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White House Attacks Trump Comments As Echoing Fascist Rhetoric; Senators Race To Reach Immigration Compromise; Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin To Press Israel To Define War Milestones; Pro-Palestinian Group Pickets Outside Detroit Restaurant; Black Moms Opting For Homebirth. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired December 17, 2023 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:01:21]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Sunday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

And happening right now, swift reaction to the latest anti-immigration rhetoric from former president Donald Trump. The White House labeling the comments as fascist after the former president said this at a rally in New Hampshire Saturday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: They're poisoning the blood of our country. That's what they've done. They've poisoned. Mental institutions and prisons all over the world. Not just in South America. Not just at three or four countries that we think about, but all over the world. They're coming into our country from Africa, from Asia, all over the world. They're pouring into our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The Biden campaign coming out and saying Trump's comments parroted Adolf Hitler.

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez is in Washington and Alayna Treene is in Reno, Nevada, where Trump is holding a rally in about an hour from now.

Priscilla, let's begin with you. I mean, this is strong rebuke from the White House. What else are we hearing from President Biden?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It is. And the resounding message is that this rhetoric is dangerous. In a statement to CNN, a White House spokesperson said the following, quote, "Echoing the grotesque rhetoric of fascist and violent white supremacists and threatening to oppress those who disagree with the government are dangerous attacks on the dignity and rights of all Americans, on our democracy, and on public safety. It's the opposite of everything we stand for as Americans."

Now President Biden himself has weighed in on his predecessor's rhetoric in private events with donors where he there has always likened the former president's terminology as that to Nazi terminology. And the White House and the campaign have similarly gone after and blasting Trump's controversial immigration proposals that he has released over the last few weeks. And just this month, President Biden releasing a statement through his reelection campaign for the first time to blast Trump's travel ban on predominantly Muslim countries as, quote, "cruel."

Now it's clear, though, that this is a delicate issue for the White House and that immigration is a political liability for President Biden going into the 2024 presidential election. And you don't have to look too much further than what's happening on Capitol Hill, where negotiations are ongoing for border policy changes to get supplemental funding to Ukraine and to Israel. So foreign policy here dependent on these domestic policy issues.

So the president is having to navigate all of that here in Washington while also keeping the focus on the election, along with his campaign and trying to mark a very stark contrast between his vision of America, his vision on immigration, and that of his predecessor, former president Donald Trump.

WHITFIELD: All right. And Alayna, Trump, he's in Reno where you are right now, but last night in New Hampshire, he was applauding Vladimir Putin for his knowledge of democracy. What more did he say?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, that's right, Fred. Donald Trump invoked Russian President Vladimir Putin during those remarks in New Hampshire yesterday and essentially argued that, you know, his calls to undercut democracy in America or Putin's calls for, you know, America not being a good example of democracy across the world was fitting. Take a listen to what Donald Trump said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Vladimir Putin of Russia says that Biden's -- and this is a quote -- politically motivated persecution of his political rival is very good for Russia because it shows the rottenness of the American political system, which cannot pretend to teach others about democracy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[16:05:14]

TREENE: Now, Fred, clearly some pretty remarkable language coming from a former president. But, look, Donald Trump also praised other authoritarian leaders during those remarks yesterday. He called the prime minister of Hungary, Viktor Orban, highly respected and said that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was very nice.

And I think what's important to keep in mind here is the big picture. Donald Trump has been heavily scrutinized over his potential plans for a possible second term. A lot of people coming out and warning that he could be a potential authoritarian leader himself if he is elected in 2024. And that's where a lot of this is coming from.

He is trying to flip the script as we've seen him do time and time again and argue I'm not the threat to democracy, it's actually former -- or excuse me, it's actually President Joe Biden -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Alayna Treene, in a pretty full house there for that Trump rally coming up in just an hour or so from now there in Reno, Nevada. And Priscilla Alvarez, thanks so much in D.C.

