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White House Damage Control After President Trump's Response To The Massacre In New Zealand; Senator Kirsten Gillibrand Announcing Her 2020 Bid; Beto O'Rourke Is Wrapping Up His First Weekend As A Full Pledge Democratic Presidential Candidate; Death Toll In The New Zealand Mosque Massacre Has Now Climbed To 50; Parts Of The Midwest Are Battling Deadly And Historic Flood Leveling; New Zealand's Prime Minister Vows To Change The Country's Gun Laws Following That Massacre Of Two Mosques; Ethiopian Transport Minister Says The Plane's Flight Recorder Shows Similarities With The Crash Of The Same Model Boeing 737 Max 8 Back In October. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired March 17, 2019 - 14:00   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[14:00:14] FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Happening now in the NEWSROOM.

MICK MULVANEY, ACTING CHIEF OF STAFF: The President is not a white supremacist. I'm not sure how many times we have to say that.

WHITFIELD: The administration defending the President, who disputes white nationalism on the rise. This as Trump attacks late Senator John McCain in a series of tweets saying his handling of the Steele dossier and Obamacare vote are stains on McCain's legacy.

Plus, authorities in New Zealand are raising to identify the victims of the mosque terror attacks as some of the bodies are released to the families today.

Plus --.

JOE BIDEN, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I have the most progressive record of anybody running for the -- of anybody who would run. I didn't mean it.

WHITFIELD: Slip of the tongue or a flash of the future? Vice President Biden almost announces his Presidential plan.

And --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have never seen anything like this. It's the most I have ever seen, of course, but it is a stunning amount.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some of these homes, the water is already on the second floors or even up on the roof.

WHITFIELD: Levies breach, bridges broken, families plucked from their homes by choppers and boats.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am super thankful.

WHITFIELD: Record flood waters submerging parts of the Midwest and residents forced to evacuate.

CNN NEWSROOM starts now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Hello, everyone. Thanks so much for being with me this Sunday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

We begin with White House damage control after President Trump's response to the massacre in New Zealand. Fifty people murdered by a man promoting white nationalist ideas. Despite that deadly attack, President Trump still claiming the threat from white nationalism is not on the rise. Now his acting chief of staff mick Mulvaney coming to the President's defense.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MULVANEY: The President is briefed on all of the threats, domestic and international. But I am going to push back against this idea that every time something bad happens everywhere around the world, folks that don't like Donald Trump seem to blame it on Donald Trump.

CHRIS WALLACE, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: To the degree there was an issue of white supremacists, white nationalists and anti-Muslim bigotry in this country, and there is an issue with that, why not deliver a stage condemning it?

MULVANEY: Right. You have seen the President stand up for individual liberties. The President is not a white supremacist. I'm not sure how many times we have to say that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All of this happening while the President's focus, according to his twitter feed, is somewhere else. He is taking aim at the late Senator John McCain just months after his death for his ties to the controversial Russian dossier on Trump and McCain's notable thumbs down vote on repealing Obamacare. Well, the President slamming McCain for being last in his class at the U.S. naval academy. That was the President's tweet.

CNN's white House correspondent Boris Sanchez joining me now.

So Boris, let's begin with Mick Mulvaney's comments today. It is remarkable, the acting chief of staff has to explicitly say the President is not a white supremacist.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It is, Fred. And it is notable that Mulvaney became annoyed by the question. It is one that has plagued this White House before. Critics did not like the President's response to the atrocity that we

saw in New Zealand last week. Specifically, they are citing the President's response when he was asked if white supremacy and white supremacy activity was an issue around the world. The President sort of downplayed that even though there is evidence that it is surging in certain areas.

The President also failed to call out Islam-phobia by name. Some fault as condemnation of the attack in New Zealand wasn't strong enough including Representative Rashida Tlaib of Michigan.

Listen to what she told Jake Tapper this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. RASHIDA TLAIB (D), MICHIGAN: There is real doubt in information currently right now of the rise of white supremacy right here in this United States of America. He needs to look at the data and the information and the facts and actually listen and understand the tremendous responsibility he has in being our President, a leader of our country. He cannot just say it is a small group of people. There is too many deaths. Not only from the synagogue to the black churches to the temples now the mosques. We need to be speaking up against this. And it has to starts with him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Fred, the White House says previously push back saying the President's condemnation of the attacks in New Zealand was sufficient. Still, critics would like to see him respond to this sort of issue with the energy that he does to Democrats or SNL or even the former Senator John McCain on twitter - Fred.

