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Ukraine Warns of Major Russian Offensive in Coming Days; CNN Reconnects with Woman Trapped in War Zone; Accused Subway Shooter Charged with Federal Crimes; CNN Obtains Nearly 100 Texts Between GOP Sen. Mike Lee, GOP Rep. Chip Roy and Mark Meadows; U.S. Drought Monitor: Conditions in West Worsening and Expanding. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired April 16, 2022 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:00:19]

PAULA REID, CNN ANCHOR: You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Paula Reid in Washington in for Jim Acosta. I want to welcome our viewers here in the United States and around the world.

Ukraine bracing for a dangerous new phase of war after the sinking of a major Russian warship. Ukraine says Russia is retaliating with increased attacks in the south. And in the east, heavy shelling. This is ahead of a planned ground offensive that could move forward within days. And today a Russian cruise missile hit a residential area there killing two people and injuring 18 others. Other civilian buildings in eastern Ukraine are sustaining extensive damage. CNN's cameras were rolling when a village market was attacked.

A senior official in the region is urging the 70,000 remaining residents to evacuate now before Russian forces move in. Ukraine knows all too well what happened the last time Putin's forces occupied Ukrainian towns. More than 900 bodies of civilians have been discovered since Russia withdrew from areas around the capital, according to local police. Many of them showing signs of torture, rape and brutal execution.

CNN's Ed Lavandera is in the port city of Odessa.

Ed, you recently went to a city that Ukrainian officials say is under attack by Russian troops in retaliation for the sinking of that flagship, one of Russia's key assets now at the bottom of the Black Sea. What did you see in that city?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Well, the city of Mykolaiv under constant attack once again today. The mayor says that Russian airstrikes hit a kindergarten building. We've seen images of a playground also destroyed by explosions. This comes as this is a city that is bracing for an offensive from Russian forces.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The cluster of explosions jolted this residential neighborhood in Mykolaiv Friday morning. Witnesses say some people were walking their dogs in a park at the time. One of the munitions struck just feet away from an Orthodox Church.

(On camera): You can see the impact spot of one of the munitions that went off this morning and as you look around here, you can see the impact and the damage done to this church here as well.

(Voice over): Multiple people were killed and more than a dozen others injured. Paramedics treated victims on the scene. Across the street, under the shattered windows of an apartment building, this man told us he helped drag two injured people into a store for safety.

YURI ZAYTSEV, MYKOLAIV RESIDENT (through translator): The noise, the noise of a rocket flying and explosions. That's what I saw and heard when I was in the shop. People ran into the store and I saw people scared. I saw people dropping to the ground from explosions.

LAVANDERA (voice over): The sounds of explosions inside the city started around mid-morning and appeared to strike at least three different locations. Mykolaiv authorities released this video of a private home burning after a rocket strike.

Mykolaiv strikes come as residents in southern Ukraine are worried about Russian retaliation for the sinking of the Moskva warship in the Black Sea and Russia's renewed offensive in Eastern Ukraine. In recent days, CNN has witnessed long convoys of families fleeing Russian occupied areas near Mykolaiv. This bombing struck a densely populated area.

Galina Mironchuk says she was brushing her hair when the bomb landed just outside her apartment window. The blast shattered the glass and shattered her sense of peace.

(On camera): Did you think something was going to happen to you?

(Voice over): "I didn't think of anything," she tells me. "I thought that was the end of the world."

The recent attacks have also crippled parts of the city's infrastructure. The water has been out for three days, forcing hundreds of people to get water from a river and natural spring.

This man evacuated his mother and plans to stay in the city to fight off the Russians.

(On camera): How worried are you that the Russians are getting closer?

(Voice over): "It worries me a lot," he tells me. "That's why I sent my mother away, that's why we are getting ready. We are still working, but if the Russians are close, I will fight them."

For now residents are left to clean up the bloody aftermath and brace for the next attack.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAVANDERA: Paula, and we have spent several days traveling through the areas around Mykolaiv near the front lines and what stands out when you talk to people is that people in the city of Mykolaiv and in the regions and the small villages near those front lines they say they are vowing to stay in place, to fight the Russians once they pushed forward in this expected renewed offensive -- Paula.

