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Harry & Meghan Reveal Bitter Split from Royal Family; Missing Exchange Student's Host Mom & Friends Speak Out; UVA Shooting Victim's Parents Speak Out, Demand Action; Source: Jill Biden "All In" on Husband's Possible 2024 Run; Majority of Electorate Don't Want Biden in 2024. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired December 15, 2022 - 13:30   ET

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

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[13:30:33]

ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: Screaming matches, death threats, and a bitter split from the royal family. Harry and Meghan are pulling back the curtain even more and revealing a behind-the-scenes look into royal life.

Part two, the final three episodes of the Netflix docuseries just released today.

And CNN's Max Foster has the tea for us from London.

Max, all the episodes are out there. What's your assessment? And what are you hearing from the palace?

MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: We're not hearing anything from the palace. They're just letting it lie there.

We're hearing about jealousy in the palace, we're hearing about lying in the palace, we're hearing about things we never normally hear about because they're kept behind palace walls.

But Meghan and Harry feel as though it's their duty to expose the inner workings of this institution, which they feel is pretty dysfunctional.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MEGHAN, DUCHESS OF SUSSEX: What she said to me was, it's like this. The fish is like swimming perfectly, powerful, it's on the right current. And then one day, this little organism comes in.

FOSTER (voice-over): The second installment has landed. Harry and Meghan's Netflix docuseries' latest drop could prove to be a lot more explosive than the last time around.

MEGHAN, DUCHESS OF SUSSEX: And the entire thing goes (INAUDIBLE).

What is that? What is it doing here? It doesn't look like us. It doesn't move like us. We don't like it. Get it off of us.

(CHEERING)

FOSTER: While the piece starts with fond recollections of their wedding, it goes on to accusations that the institution became jealous of the couple during their triumphant tour of Australia in 2018.

PRINCE HARRY, DUKE OF SUSSEX: The issue is when someone who's marrying in and who should be supporting -- a supporting act, is then stealing the limelight or doing the job better than the person who was born to do this, that upsets people. It shifts the balance.

FOSTER (voice-over): For Meghan, her claims of jealousy, media intrusion, lack of protection from the palace, even leaking of negative stories was too much.

The stress of the coverage, she says, triggering a miscarriage and even suicidal thoughts.

MEGHAN, DUCHESS OF SUSSEX: All of this will stop if I'm not here. And that was the scariest thing about it because it was such clear thinking.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I remember her telling me that, that she had wanted to take her own life. And that really broke my heart.

PRINCE HARRY: I was devastated. I knew that she was struggling. We were both struggling. But I never thought that it would get to that stage. And the fact that it got to that stage, I felt angry and ashamed.

(CHEERING)

FOSTER: In late 2019, Harry says conversations were leaked between him and his father about Meghan and Harry taking reduced roles and leaving the U.K.

In early 2020, they issued their own statements laying out their plans, which culminated in a family row at the Queen's Sandringham estate between Harry, William, Charles and the queen.

PRINCE HARRY: It was terrifying to have my brother screaming and shouting me. And my father saying things that simply weren't true. And my grandmother, you know, quietly sit there and sort of take it all in.

FOSTER: A year later, ahead of their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, a story leaked that Meghan had bullied her palace staff.

PRINCE HARRY: To see this institutional gaslighting that happens is extraordinary.

And that's why everything that's happened to us was always going to happen to us, because if you speak truth to power, that's how they respond. FOSTER: Harry speaking out for his wife but also his mother.

Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace say they won't be responding to the Netflix series. Instead, senior royals will continue with their planned public engagements.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: OK, no comment from the palace. But as you say, they are continuing on with business as usual today. What are they up to?

FOSTER: Well, there's an event at the abbey in London so you're going to see Charles and Camilla and Kate and William at that.

It's a show of unity, I think. And it's also a signal they are going to carry on and not address this.

Perhaps the idea is not to give it oxygen. Perhaps the idea is to try to stop this story just continuing or getting into a public spat with the Sussexes, which just isn't working for the royal family.

[13:35:03]

But I think they would refute -- if you spoke to them, frankly, off camera, they would probably refute that they were particularly briefing against Meghan. I think that they would feel that they always supported Mehgan.

But, you know, we don't have that point of view. So the on-the-record story, the one people know about, is the one coming from the Sussexes currently.

CABRERA: They have put out statements refuting claims before. Why not now?

FOSTER: Before, the queen put out a statement. That was after Oprah's interview where she talked about recollections varying.

So her suggesting that Harry and Meghan's point of view isn't how the rest of the family remembers all of those events.

So presumably, that still stands because William and Charles both signed off on that statement, too.

