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CNN This Morning

Tornadoes In Tennessee Leaves At Least 6 Dead; Tracking Severe Storms, Tornado Threat Across The South; UPenn Pres. Resigns Amid Backlash Over Antisemitism Testimony; Some Jewish People Say They're Afraid To Celebrate Hanukkah Amid A Rise In Antisemitism; Trump To Testify Again In Civil Fraud Trial On Monday; House GOP Could Launch Biden Impeachment Inquiry On Tuesday; Fallout Grows After Kevin McCarthy Announces Resignation; Israel-Hamas War; Congress Not Involved In Emergency Arms Sale To Israel; Israeli Tank Ammunition Sales Authorized By State Department; Funeral Service For 3 Hezbollah Members Killed In An IDF Airstrike; Amid Gaza Crisis, Biden Administration Authorizes Emergency Arms Transfer To Israel; Unprecedented Migrant Surge; Women Of Color Choose Birthing Centers Over Hospitals; Pregnancy Deaths Among Black Women In The U.S. Are Three Times Higher. Aired 7-8a ET

Aired December 10, 2023 - 07:00   ET

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

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[07:00:59]

AMARA WALKER, CNN HOST: Hello, everyone, and good morning. Welcome to CNN This Morning. It is Sunday, December 10th. I'm Amara Walker.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: I'm Victor Blackwell. Thank you so much for joining us. Here's what we're watching for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everything just, like exploded. This is what it really felt like. I feel like everything exploded, like a lot of pressure built up and just popped.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: At least six people are dead after tornadoes ripped through Tennessee overnight. We're hearing of significant damage in some towns and a state of emergency is in effect. Plus, we're tracking the threat for more storms today.

WALKER: Two of the University of Pennsylvania's leaders have stepped down following that highly criticized testimony about antisemitism on campus. The reaction coming in to those resignations.

BLACKWELL: Former President Trump is expected to testify in the New York civil fraud case against him despite advice from his attorneys. The potential legal implications of the decision.

WALKER: The CDC says black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy complications than white women. Could birthing centers help bring those numbers down? We will discuss later on CNN This Morning.

Tennessee Rescue are searching for survivors after tornadoes and strong thunderstorms tore through the state, leaving at least six people dead and dozens injured. Three people, including a child, were killed in Clarksville when tornadoes tore through that town.

Eyewitness video shows a tornado churning across a road there in Clarksville, throwing debris and ripping through power lines.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my God.

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BLACKWELL: This video is from Nashville. It shows a tornado moving through the city. It caused electrical flashes as you saw there, and then an explosion. Officials in Nashville say another three people were killed there by the storm. The mayor declared a state of emergency and said emergency crews are working in hard to reach areas.

WALKER: And we are tracking the threat for more storms again today. Meteorologist Elisa Raffa is here with more. What do we know?

ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: We have a -- again, like you said, that threat continues as we go into the afternoon today. And there's still some damage that needs to be surveyed. We have so far 24 preliminary tornado reports from this system. You can see the cluster up near Nashville, another cluster down near Jackson, Mississippi.

Three at least so far of those tornadoes are confirmed. And we still have to survey that damage to get more information as we go through the day today. The showers right now are stretching from upstate New York down to the Florida Panhandle. But we're focusing on the south here because this is where the severe threat continues this morning.

We have a tornado warning right now just to the west there of Tallahassee, where we've had again additional tornado warnings this morning. We have a watch that's in effect until about 09:00 a.m. for parts of Alabama, Georgia, and then down into the Florida Panhandle. It includes cities like Macon. It's just south of Atlanta there. And that's where we still have enough fuel to get additional spin up tornadoes.

Then as we go into the afternoon, the threat slides east. We're looking at that threat from D.C. down to the Florida Panhandle. You see this yellow there, that little bullseye? That's where we have that higher risk for a few tornadoes along the Carolina coast this afternoon. Some of those ingredients just come together a little bit better.

