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Two Dead, 29 Injured After Tornado Rips Through Oklahoma; Interview with Mayor Matt White about the Impact of the Storm; Trump Downplays North Korea Missile Tests During Visit to Japan; Hiker Rescued in Hawaii. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired May 26, 2019 - 16:00   ET

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


[16:00:00]

COLIN QUINN, CNN'S "RED STATE BLUE STATE": Thanks so much.

SAVIDGE: And we want to encourage everyone to be sure to tune to CNN Original Series, it's a special presentation, it's called "COLIN QUINN, RED STATE BLUE STATE," and it premieres tomorrow night at 9:00 Eastern and Pacific. It's only on CNN. You have to check it out. Thanks.

Hey there. Thank you very much for joining me. I'm Martin Savidge in for Fredricka Whitfield.

We're going to begin with breaking news. A story we're following out of El Reno, Oklahoma. Two people are dead, nearly 30 are injured when a tornado tore through that town, destroying a mobile home park and a motel. Right now search and rescue missions still under way. Survivors of the storm describe the scary moments of when that tornado hit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RACHEL GARRISON, OKLAHOMA STORM SURVIVOR: I heard it coming, I felt the trailer 80 hit our trailer. I know trailer 80 flipped over top of 81, which we were in. And after everything was over with, and all the shaking and jarring, and everybody landed on the floor, the sirens went off.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They went off a little too late.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It just got real dark real fast and everything started shaking violently.

GARRISON: I told him to hit the floor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: This is all part of the massive tornado outbreak across the central U.S. Oklahoma has been the target of dozens of tornadoes. This latest twister just one of more than 200 that the region has gone and suffered through over the past 10 days.

Let's check in with CNN's Omar Jimenez. He's in El Reno, Oklahoma. The same city got hit hard by the widest tornado of record six years ago. I believe it was like 2.6 miles wide with wind speeds of close to 300 miles an hour. So we're learning more about the details of this most recent tornado.

What do we know?

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right. Almost six years to the day, by the way, of that previous devastating one. We are getting new details from the National Weather Service about the details on this tornado. It's classified as an EF-3 out of 5 for those who don't know. And it was about 75 yards wide when it came through but it came through and travelled for about 2.2 miles bringing basically destruction with it as it moved through. And when you talk about how long this lasted, only four minutes, but as you're seeing on your screen there, you see how much damage can be done in four minutes.

We've been speaking to residents and people who live around here in the El Reno area. We actually spoke to one man who was inside the hotel that was completely decimated over the course of this tornado. He says he was laying there asleep, getting ready to go to bed like any other night. And all of a sudden he heard it storming pretty heavily outside but then his windows began to rattle, then they shattered.

He dove to the ground and next he knew his roof completely caved in on him. He said if it wasn't for the bed that was next to him, he would have been completely crushed by that roof. He was wearing nothing but shorts, walked out, no shirt, no shoes, into complete darkness until authorities came and helped him from there. And he says all that only took a matter of minutes.

Now let's remember, this isn't happening in a vacuum. This is coming on the tail end of what has been a week full of deadly tornados. High water rescues and some places all throughout the region. And here in El Reno in particular, the mayor told me earlier today had 46 water rescues. And the mayor is who I want to bring in right now, Mayor Matt White, who's been standing by for us.

Mister Mayor, it's been a long day for you and a long night that began last night. Where are we now as far as the recovery and how are people here in El Reno doing?

MAYOR MATT WHITE, EL RENO, OKLAHOMA: You know, lucky I talked to them this morning. We completed our grid. We're looking to make sure we didn't miss anybody. We want to go over and make sure all the I's were dotted and the T's were crossed to make sure we did our grid check. We've completed that. So we were holding our numbers and we finalized that two fatalities, several injured, you know, some minor and a lot of critical injuries.

So at this point what we're doing now is we're trying to get our services back on. We're going to try to get 81 Highway back open for tonight. We're going to -- that's our goal. You know, we're going to try to get that goal done. We're also trying to coordinate with OG&E to get cleared out so we can get power back on these buildings further in where the disruption has been in the middle where the tornado was. And start the process of cleaning up.