All right, Trump's anti-immigrant comments come as high stakes talks on Capitol Hill to reach a border deal are underway. Just moments ago, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas arrived at the Capitol for another afternoon meeting with Senate negotiators. A handful of senators have been working overtime to hammer out some sort of compromise on immigration but also provides aid for Ukraine and Israel.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOE MANCHIN (D-WV): From a Republican and Democrat negotiators who are really diligent, doing a great job, and then basically with the White House involved committed to getting this border under control, that's what I'm really very hopeful for, and I think we're going to see something next week, and we'll stay there until we get it done.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): The bottom line here is we feel like we're being jammed. We're not anywhere close to a deal. It will go into next year.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN's Manu Raju has more on where the talks stand.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MANU RAJU, CNN ANCHOR: Senators have spent the weekend trying to see if they can get any sort of compromise on the issue of immigration, dealing with a surge at the southern border of Mexico. Migrants coming into the United States, changing border policy. Things that have really eluded Congress for decades.

They want to try to get an agreement now, by tonight, in order to see if they can unlock aid to Israel and Ukraine, because Republicans have said the border must be dealt with first before they'll agree to green lighting billions of dollars in more aid to Ukraine as well as aid to Israel, which is why so much focus is on these talks that are happening in the Senate.

There is already blowback. Some from the right who are concerned that Republicans are giving away too much, not pushing for enough restrictive policies, and then a growing number of critics on the left worried about Joe Biden giving away too much, some flatly warning that it could cost him at the ballot box.

Why do you think the president is struggling so much with Hispanic voters compared to last time?

SEN. ALEX PADILLA (D-CA): Yes. Well, I'm not as worried about that yet. I think if we do -- if he does go too far in the Trump direction when it comes to this, it's going to be felt at the ballot box next year, no doubt about it.

SEN. BON MENENDEZ (D-NJ): I am amazed that what is the equivalent of Trumpian ideas is being promoted by President Biden and the Democratic White House.

RAJU: But even if they were to get a deal by tonight which many people see as unrealistic at this point, but if they were able to get a deal, it would take time to draft the text, to get approval from the four different caucuses in the House and the Senate. Actually set up the votes in the Senate, which takes some time, getting it out of the Senate. And in fact the House is actually out until January.

This would not even get approved until January. And we'll see how Republicans and Democrats alike react to any deal that is reached. It could potentially sink in the House as well. So just many questions about whether they can get there. But negotiators say they have been making progress, but is that enough progress to get a deal that could pass both chambers? That remains a huge question at this critical moment.

Manu Raju, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, joining me right now to discuss all of these developments is Joe Walsh. He is a former Republican congressman from Illinois. Great to see you.

Also with me Scott Jennings, a CNN senior political commentator and a former special assistant to President George W. Bush. Great to see you as well.

All right, so, Scott, you first. I mean, Trump, you know, recently came under a lot of criticism for saying he would, you know, only be a dictator for a day, his first day, if he's reelected, and now he is quoting and praising dictators like Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong- un? I mean, what's going on here? And why so much Republican silence?

SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I mean, as a practical matter, I wouldn't go around quoting Vladimir Putin or anybody else, and I certainly wouldn't good around using the language that he used on the immigration point.

[16:10:09]

Given the historical context, I think it actually take ways from the overall issue, which is a winning issue for him. I mean, immigration and illegal immigration is a terrible albatross for Joe Biden. The American people think he has failed on it.

I will tell you the word poison, though, I suspect is going to ring true, or at least strike a chord with a lot of voters out there who do believe that we're being poisoned by illegal immigration, at least what's coming across the border in the form of illegal drugs like Fentanyl which is killing millions of Americans.

WHITFIELD: But that's not what he is talking about. His language is making inferences --

JENNINGS: How do you know? How do you know?

WHITFIELD: Well, you're listening to it. All you have to do is try to corroborate it with language that white supremacists are using, hate speech. It's very similar.

JENNINGS: Yes, I agree that we have a problem with white supremacy and hate speech in this country right now, which my third point was going to be, if you're worried about Hitler and actual Nazis in this country right now over at the White House, what I would suggest they do is look on these college campuses, look in our cities, and look at the actual antisemitic modern-day Nazis who are running around this country. There is no thinly veiled rhetoric with them. The veil is off. They are what they are.

WHITFIELD: But is that the kind of language you would want to hear from somebody who would be the leader of this country?

JENNINGS: No. I just said, if I were him, I wouldn't use this kind of language because I think it takes away from his overall point. But I do think it's a little bit hypocritical for the White House to be screaming about Hitler and Nazis when they're out competing for the votes of people who are literal modern-day Nazis and their antisemitic rhetoric out there. You have Democrats fretting about losing the votes of these people who are running around campus and cities right now.

