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Trump's Busy Courtroom And Campaign Calendars; Monster Blizzard Slams Calif And Nevada; Officials Warn Texas Wildfire Could Worsen This Weekend; U.S. Airdrops Humanitarian Aid Into Gaza; U.S. Official: 6-Week Ceasefire "Basically Accepted" By Israel, Waiting On Hamas; Toddler Among 7 People Killed In Russian Drone Strike; GA Bill Allows For Arrest Of Any Person Suspected Of Being In U.S. Illegally; PA Seniors On Their Concerns About Biden & Trump's Age. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired March 02, 2024 - 17:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:00:15]

JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. Hi, everyone. I'm Jessica Dean in New York.

Donald Trump taking another step away from the campaign trail and into the courtroom this week, this time down in Florida. But an hour's long hearing ended with no ruling from Judge Aileen Cannon. That case centering on how Trump handled classified documents.

Meanwhile, let's go to Georgia in a separate criminal case against Trump. The judge promising a ruling in the next two weeks on a hearing in that case. Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis fighting to stay on the prosecution against Trump and his allies.

A lot swirling around here.

Let's discuss it all with CNN contributor and former Nixon White House counsel, John Dean.

John, great to have you on. Thanks for being with us this evening.

Let's start first with this tactic that we know Trump and his team have been putting into place, which is delay, delay, delay. It seems to be working right now. Would you disagree?

JOHN DEAN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: No, I would not disagree. I think it's been very successful particularly going to the high court, going to the Supreme Court. That's tied the January 6 case in the District of Columbia into knots and prevented it from doing anything.

The other cases are marching along, if you will.

DEAN: And yet they are kind of in a way tied together if one gets delayed or, you know, another can, you know, they do kind of all tie together in a way just in terms of scheduling. We're putting the calendar up right now. Do you think that in addition to just trying to delay across the board

until they can get through this election season that they're also trying to, in a sense, get the -- get the cases or the trials that they want and get the other ones, maybe the D.C. case, slow that down as much as possible.

J. DEAN: The reason they want to delay is they believe that there's a good shot that Trump can get re-elected and the polling obviously is showing that -- that he does have a real shot. And once he becomes president again, he can get -- he can dispose of the federal cases by self-pardoning himself.

Now whether that'll work in the law, that we don't know, it's never happened before where a president is self-pardoned. The two federal cases, the D.C. case and the documents case in Florida (AUDIO GAP) have his department of justice argue under the supremacy clause that as president, he cannot any longer be prosecuted by any of the states.

That is the existing policy and could probably at least tie it up for four years while he was still president, taking it to the Supreme Court and back if necessary. So that's why he has invoked this defense. It really is his campaign and his reelection are really his criminal defense.

I think he's much more interested in dealing with that problem than he is with dealing with the problems of the nation, frankly.

DEAN: Well, and he talks about it a lot on the campaign trail as we heard earlier today as well as (INAUDIBLE) to his pitch to voters.

Hearing you talk -- talk us through all of that, you know, you start to think about this claim of absolute immunity for a president. Obviously you're talking about him potentially pardoning itself.

But the Supreme Court has said it is going to hear his arguments on his immunity claims in April. He's made the case that he has essentially complete immunity.

Even if they puncture his legal argument though, is the simple fact that all his cases are essentially on pause until then does that make it a win?

And then secondly, what, what do you think the Supreme Court -- how do you think they may be evaluating this right now?

J. DEAN: It does not tie -- the immunity argument does not tie up every case. For example, the case in New York brought by D.A. Bragg in Manhattan, which is a spin out of a Southern District of New York case. it's often called the hush money case -- it's also an election interference case.

So that case does not appear to be tainted by his being office because it happened -- the hush money arrangement was made before he became president. While there were some checks written after he was president, it's so tangential that he couldn't argue anyway that that was to affect him. And that is first scheduled trial on the 25th of this month. And it looks like it's going to go forward. So not everything is stalled.

