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Hunter Biden Faces Nine Criminal Charges In Federal Tax Case; White House Not Commenting On New Hunter Biden Tax Charges; United States Vetoes United Nations Resolution Calling For Immediate Ceasefire; TX Supreme Court Temporarily Halts Woman's Emergency Abortion; Louisiana Town's Redneck Parade Hides Bleak Reality; Army, Navy Face Off In 124th Showdown Between Teams. Aired 12-1p ET

Aired December 09, 2023 - 12:00   ET

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

[12:00:00]

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Scan the Q.R. code on your screen. Or e-mail AskAmanpour@cnn.com. And remember to tell us your name and where you're from.

Don't forget, you can find all our shows online as podcasts at cnn.com/podcast and on all other major platforms. I'm Christiane Amanpour in London. Thanks for watching, and I'll see you again next week.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield in New York this weekend. We begin this hour with both leading presidential candidates dealing with major legal distractions as they prepare to head into the first contest of the 2024 election season.

On Friday, a federal appeals court upheld most of a gag order barring former President Donald Trump from attacking certain witnesses, prosecutors, and court staff. Trump is vowing to appeal the ruling, which centers on his federal election subversion case.

And this comes as President Biden hits the campaign trail just hours after his son was indicted again. Hunter Biden is now facing new federal tax evasion charges. Prosecutors accuse him of a four-year tax evasion scheme and spending millions of dollars on things like drugs, escorts, and exotic cars. If convicted on all nine criminal counts, he could face up to 17 years in prison. The charges come as House Republicans continue to pressure Hunter Biden to testify in a congressional hearing and prepare to vote on a resolution to authorize an impeachment inquiry into President Biden.

CNN chief legal affairs correspondent Paula Reid has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA REID, CNN SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice over): President Biden ignored questions Friday about the latest criminal charges filed against his son.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Any comment on the new charges against your son? REID (voice over): Those new charges laid out in a 56-page indictment unsealed Thursday. Prosecutors allege Hunter Biden engaged in a four- year scheme to not pay, at least, $1.4 million in taxes. They allege the younger Biden had money, but spent it on drugs, escorts and girlfriends, luxury hotels and rental properties, exotic cars, clothing and other items of a personal nature, in short, everything but his taxes.

The case was supposed to be resolved with a plea deal that fell apart over the summer.

HUNTER BIDEN, SECOND SON OF PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: I'm cooperating completely. And I'm absolutely certain, 100 percent certain that at the end of the investigation that I will be cleared.

REID (voice over): The case stems from Hunter Biden's lucrative overseas business dealings. He did eventually repay taxes he owed along with hundreds of thousands of dollars in penalties and fees. But prosecutors say that when he did finally file his returns, he included false business deductions in order to reduce his tax liability.

His lawyers claim prosecutors have bowed to political pressure to bring charges against the president's son. In a statement, his attorney Abbe Lowell said, "If Hunter's last name was anything other than Biden, the charges in Delaware, and now California, would not have been brought."

In a newly released podcast recorded before the indictment. Biden said the pressure comes from Republicans intent on undermining his father.

BIDEN: They are trying to, in the -- in their most illegitimate way, but rational way, they are trying to destroy a presidency. And so, it's not about me, and their most base way. What they're trying to do is they're trying to kill me, knowing that it will be a pain greater than my father could be able to handle.

REID (voice over): The indictment does not include any evidence linking these alleged crimes to President Biden. But GOP lawmakers continue to push forward with their impeachment inquiry and pursuing an interview with the president's son.

REP. JAMES COMER (R-KY): My concern is that Weiss may have indicted Hunter Biden to protect him from having to be deposed in the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

REID (on camera): Yes, that claim doesn't really pass muster because Hunter Biden did not use the indictment, he was already facing in Delaware to avoid sitting down with lawmakers. He has committed to a public interview, something the lawmakers on that committee has so far rejected. Insisting first on a behind closed doors deposition. So, they appear to be at a stalemate. It's unclear when if ever he will appear for an interview on The Hill.