CABRERA: OK, it's interesting. I wonder if they'll still have a statement to come.

Max Foster, thank you for your reporting.

Vanished. New details in the case of a missing American student in France. What his host mom is now telling CNN about Kenny DeLand's disappearance. That's next.

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[13:40:54] CABRERA: More than two weeks have passed since college student, Kenny DeLand, disappeared in France without a trace. Now people who knew the American studying overseas are speaking out.

CNN tracked down the woman who was hosting him and CNN's Melissa Bell brings us this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA BELL, CNN PARIS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Social media posts give little away. Just images of a young American enjoying his exchange program in France.

But Kenny DeLand Jr vanished 15 days ago without a trace after leaving the home of the host mother he was staying with.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

BELL: She explains she's only spoken once to Kenny's mother, never to his father, but agrees to speak exclusively to CNN without the camera.

(on camera): What the host mother told us was that, of all the exchange students she'd had at her home, Kenny DeLand was the one that seemed to be having the most trouble fitting in and settling down to life here in Grenobles.

She also said, since he disappeared, she was inundating him with messages to which he hadn't responded.

And she added that she had been reassured by that sighting of him about an hour south of here in that sports shop.

Because she said it confirmed the possibility and her hope that he had gone and cut off communications voluntarily.

(voice-over): It was taken on December 3rd. Kenny DeLand spent just over $8 before vanishing altogether, according to his family. Leaving behind only Facebook pictures of his life in France from Paris to the University of Grenobles, Alps.

(on camera): The last time Kenny DeLand turned up for lessons here at the university he was studying at was November 28th. By the 29th, when he failed to turn up, a missing-persons report was filed.

And it emerged that he left his host family that morning, taking a packed lunch, a change of clothes, his wallet and his phone. Kenny DeLand hasn't been heard from since.

(voice-over): We showed Kenny's picture around the campus in the hopes that someone may recognize him. When we find Kenny's friends, they prefer not to speak on camera.

But tell us that Kenny had friends that were exchange students and some that were local.

"We care about him and we want him to come back safely." Statements that contradict what French authorities have said, that

Kenny struggled to make friends.

KEN DELAND, FATHER OF MISSING STUDENT: What I'm telling you is he makes friends and he's easy to talk to, like me. If you don't know my son, then it's tough for you to make some statement, some bold statement.

BELL (on camera): One of the things Kenny's friends told us is he may have been stressed about the upcoming exams.

Is that something that you recognize?

DELAND: He's in a foreign country. He's a pretty upbeat kid. You know what I mean? So it's possible, sure.

He was anxious. He wanted to do good. He wanted to prove he could get good grades even on the trip of a lifetime.

BELL (voice-over): Kenny DeLand Jr chronicled his journey to France in August. His father still hopes he'll be able to pick him up as planned on Saturday.

Melissa Bell, CNN, Grenobles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: And for the first time, we are hearing from the parents of D'Sean Perry. He was one of three University of Virginia football players shot and killed last month when a fellow student allegedly opened fire on a bus.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HAPPY PERRY, MOTHER OF D'SEAN PERRY: My son was a loving, caring, young man. He loved his family. He loved his teammates. And this is heartbreaking right now.

SEAN PERRY, FATHER OF D'SEAN PERRY: We're here to advocate against the gun violence and mental health issues.

We're here to make sure another family would never, never go through this again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: We are also hearing today from a survivor of that shooting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHEL HOLLINS JR, SURVIVED UVA SHOOTING: We locked eyes, and that was it. It was just a cold look.

I got hit in the small intestines, kidney and trying to see if it damaged my bladder. By the grace of god, it missed my spine by, I think, two centimeters or something like that. I lost a brother that day. I loved Lavel to the -- with all my heart.

Loved Devin with my all my heart. But D'Sean, it was different with him. It was, man, that was my brother. So, it was tragic hearing that he was gone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[13:45:23]

CABRERA: UVA awarded D'Sean Perry, Lavel Davis and Devin Chandler posthumous degrees. Their suspected killer is awaiting trial.

CNN is learning the first lady is now all in on the idea of another White House run. That's a switch. We've got details.

Plus, how American voters feel about it.

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[13:50:08]

CABRERA: Democrats are still split over whether they want President Biden to run in 2024. But one person who is now full steam ahead on the idea? First lady, Jill Biden.

Sources tell CNN her stance on his potential re-election bid has solidified since the midterms.

CNN White House correspondent, Kate Bennett, has the details.

KATE BENNETT, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Ana. While the first lady's been OK with the idea of a second term for her husband, Joe Biden, she has just in recent weeks really gotten involved here in being all in on that decision, as someone told me.

