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CNN This Morning

Donald Trump With A Late-Night Court Filing; District Judge Tanya Chutkan Pausing All Procedural Deadlines In Case; IDF Expanding Operations In Gaza; President Biden On The Phone With Israel's Leader To Discuss The War; New Evacuation Orders Are Forcing Tens Of Thousands Of Gaza; Subdued Christmas Celebrations In The West Bank; Excessive Rain And Warm Temps Expected This Holiday Weekend; Interview With The Hill Congressional Reporter Mychael Schnell; Unprecedented Surge Underway At Southern Border; Shooting At A Shopping Mall In Central Florida Leaves A Man Dead And A Woman Hurt; Deadly Shooting At Florida Mall; Number Of People Volunteering This Holiday Dropping; New Report: American Charitable Giving In Decline. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired December 24, 2023 - 06:00   ET

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

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[06:00:00]

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone, and Merry Christmas Eve. Welcome to CNN THIS MORNING. I'm Amara Walker.

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Danny Freeman in for Victor Blackwell.

A lot going on this holiday weekend. Thank you so much for joining us. Here's what we're watching for you right now.

WALKER: New overnight, attorneys for Donald Trump with a late-night court filing urging a federal appeals court to throw out the federal election subversion case against him. Why they claim the former president has absolute immunity.

FREEMAN: Plus, war in the Holy Land on this Christmas Eve. The IDF expanding operations in Gaza as President Biden again gets on the phone with Israel's leader to discuss the war.

WALKER: In Central Florida, a shooting at a shopping mall leaves a man dead and a woman hurt. The latest on the victims and the gunmen police are searching for.

FREEMAN: And later, 'tis the season for spreading holiday cheer, but a new study finds the number of people sharing their time to volunteer is dropping. Well, we'll discuss why ahead on CNN THIS MORNING.

New THIS MORNING, Former President Trump's legal team just made a major legal move. In a late-night filing, the president urged a federal appeals court to throw out the federal election subversion criminal case in Washington, D.C.

WALKER: His attorneys reiterated that Trump was working in his official capacity as president to "ensure election integrity" when he was accused of undermining election results. So, he has immunity. The appeals court is speeding up the process and is set to hear arguments on January 9th.

In the meantime, District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who's overseeing the criminal case in question, has paused all procedural deadlines in the case. It could impact the 2024 calendar after the Supreme Court rejected Jack Smith's request for the justices to quickly hear the dispute. More on the possible political consequences ahead this hour.

But for now, let's turn to the war in Gaza, and the Israel Defense Forces announced they have expanded ground operations against Hamas.

FREEMAN: IDF officials say they are engaging in intense battles in Northern and Southern Gaza, along the way destroying and capturing underground infrastructure and weapons.

WALKER: President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday. The two leaders discussed objectives and phasing of the war, but notably the White House says Biden did not press for a ceasefire.

FREEMAN: Meanwhile, new evacuation orders are forcing tens of thousands of Gaza civilians to seek shelter elsewhere in the enclave, while U.N. officials say no place is safe for the displaced.

WALKER: The war is leading to subdued Christmas celebrations in the West Bank. Local leaders are scaling back festivities in Bethlehem in solidarity with the Palestinian population there. CNN's Nada Bashir is monitoring developments from London.

Good morning to you, Nada. What more is the IDF saying about its expanded operations in Gaza?

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Well, look, we know, Amara, that the focus for the Israeli military has long been said to be targeting Hamas positions. They have once again reiterated that, saying that this expanded operation will focus on underground infrastructure belonging to Hamas, to weapons, stores, as well as, of course, crucially trying to bring back all the hostages held inside the Gaza Strip.

But it is important to underscore here that while we are talking about an expanded ground operation and aerial operation focusing, according to IDF spokespeople on the southern part of the Gaza Strip, we have seen continued bombardment, aerial bombardment of the Gaza Strip in its entirety, including areas in the south where civilians were told to evacuate to.

And that is really what has raised alarm bells here now that we are looking at the potential of an expanded doubling down of that ground offensive and aerial bombardment, considering the fact that, as you quite rightly mentioned, the U.N. and other aid agencies have repeatedly warned that there is simply nowhere safe to go.

Now, we did hear yesterday from a senior advisor to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mark Regev, speaking to CNN, saying that the Israeli military is telling civilians to move to known safe areas where they do not intend to see intense fighting. But that has been, according to aid agencies, including the United Nations' own agencies, deemed as simply impossible for many civilians who are being told to evacuate.

