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Hunter Biden Faces Nine Criminal Charges In Federal Tax Case; Biden Campaigns Amid Son's Indictment For Tax Charges; Texas Supreme Court Temporarily Halts Woman's Emergency Abortion; Jewish Americans Celebrate Hannukah Amid Soaring Threats; Brothers & Ex-NYPD Officers Help Save MLK Jr's Birthplace; Families Struggle To Distract Gaza's Displaced Children; Israel Detaining Military Aged Men In Northern Gaza To "Work Out Who The Terrorists Are"; Fears U.S. Aid To Ukraine Could End As Senate Vote Fails; 30 Million Under Threat Amid Weekend Storm. Aired 1-2p ET

Aired December 09, 2023 - 13:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:00:40]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield in New York today.

With just weeks before key 2024 election contests take place, President Biden is hitting the campaign trail this weekend amid new legal distractions, hovering over his son.

On Friday, the president kicked off a campaign swing out west just hours after his son, Hunter 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 senior White House reporter Kevin Liptak is in Los Angeles, where the president is campaigning and fundraising. Kevin, how is the White House responding to Hunter Biden's latest charges?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, certainly, there is no more sensitive issue inside the White House than Hunter Biden's legal issues. It's not a topic that is like to bring up with the president very often. And in fact, when you talk to them, there are very few who feel like they have a firsthand knowledge of how the president is processing all of this.

But certainly, his son's legal issues do weigh heavily on the president. And this is no different. And certainly, some of the personal indictments that came out in those charges are embarrassing for the president's son and for the president himself.

And so, this is a political headache that the president will have to confront as he faces his reelection challenge. And as he faces other headwinds to his reelection, including low approval ratings.

Now, when you talk to people around the president, they don't think that this will necessarily be a factor in voters' decision-making next year, but already you've seen Republicans try and conflate Hunter Biden's legal problems with those of former President Trump.

Now, these are two very separate issues for the main reason that President Trump was president and is running to be president. Hunter Biden was not President and will never be president. And so, they are two very separate issues. But that doesn't mean it's not a major political headache for President Biden, as he gears up for re- election. And certainly, the challenge for him will be trying to frame the contest as the difference between him and the former President Trump as a threat to democracy.

And in fact, you've started to see him talk about Trump more and more in public, including yesterday, he was in Las Vegas, unveiling some new investments in passenger rail, and he went after his predecessor by name. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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

AMERICAN CROWD: Yes!

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

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIPTAK: So, it's easy to imagine that argument, making it to television ads, digital ads over the next year, of course, that will take a lot of campaign money. That is why the president is in Los Angeles this weekend. He has two major fundraisers.

I was talking yesterday to Jeffrey Katzenberg, the movie mogul. He's also a co-chair of the Biden campaign, and he said that these 36 hours would be the most successful in campaign fundraising since President Biden announced his reelection effort in the spring. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: All right. Kevin Liptak, thank you so much. We're talk more about all this right now, these legal developments on Hunter Biden.

Jeffrey Jacobovitz is with me. He is a white-collar criminal attorney and an adjunct law professor at American University. Jeffrey, good to see you. We've kind of, you know, turn the tables here. You're in Atlanta. I'm in New York, but here we go. We're still not in the same room.

(CROSSTALK) JEFFREY JACOBOVITZ, ADJUNCT LAW PROFESSOR, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY: I thought I was going to see you today, Fredricka. Right. Yes.

WHITFIELD: We'll work it out. All right. Thank you so much, Jeffrey.

So, Hunter Biden. I mean, he has paid all his back taxes, right? That he owed and he has paid all the penalties. So, how typical is this for someone to still be indicted for these types of charges, even though they have paid all the taxes and fines?

JACOBOVITZ: Well, that Fredrika, that is Abbe Lowell's argument, his counsel. That he paid it all back, he paid all the interest back. Why am I being charged?

[13:05:01]

David Weiss, the prosecutor will say, well, we went for four years with taxes not being paid. Abbe Lowell will say, well, he had a drug addiction. And, you know, he wasn't in the proper place to pay it back. Weiss would counter that with, well, he was paying off a car, and he was making other payments, why couldn't he pay his taxes?

So, the issue will be really, is it willful? Is it intentional? And how political with -- will this legal matter get?