But even in the green, we're looking at the threat of at least an isolated tornado and those damaging wind gusts to 60 or 70 miles per hour. As this plays out through the day, you can see the showers and storms really billowing headed into Charlotte as we go into the afternoon with the heavy rain. Continues to push east on the overnight.

And then you get this pop of cold air. That's why the storm is so intense. Cold air sitting right behind it, starts to pop in. Change some of that heavy rain to snow from the Appalachian Mountains up through West Virginia. And then you could see some of that snow really pumping in interior New England.

Heavy rain in the meantime along the coast from New York to Boston. So multiple hazards with this, one of which being flooding, 2 to 4 inches of rain possible. These flood watches, in fact, for 55 million people, including cities like Philly, D.C., New York, and Boston.

[07:05:08]

And those go through Monday, you could see the rain forecast. Lots of those yellows popping with some 2 to 4 inches of rain in the yellows there along the I-95 corridor. And then that snow stays confined to interior New England. But you could still be looking at 8, 10 inches of snow up to 1 foot in some places, again, to be looking out for parts of upstate New York and then headed into Vermont.

And for that we've got some winter storm warnings that will go through the afternoon and evening and even into Monday. We'll start to find, see those pinks there. That's where we've got some of those heaviest snow totals. So multiple hazards as we go through the rest of the weekend that we'll have to keep watching for.

WALKER: All right. Elisa Raffa, thank you very much.

BLACKWELL: The backlash against three U.S. university presidents over their comments to Congress about antisemitism has now led to two resignations. University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill has resigned along with the head of the school's board of trustees. This comes after Magill and the presidents of Harvard and MIT were asked if calling for the genocide of Jews would violate their university's codes of conduct.

CNN's Polo Sandoval reports.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Amara and Victor, in back to back resignation announcements, the president of the University of Pennsylvania announced that she would be stepping down from her position just moments before the university official who made her announcement also said that he, too, would be resigning.

Liz Magill announced on Saturday that she would be stepping down from her position as UPenn president. Per University statement, she will remain tenured faculty at the university's law school and agreed to stay on while they find an interim replacement.

As we've reported, students, faculty, really, the community in general has said that they lost confidence in Magill after Tuesday's congressional hearing in which she and the presidents of MIT and Harvard failed to explicitly say that calls for genocide of Jews would immediately violate their university's codes of conduct. Now, moments after Magill's announcement, Scott Bach said that he, too, would be stepping down as the chair of the university's Board of Trustees. In his statement, Bach wrote, "Former President Liz Magill last week made a very unfortunate misstep". He then goes on to write, "Following that, it became clear that her position was no longer tenable, and she and I concurrently decided that it was time for her to exit."

Bach also defending Magill, calling her a good person, a talented leader, and, in his words, not the slightest bit antisemitic. Also interesting in Bach's statement, he offered some potential insight into what may have been Magill's state of mind at the time of that disastrous hearing.

As Bach wrote, that she was not herself at the time, that she was being questioned by lawmakers, that she was, quote, "over prepared, over lawyered," and that she provided a legalistic answer to a moral question and that Bach says was wrong. Amara, Victor?

BLACKWELL: Polo, thanks so much.

Joining me now is Eric Fingerhut, President and CEO of the Jewish Federation. Good morning to you. And also we'll mention here that you're the former chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents. So from that perspective as well, your reaction to these resignations?

ERIC FINGERHUT, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE JEWISH FEDERATION: Well, they were absolutely necessary and they were absolutely appropriate after the testimony this week, but also because universities, in general, but University of Pennsylvania in particular, has -- have failed to effectively address the dramatic rise in antisemitism we've seen on campus that is putting Jewish students at risk.

But clearly, the question of whether or not calling for the genocide of Jews is a violation of the code of conduct of a university. The question wasn't whether it was legal, illegal. The question was whether it was a violation of the code of conduct. How we want our universities to behave, the moral and ethical standard and educational atmosphere we want to create, that should have been a clear -- it should have been a clear yes.