[14:05:04] WHITFIELD: All right. And now give us some context about why the President felt compel to go after the late senator John McCain on twitter today?

SANCHEZ: Right. Well, John McCain was actually one of the first people to see the Steele dossier, some of that salacious information that was collected during the 2016 campaign. McCain denied he ever shared that with journalists, but we know that at least one of his aids did. And some see that as a stain on McCain's legacy, including former investigator Kenneth Starr. Listen to what he told FOX News.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He said that he didn't have anything to do with passing on the dossier to the FBI. And yet now we know he did.

KEN STARR, FORMER INDEPENDENT COUNSEL INVESTIGATED PRESIDENT CLINTON: Deeply disappointing. Well, we will see. That's what the evidence shows. You know, I'm one who keeps saying don't rush to judgment, but that's what the evidence tends to show. I'm very, very saddened by this. But John McCain was an American hero who did so much for the country, but this is unfortunately a very dark stain.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: The President apparently watched this interview and decided to further express his disdain for the late senator. He tweeted this out, writing quote "spreading the fake and totally discredited dossier is unfortunately a very dark stain against John McCain, Ken Starr, former independent counsel. He had far worse stains than this, including thumbs down on repeal and replace after years of campaigning to repeal and replace."

John McCain's daughter, Megan McCain tweeted back at the President very quickly. She fired back writing quote "no one will ever love you the way they loved my father. I wish I had been given more Saturdays with him. Maybe spend yours with your family instead of on twitter obsessing over mine."

The spat between these two prominent Republicans carrying on months after Senator McCain passed away. Let's not forget where this started many years ago in the summer of 2015 when President Trump said that John McCain was not a war hero -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Yes. He says my heroes don't get caught to that effect.

All right. Boris Sanchez, thank you so much.

Our CNN political analysts are joining me right now. Senior White House correspondent for Bloomberg News Margaret Talev and White House correspondent for "the Atlantic" Elena Plott. Good to see you both.

All right. Let's talk about that stunning statement, you know, from Mulvaney, you know. The President is not a white supremacist. He took to the Sunday shows today.

Margaret, what is your reaction to why the chief of staff felt like he had to defend the President in this manner?

MARGARET TALEV, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, because there is -- the world is watching, so to speak. And this is now -- I think the President was probably trying to avoid spending a lot of time talking about this, but his response so far has create add controversy where we are now spending a lot of time talking about this.

Of course, assaults and intimidation of Muslims are on the rise across the United States and across Canada, the UK, Western Europe, some top U.S. allies. And the statistics show that and it's been the case for a number of years. And rather than tackle the issue head-on, the President has -- seems to have gone out of his way studiously to use the word Muslim when talking about the victims.

And so, it's invited debate and discussion and consternation. To some extent politically owned Democrats are running for 202 but also among many Muslims. American-Muslims and Muslims throughout the world and the U.S. presidency is a leadership role for the world. So when something catastrophic and incendiary like what happen happens, it is traditionally a U.S. President's role to try to take down the temperature and talk about unity, calm people, bring them together and greatly discourage this kind of action in the future. WHITFIELD: And Elena, that wasn't exactly the premises in which the

question was asked of Mulvaney about, you know, the President's demeanor, his word choice, lack thereof on the world's stage. And, you know, you heard Mulvaney make the comment that, well, any time, you know, something bad happens people don't need to be blaming the President. It's not that the President is receiving blame for what happened in New Zealand, but people are looking to the world's most powerful leader, you know, to comfort everyone and to condemn what took place.

ELENA PLOTT, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, THE ATLANTIC: Well, I think, Fred, when you said lack thereof. That is the key statement. And somebody like mick Mulvaney finds themselves in the exact position that many high profile aids of Donald Trump often do in the unfortunate aftermath of these, you know, frequently on the rise tragedies. And it's not necessary because that they feel that they are itching to defend this President. But often the President doesn't say anything in the aftermath of these sort of things or he sends kind of the cursory tweet and then he is fixating on the next thing.

WHITFIELD: Right. He picks and chooses. He picks and chooses when he wants to be very loquacious and then there is silence.

PLOTT: So the aides have to in many ways fill that void because they know when they gone to Sunday shows, this is what not only anchors will be looking to but what people across the country and the world will be looking to. If the President can't do it himself or chooses not to, that task will always fall upon whoever the chief of staff is at that moment.

