helping those students get some peace of mind. Right after the murders, Kerry Uhlorn started a project to raise money for personal alarms. A former Delta Gamma sorority sister, Kerry has already distributed hundreds of alarms to all 10 sororities on campus and is not set on ordering almost 1,000 more for women in dorms. Now Kelly joins us now.

Hi, Kerry. You started nearly two weeks ago. So tell me, what has the response been like?

KERRY UHLORN, UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO ALUM: It's been completely overwhelming in the best possible way. Something that started so very, very small has just exploded and it's amazing to see the community comes together like this. REID: How much money have you raised so far and how many alarms have

you been able to purchase at this point?

UHLORN: So we've raised just a little over $19,000. Earlier this week I ordered 737 for the Greek women on campus so it will be distributed early next week. And then just yesterday I placed another order for another 1200 alarms that are going directly to the university to distribute to any students that want one.

REID: And why a personal device? What are these like? How do they work? Some people have suggested they need more security on campus. But how do these add maybe an extra layer of protection?

UHLORN: The alarm is really easy to use, it's really compact, emits a very loud sound and a very bright light that can hopefully draw attention to whatever the situation may be. I know pepper spray and some of those other things are really great but personally I don't think in a moment of panic, I would be able to undo the safety. I'd probably end up spraying myself.

REID: That's a great point of concern for a lot of people. You also have to be in really close proximity to a prospective attacker in order to use those kinds of things while a personal alarm, you can use it any time. What has the reaction been like for students?

UHLORN: I've heard from students and parents of students, they are so grateful. I know so many of them are really apprehensive about returning, and their parents are apprehensive, and they've said that has given them a little -- a glimmer of hope, a little, you know, peace of mind going back so soon after this.

REID: So obviously the entire country is watching this situation. You went to school there, you've lived in this town. What does this tragedy mean for this Idaho town? The entire nation, arguably large parts of the world, all really centered on this tragedy and how they're handling it.

UHLORN: It's completely unthinkable that something like that could happen up there. I always felt safe. I think it's really hard for a lot of us to think that something like that could happen up there. So I think that's really unnerving. I know law enforcement is working around the clock to do what they can in providing us (INAUDIBLE). I hope that that happens soon.

REID: So if a student is at home watching this and they want to get one of these alarms, what can they do?

UHLORN: Currently we have a member of the group who works for the University Alumni Relations Group, Marie Duncan. All you need to do is send her an e-mail, marie@uidaho.edu, and let her know you want one and she'll get you on the list. She's meeting with university officials early next week to put a program in place to keep this movement going.

REID: All right. Kerry Uhlorn, thank you so much, and good luck.

UHLORN: Thank you.

REID: And still to come, general amnesty for banned Twitter accounts. Elon Musk says he will begin restoring previously suspended accounts in the coming days.

[13:35:02]

We will discuss after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

REID: Elon Musk says he will begin restoring previously banned Twitter accounts in the coming day. That includes users banned for threats and harassment. Musk announced the decision last week after conducting a poll on the social media platform. The poll got more than three million votes with about 72 percent in favor.

Joining me now to discuss is Imran Ahmed, he is the founder and CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate.

All right. What's your reaction to these accounts being reinstated?

IMRAN AHMED, CEO, CENTER FOR COUNTERING DIGITAL HATE: Well, first of all, it's extraordinary that, you know, this was the U-turn that he's made. Just a couple of weeks ago he told advertisers and users and a range of civil rights groups, but what he was going to do was set up a council. I think you remember he said that he was going to set up his own oversight board. That was going to advise on which accounts should be let back on. That's all disappeared.

[13:40:01]

He's not unilaterally decided to bring back -- many of these are accounts that are really problematic. There's people who've been involved in doxing. People like the far-right British politician Nick Griffin who published the address of a gay couple. There's Martin Shkreli, who was sexually harassing journalists. There's 200,000 suspected Chinese state accounts which were taunting Hong Kong protesters. There's Russian state propaganda, all sorts on there.

