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President Biden Hitting The Campaign Trail Amid New Legal Distractions Hovering Over His Son; Hunter Biden Now Facing New Federal Tax Evasion Charges; GOP Candidates Storm Iowa; Interview With POLITICO White House Reporter Meridith McGraw; Interview With Axios National Politics Reporter Sophia Cai; House Republicans Formalizing Impeachment Into Biden; 30 Million People Under Threat Of Severe Weather; Texas Woman Fights To Get Legal Abortion; Texas Supreme Court Temporarily Blocks Woman From Getting Emergency Abortion; Interview With Civil Rights Attorney Areva Martin; Israel Defense Forces Intensifying Military Operation In Southern Gaza; Airstrikes Rocks Southern Gaza As Israel Pushes Into Khan Younis; IDF Issues Urgent Appeal For Civilians To Evacuate Areas Of Khan Yunis Today; 70 Plus Lawmakers Call For Removal University Presidents; MLB Superstar Shohei Ohtani To Sign With The Dodgers; "Being Billie Jean King" Airs Tomorrow At 10PM ET/PT. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired December 09, 2023 - 15:00   ET

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

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[15:00:00]

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

So, with just weeks before voters head to the polls at key 2024 election contests, President Biden is hitting the campaign trail 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's latest indictment.

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. CNN Senior White House Reporter Kevin Liptak is in Los Angeles where the president is fundraising.

Kevin, has the president said anything about these indictments?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: No, he hasn't, Fredericka. He's been asked a few times but the president fairly tight lipped on this. What the White House says is that the president loves his son, that he supports him, but they're otherwise. not all that eager to weigh in on this.

And it really is one of the most sensitive issues inside the White House, not something that many aides raise with the president. And when you talk to them, it's not something that many really have a firsthand knowledge of how the president is processing all of this. But it is certainly true that these Hunter Biden's legal issues do weigh heavily on his father. They have over the last year or so, and this one is no different, in particular because of how personal and somewhat embarrassing the details in that indictment were.

And so, this is a political headache for President Biden as he heads in to next year's election. You've already seen Republicans try and conflate Hunter Biden's legal issues with those that President Trump is facing. They are vastly different circumstances. President Trump was president and is running to be president again. Hunter Biden has not been president and won't be president, so they are very different.

And when you talk to people around President Biden, they don't believe that voters will necessarily factor Hunter Biden's legal issues into their decision-making next year, but it certainly will be a challenge for President Biden as he looks to ramp up this contrast with former President Trump, his most likely challenger in the 2024 election.

You heard President Biden do that yesterday in Las Vegas, where he was announcing some new investments in passenger rail, and he went after President Trump by name. Listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTER BIDEN, PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN SON: They are trying to, in their most illegitimate way, but rational way, they're trying to destroy a presidency. And so, it's not about me. In 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIPTAK: Imagine the arguments that President Biden made. There are ones that you'll hear in campaign ads over the next year. that will require a lot of money. Of course, that's why President Biden is in Los Angeles this weekend, raising money. He has several fundraisers over the course of the weekend, including last night with some Hollywood heavyweights, Steven Spielberg, Shonda Rhimes, Rob Reiner.

The president also went after President Biden there, talking about how he's a threat to democracy. Certainly, this will be a lucrative stretch for the president. I was talking yesterday to Jeffrey Katzenberg. He's a film mogul, but also the co-chair of the Biden re- election campaign, he said this will be the most lucrative 36 hours of President Biden's campaign since he announced his re-election effort back in the spring. Fredericka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Kevin Liptak, thanks so much in Los Angeles.

All right, now to Iowa, where many of the Republican White House hopefuls are stumping today. The state's caucus, which is the first in the nation, will take place in just over five weeks from now. Nikki Haley, Governor Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy, all holding events today in an attempt to court voters.

CNN's Eva McKend is on the ground for us there. Oh, now you have an audience behind you. People have, you know, flooded all of these rooms to hear from these candidates on what's being said.

[15:05:00]

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred, they want Iowans to get out and causes for them in a few short weeks. Ambassador Haley, the Vivek Ramaswamy, Governor DeSantis, they spoke at a faith and family forum this morning. That's so important because those voters, evangelical voters, they make up a significant amount of Iowa caucus goers.

