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Trump Speaks To Voters In Las Vegas; Nikki Haley Holds An Event In South Carolina; Trump Holds Rally In Nevada; Biden Heads To South Carolina For A Campaign Event; CNN Witnesses Palestinian Detainees Being Blindfolded; UNRWA Facilities Used For "Terrorist Purposes"; Multiple Countries Suspect UNRWA Aid; Aid Agency Calls For Ceasefire; First 737 Max 9 With Passengers Flies After Three-Week Grounding; Co- Defendants Fight To Disqualify Fani Willis; Would You Subscribe To Applebee's Date Nights?. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired January 27, 2024 - 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]

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: Dive centers with walls that open on to the ocean, wooden flooring made from a 16th century monastery, glass- encased pools to swim laps, and a swimming pool in a bedroom ceiling. (END VIDEO CLIP)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Nice. A sort of floating city. And Alisyn takes us along for the ride. An all-new episode of "The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper." One whole hour, one whole story. It airs tomorrow at 8:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific right here on CNN.

All right. Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

And we begin on the campaign trail. In less than an hour, Former President Donald Trump will be speaking to voters in Las Vegas. He's promising a significant speech with the Nevada caucuses next up on the GOP presidential calendar.

Well, we also have an eye on South Carolina. Nikki Haley is holding an event there in just a few hours. Next month's Palmetto State primary will be key in determining who will be the Republican nominee. CNN's Alayna Treene is with us, and she's on the Trump campaign trail. Joining us from Las Vegas.

Alayna, any indication of what will be said?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Right. Well, this event actually is just starting to kick off. We'll see the president come out on stage in an hour or so, I am told. But look, this is a state where Donald Trump and his team already feel like they've won. Nikki Haley is not on the ballot for the Nevada caucus. She's on the ballot for the primary. And the caucus is really where the delegates are awarded.

So, Donald Trump's team feels very confident about their win, at least in the caucus and the early state voting. But Nevada is also a crucial state for the general election. I think that's really what you're going to hear the former president talk about during his speech today.

He's going to be focusing on issues like the economy and crime and also the border. Already this morning, we saw Donald Trump issue five separate posts on social media talking about immigration. And I think the timing here is noteworthy. Not only do we expect Joe Biden to talk about the border in his speech in South Carolina later today, but it comes after Donald Trump has been urging lawmakers, both privately and publicly, to reject a bipartisan deal to secure the southern border.

And part of that, I'm told, is because Donald Trump wants to keep campaigning on the border ahead of November. And especially in a state here like Nevada, where they have a big migrant population. But the other reason is because Donald Trump and his team see immigration as a big vulnerability for President Biden and also Democrats looking forward to the general election, and he doesn't want Biden to have a victory on that issue.

So, I think you're going to hear Donald Trump hammer Joe Biden on the border, lean into how, you know, he added what he thinks is a good record from when he was in office on the border, and really spent a lot of time attacking the president, not necessarily Nikki Haley, even though the primary is not yet over, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Alayna Treene, we'll check back with you there in Las Vegas.

All right. Trump's Republican rival, Nikki Haley, is in her home state of South Carolina today, working to drum up support there before next month's critical primary election. CNN's Eva McKend is on the trail in the Palmetto State.

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS REPORTER: What we're hearing from Nikki Haley is her really needle the former president in recent days, calling him thin skinned, calling him unhinged, suggesting that he's too distracted, too mired in controversy to really be an effective candidate or president.

And what we're also seeing from her is her not really slowing down. She's resisting calls from Trump and the Republican establishment to exit the race. Her campaign says that she raised upwards of $2 million since New Hampshire. She's holding 13 fundraisers in five states just in the next three and a half weeks.

And she's campaigning here in South Carolina over the weekend, in the Greenville area today, in the Myrtle Beach area tomorrow. And her message in part to voters is that she can capture moderates and independents in a way that Trump cannot in a general election. So, she's hoping for some hometown glory here. Some success here that she didn't find in Iowa or New Hampshire. Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Eva McKend, thank you so much.

