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Israeli Strike Destroys Building Housing Al Jazeera, AP Offices; Some States, Businesses Drop Mask Mandates Following CDC Guidance; Interview With Governor Dan McKee (D-RI); Operations Return To Normal As Gas Shortages Continue; Medina Spirit Cleared To Race At Preakness Stakes Today; A Folk Art Paradise. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired May 15, 2021 - 11:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:00:28]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Saturday.

I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

We begin with breaking news out of Gaza. The Associated Press is now responding after an Israeli air strike destroyed a high-rise where the news organizations have offices. Al Jazeera and other media outlets were also housed in that building. Al Jazeera says the occupants were warned to evacuate about an hour before the airstrike was carried out.

So you'll see the building collapses into rubble just a few seconds later.

The Associated Press statement saying "This is an incredibly disturbing development. We narrowly avoided a terrible loss of life."

It's the latest in a week of escalating conflict. According to Palestinian officials, so far 139 people have been killed and at least 100 injured. Meanwhile, the rocket fire from Gaza continues. The Israeli military says at least eight civilians have been killed in the last week.

Nic Robertson joining us now Israel. So Nic, what are you learning about this latest strike?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, literally as you were speaking to me there, I'm watching Iron Dome intercepts just behind the camera in the sky. They just intercepted another two rockets. They'd intercepted six before.

What Hamas said about the downing of that building is that they would fire rockets at Tel Aviv, in the Tel Aviv area tonight. That's where they said the retaliation should be.

I'm listening to the thumps of those Iron Dome intercepts right now in the sky here. What the IDF is saying is that they -- Israeli Defense Forces -- they say that they targeted that building because there are military installations there belonging to Hamas' military intelligence that were co-located in that building.

What the Associated Press are saying, and let me read you the full statement.

Just what we're doing here right now is just taking cover. The sirens are going off here right now. We're going to take cover behind a berm here. But when we can hear these sirens -- I don't know if you can hear them -- that means there's an attack, rockets possibly coming in this direction.

But as we get some cover here, I'm going to read to you the Associated Press report. You can see where we have some shelter and cover where we're at right now.

But what the Associated Press say about that strike is this, on the building. They say, "We are shocked and horrified that the Israeli military would target and destroy the building housing AP's bureau and other news organizations in Gaza. They have long known the location of our bureau and knew journalists were there.

We received a warning that the building would be hit. We are seeking information from the Israeli government and are engaged with the U.S. State Department to try to learn more.

This is an incredibly disturbing development," the statement goes on. "We narrowly avoided a terrible loss of life. A dozen AP journalists and freelancers were inside the building. And thankfully, all were able to evacuate them in time."

And it concludes saying this, and as I'm concluding, I've been looking up there and I can see more intercepts, more rockets being fired, more intercepts happening. And the last line, I think, is perhaps the most significant from the Associated Press that says, "The world will know less about what is happening in Gaza because of what happened today."

Al Jazeera has also released a statement. Hamas have said that they would respond by firing rockets towards Tel Aviv. It's not clear where the rockets we're seeing being intercepted are going right now, but while we've been standing here, I'm counting from the puffs in the sky four intercepts.

You can see over there. There was at least half a dozen previously before in another direction. So it seems that with one incident, as we've seen so many times, one incident begets another round of incidents.

Earlier today rockets fired from Gaza did get through, a couple of them got through the Iron Dome Defensive Shield. They landed around Tel Aviv where sirens had gone off. One missile landed on a street near some shops and a 50-year-old man was killed in that.

[11:05:01]

ROBERTSON: So this evening, heading into this evening here, real concern, international concern about what happened to that building housing journalists. We know that Jen Psaki at the White House has said that the U.S. government has been in contact with the Israeli government to say -- to say and specify the importance that the United States places on journalists and safety and security for them, and of course, for others. But the United States making their point about this as well, too Israeli officials.

WHITFIELD: And Nic again, of course, Israel is saying that building had militants located there, but also reports are that it serves as an apartment building, residents live there, as well as the offices of those media outlets -- al Jazeera and the Associated Press.

So Nic, give me an idea of where you are. Yes, we're able to see you pan away to see where those four intercepts have taken place recently, largely because of the, you know, the Iron Dome. But give me an idea of where you are in correlation to this 140-square mile area that is Gaza.

