- [announcer] do you have an invention idea but don't know what to do next? call invent help today. they can help you get started with your idea. call now 800-710-0020. the travel nightmare that began before christmas is still not over. pamela brown here in for anderson tonight, and when we left you last night, southwest airlines ceo is apologizing to all the passengers stranded by all the flights the company canceled due to the weather and it's just a meltdown. well 24 hours later, there are about another 200 2500 reasons to apologize, as it about 2500 more cancellations today and nearly as many tomorrow. and it's gone to the point that southwest has been busing some people from airports, as far away as new york's laguardia

and denver to houston. details now from cnn's gabe cohen. >> tens of thousands of travelers still weathering southwest meltdown without a clear and insight. >> i am hungry, i am exhausted, i just want to go home. >> the airline canceling more than 2500 flights on wednesday, 62% of its schedule, according to flight aware, with a similar wave of cancellations already shaping up for thursday. >> this has been a complete nightmare. i trusted south west with my worldly belongings in the copy from point a to point b, and i just feel like i was robbed at this point. >> ashley says she is stranded in baltimore with no luggage. his flight home to texas canceled christmas morning. she says she was hoping to get back to spend time at her dying grandmother side. >> i could not make it, and now she passed away as of yesterday. i will never get that time back to at least hold her hand or spend that time with her. she spent her last few days just waiting on me. >> southwest says this chaos began with winter weather, but the airlines indicated system

struggled to track their planes and crews and connect them, resulting in this near weeks worth of canceled flights and missing luggage, as they repositioned those crews. >> we reached a decision point to significantly reduce our flying to catch up. >> and the airline's own employees want answers. >> it has been absolutely horrific. the most despicable working conditions that you can imagine. >> this is going to continue until there is a sweeping change to the way southwest operates. >> transportation secretary pete buttigieg vowing to hold the airline accountable, especially after staffing issues caused problems last summer. >> they provided commitments in writing, including southwest, that they would go above the previous level of what you would do to take care of customers, things like covering the cost, if you get stuck and need a hotel or meal, in addition to rebooking. >> still, thousands of passengers are stranded and struggling. >> i hate southwest, i hate them. >> but amid the chaos, we've seen remarkable gestures. i'm

72-year-old pam shelby on tuesday, stranded and sleeping at baltimore's airport for days. >> i am scared, i am not going to get out of here, and i am by myself. >> a good samaritan saw her story on tv and bought her a ticket home to alabama on another airline, leaving wednesday night. >> i just want to go take a shower and sleep and get this out of my mind. >> that person who bought the ticket, what did that mean to you? >> she was a godsend. she was my angel. >> an angel indeed, let's hope that could spread and gets reimbursed by southwest. skip cohen joins us now at baltimore airport. gape, what is the projection for when things will get better? >> pam, that is what everyone is wondering. no official update today from southwest airlines on that but we can tell you that an official with their pilots union is telling cnn that they expect a mostly full schedule for southwest by friday, and in a statement, the

chicago department of aviation says based on their conversations with southwest officials, they're expecting the airline to be close to 100% by the weekend, so relieved may be coming, but bear in mind that flightaware is still showing 23 andra southwest cancellations for tomorrow. we are still talking to so many passengers who are looking for their lost luggage or in many cases still stranded, trying to figure out how to get home. pam? >> yeah, still a mess, gabe cohen, thank you so much. as terrible as it is, it's like a laser the only part of the winter weather story, it would be a blessing. sadly, is not. upwards of 62 storm related fatalities nationwide, at least 37 now in the buffalo area, where the fear is that it will continue to climb, as emergency crews make their way through neighborhoods that are just not becoming accessible. cnn's miguel marquez is there. >> buffalo digging out.