WHITFIELD: Here was another moment from Mulvaney this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MULNAVEY: I hear when folks say Donald Trump said this during the campaign. Look at what we have done while we've been here. I don't think anybody can say that the President is anti-Muslim.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. So Margaret, what do you say to that because a whole lot of folks have been saying that particularly after what happened in New Zealand because they are recalling so many sentiments from the President from, you know, the Muslim ban, travel ban in this country.

TALEV: Well, and, you know, as a journalist you look to his past statements and you also look to what he doesn't do and who he hasn't met with and this is an opportunity in the week ahead for a President, for example, to try to convene Muslim-American leaders to talk about concerns in their community. So we will see if anything like that happens.

I think there is also the problem of some mixed messages when you see the tweets of embracing Janine Pirro, jumping to her defense. It is just -- it's that combination of what he's saying and what he's not saying that's raising a lot of questions that the President himself kind of uniquely has the ability to clarify if he wants to, but then when he feels sort of besieged, rather than address the issue, he just sort of lashes out. And so that's, I think, what we are seeing today.

WHITFIELD: You know, and this coupled with, you know, the President's tweets this morning, his comments on the late Senator John McCain.

So Elena, what does the President feel he has to gain to do this?

PLOTT: The President takes things really, really personally, Fred. We know that at this point. And oftentimes I think what frustrates aids in the White House who I talk to is a lot of times they don't see the fact that he's not addressing, say, what happened in New Zealand the other day as, you know, a big choice on his part, something really deliberate.

It's just not at all what he's thinking about, which is another story entirely that the leader of the free world is choosing to focus not on one of the largest tragedies on the land of one of our allies, but instead what a late senator may or may not have done when it comes to Donald Trump's election back in 2016.

WHITFIELD: But is that an accident or is that intentionally just simply trying to change the subject?

PLOTT: I think a lot of it is trying to change the subject, but I also don't think it's smart to give the President too much credit say to the 3D or what not. A lot of times it is often just what he is thinking about at the moment, and that is thus what he's choosing to tweet about.

WHITFIELD: Margaret, Senator Lindsey Graham, you know, weighed in. Very good friend of the late John McCain saying his service will never be diminished, but nothing rebuking, you know, Trump's criticism directly. Why not?

TALEV: I haven't talked to Senator Graham, so I don't know. But I do think that we have just finished a week where we have seen several Republicans come out kind of blocking and tackling on some President Trump's legislative moves.

I think his handling of a situation like this is a problem for many Republicans in Congress. But they have to weigh that against their political considerations and whether they think it's worthwhile to insert themselves into a story that they have probably rather not be part of at all.

So I think this continued weighing of strategy is something we see when the President does something that makes fellow members uncomfortable, but it's not really directly about them, and they have to decide whether or not they want to become part of a story.

WHITFIELD: So Elena, what is the calculus behind, particularly, why some members of the GOP may grimace, you know, at, you know, the President's approach on sensitive matters like this, but then at the same time when it comes down to policy, they don't use that in consideration when backing him on policy. They don't separate the two.

PLOTT: I think we have reached actually what is probably a pretty dangerous point in terms of the American cultural consciousness, which is that when GOP lawmakers in particular see a Trump tweet about, say, John McCain like they did today, everything is chalked up to just being words and Trump just saying things. You heard Mick Mulvaney echo that defense when he said don't look at what Donald Trump said. Look at what he is doing for the country.

WHITFIELD: Right. But they do separate, you know, as opposed to consolidating this, you know, one person.

[14:15:01] PLOTT: Right. I think it is worrisome is that words do matter, Fred. I mean, we know that words influence people. Words change people where, you know, rhetoric does matter when it comes to the leader of the free world. And we have I think reached a point where GOP senators see rhetoric, you know, with quite a few blind spots.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Elena Plott and Margaret Talev, we will leave it there for now you. Thanks so much.

We are also following breaking news of an explosion south of Los Angeles injuring at least two people. We are told the explosion happened after a leaking gasoline tanker caught fire. You see the plume of smoke there. Several manhole covers blew up after fumes ignited in nearby storm drains. At least one home was damaged. The fire is out and hazmat crews are cleaning up the scene.

And you are looking at incredible live pictures near Houston, Texas of a massive fire at the intercontinental terminals company facility in Deer Park. This comes one day after a fire at a nearby Exxon facility. The city of Deer Park is warning residents to seek shelter immediately. And of course, we will monitor this story and bring you any updates as they become available.

