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College Protests Spread Amid Clashes With Police, More Arrests; Nearly Two Million Under Serious Tornado Threat In Oklahoma And Texas; US To Supply Ukraine With Extra $6 Billion In Aid; TikTok Facing Deadline To Find New Owner Or Risk Ban In The U.S.; Protest Outside White House Correspondents' Dinner; Final Night Of The NFL Draft Underway. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired April 27, 2024 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:32]

JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. Hi everyone, I am Jessica Dean in Washington.

More arrests and tensions at college campuses across the country today as protests against the war in Gaza spread at major universities.

In Indiana, State Police in riot gear carrying shields and batons were seen clashing with IU Bloomington students there on campus. Police say they arrested at least 26 people after they ignored six verbal warnings to leave.

In Northern California, a hard closure is underway at the Cal Poly Humboldt campus after protesters took over two university buildings there. Administrators say no one is allowed to enter or stay on campus without permission. The university says classes will be virtual for the rest of the semester.

Demonstrators across the country want their schools to stand against what they believe are acts of genocide being committed against the Palestinian people in Gaza, but some Jewish students worry the protests are becoming antisemitic, that they lead to harassment and they fear for their safety on campus.

We are covering this from college campuses across the country. Let's go first to Camila Bernal, who is on the UCLA campus in Los Angeles.

Camila, what are you seeing this afternoon?

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Jessica.

So things here at UCLA remain very peaceful, but keep in mind, they are taking over a large portion of the university with this encampment. There are people here who said that inside, they are actually giving people classes to learn about the Middle East and the conflict there. They are actually holding religious ceremonies, and they say, yes, this is a public space and have said that anyone can go in.

But also, they do have a check-in area and they have denied access to certain people. They've not allowed us to go inside and they continued to say that their demands are very similar to other universities around the country. You're hearing things like divestments, you're hearing things like transparency.

They want to see where the money is going and they say they will remain here until they get clarity from the university in terms of where they stand in those divestments. So again, things have remained peaceful and you're seeing people just from all sorts of different backgrounds, all sorts of different religions.

I spoke to one graduate student who is actually a Jewish student and said he had a very good perspective as to why he is joining this movement.

Take a listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN KERSTEN, UCLA STUDENT AND PROFESSOR: No one is better equipped to understand, like with empathy and compassion, how some of these things can feel than Jewish bodies, and I think we really work here actually out of a commitment to Jewish people and Jewish freedom as well, which we understand is intertwined.

And I want to say to those people, discomfort is not the same thing as unsafety or hatred.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERNAL: And it is important to keep in mind that not everyone feels that way. There are students that feel uncomfortable when they have to walk through this area. The university said they have staff members to try to help people who just don't feel safe walking by.

The university also saying though that they are not going to call police officers, no one here has been arrested. Their policy is that police officers will only come when they feel that the safety of the students is in danger. So again, we are just seeing things remaining peaceful here at UCLA.

Over at USC though, that campus is closed essentially. We cannot go in to USC. The is university saying that commencement ceremony is going to be canceled. They are now going to have the big commencement ceremony instead, holding different events for students and keep in mind, these are the students that graduated in high school in 2020 and essentially did not have a graduation. So they'll likely not have a college graduation as well.

So it is unfortunate for people there at USC and so you are seeing disruptions at USC and here at UCLA as well with people who wants to go by and essentially cannot because of this encampment -- Jessica.

DEAN: All right, Camila Bernal for us out in California. Thanks so much.

Let's come back to the East Coast now with Polo Sandoval, who is live outside Columbia University in New York.

Really, Polo, the epicenter of these protests, where everything really started. What are you hearing from students there?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Jessica. Well, this started what -- some 10 days ago now and for the first time, we have not seen any notable off campus demonstrations on the sidewalks here surrounding Columbia University.

On the campus itself, which I had an opportunity to visit as we have already for well over a week for a couple of hours a day when they actually open up the campus to credentialed media, you saw that encampment. It is still there and whether or not that encampment will still be there in a couple of weeks when the Columbia commencement, when the graduation ceremony is supposed to happen, that is really entirely hinged on these negotiations that started last Friday, but according to student organizers, have reached an impasse recently.

