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United States Official: Six-Week Ceasefire "Basically Accepted" By Israel, Waiting On Hamas; United States Begins Airdrops Of Humanitarian Aid Into Gaza; Gaza Relief Effort Stifled By Israel As Restrictions Block Critical Aid; Family Of Illinois Man Killed By Police Speaks With CNN; VP Harris, Israel War Cabinet Minister To Meet In Washington Monday; Ticket Prices To See Caitlin Clark Play In Tomorrow's Game Shatter Records; "United States Of Scandal" Airs Tomorrow at 9P ET/PT. Aired 1-2p ET
Aired March 02, 2024 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:00:48]
OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN HOST: All right. Everyone, thanks for joining me. I'm Omar Jimenez, in today for Fredricka Whitfield.
We've got some breaking news to start this hour. The U.S. has begun airdropping desperately needed humanitarian aid into Gaza. Three cargo planes dropped a total of 66 bundles today. They included mainly food but no water or medical supplies.
CNN's Priscilla Alvarez is in Washington. Paula Hancocks is in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, which is also been air dropping aid into Gaza. But Priscilla, I want to start with you, because we're getting some news around the possibility of a ceasefire. What are you hearing?
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, Omar. We're hearing from senior administration officials here in the last hour, who share that Israel has, "basically accepted" the framework of a hostage deal that would include a six-week ceasefire. This would do two things: It would allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza, a critical -- a critical need for the people in that region. But it would also allow for the release of some hostages, particularly, those who are considered most vulnerable.
Now, of course, this is all very sensitive. There are ongoing diplomatic talks that are happening today. But the resounding message from the senior administration officials was that the ball will here really is in Hamas's court. They are waiting to see if they can commit to the elements of this framework and how exactly it would be executed.
Again, the idea here is to have a six-week ceasefire to get aid in hostages out. And then over the course of that says ceasefire, continue the talks for a more enduring plan. That's how one senior Administration official describe this. So, clearly, there is some movement in these talks that have been ongoing. We know that earlier in the week, President Biden spoke with leaders of Qatar and Egypt. And those talks will continue this weekend. But we are, at least again, seeing some type of movement here with Israel for basically accepting the framework, which is the way it was framed by senior administration officials. Omar.
JIMENEZ: And as you mentioned, we are still waiting on a lot of factors to come into play here. And we know that that negotiations at this level, this diplomatic level can be incredibly, incredibly detailed and strenuous.
Priscilla, I just want to ask you one more thing, because obviously, we came in talking about the air drops that were successfully as we are getting reported, dropped into Gaza for aid. What does successful actually mean from the administration standpoint? What do we know on that front?
ALVAREZ: Senior administration officials said that they are seeing movement where these air drops occurred. That is to say that they dropped them where people were sheltering and where they thought there was the most need.
And since that they've been dropped, there have -- the U.S. has been monitoring and people have been getting those -- the aide in those airdrops, and also distributing among themselves. They, being the civilian. So, that factors into the White House seeing these airdrops as successful.
Now, I will share some details that we have learned. It was 66 bundles that were dropped. This was done with the Jordanian air force. So, in total, this was about 38,000 meals, meals critical here. There was no food or -- I'm sorry, there was no water or medical supplies that were part of this airdrops. And again, they are monitoring the location of these air drops, and have seen civilians get those meals since they have been dropped.
I will also note, senior administration officials say this is part of an effort to flood the zone as get food in there through these air drops and potentially maritime operations in the future. Omar.
JIMENEZ: Yes. Prescilla, thank you, Paula, I want to go to you because, look, the U.S. is not the first or only country to airdrop aid into Gaza. But what impact is it actually expected to have here?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's interesting, Omar, because what we're hearing from humanitarian aid groups, at least some of them is a fairly damning idea of what it will achieve.
Now, clearly any aid getting into Gaza at this point is important when you have the United Nations warning of famine, certainly in parts of north Gaza that could happen if humanitarian aid does not get there quickly.
[13:05:08] But what they're saying is that this is really a drop in the ocean. One called it a band aid measure, a two word to relieve the guilty conscience of some countries. So, really what they want to see is the U.S. putting more pressure on Israel to open up more crossings between Israel and Gaza, to allow more to go through by land across these crossings. The aid is there, it is waiting. We know it is woefully inadequate the actual amount that is allowed into Gaza.