It's also unclear when he will appear in federal court. The initial appearance has not yet been scheduled. Paul Reed CNN, Washington.

[12:05:00]

WHITFIELD: All right. Amid his son's legal troubles, President Biden is instead focusing on his campaign and economic record. Speaking in Las Vegas on Friday, Biden touted his infrastructure programs, while attacking Trump's inability to accomplish what he promised when he was president.

CNN senior White House reporter, Kevin Liptak, joining us now from Los Angeles, where the president is campaigning and fundraising. So, Kevin, what has been the White House's response to Hunter Biden's latest charges? Because we know there were several opportunities where people were asking questions, reporters asking questions to the president, and he either didn't hear them or I didn't reply willingly.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes. I think he -- yes, I think he probably heard them, but he didn't want to respond. And it's certainly true that there is no more sensitive issue inside the White House than Hunter Biden's legal problems. It's not issue that aids like to race with the president very often.

And when you talk to them, there really aren't that many who really have a firsthand knowledge of how the president is processing all of this. But it is certainly true that it does weigh on him heavily.

And certainly, these latest charges, just given the personal nature of what's laid out in that indictment, are an embarrassment, in some ways, for Hunter Biden, and for the president.

Now, when you talk to President Biden's aides, they don't necessarily believe that this will be an issue that voters will make their decision on next year. They think they're focused in other areas like the economy, like the prospect of President Trump returning to the White House, but there's no question that this is a political headache for President Biden.

And already you've seen Republicans try and conflate the legal issues facing Hunter Biden and President Trump's own legal issues. But certainly, there is no comparison there because President Trump was president and is running for president. Hunter Biden was not president and will not run for president. So, they are two separate issues.

But certainly, it is a political issue for President Biden as he gears up for next year's reelection.

And certainly, the challenge for the president will be to start framing this election as a choice between him, and his most likely rival, President Trump. And you did hear him start to do that yesterday in Las Vegas, taking the rare step of mentioning his predecessor by name.

Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Trump just talks the talk, we walk the walk.

AMERICAN CROWD: Yes!

J. BIDEN: Look, he likes to say America is a fairly nation. Frankly, you don't know what the hell he's talking about.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIPTAK: Now, it's certainly likely, that you're going to hear that kind of argument and campaign. Television ads and digital ads over the next year. But doing that will of course cost a lot of money. And that is why the president is out here in Los Angeles this weekend. He has two major fundraisers, including last night with some Hollywood heavyweights, Steven Spielberg, Shonda Rhimes, Rob Reiner.

You know, I was talking yesterday to Jeffrey Katzenberg. He's the movie mogul and also a co-chair of the Biden campaign. And he told me that this 36-hour stretch will be the biggest for campaign fundraising since President Biden announced his re-election last spring, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. It's going to be very busy indeed. Thanks so much. Kevin. Liptak, appreciate it, from Los Angeles today.

And with me now to talk more about all these legal developments is Michael Zeldin. He is a former federal prosecutor and a former special assistant to Robert Mueller at the DOJ. Michael, great to see you.

MICHAEL ZELDIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Hi, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. So, let's start with these nine new tax-related fraud charges against Hunter Biden. This is significantly more serious than what was in the plea deal that fell apart over the summer. Is that your view as well?

ZELDIN: Sure, because in the summer, he was going to plead guilty to two misdemeanors and be done with it and get probation. Now, he's facing felonies and misdemeanors, and he faces the risk of going to jail. So, substantially different than the Delaware plea would have allowed for.

WHITFIELD: So, you heard, perhaps, a soundbite from Republican oversight chairman, James Comer, saying that he thinks the U.S. Attorney David Weiss, you know, indicted Hunter Biden to protect him from the House GOP investigation, where they want him to be deposed there.