>> officials here responding to criticism that they should have done more. >> that five mile per hour wind gusts but they are straight with less than a quarter mile visibility. this was an extreme blizzard, a category five blizzard. this woman's mother that in the storm on christmas eve. the buffalo native who has been through many snowstorms here that this one was the same. >> you are waiting for her to come home. i knew something was wrong right away though. >> a simple decision on any other day, life-threatening in this storm. >> my kids, they lost their grandmother, and that was her most important role in her life was being a good grandmother, and now they just have memories. >> in erie county alone, at least 37 killed in extreme weather in an area accustomed to major snowstorms. for every person who died, dozens of

stories of those who stepped up and saved friends, neighbors, even strangers. >> this is something i will always do, i'll have everybody. there are people they're dying. there are people freezing to death in their car. >> craig was open for business when the extreme condition started up. >> if you need shelter, come to 707 for more, you'll get warm, heat and electricity. >> he ended up posting up to 40 people from today's at his cmc cuts barbershop. >> we got to come together, and a lot of times, people are selfish, so at that moment, i was just thinking about coolly none of all this stuff. i was just thinking about keeping people warm. it was that simple. >> then there was chokio all true who heard a man she didn't know screaming for help. >> this man had big ice balls on his hands, and when he brought him to his house. >> joe white who is developmentally disable, lost

and white out conditions. a jury did not know him, but she saved him. >> we've got to get some help, he has gangrene on his hands. he is going to lose his fingers. >> a driving ban rains in effect for buffalo, as the city recovers from a storm that will be one for the record books. the airport is now reopened as buffalo comes to grips with a brutal year. >> the tragic story and loss of individuals in our community, and it is heartbreaking. it is a gut punch. 2022 has been a horrible year for a community in so many different ways. i can't wait till 2022 starts. >> miguel marquez joins us now, so on that mount, we go, have officials in buffalo started to analyze what they can learn from the storm and improve on for the next time? >> they certainly have, and this is going to be such a broad discussion on how to can improve next time. the beginning is the storm itself, those arctic conditions and

that lake effect snow to get here, combined with the wind, creating oil conditions where people could not see literally a few feet in front of them. they have to get better at reinforcing the fact that this is going to be a different storm than others and then silver level, everywhere from buffalo city to other parts, they're trying to figure out how to remove snow better, what machines that can get through to remove snow better and with a city like this gets locked down, people who need dialysis, people who have food issues, people who cannot get out of their homes, how do you take care of those people in a situation that comes on so suddenly and so severely for so long? pamela? >> you can't always rely on someone like awtrey who is in your piece, a good samaritan. you can't always rely on the, for sure. miguel marquez, thank you so much. joining us now, buffalo police commissioner joseph -- commissioner, you called this the worst storm you've ever seen in your life, tell us an update on the search, rescue and recovery efforts tonight.

>> thank you for having me on, i lived here all my life, i lived through a lot of lake effect snow storms, blizzards, and this is something that we have never seen before. it absolutely devastated our community and the response has been very difficult. on friday, we worked diligently. our police officers with our plow operators, our front and voters to go out and do rescues have people stranded, but once friday night late into the night came, we were completely debilitated. we could not remove heavy plows. they are getting struck. you cannot move anywhere. it was complete could block for days. you cannot drive through this, it was a different kind of snow. once the snow started to subside a little bit, we were able to get our search and rescue teams and unfortunately recovery teams. we use that scuba dye team because of the equipment for warm weather there they have here. our swat team, we worked very collaboratively with the new york state police with

their swat team. we've got other rochester police, brought their team in, a lot of state agencies and then the guard reorchestration, a very calculated, organized collaborative effort to go out there and respond to 9-1-1 calls for stranded vehicles, four dead bodies, forecheck the well first of houses, and we have been doing that nonstop for days. >> have you been able to go through all the 9-1-1 calls that came in during the storm, and wellness checks to make sure that all of those are accounted for? >> we have, it was a tremendous effort. we are backed up over 1100 calls. we had dispatchers in not only dispatch center but some of the district houses. we have police officers that were former dispatchers and before they became police officers, and we got them reactivated in their dispatch mode because they know how to work the computer system, and it was a