I think he is trying to stall everything else that he's got some control of, but he's lost control of that case.

[17:04:57]

DEAN: And how do you assess where the Supreme Court -- I mean, obviously were going to know once they rule on it, but what are your thoughts around the Supreme Court taking on these claims of immunity?

J. DEAN: It would be amazing if they granted presidential immunity. Two presidents have faced criminal charges. Richard Nixon, my president during Watergate and --

DEAN: You know very well, yes.

J. DEAN: -- I had left the White House. Yes, I'm very familiar with. And Bill Clinton faced a perjury charge as well for lying to a grand jury, which he was able to resolve with less than a charge by a special prosecutor.

So it's not new issue that prior presidents have all thought they did have exposure. Trump is the first one however has claimed that there is there's total immunity and it's frankly nonsense.

While presidents have committed criminal acts, they have largely, if not exclusively been national security matters and you can cite lots of presidents who gave illegal orders.

And Nixon once said, famously or infamously, if a president does it, that means it's illegal -- or it's legal, and he was talking in the national security area.

So I don't think the Supreme Court is going to delve into all this. The D.C. circuit court wrote a remarkably sophisticated and complete decision, which is what is under appeal.

I think one of the reasons the Supreme Court took this is Trump has raised immunity in other jurisdictions other than the District of Columbia. He's raised it in the Florida case. He's raised it in the Georgia case.

So I think they want to address it and it's a court that likes to have the last word on everything anyway. But if -- I would be shocked, Jessica, if they granted immunity.

DEAN: And you mentioned Georgia, I'd love to talk to you about that for just a second because we saw those closing arguments in the hearing to potentially disqualify the prosecutor, Fani Willis.

That happened all yesterday afternoon, and then the judge saying that he hopes to rule on that in the next two weeks. Based on what we saw yesterday, the questions from the judge, do you get the sense, that the judge will disqualify Fani Willis?

J. DEAN: I get the sense he will not. He's actually worked in that office. He's worked as a prosecutor in the U.S. attorney's office as well. He knows a lot of those players, some of my colleagues I've talked to did not think that Fani was particularly well-represented.

I just had the opposite reaction that the lawyer arguing for the district attorney's office probably knew the judge and was just marching him through. Here's what you should be alert to and you want to get right.

And they have not shown an actual conflict of interest. They have not presented one. It's all speculation and they've used this to smear her fairly successfully and to taint her. But they have not shown a conflict which must be real, not a potential conflict or appearance even.

It's very difficult under Georgia law to remove a district attorney from a case. And I don't think they've made the case here.

So I would be shocked again, if she is removed rather, I think she'll proceed with the case.

DEAN: And I hear you to underscoring that. Yes, they have smeared her. Another one of the tactics that Trump and his team use a lot is just really muddying the waters even if they don't get the outcome they ultimately want.

They've muddied it enough that it could potentially have an impact moving down the way. Do you think that they have done that here, regardless of what the ruling is?

DEAN: Well, I think they probably have. I think the local jury pool in Fulton County probably is well tainted by now, and probably pick sides, but that doesn't mean a juror can't come in and take the jurors oath and swear to base their decision on what the evidence is presented to them in that courtroom.

I know many people who served on juries and we've talked about it. And they said, you know, they had -- they've admitted to having opinions or what have you and actually still gotten on the jury. And they said they really based their decision on the evidence.

So I think most jurors and most Americans, when they are on a jury, do the right thing. There might be somebody, however, who wants to get on a jury to favor one or more of the defendants?

DEAN: Well, so much more to come. It is going to be an interesting year indeed. John Dean, we always appreciate your expertise. Thanks so much.