So I understand the White House needs to pivot on this issue given some of their base is clearly antisemitic, and I think Donald Trump needs to clean up his language as well. But some of this criticism of him is hypocritical given what's going on in the left flank of this country.

WHITFIELD: OK, Joe, I see you shaking your head. Senator Lindsey Graham was asked about this earlier today. I want to hear your sentiment in a moment after you hear what Lindsey Graham had to say. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GRAHAM: We're talking about language? I could care less what language people use as long as we get it right. I believe in legal immigration. I have no animosity toward people trying to come to our country. I have animosity against terrorists and drug dealers, but I understand why people want to come to America. But we have chaos and we need to create order.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. So, Joe, is this representative of how the party wants to handle this?

JOE WALSH (R), FORMER ILLINOIS REPRESENTATIVE: Fred, it's just so damn wrong. Lindsey Graham and basically every Republican dismissing and shaking their head and almost laughing at what Donald Trump says. Let's be clear, again, in that speech last night, he bad-mouthed America. He quoted dictators. He said again he will be an authoritarian. And yes, he attacked immigrants. He called immigrants poison.

Now Scott's right. The border is a big issue, but man, you want to run in 2024, you know, put that question before the American people, do you think immigrants to this country, white, black, and brown are poison? Come on, that was a bigoted, xenophobic authoritarian, dictatorial speech.

But, Fred, here's the point. The party is his. He is way up in this race. He's increased his lead in this race because that's where most Republican voters are. They want that ugly bigoted nationalistic crap.

WHITFIELD: And it's confusing, Scott, on a number of levels because you hear a former president doubling down on language that has ties to white supremacist rhetoric, saying that immigrants are, quote, "poisoning the blood of our country," et cetera, and all the other things that he said. But you have to wonder, I mean, who is he appealing to? I mean, perhaps his base is still with him, but don't you need the support of independents, moderate Republicans in order to win the general election?

JENNINGS: It's not bigoted to want a secure border. And you have independents and Democrats who are telling, screaming --

(CROSSTALK)

WALSH: That was just --

WHITFIELD: But if he would just stick to that, I think people could hear that.

WALSH: It's not what he said, Scott.

WHITFIELD: But there was all this other language, Scott. You can't dismiss that.

JENNINGS: The issue of illegal immigration and the porous southern border has been the animating issue of Donald Trump's campaigns going back to 2016. And it has been one of the biggest animating issues for the Republican base since he correctly identified it as an issue to run on way back then. And right now, if you look at the polls, the American people, Democrats, independents, and Republicans are largely in agreement, that Joe Biden has failed on this point.

[16:15:00]

They don't like the mess at the border. They don't like the chaos. They don't like the drugs, yes, that are poisoning the American people, and right now Donald Trump is talking about it. And I will also just say given what we heard before we came on, Joe Biden is in desperate need of a deal on this. He needs a deal. And I hope Congress reaches a deal on it. But it would help Joe Biden more than anybody in this country to get a deal on this because it is --

WHITFIELD: OK. But it's unique to talk -- JENNINGS: -- on his head as he runs for reelection.

WHITFIELD: But it's unique to talk about a poisoning of America because people are coming from other places. When you look at the tapestry of this country, it is made up of people who come from various places. So in the contrast here with what Donald Trump is saying to his wife, the former first lady Melania Trump who gave a very personal reflection on her experience of becoming a U.S. citizen while speaking at a naturalization ceremony at the National Archives in Washington. Just listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MELANIA TRUMP, FORMER FIRST LADY: My personal experience of traversing the challenges of the immigration process opened my eyes to the harsh realities people face, including you, who try to become U.S. citizens. My challenges were numerous. There were rewards well worth the effort. I applaud for every step you took, every obstacle you overcome and every sacrifice you made.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So, Joe, hence the confusion. Why would Donald Trump be speaking one way and his wife is speaking this way?

WALSH: Well, look, there is always confusion when Trump speaks because let's be real, and I'll give Scott this point, he's an idiot, and we don't really -- I don't really think he understands most of what he says. But he didn't talk about drugs coming across our borders. Scott is right. This is a weak -- an area of vulnerability for Democrats, the border.

But Trump does what he always does, Fred. He took it to an ugly, dark, bigoted place. Donald Trump said immigrants are a poison to this country. He said that. He'll say it again. Scott knows it's wrong for him to say that, but, again, I say this again. The Republican Party base loves that. They believe that. And it's why he is right now running away with the nomination.