[18:05:18]

Though there were some progress in terms of a couple of demands, transparency, and also a statement that they want the Columbia president to issue regarding an incident from last week where the NYPD was called in to assist and apologies for the ambulance that is about to pass us.

There is still really no agreement when it comes to that main priority item, which is and continues to be divestment from companies associated with Israeli companies.

And as we have heard, time and time again from students, it isn't until they find common ground on that particular issue that that encampment will actually continue to be there.

And so that is really -- that feeds into the uncertainty that I certainly felt during my visit to campus today and there are certainly many students that are still watching and waiting to see what will happen next.

We were scheduled to hear from Columbia school officials earlier today. They said that that normal briefing , that has been postponed at least for now, but during their last update, they did say that they are still actively engaged with these student demonstrators in that encampment and the negotiations and that they are still certainly taking security measures for any student on any side of the ongoing debate to make sure that they feel safe on campus and in the sidewalks surrounding it.

DEAN: All right, Polo Sandoval in New York City, our thanks to you and Camila Bernal for that reporting.

Well, it is a very tense time for levity, which could make it tricky for President Biden at tonight's White House Correspondents' Dinner.

With us now is Julia Benbrook at the White House.

Julia, what are we expecting to hear from the president tonight?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jessica, the President and the First Lady, are going to leave for the dinner in about an hour, but the prep for this event has been going on for a while.

Administration officials tell us that there had been daily strategy sessions here at the White House for the last week as they work to really protect his comedy set, and that includes making sure that the delivery and the tone are just right.

We do know that Biden has been encouraged to make some self- deprecating jokes tonight, and expect that he will talk a little bit about his age.

The 81 year-old is the oldest serving president in American history, and of course, he is seeking another four years. That brings us to another important point: This is an election year, and this is a big stage for him tonight. It is primetime and there are nearly 3,000 people in the audience as well. That includes journalist, it includes celebrities, it includes other politicians.

And he is no doubt going to try to use this to campaign and maybe take some shots at former President Donald Trump, his current opponent in the presidential race. He has been doing a lot more of that on the campaign trail lately, even making jokes about Trump's legal woes.

Now, Trump never attended the White House Correspondents' Dinner while he was president. He did attend though as a guest prior to being elected.

Tonight's other for headliner, in addition to Biden is Colin Jost from "Saturday Night Live." He is expected to take some jabs at politicians on both sides of the aisle. Biden and Trump included, all while Biden is sitting up there on stage with him.

And now, you mentioned earlier, there is going to be a delicate balance here. He is going to have to strike a balance between funny and serious, especially with people protesting around the country right now.

DEAN: That's right. All right, Julia, thanks so much from that update from the White House, we appreciate it.

Across the country, dangerous and powerful storms are threatening millions in the Central Plain states tonight. Tornadoes and severe weather warnings stretching from Texas to Michigan with rare warnings of multiple and strong tornadoes and excessive rain in parts of Oklahoma and Texas.

In the Omaha neighborhood of Elkhorn, destructive tornadoes gutted homes Friday, leveling entire neighborhoods.

Nebraska's governor just told reporters it is a miracle nobody was killed in those storms.

CNN's Lucy Kafanov looks at one of the hardest hit areas of Omaha. LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jessica, we are in this subdivision of the Elkhorn neighborhood, a suburb of Omaha, and you can see the path of that twister's destruction behind me.

The homes: Missing roofs, missing floors. I want to show you over here, a family has spent most of the day trying to pick the pieces of their life. A lot of the possessions are completely destroyed. They've been trying to pack into trucks the things that they can salvage. It has been a devastating day.

And the difficulty of course is there is fear about a potential storm moving in back to Omaha this evening. So it is a race against the clock to salvage what they can.

