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Nebraska Residents Devastated By Tornado Destruction; Pro- Palestinian Protests Grip U.S. College Campuses; Howidy: Campus Protesters Hurting Palestinian Cause; Hamas Releases Video of Two Hostages Abducted October 7. Aired 5-6a ET

Aired April 28, 2024 - 05:00   ET

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

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[05:00:56]

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to all you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is "CNN Newsroom."

Another round of massive tornadoes rips through parts of the U.S. We're live at the CNN Weather Center with the latest.

Meanwhile, towns in Nebraska are reeling from Saturday's tornadoes. I'll speak with the state's emergency management agency about how they plan to rebuild.

Plus --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PROTESTERS (chanting): Shame on you. Shame on you. Shame on you.

BRUNHUBER: From demonstrations outside the White House Correspondents' Dinner to clashes in Tel Aviv, we have reports on the latest protests stemming from Israel's war with Hamas.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: We begin this hour with more destructive tornadoes ripping through the United States. In Oklahoma, several large, dangerous tornadoes were reported on the ground overnight, according to the National Weather Service. Complicating matters is the heavy rainfall that comes along with these storms.

Oklahoma officials say there are initial reports of damage and injuries in several counties and around 45,000 customers are currently without power. The threat is far from over. More than six million people are under tornado watches from Texas to Illinois.

The U.S. Storm Prediction Center has increased Sunday's severe storm threat to a level three out of five, impacting a region from eastern Texas to southern Missouri. Now, have a look. This is the latest wave of a multi-day severe storm

system that's been tearing through parts of the central United States since Friday, when tornadoes cut a path across parts of Nebraska and Iowa.

Joining me now is CNN Meteorologist Alison Chinchar. So, Allison, just give us a sense of just how bad this has been.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: CHINCHAR: Right, and the key thing to note is, this wasn't just one day on Saturday. This has been a multi-day event. So, if you go back the last 48 hours, you can see all of the severe thunderstorm reports.

So, the red dots you see here, those are tornado reports. And we have had 118 of them in the last 48 hours, 80 damaging wind reports, and almost 150 hail reports. Some of those, the hail was the size of baseballs or even larger, so, again, significant there.

And when you look at all of the tornado warnings that were issued by the various National Weather Service offices, each one of these polygon-shaped things was a warning that one of those offices issued to kind of show you how scattered a lot of these warnings were. But more impressive is the National Weather Service office in Omaha issuing 42 tornado warnings during a 24-hour time period, roughly 8 a.m. on Friday to 8 a.m. on Saturday. That's the most that office has ever actually issued in a 24-hour time period, so incredibly just substantial, just to show how many alerts went out for this particular round of storms.

BRUNHUBER: All right. And as I mentioned, Allison, I mean, it's this danger far from over.

CHINCHAR: Correct. Yes. No, I mean, we are going to continue to see the threat today. And it's not just for severe storms, but also flooding. This image taken from yesterday, again, just to kind of show the scope of how much rain, because this system as a whole is not moving very fast.

Right now, the line is essentially stretching from Chicago all the way back down south of Dallas. You can see all of that lightning associated with it. So, yes, if you've got some travel plans today, you may want to check with your airline to make sure there aren't any delays or cancellations there. The red box here indicates some tornado watches. Many of them are still valid for about the next three to four hours. And the yellow box, a severe thunderstorm watch, also in effect for a little bit longer. These orange boxes here indicating some severe thunderstorm warnings right now.

Still possible to get some severe thunderstorm warnings, but also tornado warnings as we go through the rest of the morning, but also especially in the afternoon hours. That's when things are going to ramp back up again across this tier of the U.S., again, essentially from Southern Minnesota all the way down to the Gulf Coast. This includes Houston, Dallas, Springfield, even up around Kansas City, the Western Chicago suburbs likely to get some strong thunderstorms as well. [05:05:04]

We're looking at the potential for strong tornadoes, damaging winds and the potential for some hail. But the big concern for tornadoes is going to be farther south at Ark-La-Tex region right through here, where not just the chance of tornadoes, Kim, but the potential for some of those that are EF2 strength or perhaps even stronger than that.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Folks still have to watch out across a huge swath of the country. Allison Chinchar, thank you so much. Appreciate that.

