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House Speaker: Border Deal "Dead On Arrival" In The House; RNC Scraps Plan To Declare Trump "Presumptive 2024 Nominee"; Haley: Trump Wants To be Presumptive GOP Nominee, And We're Talking About $83M In Damages; DOJ Finds Andrew Cuomo Sexually Harassed State Employees; E. Jean Carroll Wins $83.3m Jury Verdict Against Trump; Measles Outbreak: Nearly A Dozen Cases Across 3 States; "The Many Lives Of Martha Stewart" Premieres Sunday At 9P ET/PT. Aired 12-1p ET

Aired January 27, 2024 - 12:00   ET

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

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: And journalist, as you saw, Fred Pleitgen, is still reporting that story, despite competition from other world crises. But we've got to keep the spotlight on.

That's all we have time for. If you want to ask me a question, scan the Q.R. code on your screen, or e-mail AskAmanpour@cnn.com. And remember to tell us your name and where you're from.

Don't forget, you can find all our shows online as podcasts at cnn.com/podcast and on all other major platforms.

I'm Christiane Amanpour in London. Thank you for watching, and I'll see you again next week.

[12:00:42]

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

All right, we begin this hour with President Biden endorsing a deal that could lead to the U.S. shutting down the border with Mexico. The president is now throwing his support behind a bipartisan Senate bill that sources say gives the U.S. the authority to crack down on illegal migrant crossings at the southern border using tough new measures, including a shutdown when the border is overwhelmed.

But Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson is already warning the Senate border deal could face strong opposition in his changer -- chamber rather, writing, "If rumors about the contents of the draft proposal are true, it would have been dead on arrival in the House anyway."

For more on these developments, let's bring in CNN White House reporter Priscilla Alvarez.

Priscilla, President Biden will be campaigning in South Carolina later on today. What can you tell us about his support for this tougher border bill? PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, Fredricka, this marks a stark shift from the White House position in the early days of the administration. And is a way to fend off attacks from former President Donald Trump on immigration policy as this election season heats up.

Now, in this rare statement from President Biden over the course of his ongoing negotiations, yesterday, he talked about this deal, saying that it was tough and fair. Statement that came only hours after House Speaker Mike Johnson said that the deal would be dead on arrival.

But it was one line in particular, that really struck current and former administration officials I spoke with as well as immigrant advocates and captures this shift by the White House.

And here is the line. It says, "It would give me, as president, a new emergency authority to shut down the border when it becomes overwhelmed." Going on to say, "And if given that authority, I would use it the day I sign the bill into law."

Now, we know according to our colleague, Manu Raju, that what is included in this deal is a new emergency authority that allows the Department of Homeland Security to shut down the border if daily crossings along the border are 4000 over a one-week span. That's pretty reminiscent of a COVID era restriction invoked under former President Donald Trump that allowed authorities to turn migrants away.

And it's this language that really underscores the reality that President Biden has faced since taking office while he came in promising to restore asylum and manage the border in a humane way, his administration has faced harsh realities and challenges on the U.S. Mexico border amid record migration in the western hemisphere.

And this is the type of statement that puts him at odds with his allies and with immigrant advocates, who have always been against shutting down the border, especially those who are seeking asylum.

But the president clearly trying to get ahead here, as former President Donald Trump tries to tank this these negotiations before, they even get to the house.

Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Priscilla Alvarez, thank you so much.

So, Biden's embrace of tougher border measures comes as former President Donald Trump is actively working to dismantle the Senate border deal, saying Republicans should not concede a victory to Democrats. It's a move that has Republican senators seething.

Joining me right now to discuss all of these developments is Geoff Duncan.

He is a CNN political commentator and a former Republican Lieutenant Governor of Georgia. Geoff, great to see you.

GEOFF DUNCAN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Great to be here.

WHITFIELD: This is confusing, because isn't this the kind of measure that Republicans have been wanting? But now, of course, President Trump has said, wait a minute, don't give Democrats don't give this administration, the victory? Republicans, those who are seething. Is it enough? Are they seething enough to try to push this through anyway?

DUNCAN: Well, I think I and probably almost every other American are shocked to taken -- is taken Joe Biden this long to adjust his strategy on the border. And certainly, we need to adjust our strategy on the border.