Is he really going to allow them to all flood back? Because that would turn the platform into what he warned advertisers that he would not let this platform become, a hellscape.

REID: Well, you know the impact potentially on advertisers. We've already seen several companies leave the platform. Now you recently told "The Washington Post" that the choice for advertisers has never been starker. Stick around and back Elon Musk or protect their brands and ensure their marketing dollars aren't used to enable the spread of hate, abuse and disinformation.

How do you think that this decision is going to impact advertisers?

AHMED: Well, I think advertisers are already nervous. We've seen a lot of them moving their marketing dollars away from Twitter. Part of the reason that he introduced the $8 charge was in a desperate attempt to bring back revenues because the truth is that advertisers are the only things that keeping Twitter afloat. And crucially allows him to service the enormous billions of dollars of loans that he's taken to buy Twitter.

So if this company, which he never wanted to buy -- let's never forget he spent seven months trying to get out of this initial sort of, you know, decision to say he was going to purchase it, but actually he has to bring in -- and it's not quite clear that he can do that.

REID: So what's the solution here? Some people have suggested that companies like Apple and Google should outright ban Twitter from its app stores. Is that the right approach? Or sort of let the free market and consumers decide whether or not this is something they actually want to continue to participate in?

AHMED: You know, this is all about community standards. And Twitter actually has rules against racism. Another bit of research that CCDH did show that there's actually been a massive increase in the amount of racism, of bigotry of all kind on this platform. And the platform is not enforcing those standards, which are both our responsibilities as users, yes, but there are also reciprocal rights that we expect to not -- every time we use that platform.

And so I think what's really key is that those app stores need to decide, do they feel safe having that app on their platform, if it is going to be the app version of 8Chan, you know, that Web site where terrorism, revenge porn, all kinds of horrors are featured without consequences.

REID: So this decision of course came after Musk conducted a poll on Twitter. What do you make of the fact that he appears to be making decisions based on public polling?

AHMED: Well, it's a Twitter poll. I mean, we all know how reputable those are. And the truth is that fewer than 1 percent of the users of Twitter actually voted in that poll. And that what I think -- that's what I think is so extraordinary is that he's hiding behind a small unrepresentative poll to do what he wanted. It's kind of pathetic, really.

If he had the guts, he'd just say I don't actually care about racism, I don't care about bigotry, I don't care about fake accounts. I just need to have as much content as possible because that's ultimately what a platform like Twitter needs is monetizable assets and that's content, really.

REID: Well, I want to get your take on this tweet from Musk. Someone asks if he would support Ron DeSantis in 2024, and he says yes. So what do you make of that?

AHMED: Look, he obviously has absolutely every right to back a candidate if he wants to. The question is, will it change his decision-making about how he enforces the rules on his platform. And I think that's yet to be seen. But we've seen with this man that he actually can't differentiate the public interests from his own interests. And that, I think, is going to be the key problem going forward.

What happens when you hand over a platform of democratic significance like Twitter to a man who believes himself to be beyond true democracy and out of the reach of democratic legislators, whether they are in the U.S., the U.K. the E.U. or anywhere else in the world?

REID: Well, we're about to find out. Imran Ahmed, thank you so much.

[13:45:02]

And still to come, we will take a look at the premiere of the final season of CNN's original series, "THIS IS LIFE WITH LISA LING." In the first episode Lisa explains how technology is providing new ways to connect with each other.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

REID: A fun surprise yesterday for a few kids in Nantucket. Some children --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my god. Hi. Hi. Hi.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

REID: Some children taking a video from a restaurant could not contain their excitement when they saw the president walking by.

[13:50:00]

President Biden heard the commotion and walked over, smiling, waving, even taking some selfies. The clip was posted on the "Nantucket Current." Biden was visiting with his family for the Thanksgiving holiday.