team effort. all five police districts were through the calls. our search, rescue and recovery teams handled all of the check the welfare calls, all the scar searches, and the recovery. it's a grueling gruesome task that they had to do, but they recovered a substantial amount of bodies, and it is terrible. >> that is just so sad, and now, you have to look ahead to what is coming down, right? temperatures are expected to rise in the coming days. how is your department preparing for a potential ice jam flooding? >> i think the one thing is that the lake and river of not frozen yet. that is actually the cause of the lake effect snow, but when it is frozen, it causes jammed flooding, but we're obviously going to deal with runoff on the melting snow and then the other unfortunate reality with the melting snow is that we fully believe that you will find more victims in the snow. there were 9-1-1 calls for bodies from our search and rescue work of our teams finally got to those locations, they could not find anybody because you got larger areas, and you got anywhere from, four, five, 6:10

snowdrifts covering large areas. the snow melts, we know we will have another gruesome task ahead of us. we know we will find more. >> clearly, the city was unmatched for the storm, but what do you think could have been done differently, if anything, to help save lives? it is so devastating all around, and as you said, it's the worst time you ever seen. you've been in buffalo all of your life, but as you look back and reflect, is there anything that can be done differently the next time? >> you know, i think the community has to take a serious look when we say that there is a driving ban in effect. we have been off for days in this, getting to the best we can and the amount of people still are driving, it's unfortunate, but when we say there is a driving ban, when we give out warnings to not go out, it has to be taken seriously. unfortunately, we had to do driving bans at times, and they are not always

a huge to, it just hampers our rescue and recovery efforts, but i also embrace the plowing efforts. it's like a serpentine of abandoned cars in some areas, so we have been out towing for days. our dp w workers have been out there trying to clean up the streets. they have made a significant impact. for the first few days that we are able to actually get out there, our dp w workers and the plow trucks and highlighters, the front and letters, they were not out there looking to clear streets, they were actually clearing away, paving a way for our search teams to actually get the bodies and get the rescues and get to these checked the welfare calls. they have had a solid effort over the last few there is clearing streets. i have been all over the city for the last several days, and they have done a good job declaring. >> commissioner, thank you for all your efforts, as well as well enforcement under you, we appreciate it. up next, a live report for the southern border where they are bracing for the

impact of more border crossings and the wake of one key supreme court decision and perhaps a final ruling shortly. and then later tonight, new reporting on potential serious legal trouble for the near congressman elect with the unbelievable resume and life story as it literally cannot be believed. i'd like to thank our sponsor liberty mutual. they customize your car insurance, so you only pay for what you need. contestants ready? go! only pay for what you need. jingle: liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty.

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restrictions in place for now. the decision leaves thousands of migrants in the boat and many more asylum seekers in mexico waiting to cross. cnn's leyla santiago is in el paso for us tonight. lana, what are you hearing about the supreme court decision from the people who are trying to seek asylum in the united states? >> you know, you can hear the anxiety in their voices, the disappointment by just saying the number 42. people here are definitely aware of what that is, and still, there are still a lot of questions as to what the impact would be. a lot of them are seeking clarity, trying to find out how they can move forward with their future plans. what is really interesting is that i spent time talking to single men here, as well as families with children and fathers, many of them will tell you about their journeys, months and months of trying to get to this very point, and now feeling like they don't know exactly what the next step will be because they still feel very much in

limbo here, pamela? >> clearly, there's a lot of activity around or you are. if you would pay a picture for us, what it is like and what cities are like el paso are doing to try to deal with the surge of people on the border? >> right, so where we are right now, there is a church and shelter behind me, and you will see sidewalks to are aligned with folks, women and children, waiting to be let into the shelter here for the night, but not everyone will be let in, so there will be families that you will see under blankets. there will be individuals here that will try to kind of set up an area to stay overnight, and is definitely temperatures dropping, getting wendy. the city of el paso has pretty much seen this and seen that this is not necessarily a turned of what was announced yesterday. they are moving forward with their contingency plans. they're working to turn two