REID: Ed Lavandera, thank you so much for that reporting.

Now I am joined by former commanding general, U.S. Army Europe and Seventh Army, retired Lieutenant General Mark Hertling.

General Hertling, all right, we're about six weeks, some odd six weeks into this war. Ukraine has just taken out a nuclear capable Russian warship, though I will note U.S. intel officials say they don't believe it had nuclear weapons on it at the time. And now we see Russia appears to be retaliating for that. So is this a turning point in this invasion?

LT. GEN. MARK HERTLING, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: I don't believe it is, Paula. They're going to continue to try and execute the operational and strategic plan that Mr. Putin has adjusted significantly to continue the attacks in the east, try and take key cities which will allow them to have maneuver warfare against the Russian military. But I believe that the Ukrainian military is ready for that kind of action in both the east and in the south.

You know, we just saw Ed Lavandera in Mykolaiv. The first time that Russia attempted to attack that city, the territorial forces of Ukraine and the citizens fought them off. Their attempt was to get through that city and then go further west to Odessa. But what causes concern in that area is there's a river. A very wide river outside of Mykolaiv called the Bug River. The Russians can't get across that Bug, and if they can't get across that river and they can't conduct an amphibious operation on the beaches near Odessa, it's going to be very difficult to extend their operations to the West.

REID: Well, as Russia prepares the eastern assault Pentagon officials say the terrain there is different so the fighting will be different. Can you lay out how exactly is the terrain here different and how is it going to be distinct from the sort of urban warfare around Kyiv and which side really has the advantage based on those factors?

HERTLING: Yes, the terrain north of Kyiv is swampy, a lot of marsh lands. The Ukrainian word for it is (INAUDIBLE), the Russian forces could not get off the roads even if they had wanted to, so they were limited and road bound coming out of Chernihiv and Kharkiv toward Kyiv. So there was difficulty in terms of a maneuver, and we define maneuver by fire and movement. In the east it's also going to be difficult. Yes, it is different terrain.

It's flatland, it's more like Kansas, as Secretary Kirby said the other -- I'm sorry, Admiral Kirby said the other day. And it's going to be a little bit easier to maneuver forces. But truthfully the Russians have really not shown the capacity to maneuver. Their forces are not well trained in that. They are lacking manpower for that renewed offensive in the east. And I believe that the Ukrainian forces have been preparing through exercises and training events to conduct small scale operations, counter attacks, counter maneuvers against Russia.

So it's going to be very intense, certainly in terms of the fighting. But I still believe that the Ukrainians have the upper hand even in the east.

REID: And the Ukrainians are expected to get this heavy weapons shipment from the U.S. The fact that it's getting there ahead of Russia's offensive, will Russia be forced to sort of adjust their approach here?

HERTLING: Well, they may try, Paula. This is the interesting thing that those of us in the military have been watching. We don't believe -- I don't believe that Russia can adjust the way they've been conducting their operations. They are too high bound. Their generals do not have the adaptability. The force itself is not well trained. They don't have the sergeants who will direct the forces that the soldiers cannot maneuver off roads.

Sometimes they don't even have maps to know where they're going. So Ukraine forces have been taught this the last 10 years. They've gone through a transformation in their military. So we're going to see quick reaction forces from the part of the Ukrainian countering some of the Russian attempts to get off roads. Intelligence is going to be critically important. All the new weapons systems that we've been talking about for the last several days are also going to be crucial especially the counter artillery radars that can tell where Russian artillery is coming from and then the Ukrainians can fight back with long-range fires as well.

But, you know, the fact is we're going to see a lot of new equipment inserted into the battlefield on the Ukrainian side. That's always challenging for any force.

[16:10:05]

I mean, I'll tell you, when I was in Iraq and we were delivered MRAP trucks, not a very difficult piece of equipment to incorporate into the force, it still takes time to get used to and get the bugs out, if you will. And the Ukrainian forces will have a little of that. But I think they've got the upper hand in being able to apply those forces as they go against the Russians.

REID: It's been interesting, we've seen Russia formally warn of, quote, "unpredictable consequences" if these U.S. weapons shipments continue to go to Ukraine. Obviously the U.S. isn't going to stop because of this diplomatic message. So what is the purples of sending this signal from Moscow?