JIMENEZ: And I think a lot of people who have been watching either here, in the United States or from around the world looking from the outside in, have really been following storms that have hit the Oklahoma-Texas-Missouri region over the course of this week. What's it been like over the course of this week for you here in El Reno?

WHITE: Well, we've had about everything in the world thrown at us this week. You know, we've had major flooding that was -- occurred north of our community. West of our community. And major flooding east part of our community. And then the tornado hit this east south part of our community.

We're a community of 20,000 people so, you know, our guys are wore out, but I will tell you, our first responders are just incredible. It's just unbelievable what our fire department, the police department, the sheriff's department has done.

[16:05:05] A path for the ambulance service, St. Anthony's Hospital, all the first responders, emergency management, they've done a great job of going in together. You know, it's one of those things that more of these tragedies happen, like somewhere, you know. You think there's confusion, there is none. Everyone knows exactly what to do. Everyone knows, you know, where to go. It's just a well oiled machine, and I think they did a great job about getting and saving a lot of lives last night.

JIMENEZ: And our crews got here as quickly as we could, but you were here in the immediate aftermath of this storm. Walk me through what it looked like when you first rolled up and what were those first steps to try and tackle what was obviously an enormous scene of devastation.

WHITE: Sure. I was paired up, we all paired up in twos. Like I said the chief of police took command of everything and were basically paired up in twos. And he and I were partnered up, then we cleared some of the building that you see back behind us at the hotel, and we, you know, go in and make sure they're clear and check those. And as there was people being helped by different sets. So we went that direction and we moved our attention back to the mobile home park.

And that's where most of the devastation that I saw -- I mean, of course, look at the hotel back behind us, it's absolutely devastated. But you go back where the mobile home park was, there's 88 spots back there, and 15 are absolutely just wiped off the face of the earth. They're just decimated.

JIMENEZ: And the last thing I want to ask you before I let you go and get some well-deserved rest, for people here, is for people looking on the outside in, what do you have to say to people who may be concerned about again the amount of storms that have come through here in just amount of a short time.

WHITE: You know, everybody has different -- you'll have hurricanes, you have earthquakes, you have fires, I mean, you know, it's just -- it's one of those things that you choose where you live and I think we -- I'm a fourth generation Renoite. I've lived here all my life. You know, we've got great people here and this is (INAUDIBLE) what we've seen. All these people are helping neighbors, everything else. And you're going to have tragedy about anywhere you live, I guess. But, you know, the people I wouldn't trade for anything. This community is so resilient, and kind and caring. We really are -- we're a community of 20,000, but really we're more than that, we're a family.

JIMENEZ: Mayor Matt White, thank you so much, I appreciate you taking time.

WHITE: Thank you.

JIMENEZ: And Mayor White, while he's been up all night trying to make sure his city gets back on good footing after what you can see the immense devastation, as we learned literally came through in a matter of four minutes -- Martin.

SAVIDGE: Yeah, Omar, thank you very much. Our thanks to Mayor White as well. We hate to see the loss of life but it is still good news that they have not found any more victims.

I'm joined now by CNN meteorologist Ivan Cabrera.

Ivan, this storm threat is not over, it continues, and I believe there's like some 60 million people that could be at risk in some way?

IVAN CABRERA, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. In some way, and more. Now once again the pattern is stuck, and until we un-stuck it it's going to be like this for quite several days upcoming here. So just to recap there on what happened in El Reno, EF-3, it goes to 5 in the scale so 140 or 145 mile an hour winds. That was the estimate of what came through and well-built structures, well-built structures can certainly sustain significant damage. And obviously as we saw 75 yard wild tornado on the ground for 2.2 miles.

Take a look at this map here. This is in the last 10 days so if you think it's been busy, it has been quite busy. We've had 237 tornadoes in just the last 10 days. And we're going to add I think some more tornadoes on the ground tonight. And we're going to do that again as we head into tomorrow as well. Already under way as far as the watches, in fact since the last time I spoke to you, the tornado watch has been expanded.