vacant schools into makeshift shelters, and they also have customs and border protection that are setting up temporary facilities to try to increase capacity for processing some of these migrants. >> none of this is a permanent solution to this. leyla santiago, thank you so much. perspective now on that note in texas, congressman henry cuellar, who represents the border district of l'oréal. congressman, thank you for your time tonight, do you think this was the right decision by the supreme court and what kind of impact will this have on the border in the near term? >> the decision by the supreme court only buys the administration to come up with the right policy. the supreme court is not the job to legislate, that is up to congress and to the administration. i would say this, president obama did not have title 42, and he was able to manage without title 42. is a way of doing this. in a way, i'll give you three points, two things that had to be done. we need better efficiency at the border so we can process

migrants in a more efficient way at a one-stop center. number one, number two, you have increase in -- because they can be returned, because we don't have the facilities to keep all the people. just so the viewers can see what is happening in el paso, and the third thing is that you had to provide incentives so that they can go through the border entry -- if they don't do it the right way. a simple, we did that a couple months ago, there is about 1600, 1800 venezuelans that would come to the border in a day. now it's been reduced to about 65, 85 a day, so there are policies that can be implemented. president boma a did it without title photo to, and i'd like to remind people about that. >> as you know, the white house has said, look, this is a problem for congress to solve. both sides of the aisle are calling for immigration reform, it seems like nothing can get done. are their solutions that both republicans and democrats

can agree on here. i know you laid out some but what are the roadblocks that keep causing agreements to break down? >> immigration report, i supported immigration reform. look, our republican friends are not going to come to the table on that because they want the border security, i understand that, but keep in mind that we added money. if you look at what president trump got on appropriations on homeland, he got about 42 billion dollars in discretionary funding. this lasts appropriation bill passed last week, it is more than doubled the amount over 86 billion dollars a weekend. we can put monies in there, we have to have the right policies and with those three things i just gave you, the administration can do that. obama, president obama did that without title 42 or without immigration reform. the administration needs to stand up, need to do the right thing, and they need to understand that we are at the border, the border community -- were taking the stress because of the

inaction of the administration. i laid out three things that they can do right now and i just had the fortitude to do it. >> last week, you said that the administration is going to do something on this, quote, very soon. can you elaborate on the? what if any executive actions specifically can the white house take at this point? what were you alluding to then? >> what i am alluding to is there is actually something similar, but i think there is a debate between white house staffers there i am a bit more progressive than homeland apartment. if they let the holman department do what they need to do and do their job, they may be able to implement a policy like this where you can treat the migrants with respect and dignity and get them today in court. at the same time, enforce the law, which means if they have to be returned, they

had to be returned. i think that is what the law is, otherwise, why have laws on the books? we can be compassionate and still enforce the laws at the same time. >> all right, congressman cuellar, thank you again. up next, on top of the buy now almost countless false claims, congressman elect george front those has been tied to, there is not something far more serious. i just learned from speaking to a source tonight that he is now under federal investigation. we're going to have details on the up next. nigerian. i got a lot of this from you. ♪ the more you learn the more you want to know, and then it just fuels that fire. it filled my soul to be honest. unwrap your family story, with ancestrydna.

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new reporting in just now, for -- george santos. the man with almost as many lies on his resume as lines on his missed resume. he's under federal investigation by the u.s. attorney's office for the eastern district of new york. a source familiar with the matter tells me tonight that prosecutors are looking into his finances. the congressman elect as you know as faced questions about his wealth and wellness totaling more than $700,000 he made to his 2022 campaign. we have asked for a comment from a representative for mr. santos but so far have not heard back. again, this is merely the latest of many issues. we learned about a criminal charge he faced in 2011 in brazil for alleged embezzlement. it was put on hold when authorities could not locate him. santos told the near post, quote, i am not a criminal here, not here or in