HERTLING: It's a combination of a threat and a bluff, Paula. The Russians know they have not performed very well in all aspects of the battle space, so what they have left is nuclear weapons and perhaps cyberattacks. So those are the two things they are threatening without saying it. But without an army to back up those threats, even the threat of nuclear weapons or cyberattacks, and the fact that we have had a long time to understand through our collection of intelligence what they might be doing next. Yes, it's important never to underestimate your enemy but these kind

of threats are more bluffs than they are actually threats. The only problem is any kind of a bluff that has to do with nuclear weapons, you always have to take seriously because of the destructive power of those types of weapons.

REID: Well, General, thank you so much for your insight and analysis.

HERTLING: A pleasure, Paula. Thank you.

REID: And our colleague Jake Tapper has an exclusive interview with the Ukrainian president on the state of the war and Ukraine's fight to win. So make sure to tune in "STATE OF THE UNION" is live from Lviv tomorrow at 9:00 a.m.

And coming up, outrage and calls for charges after an unarmed black man was killed in a traffic stop in Michigan.

You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM,

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:16:11]

REID: In Grand Rapids, Michigan, the grieving parents of an unarmed black man who was shot and killed during a traffic stop there are speaking out following the release of videos showing the fatal encounter. They are calling for the officer who killed their son to be fired and prosecuted.

CNN's Omar Jimenez is following the story for us in Grand Rapids.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DORCAS LYOYA, MOTHER OF PATRICK LYOYA (through translator): I'm really deeply hurt and wounded.

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The parents of 26-year- old Patrick Lyoya speaking publicly through their pastor for the first time since police release video of their son being killed.

(On-camera): You still think about him?

D. LYOYA (through translator): I think about him every time. And I still cannot believe that my son died.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): The family came to the United States to flee war in the Democratic Republic of Congo. But it was in the United States that a bullet killed her son. The father still remembers asking police how his son was killed.

PETER LYOYA, FATHER OF PATRICK LYOYA (through translator): Very astonishing, amazing. They told me that he was killed by an officer. I didn't believe it. I said, the police that was supposed watching him, is the one who kill him? JIMENEZ: Back on April 4th, shortly after being pulled over for what

police say was improper car registration, Lyoya starts running. The officer chases and they go to the ground, beginning what would become minutes of wrestling and struggling.

The officer used his taser twice, but failed to make contact, as Lyoya puts his hands on the Taser when the two go to the ground for what would be the final time, struggling for a few brief moments before the officer's final words.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Drop the taser.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 1915. I was just involved in a shooting. Nelson. Griggs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sending medical.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 1915. I'm Nelson. North of Griggs. That's 10-4. Suspect down.

JIMENEZ: The officer got up. Lyoya didn't. The shooting sparked a mass protest in downtown Grand Rapids. Centered on justice for a new face in what many see as a familiar story. The officer who fired the shot still hasn't been named but has been stripped of his police powers. The Lyoya family's power is now focused on one thing.

P. LYOYA (through translator): If really Patrick is dead, I just ask for justice.

JIMENEZ (on-camera): Now, of course, there are countless examples of officers helping people, but that's not what he's going to remember. When the state investigation wraps up it will then be up to the Grand Rapids Police Department to determine if this officer faces any disciplinary action and then up to the county prosecutor to determine if this officer will face any charges. If it was up to the family they've told me they want this officer fired, arrested and prosecuted.

Omar Jimenez, CNN, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

REID: Thank you, Omar.

I'm now joined by former acting Baltimore police commissioner and CNN law enforcement analyst, Anthony Barksdale, and CNN legal analyst and criminal defense attorney Joey Jackson.

All right, Commissioner, I want to start with you. In the video of that traffic stop the officer tells Patrick that his license plate doesn't match the vehicle. We eventually witnessed an escalation that turns deadline. So in your professional opinion, do you see anything from that video, from that chase, that the officer should have done differently?

ANTHONY BARKSDALE, FORMER ACTING BALTIMORE POLICE COMMISSIONER: Well, there's -- yes. OK, first, you pull a vehicle over and the operator of the vehicle jumps out of the vehicle, that's a red flag.