CHINCHAR: You're welcome. Thanks.

BRUNHUBER: So while those in Oklahoma have to wait for daylight to assess the damage, our Lucy Kafanov reports from one devastated Nebraska community as people begin to rebuild their lives.

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LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I am standing in Elkhorn, a suburb of Omaha, Nebraska. And you can see the utter devastation, the destruction that this twister left behind after touching down at 4.30 p.m. on Friday. Homes over there missing their roofs, floors destroyed.

Right here, this was a large family home. The family, as well as friends, neighbors, volunteers, they've been here all morning picking up the remaining pieces of their lives, trying to salvage what they can, because of course they're not going to be able to live in this property for a long time, even if they rebuild. That is going to take a lot of time.

And you can see the destruction here. This area where we are standing right now, this was a home to a family of four. We talked to the father, and we talked to a family friend, nothing, nothing was left of this structure.

You can see the white vehicle there flipped on its head, crushed by the power of this massive twister. Nothing remains. They were trying to salvage them. Some things are simply nothing. Over here where I'm standing, and we're not going to go anywhere closer to it, stairs going down. There is a basement.

The basements are how so few lives, no lives in fact, were miraculously lost in this area. People sheltered in the basements. That's how they found safety. But in this particular family's case, the wife, she saw the news. She saw what was heading here. She said, you know what? I don't feel safe. Let's get out of here. And what a good call that was, because again, so much of this property is flattened.

And finally, I'll just flip over here to show you the rest of the street. Utter devastation. And we haven't seen a lot of official help here yet. No power crews cleaning up. A lot of the cleanup efforts are from neighbors, church groups, religious groups, volunteers trying to pitch together and help everyone.

Lucy Kafanov, CNN, in Elkhorn, Nebraska.

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BRUNHUBER: And for more on Nebraska's rescue and cleanup efforts, I'm joined now by Irv Portis. He's the Assistant Director for the State's Emergency Management Agency.

Listen, I really appreciate you taking the time at this just extremely busy time for you and everybody who -- who works there for you. Just describe for us exactly where you are and what the latest situation is.

ERV PORTIS, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, NEBRASKA EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY: Well, first of all, good morning. Where we are is -- we're in the early stages of pickup, cleanup. We've had multiple communities in the Omaha metropolitan area, a mix of rural and suburban and some of the dense urban area that were affected by these tornadoes. So in the very, very early stages of pickup, cleanup and damage assessment.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. I mean, we're just looking at the pictures and we just heard the report from our reporter there, you know, talking to the residents in tears, everything gone, such a -- such a huge loss for so many folks there.

PORTIS: It's a huge loss. Matter of fact, the neighborhood that you referenced there, Governor Pillen and his team visited that neighborhood yesterday. I was present with them. You know, I've seen a lot of damage and devastation from disasters. That's clearly one of the worst that I've seen that neighborhood in Elkhorn. A lot of families, a lot of lives affected.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. And as bad as it was, I mean, it really was a miracle that more people weren't hurt. No one killed. Do you know why? I mean, did the warning systems work?

PORTIS: Bingo. The warning systems work. We spend in emergency management, spend a lot of time and energy focusing and communicating the message preparedness, weather -- weather forecasters, weather media do the same thing. National Weather Service does a marvelous job about practicing safety in severe storms. And Nebraskans heeded the message.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. Our reporters said that there wasn't a lot of signs of official help there yet. It's still a lot of neighbors helping neighbors and so on. So take us through what happens now with the recovery and just how long it's going to take to get the necessary help in there.

[05:10:14]

PORTIS: Recovery is always a long, arduous, complex process. Where we are now is we wanted to get through Saturday's events. I've kind of lost track of time, so I think Saturday. We wanted to get through Saturday's events, make sure we didn't have any repeats. We've worked with Governor Pillen and his team, and we are preparing a disaster declaration that we will submit to FEMA Region 7, seeking federal assistance for the events.

We've had conversations with the Regional Administrator and with FEMA Administrator Criswell. So we're preparing an application. We'll begin state, federal preliminary damage assessments very early next week, identifying the scope and the breadth of this thing, and then begin putting those federal dollars to work once they're granted.