And we've also been hearing from U.N. agencies on the ground, and other humanitarian groups that they do not have the ability to move this aid around. They are restricted by the Israeli military.
We also heard from one U.N. group saying that they were fired upon by the Israeli military. So, while air drops are one element of this, and we have seen in many cases in the past, they usually a last resort effort to try and get this any kind of aid into the area.
It's certainly, not the ideal way we're hearing from these groups, especially when it comes to the distribution. We saw what happened last Thursday, when thousands of desperate hungry people were flooding, humanitarian aid trucks, desperately trying to get some kind of food that ended after Israeli fire as well with more than 100 people being killed.
So, what's this humanitarian groups want is to see the distribution being monitored as well, which you simply can't do when it comes to airdrops, but the U.N. and many groups are calling for more access, they are calling for more cooperation from the Israeli military to be able to get to where they need to go to. Omar.
JIMENEZ: Yes. Of course, this aid getting into the country is one thing, but how it is distributed is something else entirely. Paula Hancocks, thank you so much. Priscilla Alvarez, thank you both.
I want to dive a little deeper into this, because even as the U.S. becomes the latest country to airdrop aid into Gaza, there are growing questions over how Israel controls the overall flow of aid into Gaza.
Our chief and international investigative correspondent Nima Elbagir has this exclusive report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Pallets of food aid with messages of love, air dropped into Gaza for a desperate population. This is a Jordanian flight with more countries looking to join the aid effort, among them, the U.S. But this isn't a good news story.
On the ground, a glimpse of how much more is needed to keep starving Gazans from falling into famine. Air drops are inefficient and expensive. You just can't drop enough food for a starving population. To stave off famine, you need thousands of trucks filled with food flooding into Gaza.
But that's not happening. We were granted rare access to this warehouse in Jordan, one of the key waypoints for aid, now a chokepoint.
ELBAGIR: All of the aid that you see here is sorely needed in Gaza. But it's still waiting for clearance.
Why?
Well, CNN spoke to dozens of humanitarian workers and donor government officials, who detailed arbitrary Israeli restrictions on aid. Often with little to no explanation, impeding a multibillion-dollar humanitarian effort, even as Gazans are desperate to receive it.
ELBAGIR (voice-over): About a thousand trucks' worth of essential medical aid and food supplies meant for Gaza, collecting dust, waiting to be cleared by Israeli officials.
ELBAGIR: I mean, these are baby wipes.
MARWAN AL-HENNAWY, JORDANIAN HASHEMITE CHARITY ORGANIZATION: Yes.
ELBAGIR: Why are you still waiting for permission on baby wipes?
AL-HENNAWY: I don't know.
ELBAGIR: I mean, you have bandages.
AL-HENNAWY: Yes.
ELBAGIR: We're coming up over here, you've got wheelchairs, crutches. In that kind of war situation --
AL-HENNAWY: Yes.
ELBAGIR: -- these are really, really important things for people -- medicines, vitamin C over here.
AL-HENNAWY: Yes. Yes. And this is what we think -- what we believe, it is a crucial need that needs to be sent immediately to Gaza. There's no excuse why it's still in our warehouse.
ELBAGIR (voice-over): It's not just here that they're confused. Previously, Israel has said it's restricting military use items and provided a list. Now, humanitarians tell CNN, they have not received an update. So, they are relying on guesswork.
CNN has obtained documents from three major participants in the humanitarian operation, a ghost list, compiled by organizations piecing together the most frequently rejected items.
Among them anesthesia, crutches, generators, water purification tablets and filtration systems, solar panels, ventilators, tent poles, X-ray machines and oxygen cylinders.
[13:10:12]
Publicly, the Israeli government agency, COGAT, claims that it has abided by a 2008 banned items list. In private, COGAT has said that that document is now obsolete, according to a humanitarian official in direct contact with the Israeli unit. The human cost of miscalculating is immeasurable.
For months now, even one rejected item means trucks like these filled with aid can be turned back, even after waiting for days to get into Gaza.
And on the ground, the reality is that, without these critical supplies, people like Dr. Ghassan Abu-Sittah, a renowned war surgeon, are working in conditions even he has never seen.