ROBERTSON: Yes, you know, one side of Gaza is, of course, the sea. The other side immediately across from the sea gives way eastward into the rest of Israel. And we're in sort of, if you will, the top northeast corner of that. I won't be precise about the location, of course.

And in the field behind me you can probably see some of the Israeli artillery positions here. They've been quiet in the past 24 hours, but 48 hours ago they were part of the Israeli ground forces that were launching artillery strikes, hundreds of rounds, according to Israeli Defense Forces, into Gaza from these positions right here. But I think, you know, the position that I'm in is a sand berm that's been put up here for safety and security. The position that we're in right now, relatively safe.

But, of course, spread around here, around this area, around the periphery of Gaza, are more Israeli defense force positions. So we're located a few miles away from Gaza in the northeast corner, I would approximately say.

WHITFIELD: Ok. All right. We're going to take your word for it that you feel relatively safe there in that sand berm area there in (INAUDIBLE). Nic Robertson, we'll check back with you. Be safe there along the Gaza border.

And to underscore what Nic was just saying, the White House has responded to this breaking news.

CNN's Jasmine Wright joining us now from the White House. So Jasmine, what more are you learning?

JASMINE WRIGHT, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: That's right. We have the first official response from the White House today. White House press secretary Jen Psaki tweeted that "We have confirmed directly to the Israelis" -- excuse me -- "We have communicated directly to the Israelis that ensuring the safety and security of journalists and independent media is a paramount responsibility."

Now let's just say this is not an explicit condemnation of what happened, but this is the first time that we are hearing from an official on it. Now CNN learned just a few hours ago that the White House would remain engaged on it this Saturday, holding internal meetings on Israel as well as on infrastructure.

But on Israel, trying to (INAUDIBLE) and obviously Jen Psaki said on Friday that the White House would remain engaged and that they were working towards de-escalation. That was the word that she used.

So now the question is, what happens next? And we know that the White House right now is facing pressure from the left to do more on this issue. Yesterday in a "New York Times" op-ed, Senator Bernie Sanders, he wrote that -- he said, "In a moment of crisis, the United States should be urging an immediate ceasefire" But he also said that "With a new president, the United States now has the opportunity to develop a new approach to the world."

So the question going forward is, what exactly does the White House continue to do? We know that the president has walked a fine line. He said that he didn't see that they had overreacted on Thursday, and so the question is, is that line going to be going forward now? Or do they become even more engaged than they are at this stage? Do they take a firm stance? Or what -- what -- what options do they look at, at trying to de-escalate the situation?

WHITFIELD: All right. Jasmine Wright, keep us posted there from the White House. Thank you so much with their latest statement.

I want to bring in now CNN's Fareed Zakaria to discuss. So Fareed, good to see you.

I mean this conflict is escalating by the day. International journalists now in the crossfire there although they did receive some forewarning that their building would be hit. So what does this say to you about where this conflict is right now?

[11:09:50]

FAREED ZAKARIA, CNN HOST: Well, it's clear that the Israeli government has decided to take all measures, you know, to do what it thinks is necessary, more than anything else as far as I can tell, to make Hamas feel like it is paying a price.

I think that at this point it is really trying to destroy a lot of Hamas' infrastructure, but also punish Hamas. I mean that's what the destruction of that entire building was surely about.

The place where this is going that worries me the most perhaps is within Israel, in the sense that you are now seeing, and you have seen over the last few weeks, increasing tensions and violence between Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs -- that is the Arab citizens of Israel. 20 percent of Israel's population is Arab.

Usually they would tend to be, perhaps quiet in these moments, but not actively taking the side of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. That is changing.

So the situation is getting worse. It is spiraling out of control, both in places like Gaza, but within Israel itself.

WHITFIELD: Then you just underscored that makes it more difficult for the U.S. engagement. And as we just heard the statement coming out of the White House, what might be the options that the White House is exploring on how and when or even whether to get involved?

ZAKARIA: I think President Biden in many ways has been trying to hold the Middle East at bay while he continues to try to make big pushes in domestic policy. This complicates that. And it's a good reminder that when you're the president of the United States and these crises take place, the world looks to you for leadership.