BRUNHUBER: In the meantime, all the people who -- who obviously can't stay in their homes there, what happens to them? Where are they right now? And what kind of things are they in the biggest need of right now?

PORTIS: Well, what they're in the biggest need of right now is identifying a way forward. We're working with them on communicating that way forward. The American Red Cross, the Omaha Division, has several shelters established throughout the Omaha metropolitan area.

But the one thing we've seen about Nebraskans is their neighbors, friends, family are those they can lean on. So that's where they'll go for sheltering services until they can establish some level of permanency as they rebuild.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. And in terms of rebuilding, I mean, you did say that it is a long process. I mean, just looking at the extent of the damage, are we talking, you know, months, a year here?

PORTIS: The process of rebuilding is probably months, two years, two several years. It is a complex, arduous process. And you have to begin with cleanup. There's an enormous amount of cleanup to be done.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. Well, listen, we wish you and everyone there all the best as you face a huge challenge to rebuild. Irv Portis, thank you so much for your time. Really appreciate it.

PORTIS: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: Meanwhile, a deadly tornado tore through southern China on Saturday. According to state media, five people were killed and 33 were injured after a tornado ripped through a major metropolis in southern China. Authorities say close to 150 factory buildings were damaged in the storm, but no residential housing was hit. The tornado followed multiple days of heavy rains and flooding in the region.

All right after the break, turmoil around the world as protesters fill the streets of Tel Aviv and London as they try to send a pointed message to Washington's elite on their big night out.

Plus, we will look at how U.S. college campuses gripped by protests and arrests rallying for change in Gaza. And a Palestinian peace activist says the campus protests are actually hurting the Palestinian cause. I will ask him why. That's coming up. Stay with us.

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[05:17:32]

BRUNHUBER: Turning now to the pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel government demonstrations from across the globe. From Washington, D.C., where demonstrators gathered ahead of the White House Correspondents Association Dinner, attended by U.S. President Joe Biden to the various colleges across the U.S. gripped by anti-war protests. Dozens of people have been arrested after they demanded schools take a stand and support the Palestinian people in Gaza.

Plus.

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PROTESTERS (chanting): Shame on you! Shame on you!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Hundreds of pro-Israel counter-protesters faced off with thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators in central London for several hours on Saturday.

Meanwhile, anti-government protesters filled the streets of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, many calling for the releases of hostages from Gaza and new elections. CNN has a team of reporters with the latest on the protests. CNN's Michael Yoshida has a report from Washington, D.C., on the White House Correspondent dinner protests. Elliott Gotkine is live in London with the latest on the protests in Tel Aviv. We begin with CNN's Camila Bernal from the UCLA campus in Los Angeles.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Here at UCLA, things have remained peaceful for the most part, although students have taken over a large portion of the university. You see the encampment here behind me. Many of them say they're staying here for as long as it takes.

The demand's very similar to what you're hearing in other universities all over the country. It's divestment and disclosure of a lot of the university investments. And they say that while they're here at the encampment, they're holding meetings, they're learning about the Middle East and about the politics of it.

You're seeing people from different backgrounds, from different religions, who say they're joining this movement. I want you to listen to what some of the students told me earlier.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As long as this attack is going on, UCLA is making profit -- a lot of profit off of this genocide. We deserve to know that. It is our money that we are giving to. It's also, other demands are about ending the silence.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're here to say that our institutions need to be supporting us, and that we refuse to be complicit about violence against Palestinians.

BERNAL: And here at UCLA, officials are saying that they're not going to call police officers unless they feel that some of these students are in danger. So right now what you're seeing is security guards either walking around or riding in their bicycles to make sure that everything goes smoothly and that students here are safe. There are some students that have expressed being uncomfortable having to walk through this area, and the university said they have people helping students who want to cross through this area.

[05:20:06]

But again, so far it's been peaceful. There are protesters expected to come on Sunday, and so we will have to wait and see what happens when you have these protesters and then counter-protesters, but as of now, things do remain peaceful.

Camila Bernal, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: And my next guest is a Palestinian from Gaza City who left Gaza in 2023 and now lives in Germany. He recently wrote an opinion piece for "Newsweek" titled, "Message from a Gazan to Campus Protesters, You're Hurting the Palestinian Cause."

Hamza Howidy, thank you so much for joining us here. So, listen, when you first saw the protests on the college campuses here, you were happy about it, right?