But I think it speaks to this, this back and forth, this oxymoronic take of sides to us, politicizing everything, including the border. I mean, you roll back to Donald Trump and him politicizing the border, and that Mexico was going to pay for the wall, and he was going to build it all the way.

Really all he built was a selfie station on the border for Republican politicians to show up and act like they were doing something on the border.

But messaging is important. I think the rumor got out to South America that Joe Biden didn't really care about the border. It was an open border. And so those influxes of migrants started to come that direction.

[12:05:01]

I'm glad to see there is some motion. But it's to watch this politicize the way it is continues to be an obstacle.

WHITFIELD: But the urgency is now. And do you see that the White House has the Capitol, has the Republican support on the Hill to try to do something within the next eight to nine months? Or is it, do you see in the foreseeable future that all of that will be delayed in time for the general election?

DUNCAN: All sides agree that this is a crisis. And so, I encourage them to do something on the border in a bipartisan fashion, because we have to. This is a necessary step. And I think a majority of Americans expect elected officials to take this serious, and to put something more important than just getting reelected, or getting elected, making sure that we had make an adjustment down on the border because this truly is a crisis.

WHITFIELD: How is it not going to be a politicized issue though in an election year.

DUNCAN: Well, and it goes to the point of, you know, why were, you know, as a Republican, why we're trying to figure out how to jam somebody that's got 91 indictments back into the nomination. I mean, everything is politicized, including courtrooms, and $83 million verdicts for sexual assault.

WHITFIELD: You wrote an op-ed just a few days ago for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where you said Trump is incapable of leading in the right way.

So, does this attempt to stop any border deal? Is that another example of Trump putting himself over country in your view?

DUNCAN: Yes. He is -- he's an obstructionist at this point, right? It's all about just politicizing each and every event to try to squeeze out.

I think the encouraging thing that that I've sensed at this point, and the op-ed, I compared using steroids, back in the 90s, in my minor league career, not myself, but my teammates to Republicans just jumping on the bandwagon of Donald Trump because it's politically expedient.

But you know, the problem for Donald Trump is he's reached his high watermark of support. I think we've seen that start to play out. His high watermark is about 50 to 55 percent of Republicans. Nikki Haley is around 35 percent and change.

Momentum is on her side, although the numbers don't necessarily dictate that. He has got a math problem, because 55 percent of Republicans is not enough to win the general. And this race is about to be about the suburbs, as we -- as we trace into South Carolina in Super Tuesday and then into the general election.

And if one of those two folks are not able to win the suburbs, and then Joe Biden becomes -- stay as president.

WHITFIELD: What do you characterize is happening within the Republican Party, when you have the RNC who says, you know, we want to declare Trump as the presumptive nominee, and then, backpedaling, from that. This exemplifies what within the party?

DUNCAN: Chaos on the battlefield. That's what Donald Trump has sown, chaos all across our party. There is different sides, there is different factions, and the reality is there is no leadership.

We are right for leadership in the Republican Party. And I speak to a broader sense, I think we're right for leadership in this country.

But we have to start to engage the other side, I talk a lot about in a book, I wrote, My PET Project: Policy, Empathy, and Tone.

We need to highlight the policies that we think we're better on. I think Republicans are better on the border. But we need to use empathy to understand the other side's argument, like abortion. And we need to use a tone that invites people to join us.

When I hear this pushback about New Hampshire not wanting to have independence and some Democrats come our way, I mean, those folks used to be Republicans until Donald Trump came in and, and steamrolled through our party. So, being able to grow the size of the tent is something we should -- we should effectively embrace.

WHITFIELD: So, Trump has had two victories, Iowa, New Hampshire, and just yesterday, and $83.3 million judgement against him in the defamation and sexual assault case with E. Jean Carroll.

Do you believe that judgement? I mean, he'd already been found liable, you know, prior, but the judgement then, yesterday. Will that in any way, in your view, influence, this support for him in the primary races?

DUNCAN: I think it will. I think as we try to figure out a way to win the suburbs and win women to come back to the Republican Party, I think it's going to be hard for them to make a justification for this.