All right. Right now, President Biden is on his way to South Carolina, where he'll deliver remarks at a campaign event. Today's trip, that early voting state comes on the heels of the president endorsing a deal that could lead to the U.S. shutting down the border with Mexico. President Biden 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. It involves using tough new measures, including implementing a shutdown when the border is overwhelmed.

For more on this, let's bring in CNN White House Reporter Priscilla Alvarez. Priscilla, what can you tell us about the reasons for Biden's sudden support for this tough border bill?

[15:05:00]

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, he's facing a difficult political landscape here. President Biden has had to handle the U.S.-Mexico border since the first days in office when there was already a surge of unaccompanied children. It's been an issue that has dogged him over the years, and that's the reality he faces going into 2024 as Former President Donald Trump continues to attack him on immigration policy.

So, he, yesterday, in this rare statement, embrace this compromise that Senate negotiators have been working on saying that it was tough and fair. But also, there was a line in it that was striking, to current and former administration officials that I have been speaking with as well as immigrant advocates. And it was this one. It said, "It would give me, as president, a new emergency authority to shut down the border when it becomes overwhelmed. And if given that authority," he continued, "I would use it on day one when I signed that bill into law."

Now, this is not dissimilar from what Former President Donald Trump did when he was in office and when the coronavirus pandemic hit, he invoked a restriction that allowed authorities to turn migrants away at the U.S.-Mexico border. That's essentially what senators are talking about here. It's something that immigrant advocates and Democrats had for so long condemned. But now, they're seeing President Biden embrace it. And that's really underscores the realities here.

It's the situation along the U.S.-Mexico border which has become increasingly difficult with record migration across the Western Hemisphere, but it's also the difficult politics in this moment as Democrats also face criticism among their own constituencies, the mayor's being a good example, of that where migrants are continuing to arrive in droves into their city.

So, President Biden making clear here that he's on board with being tougher on the border, trying to get ahead of Former President Donald Trump, who has been trying to tank this compromise. Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Priscilla Alvarez, we hope you can get out of the rain for a little bit. Thank you so much.

All right. With me now to talk more about all these political developments is Sabrina Siddiqui. She is a White House reporter for "The Wall Street Journal." Sabrina, great to see you. So, let's begin with Biden's sudden embrace of a very tough border measure as Trump tries to pressure Republicans into opposing any kind of border bill so it doesn't make Biden look good. So, what is behind President Biden's pivot?

SABRINA SIDDIQUI, WHITE HOUSE REPORTER, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Well, I think for months now, the White House has been eager to get a deal on the president's supplemental funding request that includes aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan and ties that aid to changes in border policy. And we've seen those talks, you know, pick up and then break down and then pick up again and then break down. So, I really do think the president is trying to salvage this bipartisan deal. Talking tough on the border and willing to embrace changes in asylum policy.

Now, the, the balance that this president is going to have to strike is what concessions is he willing to make here to Republicans that do not then alienate factions of the Democratic base. So, that is certainly something that the president, I think, is going to have to be mindful of.

But really, you know, this supplemental funding request is something that the president has been trying to get through Congress for months now to the point where he did convene congressional leaders at the White House in recent weeks, and I think this is what the White House sees as his best opportunity to move that bill forward.

WHITFIELD: Right. And of course, Trump is running on immigration issues, and he kind of feels like Biden making any kind of progress here would undermine him. Meantime, the border overall is not the only difficult issue for the sitting president. He has been running into regular pro-Palestinian protests at his campaign events lately. Just take a watch of this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: No matter what that was, it should be --

Jill and I had a chance to sit down --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you really care about the lives lost here, you should honor the lives lost and call for a ceasefire in Palestine.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ceasefire now.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ceasefire now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ceasefire now.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ceasefire now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ceasefire now.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ceasefire now.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: So, you wrote a piece in "The Wall Street Journal" today about this very topic and how some of President Biden's aides are becoming increasingly worried that his support for Israel's war in Gaza risks damaging his re-election prospects.