[17:09:50]

J. DEAN: Thanks, Jessica.

DEAN: A tale of two very different weather emergencies playing out right now. First, bone dry conditions and fierce winds, fanning what's quickly become the largest wild fire in Texas. And right now, there's no signs of it slowing down. Meantime, a rare blizzard is slamming the West Coast, dropping snow by

the foot and putting millions there under blizzard warnings and avalanche alerts.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

[17:10:17]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DEAN: A developing story out west. California and Sierra Nevada is buried under a rare and relentless blizzard with 10 to 12 feet expected in some mountain areas.

That powerful storm wreaking havoc on Interstate 80 with drivers stranded and multiple collisions prompting authorities to shut down a major stretch in California near Nevada.

CNN's, Elisa Raffa is in the Weather Center tracking the storm. Elisa, I think a lot of people want to know. Will this come to an end anytime soon?

ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Not really through the weekend. We're going to keep the snow showers pumping through the rest of the day today into Sunday and even Monday as well as the snow just stays pretty relentless. That's why we're looking at extreme impacts.

You see it here lined out in the purple, because travel would not only be difficult, it will be dangerous and impossible. You've got whiteout conditions from incredibly heavy snow and gusty winds. Winds so gusty that not only will they blow around snow, but they can be damaging, knocking out power and snowfall rates could be upwards of 4 inches per hour.

So incredible that we've already gotten three feet of snow on the ground for places like a Truckee, you're looking at 30 inches of snow there, nearing 40 from Soda Springs and Kingvale 42 inches of snow. And that's just through this afternoon.

The warnings though, continue through a lot of Sunday. You see there in the orange where we have blizzard warnings because not only do you get the heavy snow, we will have the gusty winds that's really going to kick that snow around.

Look at the lightning. It's been incredible to see some of this thundersnow over Salt Lake City. You could see a couple of more lightning strikes off the coast there. And that shows just how intense this storm is.

You have the showers, the rain coming into San Francisco, but look at where that cold air comes in in the higher elevations, those snow showers just keep pumping, the machine just keeps going.

The radar has looked pretty similar throughout the day today and will continue to do so tomorrow. So some of these snowfall totals in some of the highest peaks, you

know, 5,000 -- 6,000 feet above sea level, you're looking at some snow totals up to 12 feet or more. Like I said, we already got three almost four feet of snow down in a lot of places.

Tackling (ph) wind gusts over 100 miles per hour, that's where you're looking at some pretty damaging conditions, 114 mile-per-hour gust recorded at Mammoth Mountain.

They continue with these gusts well over 65 to 70 miles per hour as we go through the day today. And then look what happens. These wind gusts really start to kick going into the Central Plains as well, gusts 35 to 40 miles per hour.

That's going to make matters worse when it comes to the fire weather, we have red flag warnings in effect for a decent chunk of the Central Plains because not only do you have those wind gusts from the storm in California, you have air so dry relative humidity values only down to about ten to 15 percent.

So with these burn scars, fires that have been ongoing, we know we have a fire in the Texas Panhandle that has already burned more than a million acres and it's only 15 percent contained.

So insult to injury when you've got these gusty winds, you've got this very dry air and dry ground conditions that's going to keep the critical fire weather through today and tomorrow in areas that have already burned, Jessica.

DEAN: All right. Elisa Raffa for us. Thanks so much. And let's talk more about those fires she was just mentioning.

There is so much devastation in the Texas Panhandle tonight. Strong winds and high temperatures major concern there this weekend as these wildfires rage on. We know at least two people have died in the Smokehouse Creek fire. It is now the largest wildfire in Texas history.

CNN's Camila Bernal is on the ground in these scorched city of Fritch, Texas.

Camila, I know you've spoken with people who lived right behind where you're standing. It just looks like such devastation there.

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It truly is.

And it's a family that right now is heartbroken. Look, officials have said that the fire or the multiple fires that have destroyed parts of the Panhandle in Texas have destroyed 400 to 500 structures.

But yes, it's definitely more than a structure for a family like the Johnson family. This is where they spent? More than 20 years where the family raised seven children.