DR. GHASSAN ABU-SITTAH, BRITISH-PALESTINIAN SURGEON: Because we didn't have any antiseptic, I had made a solution of washing-up liquid and vinegar and some saline. And so, I would have to pour that over the wound and then scrub the wound down.
It's probably the most -- the darkest moment of my life because you're doing it -- the patient is screaming, the child is screaming, knowing that, if you hadn't, that child would be dead by the end of the day.
ELBAGIR (voice-over): Dr. Abu-Sittah's experience in Gaza is not unique. What you're about to see here is very disturbing. With very little basic medicine, doctors are making decisions they never thought they would have to make.
DR. HANI BSEISO, ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON (text): Without anesthesia. Where is the mercy?
ELBAGIR (voice-over): Dr. Hani Bseiso turned his kitchen into an operating theatre to save his niece's life after she says she was hit by an Israeli tank in her house. He amputated her leg with a kitchen knife without anesthetic.
BSEISO (text): She's like my daughter. I am cutting off her leg.
ELBAGIR (voice-over): Ahed Bseiso miraculously survived. At just 18, she has already experienced enough pain for a lifetime.
When aid does come into Gaza, thousands gather, clambering onto the trucks, even as Israeli gunfire rings out. Torn between fear and hunger, over 100 killed and hundreds more injured.
Yet, you can see here, people still clinging to what little they manage to get. The Israeli army says it's not responsible for what happened here. But as our investigation shows, at the very least, Israel created the conditions for this tragedy.
Nima Elbagir, Al-Zarqa, Jordan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JIMENEZ: Nima, thank you for that report.
With me now is Shaina Low, communication adviser for the Norwegian Refugee Council. They're an independent humanitarian group working with displaced people, including those in Gaza. Now, some aid groups are saying these air drops are just a band aid solution, Shana. What impact is your group think they will have realistically?
SHAINA LOW, COMMUNICATION ADVISER, NORWEGIAN REFUGEE COUNCIL: You know, I think even a band aid might be generous, because really the amount of aid that can be dropped in these air drops, I think it was about 35,000 meals that the U.S. dropped today. That's only one meal for about a 10th of the population trapped in northern Gaza. It simply isn't adequate.
And the ridiculous thing is that we know what the solution is. It's for Israel to open up the crossing, use the Kerem Shalom crossing at its full capacity. A thousand trucks could go through there a day, and 500 were prior to October 7th.
And yet, we have hundreds and hundreds of trucks lined up in Egypt, waiting to cross into Gaza, with the food and supplies, which still are nowhere near enough to meet Gaza's growing needs. But certainly, can provide more for the population in Gaza than these air drops can.
JIMENEZ: Yes. And look, the U.N. World Food Programme is one that's been warning of a possible famine by May in Gaza. How real of a concern is that for your group? And how real is that of a concern for folks who are watching from the outside and trying to figure out when things may change for the folks in the enclave here?
LOW: Starvation is already happening in Gaza. This past week, we heard reports of children dying of malnutrition, dehydration, and we're -- and we know that the numbers will continue to rise.
It's simply unconscionable that we're allowing this situation to continue. We're all watching this on 24-hour news networks like CNN, streaming on our phones on social media, and yet, nothing is being done to -- or not enough is being done to fight off the starvation and the looming famine in Gaza.
[13:15:00]
This is an entirely preventable catastrophe and not enough is being done to insist that Israel allow the aid in that's needed to protect and prevent the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in desperate need.
JIMENEZ: Yes, and look, we know there are diplomatic efforts going on. But all the while that does not change the everyday suffering, that millions that not just displaced with people and families are feeling. And your group said that letting people in Gaza suffer is a political choice. What do you mean by that?
LOW: This is a choice that if -- we've seen the U.N. cancel -- veto U.N. Security Council resolutions calling for a ceasefire, we know that the international community can put more pressure on Israel to stop bombarding and bombing Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and to allow for aid to get in.
Aid should never be something that's negotiated upon. This as a human right. Israel as the occupying power in Gaza since 1967 has obligations under international law to provide for the basic needs for survival of the Palestinian people.
And they simply aren't doing that and they aren't allowing humanitarian agencies to pick up the slack where they are failing to provide for the people in desperate need.
JIMENEZ: Shaina, before we go, how culpable do you see the United States in this?