Does Biden appear to have a plan to kind of strike a balance on the issue of support for Israel and also convey, you know, compassion for Palestinians who disproportionately citizens have been killed in this conflict?

[15:10:00]

SIDDIQUI: Well, I think the president has been trying to balance his support for Israel with, you know, statements around wanting to minimize civilian casualties in this war. But that is not sufficient for pro-Palestinian advocates when the death toll has now in Gaza has surpassed 26,000, the majority of whom are women and children.

And what these voters want is for the administration to embrace a ceasefire. The White House continues to say that they are opposed to a ceasefire and would support instead maybe a temporary pause to try and release the hostages who are being held by Hamas and get aid. into Gaza. But that, you know, is certainly -- that stops well short of what pro-Palestinian advocates are looking for.

In addition to the very, you know, tough questions that some of those advocates are asking of this administration when it comes to the arms sales that they have approved for Israel bypassing Congress in the process, not having the same level of transparency around those arms exports as they have had in the war in Ukraine.

So, you know, that frustration with U.S. weapons also being part of Israel's military campaign in Gaza is something that the president is facing a lot of backlash over and the aides in Biden's -- you know, within Biden's team I speak to are a little bit divided. Some think the war will look very different in November and that voters will move on.

But there is some concern that these protests, you know, not only are they distracting from the issues that they want to focus on at these events, but there is some concern that Arab and Muslim American voters as well as young voters, you know, that they may stay home or vote third-party. And he certainly needs, you know, every bit of support if he is in a likely rematch with Former President Trump, which could very well come down to a close election in some of these battleground states.

WHITFIELD: All right. Sabrina Siddiqui, we'll leave it there for now. Thanks so much.

SIDDIQUI: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Coming up, new video from our CNN team of reporters. Palestinians blindfolded and barefoot detained by the IDF in Israel. We'll go live to the region with the latest details. And Boeing's CEO speaking out. As the first 737 Max 9 jets return to the skies following the fallout from the Alaska Airlines door plug blowout.

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WHITFIELD: Today, a CNN team witnessed Israeli soldiers with Palestinian detainees who were blindfolded and barefoot. U.N. human rights officials have previously urged Israel to end what they called the mistreatment of Palestinians, which included the use of blindfolds.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond has this reporting for us and joins us now live. Jeremy, what did you learn?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, my team and I were in Southern Israel today near the border with Gaza when suddenly we spotted more than two dozen men, some of them kneeling, some of them sitting on the ground with Israeli soldiers standing around them. We now know that these men were Palestinians detained by the Israeli military in Gaza and brought to Israel for further questioning.

Now, if you look at the video here that we have, these men were blindfolded, they were barefoot. And keep in mind that it was about 50 degrees Fahrenheit during this day and all they're wearing are these disposable white coveralls. Their hands are tied behind their backs and you can see that many of these men are clearly physically exhausted. Their heads kind of nodding down, bobbing, swaying. One man was lying on the ground before an Israeli soldier comes to rouse him, propping him back up so that he can be sitting on the ground.

Now, the Israeli military told us this in a statement saying "These -- the individuals shown on camera are suspected of terrorist activity and were arrested in Gaza and transferred to Israel for further interrogation. Relevant suspects are taken for further questioning within Israel. Individuals who are found not to be taking part in terrorist activities are released back into Gaza as soon as possible."

Now, they also address the conditions in which we found these detainees talking about the fact that they were wearing these white coveralls because they had been stripped, their clothing searched to ensure that they were not carrying weapons or explosives. And they said that they would be given clothing once they arrived at that detention facility.