[16:20:08]

As an officer and patrol, I've done a job. You stop. You assess what's going on here because that's not normal. You would call for backup and you can just wait for backup to come. Instead the officer approaches and everything goes downhill from there. So that's one issue. Also, was there a chance to just disengage and not continue? Yes. But the officer also was placing him under arrest, and we see that he resisted arrest. He didn't comply with numerous requests including drop the taser. So we're locked in at this point and we saw the final tragic results.

REID: We did indeed. Now, Joey, the parents of Patrick want the identity of the officer who shot their son released. The chief of police said that will only happen if the officer is charged criminally. That officer is currently on paid leave. His police powers have been suspended. But Michigan State Police are conducting a criminal investigation.

At this point is that enough?

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Paula, good to be with you and my friend, Commissioner Anthony Barksdale. Listen, I don't think so and here is why. I think a full examination of this reveals, and certainly we see what happened and there's going to be an analysis here, Paula. And that analysis is going to involve three critical factors. One, at the time the officer fired his weapon did and was the officer in immediate fear of death or serious bodily injury?

We all watch the tape. So you make the assessment as to whether when the shots was fired the officer was in fear of death. Can you make that decision to kill someone if you're not in fear of death? Number two, did the use of force the officer employed, was it proportionate to the threat that was then posed? I think the answer is probably no. It seems to me to be resoundingly no. And then the third aspect is, did the officer act reasonably as any officer would under those circumstances?

I think that could potentially be no and to me it is no. Why do I say this? I say this because it certainly would cry out for criminal investigation, potential charges, certainly dismissal of the officer. Let me make this clear in summary, officers are out there serving for communities every single day, risking their lives and doing tremendous heroic thing. But when an officer missteps there needs to be accountability.

And I think when you look at this tape, it really is very difficult to watch and I see accountability coming, and I see the dismissal of this officer coming, and I certainly see criminal charges coming from what I see and from what I know now.

REID: And Commissioner, these types of traffic stops, I mean, this, from what we know now involved a nonviolent offense. The officer is of course bringing a lethal weapon to this encounter in the United States. Many people you pull over may also potentially have a lethal weapon. Some people are asking whether there's a larger solution that could involve using technology to limit these encounters, for example speeding cameras, of course not popular but trying to limit these encounters between police officers and civilians for nonviolent offenses. What is your response to that?

BARKSDALE: Paula, you brought up a huge point. Every encounter with an officer there is a lethal weapon there and that is the service weapon. Now there have been case where we know a taser can incapacitate so back to what my esteemed colleague, Joey Jackson, just said. That is an issue. So if the taser is in position of, at this point in time, in my opinion, the victim, then the officer has to articulate that use of force.

We do see cities across the U.S. trying to move officers away from minor traffic enforcement. A tag not coming back to a vehicle, is that a priority in whatever jurisdiction, whatever state? Then that's up to them. But if this officer is enforcing the law and there was reasonable suspicion for the stop then that is something that Michigan has to think about. Is this worth it? Was this worth a life? A human life is gone over a traffic stop.

REID: Joey Jackson and Anthony Barksdale, thank you so much for your analysis on this important case.

JACKSON: Thank you, Paula.

REID: And coming up, we go back to Ukraine. A report from the front lines.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was photo albums. My children's photo.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

REID: The devastating impact on civilians there.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

[16:25:03]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

REID: Ukraine warning of a major Russian ground offensive in the coming days as officials say Russian strikes have hit key regions in eastern Ukraine.

Now CNN's Clarissa Ward has more from the front lines of Russia's war in Ukraine.

[16:30:00]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): People here are used to shelling and they have never experienced anything like this.

(EXPLOSION)

WARD: A missile can be heard overhead as an emotional man approaches us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WARD: "They smashed the old part of town," he says.

As we talk, the artillery intensifies.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WARD (on camera): (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WARD: I told him it's better to go home now because there's a lot of shelling. And he said there's more shelling where he lives.

(voice-over): As Russia prepares a major offensive in the East, frontline towns like Avdiivka are getting pummeled.