WHITFIELD: So contrast what Melania Trump just said with what Donald Trump said while in New Hampshire. Do we have more tape on that? Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: They're poisoning the blood of our country. That's what they've done. They've poisoned. Mental institutions and prisons all over the world, not just in South America, not just at three or four countries that we think about, but all over the world, they're coming into our country from Africa, from Asia, all over the world. They're pouring into our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Not that it's important to hear that all over again, because, Scott, you know, contrary to what you might believe, it's a little disturbing. But that he does continue to, you know, lead in the polling. But perhaps closely right on his heels in some circles Nikki Haley. You know, the CBS poll showing Trump dropping some six points since September. And is now at 44 percent in New Hampshire. And the poll has Haley jumping from 11 percent in September to 29 percent now. Is she a significant threat to him?

JENNINGS: Well, it's interesting. New Hampshire comes second. Iowa comes first. Trump is dominating in Iowa right now and most people there expect him to win. So you wonder how the momentum of winning Iowa will affect what happens in New Hampshire. And this also is in the context of the national polls that show about 69 percent or 70 percent of the Republicans nationally are saying they're for him.

It would be unprecedented at this point for someone to have that much national support not to get the nomination. That having been said, if you want to just analyze the New Hampshire poll, it seems to me that the imperative for Nikki Haley is to get Chris Christie out of the race. I mean, he's obviously occupying probably 10 percent of the survey there that most likely would go to her. Flip side of it is she does not need Ron DeSantis to drop out because I suspect most of Ron DeSantis' support, although it's lower New Hampshire, if he were to get out after Iowa, it would probably go to Trump.

So it's a three- or four-dimensional chess game over there. She's got some momentum, but she is clearly in a state where there is just not room for as many candidates that she's competing with right now for that non-Trump lane.

WHITFIELD: Scott, yes, are you worried about voter turnout like Matt Gaetz expressed?

JENNINGS: I'm not familiar with what he said, but I'm worried about voter turnout in this election overall. I think the American people want this rematch like they want another hole in the head. I think they'd rather pick two people out of the Peoria phone book to run against each other than Donald Trump and Joe Biden.

[16:20:01]

But that's what we're about to get and I'm worried that the American people are going to be so disgusted with this election and what the two political parties have given them that they're not going to turn out. So, yes, I don't know what he said, but I'm generally worried about voter turnout in this election.

WHITFIELD: And Joe Walsh, I mean, you heard Matt Gaetz who was concerned about low voter turnout, particularly with almost like a level of complacency and a presumption that Donald Trump would win the nomination.

WALSH: Yes, I don't see it. And Scott and I may disagree on this. I can't imagine low turnout next year because I really believe the future of our democracy is on the line. I mean, with every speech Trump, who represents my former party, puts forward his vision which is anathema to America. So if that doesn't get people out next year, I don't know what will. WHITFIELD: All right. We'll leave it there for now. Joe Walsh, Scott

Jennings, good to see you both.

JENNINGS: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Still to come, growing concerns over the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza as U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin heads to Israel to meet with officials. We have the latest from the region.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:25:31]

WHITFIELD: All right. New today, Israel Defense Forces say they have uncovered the biggest Hamas tunnel under Gaza to date. The IDF says it's large enough to drive a vehicle through and also has the electricity and communications. Officials say the tunnel ends less than a quarter of a mile from the border with Israel.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is preparing to visit Israel to push Israeli officials to define milestones for their war against Hamas.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond is in Tel Aviv for us.

Jeremy, what more is Secretary Austin hoping to accomplish?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the secretary of defense's visit to Israel tomorrow is part of a broader push by U.S. officials to pressure the Israeli government to transition this very intense phase of fighting in Gaza to a less intense phase, one that will be more targeted, more focused on special operations, and will hopefully, according to U.S. officials, result in fewer civilian casualties.

This visit comes on the heels of one by the National Security adviser Jake Sullivan, who was here just a few days ago, pressing on the same message. A senior defense official tells CNN that Secretary Austin will be getting a special update on how the War Cabinet intends -- believes its progress against Hamas is going in this war, and also press for specific milestones that it needs to achieve in order to transition to that next phase in the fighting.