So, Congressman Randy Feenstra represents a very conservative part of this state, holding this forum, giving them the opportunity to talk about how faith and family informs their policy vision. But the elephant in the room, the person who was not there, Former President Donald Trump, that is the big issue that they have to contend with because Trump still holds a significant lead in the polling. And they have to argue to voters that they can make up this 20 percent deficit.

Here is how Ambassador Haley, Governor DeSantis, are talking about Trump on the trail.

Oh, it sounds like we don't have that soundbite, but basically, Ambassador Haley, she said that wherever, rightly or wrongly, that the former president, he's always followed by chaos. Governor DeSantis argued that if Trump is the general election candidate, that Democrats will pile on on a way that will essentially make him too toxic to most voters, arguing that he would be a better general election candidate.

Also, we're going to hear much more of that. Ambassador Haley will make her way here to Spirit Lake, Iowa, to continue to speak with voters. We're talking to voters as well. They say that a range of issues are on their minds. It's the future of social security in this country, healthcare, immigration. So, all these candidates will have the opportunity to speak to these voters time and time again. Haley even telling Iowans that not before long they will get sick of seeing her face. Fred.

WHITFIELD: OK. Yes, everyone's taking up second residency there at least for the next five weeks or so. Eva McKend, thank you so much.

All right. Joining me right now to talk more about the 2024 race is Meridith McGraw. She is a White House reporter for Politico. Also with me is Sophia Cai. She is a national politics reporter for Axios. Good to see both of you gentle -- I was about to say gentlemen -- women, ladies. Thank you.

All right. So, Meridith, let me start with you since you cover the White House. I mean, do you get the sense that the president or his campaign team is concerned at all about the fallout from Hunter Biden's latest indictment?

MERIDITH MCGRAW, WHITE HOUSE REPORTER, POLITICO: So, just to be clear, I do mostly cover Donald Trump and Republican candidates, but I have been in touch with the Biden campaign to ask them specifically about this Hunter Biden indictment and how they're viewing it. And what they continue to say is that in polls that they've seen voters say that the Hunter Biden legal issues aren't top of mind when they're thinking about whether or not they're going to vote for President Biden in the upcoming election, and they continue to point to the fact that Hunter Biden is a private citizen.

But, you know, these embarrassing details that have come out in the latest indictment over Biden -- Biden's son trying to avoid paying taxes really come at such an inopportune moment for the Biden campaign, as they really try to differentiate themselves, you know, between them and Donald Trump, who is staring down his own serious legal and ethics issues. And of course, as the Biden campaign has continued to see the president struggle in recent polls, and most recently "The Wall Street Journal" poll with a hypothetical matchup between him and Donald Trump.

WHITFIELD: Sophia, I wonder too, well we heard from our Kevin Liptak who said, you know, there are people in the White House who hesitate to even talk with the president about what's going on because it's such a sensitive issue.

At the same time, Sophia, do you find that they are going to have to look at this as an opportunity, perhaps, to kind of humanize the president? Families who deal with family members who have addictions don't always make the best decisions in the world. And, you know, Hunter Biden has actually talked about it in his memoir. And when we talked to one of our legal analysts today, he helped remind everyone that Hunter Biden did actually eventually pay all of the taxes, the penalties, et cetera.

And so, this case is revealing a lot about what Hunter Biden went through. But I wonder if that's going to be a calculus that the White House uses because they can't get away from it. At some point, they're going to have to talk about it, right?

SOPHIA CAI, NATIONAL POLITICS REPORTER, AXIOS: Yes. I think Biden's closest advisers have recognized that they're not running away from Hunter Biden and the legal issues that he's facing. And so, what they've done is that, you know, very few people are talking to Biden about Hunter Biden because, you know, it's his son and it's something that he's very, very sensitive about.

[15:10:00]

But to the extent that it comes up you know, with gaggles, with reporters by the chopper, as well as, you know, at press conferences, you know, Biden will say, he's my son. And you know, everyone has dealt or know someone with addiction.

And so, I think you're absolutely right, there are only a few lines that they can use. But I don't think that Biden's advisers really see Hunter Biden as a pro or as a real asset in the campaign. And they've largely tried to avoid the issue.