It's not very clear what he can do. Despite what people think, the United States has limited influence with Israel on matters like this. The Israeli public will broadly be behind Prime Minister Netanyahu's push.

The most important thing the Biden administration could do would be to try to re-engage with the peace process, re-energize it, get the lines of communication open, get the two parties negotiating.

There are some problems in the world you can't solve, but actively trying to manage them lowers the temperature. It reminds both sides of your goodwill. It ensures that there is some level of trust between them. That's what you need. That's probably the best you can hope for.

WHITFIELD: And then there's the global view, and really looking at and dissecting the imbalance of arsenal involved here -- Israel's arsenal versus the Palestinians' arsenal. You know, what side might the world be on if it has to make a choice when it comes down to this battle and this ongoing on and off battle?

ZAKARIA: Look, there's no question that when you look at it, it's David versus Goliath. Israel is the super power in the region. It is the most powerful on the security apparatus in the Middle East, by far, let alone against the Palestinians who don't really even have an army. And they resort to terrorism -- the Israelis, as I said, try to inflict pain and punishment on them.

At the end of the day, Israel is overwhelmingly the stronger party. And so the question really becomes, does Israel at some point want to try to find a way to solve this problem politically. It has the resources militarily and the strength to push it down to do what they're doing now, you know, essentially in perpetuity.

But that doesn't solve the problem. They have, you know, millions of Palestinians living on land they control who do not have political rights. And it feels to me like until the Israelis really seriously try to figure out what the political solution to this is and perhaps go the extra mile because they are so powerful, this will just be a recurring feature of our lives and these pictures will not go away.

WHITFIELD: All right. Fareed, let me also talk to you about your special that is airing tomorrow night about the changing landscape as all eyes are really on domestic U.S. policy, U.S. government, U.S. party system, and specifically the Republican Party. Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZAKARIA: Let me give you some snapshots of the Republican electorate today.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need to stop watching the media and start getting the facts.

CROWD: Four more years.

ZAKARIA: In a CNN poll conducted after January 6th, 70 percent of Republicans said they did not believe that Joe Biden won the election legitimately.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's too much evidence of fraud.

CROWD: Fight for Trump. Fight for Trump.

[11:14:56]

ZAKARIA: Over 40 percent believe Bill Gates is planning to use the COVID-19 vaccine as a pretext to implant micro chips in people's brains in order to track them.

And roughly one in four Republicans agree with a key tenet of the QAnon conspiracy that a group of Satan-worshipping elites who run a child sex ring are trying to control our media and politics.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Joe Biden is the biggest pedophile on the face of this planet.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's not a conspiracy. It's a fact.

CROWD: Fight for America.

ZAKARIA: It becomes impossible to deny the Republican Party today has been infected by a series of crazy conspiracy theories. Why?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Wow, it is rabid. "A RADICAL REBELLION", is what the program is all about. So what is the answer to the question of why and how did this happen? There's two questions.

ZAKARIA: What we found going back into the history was really fascinating. It really goes back to the 1964 convention when Barry Goldwater essentially kicks out or exorcises the moderate wing of the Republican Party.

Nelson Rockefeller, probably the most liberal politician in America was at that time a Republican, as was Barry Goldwater, the most conservative politician in America. Goldwater wins that struggle and creates what becomes the right wing base of the party. And what happens over the next 30, 40 years is that that base is constantly fed, energized, encouraged, and it keeps getting more extreme because it feels like it isn't winning.

You know, it feels like what Goldwater promised was the repeal of the New Deal, then the repeal of the Great Society. And none of that happened. And so this group of Republicans becomes more and more extreme, more and more believing that there's some kind of conspiracy at work that is betraying them, or else why is what they want not happening? And Republican leaders never were honest with them and they fed these fires and furies. And what's now happened is that radical fringe has become the center of the Republican Party.

WHITFIELD: Wow. I look forward to what I know is going to be an extraordinary view of not just a polarized nation, but certainly a polarized Republican Party. Fareed Zakaria, thank you so much for your time. Appreciate it.

And of course, all of us will be watching, right. "A RADICAL REBELLION", that's tomorrow night at 8:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific right here on CNN.

All right. Coming up, confusion and criticism after federal health officials lift mask guidelines for vaccinated Americans. I'll talk live with the governor of Rhode Island in a moment.