All of this of course coming against the backdrop of growing U.S. and international pressure as we have seen mounting civilian casualties in the war in Gaza. We have seen over the last week as a rift between the Israeli prime minister and President Biden has really spilled into public view over civilian casualties over how Israel is prosecuting this war, and also of course over what happens once and if Hamas is destroyed in Gaza. And so this visit tomorrow will be essential to addressing many of those questions.

And, of course, Secretary Austin will be arriving with the General CQ Brown, the chief of staff of the U.S. Military, and both of them will be pressing for specifics as they look for how and when exactly Israel can transition to this next phase of the fight. WHITFIELD: And what more is the IDF saying about that large Hamas

tunnel that was uncovered?

DIAMOND: Well, Fred, typically, when we see images of tunnels that the Israeli military has discovered under Gaza we see tunnels where you would have to go single file through them and only for people to basically move through these. But this one is far different. As you can see on your screen here, these tunnels are large enough to drive a large vehicle through according to the Israeli military. They go as far as 50 meters underground. And they host a whole range of systems, including electronics, ventilation, and communication systems.

Now this tunnel did not cross from Gaza into Israel. It was simply a tunnel under Gaza, but it was about 400 meters away from the Erez Crossing, which was one of the main crossing points between Israel and Gaza. It was also the sight of an attack by Hamas on October 7th as those Hamas militants crossed into Israel to carry out that brutal attack on October 7th. It's not clear that this tunnel was used for that purpose.

And I should also note that the Israeli military said that it actually discovered and secured this tunnel weeks ago, but it was only in the last couple of days that they began showing it to the media and to the world.

WHITFIELD: All right, Jeremy Diamond, thank you so much.

All right. Joining me right now is CNN military analyst and retired Air Force colonel Cedric Leighton.

Colonel, good to see you. So officials say Secretary Austin is going to push the Israelis to define their milestones in this war against Hamas. What kind of milestones would you expect to see at this stage of this kind of war?

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yes, good afternoon, Fredricka. It's going to be really interesting. I think what Secretary Austin and General Brown are going to be looking for are, first of all, a reiteration by the Israelis of what their objectives actually are. And on their way to those objectives, what those milestones would be.

So what could those look like? Well, basically, what they would want to see is how the Israeli military is going to transition from the current ground intense, air intense operation to a more focused operation as Jeremy was mentioning. And the key thing here to look at is this requires a completely different mindset and a completely different set of tactics. Whether or not the Israelis can successfully transition to something like this of course remains to be seen.

[16:30:00]

It's a difficult task under the best of circumstances to transition into these kind of operations, really more of a counterinsurgency type operation, and that's the kind of thing I think that Secretary Austin is going to be asking for. He's going to be looking at this and trying to help the Israelis determine what kinds of objectives are reasonable and what kind of milestones will actually work for them. But those milestones will definitely be congruent with any objectives that the Israelis and the Americans come up with together.

WHITFIELD: I wonder might there be another objective or two? You know, I mean, could this potentially serve as a way in which Secretary Austin or just, you know, the U.S. amidst the Biden administration to get an assessment before any additional aid or munitions are sent to Israel? Because potentially there could be some conditions that might come with the next round, based on what the discoveries are in this war effort?

LEIGHTON: Yes, that's certainly possible. Of course, publicly, nobody said that Israel is going to be subject to any conditions on the aid that the U.S. is giving it, especially the military aid. But the reality of the situation is this. We both know that politically, the idea of conditions is certainly gaining traction in certain quarters, and it's definitely one of those areas where it does look as if conditions are going to be part of it, either tacitly or deliberately voiced.

And that's going to be I think a change in the Israeli-U.S. relationship kind of a change in the dynamic of that relationship. But, yes, it's very possible that Secretary Austin is going to be looking for something like this and is going to in essence tell the Israelis that they're not going to be getting a blank check if this kind of operation that they're currently conducting continues. I think that will be very hard politically for the U.S. to continue to support, and that's the kind of message that Secretary Austin will probably convey in private.

WHITFIELD: And you saw the images of the discovery of what is, you know, being called the biggest Hamas tunnel uncovered by the IDF there in northern Gaza. And, of course, it's been common knowledge that there is quite the, you know, system of tunnels throughout Gaza. How is this going to be instructive for the IDF, particularly as it continues to look for these more than 130 hostages? Because, of course, all throughout this war, we've been hearing that potentially hostages are being held throughout this incredible network of tunnels.