HAMZA HOWIDY, PALESTINIAN PEACE ACTIVIST: Yes, actually, I was happy with the commencement of the protests in the U.S. and in general. I was happy that someone started defending the Palestinians, talking about their suffering and putting an effort to end this ongoing war.

BRUNHUBER: So then what changed?

HOWIDY: What made me change my opinion recently is that I noticed a different -- difference in the attitude of these protesters. I noticed that among these protesters there was a slogans and chants for anti- Semitism. I noticed also that some protesters, instead of condemning and asking Hamas to surrender, they started glorifying it as the so- called resistance movement, which is completely wrong.

BRUNHUBER: I mean, it can't be denied that there have been acts of anti-Semitism and acts of intimidation against Jewish students and Jewish people, but by all reports, it's not been the norm. I mean, much of the activity on the campus has been peaceful. We've heard from Jewish protesters as well who've joined the cause. So isn't it still, on balance, worthwhile bringing attention to the Palestinian cause?

HOWIDY: For sure, there was an honest voice among these protesters who truly want to put an end to this ongoing war. But what made me really upset was when I watched the Columbia campus protest, and then the Khymani James guy, who claims to be the spokesperson of the pro- Palestinian movement right there, saying publicly that -- and I'm quoting him, "be grateful that I'm not going out killing Jews." He also said that Zionists should not exist. When I hear that from the supposed spokesperson of the entire movement, what do I expect from the entire participants? Another thing was done by the Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, he has been barred from -- from campus. So, I am wondering, though, what -- what is the harm? You say it's hurting the cause of Palestinians, you know, in Gaza. How is it actually hurting their cause, do you think?

HOWIDY: I believe that when they chant anti-Semitic chants, when they chant for a terrorist organization like Hamas or trying to somehow dress like the terrorist guys of Hamas, Abu Obaida and other persons, they are truly hurting the Palestinian cause. And if they truly wanted justice and freedom and a better future for the Palestinians, the first thing they should do is to call Hamas to surrender, because even without a war, Hamas will always harm the Palestinians and the Palestinian cause.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, I hear what you're saying. The support, though, in Gaza for Hamas still is fairly high. And we've seen recent surveys that have found that, yes, it has dropped, I think, by 11% in the past three months or so. But when asked who they blame for their current suffering, only 7% blamed Hamas. So there seems to be a disconnect between how people in Gaza feel and, you know, people like yourself.

HOWIDY: Personally, I have my takes on these polls, and if it was possible even to conduct these polls under a dictatorial regime like Hamas. Even when I wrote my piece to the Newsweek, I received tons of feedback. Part of it was positive and negative. But my Gazan friends were happy about it, because, yes, we want to put an end to the ongoing war, but we also don't want Hamas to exist. We don't expect a bright future for the Palestinians under Hamas, even without the war.

BRUNHUBER: So, if you were talking right now to these young people who are protesting on the campus right now, they're listening to you, what would you say to them? What is your message?

[05:25:02]

HOWIDY: I have no doubt that there are decent voices among them, but if they truly want justice and freedom for the Palestinians, the first thing they should chant for is Hamas to surrender and release the remaining hostages who have been suffering for more than 200 days under Hamas' captivity.

Also, they should chant for peace and coexistence instead of calling to annihilate the people of Israel. Because even for a Gazan like myself who suffered, lost his home and friends, I don't accept that the way to my people's freedom to start by violence and killing other people.

BRUNHUBER: Peace and coexistence, that's a message that should be amplified, certainly, across -- across the nations. Hamza Howidy, thank you so much for speaking to us. Really appreciate it.

HOWIDY: Thank you for having me. BRUNHUBER: And pro-Palestinian protesters also rallied in Washington

Saturday. They gathered outside the venue where U.S. President Joe Biden and thousands of journalists and celebrities attended Washington's social event of the season. Michael Yoshida has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL YOSHIDA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered outside the White House Correspondents' Dinner Saturday night, the large crowd filling the street, chanting. They also had speakers as well throughout the evening. All of this happening within shouting distance of the Hilton where the Correspondents' Dinner was happening. You could see some of the barricades right there throughout the evening. These protesters also shouting at those who were walking inside.