I am going to move over here now and reveal this area, this belonged to a family of four. We spoke to a friend of theirs and we spoke to the husband, you can see the vehicles. This is the garage, the vehicle is destroyed. That white car over there, flipped on its roof. It shows you the immense power of this twister.

[18:10:18]

It touchdown in this neighborhood at 4:30 PM on Friday. This family was going to hide in the basement. In fact, that is how a lot of the residents survived.

This is their basement. We are obviously not going to go down in there because it is too dangerous, but it just gives you a sense of how these homes are laid out. That is how a lot of residents were able to ride out the storm.

This family, the wife saw the news. She said, you know what? Let's get out of here and what a good call that was because again, this home is completely flattened. It is just one of many stories here across this area as more bad weather is on the way -- Jessica.

DEAN: Yes, so much devastation. All right, thank you, Lucy.

Still ahead this evening. After Ukraine hit a key Russian oil refinery, the Defense Department is announcing a $6 billion military aid package for Ukraine. The weapons Ukraine will get to help them take back their country from Russia.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:15:55]

DEAN: Right now, pro-Palestinian protesters are gathering outside the White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington, DC.

Let's go straight to CNN's Michael Yoshida, who is there now.

Michael walk us through what you're seeing.

MICHAEL YOSHIDA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Jessica.

You probably hear and see all of the energy outside of the White House Correspondents' Dinner location right now. We are here on Connecticut Avenue.

You can see they are right there and all the crowds gathered here. Our photojournalist, we are going to walk a little closer, kind of set the scene for you.

This started about an hour ago, a few blocks away with, I'd say, a couple of dozen individuals. It has grown significantly since then as they marched here. This all built towards criticism of Joe Biden and his administration and rally to support those in Gaza.

A lot of chants happening throughout this. I want to direct you, you can see there, all lined up against the barriers here. The reason being, in their words, they're trying to shame all of those who are in attendance od tonight's White House Correspondents' Dinner.

You can see we have heavy security and we have people walking just on the other side here. You can see them making their way into the Correspondents' Dinner tonight and all of the attention being directed towards them as they make their way inside the Hilton.

Again, this been going on for about an hour at this point, we are going to stay out here, keeping an eye on it and walk with you as the night goes on -- Jessica.

DEAN: All right, thanks so much for that reporting. We appreciate it.

Ukraine launched drone attacks early this morning, striking a Russian oil refinery. According to Russian state media, work at the refinery is now partially suspended.

Russia's defense minister claiming Ukraine launched 66 drones, but all were intercepted. This happened just as Ukraine is set to receive a $6 billion long-term military aid package from the us. This is in addition to the supplemental security package Congress passed earlier in the week with $61 billion specifically for Ukraine.

We are joined now by CNN military analyst Lieutenant General Mark Hertling.

General Hertling, great to see you.

Ukraine has long been asking for the patriot missiles that they're going to be getting in this latest package. How much of a difference is this going to make at this point in this war, two-plus years, where we've kind of seen this kind of stalemate in a way.

LT. GEN. MARK HERTLING (RET), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: I wouldn't call it a stalemate, Jessica. I think Ukraine has been fighting pretty doggone well, considering their supply lines have been interrupted and yes, they certainly are asking not only for the patriot anti-air, anti- defense -- air defense weapons systems, because that is part of their integrated air defense. We've seen over the last several months as they've begun --as they have begun to run out of ammunition, that a lot of the Russian missiles have gone through, killed civilians, continue to damage infrastructure within Ukraine itself.

So a resupply of all of these air defense systems, not just the patriots, but others is going to be critical for protecting Ukrainian lives and helping them to stop the Russian destruction of the Ukrainian infrastructure, which has been so damaging.

DEAN: And just to underscore, you used the word "critical" there, how important this is. Do you think Ukraine would be able to win this war or have any chance at winning this war without this additional military aid package?

HERTLING: Without this aid package, it would be extremely difficult, Jessica. That's why so many of us had been beating the drum for Congress over the last seven months to approve this aid package.

What we've had is an interruption of the supply chain. When you have the slowing of momentum in combat and truthfully, I have experienced that when a supply lane was interrupted, it really damages not only the capability to defend your forces, but also morale.