They also said, that when we came across them, that they were about to be put on a heated bus in order to be taken to that detention facility. We weren't able to see exactly how long these men were actually on the ground, therefore, and that's because an Israeli soldier came to us and demanded that we leave the premises once he saw us filming.

Now, as it relates to Israel's -- the Israeli military's claims here that these are terror suspects, it's important to note that we have -- while this is the first time that we have been able to unilaterally directly documents these detentions, there have been a lot of videos of Palestinian men and boys in Gaza detained by the Israeli military. And in many cases, they have proven to be civilians. They have been identified by their friends or relatives in videos as civilians.

We also interviewed 10 Palestinian men and boys back in December who said that they were arrested and detained by the Israeli military for five days without charge before being ultimately released. When they were released, those men and boys had swollen wrists, bruises on their wrists, in some cases, from the fact that their hands were tied behind their backs for the duration of that detention.

Now, the Israeli military, for its part, insists that it proceeds with international law in all of these cases. Fred.

[15:20:00]

WHITFIELD: And then, Jeremy, separately, more countries are pausing funding for the United Nations Relief Agencies operating in Gaza. The IDF, you know, said today that those facilities were used for terrorist purposes. What do you know about that?

DIAMOND: Yes, that's right. The United Kingdom is now also joining the United States in temporarily pausing funding to UNRWA, which is the main agency responsible for Palestinian refugees, but they have been playing, of course, a critical role in Gaza right now, providing shelter, providing food, and other humanitarian assistance that is so desperately needed at this moment.

But of course, this all comes after these bombshell allegations yesterday that 12 UNRWA staffers were involved in the October 7th terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas. That's according to intelligence that Israel shared not only with the United States but also with UNRWA directly. And following that information, UNRWA went on to fire some of those staffers. We don't know exactly how many, but they did say that they fired multiple staffers in part because they want to ensure that humanitarian assistance can continue to flow into Gaza.

UNRWA, for its part, has pledged a full investigation into this matter and has vowed to hold any of those responsible accountable for this. But today, we're also getting reaction from Hamas, which is condemning Israel's threats against that U.N. agency. Israel has said that they would like to end on (INAUDIBLE) in Gaza altogether and is calling on countries to end funding to that agency. Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Jeremy Diamond. Thank you so much for your reporting.

All right. In Gaza, the Palestine Red Crescent Society is appealing for protection for the Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis in Gaza. The aid agency says Israeli bombing in the area has endangered its medical staff and the 7,000 people who are taking shelter there.

Separately, at least nine people were killed and another 75 injured this week when Israeli tank fire hit the U.N. shelter that was harboring hundreds of people. That's according to the U.N.

Streams of Palestinians fled the area in Southern Gaza following the attack. The Israeli military said it is looking into the incident and said it wasn't the result of a strike by Israeli forces.

I want to bring in a Tjada McKenna. She is the CEO of Mercy Corps. It's so good to see you.

So, there's an aid organization that has been working in Gaza and the West Bank for more than 30 years. What have your aid workers been telling you about the attack on the shelter and the aftermath?

TJADA D'OYEN MCKENNA, CEO, MERCY CORP: You know, increasingly, Palestinians have been moved into smaller and smaller spaces. And for this to happen, it's just another example where there are very few places for them physically to be. And to see them continually getting bombed, it just escalates this feeling that nowhere is safe and the anxiety of the hardship of living amidst a war situation.

WHITFIELD: After the attack, you know, you reiterated that Gazans are trapped. They have nowhere to go. And the same applies to some of your aid workers. What are they doing to try to stay safe, and how are you able to communicate with people?

MCKENNA: So, we -- some of them have, you know, different SIM cards from other countries to get around telecoms plans because Israel -- I mean, Israel has shut down telecommunications for weeks or days at a time at times.

You know, they talk about spending a lot of time each day looking for food. They talk about fretting over safe shelter. They try to get word about their relatives and others. And they are also just complaint -- they're also starting to get sick. I have one staff member who said everyone in her family has either a skin infection or some other kind of infection.