WHITFIELD: And Abbe Lowell is going to continue to try to make the argument that when you are under the influence, or if you are an addict, you're not going to make reasonable decisions. And that's going to be part of the defense as well. You know, at that time, he was not managing the money, like most people, I guess, would, knowing that they have got big tax bills hanging over their head.

JACOBOVITZ: Right. And, you know, it's interesting, the indictment, which is a very lengthy indictment, talks about different ways he was spending the money and it almost reminds me of Ken Starr's report to Congress about Bill Clinton, and all the sexual innuendos about what was going on there. And this is again, the same thing with all these salacious acts that allegedly Hunter Biden committed.

But the bottom line is, he has paid back the taxes, he has paid back the interests. Generally, what you do in that situation is you sit down with DOJ, you work it out, and you don't get indicted, you being the defendant. But it hasn't happened here. And obviously, there's a lot of political pressure coming from the Republican side. The Democrats will say that's what facilitated this indictment. The Republicans will say, no, he didn't pay his taxes, and he deserves to be indicted.

WHITFIELD: And so, if found guilty, you know, based on what the charges are with the indictment spells out, Hunter Biden could face a maximum of 17 years in prison. Do you see it getting to that point?

JACOBOVITZ: Well, I don't see it getting to 17 years, but he can certainly spend time in prison. And that's something -- this is the kind of case for example, Fredricka, that generally you work it out in a plea, and Abbe Lowell thought he had a plea. Previously, the judge has some very good questions.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: The Delaware --

JACOBOVITZ: And the plea fell apart. And so, here we are, again, with another indictment. And generally, you would try to work it out, because this is an unfortunate situation with somebody who had a crack addiction, and all the taxes are paid.

WHITFIELD: Republican oversight chairman James Comer said he thinks U.S. Attorney David Weiss indicted Hunter Biden to actually protect him. Listen to his logic on this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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 -- in the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: What do you think about that?

JACOBOVITZ: Well, yes. I don't see that at all, because, in fact, Hunter Biden was willing to testify in public, and the Republicans had said, no, we want him in a deposition. And then, prior to him testifying in public, he gets indicted.

And now, the advice to him will be, you cannot testify because you have a Fifth Amendment privilege. And you need to assert it because there is too much risk for you to testify.

WHITFIELD: How do you see the legal road and the political roads kind of, you know, dovetailing here. Republicans have argued that Hunter Biden is, you know, connected to all kinds of inappropriate -- for business dealings, as far, he has not been charged with anything as it relates to that.

His father, the president of the United States is not mentioned in the indictment. There appear to be no links between Hunter Biden's alleged wrongdoings and his dad. How do you see these two, either coexisting or conflicting?

JACOBOVITZ: President Biden is not mentioned at all. And so, they will conflict because the parties at least on the Republican side, we'll try to make it a political statement. However, I think the legal aspect has to be analyzed by Abbe Lowell, and has to be a narrow -- essentially, a narrow defense.

Although, you can argue that the reason my client was indicted is because of political reasons. But David Weiss is a special counsel, and he was appointed by Merrick Garland. So, he's part of the Department of Justice America and as appointed by President Biden. So, it's a tough argument to make. WHITFIELD: Yes. All right. Jeffrey Jacobovitz, thank you so much.

One of these days, we'll be in the same studio.

JACOBOVITZ: Thank you, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And see each other face to face. Glad you could be with us. Thank you.

All right. Several of the Republican candidates hoping to take on President Biden next year are in Iowa today, where the first in the nation caucus is just over five weeks away.

[13:10:07]

Nikki Haley, Governor Ron DeSantis, and Vivek Ramaswamy are all holding events today after participating in a faith and family forum this morning.

CNN's Eva McKend is on the ground there for us. So, Eva, what will you be watching for today?

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS REPORTER: Well, Fred, I'm really looking at how these candidates connect with voters. Their ability to really advance their message with them. That is because the former president still holds a significant lead here. We're talking about 20, 30 points.

We were with Nikki Haley last night in Sioux City, Iowa. And we were speaking to voters there. And no doubt, her debate performance has really helped her, has elevated her national profile. But voters there say that they are just not convinced as yet that she can beat the former president.

They describe her as a good alternative to Trump. Some telling us they like to see a strong conservative woman in the field, another man saying that he hopes Iowans come to their senses and rally around her.

