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Beijing Shuts Universal Studios, Bans Restaurant Dining; Evacuations Begin From Mariupol Steel Plant; Photo Shows Field Of Graves In Kyiv Suburb; Trevor Reed Receiving Medical Care, Visits With Family; Americans Forced Out Of Homes As Rents Skyrocket; White House Correspondents' Dinner; Country Music Legend Naomi Judd Dead At 76. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired May 01, 2022 - 01:00   ET

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

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): This is CNN breaking news.

ISA SOARES, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Hello and a very warm welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. I am Isa Soares live in Ukraine.

For weeks, Ukrainians have been slapped in Mariupol, a city under siege by Russian forces. Now after several failed attempts, some civilians have been able to evacuate.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): And I am Alison Kosik in New York. I will have our other top stories, including coronavirus cases holding relatively steady, despite China's zero COVID strategy. Now Beijing is closing one of its top theme parks due to the spread.

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SOARES: Welcome to the show, everyone. It is 8 am here in Ukraine.

We'll begin with a glimmer of hope. For people trapped in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, after weeks under siege by Russian forces and several failed evacuation attempts, a handful of civilians managed to leave on Saturday.

Now a Ukrainian commander at the Azovstal steel plant, the last bastion of defense in Mariupol, says 20 women as well as children got out after a cease-fire. But that is really a tiny fraction of the hundreds still trapped inside the plant.

And the thousands, of course, believed to be sheltered in other parts of the city, 100,000 or so. Meanwhile, missile strikes hammered southern as well as Eastern Ukraine on Saturday.

In the southern port city of Odessa, you can see there on your map, witnesses reported hearing several explosions. Ukraine's ministry also confirmed that the runway at this airport had been destroyed. In his nightly address, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed to rebuild. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The runway of the Odessa airport was destroyed. We will, of course, rebuild it. But Odessa will never forget such a Russian attitude toward it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: We also have new video from the Russian defense ministry, confirming what Ukraine's military really has been saying for almost a week, that Russia is using submarines in the Black Sea to launch missile attacks on Ukrainian targets.

CNN's Matt Rivers has a closer look at the efforts to get the civilians out of Mariupol and the growing concerns about Ukrainian soldiers, who could be left behind.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Out of Mariupol today, the first little bit of good news in terms of evacuations that we've had in some time now, with word coming from a Ukrainian commander inside the Azovstal steel plant complex, that some civilians have managed to be evacuated.

That complex, of course, the last remaining pocket of Ukrainian resistance in a city that Russia has otherwise completely controlled. Inside that complex, hundreds of civilians alongside Ukrainian fighters.

The commander is saying about 20 people managed to be evacuated during a cease-fire agreed to between Russia and the Ukrainian side, with the Red Cross, according to this commander, involved.

The plan, according to the commander, get those civilians to the city of Zaporizhzhya, which is currently in Ukrainian hands. But the fate of those 20 civilians CNN cannot independently verify at this time.

But we can say is that the conditions inside this complex are horrific and the people that are in there desperately need to be evacuated.

And with a tweet coming from Ukraine's official parliament account earlier on Saturday, saying, quote, "Powerful and deadly epidemics could soon break out in the city due to the lack of centralized water supply and sanitation, the decomposition of thousands of corpses under the rubble and a catastrophic shortage of water and food."

So a horrific situation that people desperately need to escape from. Meanwhile, I did manage to have a conversation with a commander in the Azov Regiment, which is one of the units that has been fighting for weeks and months in Mariupol.

He was injured during the fighting in that city. He managed to get smuggled out to get treatment. But he told us from the treatment facility that he is at right now, that the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, should not forget about the soldiers, if these civilians can get evacuated and he should try to do the same for the military.

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GEORGE KUPARASHVILI, AZOV REGIMENT: It is not only civilians that the president's responsible to save. It is the president's responsibility as well to save their military. No man stays behind.

And it is his responsibility to deal as well.

[01:05:00]

KUPARASHVILI: I would say, we need to a third country -- third country, third side need to be involved as a guarantee with the international nongovernment organizations or government organizations who will provide guarantee for safe leave and evacuation for civilians or military.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIVERS: You know, I asked that commander several times, I've asked people inside the steel plant complex, why don't the soldiers just surrender to the Russians?