brazil or any jurisdiction in the world. he did not say whether he has ever been charged. he also answered some other especially tough questions last night in a venue who might have thought were from there until he found himself on the defensive again. more on all of this now from cnn's eva mckend. >> these are blatant lies. my question is, do you have no shame? >> incoming republican congressman george santos facing his most contensious interview yet as he tries to explain lies he told while campaigning for congress. >> look, i agree with what you are saying, and as i stated and continue, we can debate my resume and how i work with firms such as goldman -- no, it's not false at all. it's debatable. >> santos trying to minimize his lies with mere embellishment. in an interview with fox news, his answers getting strong pushback from host toasty gabbard.

>> it's hard to imagine how they could possibly trust your explanations when you're not even willing to admit the depth of your deception to them. >> santos insisting that despite the controversy, that he intends to serve in congress. >> now, it's going to be -- my senior year of prep school, unfortunately my parents fell on hard times. >> i left school, for months to graduation. >> but a spokesperson for -- telling cnn, there is no evidence santos ever attended the school. and further fabrications about his family heritage. >> you don't carry the ukrainian last name for a lot of people who are descendants of world war ii refugees. or survivors of the holocaust. a lot of names and paperwork for changed the name of survival. i don't carry the family last name that would've been dembrowski.

>> a genealogy previously told cnn, there's no sign of jewish and or ukrainian heritage, and no indication of name changes along the way. but santos appeared to use the alias, -- for fund raising for a pet charity. santos insisting despite the controversy, that he intends to serve in congress. >> now it can be incumbent upon me to deliver on those results. i look forward to serve. >> you're exactly right. >> i look forward to serving my district. >> house gop leader, kevin mccarthy, remaining silent on the matter. even as fellow incoming gop house members from new york issued statements criticizing santos, lack of transparency. one of those lawmakers could be, congressman-elect nicole ot, calling for an ethics -- santos also under scrutiny for how he made his money and how

he was able to lone his campaign more than $700,000. santos telling news outlets that he earned his money in the capital introduction business and did the old building and specialty consulting for high net worth individuals. the democrat who >> eva mckend joins us now. >> in addition to the justice department, congressman-elect santos has caught the attention of the district attorney, tell us about that? >> he sure has, pam. the narrow district eternally, pam donnelly, who i should note is a republican, has pledged to get to the bottom of this. she characterized the fabrications as stunning, in a statement adding, the residents of nassau county and other parts of the third district must have an honest and accountable representative in congress. she says no one is above the law, and if a crime was committed in the county, it will be prosecuted. multiple law enforcement officers now looking into this matter. pam? >> eva mckend, thanks so much. former new york -- steve israel. who once represented most of the same long island district

as santos. he's also the author of a new piece in the atlantic, how perfectly normal new york suburb elected a conman. and he currently directs the cornell institute of politics in global affairs. also with us tonight, cnn's legal analyst, elie honig, a former's u.s. attorney. elie, i'm told tonight that federal prosecutors in new york, they are investigating congressman-elect santos and his finances. what do you think they'll be looking for? and how does this work with the dea also investigating? >> pam, in my experience as a prosecutor, fraudit tends to come in batches. it's rare that you see someone just sort of commit a one-off fraud. when you have someone who's been so willing to tell such outrageous lies, there's a reasonable basis that they he might have lied elsewhere. it is not a federal crime or a state crime to lie to the public when you're running for office. i don't recommend it, but it's not a crime. however, it could be a crime if he obtained any of his fraud money by fraud anyone from reportedly very little worth tumulty millions of dollars of