So, this prolonged period -- harsh winter weather with no safe shelter, not enough water, not enough food, it's taking its toll on people in many different dimensions.

WHITFIELD: You are among many who have called for an immediate ceasefire, something you've been demanding for some time now. So, do you feel like your plea and that of many is even being heard or do you believe that, at some point, there will be a ceasefire if it doesn't happen more immediately?

MCKENNA: It's very disheartening. And, you know, at this point, all 2 million people of Gaza are in need of humanitarian aid. To launch a response and to serve that many people, that is something outside of the purview of aid organizations. There is no way for us to do that safely in the absence of a total ceasefire. People won't know where to go for safety, our staff will be at risk, and it will be chaotic.

So, it's really disheartening that our pleas for this have been unheard, because the longer this goes on, the more that is an absolute precondition for anything. [15:25:00]

WHITFIELD: And you say one of the, you know, things that hampers your organization is a lack of access, you know, lack of access points, you know, for Gaza aid. Can you kind of paint a picture for people who still have a hard time envisioning You know, what these obstacles are and in what ways can aid be rendered.

MCKENNA: So just to start with getting supplies in. On a normal Gaza, it was always dependent on those crossings for all of their commercial goods and everything else. So, on a normal day, 500 trucks, including like regular grocery store, restocking would go through Gaza -- to go into Gaza every day. At this point, we're averaging about 130 trucks a day just some aid, not if any commercial things.

There are hundreds of trucks lined up at the Egyptian border. Some items have been indiscriminately banned from those trucks. So, sleeping bags were rejected for having metal zippers. Tents were respected for -- were rejected for having metal poles. So, a truck gets to that inspection station, something gets disqualified, and then they have to go all the way to the back of the line.

On top of that, where are we as aid workers to tell people to go to collect aid? Earlier in your segment you talked about a U.N. shelter getting bombed, you have a hospital getting bombed. Where do we feel comfortable telling people that they can go and be safe to get these supplies? So, people are so desperate. They're even mobbing the trucks that are coming in. But we just have no visibility to how we safely transport. Because areas that should have been deconflicted continue to be bombed.

WHITFIELD: And then what about medical care?

MCKENNA: So this is -- you know, at this point the U.N. is warming -- that a warning that a famine could be coming. But at this point, your -- people are so depleted of food and resources and no medical care that they're dying -- you're starting to see people dying of secondary things, like diarrheal diseases, infections. And with the lack of medical care or medical supplies, they are hopeless. Very -- people are going to die from very simple infections that could have been handled with antibiotics.

WHITFIELD: Terrible. All right. Tjada McKenna, thank you so much. And I know you and so many non-government agencies are working so hard to try to render whatever care and assistance you can. And it is an uphill battle. Thank you so much for your time.

MCKENNA: Well, thank you. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: We'll be right back.

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[15:30:00]

WHITFIELD: After three weeks grounded, Boeing's 737 Max 9 jets are returning to the skies. The first Alaska Airlines flight to use the plane took off from Seattle on Friday, arriving safely in San Diego a few hours later. Alaska Airlines chief operating officer was seated right next to the plane's door plug.

Earlier this month, the door plug on the same model plane blew off mid-flight. Leading the FAA to ground all 737 Max 9s. CNN's Camila Bernal joining us now from Los Angeles.

Camila, what is Boeing saying now after that plane made a successful trip?

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fred. So, the CEO of Boeing releasing a message to his employees saying that their long- term focus now is quality, and they want to do this in order to regain the confidence of not just the passengers, but also the regulators, and, of course, their customers.

And he went on to say in this message that he admitted to having letting them down and also having disappointed them. You see that right there saying, frankly, we have disappointed and let them down. We're deeply sorry for the significant disruption and frustration for our customers, some who've been publicly and unfairly criticized. That's, of course, part of the criticism that the airlines have received over all of these issues. And he says that they own these issues and will make them right.