And the answer is the same every time. These soldiers who were fighting in that complex do not believe that they can safely surrender to the Russians. In fact, many believe that they would be summarily executed.

They told me that personally. They think that they would be killed by the Russian forces, if they were in fact to surrender. So that's why they're calling on this third party country to get involved with these evacuations, to guarantee their safety.

But as far as we can tell, at least publicly, no substantial progress made on that front as of yet -- Matt Rivers, CNN, Kyiv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: Important context there from Matt Rivers on the situation, of course, in Mariupol.

Meantime, Russian missiles have again struck Ukraine's third most populous city. And residents of the southern port city of Odessa on the Black Sea fear it's about to become a primary target of the invaders. Our Nick Paton Walsh has the latest for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR: Strikes on Odessa have been intermittent since the war began, targeting often military infrastructure. And the one we've just seen, no exception, hitting the airport. Apparently, its runway -- and it's unclear where they originated from.

There've been, of course, images of Russia putting submarines and launching missiles in the Black Sea. We've seen Russian ships are off the coast, one key one hit and destroyed recently.

So a lot of Russian activity to try and pressure Odessa. The broad issue many people in that Russian-speaking city of over 1 million will be asking themselves, is this the prelude to some wider assault on that city?

Or just like we've seen over the past weeks, a bid to try and pressure it and keep Ukrainian military officials guessing as to what's Russia's goal on the Black Sea coast actually is?

They did say, a couple of weeks ago, that the move toward the Black Sea coast to be part of a wider bid to control that area. But they've been trying that for months and they failed. They feel to get past the first city of Mykolaiv in multiple bids over the past month.

So that feeds into the broader question about, what is the current southern push we are seeing from Russia actually aimed at?

Is it west toward Odessa, like broadly advertised?

Or is that a distraction?

Are they coming for here, Kryvyi Rih, where I'm standing, the economic hub, the hometown of president Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine?

Or are they perhaps headed east to join up with the offensive that Russia has been pushing hard over there as well?

You are hearing air raid sirens behind me here in Kryvyi Rih, not uncommon. No explosions tonight. But a broader sense of concern here in this quiet but well populated central city, that something is brewing to their south.

We're seeing villages change hands fast and Ukraine pushing back at times, too. But certainly concerns that Russia's goals are in this direction.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: That is Nick Paton Walsh there.

Joining me now from Kyiv, David Guttenfelder, a photojournalist working in Ukraine on assignment for "The New York Times."

David, a very good morning to you. Let me start exactly with what you've been seeing. You've been focusing, from what I've seen, on Kyiv, as well as the surrounding areas, of course. The battle for Kyiv, obviously, was, of course, won a few weeks ago.

What have you been able to document in terms of the aftermath?

DAVID GUTTENFELDER, PHOTOJOURNALIST: Yes, really, my task has been here in the Kyiv region, where we've had just, you know, recently, since the pushback of the Russians, an opportunity to go into these communities all across the region and the suburbs of Kyiv.

And really witnessed the astonishing scale of the destruction and up- close personal look at the impact on people's lives, people who are returning and those who have lost loved ones and those who have survived up until now.

And just really trying to show that that scale, that sort of deep dive, of the struggle that's going on here and to maybe humanize and explain something that I think, you know, a war that is really incomprehensible to most of us, including myself.

SOARES: Yes, including myself, I think, it's fair to say to many of our viewers. And I really want to share, David, some of the work that you take in your work with our viewers. I want to start, if I could, in Irpin.

A photo you shared with us of a cemetery in Irpin, it is a sprawling sea, as you can see, of graves. And you can see four freshly dug ones. Tell me about what you saw in this town, just outside of Kyiv, of course?

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GUTTENFELDER: Yes, this is the civilian side of the cemetery in Irpin, a northern suburb of Kyiv. Only the first handful rows are the graves that hold those who have died since the war began in late February.

But as you said, the focus of this picture really is these four freshly dug graves, which I know were filled in funerals the next morning and in the following day. So we know that -- we've reported that over 900 or more, people, civilians have been found in the communities the Russians occupied, before their pushback from this area.