(EXPLOSION)

WARD (on camera): So, you can hear constant bombardment. This is the bomb shelter down here but you can see this building has already been hit.

(voice-over): More than 40 people are now living in what used to be a clothing store.

Lydia and her two sons have been here for three weeks. She wants to leave, but says her boys are too scared to go outside.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WARD: "We're afraid to stay and afraid to go,: she tells us. "But it's fate, whether you run or don't run.

(EXPLOSION)

WARD: On an apartment block, an icon of the Virgin Mary has been painted.

(EXPLOSIONS)

WARD: A plea for protection. But there is no respite in the bombardment.

(EXPLOSION)

(on camera): If you look over here, you could see the remnants of some fresh strikes. (voice-over): And 37-year-old government worker, Ratislav (ph) looks at what remains of his family home. He takes us inside to see the full scale of the destruction.

(on camera): It's completely destroyed.

(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE). Nothing.

WARD (voice-over): Mercifully, no one was at home at the time of the strike.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was for the albums. My children's photographs.

WARD: His family has already left, but he says he plans to stay.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WARD: "I'm afraid like anybody else. Only the dead aren't afraid," he tells us. But a lot of people are still here Avdiivka living in bomb shelters, and we need to support them."

Authorities say roughly 2,000 people remain in this town. There is no water, no heat, electricity is spotty.

(CROSSTALK)

WARD: The local school has become a hub to gather aid and distributed to the community.

(KNOCKING)

IGOR GOLOTOVS (ph), VOLUNTEER: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WARD: Volunteer Igor Golotovs (ph) spends his days visiting the elderly and disabled.

Today, he is checking in on 86-year-old, Lydia, petrified and alone. He has yet to find an organization willing to come and evacuate her.

LYDIA MIKHAILUK, LIVING IN AVDIIVKA, UKRAINE, AMID RUSSIAN INVASION: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WARD: "When there's no electricity and it's so dark and there's shelling," she says, "you can't imagine how scary it is."

She tells us she recites prayers to get through the night.

MIKHAILUK: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WARD: "I never imagined that my end would be like this," she says. "You can't even die here because there's no one to provide a burial ceremony."

WARD: For Igor, it is agony not to be able to do more. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WARD: "I promise you," he says, "I will help you to be evacuated."

(CROSSTALK)

WARD: As we leave, Lydia is reluctant to say goodbye. It is terrifying to live through this time. To do it alone is torture.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translation): It's so nice to see real people, she says. Probably it's going to get worse.

WARD: A prediction all but certain to come true because a second Russian offensive draws near.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

REID: Following that report, Clarissa, of course, received an outpouring of concern for Lydia.

We want to bring you an update on her right now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WARD (voice-over): Lydia Mikhailuk thought this day would never come. After weeks of horror, she waits outside her apartment to be evacuated.

(on camera): So we're here at the Big Heart Living facility and we're just waiting for Lydia to arrive. She has been driving for some hours and we're excited to see her.

Here she is.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm glad to see you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good to see you, man.

[16:35:00]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We got her out.

WARD: Lydia greets cameraman, Scott McWhinnie.

SCOTT MCWHINNIE, CNN CAMERAMAN: Hey.

MIKHAILUK: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WARD: "It's our old friend," she says. "I am so glad to see you again."

After we left Lydia, Thursday, there was an outpouring from people who wanted to help. We managed to connect volunteers to a care home in the relative safety of Dnipro.

MIKHAILUK: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE) WARD: Leaving Lydia alone in her apartment was incredibly tough. To see her safe is a huge relief.

MIKHAILUK: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WARD: "Today, I will finally feel calm," she says. "This is so important. Thank you."

MIKHAILUK: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WARD: Her journey out of Avdiivka was far from easy.

MIKHAILUK: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WARD (on camera): She is saying that there was a lot of shelling this morning and was terrified.

(voice-over): It took six long hours to get here but she made it.

(LAUGHTER)

MIKHAILUK: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WARD: "I'm so lucky," she says. "Safe and comfortable at long last."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

REID: Thank you to Clarissa Ward for that incredible reporting and update. It's good to know that Lydia is relatively safe.