LOW: I think at this point, any country that's supporting Israel with arms, allowing them to continue to bombard people and is not using the leverage that they have to put pressure on Israel and the parties to come to a ceasefire, and to allow for the -- for the aid, while they may not be -- I can't speak about whether we have a legal culpability, but certainly a moral culpability as Americans to be pushing to save and protect people who are being killed by one of our greatest allies.
JIMENEZ: Yes, yes.
Shaina Low, thank you for taking the time. I really appreciate your perspective.
Elsewhere, getting around parts of California here in the United States and Nevada is a mess. Several feet of snow have fallen with more expected in the coming hours. And some areas are experiencing a hurricane force wind.
We're going to break it all down. Coming up.
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[13:22:09]
JIMENEZ: Now, to some breaking news we're watching on the West Coast, dangerous blizzard conditions are freezing parts of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Forecasters say as much as 12 feet of snow could fall this weekend. Several inches are falling every hour.
Take a look at this. Snow piling up so high that workers at one resort couldn't even leave through a door, any door. See how high that? Let me look at that. That's unbelievable.
The storm packing a punch with hurricane force winds and increasing threats of avalanches in the region.
Now, a very different but also extremely dangerous situation in Texas. High temperatures and dry blustery conditions are raising the threats of more wildfires, as all that is happening as fire crews are still battling the largest wildfire in the state's history, which is already scorched more than a million acres.
CNN meteorologist Elisa Raffa is here with more on all of this. So, Elisa, let's start on the west coast in California. What are you seeing there right now with the snow and the winds?
ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That we are still finding snow falling in these extreme conditions really unfolding. Look at all these purples on the map. This is where we're finding extreme impacts here in the Sierra Nevada's. We're talking impossible travel, whiteout conditions, the winds so extreme not only will they create those whiteout conditions, but they'll can be damaging, knocking out power, and we're talking about snowfall rates up to four inches per hour.
Snowfall totals have already exceeded a foot we're looking at one to two feet already down with several feet still to come.
In the orange that's where you've got a rare blizzard warning in effect for these mountains there in California, where you can see the snow just continuing to pump.
Look at where that moisture coming off the coast. Really just hit some of the peaks of the mountain's kind of meeting up with that cold air and pumping all of that snow. And this radar has looked to the same for several hours and will continue to look like this through today and into tomorrow.
Those blizzard warnings really lasting a long time. We're looking at locally up to 12 feet of snow possible and that is with some blustery winds. Omar.
JIMENEZ: Yes, yes. And look, on the other side of things as well, obviously, we are dealing with the snow. But in Texas, when are people going to get a break from these dry conditions?
RAFFA: Unfortunately, it looks like we're going to have that extreme and critical fire weather through the weekend. We have the wind that's so extreme actually, because of the storm that's impacting California. You can see, we're in Sierra Nevada is where you got these gusts up to 65 plus miles per hour. But these gusts up to 30 miles per hour possible in the panhandle of Texas and Oklahoma. That's because of the storm in California.
So, because we have these extreme gusty -- very dry conditions. We have red flag warnings in effect from Nebraska down into Texas. And not only do we have the gusty winds, we have their relative humidity. That air is just so dry, it's only at 10 percent or slow -- so.
So, with the dry condition, we already have burn scars the wind., the dry air is just a recipe for disaster.
[13:25:05]
Still looking at some of the fires that again have already burned over a million acres in northern Texas, their biggest wildfire in history.
JIMENEZ: Yes. Elisa Raffa, thank you so much. A lot of factors to keep an eye on there.
Coming up for us, in Illinois, family is suing a suburban Chicago police department after officers shot and killed demand inside his apartment bedroom last month.
Now, police are releasing body camera video showing what happened moments before the shooting. Coming up. I'm going to talk to the family and their attorney about what happened and why they have now filed a federal lawsuit.
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[13:30:02]
JIMENEZ: Today, we're getting our first look at new video released in a deadly police shooting in Illinois.
Now, police in the Chicago suburb of Carol Stream say they were responding to reports of a domestic violence incident from a girlfriend, who police say reported she had gotten into an altercation with her partner in the early morning hours of February 3rd.
Now, police arrived around 4:15 a.m. And in this newly released body camera video, you're going to see them enter the apartment, kick open a bedroom door, and then almost immediately you hear two gunshots.