I mean, it just speaks to the intoxicating spell that Donald Trump has on the Republican Party. If any other candidate in any race, whether it be dog catcher, city council, Mayor, U.S. Senator had an $83 million judgement for a sexual assault. Could you imagine the chaos outside their home with media with the calls for them to step out of the race, but yet, Donald Trump continues to think it gives him -- it gives him momentum.

I think it hurts him. I think it continues to take this narrative that Nikki Haley starting to capture.

WHITFIELD: You think he says, you know, he wants to dismiss her. You know, he wants it to be just a race between he and Biden, you know, and dismiss the race that she is still in? Is that a reflection of his fear that he is nervous that she remains in the race that she might be able to garner support or take away support from him?

DUNCAN: I think so. I think, I'd be scared to run against a two-time conservative governor with a great conservative track record, a full resume of foreign policy support. And also, somebody who hasn't been accused of rape or convicted of rape, hasn't been accused of 91 indictments, and file bankruptcy, all of those -- all of those elements.

Yes, he's scared of Nikki Haley. And momentum is a powerful thing. And I think Nikki Haley starting to have momentum on her side.

WHITFIELD: Do you think she'll be able to maintain the momentum?

DUNCAN: I do.

WHITFIELD: Has South Carolina?

DUNCAN: I do.

WHITFIELD: All right. Geoff Duncan, great to see you.

DUNCAN: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Thanks so much. [12:10:01]

All right, meantime, both Republican candidates still in the running for president are hitting the campaign trail this weekend. Former President Donald Trump is holding an event in Las Vegas, while Nikki Haley is stomping in South Carolina.

CNN's Alayna Treene and Eva McKend are with the candidates. Alayna, let me begin with you. And Nikki Haley isn't even on the ballot for Nevada's caucuses. Meaning, Trump will almost assuredly sweep the state's delegates. So, what's the strategy?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN CONGRESSIONAL AND PRESIDENTIAL POLITICS REPORTER: Right. Well, Fred, that's exactly right.

Trump and his team think that this is a state that they have already won. And that's because Nikki Haley is not on the ballot for the caucus, which is really the race that will award the state's crucial 26 delegates. Instead, she is on the primary.

And so, a big part of I know, the Trump team's ground game strategy here, and what Donald Trump will talk about in his speech today is educating voters to go vote in the caucus, not the primary where Nikki Haley is playing. And that's going to be a big part of his speech, I'm told.

But the other part is, because they don't really see Nikki Haley, as a player here. It's a great opportunity for Donald Trump to try and pivot to his general election strategy against Joe Biden. And that's going to be talking about the economy, crime, and the border.

Now, the border, we know there's been a lot of talk about the border, both inside and off the Capitol -- of Capitol Hill. But it's also a big issue here in Nevada. They have a big migrant population. And it comes at a big time when Donald Trump is encouraging lawmakers to reject the bipartisan deal in Congress.

Now, we did see Donald Trump already posting about the border this morning in the lead up to his speech. He wrote, "It is the worst border in the history of the world, an open wound and our one scrape country, terrorists are pouring in unchecked from all over the world."

And again, Fred, the timing of this, I find very noteworthy because it does come as Trump has been privately and publicly urging lawmakers to reject a bipartisan deal to secure the border. And I'm told part of that is because Donald Trump does not want this to be an issue that Biden can have a victory on in November.

He really believes that this is a vulnerable issue for Joe Biden. And so, they want, you know, not for him to have a victory on this.

WHITFIELD: And Alayna, I mean, this will now be the first time that we might hear, you know, Trump speaking following that $83.3 million jury verdict in the E. Jean Carroll defamation case.

I mean, he's had the opportunity to speak up via Truth, Social, but, you know, right in front of the microphone, is there an expectation that he will refrain from commenting on that case?

You know, that is a big question going into today, Fred. But I expect he will talk about it. I know that Donald Trump, especially when it's a case like this that he is so furious about, I spoke to his advisors yesterday, he is very angry with that jury verdict. I do expect he'll bring it up.

And again, we did see Donald Trump like you mentioned, talk about this on Truth Social. He plans to appeal this. He plans to criticize it.