WHITFIELD: All right. Meridith, you know, top Republicans who are vying for the White House, they're all in Iowa and they are stumping for votes, encouragement, support. How vital and important will the outcome of the Iowa caucus be -- caucuses be in terms of, you know, who stays in the race?

MCGRAW: Well, the Iowa caucus will really give these candidates an opportunity to show, you know, just how much they are connecting with voters out there. Donald Trump has been leading in polls by double digits, but if you're someone like Nikki Haley, who has seen some momentum in the polls, she's going to want to have a show of force there in Iowa that could potentially give her momentum to perform well in New Hampshire and beyond.

But if you just look at the realities, though, of recent polls and what we've seen, Donald Trump continues to be the front runner by a long shot. And so, even though these candidates are really working hard and crisscrossing the state and trying to earn the of these Iowa caucus goers in the Iowa caucus is very different. It is its own unique thing. But they are going to have to work hard to overcome the advantage that we've seen with Trump in the polls.

WHITFIELD: And, Sophia, Nikki Haley rising in the polls, her debate performances help put her out in front. But as it pertains to Iowa, just five weeks or so away, is this a must win if you are Ron DeSantis?

CAI: I think with Ron DeSantis, the stakes are very high. You know, I do think it's Iowa or bust for Ron DeSantis, especially since he's not had that momentum behind him.

On the other hand, if you ask Nikki Haley, and she said this on the trail, she said, I don't need to win Iowa. And her strategy has been slow and steady wins the race. And so, she's going for the 75 percent of Americans who don't want a Biden or Trump matchup. And so, she said that she just needs a really strong showing.

And same with Vivek. Vivek told us, actually at the Axios headquarters, that he too doesn't need to win Iowa. But for him, you know, in many ways it's also Iowa or bust. And so, you know, Iowa, for candidates who are not Donald Trump, is really the last straw to show that they deserve to be considered by Republican primary voters.

WHITFIELD: Meridith, this week House Republicans plan on voting on a resolution formalizing an impeachment into President Biden. Is the momentum there for that?

MCGRAW: This has been a goal for many of House Republicans to impeach President Biden. And there's been sort of a growing chorus of Republicans who've tried to make a connection right now between the Hunter Biden indictment and President Biden, but so far, there's been no evidence of any of that.

WHITFIELD: All right. We will leave it there for now. Ladies, thank you so much for joining me this Saturday. Meridith McGraw and Sophia Cai.

All right. Still to come. A Texas woman fighting to get a legal abortion. She's told that she has to wait once again. Much more on the late-night court ruling next.

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[15:15:00]

WHITFIELD: All right. Right now, 30 million people are under threat of severe weather across the south and spreading east. The storm has already injured three people and caused damage as it ripped through parts of rural Northwest Tennessee. CNN Meteorologist Elisa Raffa is tracking all the latest for us.

Elisa, I mean, you warned us that there is a lot coming and now it already has.

ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It has been busy. I mean, that radar has been busy. These storms have been firing up. I put the storm reports on here so you can see where we already have reported tornadoes. Some of these are already confirmed because that twist on radar has been so textbook that meteorologists at the Weather Service have been already able to confirm some tornadoes reaching the ground. Damage already been reported.

These pinks that you see here are live tornado warnings that we have right now for some of these spinning storms. A watch continues until 7:00 this evening for this area from Kentucky down into Tennessee and then back into Arkansas as that threat continues through the evening hours.

So, we'll find this line continuing to progress eastward towards Nashville as we go through the evening hours overnight. Showers and storms really bubble up across parts of Knoxville and then starting to get into Charlotte by tomorrow.

We'll find a threat of severe storms there too, but then look what happens, cold air pops in. We're talking snow from the Appalachian Mountains up into West Virginia, D.C. and then parts of interior New England.

[15:20:00]

So, here's that threat that's unfolding right now for tornadoes, damaging winds and large hail. You can see it slides east tomorrow. Not as much of a threat. It weakens some, but still on the lookout for some damaging winds.

Flooding will also be a concern. We've got flood watches in effect from Maine down to D.C., New York, Boston included. 50 million people need to watch for the threat of two to four inches of widespread rain as this thing moves east. And then, look at the purples, six to eight inches of snow in interior New England.

WHITFIELD: Oh, that's a lot. All right. Thanks for the warning and keep a watch out for us. Elisa Raffa, thanks so much.