In that letter, he also pointed in the beginning to that flight from Seattle to San Diego and that flight had no problems other than being delayed. And as you mentioned, it was the CEO of Alaska airlines who sat on that window sit, next to the door plug. She said she had full confidence in the aircraft, and of course a lot of the passengers did too. Some of them had no idea that they were on this first flight after these planes were grounded.

I want you to listen to what one of the passengers had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thought maybe that's the safest plane because they probably went through and made sure that it was safe and good to go. Everything was great.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERNAL: So, yes, as you hear it there, a lot of the passengers saying that everything was just fine. But of course, this had been a huge issue with hundreds of flights canceled on both Alaska and United, and it was extremely concerning for the airlines and of course for the passengers whose flights were canceled. It was the data from those two airlines that helped Boeing and the FAA.

The FAA on Wednesday releasing instructions for inspections. And of course, the airlines soon thereafter began those inspections. Both of these airlines scheduled flights this weekend. Of course, Alaska yesterday and United on Sunday. But the CEO of Alaska saying he doesn't think people will avoid these planes. Fred. WHITFIELD: All right. People want to fly. Camilla Bernal, thanks so much.

BERNAL: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Coming up, things keep getting worse for Fulton County DA Fani Willis. Former President Trump joining the fight to have her dismissed from the case. Could her personal mess derail the 2020 election subversion case? That's next.

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[15:35:00]

WHITFIELD: A third co-defendant in the 2020 Georgia election subversion case against Former President Donald Trump and his allies filed a motion to disqualify Fulton County D.A. Fani Willis. Pro-Trump lawyer, Robert Cheeley, who was indicted last year, cites allegations that Willis and Special Prosecutor Nathan Wade are romantically involved.

Trump's legal team and co-defendant Mike Roman also filed a separate motion to get the prosecutors. And the case dismissed.

Joining me right now is former federal prosecutor Ankush Khardori and civil rights attorney Areva Martin. Good to see both of you.

[15:40:00]

All right. So, yes. So, I wonder, Ankush, you know, you first, this is about ethical rules and professional norms. But what's missing in your view in this motion or complaint by these co-defendants in order to try and get this case dismissed or at least get these two prosecutors, including the D.A., removed from the case?

ANKUSH KHARDORI, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, NEW YORK MAGAZINE: So, I mean, look, right now, what these people have presented is a set of quite unsourced allegations. And I think it's worth, you know, explaining to the public that the filing itself that kicked this all off was very unusual. Lawyers do not usually file filings that have no evidence in them, that cite anonymous sources and the like. And it was -- the filing was actually wrong on some material legal points.

So, you know, from my perspective, we have a set of serious allegations here. Ms. Willis has not responded. Frankly, what is speaking more loudly than anything at this point is her silence and her -- some of what I would describe as evasions in some of her recent comments.

But from my perspective, we have to take this one step at a time. A lot of people are jumping to the end of this saying, you know, even if there's -- it's all true, the case shouldn't be dismissed. Other people are saying it's got to be dismissed. It's -- this is blatant corruption. The judge is going to have to oversee an orderly process of actually gathering the facts here and doing this in a more systematic way than many people are doing right now. WHITFIELD: And so, Areva, you know, to his point, I mean, a complaint can kind of say anything, it can paint the picture, right, but it doesn't necessarily spell out all the evidence. There will be an evidentiary hearing coming up in a couple of weeks.

But in your view, how much is the D.A. supposed to say publicly when it really will be up to, you know, these plaintiffs to paint the picture of how her alleged behavior may have undermined the case?

AREVA MARTIN, ATTORNEY, LEGAL AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR AND CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Well, you know, Fred, there is an old trial lawyer saying that when the facts are on your side, pound the facts. When the law is on your side, pound the law. But when neither is on your side, pound the table. And I think that's exactly what's happening here. Trump and Mike Roman and this other defendant, they are pounding the table.