What are your thoughts on that? Does this insulate Hunter Biden where he doesn't have to participate or can refuse any kind of, you know, deposition or, or are subpoena to testify?

ZELDIN: No, because he had that Fifth Amendment right, all along. He didn't need an indictment to assert his Fifth Amendment right. He had an indictment in Delaware. And look, we saw in the Mueller investigation and in the current investigations by Jack Smith, all these people taking Fifth Amendment when not charged with crime. So, it's really not the case that this charge somehow protected Hunter Biden from having to testify.

[12:10:01]

This testimony stuff is really a bit of a red herring in respect to the criminal charges that Hunter Biden faces. Those are failure to pay $1.4 million over a period from 2016 to 2019, on about $7 million in income.

WHITFIELD: Republicans have, you know, also argued that Hunter Biden is connected to all kinds of inappropriate foreign business dealings, but thus far, he has not been charged with anything related to that sort.

This indictment doesn't mention his father and provides no links of Hunter's wrongdoing to his dad, the president, but some House Republicans say this indictment bolsters their need for an impeachment inquiry.

How might this impact an impeachment inquiry into President Biden?

ZELDIN: Well, in the public record so far, there is no evidence linking what Hunter Biden was doing this -- during this 2016-2019 period to his father. This period of time, Hunter Biden was on the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian oil company and receiving money from China and from personal friends, none of which seem to be connected to his father.

And so, to say that somehow, these tax charges or this behavior implicates his father, the sitting president, in impeachable conduct just makes no sense to me whatsoever.

What is clear is Hunter Biden didn't pay his taxes. What is clear is that Hunter Biden earned $7 million that he would have probably not been able to earn, were he not his father's son, and therefore, he has this problem of being a politically exposed person, a person who is in the public domain, and prosecutors look at those people more seriously than regular private citizens.

WHITFIELD: All right. Let me shift gears now to Trump and his fraud trial ongoing right now in New York.

He wants to testify on Monday, and the court did uphold the gag order against him. So, how significant in your view is this? Might he defy the gag order, which is what his attorneys have said as to why they recommend he should not testify on Monday?

What's at stake for the former president?

ZELDIN: Well, I think that there is no reason for Trump to testify on Monday. He has testified already as a prosecution called witness. His expert witnesses have made the case that the way that the properties were evaluated, were subjective and not intentionally fraudulent.

I don't think that he needs to go there. If he goes there, I think it really is a matter of political show. And it's really part of a campaign effort, than, a criminal defense or, you know, it's not a civil case, not a criminal, but a defense to the charges against him. So, I think it's more theater than it is legally relevant. And if I were his lawyers, I'd do everything I could to try to keep him out of that court. But I don't think they will succeed because I think he wants to go in there and use it as a campaign platform matter.

WHITFIELD: All right. That said with Michael Zeldin, also the title of his podcast. Thank you, Michael. Had to get it in there somehow.

ZELDIN: There you go.

WHITFIELD: Appreciate it.

ZELDIN: Yes, yes. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, still to come. Israel advancing its military operations in southern Gaza. They issued a new appeal to -- for civilians to leave areas in the south. While in the U.S., it is facing condemnation after it vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution, calling for an immediate ceasefire. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:18:13]

WHITFIELD: New blast today in southern Gaza as Israel advances its military operations into Khan Younis. Israel Defense Forces say they carried out strikes on about 450 targets in Gaza over the past day, the most since a truce with Hamas ended one week ago.

The fighting happened just hours after the U.S. vetoed a U.N. Security Council Resolution which had called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. And there has been confirmation of the death of a hostage held by Hamas. Hamas claims he died during a failed Israeli rescue mission.

But the IDF has not commented on that allegation. His death means there are now 136 captives remaining in Gaza.

CNN's Alex Marquardt is in Tel Aviv. Alex, the IDF is now warning people in much of a Khan Younis to evacuate what is the latest on the ground there?