But how does she make up a 20 percent deficit in just six weeks? Take a listen to what these voters have to say.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just been really finding her to be more appealing each time I see her on the debate stage. I like what she is saying. I like that she is a strong woman that doesn't back down. And I don't know if she could win. She is probably, I mean, I'd like -- I'd like to say, I'd like to see her win. But I don't know if anybody is going to be able to get past Trump.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKEND: And the concerns of these voters really vary. Many people were asking the ambassador about the future of social security in this country. Many asking her about her foreign policy experience, how she would deal with Ukraine, Israel, the economy, immigration? No doubt, though, that they will hear a lot from her over the next several weeks, as all of these candidates crisscross the state, Fred, offering their vision for this country.

WHITFIELD: All right. Lots to watch. Eva McKend, thanks so much.

All right. Still to come, a Texas woman fighting to get a legal abortion. And she is told she has to wait once again. Much more on the late-night court ruling next.

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[13:16:52]

WHITFIELD: Welcome back. A Late-Night Court decision is dealing another setback to Kate Cox, the Texas woman who is trying to obtain a legal abortion to end her high-risk pregnancy.

The state Supreme Court is temporarily halting her attempt to get that emergency procedure. And this comes a day after she was granted permission by a lower court judge.

CNN's Camila Bernal is following the story for us. Camila, what happened?

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fred.

So, Kate Cox, she is 31 years old. She is 20 weeks pregnant. And her fetus has a genetic, fatal condition, and she says that her pregnancy and how difficult, it's been, it's putting her life, and she says her health at risk, but also her future fertility at risk.

And so, she specifically sued the state of Texas to ask for a legal abortion in the state. A Texas judge granted that and essentially said she could go and get that legal abortion.

This was extremely significant for the state of Texas, especially when it comes to the debate over medical exemptions in the state's abortion ban. This is one of the strictest in the nation six-week abortion ban.

And so, after this Texas judge agreed and essentially allowed her to get this legal abortion. The state's Attorney General Ken Paxton asked for help from the state supreme court because he does not agree with allowing her to get an abortion. And that's exactly what the state Supreme Court did. They intervene and essentially, froze the lower court's decision and saying, now, that this case is pending.

Now, they did not put a timeline as to when they would address this case, which is a problem for Kate who is 20 weeks pregnant, her attorney saying you know, this is why people shouldn't beg for health care from court -- from a court of law, and saying this is an urgent medical emergency that needs to essentially be addressed quickly.

Now, the state Supreme Court saying, no, she cannot have an abortion in the meantime. And part of it is because Attorney General Ken Paxton, or at least his argument is that her life is not at risk. He is saying that she has failed to demonstrate that this is life threatening for her.

In the meantime, though, she says in her suit that she's struggled throughout her pregnancy, gone through the emergency room multiple times because of what she's going through. And also says that when her baby is born, would only survive a couple of days. So, again, she says yes, her life is at risk. So, it says back and forth.

But in the meantime, this the Texas Supreme Court saying she cannot have illegal abortion in that state, Fred. At least, not for now.

WHITFIELD: All right. Yes.

All right. Camila Bernal, let us know if there is yet another change in that case. All right. Meantime, we are seeing a similar legal battle play out right now in Kentucky where a woman who is approximately eight weeks pregnant, and seeking an abortion has filed a lawsuit.

She is challenging the state's two abortion bans. The Trigger Law, which banned most abortions at any pregnancy stage; and the Six Week abortion ban.

[13:20:01]

The class action lawsuit filed by the woman who is identified as Jane Doe and Planned Parenthood, says the laws are imposing medical constitutional and irreparable harm on women who want abortions.

The suit names Kentucky's attorney general and other state officials as defendants.

All right. Coming up, as the Hanukkah celebration begins. There is tension and fear within the U.S. Jewish community about rising bigotry and hate crimes. That's next.

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WHITFIELD: All right more than 70 lawmakers are urging the boards of three top universities to sack their presidents. Those presidents failed to make clear during Capitol Hill testimony this week that calling for the genocide of Jews would violate campus policies.

Meantime, Jewish people are celebrating Hanukkah amid skyrocketing anti-Semitism, and the shock of the Hamas attacks on Israel.