We saw earlier in the week further evacuation orders for civilians in parts of Central Gaza. We have seen intensification of both on the ground clashes and also, of course, aerial bombardment. Again, there are many civilians who simply are not able to evacuate.

[06:05:00]

And of course, there is deepening concern for the humanitarian situation in Southern Gaza. Some 1.9 Palestinians are currently displaced.

WALKER: All right. Nada Bashir, thank you so much. I appreciate that.

For more on all of this, let's turn now to CNN Political and National Security Analyst David Sanger. He's also a White House and National Security Correspondent for "The New York Times." Good morning to you, David. Thanks so much for joining us this morning.

DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST AND WHITE HOUSE AND NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT, THE NEW YORK TIMES: Good morning.

WALKER: As you heard, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu denied a claim that the U.S. -- actually, I don't -- I'll ask you that in just a second, but I just want to ask you about this phone call between Biden and Netanyahu. This was the 17th conversation the two have had since the war began. Where do things stand between the two? As you heard Biden say, he did not press for a ceasefire, but he said it was a long talk that they had.

SANGER: He did, Amara. And you know, I think when the history of this era is written and when the documents are declassified and maybe decades from now, these 17 phone calls, and I assume that there will be many more, will be the most fascinating reading, because these are two people, two leaders who do not like each other very much, who do not trust each other at all.

But President Biden has decided early on, right after the October 7th terror attack that he needed a full embrace of Israel. And in the three -- nearly three months since, what's been happening is he's been trying and trying and trying again to modify their retaliation, to try to make sure that as American weapons are used, they're not used indiscriminately.

And so far, by and large, it seems to have fallen on deaf ears. There have been some modifications by the Israelis, but --

WALKER: OK. It looks like our picture with David Sanger has frozen, unfortunately. But as you heard there, he has -- was talking about how the U.S. and U.S. officials have sharpened their tone over the past few weeks, pushing Israel to modify the retaliation and be more precise in its targeting of Hamas leadership in Gaza.

We're going to have to leave it there with David Sanger, unfortunately. Thanks so much.

FREEMAN: All right. We'll change gears now, though. Only a few states are expected to see a white Christmas tomorrow, as many will feel much warmer temperatures than what they're used to this time of year.

WALKER: Yes. Lots of rain is also expected to hit much of the Midwest and parts of the south today. Those traveling this holiday should be careful because of an increase in risk from excessive rainfall. I'm flying today out of Atlanta. You're flying out of Atlanta today.

FREEMAN: That's right.

WALKER: And we're just going to have to keep our fingers crossed that there are no delays, and God forbid, any cancellations.

FREEMAN: No. Yes, that's what we're praying for.

WALKER: Yes. We'll just -- things have been smooth. Things have been smooth.

FREEMAN: I know. And it's been smooth surprisingly.

WALKER: Yes.

FREEMAN: I feel like, especially considering what happened last year.

WALKER: You just jinxed it. Thanks.

FREEMAN: Sorry. Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to.

WALKER: But we'll be talking to Mary Schiavo about that later in the hour. And guess who else is here? Chad Myers. Hello. So, rain in the forecast.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hello. Yes.

WALKER: I thought you told the weather gods not to bring that kind of weather for the holidays.

MYERS: You know, there is no such song as I'm dreaming of a wet Christmas.

WALKER: No.

MYERS: It just doesn't rhyme. No, it doesn't go well at all. It's a windy Christmas across parts of the Great Plains. And yes, all the way down here from really Houston all the way up even into Kansas. It will be a very, very wet day today.

And I'm afraid even for tomorrow, east of there, if you're getting a new bike for Christman, at least hoping for one, you may have to wait until Tuesday to get out there and ride it. Yes, there will be some snow, but really, this is not a white Christmas anywhere across the U.S. Other than Kansas Oklahoma. I won't say Nebraska for you today, Amara. This is going to be a pretty decent day here as we work our way into Tuesday and Wednesday for flying back home.

Now, for right now, there are some airport delays possible as we are going to be working our way into the New England because of the cloud cover and really more of the fog that's around here, even for places like Chicago, we'll see some fog as well.