So I think that this photograph really is kind of, you know, looking at these four graves, it feels haunting to me and it's emblematic off the scale of the destruction and loss that has happened here.

SOARES: And of course, you are -- this was just in Irpin. But you are now in Kyiv. What we saw, I think, was on Thursday, a missile attack in central Kyiv, when the U.N. secretary general, of course, was visiting.

I think it's important to say that this happened, of course, after weeks of relative calm in the city. Give us a sense of what you saw and what you heard from residents that day as we look at one of your photos, David.

GUTTENFELDER: Yes, as you said, I've been going around, photographing what I felt like was just very surprising resilience of people rebuilding, rebuilding while the country is still very much at war, especially in the east. But you know, Kyiv is, you know, very much still the target. And that

was played out two nights ago. I rushed down to the scene. We heard the two explosions and could see the smoke on the horizon from where I was staying.

When I arrived, I just saw the immediate response by the Ukrainian military and paramedics, the police. And but -- and this very dramatic scene, of buildings on fire, a factory that was struck. But also, an apartment building that was adjacent to it, which was hit and absolutely devastated.

But the thing that was most surprising to me or the thing that I noticed was family members, standing at the top of the street, unable to go down and access it. They were all on their phones and they were crying.

They looked terrorized. They were trying to find out the state of their relatives, including a woman, who said that she heard from a neighbor that her grandmother had been wounded.

SOARES: HAs this, I mean, has this attack that we saw in Kyiv, does that shatter the kind of sense of security, relative sense of security?

GUTTENFELDER: You know, I feel like people are just -- there is a fear, of course. And this part of the country have been -- people have been -- endured atrocities that you can't imagine.

And yet, there's this kind of sense of pride as well and resilience and tenacity. And people are going forward and going back into their homes and trying to rebuild. This is all happening like with a very, very uncertain near future across the country and even here in Kyiv.

SOARES: Yes, their defiance is truly inspirational, I think, that is something that you have been able to catch. But there's among so much destruction, something that really stuck out to me in one of your photos, is love. I want to show you this photo of a couple, a beautiful photo of them together, just embracing. Tell me their story, David.

GUTTENFELDER: I was just walking on Maidan Square in central Kyiv. And I noticed this couple embracing next to the security sandbagged entrance of an underpass. And I stopped and crouched and very discreetly made this candid photo of them embracing.

But I had the chance to speak to them afterwards and they told me their story. So this is Maxim (ph). He's a soldier, and his girlfriend, Gianna (ph). And they hadn't seen -- they've been together for five years but they hadn't seen one another since the end of February, when Maxim (ph) was sent off to front to fight as a soldier.

So this was the first time, first day that they had been reunited. And they were holding one another and it was a very sweet, moving moment to me. But it was also very bittersweet, because what I found out is that he was also preparing to leave, to go back to the front that day. So this was just a very brief moment. When I got home and I looked at

the picture, I blew it up. And I could see their faces. It was really moving to me because of their youth and their obvious love for one another.

[01:15:00]

GUTTENFELDER: And it's just this really heartbreaking look on their faces.

SOARES: Yes, you really captured that very brief moment, that embrace between them. Our viewers, as we look at your photos, David, our viewers no doubt will be thinking, why does he do it?

Why do you put yourself in this situation?

I know you've covered other wars, David.

But why do this?

What does this mean to you?

GUTTENFELDER: I was -- I have been a news photographer for my whole career and have been to many historic events. I was home; I live in the United States. I was watching at the beginning. And I -- if I'm honest, I felt ashamed to not be here, to try to contribute something meaningful to this because of the -- it's really -- it's really -- the whole world has focused on what's happened here in Ukraine.

And I feel that we all need to come and try to contribute something to the understanding of this.

SOARES: David Guttenfelder, thank you very much for taking the time to speak to us. Thanks for your incredible work. Beautiful images.

If you want to see more of his images, just following him on Instagram, as I do. Stay safe, David. Appreciate it. Thank you.

And when we come back, more deadly violence in the Middle East. Clashes we've seen between Israeli forces and Palestinians, are breaking out as two separate shootings kill people on both sides of the conflict.

And then, a bit later, Shanghai in lockdown. And one of China's biggest theme parks closes due to COVID. We'll bring you both of those stories after a very short break. You're watching CNN.