Up next, the suspect in New York's subway shooting is being charged with a federal crime. We'll discuss the significance of that and where the investigation stands now next.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:41:28]

REID: The NYPD won't be getting a funding boost, even after last week's subway shooting in Brooklyn. This, according to New York City's mayor.

Instead, Mayor Eric Adams says the attack will be used as a, quote, "case study: for what needs to be changed in the mental health programs.

The accused shooter has been identified as Frank James. Before his arrest, James posted videos talking about violence, mass shootings, and his struggles with mental health issues.

James is facing federal charges for carrying out a terrorist attack on a mass transit system. The shooting injured at least 29 people, including 10 with gunshot wounds.

Now CNN's senior legal analyst and former federal prosecutor and state prosecutor, Elie Honig, joins me now.

Elie, what does it mean? We know prosecutors, the government, they always have options, where and how to pursue a case like this. Here, they've gone with a federal prosecution instead of a state case.

What do you make of that?

ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Paula, the reason we're in federal court it is because meets one of the many federal definitions of the term "terrorism."

In this case, it is a terrorist act, according to federal law, to launch a deadly or potentially deadly attack on a mass transit facility. Of course, the New York City subway qualifies under the law.

I can tell you, having been both a federal and state prosecutor, generally speaking, it's better for prosecutors and worse for defendants to be in federal court.

Conviction rates are higher in federal court. Generally, the feds have more resources than state-level prosecutors.

And the sentencing is really the big factor here because, if this defendant is convicted, he is very likely to be sentenced to life in prison. In the federal system, if you are sentenced to life, you do life. There's no parole. There's no early release.

So if he is convicted and gets a life sentence, he will be behind bars for life.

REID: Also, I want to switch topics to a different, high-profile investigation.

This week, exclusive CNN reporting revealed text message conversations between former Trump Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and two members of Congress, both Trump loyalists, who appeared to support trying to overturn the election and then had a real quick change of heart once it got closer to January 6th.

What's your takeaway from these text messages? How do you think they will factor into this investigation? They were, of course, from Senator Mike Lee and Texas Congressman Chip Roy.

HONIG: The most interesting thing to me, Paula, is these texts show they knew they had nothing. They knew they had no actual evidence of voter fraud.

And you can see them sort of going through the process. In the initial days, they're saying, boy, we really need to have some evidence to move forward here. Then you see that moving to, uh-oh, we don't have any evidence of voter fraud.

And then you see that they carried on with this effort anyway, this effort to steal the election, with this fraudulent effort to claim there was voter fraud, even though they had no evidence. And that's so crucial because the defense that you will hear, you have heard, is that, well, they thought they were really pursuing actual evidence of voter fraud. They thought they actually had won and were entitled to contest this.

Not at all. These texts put a lie to that. These texts shows that, from really fairly early on, they knew they had nothing. They knew this was a fraud. This goes to their intent. This goes to consciousness of guilt.

REID: I know you and I talk about whether Mark Meadows will be held in contempt, whether he'll be charged. But, man, the Meadows text messages have been a gold mine for investigators. He has done his part in their investigation.

[16:45:00]

But do you see any particular texts that caught your eye, particularly something that would be material to the investigators?

HONIG: Yes, Paula, these Meadow texts are so revealing.

The first one that jumped out to me is from November 7th. It comes from Representative Chip Roy, a Republican representative.

And he says, quote, "Dude, we need ammo. We need fraud examples. We need examples of voter fraud. We need it this weekend."

And Mark Meadows responds, "We are working on exactly that."

So here's the initial days right after the election. They're sort of worried, we're going to need evidence to move forward.

If you fast forward 12 days to November 19th, there's another exchange where Senator Mike Lee texts Meadows.

He says, "The potential defamation liability for the president is significant here for the campaign and for the president personally unless Powell" -- Sidney Powell -- "can back up everything she said" -- referring to her sort of wild claims of voter fraud -- "which I kind of doubt she can," Senator Lee says.

And Meadows responds, "I agree. Very concerned."

And so that shows you, as of November 19th, Mark Meadows, the chief of staff, knew darned well there was no evidence of voter fraud.

And yet, what does he do? What does Donald Trump do? They continue to claim this in public. They continue to claim this in court. And that, I would argue, is where the fraud is.