And the fact that there was any equivocation speaks volumes about the state of the thinking of the leaders on our campuses delay.

BLACKWELL: So let's examine that because you, I guess, put several things together there. Congresswoman Stefanik asked a very pointed question if this violates or this would be a break the rules as it relates to harassment and bullying. The president at UPenn is out, but the policy is the same.

Anyone who steps in there and answers that question may give maybe a far better answer. But if the policies don't change on these campuses, are the Jewish students at UPenn any safer today than they were before the resignation?

[07:10:01] FINGERHUT: Well, many of the stated policies are adequate, some are not. But I would add that it requires leadership. It requires those who are in the positions of leadership, obviously, university presidents being the most visible to understand that their role in creating an educational environment.

And being the educators of the next generation of leaders of our society is to focus not just on, you know, what the physical facilities of the campus look like or even the -- which academic programs are listed, but what are we teaching in terms of the moral and ethical role that our students need to be able to fulfill in the future.

And if they're not clear as to how we treat each other, how we speak to each other, what the boundaries of civil society and respect are, then we have a serious problem. And that's why the feedback after the congressional testimony was focused on the presidents, and rightly so.

BLACKWELL: So it's safe to assume that you'd like to see resignations from the presidents of Harvard and MIT as well?

FINGERHUT: Obviously, those are up to those universities. But I certainly think that what happened at Penn was the necessary and appropriate step, and I would hope the others would conclude the same.

BLACKWELL: So this is Hanukkah, a time of celebration and menorahs and windows and public celebration. I was going to ask you whether people should, are you expecting Jews to put those menorahs in the windows? But last night I watched your speech at the City Club of Cleveland, and I know you've gotten that question many times, tells you about my Saturday night.

And you reminded us about Pirsumei Hanes, and this is the Jewish law that says that you must publicize the miracle that it is to be celebrated publicly. I wonder, though, why you say, unlike other times in history, this is not a time to hide, to conceal. Explain that.

FINGERHUT: Well, as the leader of the Jewish Federation system, this remarkable collection of community Jewish organizations across North America, we're deeply invested in our countries and our societies. In the United States and Canada, we've helped build these countries. These are the freest, most open, inclusive, and, frankly, welcoming societies for Jewish people in history outside of the state of Israel.

And it's important to us that we not cede the leadership of this society and that we not allow these free and open societies to be consumed by hate. And so while we are taking all necessary and appropriate security measures in our Jewish communities, and we are investing heavily in making sure every Jewish institution and community is safe and protected.

Nevertheless, we feel it's very important to stand, to show up in our public spaces and be clear that we will not be intimidated nor give up the public square. It's one of the reasons why 300,000 Jewish advocates showed up on the National Mall just less than a month ago in front of the Capitol to advocate for support for Israel and for freeing the hostages and fighting antisemitism.

So we feel that we have in place the safety and security protections both through our law enforcement agencies that have been such good partners with us and through our own efforts of our federations, and that standing up in public right now is a critically important moment in the history of our American communities.

BLACKWELL: Eric Fingerhut, thank you so much. Happy Hanukkah.

WALKER: Tomorrow, Donald Trump is expected to retake the witness stand in the New York civil fraud trial against him. New York Attorney General Letitia James is suing Trump for $250 million and seeking to bar him from doing business in the state. Against his attorney's advice, he will give the final word in his defense in a high stakes trial that could alter his real estate empire.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALINA HABBA, TRUMP'S ATTORNEY: Even though my advice is, at this point, you should never take the stand with a gag order. But he is so firmly against what is happening in this court.

WALKER (voice-over): Despite his own attorney's advice not to testify, former President Donald Trump is preparing to take to stand in the high stakes civil fraud trial against him and his real estate company.

SHAN WU, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I think the case is really important for him and I think that's partly why he wants to testify. Based on the evidence, based on his own history of testifying, he's not going to save the case by testifying.