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, so much of the focus by Israel has been on Khan Younis, the second biggest city in Gaza, the biggest in the South.

For much of the past few days, the IDF says that they are carrying out intensive operations to try to encircle the city. They've said that they're operating in the heart of the city and going from house to house and tunnel to tunnel. And we have seen aerial assaults by Israel. We've also seen the ground forces operating quite actively on the ground.

And now, the IDF just a few hours ago, issued what they're calling an urgent appeal to residents and civilians of central Gaza -- sorry, excuse me, central Khan Younis to head southwest. To what they say are known shelters. Essentially, Israel saying that they are going to start operating in these areas and it's going to become very dangerous for civilians.

But I think this serves to underscore Fred, how complicated and stressful that these evacuations can be not only for the people who live in Khan Younis, but people who have fled there from the north.

[12:20:07]

I want to explain how these evacuation orders are issued. Just a couple of hours ago, the IDF posted online, a map full of grids, different squares. I think we've got an image of that. And they said that specifically, in five of these small areas, very specific areas in central Khan Younis that people there should move to the southwest, to a much bigger, wide-open area.

Now, it is unclear, whether anybody in Khan Younis or many of them can actually access this map, whether they can get online, whether they're checking Twitter or X as it's known now. Whether they can access that Q.R. code that you see right there, which takes you to another rather complicated map, which unhelpfully is oriented in a -- in a different direction.

And so, the message that accompanies this is that if you go to that bigger area to the southwest, that you can go to known shelters. Now, at this point, it is not clear how many people may have gotten this message. It is not clear what shelters that are actually are there.

We know that the U.N. has set up some shelters in southern Gaza, but we also know that they are bursting at the seams that there aren't enough for everybody. So, it's really not clear where these people are going to go. We have reached out to the IDF for clarification on what shelters they're referring to. And we have yet to hear back. Fred.

WHITFIELD: Wow. OK. And we also saw the U.S. block, a U.N. resolution, calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, what has been the response to the U.S. using its veto power at this stage of the war?

MARQUARDT: Well, globally speaking, Fred, there has been a lot of outrage. At the same time, a lot of people are not surprised because this resolution very clearly called for an immediate ceasefire. That is something that the United States has refused to do. Israel has thanked the U.S. for using their veto. This was a resolution that was sponsored by the United Arab Emirates. It had 97 co-sponsors, all saying that there should be this immediate ceasefire.

There was an emergency meeting called at the U.N. Security Council. This was after the U.N. Secretary General invoked what is known as Article 99, which is a very rarely used tool at times of international crisis.

The Security Council voted. These 15 members voted. 13 voted in favor of an immediate ceasefire, the U.K. abstained and the U.S. voted against it, thereby, vetoing this resolution. The reaction came fast and furious. I want to show you a little bit of it. The prime -- the prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, he said that "The failure of the Security Council to stop the aggression is a disgrace and a new license for continued killing, destruction, and displacement. The use of the veto exposes the hypocrisy of claiming to care about the lives of civilians."

Fred, we also heard from the aid group, Medecins Sans Frontieres, the Doctors Without Borders. They wrote, "By vetoing this resolution, the U.S. stands alone in casting its vote against humanity."

And then, finally, there was this message of thanks from the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan. He says, "I thank the United States and President Biden for standing firmly by our side today, and showing their leadership and values on this Hanukkah holiday, a little of the light dispelled a lot of the darkness. Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Alex Marquardt, we'll leave it there for now. Check back with you. Thank you.

All right, new today, the U.S. State Department is bypassing Congress as it prepares a possible munitions sale to Israel. Official sent an emergency declaration to lawmakers late last night, the sale includes 13,000 tank shells, worth about $106 million to be sent immediately to Israel.

The move follows a state department request earlier in the week for Congress to approve the sale of 45,000 shells to Israel.

Let's bring in a Joel Rubin. He is the former deputy assistant secretary of state for legislative affairs for the Obama administration. He is also running for Congress in Maryland. Good to see you, Joel.