A lot of frustration for the Biden administration's handling, they say, of the war in Gaza. Also, a lot of frustration with the journalists who were walking into the Correspondents' Dinner to sit there alongside Biden and other members of his administration.

We saw Caitlyn Jenner at one point being addressed, back and forth going on throughout the evening between these crowds. They also had quite a bit of different programs throughout the evening. At one point, putting projections up on to the sides of buildings, filling the sidewalk as well. And all of this happening as they were voicing their frustration with the Biden administration, as well as those journalists who were attending this Correspondents' Dinner.

In Washington, I'm Michael Yoshida reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: U.S. Secretary of State is about to join the effort to jump-start talks involving Israel and Hamas. One of the latest on the cease-fire and hostage-release negotiations just ahead.

Plus, Hamas released new video of two Israelis, it's holding hostage. You'll hear from their families coming up. Please stay with us.

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[05:31:11]

BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is "CNN Newsroom."

An Israeli official tells CNN that Israel has rejected Egypt's ceasefire and hostage release proposal and presented its own conditions for an agreement. There's no word what those conditions are.

Now, on the streets of Tel Aviv Saturday, thousands of Israeli protesters demanded the government do more to bring home the hostages Hamas is holding in Gaza.

One of those protesters clashed with police. At least seven people were arrested. Now, while there are no signs that Israel and Hamas are closer to an agreement, Israel's Foreign Minister said a ceasefire and hostage deal could delay the planned ground assault on Rafah. Let's listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ISRAEL KATZ, ISRAEL FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): If there will be a deal, we will halt the operation. We will do whatever is required to bring the hostages back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Elliott Gotkine joins us live from London with more on the situation. So, Elliott, when we spoke yesterday, there seemed to be some optimism about progress on a deal, but that seems to be fading. Where do things stand right now?

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: Kim, hope's dashed again, I suppose. Look, the talks aren't completely dead, but nor are they making any real progress because they've been going on, of course, for months and months. There have been high-level delegations in Qatar, in Egypt.

Egyptian officials over the weekend speaking with their counterparts in Israel to transmit Hamas's latest demands to the Israelis. Israel rejecting those demands, it says, because Hamas is again sticking to its guns and demanding a complete cessation of hostilities and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip in order to free hostages and get a ceasefire into place.

Now, Israel has gone back and sent a counterproposal to Hamas via the Egyptians. Hamas says it is now reviewing that proposal, and I suppose as long as the talks are not completely dead, there is perhaps still a slither of hope that a deal might actually get done at some point.

But, of course, the window of time in which that could happen seems to be closing because Israel says that if a deal isn't done, it will launch that ground operation into Rafah, which it's been talking about as well for several weeks now.

Now, one reason why there may be a disconnect between the optimism and hopes that we may be getting closer to a hostage deal and the reality is, according to a senior U.S. administration official, because of differences or different perspectives from Hamas leadership outside the Gaza Strip and inside the Gaza Strip. He told CNN that a lot of times we hear things from leaders of Hamas outside of Gaza that do not reflect the Hamas leadership inside, which seems determined to simply sit underground holding hostages.

Now, talks -- these talks that are still ongoing may receive a bit of another flip or another attempt at least of bringing the two sides closer together this week when U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives in Saudi Arabia to meet partners -- Arab partners from the Gulf Cooperation Council. Of course, he'll be meeting with the Saudis as well. They'll be discussing ways to try to secure a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. And in the words of the statement from the State Department, saying that the secretary will discuss ongoing efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza that secures the release of hostages and how it is Hamas standing between the Palestinian people and a ceasefire, adding that they'll also talk about efforts to try to prevent an all-out escalation of the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip to other parts of the region.

Of course, we've had various escalations between, of course, Iran launching that barrage of 300 missiles and drones at Israel the other week, and, of course, ongoing fire between Iran's proxy of Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and Israel. And, of course, also under discussion will be U.S. attempts to try to get a grand bargain that would include Saudi normalization with Israel in exchange for concrete steps towards a two-state solution. Kim?

BRUNHUBER: All right. And, Elliott, in the meantime, as we saw earlier, more protests on the streets in Israel. Take us through what you've been seeing.

