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Major Flooding Along Mississippi River As Snowpack Melts; Protest Erupts As Transgender Lawmaker Silenced In Montana; Singer, Actor, Civil Rights Activist Harry Belafonte Dies At 96. Aired 11:30a- 12p ET

Aired April 25, 2023 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:00]

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SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to CNN NEWS CENTRAL. Our top story this hour. President Biden makes it official. He's running for re-election. He made the announcement in a video in which Biden framed this election as a fight for freedom, making clear he's leaning once again into a battle against what he considers Republican extremism.

This role, it sets the stage for a possible rematch with Donald Trump. President Biden is not expected to face a major challenge in the Democratic Party as we know so far, Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: There is major river flooding happening across the Midwest right now. We want to show you some new drone video -- footage that has come in to really show how extreme this flooding event is becoming and how serious the situation is. River levels are rising all along the Mississippi River from Minnesota to Iowa, and communities are preparing for more as the snowpack is continuing to melt. Of course, the biggest impact so far has been to have been seen in rural areas and parks along the river.

CNN's Jennifer Gray. She's tracking this threat for us. She's joining us now. What's the very latest that you're seeing, Jennifer? What are you tracking now?

JENNIFER GRAY, CNN METEOROLOGIST (on camera): Well, Kate, we're continuing to see the river rise. Basically, we had a blockbuster snow season across portions of the Midwest. That snow has to go somewhere. And just about a week ago, we had temperatures in the 90s across portions of the Midwest and mid to upper 80s.

And so, that snow melted very quickly. The result is going to be the river rising. And so, these are pictures that we're seeing all along the Mississippi River, as you mentioned. And this is going to be a slow rise, and it's going to be a slow fall.

And so, as you mentioned, cities all along the Mississippi are preparing. Let's take a look at the floor graphics because we can show you all of these river stages -- all of these rivers -- all of the dots, I should say that are in purple, those indicate major flood stage. We have more than 20 right now. And as this continues to fall downstream -- this water flowing downstream, we're going to continue to see those purple dots populate farther and farther south.

So, we are going to expect to see some pretty significant flooding anywhere from say like, as you mentioned, Minnesota, and then could be all the way as far south as some of the southern states in the coming days and weeks. So, it is going to be something to watch for several weeks.

So, this white line right here is where the Mississippi River Valley began. So, basically, all the snow south of that is going to flow into the Mississippi River. So, a lot of it has already melted. We really don't have that much more to go.

But this bubble of water is just going to continue to flow downstream. That's why we have the flood warnings in effect for a large chunk of the Mississippi, more than 400 miles extending all the way down to St. Louis. And you can see the purple dots right there, those are all major flood stages. The red dots are moderate flood stages. And a lot of these rivers are going to be the highest they've seen in 20 years, so we are going to see some significant flooding.

This one right here in La Crosse, Wisconsin, not expected to crest until Thursday, almost at crest level. And then you can see across portions of Iowa, not cresting until next week. So, it just shows you how slow of a process this is, Kate. Unlike flash flooding, this one's going to take a while.

BOLDUAN: Yes. And -- but just as painful. It's great to see you, Jennifer, thank you. John?

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Thank you so much, Kate. This morning, a new study has found that unprecedented heat, which is made more frequent by the climate crisis is increasingly put in countries around the world at risk. These hotspots include Afghanistan, there are countries in Central America, including Honduras and Costa Rica, and many of these places are unprepared for the type of devastation that this can all cause.

With me now is CNN Chief Climate Correspondent Bill Weir. You know, this study points out some real problems in some really problematic places.

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Exactly. This looks at 60 years of history. And then all the models going forward to sort of show where the hotspots are. The ones you mentioned, Afghanistan, Central America. These are places that it's a struggle to survive on a good day due to all kinds of obvious issues there.

We have the map. We can show it. I can show you the little hotspots. These are where it's suspected to be off-the-charts sort of unprecedented Lytton, British Columbia-style heat waves, that where it's 120 degrees for a week, and the town burns down. There are zones that there are -- this could happen in places like Beijing, for example. That's one hotspot.

And even in places where not a lot of people live, Siberia, this amount of heat unlocking what's in the methane there, what's in the permafrost as it unmelts. Here, it looks like we're missing the map. Apologies for that. But it's just a reminder that places where you think, oh, I'm safe from the ravages of climate change.

[11:35:05]

BERMAN: Right.

WEIR: I live in Canada somewhere. I'm on the northern side of the country. No place is safe anymore.

BERMAN: No. And you can see the variance too. You have incredibly populated cities like Beijing -- populous cities. You also have hot zones, literally war zones, like Afghanistan and whatnot, where it does create its own problems. And then these unpopulated areas, Bill. We're sure we're just mentioning like Siberia.

WEIR: It's all connected. And so can the more the methane gets released, it's sort of like the freezer when the refrigerators unplug, all that organic material that's been locked in permafrost is being released, that adds to the problem. And that affects a crop in Central America with affects the farmers there who are going to migrate to the United States. It's all part of the (INAUDIBLE) --

BERMAN: Does the study at all focus on how to stop it or how it needs to be stopped?