All right. A late-night court decision in Texas is dealing another setback to a woman. They're 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 one day after she was granted permission by a lower court judge.

CNN's Camila Bernal is following the story of for us. Camila, explain more for us.

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fred. It's really important to understand that she is a 31-year-old woman who is 20 weeks pregnant, so time is really important for her at the moment. So, she says complications from her pregnancy have created problems for her in terms of her health now and also, her health in the future, specifically her fertility.

And so, she sued the State of Texas to ask for permission to get a legal abortion in that state. A Texas judge granted that and allowed her to do that, which was very significant because this specifically sort of defines medical exemptions in a state that has some of the most restrictive abortion laws. There's a six-week ban in place in the State of Texas.

Now, the attorney general did not agree with that ruling from that Texas judge and asked for the Supreme Court of the state to interfere. And that's exactly what the Texas Supreme Court did, essentially putting a temporary block in place. And so, they froze lower court's decision and look at the case.

It's unclear when they will do that because there is no timeline in terms of that blockage that court put in place. But what that means is that she cannot get that legal abortion at the moment and her attorney saying they're still very hopeful, but also saying that this is an urgent medical matter. And she said, you know, this is why people shouldn't beg for health care from a court of law. That was from her attorney.

Ken Paxton, on the other hand, is saying that Kate Cox failed to prove why this would be life-threatening or why she would be at risk of death. So, those are sort of his reasons for opposing that Texas judge's ruling. And why he went to the Supreme Court. So, again, we'll have to wait and see what the Texas Supreme Court decides.

But in the meantime, Kate Cox, through her lawsuit, is saying, look, if the baby is born, it's likely not going to live for more than a couple of days. And she says her health here is at risk and the future of her fertility as well. Fred.

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

BERNAL: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Let's talk more about all this with Civil Rights Attorney Areva Martin. Areva, great to see you.

AREVA MARTIN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Hi, Fred.

WHITFIELD: So, now the state's Supreme Court is involved. What do you see happening and how quickly or how long before something is to happen?

MARTIN: That's a great question, Fred, and the State Supreme Court gave no indication as to when it would hear the merits of this case. All that we know is that there is a -- at this point, it has frozen the lower court's decision that would have allowed this 31-year-old pregnant woman to go forward to get this abortion that her doctor has attested to the fact that she needs, that she requires, and he says -- her doctor says that this abortion procedure is an exception, a legitimate exception to the very restrictive Texas abortion laws. We have no indication from the State Supreme Court as to when this woman will get a decision.

WHITFIELD: So, there's urgency here. I mean, her doctors say it's a critical medical emergency. A lower court. agreed, but then now the State Supreme Court in Texas is -- you know, has stepped in. I -- is this an indicator to you about what is likely to happen to other pending, you know, potential cases across the country?

MARTIN: Absolutely, Fred. This is a stunning decision by this Supreme Court, essentially overriding the medical necessity statement by a physician. A woman goes to a doctor, and we know in this case, this woman has gone to three emergency rooms. She's had fluid leaking from her body. She's had other complications with her pregnancy. And her doctor has stated emphatically that this medical procedure is needed. It's a lifesaving procedure that is required.

[15:25:00]

Yet, the state attorney general has intervened and has taken a position contrary to her doctor. And now, we see the Supreme Court, again, taking a position contrary to a physician. So, essentially having a set of lawyers, judges substituting their decision in place of a trained medical professional. And that is scary. I think should be scary to all women because essentially, you're having courts say they know more about what's important in terms of saving a woman's life than that woman's own physician.

WHITFIELD: What do you suppose this is also saying to the medical community and how doctors, medical institutions are now preparing themselves even legally to potentially face a very similar encounter?

MARTIN: Fred, this says to the medical community, you better beware, and that you better not use your medical training, all of your expertise in making decisions that can save a woman's life. Because if you do so, you may run a file of what the state attorney and what the Texas State Courts may determine is the right thing to do, even though it may not be the medical thing to do.

And you can imagine that doctors are going to be incredibly fearful providing the kind of care, the kind of health care that a woman needs because they may face -- as we know, this attorney general said to Ms. Cox's doctor, they could face both felony, criminal prosecution, and we know in the State of Texas, you can also face significant civil fines and a civil lawsuit if you are found to be assisting someone with an abortion that the state deems illegal.