[11:17:48]

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WHITFIELD: The CDC's guidance on masks is raising a lot of questions as states across the country begin easing their restrictions. Michigan is the latest state to drop its mask mandate. In all, more than a dozen states and the District of Columbia are ending their mask requirements. Many for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began.

And it comes after the CDC said it was ok for fully vaccinated people to ditch masks in most situations. But the easing of restrictions comes at a time when the U.S. is still struggling to get people vaccinated. Just over 36 percent of Americans are fully vaccinated. And less than 50 percent have only received one dose.

Joining me right now is Dr. Megan Ranney. She is an emergency physician at Brown University. So good to see you, Dr. Ranney.

So this announcement from the CDC this week came as a shock to so many. What do people need to know about the new guidance?

DR. MEGAN RANNEY, EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN, BROWN UNIVERSITY: So it was, indeed, a surprise. I think many of us expected to see this change in guidance in about a month once more Americans were fully vaccinated.

But it is what it is. We've got the guidance now and here is the important stuff to know. Number one, if you are fully vaccinated, the science supports that you are incredibly unlikely to catch COVID, to get hospitalized, or to die.

So the good news is that if you are fully vaccinated, being out and about without a mask, particularly if you're around other vaccinated people, is safe. The tough part is, Fred, for those unvaccinated people, the worry is that they, too, are going to take off their masks and put themselves at risk, as well as those who are immunocompromised or haven't had the chance to get the vaccine yet.

WHITFIELD: Right. So a lot is weighing on the honor system. We're, you know, really asking this nation to be honest about its vaccination status. So it's not just states, in fact, you know, that are lifting restrictions.

Several businesses have also announced that they will be relaxing some of their restrictions and mask mandates. Here are some of them right here on the screen. But this puts a lot of the employees in a very difficult position, doesn't it? I mean, not just worried about their own health and welfare, but now many employees of any of those organizations have to now be thinking about whether people, the customers, are being honest about their status. Is this what the CDC intended?

DR. RANNEY: I don't think that's what the CDC intended and I would urge businesses to keep those mask mandates in place as long as possible in their businesses to protect their workers.

I'll say it's particularly an equity issue. We know that black and brown folks across the United States who are most often our frontline employees with public-facing jobs are also those who have the hardest time accessing the vaccines.

For them, I would say they should keep wearing masks and I hope that at a minimum businesses allow people to keep choosing to mask indoors, even if they do decide to lift mandates.

[11:24:56]

WHITFIELD: Yes. Only because, just underscoring your point that you're not really sure who has or has not been vaccinated. It really is no indictment against the effectiveness of the vaccine.

So the flip side to that is, you know, the FAA and the TSA are still requiring masks for public transportation and air travel. Do you agree with that?

DR. RANNEY: I absolutely do. And you know, what I think is really important to understand is that these vaccines are amazing, incredibly effective, but if you are in a close space with someone who has COVID for a long period of time, even if you're vaccinated, there is a tiny risk.

And on travel, you're in close spaces with other people for a long period of time. Particularly around international travel, it makes sense to mandate masks there.

In health care facilities, we're going to continue to mandate masks for all people regardless of whether they're vaccinated or not because there's a higher chance that there's someone with COVID in a health care facility. That makes sense for now. Again, I hope that as our vaccine rates go up, things will continue to change.

WHITFIELD: In your view does this kind of give greater license to people to ask one another if they've been vaccinated just for their own personal safety, or do you believe it's now making that conversation even more complicated?

DR. RANNEY: I think this conversation was complicated to begin with, whether it was around masks or vaccines. This is going back to that quintessential American individualism, each person is out for themselves.

I personally do ask people whether they're vaccinated or not, while also understanding that they don't have to tell me. I don't ask my employees because that wouldn't be legal. And I will continue to wear a mask indoors, Fred, until our vaccine rates get a little higher and our case rates get a little lower when I'm in a public space.

WHITFIELD: All right. I'm with you. Dr. Megan Ranney, thank you so much. Be well.

All right. The state of Rhode Island will adopt the new CDC mask guidance starting Tuesday. Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee joining me to discuss right now. Governor, so good to see you.

GOV. DAN MCKEE (D-RI): Thank you for the invite and welcome to Rhode Island.