Santa Tracker is up and running. If you want to go to, what is it, norad.org, he's up there flying just to the left of the North Pole, on his way probably to Fiji, and then maybe New Zealand, but a long way from other places in the Eastern Time Zone for sure.

WALKER: The weather never delays Santa though.

MYERS: No.

WALKER: He will always make it to the homes, right?

MYERS: He has a raincoat. He's good.

WALKER: That's all he needs.

FREEMAN: Exactly. I'm watching this feed. I mean, you got on the screen. It is so cool watching them, you know, just truck along.

MYERS: Just flying along.

WALKER: Yes. Chad Myers, good to see you. Thanks so much.

MYERS: See you soon.

FREEMAN: All right. Still to come. The U.S. Mexico border is at a breaking point because of an unprecedented surge of migrants. We'll check in at the border where thousands have crossed into the country in recent days.

[06:10:00]

Plus, it's the time of year for giving. But a new report says American's generosity is actually down. A look at what's driving that trend all coming up.

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WALKER: All right. Guess what? We've got David Sanger, CNN Political and National Security Analyst back. He has been unfrozen thanks to fighting off those tech gremlins. Great job, David.

All right. So, you're talking about, you know, the U.S. having -- you know, pushing Israel to modify its military strategy and decreasing the civilian casualties. We heard from the head of UNRWA, reminding the world that the people in Gaza are people. They're not pieces on a checkerboard.

[06:15:00]

Will we see, at some point, a new phase of the war in terms of a more precise effort by the IDF?

SANGER: Well, we've been waiting for several weeks to see that. And I think the Israelis probably recognize from everything they've said to us, both publicly and privately, that they probably only got a few weeks left in which they can get this done, and they may run out of targets for their larger weapons.

The problem they're going to face then is it's going to look more like a counterterrorism war, right? It's going to be using special forces and technology to go after individual ISIS leaders or groups of them -- I'm sorry, individual Hamas leaders or groups of them, much as we did with ISIS. But the ISIS process took three or four years for the United States. And don't think there's any reason to think this would be any faster.

WALKER: I also want to get your assessment on, you know, what we've learned overnight from the Pentagon that there was an Iranian drone that attacked a chemical tanker in the Indian Ocean. There have been no casualties reported. But of course, this comes as we've been seeing dozens of attacks by the Iranian-backed Houthis attacking commercial and merchant ships in the Red Sea.

We also learned on Friday from newly declassified intelligence that suggests Iran has been deeply involved in planning these attacks against the vessels in the Red Sea. How concerned should we be about what seems to be an escalation and deeper involvement by Iran?

SANGER: This is the most concerning part. And this attack overnight, at least if you believe the Pentagon's description of it, is quite different from what we've seen in the Red Sea.

First of all, it's in a very different place. It's no place close to the Red Sea. This was a chemical tanker that was a couple hundred miles off the coast of India. And it looks like, from the Pentagon's account, that it was struck by a drone that they said was launched from Iranian territory. We have not seen that before as well.

And I think that's the biggest part of the concern here because there is, you know, growing pressure now on the Biden administration to go figure out what they're going to do with Iran, considering that it's Iran that appears to be coordinating a good number of the attacks in the Red Sea, and if this account is true, did this one directly.

WALKER: David Singer, lovely to have you twice this morning. Thanks so much.

SANGER: Thank you.

FREEMAN: It's been a whirlwind 48 hours for Former President Trump. Not only did the Supreme Court reject the special counsel's request to fast track his immunity dispute, well, hours later, his legal team urged the court to throw out his federal election subversion criminal case in Washington, D.C.

Meanwhile, 2024 in general is just set to be a busy year, and not just because of the presidential election, the Supreme Court is set to decide cases that could influence that election. Plus, Congress comes back from the holiday to a whole mess of funding and border battles.

From all this, let's bring in Mychael Schnell, congressional reporter for the Hill. Good morning, Michael. Merry Christmas Eve.

MYCHAEL SCHNELL, CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER, THE HILL: Hey, Merry Christmas Eve, guys. Good morning.

FREEMAN: All right. Mychael. I'm going to start with the political question about the legal stories. From your perspective, do these continuing legal cases help Trump in 2024 or hurt him?

SCHNELL: I mean, the fact of the matter is they jive with his legal strategy, right? Former President Trump, throughout these legal battles, have tried to extend and delay the trial start dates to try to push it as close to the election as possible and potentially pass the election.