We've seen the other night when their aid package was voted on and approved, that there were even shouts among the defenders in western part or excuse me, the eastern part of Ukraine about knowing that they would finally get the weapon systems that they had been deprived of.

[18:20:00]

With those weapon systems, over time, they can continue to stabilize their defensive belts and then eventually go on the offensive to continue to try and regain the territory that Russia took, but it is going take a long time and a lot of effort.

DEAN: Yes, and a lot of determination from them, a lot of buy-in from those troops as well. And you just kind of laid out what it is going to take to really turn the tide, but what else do you think? What other factors are at play here as well in addition to what you just laid out more broadly?

HERTLING: Well, they are looking -- the Ukrainians, first of all, on the weapons -- the Ukrainians were looking for air defense systems, artillery systems, and long-range artillery systems to continue to strike targets deep within the Russian defensive belt.

But what they're also needing, and this has been something that some of us have been watching over the last several months. Ukraine needs the mobilization of more soldiers.

They have been on the battlefield for two-and-a-half years, and that just takes an incredible account of fatigue, psychological damage, and just the toughness of being in the trenches and the frontlines will really be a morale factor. So Mr. Zelenskyy recently passed a new mobilization law that would be critical. The other thing is, I am watching the Russian side. They have mobilized more forces. They have learned a lot of lessons from the first two years of this fight. They are coming up on good defenses and in some cases, offensive operations on their own because they haven't been stopped by the Ukrainians due to the lack of weapons that they've had.

So we are going to see the front stabilize a little bit over the next several weeks and then potentially, if Ukraine can not only get their new mobilized soldiers, get them trained, get them into offensive operations, and get them into the ability to retake ground, that's what I am looking for, because truthfully and I know some of my artillery brothers will chide me for this, but artillery and long- range systems do not win wars. You have to take on and gain the terrain. Ukraine has not been able to do that to the extensive amount they need to with some of those terrains they've lost to Russia. So I think it requires more combined operations of maneuver to do that.

DEAN: Yes, that's very interesting. All right, General Mark Hertling, thanks so much. We appreciate it.

HERTLING: Pleasure, Jessica. Thank you.

DEAN: We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:26:49]

DEAN: Protesters are chanting outside tonight's White House Correspondents' Dinner with demonstrators criticizing Biden's handling of the Israel-Hamas War. Some even yelling things like "Biden, you can't hide" outside tonight's event.

But inside, the president is expected at the dinner tonight, which is always a red carpet event in the nation's capital.

CNN's Harry Enten is joining us now from the red carpet. And Harry, I am told you have a guest with you.

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: I do.

Last hour, I was all alone, but now I have a guest, Wilson Cruz.

Wilson, nice to meet you my, dear friend.

WILSON CRUZ, ACTOR: What are you doing here?

ENTEN: What the heck are you doing here?

CRUZ: It is my first time at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. I am a guest of CBS's because I am on "Star Trek: Discovery," which is on Paramount+, and so they invited me to come here.

I met the president yesterday. I got honored by Voto Latino, which has headed up by Maria Teresa Kumar and Rosario Dawson. It has been quite a week.

ENTEN: I heard that you hugged the president, is that something that happened?

CRUZ: I did. Yes. He hugged me, so yes, I hugged him back. You know, it is an election year. We all have to vote for the person who is closely aligned to our values and our needs for our community and he has been a great champion for the LGBTQ community.

I am one of his surrogates and it was quite lovely. It was very nice to meet him.

ENTEN: Well, I can't make endorsements towards political candidates, but I can make endorsements towards outfits and let me just say, your outfit looks absolutely fantastic. I have to vote for this. What is going on here?

CRUZ: This is Armani. I bought it -- I am repurposing it. I wore it to the Tonys a few years ago and I thought this was a good time to break it out, get it out of the moth balls.

ENTEN: Unbelievable. Apparently, we are at secondhand store here at the White House Correspondents' Dinner.