But what do you see is the greatest importance that comes with the discovery of this kind of tunnel and the sophistication of it?

LEIGHTON: Yes, exactly. The sophistication is amazing. I mean, you almost think you're going underneath the East River on your way to New York City when you look at this. So this is, you know, certainly an engineering feat that Hamas and its sponsors have created in Gaza. And the Israelis are certainly well aware of their capabilities and the fact that they've been able to look now for several weeks and in essence assess the type of construction, the way it was built, the direction it took, and to perhaps how extensive it is.

Those kinds of factors will definitely play into how the Israelis are mapping out these tunnel systems. It will also serve to inform them to determine what percentage of tunnels look like this. I would venture to say it's probably less than 50 percent of the tunnels that exist in Gaza look like this. The others are probably a lot less sophisticated. But nonetheless, they are certainly a clear indication of what Hamas capabilities are.

And that really makes it a challenge because some of the tunnels will be like this. Others will be, you know, much narrower, much more confined, and they will be tunnels that will be very difficult to get into. Not so hard to penetrate, but very difficult to move about in. And that's the kind of challenge that the Israelis are going to face as if they're going to go after those who have captured their hostages and who are, you know, of course if they're looking to free those hostages. So that's going to be I think part of the new imperative for the Israelis in this case.

WHITFIELD: All right. We'll leave there it. Colonel Cedric Leighton, thank you so much. Good to see you this Sunday.

LEIGHTON: Good to see you, too, Fredricka. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:38:40]

WHITFIELD: All right. Now to Detroit where a group of pro-Palestinian protesters marched outside a restaurant Saturday and directed chants toward the restaurant's Jewish CEO.

CNN's Polo Sandoval joining us now with more on this -- Polo.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fred. So this was incident-free incident if you hear from authorities on the ground there in Detroit, but certainly one that earns some extra attention given the international tensions right now.

In this particular case, according to Detroit Police, anywhere from 100 to 150 people gathered outside of a downtown Detroit restaurant yesterday, some of them waving Palestinian flags, and they were directing chants towards the head of the restaurant group that owns and operated this and other restaurants. His name is Jeremy Sasson, he's somebody who has publicly expressed support for Israel in the past.

In this particular case some of the chants that could be heard and some of the video that CNN has had an opportunity to review, the crowds chanting, and I quote, "Jeremy, you can't hide. We charge you with genocide," as well as, "Jeremy, what do you say? How many kids did you kill today?" End of quote.

Now additionally some of the literature that have been handed out promoting this event was calling for a boycott of other of Sasson's restaurants here. He initially told the "Detroit Free Press" in 2021 that not only was he targeted with antisemitism in the past, but also several -- a large amount of negative reviews directed towards his restaurant.

[16:40:05]

A spokesperson for Heirloom Hospitality telling CNN that they're declining to comment saying they did not want to increase already heightened tensions.

But really, Fred, I think that that's the overarching theme here. Those increased tensions and certainly the anger and the frustration that the conflict in the Middle East has unleashed here at home. We saw similar chants also in Philadelphia just a couple of weeks ago outside of a falafel shop. In that particular situation, you had not only the governor of Pennsylvania but even the White House that was condemning the language there, calling it antisemitism.

And then over the weekend, a Cleveland Palestinian tea house, telling our affiliate WOIO that it has been targeted with anti-Palestinian banners. So really, we've seen this throughout the country. This just the latest incident and of course a reminder there is a very fine line between free speech and hate speech. In terms of these last two situations, both in Philadelphia and Detroit, police not making any arrests there.

WHITFIELD: All right. Polo Sandoval, keep us posted. Thank you so much.

All right. Coming up, 12 million people under threat of severe weather as the Florida coast and the Carolinas are hammered with severe wind and rain. Where the storm is headed next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:45:30]

WHITFIELD: All right. This breaking news. Christian Ziegler, the embattled chair of the Florida Republican GOP, has just been censured by party leadership. The group voted unanimously to strip him of all authority amid a sexual assault investigation. The group also reduced his salary to $1 annually and barred him from hiring or raising funds for the party. Since Ziegler did not resign, he retains his title. He is under investigation for sexual assault by the Sarasota Police Department.