We're now talking eastern New Mexico heading up into Kansas. That stretches for about 500 miles, and we already have some cells developing there. We have a severe thunderstorm watch. Remember we have two areas that we're watching today, across the west and then across the Ohio Valley, and eventually this moves into the mid- Atlantic here. So heads up if you're watching us from West Virginia, into Virginia, and then portions of the 95 corridor including Baltimore, D.C. will be getting hit I think later this afternoon and into the evening.

What are the threats. Well, tornadoes, large hail and also damaging wind potential. And then of course the storms we talked about there on the front range, that's going to be coming in as we head for later this afternoon and into evening.

I'll time this out for you. You can see, you're going to be out and about, again a lot of folks off this weekend, obviously tonight the storms roll in between 6:00 p.m. and midnight across the East Coast. So keep that in mind, some of them will be on the strong to severe side here, and that's what we have upcoming.

Now tomorrow, Memorial Day, we include the Midwest, the northern plains and then on Tuesday, another area of severe risk, and that by the way includes El Reno as well, like they could use a break, not going to get one for quite some time. This pattern is going to be with us for the next few days -- Martin.

SAVIDGE: All right, Ivan Cabrera, thanks very much for the update.

Developing right now, Peru, dealing with the aftermath of a powerful 8.0 magnitude earthquake. One person has died and nearly a dozen others have been injured.

[16:10:02] Officials are reporting damage to many structures including schools, churches, and temples and health care centers. We are continuing to watch this story and we'll keep you updated as more details become available.

Still ahead, President Trump brushes off North Korea's latest missile tests and takes a swipe at Joe Biden in the process. Is the president siding with an authoritarian dictator over a former vice president?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: It's day two of President Trump's state visit to Japan. So far it's been mostly ceremony over substance. And another full day of bonding with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The two played golf and attended a traditional sumo wrestling match where the president awarded the winner a 4 1/2 foot tall 70-pound trophy that he had especially made for the event.

CNN White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins is in Tokyo.

Kaitlan, the president and the prime minister have been obviously very chummy so far. But Trump has also been tweeting about North Korea saying that he's got no problem with Kim Jong-un firing short range missiles. The Japanese do have a problem with that. And I'm wondering what kind of friction could that set up?

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Martin, this is the scenario we knew we were walking into with this trip, that it was going to be mostly about ceremony but there these key issues that are looming in the background, and the president put it front and center when he tweeted shortly before he went golfing with the prime minister, downplaying those recent missile tests from North Korea.

[16:15:05] Now the president is essentially saying that they may concern some people, but they do not concern him. Of course, two people those missile tests have concerned not only the National Security adviser John Bolton, who said they definitely violated those U.N. resolutions, but also the prime minister of Japan who has been concerned for a long time about whether or not the president is going to keep a hardline against North Korea.

Now what the president made this all the more complicated was he took a shot at former vice president Joe Biden in his tweet, downplaying those missile test. And when Sarah Sanders was asked, is the president siding with a dictator over a former vice president, this is how she answered.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHUCK TODD, "MEET THE PRESS": Can you explain why Americans should not be concerned that the president of the United States is essentially siding with a murderous authoritarian dictator over a former vice president of the United States?

SARAH SANDERS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Chuck, the president is not siding with that, but I think they agree in their assessment of former vice president Joe Biden. Again, the president's focus in this process is the relationship he has and making sure we continue on the path towards denuclearization.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Now that tweet comes as two things, Joe Biden has been leading in polls, including one conducted by the Trump campaign in some key states that will be crucial to the president's victory in 2020. But also when Bolton said that North Korea had violated those U.N. resolutions, he pointed out the fact that talks between the U.S. and North Korea have largely fallen apart ever since that second summit that the president had with Kim Jong-un in Hanoi.

Now the question is, what did he talk about the Prime Minister Abe with this. And that's the question that the president is going to be asked very likely when he hold a press conference with the prime minster in a few hours -- Martin.

SAVIDGE: Yes, it's going to turn a lot more serious before this trip is done.

Kaitlan Collins, thank you very much.

All right. I want to bring in Ron Brownstein, senior editor at the "Atlantic" and Lisa Lerer, a national political reporter with the "New York Times."

Thank you both for being here.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Hey, Martin.