CRUZ: If it is good enough for Joe Biden's repurpose, it is good enough for me.

ENTEN: Well, anyway, Wilson, I just want to thank you so much for spending some time with me. And let me just say, although I am not wearing Armani, I am wearing Vera Wang and I think I look fantastic.

CRUZ: Stunning wedding dress you have on, it is beautiful. She does wedding dresses. All right.

ENTEN: All right. I knew that, I knew that.

Jessica, let me just tell you one last question for you, Jessica, is there anything you want me to ask our guest over here to the right or should I just tell him he looks fantastic.

DEAN: Well, he does look fantastic. Please tell him that, but I am curious if there is anybody else, any other political people he is looking for tonight?

ENTEN: Are there any other political people that you're looking forward to tonight?

CRUZ: I was with Senator Klobuchar just yesterday, too. She was at the Voto Latino thing and the brunch this morning. I loved her. I am just happy to be here, honestly. It is an honor to be here tonight.

ENTEN: Well, fantastic. Thank you so much again for the time.

CRUZ: Thank you.

ENTEN: Be well. Jessica, back to you. I will try and bring up some more celebrities.

DEAN: I see the Secretary of State right behind you, Tony Blinken and Kaitlan Collins. Wow. Things are happening. Things are popping and Wolf Blitzer.

ENTEN: Things are happening.

DEAN: All right, well see you.

ENTEN: Oh, we that's the ultimate celebrity, Wolf Blitzer.

DEAN: All right, we will see you all very soon.

Harry, thanks so much.

ENTEN: See you.

DEAN: And joining us now is Democratic strategist and former speech writer for President Biden, Jeff Nussbaum.

Jeff, great to have you on. Thanks so much for joining us this afternoon.

You have worked very closely with President Biden and his speech writing team. What's their goal for tonight?

JEFF NUSSBAUM, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, I haven't talked to anyone about tonight. This is their show and they are in good hands.

The goal, I think always is to use humor to make a serious point and especially now when things feel particularly serious, it feels that a lot of the world feels like its spinning out-of-control. The goals for President Biden are similar to his goals any event is show his command, share his accomplishments.

[18:30:34]

But in this case he wants to show that he can do it with a smile and that he has a sense of fun both about himself and that even though the problems of the world are deeply, deeply serious, he can handle them in a serious manner without taking himself so seriously.

DEAN: Right. And you write in a new piece for Politico that you're talking about kind of these dinners that exist in Washington. The White House Correspondents' Dinner being one of them. You say that speakers and attendees at these dinners are struggling to figure out how and if we can laugh when it feels as if the ties that bind us are dissolving and the masters of the universe in attendance are powerless to stop it. Tell us more about that and what you're trying to say there.

NUSSBAUM: Yes, I've attended and contributed to a lot of these dinners over the years. And as silly as they are at times and as much pomp and circumstance as there is as you've seen on the red carpet, they do serve a serious purpose which is that they put all these powerful people in the same room.

And when people laugh together they're able to laugh together at the fact that they are interpreting differently the same world. In other words they're living in the same world. And one of the things that's happened recently largely because of Trump and Trumpism is that now people live in an alternate world with an alternate reality.

And so if you can't even share a world that forms the premise for the humor it becomes harder to sort of have a shared understanding about where the world needs to go. And that's one of the big challenges that I've started to see across these dinners in the last couple years and I'm happy to share examples of how that manifests.

DEAN: Yes. What does that look like?

NUSSBAUM: So it looked like at the Alfalfa Club, which is a dinner that dates back to 1913, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice doing a humorous routine and then asking pleading from the stage seriously for her fellow Republicans to support Ukraine and then sitting at the piano and playing the Ukrainian national anthem.

It's Mike Pence, former Vice President Mike Pence at the gridiron dinner which goes back to 1885 two years ago delivering a very serious condemnation of the person for whom he served as president. And it's a reminder that in those rooms, those things tend not to be in question.

And so there is this feeling of a little bit of hopelessness that even the powerful people in the room are only talking to themselves and there's this power now that exists outside the room, which is in some ways threatening.