WHITFIELD: Well, thank you so much. Glad to be there in this manner. One day I'll really physically get up there.

But for now, you know, talk to me about your comfort level on people changing their habits and their approaches to masks, no masks, being vaccinated, et cetera, starting Tuesday in your state. Why did you make this decision?

MCKEE: Let me just -- yes, let me just say to the people of Rhode Island, thanks for your cooperation in getting vaccinated. We have been following the science in terms of what we can do and what we shouldn't be doing.

And every decision that's been made and every announcement that I've made has been really factored in on the safety. So Rhode Island is in a very good position right now because of its vaccination rates. I think that we're almost -- approaching almost 90 percent of the people who are 65 and older in the state of Rhode Island who have been -- have had at least one shot. We're approaching almost a half a million people that have been fully vaccinated.

So it's put Rhode Island in a good spot. We need to open up our businesses. And we need to get people back to work and we need to do it safely. And we're able to do that at this point in time.

So was pleased that CDC came out with that. I mean, every state can make their own decisions what they do. Rhode Island is in a good spot to be following the guidance and I was really happy to see the president make that announcement, you know, that it's time to get back to work.

And people who are vaccinated can enjoy the freedom of not wearing a mask inside. And those who are not vaccinated, we're not giving people in the state of Rhode Island a pass in terms of not becoming vaccinated, because it's safe, it saves lives. And right now everybody should be getting vaccinated in our state and around the country.

WHITFIELD: So you are proceeding a little ahead of schedule, right, because it was already your plan to lift capacity limits on businesses come May 28th, right in time for the Memorial Day holiday.

Are you at all concerned, worried, or do you have a lot of confidence in Rhode Islanders that they're going to honor what the CDC recommends when they're making a distinction of those who have been vaccinated can carry out this way without masks versus those who have not been vaccinated?

MCKEE: I do, and, you know, we've got our one millionth shot into somebody's arms about a week ago. And we made that announcement. We have about a million people in the state of Rhode Island.

What has given us to this position is our vaccination rates and the fact that we have -- we built up the capacity, for instance, which I asked to be done by bringing municipal leaders and National Guard and FEMA and RIEMA and our health department to do 160,000 shots in any given week. That has allowed us to get additional vaccine over and above our allocation over the last few weeks of over 120,000 shots.

[11:29:48]

MCKEE: So we've been able to get that into people's arms at a rate that has put us in this spot that we can reopen and yes, we were planning on reopening in the Memorial Day weekend. But because of this announcement that was made by the president and CDC this week, we were able to accelerate that. So we'll be 100 percent open in the state on Friday, the 21st.

WHITFIELD: Is there a feeling of relief or a little bit more added anxiety that you and other Rhode Islanders, you know, are feeling? What's it been like the past, I guess, 24 hours, maybe 48 hours of letting this sink in?

MCKEE: It's Quahog Week in the state of Rhode Island this week, right. So I was out quahogging yesterday late in the afternoon and people were coming by in their boats and they're giving a thumbs up and saying, you know, saying it's great that we're able to reopen.

So I think that is really going across the whole state, the whole ocean state. We are positioning -- some of the things we're concerned about, but we're facing them.

We're going to increase our population in the state because of vacationers in Rhode Island, significantly. So we've already announced now we're going to vaccinate people from out of state. We're going to set up walk-up clinics in a community like Westerly, Rhode Island that will spike its population by 20,000 -- 25,000 -- almost 100 percent, you know, over the July 4th timeframe.

So we know we've got a great deal of work to do. It's the pick and shovel work I'm talking about. Right now we are calling about 14,000 seniors that are over 75 that we know have not been vaccinated, and we're doing house calls, you know.

So we're going to do everything we can and continue this full-court press we have to vaccinate all eligible people in the state of Rhode Island, including our 12 to 15s.

After this interview I'm headed to a high school that is doing vaccinations on their high school juniors and seniors so they can go to their proms and attend their graduations.

WHITFIELD: Oh, that's excellent and I'm sure the seniors particularly are going to really enjoy those house calls.

All right. Let's talk about work a little bit. You know, Rhode Island is bringing back a job search requirement for people on unemployment and state lawmakers have just passed legislation that will allow people to work more hours while remaining eligible to collect some unemployment benefits.

You called for this legislation as an incentive to get people back to work. Do you believe this will work as intended?