SAVIDGE: Ron, President Trump saying that he's got no problem with Kim Jong-un's actions, obviously the Japanese do have a problem with that. I'm wondering here, is this a strategy on the part of the president, in other words, to play down whatever the North Koreans may do? Because giving them attention only seems to feed them into doing more. BROWNSTEIN: Well, I think he has climbed out pretty far on the limb

of arguing that he alone, I alone can fix it, compared to earlier presidents. And so I think President Trump is very reluctant at every point, we have seen this repeatedly, to acknowledge the bumps in the road, the reversals of course from North Korea. He has a lot invested in proving that he can make this work, which of course gives a lot of leverage to the other side in the negotiation.

Prime Minister Abe, as we've -- as Kaitlan noted, you know, the Japanese have a very different view of the short term -- kind of near term missile launches. But he has also invested a lot in convincing the Japanese that he can stay on the good side of President Trump and avoid some of the conflicts that we are seeing with other traditional allies. So there's kind of a convergence of interest here on both sides to kind of minimize what others have -- including Abe himself have noted is a more disturbing development.

SAVIDGE: Yes, I mean, Lisa, that's interesting what Ron points out. You've got the president being nice to a dictator and you've got the Japanese prime minister being nice to the president, but so much nice could really end up wrong here, especially even for the president, right?

LISA LERER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, look, whether it's a strategy or not by President Trump, it's certainly a strategy by the Japanese. I think what world leaders have figured out about our president is that flattery is not the window dressing, it's kind of the whole game, and that's why you see them really rolling out the red carpet for the president in Japan. He's awarding -- he's giving the president's cup at a sumo match, he's the first world leader to meet the new emperor, and that they're playing golf. And that's by design.

The president is someone who believes very strongly in the power of the one-on-one relationship to cut the deal, and so the Japanese, even though they have real and legitimate disputes with this administration, certainly over North Korea, but also over trade, they're trying to cultivate this relationship as much as possible in the hopes of being able to sway the president in some way through that kind of dynamic.

SAVIDGE: Right. I guess I get the logic there.

Let's turn to another potential hot spot, Iran. Have a listen to Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney's reaction to President Trump's announcement that he is planning to send around 1500 more U.S. troops in the Middle East to counter what he says is the increased threat from Iran. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. LIZ CHENEY (R-WY): It is the right move, and when you look at what we've seen in terms of the threat level, what we've seen in terms of what the Iranians are now doing, and I want to be careful not to talk about classified material and -- there's no question that this threat, as Chairman Thornberry said is not business as usual. [16:20:06] And it's very important for the Iranians to understand that

we'll do what's necessary to deter them from attacking us or our interests. And that we'll do what's necessary to make sure they understand we aren't going to simply sit back and allow them to take action that will put our people in harm's way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: Lisa, do you think she's speaking for the majority of Republicans or supporters of the president on this?

LERER: Well, look, I think the Republican Party is fairly split on this privately, but publicly I doubt you'll hear that many Republicans coming out against President Trump because they -- you rarely hear that many Republicans coming unite against President Trump. And that's a reflection of domestic politics and the hold he has over the base, but I certainly think there's concerns on both sides of the aisle that the situation with Iran has become fairly tenuous and can spiral out of control pretty quickly. And so I think that is a view shared by some Republicans, though I don't expect we'll hear it very loudly.

SAVIDGE: Right. I will say, 1500 troops is not a great deal. So it isn't necessarily on a war footing.

But let me ask you this, Ron. You know, we've got a president then who downplays what a dictator was doing with his missiles, but then at the same time seems to be getting very hawkish on Iran. And, you know, the mixed message, the unfocused policy here, it's a problem, is it not, for what other world leaders are supposed to believe or not?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, I think -- I think what they have come to believe is that there is no through line through the policy, except for kind of the predilections and the ideological preferences of the president. I mean, that's what they've kind of come to understand. And that's why you see, for example, as we're talking about, why Abe has been really so abject in his efforts to cultivate Trump, because he realizes that Japan auto imports could be as much under threat as the consistent threats against the E.U. auto imports. And he is trying to avoid that through a the personal relationship.