And when they walk in, this is what they're seeing. This used to be the area where they would gather to have barbecues to eat as a family. This is where they watched the sunsets in the afternoons.

And when they came back here, you know, they realized that there's not a lot left they've been sifting through a lot of the debris, trying to find anything that was left. But the reality is that they're starting again from zero.

Here's what Susan Johnson told me about what's left.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUSAN JOHNSON, FRITCH, TEXAS RESIDENT: I'm sure that as time goes on, I'll think about some things and mourn it if you will but we can't take my memories away.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[17:19:45]

BERNAL: And look, there were four different fires that came through this area, the Smokehouse Creek fire is only 15 percent contained and we are seeing in the hot temperatures, the wind, the dryness. So there is potential for these fires to continue raging for days.

And it is going to take a long time for firefighters to get a handle of these fires and for families to come back and rebuild. It's been huge for the agriculture industry as well. The ranchers in this area, actually 85 percent of the cattle in Texas is raised here in the Texas Panhandle. So it's been an emotional and a financial impact for so many in this community as they try to grapple with what's going on here and what they're going to have to deal with over the next couple of months and maybe even years really, Jessica.

DEAN: Camila Bernal. All right. Thanks so much for that reporting from Texas.

Coming up next, aid from above. The U.S. makes humanitarian airdrops inside Gaza for the first time since the start of the war there. And there are reports tonight that Israel has quote, basically accepted a ceasefire proposal but will Hamas agree as well?

Details next.

[17:20:54]

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DEAN: The U.S. has made its first humanitarian aid drops over Gaza today in a joint operation with Jordan, U.S. aircraft delivered some 38,000 meals. U.S. officials saying they chose the drop zone based on need, believing a large number of people to be sheltering nearby that location.

At the same time, a senior U.S. official now saying, Israel has quote, basically accepted the terms of a ceasefire deal to release more hostages. And that the decision now falls to Hamas to accept that deal. Priscilla Alvarez joining us now live from Washington. Priscilla

first, what's the White House saying about this aid drop?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the White House is describing this as successful. And the reason for that is because ever since they dropped that humanitarian aid earlier today, they saw that civilians were approaching that assistance and also distributing it.

To your point, this was a location that they decided on because there was people that were sheltering and in need in that particular region.

Now, this was -- consisted of food -- not medical supplies or water. And even so, even though the White House has described it as a success so far, President Biden said that it is still not enough and that really echoed what we heard from senior administration officials earlier today, which is that they want to flood the zone.

That means these humanitarian aid drops, as well as exploring another avenue which would include a maritime corridor.

But none of that is a substitute for the land crossings. That is imperative, administration official say to get even more assistance into Gaza, which is still grappling with a dire situation that only appears to be getting worse by the day and that is something that the White House is keenly aware of. And they say, these humanitarian aid drops are anticipated to continue over the coming days.

But even so, what is clear is that there still needs to be a surge of assistance into this region to at least start to help even a little bit more, Jess.

And Priscilla, also these -- meantime these ceasefire talks have been ongoing, but it appears like we're moving ever so closer to a deal here. Where do those stand at this hour.

Well, and there's a clear deadline to that. U.S. officials are trying to reach. They're trying to get this done before Ramadan.

Now, we did learn today that Israel has quote, basically accepted the framework of a deal that according to a senior administration official. What that means is that there is essentially a plan on the table and it includes a six-week ceasefire.

Over the course of that ceasefire, the idea is that it would release hostages who are considered the most vulnerable. That includes women, the elderly, and the wounded and it would allow for even more assistance to get into Gaza.

Now, over the course of those six weeks U.S. officials would continue their conversations with partners to try to figure out some of the stickier points like the release of hostages who are also IDF members.

Now talks are still ongoing and all of those involved has said that these are sensitive and delicate. They can fall apart at any moment. But there was a sense of optimism, a tone of optimism in the way that senior administration officials were discussing this today because while these talks are still ongoing, they do appear to be getting even closer to a deal.