It's important to see the events unfold in real time. But I want to warn you, some of what you're about to see you may find disturbing may find disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER: Police!
UNIDENTIFIED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER: Carol Stream police!
(GUNFIRE)
(SHOUTING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JIMENEZ: It happened almost immediately after -- after that door kicked in, Isaac Goodlow was shot once in the chest. He died shortly after.
His family has now filed a federal lawsuit against the Carol Stream Police Department and the officers involved in the shooting.
So joining me now is Isaac Goodlow's sister, Kennetha Barnes. The family is represented by Andrew M. Stroke and Steven Hart. And Steven heart also joins us.
Thank you both for speaking with us. I know it's -- it can't have been easy over these recent weeks.
And, Kennetha, I want to start with you because this isn't the first time you've seen the video. You've now probably seen it multiple times, one too many times, I'm sure.
What was your initial reaction seeing this video after nearly a month of trying to get it out there?
KENNETHA BARNES, OLDEST SISTER OF ISAAC GOODLOW: Devastated.
JIMENEZ: Yes.
BARNES: Cover up. It's now what we're seeing in the first video.
JIMENEZ: What -- when you say devastated, what does that word mean to you? What -- what are you feeling in your head, what are you thinking about?
BARNES: Well, we heard --
JIMENEZ: Yes. I know -- I know it's difficult.
(CROSSTALK)
JIMENEZ: Yes. No, go ahead. Steven.
STEVEN HART, ATTORNEY FOR FAMILY OF ISAAC GOODLOW: Omar, it's good to be with you. Good to see you again. And always doing good work.
The family's devastated. They're struggling, as you can see. The -- the incident is three weeks past. They're in shock, dismay, mourning the death of their son and brother.
They have so many questions that are unanswered. They see the Carol Stream -- village of Carol Stream dripping out information drop by drop, not answering any of their questions as to why this occurred.
We see the most dramatic events on the snippets that they're providing to the family. It looks like vigilante law enforcement, shoot first,, ask questions later, guns blazing.
When what they expected was that the police was there to serve and protect Isaac, that they were too not enter his house without his permission --
JIMENEZ: Yes.
HART: At 4:15 or 4:30 in the morning. And certainly not do it behind a ballistic shield, tiptoeing in, and then shooting him in the heart while he lay in his bed in his own apartment.
JIMENEZ: Yes.
And, Kennetha, I'm curious for you because, look, I've covered too many of these police-involved shootings in manners like this.
And a lot of times, the police might say something to you initially, the video may show something different.
I'm curious for you, what were you told initially by police about what happened to your brother?
BARNES: We never got answers. We don't know anything.
JIMENEZ: Yes. So then you see this video and to you everything is really a surprise to you?
BARNES: Yes
JIMENEZ: Yes.
I want to shift just a little bit because can you - who -- who was Isaac Goodlow? Tell me about who he was.
KENNETHA: He was my baby brother, little brother. My voice is gone. He loved to laugh. We always laughed together. He loved his mom, all of his nieces and nephews. It was -- he just showed love to the family and to people he didn't even know.
[13:35:14]
JIMENEZ: Yes.
I want to show one other part of the video.
And, Kennetha, you don't have to look at this if you don't want to. But I do think it's important to show people as far as the case that you all are filing.
Because in the immediate aftermath of this shooting, I just want to show folks what happened.
Again, Kennetha, you can turn away for this part if you'd like.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SHOUTING)
UNIDENTIFIED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER: (EXPLETIVE DELETED)
UNIDENTIFIED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER: You have and --
(CROSSTALK)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JIMENEZ: And for folks, he had already been shot at that point and they were putting handcuffs on him.
Just for either of you, what is your initial reaction seeing that?
HART: Kennetha?
BARNES: That is not proper training. I don't know what that was.
JIMENEZ: Yes.
HART: Yes. Omar, it's devastating. Because, again, they had the expectation that these officers were there to help him and assist him. Instead, they barged into his house and shot him in his heart while he lay in his bed.
And not only did they do that, but they fired at Isaac again. He was unarmed, by the way. And after they fired at him twice, then they tased him while he was on the ground.
And if that wasn't enough excessive force, instead of rendering any care and treatment and aid immediately, they handcuffed him behind his back. You'll see that the third officer appears to kick Isaac.
This is not reasonable treatment for anybody, let alone law enforcement.