worth in a very short time. it could be a crime if he made false statements about his financial situation or other material fall statements on his financial disclosure forms that have to go in to federal authorities. and it could be a crime if we use these false statements or false corporations in order to get around to evade campaign finance rules. i think there's a lot of basis for the feds to be involved. as to your second question, the feds show what we call the conflicting with state and local authorities. meaning, make sure it's not stepping on each other's toes, make sure the understand who is looking at what's the avoid any conflict situation. >> congressman israel, how does a investigation into his finances complicate situation politically, even more than all the lies have already done? >> everything about mr. santos has been complicated. he managed to pull the wool over the eyes of the entire congressional district. i represented this district for 17 years. i chaired the democratic congressional campaign for four of those years. i can tell you that long islanders, they will tolerate this from members of congress,

they will not tolerate dishonesty. his dishonesty thrives in a climate of complacency. nobody thought that this guy could win. the opposition research on him was there. local media did not pick it up, because they thought it was a tree that fell on the forced. guess what, by the time to pick it up, he won and the tree was thunderous. he will be sworn in on january 3rd. kevin mccarthy cannot risk having one less republican vote. he will be sworn in in one of the most ironic moments on the floor of house of representatives. he will take his oath of office and immediately after the, that will trigger investigation by the congressional ethics committee and by the office of congressional ethics. >> but, elie, does the fact that federal prosecutors are looking into him, and the dea investigation, is there anything that can prevent him from taking office, what us can you tell us about how his position in congress could impact these investigations?

>> pam, this is a bit of a blind spot in our legal system. first of all, you cannot impeach. there is no impeachment of a member of congress. even if somebody is charged with a crime, somebody is convicted of a crime, that does not necessarily get rid of them. the only legal i this can happen is by expulsion, meaning the house of representatives itself would have to vote by a two thirds majority to essentially kick him out. now, that will not have been without at least some bipartisan support including suit menstrual support from republicans. they will soon be the majority. it's really a political issue as much as a legal one here. >> i want to talk a little bit more to you congressman. you just offered so much insight into this because as we were talking about, he represented much of the district where george santos was elected. if you would expand on your intimate knowledge of the district and the voters who live there and how you thankyous able to get away with running a campaign based on lies, i know you touched on it with the media did not pick up

some of the up the research, but the bottom line is, let's not forget, the corporate here is santos himself, right? >> well, of course, the copper is santos but i would have to say that there were coconspirators. for example, the republican party that nominated mr. santos, that put his ideological extremism ahead of any research as to whether he was fit for office, our democracy is so afraid right now that fundamental questions of fitness and truth are just put in the background, as long as you are extreme enough. so the republican party locally, which bans three counties on long island, nominates this kite knowing nothing about him and frankly not even carrying all that much about him. the second problem is, opposition research was done by the democratic congressional campaign committee, the red flags are there, but we were in a climate of complacency. when mr. santos opponent, robert zimmerman, pam, tried to share the opposition research, many

people said, what difference does it make? he will not win, this is a democratic district, george biden -- joe biden would have won it by eight points. we will not bend attention investigating this guy when he will lose. before he got away with that, because he was able to perpetrate this fraud on the constituents of new york three but the american people, he ends up winning. >> when you talk to people in her district, the district that you used to represent, who are they saying to you about this? >> they are just stunned. people say, we just never thought this could happen. again, it's a very moderate district, very moderate. people are usually right-of-center on spending. they kind of land in the center. they did not believe that this cannot happen because it never happened before. i think we have to go way back in the history books, i have not yet found it, to find a level of the seat as

deep and widespread as we saw from mr. santos. >> from what we know, he created a totally different human being, and that is what the voters are voting on. steve israel, elie honig, thank you so much, the story will no doubt continue. so coming up, one is an island getaway not just a chance to relax? well when you're the president of the u.s. and there to make a big decision about 2024. coming up, two democrats with two very different opinions about whether they're the president whether they're the president should run again, up next. -ha? -no... arthritis. here. aspercreme arthritis. full prescription-strength? reduces inflammation? thank the gods. don't thank them too soon. kick pain in the aspercreme.