[05:35:09]

GOTKINE: Kim, this is becoming eerily reminiscent of the months-long protests that we saw from protesters in Israel against the government's plans to weaken the powers of the Supreme Court, because now, on a weekly basis, we are seeing thousands, if not tens of thousands, of protesters descending on Tel Aviv, mostly peacefully, but not always. There were seven arrests last night. And they are demanding not just that the government do everything humanly possible to secure the release of the Israeli hostages, who have now been held captive for more than 200 days, but they are also calling for new elections.

They want to see Prime Minister Netanyahu's government go, and certainly opinion polls would suggest that if there were elections held tomorrow, that his government, his right-wing government, would not win and would be out of office. So those protests are continuing, and I suppose they're really just aligning themselves with the hostage families who are determined to try to get their loved ones back home in Israel. Kim?

BRUNHUBER: All right, Elliott Gotkine in London, thank you so much.

Hamas released video of two Israeli hostages on Saturday. Have a look. On the left of your screen, you can see Israeli hostage Omri Miran. He was abducted on October 7th. And on the right is American-Israeli hostage Keith Siegel. He, too, was abducted from his home on October 7th. His wife was taken as well, but she was released in November.

Now, in that video, Siegel asked that Israel negotiate a hostage release deal. He appeared to be speaking under duress. The families of both hostages spoke after seeing the video.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ILAN SIEGE, DAUGHTER OF ISRAEL HOSTAGE KEITH SIEGEL (through translator): Seeing my father today only emphasizes to all of us how much we need to reach a deal as soon as possible and bring everyone home. I demand that the leaders of this country watch this video and see their father crying out for help.

DANI MIRAN, FATHER OF ISRAEL HOSTAGE OMRI MIRAN (through translator): I'm convinced that all the people of Israel and the nations of the world want to see the end of the bloodshed and the end of the suffering of our people. Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu and the cabinet, please make any deal. Make any deal, but every deal is executable. I'm asking you to get a decision now, now, now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: All right, still to come, Ukraine's President says Russia launched a massive missile strike on Saturday as his country waits for crucial U.S. aid to arrive.

Plus, Ukraine's Foreign Minister is saying about the delay in U.S. assistance and his message for Ukrainian allies. That's just ahead. Please stay with us.

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[05:40:42]

BRUNHUBER: Kyiv's military says Russia targeted Ukraine with dozens of missiles on Saturday, but its air defenses took down 21 of them. One strike almost hit a hospital in Kharkiv, leaving the huge crater you see there. The mayor says one person was injured, but it could have been much worse. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the attack, which he says mainly targeted energy infrastructure. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The trajectories of the missiles and the nature of the strike were calculated by Russian terrorists in a way to make the work of our air defense system as difficult as possible. Each downed rocket today is a significant result.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Sources tell CNN Ukraine attacked a military airfield and two oil refineries on Russian territory on Saturday. It was described as an explosive operation using drones. A source tell Ukraine -- says Ukraine is successfully targeting Russian military and infrastructure facilities, hoping to lower the potential for warfare.

CNN's Clare Sebastian takes a closer look at how these increased attacks on Russian oil refineries are impacting the global oil supply.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Flying straight for Russia's biggest moneymaker. This precise hit. One of more than a dozen Ukrainian drone strikes reported on Russian oil refineries since the start of the year.

VASYL MALYUK, HEAD OF SECURITY SERVICES OF UKRAINE (through translator): We've already reduced both production and processing by 12%. So, we continue to work while the gas station country continues to burn.

SEBASTIAN (voice over): Attacks like this which CNN has geo located to the high-capacity Ryazan oil refinery may experts say do more harm than sanctions to Russian energy.

HELIMA CROFT, HEAD OF GLOBAL COMMODITY STRATEGY, RBC CAPITAL MARKETS: From the beginning of the war, we made -- the U.S. made the decision to try to keep Russian oil on the market because no one would support Ukraine in a winter of discontent. Does this mean that Ukraine has a limited window to try to change dynamics on the ground?

SEBASTIAN (voice over): Russia has admitted oil refining output is down and it's temporarily banned gasoline exports to preserve supplies.

Meanwhile, global oil prices have risen around 12 percent since the start of the year, the U.S. official telling CNN these attacks are now being discouraged.