Fani Willis has an outstanding track record of bringing a criminal RICO charges in the State of Georgia. So far, in this case, she has had phenomenal success for plea deals. She has -- she's withstood the efforts to remove the case to federal court, efforts to have the entire indictment dismissed. So, I think people are jumping the gun. And under Georgia law, she has done nothing that disqualifies her from moving forward with this prosecution.

And I just find the hypocrisy in those folks that are calling for her to step down. I find it nauseating. These are some of the same people who are supporting Donald Trump despite the 91 criminal charges that he's nursing, despite the $83 -- $85 million civil judgment or verdict that, you know, he was handed down yesterday in the civil court against him.

So, you look at who the messengers are, and you have to question why all of a sudden is this African-American very successful prosecutor should be disqualified. And let me just say this, Fred, there also have been these allegations about, well, Fani Willis made these statements in this black church. The reality is that's probably the only place where she feels safe.

I did a Google search, and long before these allegations even surfaced, there were so many calls for her to step down, calls about her competency and efforts we know on the right to have her removed from the case even before these allegations surfaced. So, I think we should stay focused on the criminal conduct of Trump and the others indicted.

WHITFIELD: So, then I wonder, Ankush, you know, you have the allegation, still unproven, about, you know, a romantic relationship. Under ordinary circumstances, would it be OK if indeed they are having an affair, and that, you know, they would need to disclose their relations? Would they have to disclose those relations? and if so, to whom and how?

KHARDORI: So, that's an excellent question. And I think it's important for folks to understand the mere fact of the relationship, even an intimate relationship or a personal relationship, would not raise all of these red flags under legal ethical rules. So, there's a lot of mixing of issues here. And frankly, I think some of the defendants are enjoying the salacious elements of it, precisely to try to, like, mix up some of the issues here.

The actual allegation that the judge, I think, will be focused on is the allegation that the relationship between the two provided a motive for Ms. Willis to hire an underqualified prosecutor, in part because she expected financial benefits to flow to him and potentially indirectly to her.

Now, again, these are just allegations, but that is the allegation that, I think, is going to attract the judge's attention and deserves the judge's attention. The mere fact of a relationship alone, that happens all the time in law -- legal settings, prosecutors' offices, private law firms and the like. For better or worse.

WHITFIELD: Areva? Oh, OK.

KHARDORI: I mean, it may run afoul of like government policies, but as a strict ethical rule, that's the answer.

[15:45:00]

WHITFIELD: Areva, you want to add to that or a thought on that?

MARTIN: Well, let's talk about the so-called financial benefit that may have flowed to her. What we know so far is that Mr. Wade received about $600,000, and that's to his law firm, and he's paid at a rate of about $250 an hour. That's the exact same rate that other special prosecutors have been paid.

And $600,000 may sound like a lot of money, and I don't want to be dismissive about it, but when you think about the amount of time, effort, and work to handle this kind of high-profile, very contentious case, that's nothing. Lawyers representing Trump, many of them get $12,000 to $2,000 an hour. So, even this notion that there's this money that has been paid to Mr. Wade that's somehow untoward, I think, again, is just folks trying to, you know, stoke the flames when there's really no they're there.

WHITFIELD: All right. And of course, Fani Willis is to submit, I guess, a written response in a matter of days and then in a matter of a couple of weeks will be the evidentiary hearing.

Ankush Khardori and Areva Martin, thanks to both of you. Appreciate it.

KHARDORI: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Still to come. The new dinner date night pass from Applebee's. Well, it could keep you from breaking the bank on dating, but will it help your love life?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:50:00] WHITFIELD: All right. In an attempt to help spice up date night before the most romantic day of the year, Valentine's Day, Applebee's wanted to help you out, but their subscription that would have covered a year of date nights sold out as soon as it went on sale.