[07:15:01]

WALKER (voice-over): This will be the first time he's questioned by his own attorney. The last time Trump testified in the case, he was questioned by the New York attorney general's office. This time it will be his lawyers asking the questions and giving him, the former president, an opportunity to respond in a way that he wants.

SETH WAXMAN, FORMER U.S. SOLICITOR GENERAL: We have to remember this is a civil case. So, if there were really criminal charges that could be brought in the background, you, of course, as an attorney, have a huge concern that your testimony could be used against you criminally in a future case.

Now, it's not likely that there's a criminal case going to stem from this, but with Mr. Trump, look, putting him on the stand is always a huge risk.

WALKER (voice-over): The former president using some familiar language to address his troubles.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is a political witch hunt. This is meant to influence an election. It's a disgrace to our country. And again, I should be right now in Iowa, in New Hampshire, South Carolina. I shouldn't be sitting in a courthouse and I don't have to sit here. I could just do whatever I want to do, but I want to make sure that you get the true story.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: All right, still ahead, the White House moves forward with an emergency sale of ammunition for Israel's tanks as the humanitarian effort in Gaza breaks down.

BLACKWELL: And could birthing centers be the answer to a maternal health disparity among women of color? Why some expected mothers do not feel safe at hospitals?

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[07:20:38]

BLACKWELL: President Biden is spending his weekend on the campaign trail. He made a quick trip to California to raise money for his reelection. And in the Midwest, Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy spoke on their faith, the families potential policies at summit in Iowa.

While Haley pushed for more election security. DeSantis had to clarify remarks calling on out of state voters to participate in the caucuses there in Iowa. And Ramaswamy hinted at a possible expansion of former President Trump's travel ban on certain Muslim majority countries. The Iowa caucuses are January 15th.

WALKER: All right, we are joined now by CNN Chief Congressional Correspondent Manu Raju. Manu, it's always good to see you. So let's talk about this critical week ahead. And as we know, the House Republicans are expected to vote to authorize an impeachment inquiry into President Biden.

And, of course, we have those talks that are continuing over Ukraine and Israel aid. It's still kind of stalled there in Congress. What can we expect?

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this is an absolutely critical week because of the fact that lawmakers are scheduled to head out of town by the end of the week. And when you talk about aid to Ukraine, aid to Israel, this all hinges on whether or not they can get a deal on tightening immigration laws at the southern border with Mexico.

Republicans have insisted that there must be a deal to restrict the flow of migrants into the country before they agree to moving forward with aid to Ukraine, even as the White House has warned that Ukraine aid must be approved this month. Otherwise, that country risks being kneecapped at this critical time in its war against Russia.

Israel also caught in the middle of this. Can they get a deal? At the moment, they have talked all weekend. They are not near a deal. But will they punt until the New Year? That is a big question. And then how do they move forward in the House on a completely separate matter, moving forward, an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. House Republicans want to show momentum, including the new Speaker Mike Johnson. He is putting this on the floor to authorize the inquiry, which has been actually going on for a couple of months. But they want to have a formal vote to authorize it. That means they need to have all their members in line, including the vulnerable members, and lose no more than three Republican votes.

But in talking to those vulnerable members, it is clear that they are ready to move ahead on that impeachment inquiry. But they are not ready to move ahead to impeach the president because some of them say, clearly, in their view, they don't believe there's enough proof or evidence to show that the president acted corruptly in any way to aid his son Hunter, which is the essence of that impeachment inquiry.

WALKER: And amidst all this, I mean, the Republican infighting continues, right? I mean, we're still continuing to see the fallout from McCarthy's resignation.

RAJU: Yes, that's right. He announced, the former speaker, that he would step aside from Congress by the end of the month, further tightening that already narrow majority. And a lot of those McCarthy allies who I spoke to are absolutely furious because they see this new speaker, Mike Johnson, making the same deals that Kevin McCarthy had to make that ultimately led to McCarthy's ouster.