The recent wins for the president, from the midterm elections to the uptick in the economy to Brittney Griner, those are all things that have pushed Jill Biden firmly into the corner of we are running, this is something we are going to do.

Now, of course, we have not yet heard that final decision. We likely won't until after the holidays.

But Jill Biden, two things are true about her. She is the most influential person in Joe Biden's life. And she is the one who knows him the best. She is the one who can assess how he feels, his schedule, his stamina.

So certainly, her vote in terms of getting on board for 2024 and really pushing it forward and giving the nod from the East Wing to the West Wing is significant.

And it's definitely something that is needed for this Biden team heading into the holidays.

And we assume a final announcement from Joe Biden that he is, indeed, going to run for that second term -- Ana.

CABRERA: Kate Bennett, thank you for your reporting.

So Jill Biden may be all in for 2024 but are the American people?

CNN's senior data reporter, Harry Enten, joins us with the answer.

Do tell, Harry. What do the numbers show?

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATE REPORTER: I'm looking at my crystal ball right now. I'm just looking at some polling.

What we essentially see, if you ask the general electorate at this point whether or not Joe Biden deserves re-election, look at that. Just 38 percent of all registered voters say yes, 61 percent say no.

Obviously, that 38 percent not exactly that high. Though I have even seen polls that were worse for Biden and this is perhaps up a little bit.

But perhaps even more interesting than that, take a look at the primary electorate. Take a look among Democratic voters. Should Joe Biden, in fact, be the nominee for the Democratic Party or should it be a different candidate?

Look at that. Only 40 percent, only 40 percent say yes, 59 percent of Democrats, Democrats say it should be a different candidate.

I should note, though, again, this 40 percent is slightly higher than we had earlier this year when it was about 25 percent of Democrats.

So perhaps the trajectory is going up for Biden, even if the absolute number is not where he'd want it to be.

CABRERA: How do things look when you match Biden with other candidates in the general election?

ENTEN: There's an old saying, you can't beat something with nothing. So it's better to compare Biden -- where Biden is against another candidate.

Perhaps at this point, look at how he's doing against Donald Trump. Right? I think this gives you a pretty good indication that Joe Biden is far from dead, politically speaking.

Choice for president among the general electorate, Joe Biden at 45 percent, Donald Trump at 39 percent.

And this is just such a different thing than we saw when we looked at sort of Joe Biden when we weren't including other candidates.

And I think it gives you a better understanding of why Biden thinks he can run and he can win, because he's leading against the most likely Republican nominee at this point. And that's something that has been pretty consistent. And you know, we just looked at the midterm elections, right, where we

saw that, amongst the voters who voted in that midterm, yes, they didn't like Joe Biden but they didn't like Donald Trump either. And that played a major role.

So we can't just look at he, Joe Biden, in a vacuum.

CABRERA: OK. A lot of potential, this or that. But what happens when you match up Biden with other potential Democratic contenders?

ENTEN: Yes. So I love looking at history, right, Ana? That's something that I always do with you on this program.

And so essentially, if you look against Joe Biden, against the other Democrats, instead of trailing, what we actually see, he's actually quite ahead.

So you see that his margin over his nearest competitor in the national primary polls is plus 18 points. That's not exactly great. But it's certainly much better than it was earlier this year.

And more than that, it's better than even Barack Obama was doing in 2012. And Barack Obama sailed to that nomination.

And it's certainly significantly better than Jimmy Carter, who was down by 10 points at this point.

So Biden, when you match him up against other folks, looking quite a bit better than he does in a vacuum against himself.

CABRERA: You always provide great context and perspective.

Harry Enten, thank you.

ENTEN: Thank you.

CABRERA: The Grinch is apparently back to being a bad banana. The Arizona Department of Public Safety releasing this image of the vile one after it attempted to pose as a human passenger while traveling in the HOV lane on Interstate 10.

This wasn't in Whoville. It was in Phoenix. Officials say a trooper stopped the driver after seeing the, quote, "suspicious-looking passenger."

[13:55:07]

The inflatable green monster, not fooling anybody, leading to a citation for the human behind the wheel.

Arizona DPS tweeting out, quote, "Don't be a dummy and try to get around the HOV law." Hope that made you smile.

Before we go, I want to share some personal news with you. I'm planning to leave CNN. It's not good-bye yet. And I'll have more to share later. I'll be back for one more week with you, same time, same place. And I

look forward to finishing the year strong with you as we head into the holidays.

For now, I'll see you tomorrow as always, right here at 1:00 Eastern. Thanks so much for being with us.

The news continues right after this.

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