[13:25:03]

Polo Sandoval is in New York, where the governor is calling on people to unite against hate crimes with "moral courage," after a man opened fire outside of synagogue and Albany.

Polo, what more do you have?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred, that happened just this week after a man armed with a shotgun fired indiscriminately outside of a synagogue. Fortunately, nobody hurt during that Thursday incident, but the shock was certainly there.

As Governor Kathy Hochul, ordering that police presence be increased on top of what we've already seen at Jewish centers, synagogues across the state, hoping to reestablish that sense of security for Jewish people as they come together to celebrate Hanukkah.

Certainly, as we've discussed here, time and time again, we've seen those numbers as they continue to spike in terms of hate crimes targeting the Jewish community.

In fact, here in New York City, they're still searching for an assailant that on the first night of Hanukkah, attacked a Jewish gentleman, taking his wallet, but also hurling anti-Semitic Jews his way.

And it's just one of hundreds, according to NYPD stats that I want to share with you here, Fred.

Now, according to local officials here, the number of hate crimes targeting Jewish -- the Jewish community, 284 this year -- significantly higher than the 270 last year.

You can also consider the numbers for example, that have targeted the Muslim community that number at 19. So, significantly lower.

However, New York City Mayor Eric Adams yesterday, very clear, in condemning violence against all faiths, but it's that lack of condemnation from the heads of those universities that continues to get -- that's why they continue to be criticized, and of course, that mounting call for them to step down.

As you mentioned, the heads of Harvard, MIT, and UPenn, in fact, recently, the head of Harvard University issuing an apology through the Harvard Crimson, saying, "Words matter," again, as calls continue to increase, Fred, for the heads of those universities to step aside.

WHITFIELD: All right. Polo Sandoval. Thanks so much.

Atlanta today is thanking some out-of-town tourists for saving a civil rights landmark. Bystanders leapt into action to stop a woman from setting fire to the birthplace and childhood home of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

A Utah man blocks the woman from lighting the gasoline that she had just poured around the home, and two other heroes turned out to be retired NYPD officers.

Rafael Romo is outside the MLK home right now.

Rafael, what is the activity been like since you've been there?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the good news is that there was no permanent damage to the home and tourists can visit as they always do, especially on the weekends. People have been coming here. So, that's the good news. But the other part of good news that I can share with you today is that two brothers, retired police officers from New York were luckily here on Thursday, when this happened.

They're brothers Kenny Dodson and Axel. And it is just very interesting, because they were not only brothers in arms, but also real brothers. And Kenny Dodson said, a couple of hours so in a ceremony in New York that he always wanted to work with his younger brother Axel. Then, it finally happened.

And in honoring the two police officers in New York, officials there said that they helped prevent a national tragedy. The Dodson's are now being hailed as two new American heroes. And they were here behind me when they realized on Thursday, that there was a woman who was trying to set this home on fire.

Many of our viewers will remember that this is the home of -- the birthplace, I should say of Martin Luther King, Jr. A place of profound historical significance here in the Sweet Auburn, neighborhood of Atlanta.

And in honoring the brothers, a New York official also said that they immediately forgot that they were retired officers and put themselves back on duty. This is how they reacted to being cold heroes. Let's take a listen.

AXEL DODSON, RETIRED NYPD OFFICER: It still hasn't quite hit me yet. Because initially, you know, I wasn't even expecting to go to the site. You know, whenever I always thought of Martin Luther King, I think of Alabama, you know, Selma, Montgomery, Atlanta. It didn't really dawn on me. And it still hasn't hit me. But I'm glad that we were all there. And even the gentleman from Utah, that were able to come and help stop this from happening.

KENNY DODSON, RETIRED NYPD OFFICER: Just the day before, we was down there in Atlanta to visit my father. So, just the day before my father asks, do you missed the job? Axel thought, do you miss the job?

And I said, yes, you know, I kind of missed that (INAUDIBLE) rest from time to time. I do. I miss coming out and, you know, doing the job, and helping people like -- I missed that.

And it was funny that the very next day, we're involved in something like that. But it wasn't just the adrenaline rush. It was doing it with my brother that I just -- I loved.

[13:30:03]

You know, that I had my brother there and we was doing this. And I was like, yes, well, I made a collar with my little brother.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: It's just amazing the way they describe it, Fred.