CROFT: If this was an election year, there might be more willingness to endure this. Like, that's why Washington is calling Ukraine right now.

SEBASTIAN (voice over): Two years ago, Ukraine would not have had the technology to do this. Some of the refineries hit are over a thousand kilometers from its territory, a big leap in terms of range. This puts around three quarters of Russian refinery output in Ukraine's reach according to RBC Capital Markets.

As to their ability to avoid this fate being downed by Russian jammers, a source close to Ukraine's drone program telling CNN artificial intelligence is now in use in some of the refinery attacks.

NOAH SYLVIA, RESEARCH ANALYST, ROYAL UNITED SERVICES INSTITUTE: They have this type of thing called machine vision, which is a form of A.I. to our understanding. All you have to do is you take a model and you have it on a chip and you train this model over time to be able to identify images, geography and the target.

SEBASTIAN (voice over): It also allows for a high degree of precision. Look at this strike, geolocated again to the Ryazan oil refinery, a second hit on one specific tower.

SYLVIA: From what we've seen, some of it is they're striking targets that need a lot of Western technology and Russia has a much more difficult time procuring this technology.

SEBASTIAN (voice over): And yet, experts say Ukraine is still exercising some restraint. These blue dots are Russia's key Western oil export terminals, around two thirds of its oil and oil product exports pass through these ports according to RBC. CROFT: If we simply had one major export facility hit, I think the impact on markets would be substantial.

SEBASTIAN (voice over): For Ukraine, the risk here is not just U.S. disapproval, but Russian revenge amid signs Ukraine's own energy sector is once again in its sights.

Clare Sebastian, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba spoke to CNN about the billions of dollars the U.S. pledged to Ukraine this week and the importance of having allies in Ukraine's corner. Here's what he told our Christiane Amanpour.

[05:45:06]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DMYTRO KULEBA, UKRAINIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: It's good to have America back. It's better when good things happen later than do not happen at all. We all know what follows when we lose, and therefore we will keep fighting.

What we do need is our partners to believe -- firmly believe that Ukraine's victory is attainable. And second, to have no fear towards Putin, because Putin is a political animal who can sense fear, and when he does, he becomes more aggressive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: A Russian journalist has been detained on charges of extremism for allegedly working with the Navalny live YouTube channel. The Moscow court has accused Konstantin Gabov of helping produce content for the channel, which is associated with the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Russian officials have long designated Navalny and his organization as extremist.

According to the Moscow court system, Gabov is a producer for the "Reuters" news agency and will remain in detention for at least two months.

And just in to CNN, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has arrived in Beijing. Chinese state media says he met with senior trade officials on Sunday. On Wednesday, Tesla announced aggressive price cuts in China, Germany, and the United States. Tesla stock has plunged more than 30% this year, and the company laid off 10% of its workforce.

All right, still ahead here on CNN Newsroom, the Lakers live to play another day. CNN Sports Carolyn Manno joins me to look at how L.A. finally beat the Joker after losing 11 in a row. Stay with us.

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[05:50:32] BRUNHUBER: In sports, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers live to play another game as they avoided getting swept by the defending champion Denver Nuggets. CNN sports Correspondent Carolyn Manno joins me.

Carolyn, well and good, but it would still take something historic for L.A. to actually make it to the next round, right?

CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: That's absolutely right. I mean, no team has ever come back from a 3-0 hole in the NBA playoffs, but there is a first time for everything, right? It's going to be tough.

I mean, the Lakers did get off to a fast start with LeBron James and Anthony Davis working together, leading the way like they have all season long. Davis had 25 points and 23 boards on the night, and L.A. led by 13 at the half, but they also led at the half in the first three games and lost. So the issue really is finishing for this team.

Nikola Jokic trying to spark a Nuggets comeback late in the third. A flick of the wrist, a perfect pass for the layup. The reigning finals MVP finishing with 33 and a triple-double, but this time around, L.A. would hold on. LeBron scored 30 as the Lakers win by 11, emphatically setting up another win or go home in game five.

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LEBRON JAMES, LOS ANGELES LAKERS FORWARD: The only opportunity for us is just to play the next game, and we've given ourselves another life. We give ourselves another lifeline, and it's a one-game series for us, you know? So, you know, Monday's game, I believe it's Monday. Monday's game is the most important game of the season for us.