Also, still ahead, and then there were 14.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We need a leader who makes bold --.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Brave --.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Choices.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Someone isn't afraid of progress.

SEN. KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND (D), NEW YORK: That's why I'm running for president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Democratic New York senator Kirsten Gillibrand makes her Presidential bid official. This as former vice president Joe Biden almost or maybe accidentally drops a big hint about his own future. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:20:49] WHITFIELD: Welcome back. New today the Democratic field for President just got bigger. New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand jumped into the 2020 race officially.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We need a leader who makes bold --.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Brave --.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Choices.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Someone isn't afraid of progress.

SEN. KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND (D), NEW YORK: That's why I'm running for president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Gillibrand's announcement pushes the crowded field of Democratic hopefuls to an even dozen. And she may not be the last to throw her hat into the rink as former vice President Joe Biden almost announces that he's running.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: I have the most progressive record of anyone running for the -- of anybody who would run.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. Let's begin with the candidate that's all in. Senator Gillibrand announcing her 2020 bid with a two-and-a-half minute video entitled brave winds where she takes on Donald Trump and references the first line of the national anthem.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GILLIBRAND: It asks, who win. Brave doesn't pit people against each other. Brave doesn't put money over lives. Brave doesn't spread hate, cloud truth, build a wall. That's what fear does.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. CNN's Athena Jones joining us right now.

So what can you tell us about the announcement and her plans for the week?

ATHENA JONES, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fred. Well, you heard in that video she stresses the theme of bravery. We heard on the campaign trail ever since senator Gillibrand announced her exploratory committee back in January. She portrayed herself or softer to portray herself as a fearlessness, as a person with fearless determination and courage. Someone who is willing to fight for what is right even when it is hard. And so you are seeing a continuation of that theme in that video.

And you also saw that video, it is pretty long. It is about two-and- a-half minutes stressing one of the main arguments we have heard her make as she meets with voters about why they should consider her to be the Democratic nominee in 2020. And that is that she has been touting the fact that she beat the odds and won in a reliably red district when she first ran for Congress back in 2006.

This was the district where Republicans outnumbered Democrats by two to one. So a very rural district. She has been highlighting the fact, she and her campaign team, have been highlighting that she has been going to a lot of rural communities, the kinds of communities in and around upstate New York that helped her win. And so, she has been touting her ability to kind of cross the aisle, to appeal to voters of all stripes and to show that he has done it in the past.

What's interesting about the coming days is that she is going to be launching another swing through early states. She spent this past weekend in New Hampshire. Tomorrow she heads to Michigan. She will be having an event with the governor there. She is also going to be traveling through Iowa doing a swing in sort of the southeastern edge of the state visiting several counties that Barack Obama won but that then put to Trump. And then she is going to go to Nevada.

And then she ends the week, this sort of first full week as an official candidate with a big speech here in New York City right outside where CNN is. You can see that behind me at Columbia Circle at the Trump international hotel. So she is taking the fight to Trump and doing it is kind of literally not so much at his doorstep in terms of where he lives and has an apartment but certainly at one of his properties she is going to hope to generate some buzz by really bringing the fight to Trump.

WHITFIELD: And, you know, most people know she has been a real key ally in the Me Too movement. But now she is also facing some criticism for how, you know, she handled an allegation against a male adviser in her office.

JONES: Right. This was not a good headline for the senator just this past -- in the past week or so. She faced this allegation that back in the summer, a staffer in her office complained about another staffer who said inappropriate things, complained about sexual harassment, that the office did an investigation, couldn't find specific evidence of sexual harassment, but did find evidence of derogatory comments. They punished that staffer by denying him a promotion, denying him a raise. It wasn't until later that they heard from a separate staffer or other complaints that they ended up firing this person.

And so, this is as someone who has made a name for herself fighting for women in the workplace trying to make sure that sexual harassment and sexual assault either doesn't happen or that justice is achieved for them, whether in the military, on college campuses or in the workplace. It is certainly a bit of a stain as someone who would portray themselves as a champion of women to now being accused of not handling a situation like that in their own office.

[14:25:39] WHITFIELD: Athena Jones, thanks so much.