These brothers were not doing this by themselves. As they briefly mentioned, there were a couple of friends from Utah visiting here on Thursday and they also were quick to react to what was going on.

One of them had to physically stop the woman from going back into the home, because she already had a lighter after pouring gasoline to the home and she was about to set the home on fire.

This is how he explained it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It didn't seem right to me and so I looked around the side of the porch and heard splash, splash and saw her dumping the can over the porch.

I said, what are you doing, what are you doing? And she came around the front and was dumping gas all over the porch, too. So at this point, I was like, this is important, pulled out my phone and started recording.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: And finally, Fred, the Martin Luther King Jr National Historical Park has issued a statement with profound gratitude for those who intervened to try to save this location.

Saying that those who promptly intervened and averted a potential tragedy, also their quick action helped saved the home that gave birth to a monumental legacy nearly a century ago.

Fred, back to you.

WHITFIELD: Incredible heroes many times over.

Our Rafael Romo, thanks so much.

All right, the Israel Defense Forces urging civilians in Gaza's Khan Younis neighborhood to evacuate. We're following the latest from the region.

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[13:35:55]

WHITFIELD: Fierce close-quarter fighting is under way in southern Gaza. Today, Israel Defense Forces issued an urgent appeal for civilians in Khan Younis to evacuate several blocks.

Israel says it's fighting house to house in Khan Younis, which it claims is home to a main Hamas stronghold.

The new evacuations come after the U.S. blocked a U.N. resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

International pressure is mounting for a pause in the war as the humanitarian crisis deepens.

CNN's Ben Wedeman has more on the desperate situation facing Gaza's children.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Friday, the head of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, the primary organization providing aid in Gaza, warned that the humanitarian effort there is, in his words, "on the verge of collapse."

And in Gaza, where almost 50 percent of the population is under the age of 18, that means children will be hardest hit.

(voice-over): Eight-year-old Mohammad is doing his daily chores, fetching water, collecting scraps of paper and plastic to start a fire to help his mother cook their daily meal. But he'd rather be elsewhere.

MOHAMMAD ZAHAMEH, GAZA RESIDENT: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WEDEMAN: "You think I like it here," asks Mohammad. "Of course, we don't. It's terrible. I want to go home, where we had food and water."

(BUZZING)

WEDEMAN: That buzzing comes from Israeli drones hovering overhead. They never go away.

UM OUDAIL, GAZA RESIDENT: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WEDEMAN: "He's been deprived of his childhood," says his mother Um Oudai. "He can't live like a normal child. He can't go to school. He misses his friends."

More than anything, the children here miss a sense of safety.

Overnight, Israeli warplanes struck the Yafa Mosque in Deir al-Balah. No one was there, but everyone heard it.

(EXPLOSION)

AHMAD KHALED, GAZA RESIDENT: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WEDEMAN: In the camp, the best parents can do is keep the kids' minds off the danger."

(BUZZING)

KHALED: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WEDEMAN: "I play with them, I joke with them, distract them from their misery," says Ahmad Khaled. "When they hear the bombing, they're terrified."

But there is no escape. These children have already seen too much.

JAWAHER, GAZA RESIDENT: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WEDEMAN: "We miss our town. We lived well," says Jawaher. "Now, all we see are dead bodies everywhere."

There are no basic services here. The garbage piles up in the street.

ZAHAMEH: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WEDEMAN: Says Mohammad, "We go from one place to the other, and they keep bombing us."

Yet, they still play --

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WEDEMAN: -- as the drones buzz overhead.

(on camera): Now, with the American veto of the U.N. Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire, an already catastrophic situation is almost certain to get much, much worse.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Ben Wedeman, thank you so much.

The Israeli military is responding to some disturbing videos posted on social media. They show Israeli soldiers detaining dozens of men stripped down to their underwear. The men are seen wearing blindfolds and kneeling on the ground or packed into the back of a military truck.

The IDF says it is apprehending military-aged men to determine who the Hamas terrorists are.

Joining us right now, retired U.S. Army Brigadier General Peter Zwack. He is a former U.S. senior defense attache to the Russian Federation and a global fellow at the Kennan Institute.

Good to see you.

So the IDF says that they are only detaining men in areas where they have been calling on civilians to evacuate for over a month now.