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REP. GARRET GRAVES (R), LOUISIANA: Just within the past week, you've had people that were leaders in the charge who effectively threw him out and to say he had reneged on commitments that have come back and basically said that they'll agree to the things they were disagreeing to.

RAJU: What can you say to those people who've changed their position on the issue? How would you characterize that?

GRAVES: Well, it's just dishonest. I mean, we knew that from the beginning. We should spend more money as a result of what they've done, less conservative outcomes as a result of what they've done. And they're doing all this because they're claiming that they're conservatives.

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RAJU: And this all comes in. A lot of the Republicans are also grappling with this presidential primary. And some of them just simply see -- view this battle for second place behind Donald Trump as a tedious contest of sorts.

One of them, Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri. Hawley has not yet endorsed anybody in this race, but he watched that Republican debate that happened last week, and he called it a spectacle.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOSH HAWLEY (R), MISSOURI: (INAUDIBLE) RAJU: (INAUDIBLE)

HAWLEY: I do. Yes, I do. I think voters (INAUDIBLE). I think President Trump is -- former President Trump is going to be a nominee. But, you know, we're going to get to vote here pretty soon. I just thought that expected votes (INAUDIBLE).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[07:25:05]

RAJU: But, Amara, there are still divisions on Capitol Hill about whether those members actually want Trump as the nominee. Many of those leaders on the Senate side in particular, don't believe he is the best candidate who could bring them back into the majority. Very much concerned about that. So as this race plays out, divisions continue within the GOP.

WALKER: They sure do. Manu Raju, great to see you. Thank you very much.

And of course, Manu will have much more later this morning on Inside Politics, Sunday at 11:00 a.m.

BLACKWELL: All right, foreign leaders and nonprofits are calling the humanitarian effort in Gaza a disaster. And the White House just skipped over Congress to sell ammunition to Israel, escalating the debate over the U.S.'s funding of the war and support for Israel. That's next.

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BLACKWELL: This morning, the Israeli military announces they've hit more than 250 targets in the last 24 hours. The IDF says that it focused on what they call Hamas military communication sites and underground tunnels located in Gaza.

WALKER: Meanwhile, at a forum in Qatar earlier, the U.N. secretary general declared he will not give up on advocating for a ceasefire in Gaza, even though the U.S. has vetoed a resolution.

[07:30:08]

And the Biden administration will send 14,000 rounds of tank ammunition in an emergency sale with the price tag of over $106 million.

BLACKWELL: CNN's Ivan Watson joins us now live from Beirut to explain this emergency declaration, this emergency handover of $106 million worth of ammunition and what it means in the larger scope.

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this comes just a couple of days after a source with direct knowledge about this told CNN that the State Department had asked Congress to sell 45,000 tank shells to Israel for its Merkava tanks. And then now suddenly we hear from a source about this emergency declaration, saying that 13,000 tank shells worth $106 million are for immediate delivery to Israel.

The source saying that it is effective immediately. The items can be transferred. No further information, details or assert assurances were provided. And normally congressional committees will be afforded around 20 days to review and approve one of these things.

So, it indicates, perhaps the -- how urgent it is for Israel and its military to get munitions and then how keen the Biden administration is to deliver them. This comes right after, on Friday, the U.S. was the sole voice in the U.N. Security Council vetoing and voting down a resolution calling for a ceasefire in the fighting in Gaza. The U.S. Government coming under tremendous criticism from human rights groups and governments around the world that it is fueling the conflict rather than trying to find a way to end it.

WALKER: And Ivan, we're also learning more about some attacks coming into Israel from Southern Lebanon. What do we know?

WATSON: Right. Well, a day after Hamas carried that October 7th attack that killed more than 1,200 people in Israel and touched off this crisis in this war, there is a militant group here in Lebanon called Hezbollah, which is a sworn enemy of Israel. They have fought -- the two enemies have fought repeated conflict against each other, and it began a -- arguably somewhat low-level border conflict where, for two months now, Hezbollah has been firing rockets and mortars across the border, drones at Israel. Israel has been retaliating with artillery and with airstrikes.