DEAN: It is such an interesting dynamic and I think your point is so well taken that tonight really for the president himself is about using humor to make a more serious point. So it's something we can all watch for.

Jeff Nussbaum it's great to have you on. Thanks so much.

NUSSBAUM: Good to be with you, Jessica.

DEAN: Thanks.

And still ahead, will the owner of TikTok sell the app and avoid being banned in the U.S. TikTok's parent company ByteDance has about nine months to sell. We're breaking down what could happen next. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:38:07]

DEAN: The clock is ticking for TikTok to find a new owner. Earlier this week, President Biden signed a bill into law which gives TikTok's parent company ByteDance around nine months to sell or face a near total ban in the U.S.

CNN Business Producer, Jon Sarlin, is joining us now.

Jon good to see you.

Tell people exactly what this law does.

JON SARLIN, CNN BUSINESS PRODUCER: Thanks, Jessica. Right. So we're in unprecedented territory here. We've never seen a law exactly like this. On Wednesday, President Biden signed a foreign aid bill which included this provision that forces ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, to either sell a TikTok or shut it down. That's by January 19th 2025. There's a three month extension that could happen.

But ByteDance right now is in a rock - between a rock and a hard place, right. It has to find a buyer or shut it down. That is a deal that will likely have to be approved by both the U.S. government and the Chinese government.

DEAN: And just to underscore for people and give them a little bit of context, ByteDance is owned by the Chinese government. There is concern that - from lawmakers, bipartisan concern, which is why this passed that there are National Security threats here that they are - that that - that the company is mining data from Americans that they are using. So what has the response from ByteDance been concerning the passage of this law?

SARLIN: Right. So ByteDance is saying they're going to fight this. They're saying this is the beginning, not the end. They're vowing to use the courtrooms. They're going to sue. We've seen a number of these bans. There's one in Montana that was a similar, ban get overturned by the courts on First Amendment grounds.

So clearly this is going to be a battle that will soon move into the courtrooms. But we're hearing conflicting things about what ByteDance might do. Reuters reported that ByteDance is willing to shut down TikTok instead of sell it.

[18:40:03]

Another outlet, the information said that ByteDance might sell TikTok but not the algorithm behind it. The secret sauce recommendation engine that makes ByteDance so compelling. ByteDance for what it's worth is saying they're not selling.

DEAN: Interesting. And what about - so there's 170 million Americans, a lot of people, who currently use TikTok. What are - not that they're monolithic, but what are we hearing from some of those users.

SARLIN: Right. You know so there's obviously a lot of concern amongst TikTok users about how this ban could affect their use of the app. We should be clear that this isn't criminalizing TikTok right. This ban would essentially force TikTok off the app stores. You wouldn't be penalized for using the app on your phone.

But we've already seen TikTok flex its political muscles by prompting users to call congressmen, to call the representatives about TikTok. When that happened lawmakers saw their phones flooded. People were calling in, young people who were using the app were calling up.

So right now the ban or the forced sale is January 19th, the day before Biden's term is set to end so that the ban wouldn't come if it were to happen before the election. But if it were to be shut down, you would have to think that would have some serious ramifications for the people who TikTok users find responsible for it.

DEAN: For sure. And the Biden campaign is going to continue to do campaign outreach via TikTok, while this is all going on. What does that tell you about the popularity and the power that this app has.

SARLIN: It just shows how unprecedented this action is right. There are so many competing states. This isn't some sale where a company would have a fiduciary duty to sell to the highest bidder, right? This is a battle, a business that's really a battle about national security between China and the United States. And so you look at a sale that might potentially happen. The Chinese government will have to sign off on that.

However the price tag is so high, 10s of billions of dollars, perhaps a hundred billion dollar by one estimate that only a select few of buyers really would qualify as to being able to buy it, right? Well at the same time over the last few years the Biden administration has been very aggressive on Big Tech, on Apple, on Meta, on antitrust violations.

So it's unclear which companies would even be able to get U.S. approval to buy TikTok even if the Chinese government were to sign off on a sale.