So, before I get your reaction to the munition's sale issue, what is your reaction, you know, to the U.S. using its veto power at the U.N. over the U.N. resolution? And you saw criticism saying this is a vote against humanity, the position that the U.S. has taken?

JOEL RUBIN (D), CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE, MARYLAND: Yes, Fred. It's great to be with you.

And as Alex laid out as you described, it's a tough vote. Very tough that the United States took. And I think what this shows to Israel in particular is that there is limited time available. That the United States is willing to protect against a biased resolution as this one was, where it did not call out Hamas, it really didn't create a mechanism for legitimate ceasefire where Hamas --

[12:25:07]

And remember, a week or so ago, Hamas broke the truce that allowed kidnapped Israelis to be exchanged for Palestinians, who were in the prison. Hamas broke that. So, this whole process that the U.N. put forward, clearly is designed to put pressure on, and I think without the mechanism, there is no confidence that such a resolution could really end up creating a lasting durable ceasefire.

All that said, there's not unlimited time for the United States to continue to provide this political cover for Israel and the United Nations. We're talking weeks, if that end before the United States is going to likely be pushed to change its position. I think the Israelis do understand that as well that this was a very tough vote for the U.S. to take.

WHITFIELD: OK. And now to that munitions' sale to Israel, you know -- as there continues to be growing international pressure for the U.S. to support some sort of ceasefire, a lasting one in Gaza. Why do you think the state department is circumventing Congress to get these tank shells to Israel right now?

RUBIN: So, Fred, on a technical level, this is a lot of what I worked on, in the Obama administration of this relationship between the executive branch and state department and the Congress. And there is a notification process that informally allows Congress to hold or prevent, already appropriated funds from moving forward to execution.

Meaning, these funds were already appropriated Foreign Military Financing is the program, and the administration wanted to get them into Israeli hands now. And Congress couldn't hold that up, but the administration is willing to take the risk and say, we need to get them approved. And this fits into what we were just discussing, which is, there is not unlimited time.

Israel is in a moment right now, where it is engaged in aggressive actions against Hamas. And to pause that to slow that down, paradoxically, could slow down the whole process and make finishing this military activity longer.

And so, I think the administration, they made the right choice to tell Congress, they're not going to observe the informal hold, if there is one, they're going to pass that. There is a cost in the relationship between the two -- the two -- the two bodies, but this will then mean that these funds go straight into Israel. They need that -- they need the munitions to continue their fight.

WHITFIELD: And it's hard to believe that it's now been a week since that truce, you know, ended in Gaza.

RUBIN: Yes.

WHITFIELD: And Israel is now involved in very heavy fighting in southern Gaza, along with Israel, you know, dropping leaflets, providing Q.R. codes for safe places, or at least that's a recommendation for safe places for people to go.

With these kinds of circumstances, and again, very few people having Internet, you know, access to even take advantage of those Q.R. codes.

RUBIN: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Or even read those leaflets. So, how do you get both sides back to the negotiating table under these kinds of circumstances? RUBIN: I mean, it's heartbreaking. The humanitarian assistance that we're providing that other countries are providing is a drop in the bucket for the need. And to your point, the diplomatic process, that has to happen. We have our allies in Egypt and Qatar, in particular, that have tight inroads with Hamas.

And getting them to fully engage more actively with Hamas in order to commit to a ceasefire, I think this is the problem is that there was a test a week or so ago. And right, it seems like an eternity ago, doesn't it? That collapse.

I mean, to get that confidence back after that test failed, where there was a good process underway that all sides thought was working, that's going to be really hard. And I think this is why we see the renewed activity from Israel, so actively a lack of confidence in decision to try to go after Hamas leadership.

But without a doubt, our allies in particular, Egypt, is feeling extreme pressure, very much worried about a refugee crisis, potentially coming over the border into Sinai and then into Egypt itself that they do not want.