I don't think anybody is expecting consistence on this point. And look, one thing we know about President Trump is he was a critic of U.S. military engagement in the Middle East. In the end, I think he is going to be very reluctant to go too far with Iran. But as we said, the threat is more events spiraling out of control. I mean, he has talked about, for example, that he is the one who is moderating John Bolton. But he -- you know, it's not that he is necessarily someone who feels comfortable marching toward confrontation, but he does not exactly have a scalpel with which he conducts foreign policy, and that can get out of control.

SAVIDGE: No, he does not.

Lisa Lerer and Ron Brownstein, thank you very much. You both have great insights. Appreciate it. Coming up, it's a rescue that many are calling a miracle. Now a hiker

missing for 17 days and injured in a Hawaiian forest is telling her amazing story of just how she survived.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMANDA ELLER, MISSING HIKER RESCUED: The last 17 days of my life have been the toughest. It did come down to life and death, and I had to choose. And I chose life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: We'll hear how she got out of that forest alive next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:26:56] SAVIDGE: A yoga instructor who got lost in a Hawaiian forest for more than two weeks says she survived on berries and water. Amanda Eller had a broken leg and she had no shoes. But she refused to give up, saying she had to choose life over death.

CNN's Paul Vercammen joins me now with more on this incredible rescue.

And Paul, what else is Eller saying?

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Eller is saying that she had that will to live and she has been, I'm happy to say, Martin, released from the hospital. Friends tell me that she's walking around on crutches right now, she's receiving treatment from a lot of her friends who are physical therapists and nurses, and what a tale of survival she has to tell.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELLER: The last 17 days of my life have been the toughest days of my life. And it's been a really significant spiritual journey that I was guided on.

VERCAMMEN (voice-over): A voyage Amanda Eller described with her ecstatic boyfriend in her hospital bed.

ELLER: And there were times of total fear and loss, and wanting to give up and it did come down to life and death, and I had to choose, and I chose life.

VERCAMMEN: Eller got spotted by rescuers in a helicopter and hoisted out of peril in this lush Maui paradise Friday.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my God. We (EXPLETIVE DELETED).

VERCAMMEN: Eller lost her shoes set out to dry in a flash flood, lost her ability to walk properly when she broke a bone in her leg, but hope was not lost.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That was not expected. That was not expected.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whoo-hoo.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can cry now, it's awesome, man. That's like the best --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And he did pretty well.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You got a good Memorial Day now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, no, I was bawling like a baby.

ELLER: Seeing the way that the community of Maui came together, people that know me, people that don't know me, all came together just under the idea of helping one person get out of the woods alive. It just warms my heart.

VERCAMMEN: This yoga instructor and physical therapist shed almost a pound a day for each day she went missing, 15 pounds total. Her doctor expressed surprise and relief at how well she looked.

DR. ZORA BULATOVC, TREATING PHYSICIAN: Tears came down because, you know, we have all been following her story.

VERCAMMEN: This physician explained how this model patient survived on river water and what food she could pick.

BULATOVC: Eating fresh fruits from the trees, trying to keep her nutrition up, so she was very well educated in that and she knew exactly what to take and managed to stay well hydrated.

JULIA ELLER, AMANDA ELLER'S MOM: She is a trooper, man. She is a real warrior. And I had no doubt if anybody could make it through, it was her.

VERCAMMEN: Amanda Eller fought for her life and won armed with undying spirit and true grit.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE: Yeah, you can't help but know that her mindset was critical to her rescue as well, Paul. But she also had a lot of help. Tell us about those who finally found her.

VERCAMMEN: It sounds like something out of the A-Team, Martin. You have a former army ranger and another member of that team, Chris Berquist, who grew up in a military family in the Norfolk area. He actually taught climbing to members of the military, rock climbing. He's been a volunteer fire fighter, a volunteer lifeguard. He also taught whitewater rafting. So he was well equipped to coordinate this. He said it reminded him of all his experiences whether he's trying to looking at the maps and looking at the gulches they were going to make him run up and down.