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the insurance company getenwasn't fair.ity y cablele. i didn't know what my case was worth, so i called the barnes firm. llll theararnes rmrm now the best result possible. ♪ call one eight hundred, eight million ♪ >> the first family is hitting the beach in st. croix, a longtime favorite vacation spot for the bidens. join the warm air, sandy beaches, and the calm before the 2024 storm. sources tell cnn that the president has made his decision, he will run again. a top

priority of the strip, is to recharge and strategize ahead of his reelection announcement. perspective on that now from consequential, on this consequential decision from two political commentators. democratic strategist paul, and former democratic lawmaker -- good to see both. paul, starting with you, what do you think about what a 2024 run might look like for president biden. how different is the political landscape now? >> well, he is the incumbent. we just came from an election. everyone is thinking we are moving in the wrong direction, yet we have all the income. it's 96% of governors who ran for election one. 97% of members of the house who ran one. and 100 percent of senators, never happened in american history. people right now are afraid of extremists and comforted by incumbents. in that sense, he has really done a terrific job. he has done more into years than someone

half his age could've done in four. i think he has his wind that way. >> of course, a big difference would be the time that he would be doing the job that he would then also be running for, which is a lot more on his plate. you've said that biden was the perfect foil for trump in the last election cycle. can he transcend that perception moving into the primaries? -- >> that is going to be very difficult. i agree with pamela, we agree 97% of the time, pointing out these random pacific's tonight. let's say we agree 98% of the time, i don't know if that's accurate. however, this is actually going to be a more arduous task, i think one of the things that they are talking about -- don't necessarily talk to me, but one of the things they're talking to the president, people like his sister, his wife, et cetera, that they're asking the president, can you actually take on a full campaign? that is the biggest difference between 2024 and 2020. 2020

wasn't abbreviated campaign, we have covid, there were so many events. the primary cycles cut short. there weren't as many public events necessary for general election cycle. i think the president of the united states deserves, based upon his successes. everett will tell you, this has probably been objectively, one of the more successful presidents we've had in american history throughout his first few years. but the president -- the question that people are going to ask is, is donald trump and joe biden, do you want to people running for president? i think he wins that match up. if it's something new versus something old, then the president has to ask himself, joe biden has to ask himself, i ran for president to be a bridge? did i do that job successfully? is there someone to take my place. these are all questions that he has to ask and answer. hopefully he answers them while he is in there, i'm jealous. >> i think it would be lovely, wouldn't it? so you mentioned the age. paul, biden would be 82 years old in november of

2024. do you think that should give voters pause or factor in at all? >> they're going to ask about it, especially democrats. we made john kennedy president when he was 43, bill clinton when he was 46. carter was the old man in my lifetime, he was 52. joe will be 82. i think it is a fair question, but it's like, i think his answer is going to be like what the kids say. a little respect, coach of the year for my kids youth basketball league. scoreboard, what has he put up on the board? it is a lot. but he points out to the conversation that i hope they are having. i've known a lot of people run for president, they ask two questions, am i better than the other? and can i win? those are important questions. they need to get to this deeper level that he is doing too. can i go through the heartbreak of the investigations that they're gonna have into his son hunter?

it will help them politically, but it will break his heart i think personally. every family has rested with addiction. second, is he up for the very arduous task of running for president. much more aggressively i think then he had to because of covid. he has the job, running the greatest superpower in the world history during a time of war and inflation. those are the deeper questions. i don't know if they're getting to that. i think they are, but generally my experience has been, they asked those other two questions. can i win, and about better than the other guy. >> so bakari, if you were there, if you are one of his advisers talking to him, what would you say? >> i mean, the first question i would ask is, are you up to it? let's have an on this conversation, are you up to running for president? you have run for president multiple times before and lead the united states of america through inflation, through these other issues, through war, negotiating ukraine, can you do those things? that is the first question. and can you do them