So, by the Supreme Court saying that they're not going to step in right now to decide this presidential immunity claim, that essentially says that they're not going to fast track this process.

Remember, Special Counsel Jack Smith had asked the Supreme Court to step in immediately to try to fast track this process, to get this legal dispute figured out as quickly as possible so the trial date can continue, but by the Supreme Court not stepping in immediately, that deals a win to Former President Trump, meaning, that this is going to have to go through the appeals court. It could potentially eventually make its way to the Supreme Court. Essentially, that all means it's eating up time.

So. at the end of the day, this was a win for Trump strictly -- you know, largely because it jives with that legal strategy of trying to delay the trial start date.

FREEMAN: It's just amazing. You know, we're in election year and so many eyes are on the Supreme Court for so many different reasons. And that's including some of the cases they could actually decide. They got Second Amendment cases, the fate of a common abortion drug. What's your perspective on how the Supreme Court and these cases could impact the presidential election?

SCHNELL: I mean, extremely significant. Specifically, if we zero into that pill case, dealing with the abortion pill, Mifepristone.

[06:20:00]

I mean, if we remember back to the 2022 midterm elections, which took place shortly after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, that ended up being a really important determining factor in the 2022 elections. Democrats had better than expected results in those elections. We remember that there were all these predictions of a Republican way, a red way, particularly in the House, that did not happen with house Republicans winning the majority, but by a single digit numbers.

So, the expectation is, is that with abortion likely to be in the headlines with the Supreme Court case, dealing with Mifepristone in the months and weeks before the 2024 presidential election, it's very likely going to galvanize voters, Democratic voters, particularly just as it did in 2024.

And if you think about the impact it had in a midterm race, a 2024 -- a 2022 election, just think about how much more that could increase when you have presidential candidates on the ballot.

FREEMAN: Mychael, the last thing I want to ask you is just about Congress. Obviously, they have left a tremendous amount on the table heading into the new year. That includes avoiding shutdowns, funding for two wars and figuring out what to do with the Southern border.

From your perspective, is this next Congress going to be up to the task?

SCHNELL: Yes, Danny, look, Congress may be on recess right now celebrating the holiday, but it's going to be a rude awakening when they return in January.

As you mentioned, that laundry list of a to-do list, government funding, there's a deadline in January and in February. Aid for Ukraine and these ongoing negotiations over border security, which have been happening for weeks and have not yet bore any fruit.

Look, the question of whether or not they'll be able to do it, Congress is going to be working really hard towards achieving all these deadlines, particularly those continuous border negotiations, which lawmakers had really pushed to get some sort of consensus before the Christmas break. That obviously did not happen.

So, the pressure is now on to get consensus as soon as possible, especially as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the Biden administration are really sounding the alarm about the need for increased U.S. aid for Ukraine.

And then, when you talk about government funding, that first deadline is January 19th. That is less than a month away. Lawmakers in both parties and both chambers are ways away from consensus on these appropriations bills.

I figure Mike Johnson has said that he is done with short-term spending bills, which means we could be on the brink of a partial shutdown. Congress is going to have to work hard when they return to session in the beginning of January because, as you mentioned, they have a lot to do.

FREEMAN: And so. a New Year's resolution for Congress of avoiding a shutdown, we're going to hope they're making it this coming week. Mychael Schnell, thank you so much for your time, really appreciate it. And don't forget, with just 10 days before voters head to the polls in Iowa, CNN will host back-to-back GOP presidential town halls with two Republican candidates. Tune in to see Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley take questions on January 4th. That's going to be live at 9:00 p.m. and then 10:00 p.m. Eastern, only on CNN.

And American officials are seeing an unprecedented surge of migrants at the southern border, among the highest numbers ever.

WALKER: Yes. Authorities say they are overwhelmed and anticipating even more on Christmas Day and New Year's and they are demanding lawmakers take action. Here's CNN's Raphael Romo from Eagle Pass, Texas.

RAPHAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Danny and Amara. As soon as the immigrants surrender themselves to authorities at the border or a port of entry, border patrol agents bring them here.

This is a holding area where they have to wait to be processed. As you can see behind me, they are giving Mylar blankets, food and water. They also have access to porta-potties.

We are talking about an average daily number of arrivals approaching 10,000. at the U.S. Border with Mexico as a whole here into the real (ph) sector where we are, which includes cities like El Paso and Eagle Pass. The number is about 4,000. On Friday, Customs and Border Protection released the total number of what they call encounters of immigrants with Border Patrol agents.