And Bergquist said that in the language of the military he had learned efficiency. And he said that day they found her, they were planning to make one last run or maybe second to last as they went up and down the canyons. And they said the helicopter was running out of fuel. And when they saw her, they celebrated so hard that the helicopter shook, and the pilot told them to calm down for fear they would take the chopper down, Martin.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: If I ever get lost, those are the people I want looking for me. Paul Vercammen thanks very much, great story. Happening know, more than two dozen European countries counting ballots in Parliamentary elections. Could huge voter turnout usher in a new era of leaders and a new direction for Europe? Next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: Right now, countries across Europe are tallying up ballots in the European Parliamentary election. It is a crucial vote that will decide direction of Europe's ruling body for the next five years. Voter turnout is the highest seen in 20 years. And the far right and populous movements are expected to make big gains.

[16:35:05] All of this is happening against the backdrop, of course, of U.K.'s Prime Minister Theresa May's resignation after failing to deliver a Brexit plan for Britain's withdrawal from the European Union. CNN Europe Editor, Nina dos Santos, joins me now. And Nina, what's your sense of what exactly is happening?

NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN EUROPE EDITOR: Hi there, Martin. Well, it's looking at least according to the early indications we're getting around the E.U., and not so much from the U.K., because we don't yet have the U.K. results in yet. But the voter turnout is high. Remember, this is the largest -- one of the largest exercises in democracy taking place over the course of this weekend.

Right across the European Union, some 400 million people are eligible to vote. It seems as though more than 50 percent of them exercise their right to do so. But in a country like the U.K. where I am, there's a bit of an uncomfortable feeling that these elections are actually taking place at all. Remember, as you pointed out in your introduction just then, the U.K. had voted for Brexit three years ago, and therefore was supposed to have left the E.U. before these elections took place.

At the last minute, Theresa May, the outgoing Prime Minister, secured an extra reprieve from the E.U. to try and find some way of leaving with the deal. And that left the U.K. with this decision of having to take part in these Parliamentary elections. Now behind me, you can see vote counters are just counting the final lots of ballots.

What we're expecting to take place over the next hour or so is Nigel Farage, one of the biggest voices in favor of Euro-skepticism anywhere in the world who served this constituency for about 20 years. He's one of the candidates that's coming up for re-election here in this part of the U.K. It's one of the biggest parts that will elect about 10 members of the European Parliament. Elsewhere across the European continent, though, it's a tale, of course, politics like elsewhere in the world, being pulled to its different extremes.

We're seeing some gains being made on one the hand for green parties, but we're also expecting heavy gains for the populists, including from Mr. Farage's latest populist incarnation, the Brexit Party. And he's likely to appear on the stage in the next hour or so, Martin.

SAVIDGE: All right. We'll wait for that. Nina dos Santos, thanks very much for the update. We'll be right back.

[16:40:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: Tonight on CNN, W. Kamau Bell is back with an all new episode of the United Shades of America. And Washington is the home of our nation's capital. It's also the seat of our federal government and the workplace of all elected officials. But it is also a city that is about far more than politics. Something we often forget. This week, Kamau steps away from Capitol Hill to show us the real D.C. Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a convening here that has nothing to do with what's going on at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I mean you recognize it as national news, but it's just a lot of noise. It doesn't really affect our day to day...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's exactly right.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because worse than this has happened to us. This is kind of how the people here are looking -- we've been through worse that this. This guy will be out and then we'll move on with whatever else we're doing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People in this city, they don't care about Donald Trump. We were here before you. We'll be here after you.

W. KAMAU BELL, UNITED SHADES OF AMERICA HOST: Politicians over there aren't even thinking about the other D.C.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Except when they want to play god with the rules. In many ways, D.C. has more in common with Puerto Rico and Guam. I mean it's an occupied territory.

BELL: Yeah.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The heart of this city from the beginning has really been its African population, and there's always been a tension to keep that presence here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: Hello, Kamau, great to see you. That was -- I hated to interrupt it, a fascinating conversation there. How did you decide to focus on D.C.? Why?

BELL: I mean I've been going to D.C. a lot as a comedian. It's one of my favorite cities to perform in as a comedian because the crowds there are smart. It's also one of America's great black cities. But I hadn't really spent a lot very bright blue dot in the Trump area. And I got there and found out the problems that D.C. is dealing with and the problems D.C. has been dealing with.