WHITFIELD: Yes. A lot at stake. All right. Areva Martin, thank you so much.

MARTIN: Thank you, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Still to come, the Israel Defense Forces intensifying their military operation in Southern Gaza, urging civilians in the Khan Younis neighborhood to evacuate. We're following the very latest from the region.

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[15:30:00]

WHITFIELD: Heavy clashes across Gaza today as the Israeli military intensifies ground operations against Hamas. Israel Defense Forces say soldiers are fighting militants in northern Gaza near the Jabalya refugee camp, as well as in areas of Khan Yunis in Southern Gaza.

The IDF issued an urgent appeal for civilians to evacuate areas of Khan Yunis today, and it comes just hours after the U.S. blocked a U.N. resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

CNN's Alex Marquardt is in Tel Aviv. Alex, there are reports of airstrikes in Central Gaza as well today. What more are you hearing?

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredericka, we're really hearing about violence and fighting all over the Gaza Strip today. You have that -- those clashes between Hamas and the IDF around the Jabalya refugee camp, that's in the north, which Israel has said it controls much of, but clearly, it's not fully in control.

In the center part of the Gaza Strip, in an area called Deir al-Balah, there were strikes -- airstrikes according to residents on a building that was housing some 150 people, including people who had fled from the north and were told to evacuate towards the south.

But, Fred, so much of the fighting -- most intense fighting in the past few days really has focused around the biggest city in the south, Khan Younis, where Israel believes some top Hamas leaders are -- Israel claims that it is -- that it has broken through Hamas defensive lines. It's trying to encircle the city, and that is where so much of the attention is.

And tonight, the IDF issued what they called an urgent appeal to residents and civilians of the central part of Khan Younis, specifically, five exact areas that they put on a map, that they posted online, telling these Palestinians to evacuate urgently to a sixth area to the southwest of Khan Younis.

But the map that they posted online is really quite complicated. You can see it right there. The -- all of Gaza being parceled up into different blocks. And so, it is not clear how many Palestinians are actually able to get online to see this map, how many can actually understand this map enough to evacuate those very specific areas. They would have to figure out exactly where they are. The IDF saying that they need to evacuate to the southwest where there are established shelters. Fred, we are not clear on what shelters they're referring to. We've asked the Israeli army and we have yet to hear back, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness. And then the U.S. blocked a U.N. resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, and that has upset a lot of people.

MARQUARDT: Yes. This is not totally unexpected because the U.S. has rejected calls for a ceasefire, saying that it is not time for that because the fighting is still necessary against Hamas. But it has provoked a lot of global outrage.

This emergency meeting at the Security Council yesterday on a resolution that was proposed by the UAE and supported by 97 other countries. In this vote of 15 members of the Security Council, only the U.S. voted against this resolution for an immediate ceasefire. There were 13 countries who voted for, one, the U.K. abstained, and the U.S. vetoed it, and that prompted palace -- outrage from Palestinians, accusations of hypocrisy against the U.S, while the U.S. claims to be worried about Palestinian civilians, also outrage from human rights groups, including Doctors Without Borders. So, they said in a statement that, by vetoing this resolution, the U.S. stands alone in casting its vote against humanity.

[15:35:00]

Meanwhile, Israel, of course, happy to see that the U.S. was taking a stand for Israel. The Israeli ambassadors to the United Nations thanked the U.S. for standing firmly by our side today and showing their leadership and values.

And, Fred, this vote on Friday came just before the State Department notified congressional committees that it had approved the sale of 14,000 more tank shells to Israel, and the State Department actually used an emergency provision to bypass congressional authorities to allow Israel to buy 14,000 more shells for their fight against Hamas. Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Alex Marquardt, we'll leave it there. Thank you so much.

More than 70 lawmakers are calling on the boards of three top universities to remove their presidents, and that comes after the presidents failed to make clear last week during Capitol Hill testimonies that calling for the genocide of Jews would violate campus codes of conduct.