And Lisa Ling is back with a new season of "THIS IS LIFE." During the season, Lisa will take viewers on a journey around the country exploring some of the most pressing issues of our time. In the first episode, Lisa explores how the loneliness of the pandemic era is changing the very fabric of human relationships and how some people are embracing nonhuman companions to fill the void.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LISA LING, CNN HOST, "THIS IS LIFE": Most of the time Tasha spends her days in a finished basement in Tony's basement.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, pop, Ready to get that makeup off and get changed?

LING: A place he built just for her, where the two of them can be alone.

Are you physically intimate with Tasha?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

LING: What's that like?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's different. It's different than I would have expected, but there is a relationship there. Right now, sex is a very small part of it. It really is.

Look at how gorgeous you are.

LING: Sex may be why Tony first purchased Tasha, but he tells me that was just the beginning.

(END VIDEO CLIP)\

REID: All right, joining us now is the host of "THIS IS LIFE," Lisa Ling.

All right, Lisa, this has a lot of people talking. In the first episode, you explore these nonhuman attachments people formed in the wake of the pandemic. What did you see as you're reporting this out across the country?

LING: Well, you know, Paula, our show, "THIS IS LIFE," has always looked at issues through sometimes a nonconventional, unique lens. And this episode is no different. To be clear, though, it is not an episode about sex dolls. It is an episode about how we all have become reliant, attached, sometimes even addicted to nonhuman entities. Most of us are not in a relationship with a life-sized doll but we are in a relationship with our devices, and what you can experience, what you can do on them.

These apps that we have on our devices, they are powered by very powerful AI. And so these algorithms, they know more about us than we know ourselves. They know what makes us happy, what makes us sad, the things that we like to buy. In some cases, they are even thinking for us and we're not thinking for ourselves, and because there is this trend toward personalization, what we are interested in, you know, we follow the people who espouse what we do, all of this information is being essentially served to us on a silver platter based on all of the data that has been collected on our habits.

And let's face it, we do, most of us, spend more time on our devices with these algorithms or on these algorithms than we do with human beings. I mean, ask kids these days or watch kids these days, they would rather forego playdates or doing sports to be on their devices because that is how much control they have over us.

REID: It's a great point. All right. So, what else do we have to look forward to this season? You always dive into such interesting topics. What else do you have coming up?

LING: Well, this season is as diverse as they all are. We look at the mental health crisis that is playing out on streets all across America. We also explore people who have become addicted to a substance that is more addictive or has affected more people than opioids, meth, and cocaine combined. And it's perfectly legal and it's celebrated. And given that the racial strife that we're experiencing in this country, we look into a religion that believes that the key to global harmony is through the blending of cultures through interracial marriage. It's fascinating season, as they all are, I love to think.

REID: You are absolutely right. They are all fascinating. But this season of "THIS IS LIFE," the ninth, will actually be the final season of the show. So as you reflect, are there any moments that are particularly memorable for you or lessons that you've learned over the course of filming all these seasons?

LING: Paula, I can't just name one. I mean, the book club that I attended in a prison is so memorable to me. The father-daughter dance that culminated in a dance inside of a jail with jail inmates. The families in the mostly Mormon state of Utah who, in adherence to their word of wisdom, avoid coffee and alcohol but have become addicted to doctor-prescribed opioid pills.

[13:55:02]

So many stories that we've explored over the course of nine seasons that have really left this indelible imprint on me. But my hope is that people will watch this season and maybe look back and reflect on some of the other episodes. Because now, as we are, you know, sort of so, you know, in these bubbles, it's really important that we get out of those bubbles and understand why people think the way they think, do what they do, and are the way they are. And I think our show has done a really good job of trying to convey those things.

REID: You have. Lisa Ling, thank you so much for joining us.

And be sure to tune in to the final season of "THIS IS LIFE WITH LISA LING" premieres tonight at 10:00 p.m., only on CNN. And you can find every episode of "THIS IS LIFE" from previous seasons streaming on Discovery Plus.

We'll be right back.

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