DEAN: Yes, it will be interesting to see how this all unfolds.

Jon Sarlin, thanks so much. We appreciate it.

And right now pro-Palestinian protesters are gathering outside the site of the White House Correspondents' Dinner. Let's go back to CNN's Michael Yoshida who is there now.

Michael we are getting closer to the President's arrival. What are you seeing?

YOSHIDA: Jessica, yes, definitely getting closer and definitely the energy still high and continuing to rise just a little bit. I'll step - we'll walk a little closer. Again, we're here outside the Hilton on Connecticut Ave. And you can see the lines of these protesters, pro- Palestinian protesters have been out here for several hours now. Very critical of President Joe Biden, of his administration, of the handling of the war in Gaza.

And you can see along just the other side of this barrier here, those going inside to the White House Correspondents' Dinner are also getting the brunt of a lot of the chance tonight. Those here are critical, again, of the Biden administration, the White House Correspondents' Dinner and those journalists and others who are going to be there alongside the president and other members of his administration tonight. I want to show some video from just a short time ago, our (INAUDIBLE) journalist was able to capture of Caitlyn Jenner walking in. It gives you a sense of, again, the back and forth that we've been seeing especially over the last few minutes between those who are really starting to file in, make their way into the White House Correspondents' Dinner set to take place again getting started in just a short time.

If we bring it back live again you can see a pretty long line here along the barricade of protesters and outside of the Hilton - outside of the White House Correspondents' Dinner. Of course we're going to be out here throughout the evening keeping an eye on all of this, so as things continue to develop we'll bring you the very latest, Jessica?

DEAN: Michael Yoshida for us. Thanks so much. And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:49:04]

DEAN: The NFL draft comes to a close tonight with about a dozen picks left to go. This year's first pick went to the Chicago Bears who selected quarterback Caleb Williams from USC. Some of the other team's picks have a lot of people talking. NFL Analyst and Bleacher Report's Maurice Moton joins us now.

And Moe, who won the draft this year?

MAURICE MOTON, NFL ANALYST, BLEACHER: Who won the draft, I would say the Phil Eagles had a smashing draft class. I mean you start with arguably the two top cornerbacks in the class. Eagles had a need at cornerback, so they pick up Quinyon Mitchell in the back end of the first round and then they get DeJean Cooper in the second round.

So again, those are the - arguably the two top cornerbacks in the class. Bleacher Report had those two guys right at the top of class overall. Then you get Will Shipley on day three today. First little running back, he replaces the need after losing D'Andre Swift to the Chicago Bears. And then you get Jeremiah Trotter Jr., the bloodlines.

Jeremiah Trotter, his father, played for the Eagles. Jeremiah Trotter Jr. already said that he wants his dad's number, number 54.

[18:50:03]

So the bloodlines are strong. The class is strong. The rosters are going to be strong in 2024 in Philadelphia.

DEAN: And then on the opposite side what teams would you say did not do so well this time.

MOTON: For me, it's still the Atlanta Falcons. I'm still scratching my head, Jessica, over there pick, Michael Penix, at eight. Their explanation to me didn't make any sense. (INAUDIBLE) came out from their front office and head coach said Michael Penix could possibly sit for four to five years. Now, I don't think he's going to sit for four to five years. But if he even sits for three to four years behind Kirk Cousins who the Falcons paid on a - signed to a four-year $180 million deal, he would be about 30 years old when he finally hits the field. So now he's got to get on the field in the regular season, break some of those bad habits at close to 30.

And with his injury history his career could be very short. So I don't understand signing Kirk Cousins to a big deal, then drafting Michael Penix at eight and saying he could sit for four to five years. I understand you want to have the present and the future quarterback, but in that position in a winnable division you should be drafting players who can help you right away.

DEAN: Yes. And this year's Mr. Irrelevant is going to have some big shoes to fill. Brock Purdy was the 2022 final pick at the draft and look where he is now.