Antisemitic incidents on campuses and in neighborhoods across the country have been rising for years, and they are soaring since the war between Hamas and Israel began in October. CNN Digital spoke to Jewish families across the country about how this year's Hanukkah celebrations are feeling.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've always been very proud to be Jewish, but this year my feelings about it all are dulled because of the conflict. I heard for both sides for the children. I have always put a menorah in the window. And for the first time this year, I'm not comfortable doing that. People might have issues with Jews.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My children, when they go to school, they're told they should have been gassed. And now, they're also being told that they're baby killers and hospital bombers.

This year it feels heavy. I thought about it and thought, well, oh, gosh, maybe I shouldn't put the menorah in the window this year. You know, things are kind of hard right now. But then, about a minute later, I thought, no, no, this year will be no different.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And you can see much more of this on cnn.com.

And this breaking news, a baseball superstar, Shohei Ohtani, announces where he plans to play next season. The history making move next.

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[15:40:00]

WHITFIELD: All right. And this just in to CNN after months of speculation, baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani announced the team that he is going to sign with. CNN Sports Anchor Patrick Snell is with us again. OK. Drum roll. What's it going to be?

PATRICK SNELL, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Hey, Fred. Yes. So much speculation about where he would sign, especially in the last 24 hours. And we can now reveal he's chosen the L.A. Dodgers. The Japanese sensation announcing it all on Instagram.

His social media accounts, or one of them, a short time ago, that he'll leave the crosstown rivals, the L.A. Angels. I wonder how Angels fans are feeling right now, and heading to the Dodgers. He thanked the Angels and their supporters in the lengthy post just a short while ago, and also pledged to always do what's best for the Dodgers and baseball for the rest of his career -- of his whole career.

I cannot tell you this legend of the sport, such a true icon in his homeland, Japan, one of the best players in all of baseball. He's the Babe Ruth, really, I think it's fair to say of his generation, Fred, there's no question about that.

The two-way star, just to remind our viewers, both domestically here in the U.S. and of course overseas, won the American League MVP or most valuable player for the second time this past season.

He won't be able to pitch next year due to an arm injury, but he will be able to hit for the Dodgers. Thought there were plenty of speculation, I will say, about where he was heading. Some reports even had him on a plane going Toronto as of Friday. Several other teams were in the mix.

I will say this, no confirmation from the Dodgers as of right now, at this hour, but this makes a lot of sense for them. This is a big blow to the Angels and their fans. I wonder how they must feel be feeling, but this is a huge story in the world of sports, both here in the U.S. and internationally as well.

And we're still learning more, hopefully, about the new deal. We'll bring it to you as and when we get it. But a massive sporting talker this weekend. This is massive.

WHITFIELD: It is massive. Oh, I'm sure the Angels fans or the team, they're kind of spitting nails, but, hey, you know.

SNELL: I think it's fair to say probably resigned to him, leaving one day, but just not to that team, as they would say.

WHITFIELD: Right. And that team -- right, exactly. OK. Well, congrats to him, right? Patrick Snell, thank you so much.

All right. Coming up, another incredible sports superstar, Billie Jean King. She's a champion, on and off the tennis court. And in the latest episode of CNN's series, "Being," we explore the life of the tennis legend and activist. We'll have a preview next.

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[15:45:00]

WHITFIELD: All right. A setback for tennis champ Chris Evert. The legend says she has been re-diagnosed with cancer and will not be reporting on the Australian Open next month for ESPN as planned. Evert was diagnosed with stage one ovarian cancer two years ago. She says, once again, the cancer has been caught early and removed. She is resuming chemo.

Evert won more than 150 titles, including 21 Grand Slams during her career, and she finished seven years as the number one female player in the world.

And another tennis great, Billie Jean King. Well, she's an icon, a champion, and a trailblazer. CNN Anchor and Chief Political Correspondent Dana Bash sat down with the tennis legend to learn about her career, the twists and turns of her personal life, and her fight for equality.

And she found that Billie Jean King has the admiration and appreciation of today's players as well.

[15:50:00]

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): As we're talking, the newest phenom in women's tennis, Coco Gauff, walks off the court after practice.

COCO GAUFF, U.S. OPEN 2023 CHAMPION: Hello. BILLIE JEAN KING, TENNIS LEGEND: How are you?

GAUFF: And I quote you all the time.

KING: You do? I do.

GAUFF: I say pressure is a privilege all the time.