MCKEE: It's time to get back to work and in Rhode Island that's the reason why we're doing what we're doing. One is, it doesn't make sense to me to just shut off the benefit -- that we have about 68,000 people in the state of Rhode Island on unemployment. They're receiving about $300 a week. That's almost $21 million of income that's coming into our families during any given week, almost $100 million a month.

Those dollars are being spent in our communities, so I don't think that we want to, you know, get off of that until the federal government decides that that benefit goes away. So we've put in legislation to allow people to work longer hours, to earn more money, and still maintain the $300 benefit.

And I think that that's going to be very helpful, because I'm going to small businesses, I've been a big small business advocate. And this week I went to a coffee shop and they had a sign right on the door, you know, Sorry for the inconvenience but we've got to close today early because we don't have enough workers."

It is time to get back to work. We are making sure that people are looking for work now as of, I think it's May 23rd. And then we also are going to encourage employers to do what they did last summer, right. Last summer was, you know, a program that allowed people to have -- employers to have people work less hours and still stay on the $600 benefit.

This is just the reverse -- that work share program in reverse. We want to make sure we're working on behalf of the employees at this point in time, allowing them to get back to work in a way that they still can benefit from the federal benefit. WHITFIELD: All right. It sounds like you're offering what would be

considered a real hand-up and not a hand-out.

Governor Dan McKee, thank you so much. Appreciate that.

Coming up -- all the best to you -- panic at the pump. A major pipeline is back up and running after a cyberattack, but when will gas stations return to normal?

[11:34:07]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. If you're gas tank is hovering close to empty, relief might soon be on the way. Colonial Pipeline, which supplies nearly half the gas to the East Coast, says it's operations have returned to normal.

It comes nearly a week after a cyberattack that forced the company to shut down its network, triggering panic buying at the pumps. GasBuddy reports a staggering 81 percent of stations in the D.C. area were out of gas as of just a few hours ago.

Natasha Chen is at a Shell gas station in Charleston, South Carolina. So Natasha, the pipeline is back in action, but the question is, you know, how fast can the fuel be delivered to gas pumps like where you are?

NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Fred. The Colonial Pipeline did say today that they are at normal operations, but think of the facts that the fuel flows through this pipeline at about five miles per hour, and of course, we have issues on the road, lots of states have lifted weight restrictions for these trucks to bring this fuel to the pump. So it could take some time for people to see some normalcy here.

The pumps behind us still have yellow bags on top of them. This is the case for about half of the gas stations across South Carolina right now, though in the city of Charleston where we are, it's a little bit better than that.

[11:39:55]

CHEN: Let's show you a map of what GasBuddy says is the situation right now. And keep in mind these are crowd-sourced numbers, so drivers are self-reporting what they're seeing at these gas stations.

You mentioned 81 percent of gas stations out in D.C., fewer than half out in South Carolina, fewer than half in Georgia, about a quarter out in Florida.

We've seen these numbers marginally improve overnight and we're seeing that happening in real time here in Charleston, too. There were some gas stations near us that were out last night, but got supplies overnight. So this morning is even looking better than just a few hours ago. Here is the expert talking about these GasBuddy stats, and how people just really have to be patient because it takes some time to see gas flowing to all the stations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PATRICK DE HAAN, HEAD OF PETROLEUM ANALYSIS, GASBUDDY: Well, at least for now, you know, prices are actually coming down in the wholesale (ph) level. If you don't need gas, don't get it.

Number one, you'll be helping stations resupply faster. Number two, you'll be saving a little bit because prices will start coming back down in the next five to seven days.

But frankly just, you know, the faster Americans can give those stations room to resupply, the faster this resolves itself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHEN: Right. So the officials are really telling people, do not panic buy, do not hoard gas. That just prolongs this situation. President Biden did estimate that we might see some normalcy by the end of this weekend.

WHITFIELD: Wow. All of us trying to conserve our travels as best we can. All right. Natasha Chen, thank you so much.

All right. Still ahead, ready to run, I'm conserving here. Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit will hit the track at the Preakness Stakes today, despite a failed drug test.

[11:46:44]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. The second leg of the Triple Crown is set to go off later on tonight. And no doubt all eyes will be on the Kentucky Derby winner, Medina Spirit after the colt particularly was deemed eligible to run in the Preakness Stakes.