REID: Well, dude, I would argue that Meadows has really provided a lot of ammo to this committee. We'll see where it goes.

Elie Honig, thank you so much.

HONIG: Thanks, Paula.

REID: And still to come, a plea from wildlife officials after this stranded dolphin dies on a Texas beach.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:51:17]

REID: The U.S. drought monitor says drought conditions are worsening and even expanding out west. A report shows water storage in the two largest reservoirs in the western U.S. have dropped to unprecedented levels.

CNN's Allison Chinchar breaks down what exactly is going on.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLISON CHINCHAR, AMS METEOROLOGIST: In order to understand what caused the drought and why it's so bad, you have to understand this isn't just a one-year drought or a two-year drought.

It's a very prolonged event that we call a mega drought. And specifically, from the year 2000 to 2021, that stretch was the driest in 1,200 years.

But it's not just the lack of rain. Snowpack also plays a considerable role in terms of drought, specifically in California.

As of December 27th, we were actually dealing with a surplus of snow, over 150 percent of average snowpack to date. But watch as that number plummets once you get to April 1st, now down to 37 percent of average.

And then, in just the last two weeks, because we truly haven't had many systems come through, that number drops even more, down to 28 percent of average statewide.

But it's not just California. It's really the overall western region. In fact, 90 percent of the western U.S. is some level of drought. About 40 percent of it is classified as either extreme or exceptional drought, the two highest categories you can get in terms of drought.

But California, specifically, is particularly bad. One hundred percent of the state is in some level of drought. Nearly 50 percent of that dealing with the extreme drought category.

Now there's a glimmer of good news. We have two separate systems come in. The first one that began last night and continues to bring rain and snow to the area today.

Followed by a secondary system that will arrive Monday and continue into Tuesday. It's not a huge rainmaking event but, at this point, every little bit helps.

The coastal regions of the Pacific Northwest likely to get about one to two inches of rain. And then, the mountains, the Cascades, the Olympics and the Sierra, likely to get several inches, if not a foot overall in terms of these next couple of storms.

But it's not just the west. We're starting to see other areas dealing with big, impactful drought conditions that aren't necessarily used to it as much as the western U.S. is.

Take, for example, Texas. And 88 percent of the state is in drought. But 50 percent is in that extreme or exceptional category.

When you think about desert locations, we often think about places like Phoenix, Death Valley, Las Vegas, very dry conditions. But interestingly enough, all three of those locations have actually had more rain since the beginning of the water year than Midland, Texas.

This is a big concern for a lot of some areas in the central U.S. that aren't as used to dealing with drought as many of the western counterparts are used to.

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REID: Well, marine mammal experts are reminding people not to interact with stranded dolphins or whales after a sick dolphin stranded on a beach in Texas died.

The Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network says beachgoers tried to push the dolphin back into the water so they could swim with it or even ride it.

The park staff tried to keep beachgoers away but the dolphin had already died by the time rescuers arrived. Now, park officials are calling it, of course, tragic.

Experts say you should never push a stranded marine mammal back into the water or, of course, obviously, try to swim with it.

REID: Now to Virginia, where a doorbell camera outside an apartment caught the moment a nearby duplex exploded. You can see the massive blast happening in a residential neighborhood in the city of Franklin.

The camera's owner says she wasn't home when the explosion took place but her mother and her two children were. They weren't hurt. But two people were critically injured in the blast.

[16:55:07]

The cause is still unknown. But officials believe there was, quote, "no criminal intent" behind the explosion.

And finally --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM HANKS, ACTOR: I'm sorry, Wilson!

Wilson, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!

Wilson!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

REID: Last night, Tom Hanks and his famous "Castaway" co-star, Wilson, were reunited once again. Hanks threw out the first pitch at the Cleveland Guardians' home opener against the San Fransico Giants with Wilson by his side.

Hanks walked onto the mound holding the iconic volleyball with a painted red face. Wilson then went on to upstage Hanks by rolling off the mound just before he threw out the first pitch.

I'm Paula Reid, in Washington. Thank you so much for joining me today. I'll see you back here tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. Eastern.

The news continues next with Jessica Dean right after a quick break.

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