Now, all of this, of course happening when we also learned that Vice President Kamala Harris will be meeting with Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz on Monday.

Now that's a meeting where all of these issues are expected to come up -- the hostage deal, the humanitarian aid into Gaza. But also critically, the day after planning for Gaza that has been a priority for the vice president since the October 7th attacks. And that is one that is going to come up during her meeting on Monday.

Now, while this member is in Washington, he's also expected to meet with national security adviser Jake Sullivan. Of course, all of this, Jessica, coming at a critical juncture, not only in the hostage deal, but also in the humanitarian crisis happening in Gaza.

DEAN: Yes, no doubt about it. Priscilla Alvarez for us in Washington, thanks so much for that reporting.

And joining us now to discuss further is CNN military analyst, Lieutenant General Mark Hertling. Thanks so much for being here with us.

Let's start first with these airdrops. How helpful do you think they can be in addressing this humanitarian crisis? And why do you think now, why do you think they said, ok, we're going in.

LT. GEN. MARK HERTLING, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yes, they can be very helpful, Jessica. When you're talking about 38,000 food packages, MREs more than likely, all MREs it's critical that that food gets into the right places where the population is.

[17:29:52]

HERTLING: Now, as Priscilla just said, it would certainly be much nicer if you could get multiple trucks with a whole lot more equipment. But anytime you're lacking a security force in a region -- and what I mean by that is an army or a police force that can help distribute, you're going to see more scenes like we saw the other day, where there are going to be rushes toward those aid convoys before they're distributed.

People just going crazy trying to get what's on the trucks. When you can deliver aid as you're showing on the film right now through an aircraft, putting it a specific area -- and the Air Force is very good at pinpointing these kinds of drops -- it gets directly to the people that need it when they're in an area.

And it's not co-opted by Hamas terrorists that could come in, disrupt the convoy, and take some of the aid.

DEAN: Right. And hopefully meet people in need where they are.

We also talked with Priscilla about the ceasefire talks that appear to be back on track with Israel. A senior U.S. official saying basically agreeing and it's now on Hamas to agree as well. How optimistic are you this can happen, especially as you look ahead on this calendar with this deadline of Ramadan, the beginning of Ramadan coming up in just a little over a week now?

HERTLING: Yes, the beginning of Ramadan is March the 10th and 11th, the evening of March 10th and 11th. It goes until April the 9th.

And truthfully, Jessica, I am not as optimistic as some in the administration are. When you're talking about Qatar and Egypt and Israel and us all trying to push for these ceasefires, Hamas continues to play for time.

The longer these things drag on and the more they can reject the ceasefire or the hostage exchange, the more they're going to use that time.

Hamas will demand a higher number of prisoners to be released from Israel. We know that. That's what they've done before. And Israel will say, give us the names on a list of who you're going to release. Both sides are going to play each other on that.

And I just don't think we'll see any on Monday. I hope I'm wrong. But we've seen these kinds of failures before in these hostage negotiations.

And it's not the negotiations that's proceeding on track. It's the ability to talk. So neither side have come to a conclusion that they're willing to -- to trade the kind of things the other side wants.

DEAN: Right. And Egypt's foreign minister is warning that a failure to reach an agreement before Ramadan starts is going to -- or could potentially aggravate the Arab and Muslim world.

Can you elaborate on why that is, what that means, and where your level of concern would be about that sort of deadline?

HERTLING: Yes. Having served in combat in Middle eastern countries and knowing that a lot of things are built around the Ramadan or the religious holiday schedules, I think it's a valid concern by the Egyptian prime minister.

But again, you're talking about demanding a time crunch. And I once heard an Iraqi citizen say, you all the watch but we have the time. Which means that you can set as many deadlines as you want but we can delay it as much as possible, too.

Both sides aren't convinced that Ramadan should the end state of these kind of negotiations. So I'm concerned that it won't be met by the 10th of March.