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KOSIK: Welcome back. I'm Alison Kosik. Universal Studios Beijing will be closed beginning on Sunday, because

of the COVID-19 outbreak. The theme park did not say when it might reopen. And after several weeks in lockdown, Shanghai reported nearly 7,900 new COVID cases on Saturday. And 38 deaths.

Both numbers declined slightly over the last two days. At least 27 Chinese cities are under full or partial lockdown, affecting some 180 million residents.

CNN correspondent Selina Wang recently moved from Tokyo to Beijing. She chronicled her travel and subsequent quarantine in Kunming, almost on the other side of China in relation to the capital, as she experienced that nation's strict zero COVID policy firsthand.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SELINA WANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Traveling into China is like entering a fortress. The country has been virtually sealed off since the start of the pandemic, guarded by strict border controls and the world's harshest quarantine. My journey to get in started with three PCR tests in Tokyo.

WANG: Seven days out from my flight, just got my first COVID test.

WANG (voice-over): Back at home, I track my daily temperature and pack a suitcase full of snacks to prepare for 21 days in quarantine. Within 48 hours of boarding, China requires PCR tests at two different government approved clinics.

WANG: This is possibly the most paperwork I've ever needed to board an airplane.

WANG (voice-over): I say goodbye to Tokyo, my home for the past 1.5 years, checking in at the airport relatively smooth.

WANG: Still checking my documents. I finally have my boarding pass. I'm at the gate. I'm going to China.

WANG (voice-over): Most people on my flight are Chinese citizens. Foreigners can only enter under very limited conditions. It's even harder for American journalists because of U.S.-China tensions. All the flight attendants in full protective gear that.

WANG: Getting ready for takeoff. There we go.

WANG (voice-over): Flights into China, especially Beijing, are extremely limited. Even though I'll be based in the capital, first, I'm flying to Yunnan Province. After landing, I get another COVID test. A bus eventually takes us to the quarantine location. No one can choose where they'll be locked in for the next 21 days.

Hours later, we arrive. I count myself lucky. It's a hot spring resort converted into a quarantine site. It's my first time here but I'll have to enjoy the view from the window. I can't step out onto the balcony or open my door except for health checkups and food pickup. Two temperature checks a day, regular COVID tests to see. Across China, tens of millions are sealed inside their homes. Since mid December, Chinese average new daily case count has surged from double digits to more than 20,000. Any positive case and close contact has to go to government quarantine.

Entire metropolises brought to a standstill. Most of Shanghai's 25 million residents have been locked in for weeks, many struggling to get enough food and medical care. In year three of the pandemic, most of the world is learning to live with COVID but in China, no case is tolerated no matter the emotional and economic cost -- Selina Wang, CNN, Kunming, China.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOSIK: Israeli forces have arrested two Palestinians suspected of killing an Israeli late Friday night. That makes four Palestinians detained in connection with the attack. The militant group al-Aqsa Brigades claimed responsibility.

The shooting comes amid rising violence in the region. The Palestinian ministry of health said Saturday that Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian man in the West Bank. The Israeli military said it was conducting counterterrorism activity when a number of people threw Molotov cocktails at the soldiers.

Hundreds attended the Palestinian man's funeral. Clashes broke out after the funeral. The Palestinian Red Crescent says at least three people suffered moderate injuries.

U.S. Marine veteran Trevor Reed is back in United States and receiving medical care after a prisoner swap earlier this week.

[01:25:00]

KOSIK: He was able to visit with family members, who say he's in good spirits. Reed spent almost three years detained in Russia. His family says he focused on bringing another American, Paul Whelan, back home. Earlier, Trevor Reed's sister spoke to CNN about their meeting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TAYLOR REED, SISTER OF TREVOR REED: It's definitely going to be a process, but he seems ready for it. He is still a little bit in shock. I think it's still a little surreal that he's not there. But at this point, after everything else has been through the road to recovery seems like the smallest step.

He's telling us stories and we are telling old stories and just trying to be there for him. The team at Army South has put together a really great team of specialists. He's got round the clock access to mental and physical healthcare. So he's doing great.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: I'm Alison Kosik. For our international viewers. "AFRICAN VOICES: CHANGEMAKERS" is up next. And if you live in North America, our coverage continues in just a moment.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): This is CNN breaking news.