And again, this has been going on for about two months. It's not at the level of the carnage that we're seeing in Gaza, but it has killed around 100 Hezbollah fighters thus far, according to this Shiite Muslim Iran-backed movement. And yesterday I attended a funeral for three of the fighters who were killed, I was told, in an Israeli airstrike. They were operating near the border.

Now, there were thousands of people at this funeral in Beirut. It was being protected by the Lebanese army, which is not participating in this conflict. The Lebanese government is very weak, and it is trying to remain neutral. Hezbollah is so powerful in this country that it creates its own foreign policy and its own security policy. And it's a problem internally. A lot of people here in Lebanon don't feel represented by this movement, but don't have the power to really do or say anything about it.

So, this was a rare opportunity to see Hezbollah fighters, who normally keep a very low profile. In the days that I've been down on the border witnessing, the border conflict, I couldn't see any Hezbollah fighters because they deliberately fight a guerrilla conflict, cat and mouse, to avoid being seen. And in my conversations with Hezbollah fighters and supporters, they said that this is their religious duty to fight against Israel, to help support Palestinians in Gaza, and at points they chanted, death to America and death to Israel. Back to you.

WALKER: All right, Ivan Watson, appreciate your reporting. Thanks. BLACKWELL: CNN Political and National Security Analyst David Sanger joins us now. David, good morning to you. The prime minister of Qatar this morning led off this forum in Doha by calling the situation in Gaza an unprecedented humanitarian disaster. He went on to say that the world actually is split between some who called for putting an end to this war and putting an end to the war machine, and some who are hesitating to even call for a ceasefire. Clearly talking about the U.S. after this veto of the resolution there in the Security Council. Two days on now, what do you see as the fallout of this veto from the U.S.?

DAVID SANGER, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I think the U.S. is going to become under increasing pressure, Victor, because, the United States was caught between two very different values it has here.

[07:35:00]

First, the Biden administration has backed Prime Minister Netanyahu's goal that Hamas must be destroyed. And obviously, if you did a ceasefire now, that was indefinite, Israel would be left with Hamas in control of a good part of the Gaza, and it would probably survive as a fighting force might even regenerate and continue to control the area. And Israel said, that's not acceptable after the October 7th, you know, horrific attacks.

On the other hand, the scale and the scope of the humanitarian disaster in Gaza can't be denied by anybody. And it's very understandable that most nations look at this and look at the bombing that's taking place and the 15,000 or more Palestinians who've already died in Gaza and some who've died and say this has got to stop. And, this is why this was a really hard vote for the Biden administration. And you wonder how much -- how many more of these they can do.

BLACKWELL: The State Department, as we mentioned, declared this emergency to expedite the sale of ammunition to Israel, about $106 million, and they did that before the conclusion of the -- or completion, I should say, of the review period for Congress to look this over. First time, it's happened under Biden. What are the implications, the potential backlash domestically, and potentially internationally of this this decision?

SANGER: Well, it's a fascinating decision. It came out, Victor, at I think 11:00 p.m. on Friday night.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

SANGER: I mean, talk about trying to release something into a -- the quietest moment. So, it's become clear to the Biden administration that that strategy that they put together of a package for Ukraine, Israel and then border money is not working. That the demands that were being made by Republicans, particularly the right wing of a party on the border, were things that President Biden was not willing to go do, or at least hasn't been so far. It's not clear this will pass at all, but if it does, the negotiations will take weeks.

And meanwhile, the Israelis are running out of ammunition. By the way, so are the Ukrainians. In the Israel case, the Secretary of State was able to invoke this emergency power. It's only $100 million of tank rounds out of aid package that the administration wants. It's more than $14 billion for Israel. You could see more of these, I imagine, if the Israelis hit a point where they say, we're simply running out of ammunition.