And it kind of doesn't matter who is in the White House. D.C. still pays taxes and doesn't have Congress people. Only has a shadow senator, can't make their own laws because the federal government can step in. And that's no matter who has been in the White House.

SAVIDGE: Right. It is such a unique place, District of Columbia. It's like nowhere else really in America in many, many different ways. And it has a rich kind of political history, right?

BELL: Yeah. I mean, you know, it's funny, around the country a lot of times you bring up Marion Barry. People think of the punch line -- that old Chris Rock joke. But in D.C., they think of Marion Barry as the guy who really changed politics and was the part of bringing home (Inaudible) do they could elect the mayor, and they him the mayor for life.

It's a very proud and a city filled with activism. We talked about activists tonight. And also because it's in D.C., everybody there knows a lot about politics because it's right down the street.

SAVIDGE: It's also got a lot going on, a lot of changes. I mean development, restaurants, you know, kind of a new scene, right?

BELL: Yeah. I mean it's -- you know, I think the eternal theme of United Shades of America is gentrification, and D.C. is no different. I think the big difference is, is that they can't really elect the leaders they want to make the changes they want to make because ultimately the federal government -- this is a big deal for the episode. The federal government can rule over D.C. and change the laws.

Like, D.C. tried to legalize marijuana, and the federal government said no. And so until we allow D.C. to get statehood, you know, D.C. is still going to be -- citizens who are taxed who aren't represented which is the whole reason we went through the revolutionary war thing.

SAVIDGE: The music scene. This is something I have not thought about. And yet, of course, I love music. I think it's fascinating. So what did you find?

BELL: Well, you know, D.C. has its own homegrown style of music called go-go. So we talked to Trouble Funk, which is one of the legendary pioneers of go-go. And then D.C. also had a legendary punk rock scene that involved Henry Rollins. And so we have Henry Rollins on the show tonight, too. And the great thing about D.C. is because it's such a diverse city. It's such of sort of a connected city.

The punk music and the go-go were happening right next to each other and in the same club sometimes. So it really a city where people have always come together across racial and class lines, you know, to make a whole new scene.

[16:45:06] SAVIDGE: You know, many people have been to D.C. many, many times. And yet, they've never been to D.C. And what I mean by that is, you know, you go to all the monuments, you go to the White House, you go to the Capitol Hill. Where would you go in D.C. that is not part of the federal scene? What would you recommend people see?

BELL: I mean, you know, we got to go to Anacostia, which is one of the proud black neighborhoods there. And that's where we saw Trouble Funk play. And that's a neighborhood that is considered as way, way from Capitol Hill. But you really get the sense you're in a different city. People forget how close D.C. is to the south. And so there isn't really a southern sort of at home connected community element to D.C. that people don't realize, because you think of what you've seen on Capitol Hill.

You know, so I think that like -- I would recommend people get off of Capitol Hill. You know, the museums are nice. Go to the (Inaudible), but really try to get out of D.C. and go to Anacostia.

SAVIDGE: Great advice. All right, well, thank you very much. We look forward to watching it tonight. W. Kamau Bell, appreciate you coming on the show. You don't want to miss a new episode of United Shades of America with Kamau Bell. That's tonight at 10:00 eastern and pacific. I keep messing that up, only on CNN, focusing on D.C. We'll be back.

[16:50:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: It is Memorial Day weekend for many people. That means kicking off summer and spending time with loved ones. But the holiday, which honors the service members who have given their lives for our country, can be difficult for anyone who's mourning a family member. This week, CNN's Hero lost dad when she was 14. And she struggled with depression for more than a decade. Now, Mary Robinson is making sure other children don't lose years of their lives to unresolved grief.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My name is Bella and my dad died.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Kids in grief are kids at risk.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My name is (Inaudible) and my mom died.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Time does not heal all wounds. Time helps, but it's what you do with that time. And what you need to do is mourn.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When you hear other people's stories, it kind of brings comfort.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's why a place like Imagine exists, to give children a place to mourn their loss and find out that they're not alone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: To meet some of the families Mary is helping, and to nominate someone you think should be a CNN Hero, go to CNNheroes.com. Breaking news out of Hawaii, where a 65-year-old man is dead after a shark attack, reporter Chelsea Davis has more from our affiliate KGMB. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHELSEA DAVIS, KGMB REPORTER: We're out in (Inaudible) resort where (Inaudible) and an officer was out here all day warning people, making sure no one got into the water. There's also warning signs all along the shoreline at (Inaudible), half mile in each direction. And all day today, officers were out in the water, canvassing the area, making sure that shark was nowhere in sight.