WEIR: The more fossil fuels we burn, the worse it gets. So, how much do we pay -- do we want to avoid?

BERMAN: Basically, the message is you're in for it unless. Bill Weir, thank you very much. Great to see you. Sara?

SIDNER: Coming up. Fox gets rid of its highest-rated star. What was behind the abrupt firing of Tucker Carlson?

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[11:40:34]

SIDNER: In Montana, debate over a bill that would limit gender- affirming care for transgender youth led to chaos on the floor of the State House Monday. Take a look.

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MATT REGIER, REPUBLICAN STATE REPRESENTATIVE, MONTANA: Sergeant of Arms, will you please clear the gallery? Members, will you please go to the side of the chambers? Members, please go to the side of the chambers.

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SIDNER: You hear people there chanting let her speak. Seven people were arrested just moments after the crowd began chanting let her speak in support of a Democratic state representative, Zooey Zephyr who is transgender. Last week, a number of Republican lawmakers demanded Zephyr be censured for using inappropriate and uncalled-for language during a floor debate over the bill in question.

CNN's Lucy Kafanov is live now with details for us. What exactly caused the madness on the floor there?

LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Yes, Sara. The interruption is basically the latest development in a three-day fight over Montana State Representative Zooey Zephyr's remarks against lawmakers who support a ban on gender-affirming care. I actually spoke to one of the protesters who was arrested and released. He described the scene saying that protesters gathered outside the capitol yesterday. It began as a peaceful rally. They went inside for the session.

The representative, she attempted to speak again but her sound was silenced yet again. And that is when protesters began chanting. You saw the video there. Riot police were entered. They began arresting people.

Representatives Zephyr has not been allowed to speak on the Statehouse floor since Thursday because she told Republican colleagues last week that they would have "blood on their hands" if they banned gender- affirming medical care. That was the supposedly uncalled-for language that you referenced. And here's her on CNN describing why she chose those words. Take a listen.

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ZOOEY ZEPHYR, DEMOCRATIC STATE REPRESENTATIVE, MONTANA: I know as a trans person, the joy and how we come alive when we are allowed to transition. And I know the pain that comes with not being able to transition. Also, in terms of blood on their hands, I have lost several trans friends to suicide this year. That's the impact that this legislation has. And that's why I rose to defend my community and hold the Republicans accountable for their actions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAFANOV: The protestor that I spoke to was released, all seven have been released. But, Sara, this is also part of a broader effort to restrict LGBTQ Plus and especially transgender rights in various Republican-controlled states. In Missouri, for example, the Attorney General there issued an emergency rule that limits transgender care for minors and adults. And that's expected to go in on Thursday.

Several advocacy groups including the ACLU, and Lambda Legal have sued the Missouri AG over this rule. He responded to CNN about this lawsuit claiming, "these organizations are racing in an effort to continue their ideologically-based procedures masquerading as medicine."

Lambda Legal fired back in an e-mail to me saying that they've been working to overturn this rule in response to the Attorney General's decision to implement "sweeping draconian regulations that threatened trans people's access to medically necessary care."

And I should close with saying that gender-affirming care has been provided for decades. It is considered the standard of care by every major Medical association, Sara.

SIDNER: Lucy Kafanov, thank you for that reporting. Appreciate that. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Silence today from Tucker Carlson and Fox News. No explanation yet given as to why the network's highest-rated host was abruptly fired yesterday. The announcement sent stock shares tumbling for Fox Corporation.

The company closed down nearly three percent, losing about $600 million in market value. But so far today, it looks like it could be rebounding this morning. Take from that what you will.

CNN's Oliver Darcy has been watching this. He's back here with us today. After breaking -- seeing -- breaking the news for us yesterday, Oliver, what more are you learning about the build-up to this decision?

OLIVER DARCY, CNN SENIOR MEDIA REPORTER (on camera): Yes, Kate. 24 hours and Tucker Carlson has not said a word about his firing from Fox News. But we are learning some details about how this firing transpired behind the scenes.

And so, we know now that Fox News CEO Lachlan Murdoch -- Fox Corporation CEO Lachlan Murdoch and Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott, they discussed it on Friday evening. They came to the conclusion to fire Carlson then.

[11:45:01]

And then on Monday morning, they gave word to Carlson moments before releasing that very short public statement announcing to the world that they had ousted their top-rated host. We don't know the why, however.

BOLDUAN: Right

DARCY: They -- that's the -- that's the big thing. We know the how. We don't know the why. There are a lot of questions swirling about why specifically the Murdochs, Rupert Murdoch obviously had a blessed this, why they would oust Carlson after tolerating all of his antics for so long.

Keep in mind, this is someone who had been steeped in controversy for many years. He had cast doubts about the COVID vaccines. He had spread conspiracy theories about the election. He had engaged in just brazen 1/6 truth tourism. The Murdoch stood by him through it all. And so, something changed.