All right. And now to that slip of the tongue or was it? That may have revealed another Democratic candidate presidential plans? Joe Biden speaking to a crowd of supporters in his own state of Delaware seeming to almost declare his intention to run in 2020. Take a listen to how that moment played out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: You know, I get criticized and told by the new left. I have the most progressive record of anybody running for the -- of anybody who would run. I didn't mean -- of anybody who would run.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: What do you think? Intentional? Not so much? Biden has indicated to his friends that it is all but certain that he will run and those familiar with discussions say an official announcement could come as soon as April.

Beto O'Rourke is wrapping up his first weekend as a full pledge Democratic presidential candidate in the critical swing state of Wisconsin. The former Texas congressman is expected to speak in Milwaukee just over an hour from now.

His campaign is off to a somewhat rocky start, however, a day after apologizing for joking about his wife raising their children while he was on the road. O'Rourke faced an awkward exchange with a voter in Iowa about his willingness to commit to picking a female running mate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're nominated as Democratic position as president of the United States. Will you put a woman as your vice President?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I need a job.

BETO O'ROURKE (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's hard for me to think of a reason that I would not do that. I think talking about who I would pick as vice president just feels really premature.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know it feels premature.

O'ROURKE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But you're half of the ticket.

O'ROURKE: That's right.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You represent the other half of this country, too.

O'ROURKE: That's right.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They need to see a woman in a position of power in this country.

O'ROURKE: Yes, yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We haven't had a woman vice President. I would like the youngest person that I'm going to vote for to drive this country forward and put a woman on his ticket.

O'ROURKE: Yes, I hear you. Again, that would be my preference. I feel like it would be presumption for me to talk about who I would select as vice president right now, but your point is taken.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. CNN's Leyla Santiago is at Beto O'Rourke's Milwaukee event.

So Leyla, it just sounded like he didn't want to quite commit searching for the right words to use. How awkward of a moment was that? What is his campaign saying about how he handled it, et cetera?

LEYLA SANTIAGO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, listen, we have heard of voters ask him a lot of questions, some in which he has been very direct. Some in which the voters themselves say, I didn't quite get the answer there. I wanted some more specifics.

I can tell you he's just wrapping up a three day 13 county trip in Iowa. Now in Wisconsin. Some of the things people say they like about him. They like his positivity. That he had a chance to say something about Biden or Trump and he chose not to. They like he is in the areas that President Obama won in the Presidential election in 2012 and then President Trump won four years later. And so in areas that have felt forgotten, he is bringing them attention. So that's some of the feedback that we are hearing.

We are sort of seeing him craft his message in real time as he changes things. He was also criticized for what he said about his wife Amy raising their kids sometimes with his help. He addressed that saying, look, I get that I said that. I don't like that I said that, and I'm going to change it. I'm no longer saying that. We saw him do that in the Senate race as well when he used lying Ted and said that wasn't my style.

He just had an exchange with the voter that the voter said he doesn't like he uses so much profanity and asked him about a DUI arrest in his past. Take a look at that exchange.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

O'ROURKE: This is a total legitimate question. So the answer is nothing. And I have been open about this since I first ran for office in 2005. Absolutely. And I expect it. So to be very clear, I make no bones about it. I drove while intoxicated. That is wrong. There is no justification or court defense. No.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[14:30:24] SANTIAGO: The RNC tweeting about that DUI this morning.

Another big question is how much has he raised? He raised $80 million in his Senate race against Ted Cruz. That's kind of what made him put him on the map as this rising star. He said he is choosing not to release those numbers yet. So we are still waiting to find out exactly how much money he has raised in the first weekend of his 2020 campaign.

WHITFIELD: Lots of examples of just what being on the campaign trail is all about. Lots of questions, how does a candidate address it and where do they evolve or not.

Leyla Santiago, thank you so much.

And be sure to watch tomorrow night when Massachusetts senator and Democratic Presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren takes her message to voters in a CNN town hall. That's tomorrow night at 9:00 p.m. right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:35:50] WHITFIELD: Welcome back.

The death toll in the New Zealand mosque massacre has now climbed to 50. The number of injured also now standing at 50. Authorities are now racing to identify all the victims so that their families can bury them quickly in accordance with Muslim tradition. Only one suspect remains in custody after police release three others saying they had nothing to do with the shootings.

CNN international anchor, Kriste Lu Stout is in Christchurch for us right now.

So Kriste, I see people visiting that makeshift memorial. What are people saying?