Again, I hope I'm wrong. I hope it is met by Monday, as the president said. I just don't think it's going to be that easy to do.

DEAN: And just before I let you go, I do want to quickly touch on Ukraine and the news coming out of there, this Russian drone strike in Odessa that killed at least seven people, including a toddler overnight.

And our Nick Peton Walsh is reporting that this is a reminder of the effect of America not passing further aid.

It also is worth noting that Ukraine has said this is nowhere near where fighting is happening. This is a residential area where this happened.

HERTLING: Yes.

DEAN: Do you think we're going to see more of this as that USA --

(CROSSTALK)

HERTLING: I absolutely do.

(CROSSTALK)

HERTLING: I absolutely do, Jessica. We have seen Russia take advantage of a lack of air defense in regions in the past. Ukraine has been given more air defense systems. Now there - there - there -- one thing, for more ammunition for those systems.

When that draws down and when they can't provide the air defense to the civilian areas, you're going to see these kinds of tragedies against the civilian people of Ukraine.

Russia is -- is attempting to take advantage of the time-lapse they've been given. Again, we're talking about time here where Ukraine has -- doesn't have as many weapons or as many pieces of ammunition that they can use to defend themselves.

Russia is trying to take advantage of that. They continue to strike the civilian targets, which is war crimes, adding more to the war crimes that Putin and his military have already committed.

And I think we'll see more of that until, until the West provides more ammunition to Ukraine. And that's the shame of it because it is the GOP Congress that's holding that aid up.

DEAN: It has passed the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support.

All right, General Mark Hertling, thanks so much. Good to see you.

HERTLING: Thank you, Jessica. Same here.

[17:35:00]

DEAN: More than a week after the brutal killing of a Georgia college student, the state's lawmakers are pushing legislation that would require local law enforcement to help I.D. and detain undocumented immigrants. We'll talk more about that.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) DEAN: A bill passed by the Georgia House will allow police to arrest anyone just on the mere suspicion of being in this country illegally.

[17:40:03]

Interest in toughening the state's immigration laws picked up some steam after the killing of nursing student, Laken Riley, on the University of Georgia campus nine days ago. The 22-year-old nursing student was laid to rest yesterday.

However, critics of the bill believe it targets immigrants, forcing them to live in fear.

Let's bring in CNN national correspondent, Rafael Romo.

Rafael, what else are you learning about this bill that, again, just reminding everyone, has so far only passed in Georgia's House.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Jessica. It's already at the center of the controversy. It's on his way to the Senate.

But let me tell you why this controversy has started. First immigrant, right -- rights organizations say they're shocked and horrified over the death of 22-year-old nursing student, Laken Riley. And say that the undocumented Venezuelan immigrants suspected in her killing should face justice.

At the same time, two Hispanic organizations at the University of Georgia in Athens say their members have been targeted with hate messages on social media and fear anti-immigrant rhetoric may be ramping up.

And as reported previously, the Georgia House of Representatives on Thursday passed Bill 1105, which, among other things, would require state and local law enforcement in Georgia to cooperate with federal authorities in enforcing immigration law.

The bill says that a peace officer acting within the scope of his or her authority or other authorization from the federal government shall have the power to arrest with probable cause any person suspected of being an illegal alien.

Latino organizations told us they're concerned this may lead to racial profiling and cases where U.S. citizens are mistaken for undocumented immigrants solely because of the color of their skin or their accent.

Pedro Marin, the longest serving Hispanic member of the Georgia House of Representatives, expressed similar concerns while speaking against the bill.

Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STATE REP. PEDRO MARIN (D-GA): It is easy and tempting during an election cycle to target minorities and immigrants in order to score political points.

Since taking office in 2003, I have witnessed, again and again, ambitious representatives and Senators pursue fear as they assess this tragedy to attain and maintain elected office.