SOARES: Welcome back, I'm Isa Soares live in Lviv, Ukraine. Let me bring you up to date.

There is some hope on the horizon for hundreds of people believed to be trapped in the besieged steel plant in Mariupol, you can see there. A Ukrainian commander says 20 civilians were evacuated on Sunday. He's hoping evacuations will continue and include not only civilians but also wounded Ukrainian troops, about 600 or so wounded.

In the south, President Zelenskyy is pledging to rebuild a destroyed airport runway in the city of Odessa. He says the airport was struck by Russian missiles on Saturday. Witnesses reported seeing military planes in the sky and hearing multiple explosions in the area.

A Russian military unit accused of atrocities in the town of Bucha has been redeployed near Kharkiv, according to the head of Ukraine's regional administration in the city. Ukrainians say they've liberated several towns and villages in the area but, as ITN's Rebecca Barry reports, Russian artillery is not giving a break to Kharkiv. Have a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REBECCA BARRY, ITN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is what living on the front line of Russia's invasion looks like. Homes in Kharkiv no longer resemble that. A child's toy disfigured. A metaphor for so many childhoods. And yet for people fleeing a nearby village, the city offers relative safety. There's little sanctuary left in this part of Ukraine.

"Our home was burned last night," says Tatiana (ph). "The house burned down. We have no place to stay. It's scary."

Meanwhile, Russia released this footage of a ballistic missile launch as it concentrates its offensive on the east of Ukraine.

"They have enough artillery and aircraft to destroy the entire Donbas," says Ukraine's president, "just as they destroyed Mariupol. The city, now a Russian concentration camp," he said, "in the middle of ruins."

This is what he's talking about, a seaside city now apocalyptic.

YULIIA FEDUSIUK, UKRAINIAN SOLDIER'S WIFE: Every day, people are dying and, every day, they have less food, water and medicine. BARRY (voice-over): The wives of Ukrainian troops trapped there are

calling for international help to evacuate both civilians and soldiers.

FEDUSIUK: Mariupol have to have a chance and not only civilians. We come here to rescue alive soldiers, too because -- sorry.

BARRY (voice-over): Yuliia, like so many Ukrainians, wants the world to listen and take action.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: There's so much heartache there.

The number of Ukrainians who have fled their country because of the war continues to grow. It now stands at more than 5.4 million people. That is according to a U.N. estimate.

That is roughly the same as the entire populations of Slovakia or Norway. The U.N. also says far more Ukrainians are stranded near the battle lines because of security and concerns, as well as damages as we have been reporting to roads and bridges.

Meanwhile, actress Angelina Jolie, a special envoy for the U.N.'s Refugee Agency, was seen visiting the Lviv region on Saturday. She visited children at a boarding school, a medical institution and also went to a train station to meet with the displaced. There she expressed here gratitude to the volunteers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANGELINA JOLIE, ACTOR AND SPECIAL ENVOY FOR UNRWA: Very complicated, yes. But I imagine just to have a room, where somebody shows that they care and is listening, is so important.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: The Ukrainian journalist says she ran into Jolie during a coffee run in the outskirts of Lviv. The journalist said many other people inside the cafe did not even notice Jolie. The U.N. Refugee Agency says they're not involved in her visit and she's in Ukraine in her personal capacity.

That does it here from Lviv. Back at the top of the hour with much more on our breaking news. I'll send it back to Alison in New York after this short break.

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KOSIK: Welcome back. I'm Alison Kosik. It's getting harder for people in the United States to afford a home.

Over the past two years, rents are up almost 20 percent across the country. One of the most expensive areas is Florida. Our Vanessa Yurkevich spoke with families there, who are being forced out of their homes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAURA GUILMAIN, FLORIDA RENTER: Less and less and less.

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Laura Guilmain and her daughter, Carson, have 30 days to find a new home.

YURKEVICH: How many properties do you think you've explored?

GUILMAIN: Thousands, thousands.

YURKEVICH: For three years, Guilmain has been paying $2,100 a month for this three-bedroom in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. But last month, she got a letter from the landlord.