And so, I think we have to be extra super active in terms of working with our allies to get another commitment out of Hamas.

But absent that, we're going to likely see this war going until Israel feels it's achieved its military objectives, which is to completely take away Hamas's military capacity and its leadership capabilities.

I think, at that point, that's where you're likely going to see Israel more comfortable with calming the military activities down.

WHITFIELD: And before I let you go, speaking of comfort or comfort level, what is your comfort level on those images that were dispensed --

(CROSSTALK)

RUBIN: Yes.

[12:29:58]

WHITFIELD: That the world saw, with Palestinian men on their knees, you know, stripped down to their underwear, and the IDF saying they did so, because they wanted to make sure that were not armed as they were looking for Hamas members.

JOEL RUBIN, FORMER MEMBER OF THE CHEVY CHASE TOWN COUNCIL OF MARYLAND: Yes, you know, Fred, they can have the argument any which way they want. But that brings back hard memories of Iraq, of the war in Iraq of this sort of group, grouping of men and humiliating them in public. I think it's too far. Israel if it wants to continue to claim the moral high ground in this fight, and it has been doing that and it needs to continue to try to maintain that and show some dignity to those who was detained. They have the right to detain but they need to ensure that it's done in a way that does not dehumanize those who had been detained.

WHITFIELD: Joel Rubin we'll leave it there for now. Glad you could be with us today. Thank you so much.

RUBIN: Thanks Fred.

WHITFIELD: A Texas woman fighting to get a legal abortion is told she has to wait once again much more on the late night court ruling, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:35:19]

WHITFIELD: A late night court decision is dealing another setback to a Texas woman trying to obtain a legal abortion to end her high risk pregnancy. The State Supreme Court is temporarily halting Kate Cox's attempt to get that emergency procedure just a day after she was granted permission by a lower court judge. CNN's Camila Bernal is following the story of for us. Camila, what happened?

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fred. So Kate Cox she's 31 years old. She's 20 weeks pregnant and she was diagnosed or her unborn baby was diagnosed with a fatal genetic condition. So she says her health is at risk. And her future reproductive health is at risk here. So she sought this legal abortion in Texas by suing a Texas judge agreed and granted her that legal abortion essentially which was extremely significant in Texas because it has one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country.

But the Attorney General here, Ken Paxton, did not agree with that ruling and asked the state Supreme Court to intervene. That is exactly what they did freezing the lower court's decision and saying that essentially for now, she cannot have that legal abortion in the state of Texas. The Supreme Court saying that that is a pending case, but again, she's 20 weeks pregnant and there is no timeline here as to when or how this will be decided.

Her attorney saying this is an urgent medical emergency here that should not be decided in the courts. But Ken Paxton says that she has failed to prove that her life is at risk here. She in her lawsuit is saying that she's been to the hospital multiple times with emergencies because of her pregnancy, also saying that if her baby is born, it's only going to live a few days. She says her life is at risk. And her future fertility is also at risk, which is why she's asking for this legal abortion in the state of Texas. But for now, the state Supreme Court is saying not yet. Fred?

WHITFIELD: All right. Camila Bernal, thanks so much.

BERNAL: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:42:40] WHITFIELD: All right. Despite what most analyst rate as a surprisingly good economy, a lot of voters aren't buying it. In fact, people feel like they can't buy as much this year and that could give Donald Trump an edge. A new "Wall Street Journal" poll shows Trump narrowly leading Joe Biden in a hypothetical matchup and that's the backdrop for a beloved a tradition in a tiny Louisiana town. CNN's Elle Reeve takes us there

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELLE REEVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the annual Bawcomville Redneck Christmas parade in West Monroe, Louisiana.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's just not your typical Christmas parade. I mean, we've got a motorized lazy boy. I mean, you can't get much more redneck than that.