But we've heard from some Palestinians who have said they have seen familiar faces who, as far as they know, are not related to Hamas in any way who have been rounded up.

You also hear people in the global community saying they are thinking about moments like Abu Ghraib in Iraq.

[13:40:04]

How do you interpret these images and what you think is happening here?

BRIG. GEN. PETER ZWACK, U.S. ARMY (RET) & WILSON CENTER GLOBAL FELLOW, KENNAN INSTITUTE & FORMER U.S. SENIOR DEFENSE ATTACHE TO THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION: It's a great question. This is a hard situation overall. Imagine how hard it is for young Israeli troop leaders to commanders,

company commanders. They have a mission to go in. They're trying to clear Hamas. And they're also trying to find the hostages, which requires it to be careful.

But they're in a hurry. So you get a bunch of young military-age men.

The Israelis need to be more sensitive to how the world is and the media and the pictures and the Islamic culture. All of it is true.

But they've just rounded up a bunch of guys, they disarmed them, they tied their arms so that they can't be a threat, and they their clothes off or most of their clothes off to see if they're not carrying weapons or suicide bombs.

This is how hard it is, because, if you do get a bunch of guys and they're all just standing around, it's a whole lot more dangerous.

So the Israelis need to be sensitive to this, figure out a way to separate and search. This obviously isn't the way.

WHITFIELD: Let's talk about these attempts to encourage civilians to evacuate in southern Gaza, particularly in the Khan Younis area, where now the fighting is intensifying.

There are flyers being dispersed. We're hearing descriptions from the IDF that there are Q.R. codes. You're seeing the image right there. Some people don't have cell service. Some people don't have phones at all.

This is supposed to be their route to safety. It doesn't seem to be going well.

What are your thoughts on how the Israeli defense can get ahead of maintaining their plan to take out their targeted subjects who are members of Hamas and Hamas leadership and, at the same time, protect civilians or make concerted efforts to help civilians flee violence and find safety?

ZWACK: Right. Get Hamas leadership, protect the civilians and get the hostages out safely. It's almost an impossible task in the present circumstances.

The Israelis are under a time gun. The whole world is more than watching now. We're critiquing.

So, yes, they've got to get it done. You've got to do it surgically. But at the same point, Hamas has wrapped itself around the hostages and the civilians. The civilians --it's not working, clearly. There is no safe place.

So they've been crammed into the southern portion of already-tight Gaza. The weather isn't good. And, yes, it's a desperate situation. The United Nations has called it near catastrophic.

They've got to figure out a way to do this. My hope is that they get Yahya Sinwar, somebody like that, get him, the head of -- the bin Laden, if you will, of Hamas in Gaza.

At that point, OK, we've got our victory. And then we're going to figure out a way to scale this all down.

I don't know. It's hard. They're in a hurry. Hamas is on top of those civilians.

There is nowhere, as your reporters have mentioned, nowhere for the civilians to go once they're already out of the house and stacked in a mile- or two-mile cube at the bottom of south Gaza. It's a desperate situation.

WHITFIELD: There's that conflict.

And then, I want to remind people, there's the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The White House has been trying to tie military aid to Israel with more aid for Ukraine as well, but that funding is in limbo in Congress right now.

The White House says, if funding dries up for Ukraine, it would be catastrophic for that war effort.

What are your concerns?

ZWACK: Fredericka, I'm quite concerned. If there ever were a black- and-white example of invasion and trying to take down a democratic nation that is fighting existentially for its survival - and their part of our Western civilization, if you will -- this is it.

[13:45:09]

And for -- and it's hard, and it's expensive, but we can do it.

If the Russians continue to get heart that we are not going to support and the Ukraine -- and that we're not going to support Ukraine, they're going to continue to push and continue to grind.

Ukrainians are fighting their hearts out. They've got issues. They've got flaws. But they're in a total existential war. And to pull their carpet out -- it isn't just the United States. It's multiple allies or partners. This isn't the time.

And this is a key fight for whatever we want Europe and the world to look like, I believe, five years from now.

And if Ukraine, because of us fading on support, were to be defeated by an aggressor of a nation that hasn't invaded in such a way in Europe since 1939, Poland, then we have really, really, really hamstrung, if you will, our civilization and what we all believe in.