The concern that many have is not just Israel here, which, of course, is buying this on its own. But it's Ukraine, where the war is clearly turning, and, you know, there is at least a fairly deep and consistent support for Israel in Congress among Republicans that's obviously fractured when it comes to Ukraine.

BLACKWELL: Yes, the Ukrainian first lady saying that if this support is not passed and does not come, that the world may just -- I'm paraphrasing here, let them die. David Sanger, thank you so much for your time.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is sitting down with CNN's Jake Tapper and Dana Bash that's coming up on "State of the Union" at 9:00 a.m.

WALKER: Up next, a grim look at the unprecedented migrant surge on the U.S. southern border, with authorities warning President Biden it's too much and they need help. That's next.

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[07:43:30]

WALKER: A Texas Border Patrol chief says he is overwhelmed and frustrated with the federal government's latest decision in the ongoing migrant crisis.

BLACKWELL: Three legal points of entry are being temporary closed in Texas, Arizona and California. Meanwhile, illegal crossings are surging with thousands of people taken into custody each day. CNN's Rosa Flores talked to one patrol chief who says he needs more help.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: U.S. Border Patrol is overwhelmed, that's according to U.S. Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens who says, thousands of migrants are being apprehended every single day on the U.S. southern border. That Border Patrol facilities are between 200 and 300 percent over capacity. That capacity is about 10,000, and that Border Patrol is holding about 20,000 migrants.

CHIEF JASON OWENS, CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION: When I say we're overwhelmed, anytime we have people sitting on the ground by the hundreds under the bridges waiting for us to take them into custody, anytime we have facilities that are, you know, 100 percent over capacity, that's being overwhelmed.

FLORES: The chief also tells me that in the month of November, about 192,000 migrants were apprehended on the U.S. southern border between ports of entry. That is an increase from October when about 188,000 migrants were apprehended. Border Patrol is monitoring three hotspots, Eagle Pass, Texas, Lukeville, Arizona, and San Ysidro, California. The federal government has shut down ports of entry at these three locations. In San Ysidro, California, it's a pedestrian crossing, and that closure starts on Saturday.

[07:45:00]

Now, Owen says that port of entry employees from these locations will be redirected to process migrants, and he expressed frustration that while legal crossing and trade is interrupted, illegal crossings continue.

OWENS: It's a consequence to our border security. It's a consequence to our lawful trade and travel, and everybody's feeling it.

FLORES: I asked Owens what he needs from the White House and from Congress to do his job. He says, he needs more border patrol agents, more technology and every single tool in the toolbox to make sure that the brave men and women that keep the southern border safe can go home safely after every shift.

Rosa Flores, CNN, Laredo, Texas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: The Biden administration says, it's empowering local officials to assess asylum claims in an effort to expedite deportations.

Still ahead, stunning new numbers show that women of color are opting out in big numbers not to give birth inside hospitals, while birthing centers are emerging as a safer option.

And tonight, CNN will honor the 2023 CNN Hero of the Year. Join Anderson Cooper and Laura Coates for "CNN Heroes, An All-Star Tribute" tonight at 8:00 p.m. eastern.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:50:27]

BLACKWELL: All right. The U.S. IS facing a concerning rise in maternal mortality rates despite substantial health care spending. The inequality is more pronounced when comparing patients from different racial groups. CDC numbers show that black women are nearly three times more likely to die from pregnancy complications than white women.

WALKER: Now, more women are opting to give birth in a traditional -- opting out, I should say, to give birth in a traditional hospital setting. And instead, they're going to birthing centers. Now, birth centers are often home like facilities that offer patients longer appointments and more autonomy in their birth decisions and experiences.

CNN Senior Writer for Race and Equality, Nicquel Terry Ellis, is joining us now. I mean, we've talked about this really disturbing mortal -- mortality rate for women of color. So, tell us why that they're -- why they're choosing birth centers over hospitals.