GUILMAIN: Due to unforeseen circumstances --

YURKEVICH: Her new rent, $3,200 a month. An attorney for her landlord tells CNN rising property taxes and mortgage rates are to blame.

GUILMAIN: I freaked out. We can't afford it. Can't do it.

YURKEVICH: There's a housing affordability crisis. Home prices are sky high, forcing more Americans into a competitive rental market. Guilmain, a single mom and disabled veteran, is reliant on rental assistance from Housing and Urban Development or HUD. She already had fewer options.

[01:40:00]

YURKEVICH (voice-over): But now landlords looking to capitalize on rising rents are less willing to accept the strict guidelines of her rental voucher.

How critical is the HUD voucher to your existence?

GUILMAIN: That is our existence. Without it, we would be homeless.

YURKEVICH: Rents are rising across the country. Up a record nearly 20 percent on average in two years, double that in cities like Memphis, Tampa and Riverside, California. But the Miami Palm Beach area tops them all at 58 percent, nearly three times the national average.

GUILMAIN: When there's a hurricane, it's illegal for gas stations to jack up the prices. Why is there not a cap in the state of Florida?

Why am I looking at a 43 percent increase?

YURKEVICH: In fact, it's illegal in Florida to impose rent controls. Sara Espinoza is facing a 106 percent increase on her rent in Coral Gables, Florida. For 22 years, she's called this three-bedroom home. She raised her son here. She says the $1,700 she pays in rent is below market value but the $3,500 her new landlord is charging is out of her budget.

SARA ESPINOZA, FLORIDA RENTER: It's not reasonable at all. I guess right now everyone is just price gouging because people need somewhere to live.

YURKEVICH: She set a new budget of $2800. This week, she found an apartment right next door. But it's smaller and overbudget by $400.

How's that rationalize in your mind?

ESPINOZA: It doesn't. It doesn't rationalize at all. I just think it's very unfair. It makes me upset.

GUILMAIN: You know how many people have reached out?

YURKEVICH: For Laura and Carson, their search continues with no prospects in sight.

So where does that put you?

GUILMAIN: It puts me on the street.

YURKEVICH: Vanessa Yurkevich, CNN, Miami, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOSIK: Cleanup is underway in Kansas after at least seven tornadoes swept through the state Friday night. On Saturday, crews worked to get power back up in the area.

City officials say several people had minor injuries but no deaths were reported. Dozens of homes were hit and the extent of the damage is still being assessed. Experts warn a new storm threat is evolving, which could impact the state again.

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KOSIK: Millions of people in the southwestern U.S. are bracing for water shortages, as reservoirs continue to dry up. The climate change- induced water crisis is now also triggering a potential energy crisis. CNN's Camila Bernal has details.

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CAMILA BERNAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Evidence of this mega drought is becoming easier to see and, in particular, in Lake Mead, which provides drinking water for more than 25 million people.

If you look at these images, you're going to see that original valve that was put in, in 1971, it now sits above the water. Officials realized this was going to be a problem in 2015.

They started building a new valve that goes deeper into Lake Mead. That's what's being used right now. It went into operation this week.

It appears to be running smoothly. People are still getting their drinking water. But it goes to show how big of a problem this is because water levels are just extremely low. And it's not just Lake Mead. It's many of the reservoirs and lakes in this entire region.

It's part of the reason why, here in Southern California, many are being asked to conserve water. In fact, beginning June 1st, about 6 million people are being told to only water their lawns once a week.

And the situation could get worse. We spoke to the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and here's what their general manager said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADEL HAGEKHALIL, METROPOLITAN WATER DISTRICT OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: If I don't see the response between now and September, then I will go in and mandating a full ban of outdoor watering across the service area that's impacted. That's serious. And I'm ready to do it.

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BERNAL: And this is the first time that the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California implements these restrictions. They say it is unprecedented. They say it's serious because we are running out of water -- Camila Bernal, CNN, Sylmar, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOSIK: Two cities in Pakistan set a new record for the highest temperature in the Northern Hemisphere for that date Friday, 47 degrees Celsius or 116.6 degrees Fahrenheit.

At the same time, the country's minister of climate change warns of possible glacial floods in the area due to the heat wave. The minister also says this will be the first time in decades that Pakistan is experiencing a springless year. Officials say the temperatures are likely to keep rising over the weekend.