KRISTE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Fredricka, it's past 7:30 a.m. in the morning here in Christchurch. And even though the crowds of well-wishers are usually see here are not here just yet, you can see quite clearly behind me the long, growing and moving tributes to the terror victims of the terror attacks on Friday.

You see flower bouquets, paper chains, hand-written notes. Perhaps most moving are the handwritten notes written in marker and crayons by children. I saw one note just now that have words on it, is it remember goodness.

And these types of thoughts are so important right now as we learn that the death toll has increased, 50 people that died as a result of the terror attacks. Fifty people are wound ted. Of those 36 critically, one four-year-old girl right now in Christchurch hospital is fighting for her life.

And we are learning more about the victims. Their remains are finally being returned to their loved ones where they can finally say their farewell and to prepare the remains for burial in line with Islamic tradition.

We also know later today there will be a critical government meeting on gun reform. There will be a cabinet meeting with the Prime Minister Jacinda Adern. As you know, one day after the massacre, she pledged that there would be changes to the gun legislation. She wants to see a ban on semiautomatic weapons.

Also today, there will be a heavy security presence felt, not just in Christchurch but across New Zealand. We heard from the police commissioner of New Zealand Mike Bush on Sunday. He said that there would be a significance boost in presence this Monday. It will be felt and seen in streets around schools and business as well as in the air.

But Fredricka, just to bring it back to where we are here. This moving scene in Christchurch which has repeated not just here (INAUDIBLE) gardens but all across the city. This is how the people here have chosen to respond to an act of terror. Not with hate, not with fear, not with division, but with love, compassion and that is that one banner behind me reads, we stand together with our Muslim brothers and sisters. And it is absolutely moving to behold.

Fredricka, back to you.

WHITFIELD: A big embrace, embracing of all of them.

Kriste Lu Stout in New Zealand, thank you so much.

Still so much more straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

But first here is this week's wander must.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bimini is the gateway to the Bahamas. You can catch a two-hour ferry from the port of Miami to the island of Bimini. We have miles of white, sandy beaches. Beautiful shark-wide (ph) water. It is a beach lover's dream. The people are very friendly and welcoming. Stop by one of our waterfront shacks for a taste of a delicious salad.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) coming right up. Bimini is such a beautiful serene spot. One of the best ways to explore it is by kayak. Since 2011, when all the Bahamas became a shark sanctuary and they are all protected here. People wanted to get in the water to see them, so we put a cage in the dock, climb down the ladder, get in and enjoy these amazing, magnificent creatures feeding inches from your face. The next step is to get out of the gate.

The (INAUDIBLE) shark swim is so easy. All you need to know how to do is swim. You can have 20 of these sharks that grow six, seven foot swimming all around you with no cage. And it is a super fun experience.

Another thing you have to do when you are in Bimini is snorkel the (INAUDIBLE). It is an old Navy ship and it was actually built for World War I. Enjoy experiencing marine life in its natural habitat, then Bimini is your prime destination.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:44:04] WHITFIELD: Right now parts of the Midwest are battling deadly and historic flood leveling. Officials confirmed at least two people have died in the flood waters. And the water is still rising. This just days after that massive bomb cyclone hit the area melting snow and ice. The jams threatened the region and experts warned that in some places the worst is yet to come.

Here is CNN's Kaylee Hartung.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAYLEE HARTUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Bridges destroyed. Highways washed out. Cars and cattle stranded. This is the aftermath of a bomb cyclone. The powerful weather system slammed the Midwest with hurricane-like winds and blizzard conditions last week leaving drowning rains and flooding in its wake. After heavy snowfall this winter, natural snow melt is making bad conditions worse.

In Wisconsin, Darlington officials say the city hasn't seen this much flooding in more than 25 years. Free Freemont, Nebraska, home to more than 26,000 people became an island when roadways in and out of town flooded Friday. Nebraska's governor touring the damage in his state.

[14:45:07] GOV. PETE RICKETS, NEBRASKA: This has probably been, you know, the most severe widespread flooding we have had as far as parts of the states being impacted in the last century.

HARTUNG: Nebraska rescue teams have been pulling trapped residents out of flood waters since Thursday. At least one person has been confirmed dead because of the dangerous waters.

Jims Wilky (ph), a Nebraska farmer got a call to assist a stranger, left home on his tractor and never returned. Two other men are missing and presumed dead.

The national weather service predicts much calmer weather in most areas this weekend but flooding will persist throughout the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. And forecasters caution more snow melt is on the way, so the worst flooding may be yet to come.