The total number for the month of November was more than 242,000. As high as those numbers may seem, officials say they're lower as compared to the same period last year. Congressman Tony Gonzalez, a Republican who represents two thirds of the Texas border with Mexico, says help from the federal government here at the border is desperately needed, especially considering that those in charge of protecting the border are stretched very, very thin.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. TONY GONZALAZ (R-TX): They're exhausted. We're all exhausted. This crisis is spiraled way out of control, and we are at the point of no return. That is where we're at. The point of no return. So, while -- the time to act is now. More people are still coming. And there's more people in the pipeline. And I suspect Christmas will be worse than today. And New Year's will be worse than today. We're going the absolute wrong direction.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: And while Gonzalez is asking for swift deportations and more resources to protect the border, an immigration activist here in Eagle Pass says people arriving here should be treated humanely.

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[06:25:00]

JESSIE F. FUENTES, IMMIGRATION ACTIVIST: It needs dire attention. And I would say that what we're doing -- or what we have been doing over the last two and a half years is just damaging an incredible ecosystem along with committing cruelty against humanity, or the way we're treating human beings.

So, there's multiple angles that you can look at what's going on here in Eagle Pass, Texas and say, how could this be happening in America?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: This surge of immigrants forced authorities here at the border to suspend railroad crossings here in Eagle Pass and also in El Paso because they had to reassign personnel to deal with the large numbers of immigrants crossing the border in this area.

The decision meant losses of 200 million per day, according to figures from the Union Pacific Railway and American Agricultural Groups, complaining about backups on the rail system as far north as the Canada border.

The good news is that railroad crossings have resumed both here in Eagle Pass and also in El Paso. Amara, Danny back to you.

WALKER: All right. Raphael Romo, thank you for your reporting.

Still to come, terror for people just trying to get their last-minute shopping done. A gunman opens fire inside a Florida mall. We'll have the latest on the investigation next.

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[06:30:38]

WALKER: One person is dead and one injured after a shooting at a mall in Ocala, Florida Saturday. Police have identified the victim as 40- year-old David Nathaniel Barron. And the shooting happened during one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

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MIKE BALKEN, CHIEF, OCALA POLICE DEPARTMENT: We responded to that call that came in as an active shooter. We responded with a heavy police presence. Officers immediately made entry into the mall, ultimately discovered that this was not what we would consider an active shooter. There was a shooting that took place inside the mall that we believe was possibly a targeted act of violence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And police found the victim in a common area of the mall along with a woman who was shot in the leg. She was taken to a nearby hospital and is expected to recover. Meanwhile, the mall it was packed with holiday shoppers and it was quickly evacuated after the shooting. Police are still searching for the suspect.

And newly released video from law enforcement officials shows police were aware of growing concerns over the mental state of the man who was accused of killing 18 people in Lewiston, Maine back in October.

WALKER: Yes, the video was taken weeks before the shootings occurred and it shows law enforcement was aware of shooter Robert Card's mental issues and showed their concerns about his access to firearms. CNN's Polo Sandoval has the story.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Amara and Danny, authorities in Sagadahoc County, Maine had released this dash cam video to CNN. It is very hard to see anything on the video but in it you can clearly hear a phone conversation that takes place between a local sheriff's deputy and Army Reserve Captain Jeremy Reamer.

As you recall, it was before that deadly shooting in October that the family of suspect Robert Card actually reached out to authorities saying that his mental health had a decline -- had declined and that he still had access to firearms. It was a short time after that that his reserve unit also reached out to authorities requesting this welfare check. And that's what this video from September actually captures.

The deputy was following up on those concerns. After that deputy was not able to make contact with Card, that's when he is able to get on the phone with Captain Reamer who explains what he believes was going to be done with any kind of weapons that Card had access to. \

Here's how that conversation played out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEREMY REAMER, CAPTAIN, ARMY RESERVE: In terms of all the weapons, this is kind of how it went down as far as I know. There was no real court order to take his weapons or anything like that. So, what was required was when he went to the institution over there, they -- part of the thing is, which I wasn't even a part of, to mind you like, they didn't keep me in the loop on any of this because of HIPAA. But the family was supposed to take care of all the weapons and move it.