LAURA KAY, PARADE PARTICIPANT: It's hilarious. People will be throwing toilet paper, ramen packets, toothbrushes. My goodness, it's always a good laugh.

ZACH RAYBOURN, PARADE PARTICIPANT: This part of our town, I don't think there's very many rules, you know? And so, pretty much anything goes.

REEVE (voice-over): But behind the jokes, there's a tough reality. Bawcomville is a very poor community, and the parade serves as a holiday tour drive.

KAY: I have been a child who has been less fortunate growing up, and I had the redneck parade, the fire department give me and my brothers Christmas gifts, and this is my way of returning the love.

REEVE (voice-over): These ladies run Bawcomville Hope, a non-profit that gives food to the needy.

REEVE: Is there a lot of need in this community for them?

RACHEL HOLMES, PARADE PARTICIPANT: Oh my lord, yes. People don't realize this is kind of like a third world country.

DEBI MAYO, PARADE PARTICIPANT: There's need for clothes, food, housing. There's many, many homeless in this area.

HOLMES: There's a lot of abandoned homes, abandoned trailers that they're living in, and so --

MAYO: And in the woods --

HOLMES: -- yes.

MAYO: -- they just makeshift tents. They weren't managing to survive until everything got so expensive and they couldn't afford the little apartments that they had or the houses and --

HOLMES: Interest rates skyrocketing, fuel skyrocketing, the milk, $5 a gallon.

REEVE: I know it's a sensitive subject, but do you guys have any thoughts about the upcoming presidential election?

MAYO: We hope Trump gets back in there. Maybe he can straighten it out.

REEVE: And why do you think he'd straighten it out?

MAYO: Because it wasn't in this turmoil when he left. All this has managed to happen in the last three years, so.

[12:45:00]

CHRISTINA JONES, PARADE SPECTATOR: I think we are going downhill, especially for a parent like me that's a single mom, and not being able to find work. Feels like you keep getting put in a hole. You're trying to climb out, but you keep getting knocked down.

REEVE (voice-over): President Biden's campaign has been pushing Bidenomics, saying the economy has gotten better since he's been in office. But while by some metrics that's true, wages are higher, inflation is falling, public opinion polls show that people still think it's bad.

REEVE: So there's some, you know, commentary, punditry that says, well, yes, inflation was bad, but now it's lower. The economy was bad, but now it's better. Unemployment is lower. What do you say to those people?

TONI BOLER, PARADE SPECTATOR: I say that's a big fat lie.

REEVE: OK, why? Just give me some details.

BOLER: Well, I mean, look at our pocketbooks. What little people may have been able to save from the stimuluses we got and all that, it's gone. People are living off credit now. If they even have that. I don't know how these families that come to this redneck parade, this community even can buy groceries. Because you got to either choose to buy gas, or do I buy groceries, or do I pay my electric bill.

REEVE (voice-over): Louisiana is a deep red state, and neither presidential campaign will spend much money to win over voters here. There were a few Trump flags at the parade, but support for the former president had a different feel to what we felt in the run up to 2020.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No comment.

REEVE (voice-over): Many people didn't want to comment on politics, but those who did focused on the economy.

JANE TEMPLE, PARADE SPECTATOR: Economy, economy, economy, you know, economy is horrible. We're ready for Trump -- can I say that?

REEVE: Totally. TEMPLE: We're ready for Trump to get back in. I can't wait. We're counting on it. I think he cares. May be wrong, but I think he does. And that's to say he's going to be perfect. We know that, you know, a lot of things he does, but for the most part, when he was in office, even with everything going on, he accomplished a lot.

REEVE: And do you think that Biden doesn't care about people down here?

TEMPLE: I don't think that he has a clue.

REEVE: You've probably seen a lot running a convenience store.

WILLIAM THOMPSON, PARADE SPECTATOR: Oh yes, they got problems with the drugs, the meth and the fentanyl. That's here is prevalent and the law still hadn't been able to deal with it. I blame Biden for that too.