A bouquet of flowers sits next to a shark sighted sign on (Inaudible) beach where a 65-year-old man was brought to shore after being bitten Saturday morning. By standers on the beach watched in horror.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was really traumatic to see.

DAVIS: Authorities say the man was swimming about 60 yards from shore (Inaudible) shore resort. First responders went out with the Jet Ski and performed CPR, but could it revive him?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It pulled the man up. He looked unconscious when they transferred him to the other gurney. And we could see that they were trying to do CPR on him. But as we got closer, I saw some blood on his stomach. And then I got looking a little more. And his wrist looked like -- a skin on his wrist was torn off. And then I got looking closer, and his entire left leg from his knee down was just missing. It looked like there was no blood or anything.

DAVIS: According to authorities, the 65-year-old is a California resident. (Inaudible) says he was vacationing on Maui with his wife.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As we were watching the man get pulled up, we could hear her screaming. She was that's my husband. That's my husband.

DAVIS: Shark experts say Hawaii comes in distant second for shark bites in the U.S. after Florida. They say Maui is the hotspot in the state for tiger shark bites. But without more information, it's tough to say what kind of shark was involved.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The bite radius and the tooth pattern, and sometimes a tooth fragment are left in the victim, like, in the bone or something. So a tooth fragment is the surest way, but also the bite radius, if it's a very big bite radius, it rules out a lot of species of sharks (Inaudible) shark. Tiger shark, of course, is the number one that comes to my mind for a fatal attack.

DAVIS: Authorities have not released the man's identity yet. We do know that these warning signs will be up at least until noon tomorrow. Reporting from (Inaudible) beach, I'm Chelsea Davis for Hawaii News Now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: Chelsea, thank you very much for that. Still ahead, a former manager for the late comic book creator, Stan Lee, is in jail for elder abuse. What we're learning about the case next. [16:55:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: Checking top stories, 10 people were shot at a neighborhood block party in Chesapeake, Virginia Saturday night. One of them was killed. Police were on the scene investigating a traffic accident when the shots rang out. There's been no information released on a possible suspect. Comic book icon Stan Lee's former manager was arrested earlier today in Arizona for alleged elder abuse.

Keya Morgan is expected to be extradited to Los Angeles where he faces charges of false imprisonment and grand theft from an elder. He's accused of stealing more than $260,000 from Lee and forcibly removing him from his home. Lee died in November of last year from a pre- existing health condition. Heartbreaking news from the NFL, Bart Starr, the first quarterback to ever win a Super Bowl has passed away at the age of 85.

The Green Bay Packers legend took home MVP honors at the first two Super Bowl's. Starr's family says his health had been deteriorating since he suffered a stroke in 2014. The family released a statement, saying "while he may always be best known for his success as the Packers quarterback for 16 years, his true legacy will always be the respectful manner in which he treated every person he met, his humble demeanor and his generous spirit."

This weekend is expected to be the last ride of the Rolling Thunder in the nation's capital. Each Memorial Day since 1988, thousands of bikers descended on Washington for the annual ride across the Potomac. The tradition highlights POWs and MIAs who never came home from the Vietnam War, drawing attention to prisoners of war and servicemembers missing in action. National event organizers announced last year that this would be the final ride in Washington because of increasing costs.

But this morning, President Trump is suggesting otherwise, tweeting the great patriots Rolling Thunder will be coming back to Washington, D.C. next year, and hopefully for many years to come. Rolling Thunder President Joe Bean tells CNN this will though the final year unless president directly intervenes. Thanks so much for joining me. I'm Martin Savidge. It's been a privilege. The news continues with Ana Cabrera right now.

ANA CABRERA, NEWSROOM ANCHOR: You're live in the CNN Newsroom. Great to have you with us on this holiday weekend, I'm Ana Cabrera in New York.