MOTON: Absolutely. Absolutely. He - look, where he is now, San Francisco 49ers, competing perennial playoff contender came up short in the Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs. But Purdy now has to bounce back, dust himself off and see if he can get the San Francisco 49ers back to the Super Bowl and this time take it for the title, because everyone's got eyes on him now. Is he a fluke player, is he a system player, is he the real deal.

I think he's the real deal. I think the San Francisco 49ers will continue to contend, but we'll see in 2024.

DEAN: And what about the biggest surprises.

MOTON: Biggest surprises, Las Vegas Raiders drafting Brock Bowers at 13. Now some raider fans will say we need a quarterback but they just weren't any available, six quarterbacks going before the Raiders got on the clock at 13. So it was a surprising pick. But I wouldn't say it was a bad pick.

Brock Bowers over at Bleach Report, our scouts are doing a wonderful job of scouting these players pouring over hours of film. Brock Bowers was our second overall player in this draft class. So the Raiders are getting a great player. Didn't necessarily fill a roster need, but it was a surprising pick.

But I think it goes along with what Antonio Pierce wants to establish in Las Vegas. He wants a hard hitting physical team. He established that identity last year when he took over for Josh McDaniels as the interim. He's establishing that this year. The Raiders get Brock Bowers. They drafted two offensive linemen on day two. You get a running back who's the pass catcher running back out of the backfield, bigger guy. Tommy Eichenberg who's a thumping linebacker, another physical guy.

So while you didn't get the quarterback with your fans, you do have the identity. You do have the roster to compete with Gardner Minshew or Aidan O'Connell, whoever wins that quarterback competition this summer. DEAN: Yes. And before I let you go just the crowd size this year. This was the biggest ever crowd on the first day.

MOTON: I had to represent the Lions. Yes, I got my tie representing the Lions colors, 700 plus - 700,000 plus people in attendance, so a record number there. They showed out, if you remember when Terrion Arnold was picked in the first round, even though he was picked on the back end when everyone was screaming his name, Terrion Arnold, he had to feel like the number one overall pick in the draft with everyone chanting his name.

DEAN: What a scene. All right, Moe Moton for us. Thanks so much.

MOTON: Thanks for having me.

DEAN: Yes. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:58:04]

DEAN: All right. You are looking at live pictures from the White House Correspondents' Association red carpet. That's where we are going to see President Joe Biden tonight. Try to use, as one of our guests said this hour, humor to make a serious point. And it's going to be a moment for him to also show some vigor as he looks toward re-election in the fall and right now we have a consortium of journalists, and celebrities, and political elected officials, members of the cabinet, they are all going to be there at the Hilton in Washington, D.C.

And we should note, too, that there have been a number of protesters outside of that hotel where the event is being held tonight, protesting Biden's handling of the Hamas-Israel war. So, again, we are going to keep our eye on that. Special coverage starts here in just a few minutes.

In the meantime, this week on THE WHOLE STORY, CNN Correspondent Donie O'Sullivan looking at how conspiracy theories and online misinformation are affecting this year's presidential campaign, including the rise of Christian nationalism in politics. Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JULIAN LIGHTFOOT, TRUMP SUPPORTER: The job of the journalist is to ask the questions, allow the person to speak and just report the facts, what was spoken. Would you like for me to pull up the definition of journalist?

DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's okay, but thank you, Julian.

LIGHTFOOT: Okay. I have a God given right to speak my own truth.

O'SULLIVAN: But there are facts, right? LIGHTFOOT: The facts have shown that the election was stolen. Whether you're willing to look at that and accept that and really show what's going on, that's your issue, not ours. We want the God given freedom that our constitution and our bill of rights is based on.

O'SULLIVAN: God given constitutional rights?

LIGHTFOOT: Yes.

O'SULLIVAN: They're two different things, right?

LIGHTFOOT: No, sir, they're not. Read, R-E-A-D, the constitution. Read it out loud to yourself so that you hear what the words of the constitution say.

[19:00:04]

O'SULLIVAN: God isn't mentioned in the constitution.

LIGHTFOOT: Sir.