And so losing a family member, losing a son, losing a brother is hard enough. To have it done at the hands of those that take an oath to serve and protect and then handle him with such disregard after they shoot him in the heart is devastating.
And to add insult to injury, to gear up a propaganda machine and drip, drip, drip out information nearly a month after the shooting, fail to identify the police officers, which we've asked for multiple times.
Fail to answer the family's questions as to why they were even in his apartment without his consent. Why they shot an unarmed man.
And sadly, this is a narrative that we see play out far too often, starting way back with Breonna Taylor and before and subsequently. The policing in minority neighborhoods, the mindset that these officers have is completely unacceptable.
JIMENEZ: And, Kennetha, we have to go on a little bit. I just want to know from you, what does justice look like in this case for you?
BARNES: Officers being charged.
JIMENEZ: Yes.
BARNES: The names being released.
JIMENEZ: Yes. Yes
BARNES: Justice for Isaac is the police being charged.
JIMENEZ: Yes.
BARNES: This can't keep happening.
JIMENEZ: And before we go, just I can hear it in your voice, but what have conversations been like as a family trying to process what you've seen on video and what happened now, a few weeks ago?
BARNES: It's like we're still stuck in day one. Nothing got better.
JIMENEZ: Yes.
Well, I want to thank both of you for being here. Really appreciate the time. Steven Hart and Kennetha Barnes, thank you. Thank you so much. Really appreciate it.
And I do want to read this statement from the Carol Stream Police Department as well, saying: "The Carol Stream Police Department is devoted to respecting human
life and will continue to listen to the concerns of our community during this trying time.
"As the family and loved ones of Mr. Goodlow navigate the tremendous grief that comes from the loss of a loved one, we offer them our most sincere condolences on their loss.
"We appreciate the public's patience and understanding as this investigation progresses. The men and women of the Carol Stream Police Department are committed to the full independent investigation of this incident."
They say they'll be providing the results of the independent investigation to the public as soon as they are able.
[13:39:55]
We'll be back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JIMENEZ: All right, everyone, we're getting breaking news from the White House. The vice president is going to meet with Israel's war cabinet minister on Monday in Washington.
CNN's Priscilla Alvarez joins us now with more.
Priscilla, what are you learning?
ALVAREZ: Well, Omar, this, of course, comes at a critical time as the U.S. pushes for a temporary ceasefire to allow more aid into Gaza, as well as for the release of hostages still held by Hamas. And also, as there is a push for more humanitarian aid to get into this region.
[13:45:06]
So those are two topics of discussion that will be coming up in this meeting between the vice president and the Israeli war cabinet member, Benny Gantz. This, all according to a White House official.
Now, the other part that will come up in this meeting is going to be "the day after" planning for Gaza. This is something that the vice president has been very involved in.
It's been a priority of hers since those October 7th attacks. And so she is expected to talk about this in more depth with this Israeli war cabinet member as well.
But again, Omar, there is a ticking clock here when it comes to that hostage deal. They're looking at Ramadan, they're trying to get this done before then.
So of course, this is a meeting that comes on -- on a day that gives the vice president opportunity to talk with Benny Gantz. He's also expected to meet with national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, while he's in town -- Omar?
JIMENEZ: Priscilla Alvarez, thank you for staying on top of it. I know we'll have more updates from you today. Appreciate it.
In Iowa, tomorrow, college basketball may crown a new all-time leading scorer. And tickets to that game are through the roof. We're going to break down exactly what that means, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:50:54]
JIMENEZ: Iowa Guard Caitlin Clark is breaking more records, this time in ticket sales. Tickets for the sports star's last regular home season game tomorrow are the most expensive women's basketball tickets ever, according to the ticket Web site, TickPick. That's TickPick. I'll be careful with my words there.
On Thursday, Clark announced on social media that this will be her final season at Iowa. She responded to the news yesterday at a press conference.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAITLIN CLARK, IOWA GUARD: I think just going into senior night, having that decision clear, not only for myself, but our fans, my teammates, I think that was super important.
And honestly, I don't know, just getting the weight of the world off my shoulders and being able to enjoy this last -- these last -- this last month with my teammates, I think is the biggest thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JIMENEZ: She only needs 18 points to break the all-time NCAA scoring record tomorrow, currently held by Pete Maravich. And an average of over 32 points a game, she's pretty much expected to pass it.