Coy Wire is with me now. So a lot of controversy involving this horse after it failed a drug test of an anti-inflammatory drug, but now it gets to run. What's going on?

COY WIRE, CNN WORLD SPORT CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Hi, Fred.

And there was look, plenty of speculation about whether Medina Spirit should have even been allowed to compete today in Baltimore.

But after passing three drug tests over the past two days, the derby winner is cleared to run, is the favorite to win. Those tests were required by the Maryland Jockey Club, the Maryland Racing Commission as a condition for entering the Preakness after Medina Spirit tested positive for restricted anti-inflammatory at Churchill Downs two weeks ago. Derby officials are still determining whether that win will stand. The horse's trainer Bob Baffert has opted not to be at the race today. He is undefeated at the Preakness with the derby winner. Post time is 6:50 Eastern.

And also later today, late Lakers legend Kobe Bryant will officially become a hall-of-famer. The hall of fame unveiled a new exhibit designed in part by Kobe's widow, Vanessa, which is dedicated to Mamba, both the player and dad. The five-time NBA champ headlined one of the most decorated classes of all time including fellow five-time champs Tim Duncan, 15-time all star Kevin Garnett, 4-time Olympic gold medalist Tamika Catchings. Kobe induction will be presented by his mentor and friend, Michael Jordan.

Now, one of Kobe's star pupils Sabrina Ionescu wore a Kobe jersey ahead of the WNBA opener last night and last year's number one pick made Kobe proud.

Liberty and Fever tied in the final seconds but Ionescu had hit the game-winner just before the buzzer. And she said Fred, that she envisioned doing exactly this. She said before this play she wanted the ball in her hands because that is Mamba mentality.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SABRINA IONESCU, WNBA PLAYER: Being able to just watch, you know, his legacy live on through all of us, everyone that was close to him, everyone that he touched, it's amazing to see how that's going to continue to live on in young girls, boys, people everywhere. And so I'm super excited to go and see that. You know, no one is more deserving.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: It is sure to be an emotional induction ceremony, Fred, later this evening. Even the GOAT, Michael Jordan said that he was nervous when he started thinking about all the tears that are likely going to be flowing tonight.

WHITFIELD: Right. He doesn't want to revisit the tears that we saw during that memorial, but I mean hey, it's ok. I mean they were such good friends and I know he was a mentor for so long for Kobe Bryant so it will be a very touching evening and ceremony.

Coy Wire, thank you so much.

All right. Still ahead, in order to reduce his charges, Joel Greenberg, a close confidant of Congressman Matt Gaetz, pleading guilty to charges of sex trafficking a minor and now plans to actually help prosecutors in their investigation of others.

[11:48:57]

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WHITFIELD: Welcome back. A close confidante of Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz has struck a deal with federal prosecutors. Joel Greenberg plans to plead guilty to six federal charges including a count of sex trafficking of a child, according to a new court filing.

And as part of his deal, Greenberg will cooperate with ongoing investigations and he agreed to testify at trials or in federal grand juries if needed and will turn over all documents that could help the federal inquiry.

Gaetz has not been charged in the investigation and denies any wrongdoing.

On to North Carolina now, a must-see spot beckons folk art lovers from around the world. We visit Paradise Garden in today's "Off the Beaten Path".

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TINA COX, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PARADISE GARDEN: This is paradise gardens, a wonderful, hidden gem. This is the home of a very famous folk artist by the name of Reverend Howard Finster.

He was very prolific. Howard Finster created 46,991 pieces in his lifetime. Some of it is his art work and a lot of it are really artists that would come and visit Howard that were truly inspired by him.

[11:54:56]

SUMMER LOFTIN, INTERIOR DESIGNER: We know that Howard was the original up-cycler.

And that's what we have here at the garden, it's something that Howard created out of what most people would consider to be garbage.

It's miraculous that he was able to take things and make it into this amazing art environment that we're still enjoying generations later.

COX: We have a 300-foot-long outdoor gallery and we have a world folk art church that is several stories tall. And we have a Cadillac shed and a meditation chapel and mosaic garden. And we've got all of these different things that Howard created.

This is such a holy grail of all art environments in not only the United States but also the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[11:55:43]

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