He said yesterday, shortly after the jury came in with the verdict, that it's absolutely ridiculous that he fully disagrees with both verdicts. And he plans to appeal it. And part of this as well. Fred is not just because he's so angry about what had happened.

But also, because he does see this as a way to try and convince voters that he is a victim of political persecution.

We know that Trump's team has used his court appearances on and off the trail, really as a public relations and fundraising vehicle. And so, I think it will be an opportunity for Donald Trump to bring it up today and try to get some of that sympathy from his supporters.

WHITFIELD: All right.

Eva McKend, you are aware at Nikki Haley will be hosting an event in just a few hours. So, Eva, what is Haley thing about the E. Jean Carroll verdict? Anything?

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS REPORTER: Well, Fred, her response really lends itself to an argument that she has long made. And that is that the former president is too distracted to mired in chaos, to be an effective candidate or an effective president.

Her statement reading, in part, "Donald Trump wants to be the presumptive Republican nominee, and we're talking about $83 million in damages. We're not talking about fixing the border. We're not talking about tackling inflation. America can do better than Donald Trump and Joe Biden."

And what we're seeing from Haley is really a defiance in the wake of calls for her to step aside. Really no indications at least of yet that she is slowing down. She is holding 13 fundraisers in the next 3- 1/2 weeks in five states.

She is going to be speaking to voters here in the Greenville area today. And then tomorrow, she'll be in the Myrtle Beach region. And she is also continuing to really confront Trump head on, arguing that he is too thin-skinned, arguing that she is unhinged.

What she is hoping for in this state, Fred is a bit of -- a bit of hometown glory.

She is hoping that the folks who really know her here will elevate her to victory in a way that she was not able to win Iowa and New Hampshire. Fred. WHITFIELD: All right. Eva McKend and Alayna Treene, thanks to both of you. Appreciate it.

[12:15:03]

All right, still to come, the U.S. Justice Department reaches a settlement in the investigation of former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and concludes he sexually harassed state employees and created a hostile work environment for women.

We'll bring you the details on that settlement, next.

And later, Vince McMahon, founder and executive of WWE resigns just one day after a former staffer accused him of sexual assault, sex trafficking, and physical abuse. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back.

A damning new report on Andrew Cuomo his actions when he was governor of New York. Friday, the justice department concluded Cuomo sexually harassed multiple state employees. The department also found that Cuomo's senior staff not only failed to report the incidents, but also retaliated against some of the women.

[12:20:05]

The DOJ findings support many of the claims from the damaging 2021 misconduct report from the New York Attorney General that led to his resignation.

CNN's Gloria Pazmino joining me now with more details on this. Gloria, what exactly does this report say the former governor did?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN NEWSOURCE NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, this is nearly two years after former Governor Andrew Cuomo resigned from office facing a barrage of sexual harassment allegations. And what we have here now is basically the U.S. Department of Justice, confirming much of what the New York State Attorney General Letitia James had already investigated and concluded, which was that Governor Cuomo, while he was in office, sexually harassed a dozen state employees.

Now, as you mentioned, it was the state attorney general here in New York, who first investigated the complaints issued a report concluding that the governor had engaged in sexual harassment against these employees. And that report resulted in the resignation of Cuomo.

And I want to just read a portion from what this department of justice report found, which was that Cuomo repeatedly subjected these female employees to unwelcome non-consensual sexual contact, ogling, unwelcome sexual comments, gender-based nicknames, comments on their physical appearances and or preferential treatment, based on their physical appearance.

Now, it wasn't just Governor Cuomo. The report from the department of justice also goes on to say that there was a systematic effort by the executive chamber, meaning, the governor's top aides who engaged in a pattern of retaliation against these employees who tried to make complaints against the governor.

So, not only did they retaliate, but they also failed to do anything about the behavior that was being reported to them.

Now, where does this leave the state of New York now? Well, it's been two years since the former governor stepped down. Governor Kathy Hochul has said since being elected to office, and she has put in a set of reforms that were part of a settlement agreement between the state of New York and the department of justice, and more reforms are coming.

They include the creation of a new expanded human resources department, creating an alternative complaint process for senior officials, and creating supervisory training and anti-retaliation policies.