Christian and his wife Bridget Ziegler are Florida Republican political stalwarts, and the couple rose from their base of power in Sarasota County into significant statewide figures under Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

And stormy weather up and down the East Coast right now. Parts of eastern South Carolina under a flash flood emergency.

Meteorologist Elisa Raffa has more on all of this -- Elisa.

ELISA RAFFA, AMS METROLOGIST: Yes, and part of that flash flooding came from the sky, and part of it, Fred, came from the ocean. We had a record tide this morning out of Charleston. Here is a look when it hit 9.8 feet. That makes it the fourth highest tied for the location on record when you include storms that had names like hurricanes. It broke records that were set by Matthew and Idalia. But it is the highest tide that a nontropical system has ever brought to the area.

Tornado watches continue until 8:00 this evening for the eastern part of the state as the storm just swirls on and some spin-ups are possible. The flood threat continues through the mid-Atlantic. And then up to Maine. 60 million people under the threat for some several inches of rain. You could see it kind of spinning as we go through the night tonight and then into tomorrow. That heavy rain a really nasty commute for places like New York where we can even see some gusts to 65 miles per hour.

WHITFIELD: It looks terrible. And no end in the sight. But I know there is an end in sight. But right now it looks bad.

All right, Elisa Raffa, thank you so much. We'll be right back.

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[16:51:58]

WHITFIELD: Tonight, on an all-new episode of "THE WHOLE STORY" with Anderson Cooper, Abby Phillip takes a closer look at black women who are exploring home birthing options because they fear for their health and the safety of their babies at hospitals.

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ABBY PHILLIP, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Family and friends have gathered to celebrate the upcoming birth of Baby Girl Barnes at her big brother's birthday.

Among the guests, their midwife, Kimberly. She's quite popular here, having worked with several families.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It feels very old-school where it's like, you know, the midwife was the person in the community that everybody went to and everyone knew.

PHILLIP: Kimberly's business is booming.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, right in front of your face.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, like that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my god. Sorry.

PHILLIP: Is there a baby happening?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A baby just happened. I think it's safe to say that we've tripled what we do every month. And so right now it's feeling very busy.

PHILLIP: So how many now is busy?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Twelve, 15 a month. I put my hands on their belly whatever stage of pregnancy they are, and I always greet the baby. PHILLIP (voice-over): It's not just Kimberly. Midwifery is having a

resurgence. In 1980, midwives attended only 1.1 percent of births in the U.S. In 2020, that number rose to 12 percent. And according to the latest CDC data, the percentage of home births among black women increased 36 percent from 2019 to 2020, and another 21 percent from 2020 to 2021.

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WHITFIELD: It's a significant increase. Abby Phillip joining me right now.

Abby, so talk to us about the rise of the use of midwives.

PHILLIP: Yes. It's been actually really interesting. I had no idea frankly that it was happening until I started hearing anecdotally from women that they were choosing home births. And it's been around for a long time, but I think the resurgence of it for black women is something new that we're seeing.

One of the misconceptions that I had about home births was wondering how do you get your maternal care, until I realized that midwives provide the same kind of care as doctors throughout the pregnancy. The tests, the screenings, the ultrasounds. All of that are still a part of your prenatal care. And so when women choose to do home births or they choose to be under the care of midwives, it's because they have low-risk pregnancies, and I think that's why you're seeing so many of them starting to go in that direction as well.

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WHITFIELD: So let's get personal if we can. You actually went that route. You had a home birth with your daughter. What compelled you to do it and, overall, did you have a good experience?

PHILLIP: Yes. Well, I'll start with at the end. I mean, I personally had a great experience. For me, it was incredibly empowering. It was an experience that made me feel safe, that made me feel connected to my daughter, that made me feel capable and not afraid. Those were all things that were really important to me. And ultimately, every woman has to look at the risks to themselves personally.

There's no blanket statement about any of this. Talk to your doctors. Talk to your care providers. If you're a low-risk woman, this could be an option for you as it was for me. But it's not an option for everyone.

WHITFIELD: Right. All right. We'll be watching. Abby Phillip, thank you so much. And thanks for sharing your personal journey.

An all-new episode of "THE WHOLE STORY" with Anderson Cooper, one whole hour one whole story. That airs tonight 9:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific right here on 911.

And thank you so much for joining me today, this entire weekend. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. "CNN NEWSROOM" continues with Jim Acosta in a moment.

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