BASH (voiceover): At this moment, the 19-year-old tennis prodigy had won multiple WTA titles, but not yet the U.S. Open.

GAUFF: I've met her a couple times, and my favorite was at the Billie Jean King Cup this year. And you said, how much it was an honor to represent your country. And that we should carry ourselves accordingly.

KING: Yes. That's good. See? This is what you love about the young ones, they remember.

BASH: Coco, particularly.

GAUFF: If Billy says something, you have to remember.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Oh, that's such a beautiful moment. Dana Bash joining us right now. I mean, how spontaneous and real and lovely, right, that, you know, Coco Gauff would spontaneously just kind of appear, have that moment, that exchange, that memory of how much Billie Jean King, you know, has touched her along the way and guided her. And then, that Coco Gauff would end up winning the U.S. Open.

BASH (on camera): It was -- I mean, Fred, you can -- I'm glad that you feel my joy through the camera here because it was a moment to be standing there. And Coco Gauff was, was practicing and it was the day before the U.S. Open this year officially started.

And, of course, two weeks later, we know what happened.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

BASH: Coco Gauff, at age 19, won the U.S. Open. I want to play another clip that specifically talks about that and about how she knew exactly who to thank when she got the big check.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KING: First time. U.S. Open is the first of anything I know in this whole world that was equal with men and women.

BASH (voiceover): In 2023, 50 years later, when U.S. Women's singles champion Coco Gauff got the same prize money as the men's winner, a $3 million check, she knew who to thank.

GAUFF: Thank you. Oh, my God.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're an inspiration to us all.

GAUFF: Thank you, Billy, for fighting for this.

KING: Yes.

BASH: To be standing there, at the U.S. Open, 50 years after you led the fight for equal pay and to have a 19-year-old African American woman get a $3 million check and to thank you.

KING: It was awesome, because that's when you know you did the right thing, that it was worth it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH (on camera): And just being at the U.S. Open, again, it was 1973, 2023 now, 50 years ago that she and her fellow tennis players, but really, she led the way to push for equal prize money. And she says it was the first time that women got equal pay. A promise for that kind of anywhere, not just in sports, but anywhere.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

BASH: And that moment, the King Riggs match, what is known as the battle of the sexes, also in 1973, these are milestones that she and the world have been celebrating all year long. Another milestone, Fred, is she just turned 80 last month, and she has a lot that she is still doing. You'd mentioned the Dodgers.

WHITFIELD: I know.

BASH: You know, she and her wife, Ilana Kloss, are actually part owners of the Dodgers. They also just helped to start an ice hockey league for women, and it goes on and on and on. And she's done -- she's one of those people who has done so much to help change the world well beyond sports that you almost forget, because it's almost too much to comprehend that one person can do so much.

WHITFIELD: Oh, she's incredibly unstoppable.

BASH: Yes.

WHITFIELD: And continues, like you said. I mean, here we have this breaking news, you know, of this star L.A. Angels player now going to the Dodgers, which is, you know, like you just mentioned, a team that she's a part owner of.

So, when she talks about the what's next, I mean, what does she envision?

BASH: You know, first of all, she said she's the happiest she's ever been because she can be her true authentic self. We talked really candidly, she did, about the struggle for years, for decades, Fred, about the fact that she felt that she had to hide her true sexual orientation.

She was married to Larry King, not our Larry King, a different Larry King, for years since she was very, very young. And then, they got divorced. She started to become attracted to women. And she has been with her now wife, Ilana, for two decades plus. Maybe, I think, almost three decades.

And the fact that she can live so openly with her now is quite a difference in what happened in the past. And she talks about the struggle, the effect that it had on her personally, on her physically, emotionally and physically, and

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And I'm very grateful that she is so open in this discussion about that. And she's just fun.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

BASH: She's just fun.

WHITFIELD: Yes. She's extraordinary. And I mean, what an incredible year this has been for her too, because this was the anniversary year of the battle of the sexes.

BASH: Yes.

WHITFIELD: So, then there's that. All right. Dana Bash, thank you so much We'll be watching, of course, "Being Billie Jean King," airing tomorrow night at 10:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific only on CNN.

And thank you so much for joining me today. I'm Fredericka Whitfield. The "CNN Newsroom with Jim Acosta" starts right after this

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