REEVE: Who do you think you'd vote for in the 2024 presidential election?

THOMPSON: Trump.

REEVE: Why?

THOMPSON: Because he's the only president in my knowledge who's given back to the people and helps the people. If he's in jail, I'd vote for him.

REEVE: Elle Reeve, CNN, West Monroe, Louisiana.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, up next, it's one of the longest running football rivalries. We're live as Army and Navy face off for the 124th time.

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[12:52:32]

WHITFIELD: All right, the Army Black Knights and Navy Midshipmen will face off for the 124th time this afternoon in what is one of the greatest rivalries in all of sports. CNN's sports anchor Coy Wire joins us from Foxborough, Massachusetts where they are gearing up, ready to go. America's game will be held for the first time there. What's going on?

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes, first time in New England. This is incredible dating back to 1890, Fred, with its pageantry, the rich traditions, the mutual respect, the future defenders of our nation, some of the best and brightest that this country has to offer banging it out for bragging rights on the football field. It is simply incredible, makes it one of the greatest rivalries on the planet.

We did catch up though, with one family who's living in the house divided, Colonel Frank Rubio, NASA astronaut, class of '98 from army West Point. His son Andrew, currently at West Point, his daughter, Lydia, currently at the Naval Academy, he just came back from the longest space mission by any American astronaut in history, 371 days in space. He's back here now to see his first Army Navy game since he graduated. Here's their conundrum that they're in being in that house divided. Listen.

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COL. FRANK RUBIO, WEST POINT CLASS OF 1998: We are absolutely going to go out today. And Army's going to win for sure. But the other 364 days, we are brothers and sisters in arms. We work together. And I work with some amazing Navy people out there. And so, yes, we are best friends except for today.

ANDREW RUBIO, ARMY FRESHMAN: It's different than any other college game day, just because both teams are kind of going through the same thing being in armed forces. And so that just makes the stakes a little higher. And it's a ton of fun.

LYDIA RUBIO, NAVY SOPHOMORE: Oh, this game, this rivalry took my first best friend and made him my biggest rival. So honestly, it's just a lot of fun to have someone I know at the other school and just makes it all the more special and exciting to be here today.

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WIRE: Still my best friend, Fred. Listen, I have another house divided for you as well. David and Eric Esqueda, they are twins, seniors, one in army, one in navy. And they too are in a conundrum. Listen.

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DAVID ESQUEDA, ARMY SENIOR: We support each other like our peers at the Naval Academy and in this case, my twin brother. I support him all the time. And it just comes to these rivalries where it's like, well, man, I love you. And I love that we have a shared connection of both being in service academies, but on this one day, there's no substitute for victory.

ERIC ESQUEDA, NAVY SENIOR: Last night we're hanging out, tonight we're going to be hanging out within the next few hours. We're going to be going around, you know, talking kind of a little bit of smack to each other. He's going to be talking smack to my friends that they, OK, I mean I'm going to be talking smack about his friends at West Point, you know. And it'll be just a very fun environment. But yes, very -- we're not the best of friends right now that's for sure.

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[12:55:18]

WIRE: This place is going to be rocking today, Fred. Look at Gillette Stadium was packed with people. You have the Bradley over here, the newest tank Army has to offer. Over here to our left, Tom, there's the combat assault Navy ship here, OK. And then you have more tanks and lots of people rolling in to see. This one here, a 24th edition of the iconic Army-Navy game, it is going to be epic kickoff is at 3:00 Eastern.

WHITFIELD: Oh yes. Ready for battle as is your friend there. OK. Hey, you know what team I'm going for?

WIRE: What's that?

WHITFIELD: Go USA.

WIRE: Oh, yes. We can't lose.

WHITFIELD: That's right. We can't lose.

WIRE: We can't lose, baby.

WHITFIELD: There, no losers today. We're all winners. Thanks so much. Coy Wire, great to see you. We'll be right back.

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