Obviously, I lived in New Hampshire so I was unable to obviously verify any of it. So, as far as I know his weapons -- I was told his weapons had been moved out into a family member's place. Whether he has access to those at the family member's, I don't know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: I listened to the rest of that call, and in it, Captain Reamer tells the sheriff's deputy "I don't think this is going to get any better." Of course, it was just weeks later that Card would go on that shooting rampage killing 18 people and injuring 13 others. CNN has reached out to not only Captain Reamer but also family members of Card. Back to you.

FREEMAN: Polo Sandoval, thank you very much. All right, still to come, the race to replace George Santos on Capitol Hill is heating up. We're going to hear from two candidates on the ballot with a special election less than two months away. Stay with us.

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[06:38:53]

FREEMAN: The race to replace ex-Congressmen George Santos in New York's third Congressional district is heating up as we get closer to the February 13th election date.

WALKER: CNN's Miguel Marquez introduces us to the candidates try to win the position that Santos was expelled from after a damning ethics committee report and a host of federal charges.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): It's on, the race to replace expelled congressman George Santos.

The Democrat --

TOM SUOZZI (D-NY), CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: My name is Tom Suozzi and I'm running for the United States Congress.

MARQUEZ (voiceover): The contenders handpicked by both state parties.

MAZI MELESA PILIP (R-NY), CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: Thank you. God bless you.

MARQUEZ (voiceover): The Republican Mazi Melesa Pilip, mother of seven, the oldest 16, the youngest two. Ethiopian-born and Orthodox Jew who served in the Israel Defense Forces. Immigrated to America, has successfully run for local office twice, now facing maybe the biggest challenge of her life.

MARQUEZ: Are you ready for this?

PILIP: Absolutely, yes. And I know the people of the third Congressional district will be with me because you want the new voice, fresh face, people -- the person who cares about them.

[06:40:04]

CROWD: Mazi! Mazi!

MARQUEZ (voiceover): Mazi Pilip, the campaign emphasizing her first name. Largely unknown to voters in the third Congressional district. She's running against a Democrat who has worked in Long Island politics for decades and represented the third district as a congressman for three terms. He left to run for governor. He is well- known to voters here.

SUOZZI: I know people and people know me. And that's why I'm getting a very, very enthusiastic reception from people because they trust me and they want me to work for them. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Will you resign.

GEORGE SANTOS, FORMER CONGRESSMAN: I have no comment.

MARQUEZ (voiceover): George Santos, tossed out of Congress for ethics violations and after his serial lying became a national joke.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, I'm no longer Congressmen Santos. I'm just regular old professor, major, general, reverend, astronaut Santos, protector of the realm, princes of Genovia.

MARQUEZ (voiceover): The race to replace him now considered a test case for where the country might go in November.

LARRY LEVY, EXECUTIVE DEAN, NATIONAL CENTER FOR SUBURBAN STUDIES, HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY: What works in the former George Santos district will work in a lot of the competitive suburban districts that are going to determine which party controls Congress.

MARQUEZ: And maybe takes the White House as well.

LEVY: Oh, absolutely.

MARQUEZ (voiceover): New York's third district outside of New York City, Santos won it by about eight points in 2022. The district boundaries had changed during that 2022 election. Biden would have won the same shape district based on 2020 numbers also by about eight points.

LEVY: This is a fair fight. It's a Democratic-leaning district but Republicans have done well the last few election cycles.

MARQUEZ (voiceover): Mazi Pilip who happens to be a registered Democrat but has run and won as a Republican sees her registration as an asset.

PILIP: People are going to vote for me because of who I am, OK. Yes, when I came to this country, I registered as a Democrat. I was Democrat. But this party, with the lefty progressive agenda left me.

MARQUEZ (voiceover): As Pilip sharpens her message.

SUOZZI: Who are you going to vote for?

MARQUEZ (voiceover): Her opponent drawing on years of public service has hit the ground running.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you feel like saying hi, you know where to find him.

MARQUEZ (voiceover): T.V. ads already reintroducing him to voters. Some Democrats here can't wait for election day.

MARQUEZ: How motivated are you two to vote?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh I am. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, I will be there. 7:00 in the morning if

that's when the polls open.

MARQUEZ: So, you're motivated.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, highly motivated.