But our community cannot and should not be collectively punished for the horrific actions of one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: And, Jessica, on the other hand, Jesse Petrea, the bill's author and one of its sponsors, said this is not about targeting any particular community, but about safety for all.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STATE REP. JESSE PETREA (R-GA): This issue is not about immigrants. This issue is about people illegally in the country, not immigrants. There are two different things.

Individuals illegally in the country, who subsequently break laws and come -- and victimize individuals in our communities. This is not about immigrants. And I'm not going to listen to that rhetoric any further.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: The bill was approved by a vote of 97 to 74, passing largely along party lines. And it now moves to the Senate for consideration.

Jessica, we'll see what happens there. Back to you.

DEAN: All right. Rafael Romo, for us, thanks so much for that update.

If Joe Biden wins in November, he will be 82 at the start of his second term. If Donald Trump wins, he will be 78. Either would be the oldest president in American history by far.

In the latest installment of "ALL OVER THE MAP," CNN's John King visited seniors in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, and found out even aging voters are divided over the 2024 age debate.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In Mahjong, everything has to be in order.

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Mahjong is complicated, and these seniors --

DARRELL ANN MURPHY, PENNSYLVANIA VOTER: Six dots.

KING: -- say it helps keep them sharp.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nine dam (ph).

MURPHY: Last wall. KING: Darrell Ann Murphy is the instructor. Rule number one has nothing to do with the tiles.

MURPHY: We're all here to learn. We're all here for one reason. And we're never going to talk religion or politics.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Five dots.

KING: Books come up, new shows.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Eight dam (ph).

KING: Children and grandchildren.

MARY ANN HORVATH, PENNSYLVANIA VOTER: I hardly talk politics with anybody because you just don't know what the other person believes.

KING (on camera): But why does that matter?

HORVATH: Feelings are so much stronger now.

KING: Let me ask --

KING (voice-over): A visitor decides to break the rule.

KING (on camera): Who wishes we had younger candidates? Who thing Donald Trump and Joe Biden are both too old to be president?

PAMELA AITA, PENNSYLVANIA VOTER: I think there should be a limit, an age limit at the top.

MURPHY: A lot of older people now are pretty darn sharp.

AITA: This poor man is not capable, in my opinion, and I think in the opinion of a lot of people. It's pathetic.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, then the counter argument, Donald Trump can't know the difference between Nancy Pelosi and Nancy Haley.

HORVATH: Yes.

MURPHY: Nikki Haley.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nikki Haley. I can't even know the difference either.

(LAUGHTER)

(CROSSTALK)

KING: Yes, even those living the challenge of aging are divided on the age debate.

[17:45:04]

This is Northampton County, Pennsylvania, a place with a history of picking presidential winners.

MURPHY: It's either him or Trump.

KING: Murphy shrugs it off when a conservative says Biden is too old. But some conversations worry her.

MURPHY: When I start talking about Joe and how I admire and respect him, I get plenty of blowback. Plenty of blowback. He's too old. Kamala Harris, forget her. Blowback.

Now, these are people who do not necessarily love Trump, but they talk about wanting a better choice.

LARRY MALINCONICO, PENNSYLVANIA VOTER: It's a passive margin. Why?

KING: Larry Malinconico is 71, teaches geology, an Independent, but he almost always votes for the Democrat, a Biden fan. And forgiving when the president says he recently spoke to a foreign leader who died years ago.

MALINCONICO: I don't think he's got an appropriate credit for the things he has done. He has a history of gaffes. But I also think that as we age, that we do tend to mix things up a little bit.

KING: Lafayette College is in Easton, a deep blue piece of a purple county. But conversations with friends and students have Malinconico wishing the president settled for just one term.

MALINCONICO: I think there are people who will not vote for him or sit it out because they perceive his age as a potential problem.

KING: Mickey Brown is West Point, class of 1966.

MICKEY BROWN, PENNSYLVANIA VOTER: We try to stay as active as possible.