all extremely well? the second thing is, what is best to carry on your legacy? that is a question that i think joe biden, it will resonate with joe biden. what do you want your legacy to be? for a long period of time, you're our guy we all loved. you were honorable joe, you are someone who made some gaps, you ran for president a lot, you are vice president for barack obama. and then oh my god, you beat donald trump. you are the person who took down xenophobia, racism, et cetera. what you want to legacy to be? i think you really have an amazing opportunity to continue that legacy by passing the torch. or do actually want to run against ron desantis, or you want to run against somebody else who, you know, pose a significant risk to your legacy? that is the question that you have to ask. >> thank you so much. still ahead tonight, the mystery surrounding the death of another wealthy russian since putin began his war in ukraine. cnn's melissa bell has the cnn's melissa bell has the details of next.( screams in jo)

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>> another suspicious death of a wealthy russian with ties to vladimir putin. local police believe that he died by suicide, although no postmortem report has been released. it happened just two days after a friend and travel companion died of a heart attack. that is one of a number of suspicious deaths among high-profile russian businessman since the war in ukraine began. cnn's melissa bell has the details? >> they were part of the russian elite. some at one point critical of the war in ukraine, several died after falling through windows. at least 30 dead in suspicious circumstances this year. the latest russian tycoon to plunge to his death, havel antonov who died on saturday in india. over the summer, he denied criticizing the war in a whatsapp message. his death and that of a friend he was vacationing with now under investigation by authorities. another tycoon to fall through a window, this time in moscow, was this man, the head of

russia's oil giant. in march, they released a statement calling for the termination of the armed conflict. meghan off was just one of several russian energy executives whose deaths have raised questions. some of the insiders who died have done so alongside their families, like sergei, and vladislav adie of. both of whom who are said to have murdered relatives before killing themselves. the kremlin has remained tightlipped, vladimir putin's message has been chillingly clear. >> translator: it is safer at home, those who decide to ignore this obvious thing must -- they lost billions of dollars in the west. this is how so much your safe hazen turned out to be. >> some of those who stayed home like oligarch have been more fortunate, without missing their words about ukraine.

>> translator: we abandon what was achieved in the 2000s, now we are waiting for victory. winning what? this is of course a colossal mistake. >> the outspoken closest to the regime, a measure of what they stood to lose. and while no ties between the kremlin and these deaths have been proven in court. for many, they stir fears of russia's reach. now suspected political assassinations both inside and outside of russia are nothing new pamela. what is different is the pace with which those suspected incidents have been happening. and it is of course tempting to link those two criticism of the war in ukraine. the truth is, some may be more linked to the economy and the need for the kremlin to keep its hands on its most precious assets, those oil and gas revenues that continue to bring so much into moscow. >> coming up, the details on the decision to require covid testing for travelers from china. >> u.s. officials today said

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- [announcer] do you have an invention idea but don't know what to do next? call invent help today. they can help you get started with your idea. call now 800-710-0020. >> u.s. officials today said all travelers originating in china will be required to show a negative covid test before flying to the states. china has been battling a surge since its demand told its strict zero covid policy. and the new u.s. rule will take effect january 5th. coming up next, all the best and worst moments of 2022. a cnn special report, all the best, all the worst, it starts now. >> buckle up, jab in, and brace yourself. this year brought more twists in terms, incidents, and ups and downs than anyone could've predicted. the big

news, politics, movies, music, sports, and more. we are going through it all with our guest, comedian and activist ellen, former nfl player and commentator dante stalwart. cnn's owner john berman, the s. e. cupp, and comedian gina braun. they are all on board for the wildest ride ever, all the best, all the worst, 2022. welcome, i'm tom foreman. depending on who you are and where you were, what you believe, this you may have been pretty good or really bad, or somewhere in the murky middle. many of us starting with high hopes, the troubles of recent years are fading oh so slowly. that was clear in all of sorts of huge news events, they rocked our world. >> let's start with the biggest, baddest, were story. runaway inflation. >> things feel very abnormal when it came to what we could buy, what we can afford, where we could go. >> i'm gonna start selling off other things that i own so i