MARQUEZ (voiceover): But for independents like Noah D'Alesio who voted for Tom Suozzi in the past, he may not know Mazi Pilip's name but --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I read the background of the other candidate, obviously, I can't even remember her name, but it was pretty persuasive. And it's something I think we need more of in America.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARQUEZ (on camera): So, this race, it is expected to be mammoth attracting tens of millions of dollars in spending and it is a sprint. We're just a little over seven weeks away from the February 13th election day. Early voting starts February 3rd. It's going to be a wild ride. Back to you.

WALKER: It sure is. Miguel Marquez, thank you. Still ahead, tis a season of giving, but sadly non-profits are having a difficult time finding volunteers. We'll take a look at the research to better understand generosity and why it's limited right now.

Also coming up later this morning on a special "STATE OF THE UNION," a look back at climate change this year and see what to expect in the years ahead. Former Vice President Al Gore and billionaire investor Ray Dalio join Jake Tapper with how we can all make a difference. "STATE OF THE UNION: A CLIMATE WARNING" airs at 9:00 a.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:48:03]

WALKER: Welcome back, everyone. We are getting new video out of the Vatican on this Christmas Eve morning after Pope Francis led The Angelus prayer from St. Peter Square.

FREEMAN: Named from the Latin word for angel, The Angelus is a special prayer that Catholics recite three times a day. The Pope leads the prayer each Sunday at midday and shares a brief reflection on the gospel often commenting on issues of international concern.

WALKER: Well, the holiday season is also a time of giving, right? But new research suggests that fewer Americans are lending a hand. And with fewer volunteers, the strain on non-profit organizations can be staggering.

Joining me now to talk about this is Nathan Dietz. He's the research director with the University of Maryland's Do Good Institute. Love the name of it. Nathan, good morning to you. Happy Christmas Eve. So, you co-wrote this study last month to better understand generosity. When we talk about what you found, tell us why organizations are struggling to find volunteers right now.

NATHAN DIETZ, RESEARCH DIRECTOR, DO GOOD INSTITUTE: Well, thank you Amara. I think what we found is an extension of what we have been -- what we have realized through previous research that we put out. There has been a steady decline in the number of people who volunteer or the volunteer rate I should say since about the early to mid-2010s.

And what we're seeing now during the pandemic is, you know, just a bigger version of that trend. But it's really a problem we've been tracking for a while. The declines in volunteer rates used to be fairly small. During the pandemic they were a lot bigger and so I think the problem is intensified.

WALKER: So, why is that? I mean, is it a recruitment issue? Does it have to do the pandemic that exacerbated, people leaving and then not coming back?

DIETZ: It's -- I think the pandemic probably had the biggest effect just because it was so disruptive to people's lives in just about every way. You know people gave up their volunteering because they had to give up anything that involved in-person activities. And when the restrictions on activity -- those activities were lifted, then a lot of people didn't come back.

I say a lot of people, you know, I think many organizations lost 10 to 15 percent of their volunteers. Probably some lost a lot more. But that is enough to make a difference in terms of what organizations can do in terms of delivering services to people in the community.

[06:50:23]

WALKER: And tell us about these services that are being provided and how these organizations are coping in the meantime if they're having, you know, a shortage of volunteers. I mean, that means the people who need help may not be getting it when they need it, right?

DIETZ: In some cases, yes. But the thing about the nonprofit sector is that the organizations are really resilient. I've -- you know, the stories that we've heard when people -- when nonprofit leaders are talking about the struggles that they're having recruiting volunteers, retaining volunteers in some cases, they say well it just made it a lot harder for us to do our work.

And if this trend continues, if things don't improve, then we might have to seriously consider cutting down service deliveries. But you know, for the moment, I think many nonprofits especially during the holidays are just doing their best to try to -- try to meet the demand for their services that they've always had.

WALKER: You know, when you're trying to you know bring back these volunteers, it's important to talk about why people take the initiative to volunteer, right? And I'm always amazed, you know, when I go to food banks and animal shelters, it seems that the volunteers are just -- you know, they have so much more passion in them than, you know, say just a regular paying job, right?

So, tell us more behind, you know, people wanting to volunteer. What motivates people to do so?

DIETZ: Well, I think a lot of -- first of all, I think most people feel strongly about the need to help other people at least from time to time. I mean, there are some super dedicated volunteers who spend a lot of time doing that type of work but just about everybody feels -- the feels the need to do that from time to time.