NICQUEL TERRY ELLIS, CNN SENIOR WRITER: Women of color are looking for a more intimate and personal experience with childbirth. They want to be seen. They want to be heard. They want to have their concerns heard and not ignored by their midwife. They want that one-on-one personal relationship with the midwife. They just want to be heard and seen.

As you mentioned, black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy complications than white women. Native American women are two times more likely. It's a concern. There's also the issue of racial bias in our medical facilities. They want to overcome this. They want to be seen and heard and be in a more personal, intimate space to have their baby.

BLACKWELL: We talked yesterday on, first of all, with "KFF". They did this survey that said that people of color go in expecting to be insulted, disrespected, kind of, withdrawn from the treatment across medical services and healthcare. How do these two, hospitals and birthing centers, differ?

ELLIS: So, birth centers are, like you said, more of a home like facility. I mean, it's literally a bedroom. You're literally giving birth in a bedroom with a bed, a beautiful comforter, paintings on the wall, words of affirmation all across the wall. Lamps, you know -- tables for the baby to change them on. It's very, very unique in personal experience. They're also more open to cultural traditions. So, whether it's food or music or whatever is special to your culture, they're allowing you to do that in the birth center during childbirth.

WALKER: Are these doulas or who -- are there doctors who are in these birth centers helping the mothers give birth?

ELLIS: They're midwives.

WALKER: Oh, OK.

ELLIS: There are midwives that are there with the mother throughout the entire process. They're keeping -- they're talking to them every day. Checking in on them. It's a very personal relationship.

BLACKWELL: So, is this part of the solution to eliminating, hopefully, this disparity as it relates to complications and death?

ELLIS: So, there's no silver bullet, Victor, but I think it's a step in the right direction. It's part of the solution. It's part of the solution of what we're facing in the country against moms right now with childbirth.

WALKER: Well, you know, that relationship and the trust is so important. You know, I've done the story as well over -- components of this. And I've spoken with mothers, you know, black and brown mothers who've told me that they have gone into hospitals. They've had appointments with their OB-GYNs where they felt like their concerns were dismissed, even though at the end of the day it turned out that their concerns were valid and they had a lot of complications. So, it makes sense that they would rather turn to these birthing centers where they feel like they are valued and their concerns are being heard.

Really important story, Nicquel --

ELLIS: Yes.

WALKER: -- Terry Ellis, thank you.

BLACKWELL: Thank you.

ELLIS: Thank you.

WALKER: All right. Coming up, the storms responsible for six deaths in the south are moving east now. We're tracking where flooding and snow are expected today, that's next.

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[07:58:38]

WALKER: When someone says, frozen chickens to you, this may not be what immediately comes to mind.

BLACKWELL: I think nuggets. But a bird owner in the sunshine state of Florida says, she went into full panic mode when the live chickens that she was filming froze this day.

WALKER: Really?

BLACKWELL: Our Jeanne Moos has more on the mystery that went viral.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIANNA ANTIONETTE, CHICKEN OWNER: Chickie, Chickie.

JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): The owner of these chickens in Tampa, Florida is so new to raising them that she hasn't even given each of them names.

ANTIONETTE: Pepper, Pepper, Pepper, Pepper, and Pepper, because do you see a difference?

MOOS (voiceover): But even a rookie knows, chickens are supposed to run for food. So, Brianna Antoinette was stunned.

ANTIONETTE: Why are you not moving? Hello?

MOOS (voiceover): When all five of her chickens simultaneously froze and stayed paralyzed for over two minutes.

MOOS: What was your immediate thought when they froze?

ANTIONETTE: I thought Jesus was coming back. What you are witnessing in that video is a live panic attack. What is happening right now? Chickens.

MOOS (voiceover): The internet had theories. People asked --

ANTIONETTE: Did you try unplugging them and plugging them back in?

MOOS (voiceover): Reminded us of a black lab named Maverick who froze when he encountered five wooden black cat lawn decorations

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Maverick.