Now, we should mention, Governor Cuomo from the beginning has denied all of these allegations. And his lawyer did issue a response to the Department of Justice report, saying that it was based on the Attorney General's findings, which in their opinion were biassed and misleading.

Governor -- former Governor Andrew Cuomo in recent months has been trying to make a reentry into public life, he has been making some public appearances. He has a podcast and sometimes he's mentioned as a political candidate in the future.

The question now is whether or not he is going to be able to continue that comeback or that attempt at coming back into public life now that the department of justice has concluded that he did, in fact, sexually harass state employees. Fred?

WHITFIELD: And then, Gloria, in that report from the DOJ, is there also a recommendation on consequence? Or is that not an area that it even tackles?

PAZMINO: Well, actually, what's interesting about the report, Fred, in -- on that subject is that the report directs prior complaints that were put on hold as everything was being investigated and new measures to investigate these kinds of complaint were being put into place.

Those complaints were put on hold. The department of justice is now instructing the state of New York to pick up those cases and basically bring them to a conclusion.

So potentially, we might learn about other cases that took place while the governor was in office that we haven't gotten details about just yet, because the idea was to put a real system in place that actually allowed people to make their complaints when needed, and that would get attention instead of retaliation, which is what we learned was actually taking place, not just from this report from the DOJ, but the previous report. We had also learned that there were several senior aides who simply failed to take action and instead focused on protecting the governor from the allegations.

WHITFIELD: All right. Gloria Pazmino, we'll leave it there for now. Thank you so much.

All right. Vince McMahon is out as executive chairman of the WWE parent company, TKO.

[12:25:04]

The embattled WWE founder stepped down just one day after a former staffer, levelled disturbing allegations of sex trafficking and abuse, and laid it out in a lawsuit.

McMahon has denied the allegations and said he is prepared to defend himself in court. Joining me right now is CNN correspondent Rafael Romo. What are we learning?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Fred, explosive allegations in this case, and a reports that McMahon had paid out settlements to multiple women while serving as WWE CEO and chairman, have been circulating since at least 2022.

But a lawsuit filed Thursday that accuses McMahon of explosive sexual allegations was apparently the straw that broke the camel's back. The lawsuit was filed by Janel Grant, a former WWE staffer who worked at the headquarters of the wrestling behemoth. McMahon found that Grant is alleging that McMahon dangle the job, offer a WWE, and later promotions in exchange for sex grants lawsuit.

Also, alleges that McMahon trafficked her to other men inside and outside the company including John Laurinaitis, who worked in the company's talent relations department, and is also named as a defendant in the suit.

And we must say that CNN has so far been unable to get reaction from Laurinaitis. After all of this was made public, McMahon finally resigned last night from his role as executive chairman of TKO, the parent company of WWE. In a statement in WWE president, Nick Khan, said the following, "Vince McMahon has tendered his resignation from his position as TKO executive chairman and on the TKO board of directors. He will no longer have a role with TKO Group Holdings or WWE."

As early as Thursday, Fred, TKO was apparently already distancing itself from McMahon. And a statement it made, made it clear that "Mr. McMahon does not control TKO nor does he oversee the day-to-day operations of WWE. While this matter pre-dates, our TKO executive team's tenure at the company, we take Ms. Grants horrific allegations very seriously and are addressing this matter internally."

We have also heard from McMahon, himself, notably, in a statement published after his resignation, she did not address any of the allegations, choosing instead to focus on his role at both TKO and WWE.

"Out of respect for the WWE Universe," he said that "the extraordinary TKO business and its board members and shareholders, partners, and constituents, and all of the employees and superstars who helped make WWE into the global leader it is today. I have decided to resign from my executive chairmanship and the TKO board of directors effective immediately."

Also, we heard from the victim's attorney, Janel Grant's attorney, Ann Callis, said the lawsuit sought to hold accountable two WWE executives who sexually assaulted and traffic plaintiff in Janel Grant, as well as the organization that facilitated or turned a blind eye to the abuse, and then swept it under the rug.

Fred, this is that -- not the last we're hearing about this case. (CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: No, this is the beginning.

ROMO: And the allegations are going to be there.

WHITFIELD: Yes, it's a lot. All right.