So, yes, it's a big deal. The lawmakers need to figure out a way. I believe they can do both. They can do the border and they can support Ukraine and Israel. They can do this. It's just the will and the focus. It -- (INAUDIBLE).

WHITFIELD: OK. (CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: General, yes. I hear your passion loud and clear, that's for sure.

Brigadier General Peter Zwack, thank you so much.

ZWACK: Thank you, Fredricka. Thank you for having me.

WHITFIELD: Thank you.

And new concerns from climate scientists. Next year, the planet's temperature could rise to a new dangerous, even more dangerous level. Bill Weir joining me next to explain.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:51:41]

WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back. Right now, 30 million people are under threat of severe weather across the south and spreading east.

CNN Meteorologist Elisa Raffa is tracking all the latest.

Elisa, what's happening right now?

ELISA RAFFA, AMS CERTIFIED METEOROLOGIST: We've got a busy radar right now as showers and storms are really starting to blow up. The red that you see here is a tornado watch. That's in effect for parts of Kentucky, including Nashville, Memphis, and down there to Little Rock.

This goes until 7:00 this evening, with a threat for a few tornadoes, up to 70-mile-per-hour gusts and some large hail.

Now these are the warnings. And that pink you see is a tornado warning. We have already confirmed at least one tornado on the ground in parts of northern Tennessee.

The radar signature was so significant that the National Weather Service was able to say, hey, debris is coming up on the ground, this is large, dangerous, and there could be considerable damage. We're waiting for updates on that.

You can see other warnings there for those 70-mile-per-hour winds and the torrential downpours.

Now we're going to continue to see these showers and storms as we go through the evening. It will push east and the flood threat hits areas near New York. We'll talk that continuing there here on CNN.

WHITFIELD: All right, we'll check back with you.

Elisa Raffa, thanks so much.

"The climate crisis will be a death sentence for us, and we will not go silently into our graves." That quote coming from a government official. A very dire warning for the Marshall Islands at the COP28 climate summit this morning.

It follows equally stark news from climate scientists who say the planet's average temperature could rise by 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels next year.

Researchers say anything above that threshold would cause potentially irreversible effects on the world. Pretty dire, indeed.

CNN chief climate correspondent, Bill Weir, joining us right now.

Bill, yesterday, you and I were talking about the optimism. Now a step back. No optimism here.

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is the warning we've been getting for a very long time about where the temperatures are headed. We're just beginning an El Nino, a natural warming cycle.

So, yes, 2023, warmest ever in eons. But will be the coolest for the immediate future, the rest of our lives.

As for what's happening at COP28, for the first time in, like, 30 years of the U.N. throwing these climate conventions, some long-time observers are saying the fossil fuel industry is showing a whiff of desperation and panic.

Because there was an OPEC letter that was leaked this week. The president of OPEC encouraging other oil-producing countries to resist calls for a phase out of fossil fuels. There's a phase down, which is squishy and nebulous.

The petrol states saying, hey, let's pull the climate out of the sky instead and that keeps people wanting our product.

Meanwhile, 80 countries, including the United States, are calling for a phase out and a slow transition there as well. So it will be interesting to see which, in this tug of war, prevails as it wraps up on Tuesday.

WHITFIELD: OK. Now so some of that polling that we talked about yesterday that, you know, sparked some optimism about the U.S. and climate change.

Is there widespread support among Americans for cutting greenhouse gases, making a commitment?

[13:55:00]

WEIR: Yes. Actually, this poll was actually one of the most surprising I've seen covering this beat. Almost 75 percent of Americans agree with cutting the climate pollution in half by 2030. That's the Biden administration's goal. That includes 50 percent of Republicans.

Now, it's been so politicized for so long, I wonder if the messaging is changing because it's so hard to sort of deny this, $25 billion disasters this year, 500 lives lost to these natural weather patterns.

But, yes, there's sentiment to do something about it. So we'll see what that results in at the COP in Dubai.

WHITFIELD: All right. Bill Weir, great to see you. And two days in a row.

WEIR: Yes. Good to see you, Fred.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: All right, take care.

All right, what's it like being Billie Jean King? Dana Bash sits down with the tennis trailblazer tomorrow night at 10:00 Eastern and Pacific, only on CNN.

We'll be right back.

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