Kaylee Hartung, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And New Zealand's prime minister vows to change the country's gun laws following that massacre of two mosques. We will go live to that country.

And here, why some say action should have been taken a long time ago.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [14:50:33] WHITFIELD: As the death toll in the New Zealand mosque massacre climbs to 50, authorities are racing to identify victims so families can bury them in accordance with Muslim tradition. New Zealand prime minister called a cabinet meeting tomorrow and vow the government will confront gun control.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACINDA ADERN, NEW ZEALAND PRIME MINISTER: I can tell you one thing right now, our gun laws will change. There have been attempts to change our laws in 2005, 2012 and after an inquiry in 2017. Now is the time for change.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Heather du Plessis Allan is with me now. She is a columnist for the New Zealand Herald. Good to see you, Heather.

What is the consensus of most people? Do they agree with the prime minister that gun laws must change?

HEATHER DU PLESSIS ALLAN, COLUMNIST, NEW ZEALAND HERALD: Look, honestly, it is probably a little early for us to know exactly where the country sits on this. The most prolific online activity is coming from those who are interested in keeping guns in the hands of gun users, so there is a lot of traffic from essentially our gun lobby. It is not a cohesive group that (INAUDIBLE). And there is a lot of traffic coming from them and they are very, very strongly opposed to this. But I think that it will be very hard to avoid doing something with the gun laws given the strength of feeling in the country right now about what's happened.

WHITFIELD: So you wrote an op-ed about gun control in New Zealand in the Herald calling for two major changes, banning semiautomatics and a national registry to start tracking who owns guns. And you write that the reason that hasn't happened yet is money. And I'm quoting from the paper right now. "A register would cost about $30 million. Apparently that's too expensive. But how much would you pay to undo Friday's attack?"

Is that what the prime minister will be grappling with as she meets with other leaders?

ALLAN: Yes. It is a combination of two things. It is the money. It is extremely expensive. I mean, $30 million to set up a register is not a lot of money really, but it is an excuse that's being used. Buying back in order to ban your assault rifles, you know, you need to be able to buy them back. And that will cost millions and millions and millions of dollars. We are talking hundreds of millions of dollars likely. If we look at the Australian example where they did it slightly more than 20 years ago. That's the one consideration.

The other consideration is the fact that this gun lobby, once they get going, they are extremely passionate about it. And look, a lot of New Zealanders use guns. A lot of New Zealanders feel that they should have access to these weapons. And so they will be able to mobilize a lot of people and the consideration that will be really playing on the government's mind is how many votes can we afford to lose when we are trying to do this?

WHITFIELD: So in the U.S. there is the second amendment. Are there similar protections in New Zealand for gun ownership?

ALLAN: No, no. Not at all. I mean, we look at your situation and we think it is bizarre that it is in your constitution. For us, it is more the fact that we are keen hunters. It is part of our upbringing that we spent a lot of time in the outdoors. And there is a sort of understanding that, you know, that you would have to -- you would have to say most New Zealanders have friends or families who use guns that are part of our everyday lives in some capacity. And so, I think that would be more where our association with guns comes from rather than conviction.

WHITFIELD: And in this country, President Trump has come under some scrutiny, criticism in the U.S. and elsewhere for not saying more specifically in support of the Muslim community there, the Muslim victims. And he has not denounced, you know, with the rise -- denounced the rise of white nationalism. Instead, saying it doesn't appear as though there has been a rise. What are the sentiments about the President's remarks there?

ALLAN: Look, I think it's fair to say that Donald Trump is not very popular in New Zealand. And, so, there will be a lot of feeling that Donald Trump is not helping the situation with regards to, you know, the sentiment towards Muslims around the world. I think that would be about the extent of it.

[14:55:04] WHITFIELD: All right. Heather du Plessis Allan, thank you so much.

We have so much more straight ahead in the NEWSROOM right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:59:29] WHITFIELD: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. We begin with breaking news on the Ethiopian airline crash.

Ethiopian transport minister says the plane's flight recorder shows similarities with the crash of the same model Boeing 737 max 8 back in October.

Let's get right to CNN's Richard Quest.

So Richard, what are you learning?

RICHARD QUEST, CNN EDITOR-AT-LARGE: The Ethiopian transport minister was speaking in Paris where, of course, the flight data and voice recorders are being read out by the BEA, which is the French authority. What we now understand is what people suspected. He said that there are certain similarities --.

END