KING: He plays tennis, pickleball, and senior softball to stay sharp.

His wife, though, has dementia and lives in a care home nearby.

BROWN: I believe in Jesus and God. I think he keeps me strong. And I'll be fine.

KING: Brown is a conservative and a two-time Trump voter. He insists, though, this view of President Biden is born of experience, not politics.

BROWN: Caring for my wife, I see certain things in -- the way his mannerisms that make me wonder if he is really, in fact, the president.

KING (on camera): Trump's several years younger than Biden, but people have raised the same question. You raised some concerns that you see in Biden that you say, well, I've lived that.

Do you see any of that in Trump? BROWN: Well, I was just 80 on January 31st. At times, I forget something, comes back. But I'm fit. I'm confident in myself. I just think the difference between the two are enough for me to be more concerned about Mr. Biden going forward, then Mr. Trump.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Shoulders opening, chest opening.

KING (voice-over): Pat Levin is 94, yes, 94, and at Pilates.

PAT LEVIN, PENNSYLVANIA VOTER: It's important for -- to keep me vertical.

(LAUGHTER)

LEVIN: The -- at my age, I need all the help I can get.

KING: Age, she says, is not the dominant issue among most of her friends.

LEVIN: They're terrified about what might happen if Joe Biden doesn't win.

KING (on camera): Terrified why?

LEVIN: What will happen to this democracy?

KING: As someone who is older than him, pays attention to politics, what do you see?

LEVIN: I don't think age should be a determinant of competence. I don't think they go together in any way, shape or form.

I know a lot of younger people who are quite incompetent. I know a lot of older people who are very competent. And Joe Biden falls into that category for me.

KING (voice-over): She knows Northampton's history of razor-thin margins and of picking the winner.

LEVIN: That always surprises me because we tend to spend time with people who think the way we do. So I think everybody is for Joe Biden until November comes and then it surprises me.

KING: Levin will be 95 when this November comes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Pull your ribs down towards your waist, great.

KING: Every crunch, her way of saying, it's just a number.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Great.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: All right, our thanks to John King. Always excellent reporting. I love that series.

Thank you, John.

[17:48:51]

Coming up, first lady, Jill Biden, puts Donald Trump on notice. Is this a sign of what's to come as the 2024 general election campaign ramps up? We have new CNN reporting for you, straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:53:26]

DEAN: The new CNN original series, "VEGAS, THE STORY OF SIN CITY," takes us on an incredible journey from the origins and transformation of Vegas.

And CNN's Sara Sidner sat down with Wayne Newton himself to talk about the city's history.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR & SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Was this the life you ever imagined? And the career, the length of your career is longer than anyone I know.

WAYNE NEWTON, SINGER: Well, actually, we will be celebrating our 65 years performing in Las Vegas this coming, I think, May.

And I don't think about it. I think that it's the fact that I enjoy what I do. I love to see the people's faces and I love to see the smiles on their faces.

And maybe the fact that we can bring them a little bit of happiness and forget all the nonsense going on in the world.

SIDNER: OK, 65th year, so I got to ask you, you knew the Rat Pack by name. You performed with them, with Elvis. These are also icons, right?

NEWTON: Yes.

SIDNER: So who partied hardest in Vegas. I know you have secrets. Who of them partied the hardest in Vegas?

NEWTON: Actually, the whole group partied --

(LAUGHTER)

NEWTON: -- because it was free.

It was pretty interesting to watch because Frank's wife told me later on, because I really didn't understand why Frank became my friend, because there was a major your age difference obviously.

[17:55:01]

And then, if he was coming to town to do a charity show and raise money for a charity or the university or that kind of thing, he would always make sure that there was time on that show for me to perform and I never understood it.

And his wife told me, she said, that was Frank's way of looking out for you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: The CNN original series, "VEGAS, THE STORY OF SIN CITY," continues tomorrow at 10:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific only here on CNN.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)