India is also sweating through hotter than normal weather. Temperatures during the prolonged heat wave have been above average by several degrees since March, particularly in the northern and northwestern regions, including New Delhi.

Monsoon winds and rains are expected to bring some relief but not before June. The United Nations says India is among the countries expected to be the most severely affected by the climate crisis.

In Washington, the annual White House Correspondents Association dinner made a grand return on Saturday after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. The black tie event featured President Joe Biden, journalists, government officials and even some celebrities. "The Daily Show" comedian Trevor Noah was this year's host. The night

was filled with jokes roasting Mr. Biden, the Republican Party and the news media. Listen to one jab the president took at FOX News.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Everyone had to prove they were fully vaccinated and boosted. So if you're at home watching this and you're wondering how to do that, just contact your favorite FOX News reporter. They're all here vaccinated and boosted, all of them.

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KOSIK: The dinner is not just a party, it also honors journalists for their work, raises money for scholarships and pays tribute to the First Amendment, which protects freedom of speech and the media in the U.S. CNN's Kate Bennett has more on the big gala.

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KATE BENNETT, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Tonight the return of the White House Correspondents' dinner here in Washington, this time after a hiatus, attended by President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden.

There were also a number of celebrities here, including Kim Kardashian and comedian Pete Davidson. But the night was to celebrate journalism and the First Amendment. The president roasting himself along with those in the media.

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BIDEN: I came to office with ambitions and an agenda and I expected to face stiff opposition in the Senate. I just hoped it would be from Republicans.

But I'm not worried about the midterms. I'm not worried about them. We may end up with more partisan gridlock. But I'm confident we can work it out during my remaining six years in the presidency.

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BENNETT: Also host Trevor Noah did his fair share of jokes, also roasting the president, as well as the many, many members of the media in attendance.

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TREVOR NOAH, COMEDY CENTRAL HOST: For those who don't know me, my name is Trevor Noah and I'm really honored to be here, honestly, you know.

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NOAH: Because you could have picked any comedian, you could have invited anyone. But you went with the South African variant, very on theme.

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BENNETT: A welcome return of this dinner after the pandemic break and after several years of president Donald Trump not attending, which is tradition. Presidents do typically come to this dinner.

Despite the pandemic, despite the large number of attendees, who all had to prove a negative COVID test, the night was about honoring journalists and returning to some normalcy -- Kate Bennett, CNN, Washington.

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KOSIK: The world of country music is mourning the loss of one of its legendary voices. We'll look at the life of Naomi Judd and the mark she made on the entertainment industry.

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KOSIK (voice-over): Those are the angelic voices of Naomi Judd and her daughter, Wynonna. Naomi passed away Saturday at the age of 76. The Judds rose to fame in the 1980s with hits like this one, "Love Can Build a Bridge."

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KOSIK: Polo Sandoval has more.

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POLO SANDOVAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's a loss that has shaken the entire music community and beyond, Naomi Judd, dead at 76 years old.

It was one of her daughters that made that announcement on social media on Saturday, writing, "Today, we sisters experienced a tragedy. We lost our beautiful mother to the disease of mental illness. We are shattered. We are navigating profound grief. And know that, as we loved her, she was loved by her public. We are in unknown territory."

Naomi Judd teamed up with her daughter, Wynonna, in the early '80s. That's what created the singing duo, The Judds. The eventually created a very long list of memorable songs. In fact, in just seven years, they were able to earn five Grammys and a total of 14 number one singles. This weekend, they were even scheduled to be inducted into the Country

Music Hall of Fame with their announcement recently that that organization wrote that the duo helped take country back to its roots in the 1980s with lean, tuneful songs influenced by traditional folk music, acoustic blues and also family harmony acts.

And we saw the duo as a family coming together on stage for the first time in years less than three weeks ago, as The Judds performed during the CMT Music Awards. You see mother and daughter coming together there.

In 2011, The Judds had actually finished their farewell tour but recently they announced a 10-day final tour scheduled to begin in September. Now her famously, her friends and, of course, her fans are grieving this loss, as her lyrics continue to live on -- Polo Sandoval, CNN, New York.

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KOSIK: I'm Alison Kosik. Our breaking news coverage continues after this break.