The thing about the motivations to volunteer though is that I think a lot of people feel funny about doing volunteer work that they feel -- that they feel really good about it. You know, they feel almost guilty in a sense that they're deriving so many benefits for themselves from helping other people. And I think that's, you know, one thing nonprofits can do is just get people to realize, hey, it's not a -- that's not a bad thing whatsoever. You're able to help other people but you're helping yourself as much as anybody when you volunteer. And it's not just the opportunity to feel good about what you're doing, you're actually as you get older, especially, the more time you spend volunteering and doing this type of work, the better the effects on your own physical, mental, and emotional health.

WALKER: Absolutely, yes.

DIETZ: So, those are -- yes.

WALKER: Yes, there are health benefits for sure. I mean if you have the elderly or older people who get to be out the community and you know even just getting a smile from people every day, I'm sure there's an emotional and physical benefit to all that.

Nathan Dietz, great to have you. Merry Christmas Eve. Thank you so much.

DIETZ: Thank you very much, Amara, and Merry Christmas.

FREEMAN: Still to come, all these teams want for Christmas is a trip to the post-season. So, who rose to the occasion on a special Saturday of football. We'll run through all the action. And of course, we are keeping a close eye on the Santa's Christmas adventure to deliver presents around the world. Right now, you can see on your screen Santa's tracker has him above, you guessed it, Christchurch, New Zealand. We think there are 300 million gifts already delivered. Don't worry --

WALKER: He's fast.

FREEMAN: I will check in with him throughout the morning. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:57:46]

WALKER: The Bills rallied to beat the Chargers in the final seconds keeping their late season winning streak alive.

FREEMAN: Carolyn Manno joins us from New York. Carolyn, all right, it's crunch time in the NFL. The bills do look like they flipped the switch, right?

CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I know you guys have been tracking Santa. The NFL should start tracking the Bills, all the other teams in the league, because their season was all but over when December started after back-to-back wins, a couple of Super Bowl contenders. And the Chiefs, and Cowboys, Buffalo is rolling right now and making matters even worse for the rest of the league.

Their star quarterback Josh Allen also looks like he's starting to rediscover his MVP form just in time for the playoffs. Allen had three total touchdowns against LA, two on the ground. And this 57-yard pass to Gabe Davis for the score in the second quarter, you can see in his eyes he's ready to go. Then, down by one with five minutes to play, Allen marching the Bills 64 yards down the field setting up the game- winning field goal with just under 30 seconds left as Buffalo goes cross-country on a short week.

And on Christmas weekend no less, holding off a short-handed Chargers team 24 to 22. And with that in mind, Coach Sean McDermott thrilled with the win.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEAN MCDERMOTT, HEAD COACH, BUFFALO BILLS: It wasn't pretty. We know that. But guts, hard work, team, teamwork, love, man, just for one another, player for one another, that's what was on the line. You guys did it, man. You showed up you showed out. Great job, man.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MANNO: Meantime, the Steelers starting third-string quarterback Mason Rudolph against the Bengals here in early two years to the day since his last game match. And on their second offensive play of the game, Rudolph hitting George Pickens taking at the distance, 86 yards for the touchdown. Pittsburgh counting all over their division rival winning by 23, taking Cincinnati's place in the standings for one of those three AFC wildcard spots.

Hockey history in Nashville, the Dallas Stars becoming the first NHL team to come from behind win and regulation by scoring two goals in the final 15 seconds of a game. Craig Smith tying it up for Dallas at 2-2. And then 11 seconds later, after that, just four left on the clock, it'd be Jani Hakanpaa beating Nashville goalie Scott Wedgewood, stunning the Predators here and the home crowd. Just incredible.

Funded this morning, the Detroit Pistons have matched the mark for futility in the NBA. Detroit dropping their 26th straight game Saturday night falling to the Nets by 11 in Brooklyn. So, this ties the 2010 Cavaliers and the 2013 76ers for the longest losing streak over the course of a single season.

The worst stretch ever also belongs to the Sixers. they lost 28 straight spinning two seasons back in 2014 and 2015. They could hit 29 with a loss of the Rockets on New Year's day, but you guys, I feel like the Grinch right now handing out coal to the Detroit Pistons. Hopefully, they can get off the snide and get a win here soon. But it's been pretty bleak.

WALKER: Hey, you don't look like the Grinch. That's all that matters. Carolyn, thank you. Good to see you. The next hour of CNN THIS MORNING starts right now.