That's why we've got CNN business reporter, Nathaniel Meyersohn, joining me now.
So one, how much are ticket prices to see her last home game?
NATHANIEL MEYERSOHN, CNN BUSINESS REPORTER: Omar, it is -- Caitlin Clark is the talk of the country right now in basketball.
And the tickets to tomorrow night's game between Iowa, her last home game, and Ohio State are about -- the average price is about $570, which is at a 1,000 percent increase from your average college basketball game.
And you see why. I mean, she just is nailing these three-pointers. Everybody wants to see her play in her last home game. So there's just so much excitement right now around Caitlin Clark and women's basketball. JIMENEZ: Yes. I mean, look, being successful in college basketball today or any college sport today is different than it was 10 years ago.
You've got NIL deals, name, image, and likeness. You can make money off of how well you were doing playing the college game.
So how is someone like Clark, how is she capitalizing on her success financially?
MEYERSOHN: Yes. So it's a completely different landscape for college athletes right now, Omar. As you said, just in the last few years, we have these name, image, likeness agreements where they can profit off of -- off of their images.
And so Caitlin Clark is in high demand for brands right now. Gatorade, State Farm and Nike, they all have endorsement deals with Caitlin Clark.
And in a few weeks, we have March Madness, the NCAA tournament coming up. You're going to see Caitlin Clark in lots of lots of ads. I know I've seen a few State Farm ads with her recently.
And look, if Iowa goes deep into the -- into the tournament next month, I think it's going to just be really, really exciting.
JIMENEZ: Yes, I don't know where this NIL was when I was playing, but --
(LAUGHTER)
JIMENEZ: -- that's neither here nor there.
Look, she also said she's going to enter next month's WNBA draft. I'm sure she's considered the consensus number-one pick, right?
MEYERSOHN: She is -- she is the consensus number-one pick.
And, Omar, this year, the Indiana Fever, they have the number-one picks. So she's likely headed to Indiana. And Indiana is a big basketball state.
And not only will we have Caitlin Clark in Indiana, on the men's side, you have Tyrese Haliburton. So look, you're -- if you're an Indiana basketball fan, one night you get to see Caitlin Clark the next Tyrese Haliburton.
I'm just disappointed that the New York Liberty don't have the number- one pick. Then we'd have her here in New York and Jalen Brunson with the next. It'd be very exciting.
JIMENEZ: Well, look, the Sabrina Ionescu and Caitlin Clark future matchups are going to be incredible between Liberty and potentially the Fever. So we will see.
Nathaniel Meyersohn, thank you so much, man. All right, lies corruption, bribery, prostitution. Do I have your
attention? Sometimes the goal of upholding ideals like truth and justice in American politics go awry. And the stranger-than-fiction situations that result leave the voting public's head spinning.
Now, the new CNN original series, "UNITED STATES OF SCANDAL," CNN anchor and chief Washington correspondent, Jake Tapper, dives into some of the most sensational political controversies and talks to some of the most infamous political figures of the modern era to dissect the truth from the spin.
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ELIOT SPITZER, (D), FORMER NEW YORK GOVERNOR: The change you see, the reform you thirst for, the New York you dream of begins tonight.
BROOKE MASTERS, AUTHOR: By the time Eliot Spitzer is running for governor in 2006, everyone expected him to win.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR & CNN CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): In 2006, New York had been stuck in a holding pattern for years. Eliot Spitzer, that seemingly upright pillar of moral rectitude, was just the candidate for them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Polls close at 09:00 p.m. An election was called for Spitzer at 09:01 p.m.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) -- New York, Eliot Spitzer.
TAPPER (on camera): Eliot Spitzer was elected governor with what percentage of the vote?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sixty -- almost 70 percent. It was 69.5.
TAPPER: It's insane. Almost 70 percent of the vote?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. By far, the greatest plurality in the history of New York, more than Franklin Roosevelt, more than Teddy Roosevelt, more than Mario Cuomo, more than anybody.
TAPPER (voice-over): But unlike his illustrious predecessors, Spitzer would only last one year in office before self-destructing in a way that absolutely no one had foreseen.
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JIMENEZ: "UNITED STATES OF SCANDAL" airs tomorrow night at 9:00 Eastern, right here on CNN.
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