Rafael Romo. Thank you so much.

ROMO: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Straight ahead, Donald Trump's attorney says they will immediately appeal after a jury ordered Trump to pay E. Jean Carroll $83.3 million in damages for defamatory comments, he made about her.

But when will Carroll see that money? We'll discuss straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:32:49]

WHITFIELD: All right, a stunning verdict in the defamation trial against former President Donald Trump. A jury awarded E. Jean Carroll a mammoth $83.3 million for comments Trump made about her back in 2019 when he was president. Trump was found liable for sexually abusing Carroll in the 1990s.

Joining us right now former federal prosecutor, Michael Zeldin. Michael, great to see you. So, after this federal court jury verdict came down, Trump immediately vowed to appeal. Might that appellate process be expedited, given how many cases he has, including others being appealed plus the campaign calendar?

MICHAEL ZELDIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, it's a great question. And it would be wonderful if they did. But remember, the first verdict in the E. Jean Carroll defamation case is still pending in the court of appeals. So I'm not sure that this one will go very fast. However, once they decided the first one, that he in fact did sexually assault her and was liable for defamation. There really isn't much to appeal in this case, because it was just about the amount of damages not the underlying conduct. Did he do defamatory acts because the court ruled that he did?

WHITFIELD: And of course since, you know, Trump is appealing both the finding that he's sexually abused and defamed Carroll plus the penalty phase, will the appellate court consider all of that simultaneously like in a bundle?

ZELDIN: It will probably take each case separately. In the second case, they have to determine one if the compensatory damages were fair and appropriate and also whether the punitive damages were fair and appropriate. In this case, there was about $20 million in compensatory and about $60-ish million in punitive. So that's a three to one ratio, and that's pretty fair that, you know, judges tend to knock down punitives when they're 10 to one, 20 to one. But I think this vertical probably withstand appellate review and Trump will be in the end liable to pay her $83.3 million.

WHITFIELD: So you do believe that she will see that money and at some point?

[12:35:01]

ZELDIN: I do. Remember, in order for him to appeal he's got to put up a bond. He's got to essentially put the money in escrow for ultimate payment. And I think that in this case, because the nature of the case was pretty cut and dried, there weren't that many legal issues that were raised. That in the end, he will end up paying this money.

WHITFIELD: So he already had to put up the 5 million in kind of an escrow, you know, account, prior. And then you think that that is going to happen, $83 million, he'll have to put that to an escrow or some portion of it, even though he's appealing?

ZELDIN: Yes, exactly. In fact, in order to appeal, he has to pay that bond, in order to set the appellate process in order. Yes.

WHITFIELD: All right. So is it your feeling, you know, in general, you know, jurors kind of see and calculate everything, right, they can't unsee stuff that, you know, is testimony or behavior. And the judge might say, you know, disregard that stuff they already saw. You -- do you think that, you know, particularly when he like, stormed out of the courtroom, you know, twice on Friday. Do you think that might have weighed into considerations that the jurors made, in order to calculate such a sizable punitive damage?

ZELDIN: I would think it's impossible to avoid bringing that into your calculation. And also, remember, during the trial, he was admonished by the court to stop talking to his counsel so loudly that the jury could hear it. And what he was saying was things like, witch hunt, con job. And effectively, he was continuing the defamation right there in the courtroom. And so if you're the jury, and you have to determine whether he did this maliciously, and he's doing it in front of your eyes, I don't see how you ignore that.

WHITFIELD: OK. And the judge had, you know, had some words of encouragement, right, for the jurors on the way out saying, you know, you should probably not make yourself public. And that's because of the pattern that has been seen across the country of jurors being harassed, et cetera, especially in cases involving Trump, in some capacity. Do you think that is going to be kind of the wave of the future? I mean, he has so many, some 90 indictments against him other, you know, court, jury related trials. Do you believe it that's going to become common practice for judges to say, you might want to, you know, stay neutral or private and maintain your privacy?

ZELDIN: Yes, I would think so. I would think that jurors would want that. I think, when a juror is prospective juror and the court says, are you comfortable sending on this case? I think the answer would be yes if you can keep me anonymous, because I don't want to withstand the types of, you know, slings and arrows that we see all of Trump's adversaries having to undertake.