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MANNO: The Celtics getting a huge bounce-back win in game three on the road against the Heat. Boston scorching hot in the second quarter, scoring 42 points, led by a much more balanced attack inside and out from their stars and their role players. The Celtics up 24 at half. They cruised from there. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown each finishing with 22 on the way to a 104-84 win, regaining home court advantage and taking a 2-1 series lead.

Elsewhere, a couple of overtime thrillers in the NHL playoffs. After dropping their first two games at home, the Dallas Stars discovered a trip to Vegas was just what they needed.

Wyatt Johnston from the near-impossible angle, beating Golden Knights goalie Logan Thompson short, side, and high for the game-winner 3-2, the final out West. The New York Islanders needed two overtimes to avoid getting swept by the Carolina Hurricanes. Semyon Varlamov coming up very big for the Isles. On his 36th birthday, no less, he made 44 saves, just enough for Mathew Barzal to deflect Robert Bortuzzo's blast from the blue line and finish it over a minute into the second OT to keep their season alive. They're back still against the wall, and the Boston Bruins pushing the Toronto Maple Leafs to the brink of elimination.

A special night for Brad Marchand, scoring his 56th career postseason goal, the most in Boston's long and storied history. As the Bruins win 3-1, they go up 3-1 in this series as well. And last, but definitely not least this morning, the NFL Draft wrapping up Saturday evening in Detroit with one of the most unique titles in American sports.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: With the 257th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the New York Jets select Jaylen Key, a defensive back from Alabama. Good luck, Mr. Irrelevant.

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MANNO: So the Jets making Jaylen Key the final pick of the 2024 draft. This is a choice which, as you know, Kim, has really endeared itself to fans. This has become known as Mr. Irrelevant, the very last pick in the draft. Thankfully, he doesn't appear to be taking it as a slight. He said afterwards he wants to lean into every bit of this.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, I mean, I guess I feel worse for the, like, second- last guy because he doesn't even get a title, right? All right.

MANNO: That's a good point.

BRUNHUBER: Well, we'll have to leave it there. Carolyn Manno in New York, thank you so much.

Well, the century-old White House Correspondents Dinner is affectionately called the Nerd Prom, meant to be an annual celebration of political journalism and a free press. Nearly 3,000 celebrities, journalists, and politicians gathered in Washington on Saturday for the Black-Tie event. Despite its lofty goals, it was also a chance to make fun of each other, themselves, and notably the elephant not in the room, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

Saturday Night Live cast member Colin Jost was the host, and he pointed out where Trump is right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLIN JOST, HOST, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS' DINNER: I'll be honest with you, I don't have a lot of time. I need to get back to New York because I'm juror number five on a big trial. Trump's lawyer took one look at me and he's like, he's got to be on our side.

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[05:55:04]

BRUNHUBER: And President Biden also cracked jokes at his opponent while flexing his comedic muscles. Have a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JOE BIDEN, (D) U.S. PRESIDENT: It's been a year since I delivered this speech and my wife Jill is with me tonight, was worried how I do. I told her, don't worry, just like riding a bike. She's, "that's what I'm worried about."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Movie fans in Tokyo are being treated to a larger-than-life display of one of the most fearsome monsters of the silver screen. A 300-foot or 100-meter-tall animation of Godzilla was projected on a government building in the Japanese capital for the monster's 70th Anniversary. The enormous lizard has destroyed Tokyo multiple times in films since it debuted.

The display holds the Guinness World Record for the largest projection map display, and visitors can see the digital Godzilla various times through May 6th.

All right, before we go, we thought we'd leave you with this caring for one crying child at a time is a challenge. We'll now multiply that number by 100. Have a look.

100, that's about how many children took part in the Crying Sumo event in Tokyo today. Sumo wrestlers rocked the infants while organizers wore masks of foxes and demons, all, believe it or not, trying to make the babies cry. The challenge is to see which baby will sob first. This started in 1991 to wish for the health and well-being of children. Weird way to do that. Apparently it also drives away evil spirits. Why?

That wraps this hour of "CNN Newsroom." I'm Kim Brunhuber. For viewers in North America, "CNN This Morning" is next. For the rest of the world, it's "Point of View," Abu Dhabi.

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