According to the fast casual chain, news of the offer spiked demand and the passes sold out in less than a minute. To help us sort out a date night now, I'd like to bring in CNN Consumer Reporter Nathaniel Meyersohn. Oh, this was a huge hit. I don't -- I mean, I guess Applebee's didn't even expect that.

NATHANIEL MEYERSOHN, CNN CONSUMER REPORTER: They didn't, Fred. And there's really love in the air right now and romance in the air at Applebee's, or at least that's what they want consumers to think.

So, they launched this date night pass, weekly date night pass. It's $200 a year. You can go on weekly date nights, and it gives you a $30 discount on food and drinks, although non-alcoholic drinks. So, no booze. So, Applebee's launched this right before Valentine's Day, which is, of course, one of the biggest days in the restaurant industry.

So, they're really trying to pitch themselves as an affordable option for date nights, both on Valentine's Day and for the rest of the year. But we'll see if they bring this back later on in the year after it's sold out.

WHITFIELD: Oh, I'm sure they're going to have to. I mean, it's great marketing and getting, you know, a bigger customer boost. I mean, I love Applebee's. Who doesn't?

So, are singles still going to dinner on first dates? I was told to ask you that. I'm not even sure what that means.

MEYERSOHN: Yes, that's a big question right now. What to do on a first date during this period of inflation, Fred. So, singles are spending about $130 a month on dating. That's according to Match Group, which owns Tinder and a lot of these other dating apps.

Now, in New York City, $130 a month, I think seems a little bit low for dates, not speaking from personal experience, but it --

WHITFIELD: Yes, it's probably just one date. I mean, yes, going out to dinner in New York is expensive.

MEYERSOHN: Exactly. So, that's got singles thinking about cheaper options for dates, not the first dinner but instead, meeting for coffee on the first date, doing something free, maybe going for a walk in the park. Or, of course, if you want to save some money, a home- cooked meal is going to be a little cheaper than going out to dinner. But -- so, inflation has changed all sorts of different parts of our lives and dating is certainly not immune from that.

WHITFIELD: Yes, it's all had to evolve a little bit. All right. Nathaniel Meyersohn, good to see you. Thank you so much.

All right. Let's talk tennis. Aryna Sabalenka clinched her second straight Australian Open title today in dominating fashion.

The number two women's tennis player dismantled China's Zheng Qinwen in straight sets 6-3 and 6-2. The win caps off an impressive two-week run for Sabalenka. The 25-year-old Belarusian swept aside every opponent in the tournament in which she did not drop a single set.

Sabalenka is the first player to win the Australian Open in back-to- back years since Victoria Azarenka did so in 2012 and 2013.

All right. Thank you so much for joining me today. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Smerconish is up next.

But first, a special look at the new CNN original series, "The Many Lives of Martha Stewart," airing tomorrow night. It traces Stewart's explosive rise to success, staggering fall from grace, momentous comeback, and her establishment as a true American icon.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Martha was about finesse, excellence, and perfection.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There is no media personality, businesswoman, celebrity chef like her. She was sort of like an original influencer.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All of those magazines and television shows.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think our standards are higher because of Martha.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She's everywhere. Martha Stewart living.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Her career starts to take off like a rocket.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Martha is continually underestimated by male executives. You would read about it in the press, criticizing her.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She wants attention. She wants power. She just doesn't want to stop.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Martha Stewart is among those under investigation for suspected insider trading.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Martha Stewart is being prosecuted not because of who she is, but because of what she did.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Martha fell fast and hard.

MARTHA STEWART: Today is a shameful day.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The comeback was beginning before she ever left. She loves to be clever. She loves to surprise. And she loves to defy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you'd asked me, would there still be interest in Martha Stewart 20 years from now, I would have said absolutely not. Boy, did I underestimate Martha Stewart.

ANNOUNCER: "The Many Lives of Martha Stewart," tomorrow at 9:00 on CNN.

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