Now, that something could be related. It seems very likely related to Dominion Voting Systems' huge lawsuit that they had to settle last week with that company, that voting technology company over election lies. But it's not clear specifically what part of that lawsuit played a role into his firing. It could be his ex-producer who filed an additional lawsuit --

BOLDUAN: Right.

DARCY: -- alleging rampant sexism, anti-Semitism behind the scenes at the show. It could be the disparaging text messages that were uncovered where he doesn't talk very kindly about his colleagues, including Fox News Brass. It could be a lot of things. We're not sure exactly what it is. But it does seem it's stemming from this Dominion lawsuit.

BOLDUAN: And leaving Fox News to figure out what to do now, once again with their primetime lineup. It's good to see you, Oliver. Thank you. John?

BERMAN: All right. Thanks, Kate. This morning, we are remembering Harry Belafonte, the legendary singer, an American civil rights activist. He passed away this morning at the age of 96. We're going to look at his incredible life and legacy.

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[11:51:18]

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SIDNER: It's going to be in our heads all day. Such an iconic song from an iconic entertainer. This morning, we are remembering singer, actor, and civil rights activist Harry Belafonte. A family spokesperson says the award-winning performer died this morning at the age of 96.

After launching his career in the 1940s, Belafonte blazed a trail for African-American performers, becoming one of the first black leading men in all of Hollywood.

CNN's Stephanie Elam is joining us now. It is impossible to overstate all that this man has done not just in the world of acting and singing, but in the world of civil rights.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Of his humanitarian work. I was thinking, Sara, and you'll appreciate this. I was telling my daughter this morning that Harry Belafonte died and so, she went to listen to his music. And she said, these are all the songs of my childhood, which is hilarious for a kid to say. But it shows you the impact of his music. And so, if you're just going to say that his music was timeless, that children are still listening to it now, that'd be one thing. But he did so much more.

This is a man who was a child born in New York from Jamaican immigrants. And was there and kind of fell into the arts accidentally working as a janitor and going in and seeing a performance of being swept up by it and thinking this is what I want to do. Going on and becoming in a workshop with the likes of like Marlon Brando, ending up in a band as well with like, you know, singing and then learning all of these tricks that he could do with his voice. And all of that and how we can move people. But that wasn't all that Harry Belafonte was. He was also very much a humanitarian, and a civil rights activist, so much so that even put his career on the line at different times and befriended people like MLK. But I just want to -- before we go into more of that friendship, I want you to also hear about the relationship he had with people younger than them -- than him and that he mentor.

Take a listen to what just happened today. That Chris Wallace was sitting down with Smokey Robinson and asked him about Harry Belafonte. Listen to what Smokey Robinson, a legend in and of himself had to say about Harry Belafonte.

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SMOKEY ROBINSON, SINGER, FRIEND OF HARRY BELAFONTE: Harry was a friend. He was a man who -- I met him in my -- one -- in my early 20s. And he treated me like I was his son like he had known me forever and ever. And he was such a learned man, and he was one of the first black leaders that gave black children and black men a feeling of respect. He was such a dynamic personality.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ELAM: You hear how much he was moved by him. Also, that relationship that we were speaking about with Martin Luther King Jr., where they met in New York, and at that point, after like a four-hour long conversation, Harry Belafonte said I'm going to support this man, worked with him. Just to wrap up just how much he was there for the King family, take a look at this tweet today from Bernice King, one of Martin Luther King Jr.'s children.

It says when I was a child, Harry Belafonte showed up with my -- for my family in very compassionate ways. In fact, he paid for the babysitter for me and my siblings. Here he is mourning with my mother at the funeral service for my father at Morehouse College. I won't forget. Rest well, Sir.

And that picture, every time I look at it, I get a little choked up. It's a very emotional picture there. But just to give you an idea of how much he cared about this country and this world, he was even the man who was behind We Are The World. That 1985 song that we just heard a little clip of too, saying that artists could impact what was happening in the world. Just an amazing man.

[11:55:05]

SIDNER: Stephanie, I love your humanity. I love what you just talked about. And we were just singing We Are The World this week. I was playing, I -- just randomly because I was showing off my skills of naming all the people in it, and Harry Belafonte came up with that.

BERMAN: Look, you said -- you were backstage and you said, you know, a life well lived. Harry Belafonte changed America.

SIDNER: He did. BERMAN: And you can't say that about many people but he changed America. He was such a force in the civil rights movement. He helped with the initial seed money for SNCC, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, you know, the southern leadership conference, he was just there for all of this.

BOLDUAN: And it was just beautiful. And then music lives on. Like it's a --

SIDNER: Yes.

BOLDUAN: Harry Belafonte's music is just loved in so many households. It's so fun to play it with my kids. They love the Calypso. It's just a beautiful thing. It's fun to (INAUDIBLE) like this.

SIDNER: And here are some of that music.

BOLDUAN: Exactly.

SIDNER: Shall we sing them out? No. we should not.

BERMAN: Let him sing it out.

SIDNER: Yes, I will.

BOLDUAN: Well, yes, exactly. We know our role in that one. Thank you so much for joining us. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL. "INSIDE POLITICS" is up next.

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