In this case, what was so interesting was not only have they maintain their anonymity to the public, but within the jury room, the nine jurors were not using their real names with one another. It was so carefully to make sure that their identities were protected. It was quite amazing.

WHITFIELD: Yes. That's an amazing detail. All right, Michael Zeldin, great to see you. Thanks so much.

ZELDIN: Thanks.

[12:38:19]

WHITFIELD: All right, there has been an outbreak of highly contagious measles across three states. How a disease that was eradicated years ago has popped up once again. We'll ask a physician how concerned we all need to be.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Nearly a dozen cases of highly contagious measles has been reported in recent weeks. A local health department say cases have appeared in Pennsylvania, primarily in Philadelphia area where at least nine cases have been confirmed. And in another case, Virginia Health officials say someone returning to the U.S. from abroad may have exposed people at Reagan and Dulles Airport in early January.

And over in the U.K., they're dealing with a much larger outbreak. More than 200 confirmed cases and more than 100 probable cases had been reported just since October. Dr. Saju Matthew is a primary care physician and a public health specialist. He's here with me now. OK, measles, we haven't said that a long time. What is behind an outbreak of measles when wasn't it thought to have been eliminated back in, what, 2000?

DR. SAJU MATHEW, PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN: Yes, it was actually eliminated, Fred, in 2002. We had a robust national campaign to vaccinate people. We did a pretty decent job. And there were no measles cases for a year after that. So that means that it was eliminated. But the problem is we are still not meeting that high percentage. If you look at 2023, there are lots of children that are not vaccinated. We get two shots --

WHITFIELD: In this country?

MATHEW: In this country.

WHITFIELD: We're not talking about people abroad who are not getting vaccinated and traveling to this country, but you're talking about in this country?

MATHEW: In this country, we still don't have enough people vaccinated. And then if you're not vaccinated, and you travel outside to where measles is really a much bigger problem in the U.S., you bring it back. And about 90 percent of people can actually get infected in a room if they're not vaccinated if they're exposed to somebody with measles,

WHITFIELD: OK. But if you have had your MMR right, which many of us had when we were little, and if you haven't had it as even a child or as an adult that makes you more susceptible, you know, to this kind of contagion. So, is there a point in which it's too late for you to get an MMR?

MATHEW: So this is what I tell my patients is listen, if you are not sure that you've been vaccinated, you were supposed to have gotten two shots as a kid, 12 months first shot, second shot four years of age. And then you have technically lifetime immunity. But if you are skeptical, talk to your doctor and we can check your blood for titers. If you're not immune, we give you a booster shot and then you're good to go. I mean this is an effective vaccine, you know, Fred. And there's no reason why we're not protected.

[12:45:12]

WHITFIELD: Right. So MMR, measles, mumps, rubella.

MATHEW: Rubella.

WHITFIELD: OK. All right, so I also want to ask you quickly about a recall, the Robitussin honey cough syrup's because of a microbial contamination. And of course, this stopped me in my tracks, too, because one of my kids was sick recently, just a mild cold, and this is what I gave her. This is the Robitussin honey. Hopefully I gave her the child formula. But anyway, is it only the adult formula where these microbial contamination concerns are?

MATHEW: Well, so it's these 2:00 a.m. and p.m. Robitussin honey syrups.

WHITFIELD: OK.

MATHEW: First thing, don't panic for a majority of people, including your young healthy kid will do just fine. The problem would be in people that are immunocompromised, maybe you're a diabetic, you're recovering from cancer chemotherapy. If you take this medication and the fungus gets into your system, then yes, that can be a problem, a disseminated fungal infection is very dangerous, but only in the immunocompromised.

WHITFIELD: How will you know?

MATHEW: Well, you're going to have symptoms. So confusion, headache, fever, extreme fatigue. So the bottom line is, if you have used any of these syrups, don't panic, guys. Just talk to your doctor. And if you have any of these symptoms, you just report that. But for most people, Fred, this is not going to be an issue.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thank you, Dr. Saju Mathew. Good to see you.

MATHEW: Always good to see you Fred.

WHITFIELD: Thank you. All right, still to come. She built one of the most profitable brands in the world, was investigated for insider trading and bounced back to become an American icon. After the break, we'll take a look at CNN's new original series The Many Lives of Martha Stewart.

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[12:51:19]

WHITFIELD: All right, for decades, Martha Stewart has made her mark on American culture through her special brand of domestic perfection. And now the new CNN original series, The Many Lives of Martha Stewart, traces Stewart's explosive rise to success, staggering fall from grace and momentous comeback and establishment as a true American icon.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are moving into color cosmetics.

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN ANCHOR AND BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Today's social media platforms are brimming with celebrity lifestyle brands. But the lifestyle maven who stood the ultimate test of time is Martha Stewart.

SARAH ARCHER, DESIGN HISTORIAN AND WRITER: There is no media personality businesswoman, celebrity chef like her.

SOLOMON (voice-over): Martha laid the foundation for her lifestyle brand in 1982 with her first book, Entertaining.

PETER SHANKMAN, BRANDING CONSULTANT: She decided that there was a place that could subsist between the working woman and the woman's home. Martha Stewart came in and said, why can't there be balance? Why can't you have a job and then come home and make a very easy yet beautiful centerpiece.

SOLOMON (voice-over): Entertaining was followed by a parade of other books, a retail partnership with Kmart.

MARTHA STEWART, CEO, MARTHA STEWART LIVING OMNIMEDIA: I'm Martha Stewart, and I'm Kmart's new consultant Entertaining and Lifestyle.

SOLOMON (voice-over): A lifestyle magazine and a T.V. show.

STEWART: Make a nice rich color orange.

SOLOMON (voice-over): Then the crown jewel of Martha's empire.

STEWART: I just felt like it was time that I should own it. I should own my name. I should own my copyright. I should own my business.

SOLOMON (voice-over): In 1999, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia went public. And Martha became the first self-made female billionaire. But four years later in 2003, a stunning announcement.

JAMES COMEY, U.S. ATTORNEY, SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK: We're here this afternoon to announce the filing of criminal charges by this office and civil charges by the SEC against Martha Stewart.

SOLOMON (voice-over): After a month's long, federal insider trading investigation, Martha was found guilty of four counts of obstruction of justice and lying to investigators. Stewart served five months in federal prison. But even that couldn't stop Martha Stewart.

SOLOMON: She was able to turn that into the beginning of a comeback. How did she do that?

SHANKMAN: If there is not already, there will be several college classes about how she managed to do that. Every late night comedian gave her millions of dollars in publicity talking about how she was going to decorate her cell, right? And what how beautiful her cell was going to be and she rolled with it instead of getting angry.

SOLOMON (voice-over): In 2015, Martha sold her business for a fraction of its former value.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was sort of newly free to build her brand in different ways and frankly more risk taking ways that the old Martha two decades ago never would have imagined.

SOLOMON (voice-over): One of her first major appearances, a roast of Justin Bieber on Comedy Central.

STEWART: Sitting and listening to you, yell your jokes over the last hour is the hardest time I've ever done.

SOLOMON (voice-over): Roast paved the way for a host of other offbeat endeavors, a show with rapper Snoop Dogg.

SNOOP DOGG, AMERICAN RAPPER AND ACTOR: I'm not high right now. But whoever gave us this show, they must have been.

STEWART: Martha's shard.

SOLOMON (voice-over): Her own wine labels and line of CBD products.

STEWART: -- lemon, kumquat.

SHANKMAN: Martha Stewart basically said who's to say that there is a limit to what I'm allowed to do.

SOLOMON (voice-over): And of course that Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition cover at age 81. After more than 40 years promoting her brand of domestic perfection, Martha shows no sign of slowing down.

[12:55:09]

SHANKMAN: She's always on top of her game to be able to flip that script on a constant basis is what she's famous for. And so who knows what she's going to do next, but it'll probably succeed.

Rahel Solomon, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, the all new CNN original series, The Many Lives of Martha Stewart premieres with back to back episodes Sunday at 9:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific only on CNN.

All right, when we come back, President Biden is endorsing a bipartisan Senate border deal that could give him more power to clamp down on migrant crossings, including shutting down the border with Mexico. Stay with us.

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