Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Tornado Devastates City in Mississippi; Tornado and Severe Weather Warnings Issued for Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama; Large Explosion Occurs at R.M. Palmer Company Facility in West Reading, Pennsylvania. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired March 25, 2023 - 10:00   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:00:29]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Good Saturday morning. It is March 25th. I'm Victor Blackwell.

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Amara Walker. You are in the CNN Newsroom.

This morning residents and first responders across Mississippi are surveying the damage after a night of powerful and really devastating storms. At least 23 people are dead, but dozens are missing or injured.

BLACKWELL: The National Weather Service has confirmed one large tornado caused catastrophic damage across several cities and towns. But there were a dozen reports of tornadoes across Alabama and Mississippi. Now the storms flattened homes and buildings and knocked out power to more than 100,000 customers across Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee.

WALKER: Let's go to the ground there where CNN's Isabel Rosales is live in Rolling Fork, Mississippi. Look, we spoke with the mayor a couple of hours ago, and he told us that his town is basically gone. Is that what you're seeing?

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That is certainly an accurate assessment of what we saw in Rolling Fork. And guys, if I can first tell you that I'm actually a little bit beyond the city limits three miles away. I want to show something to you right over here, this car. We're told by family members that they were driving last night as the tornado hit, and the strong winds from the tornado did all of this damage and forced this car off of the road.

Now you guys were mentioning Eldridge Walker, the mayor of Rolling Fork, he said to us, the city is gone. Not only that, but public buildings, including the police department, city hall, heavily damage. And the mayor himself had a close call. He told me that he was trapped inside of the home with his wife as he started to hear the roar of that tornado to the point where they had to duck and hide inside of their bathtub and were then trapped inside of their home until someone could get them out.

He says that this is not going to be easy. His city needs help. And he's been all day on the phone, talking to local and state politicians, to different agencies to get an assessment of what sort of help Rolling Fork actually needs here.

We also spoke to the owner of Chuck's Dairy Bar. That's a restaurant there. People here in town know it. This is where they go for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, where the chat is home. And the owner told me that they made a split-second decision after they got a call that they were in the zone for this tornado to run, sprint and hide inside of an industrial cooler. The owner, Tracy Harden, tells me that as they're closing the door to this cooler, her husband peeks out of the door and sees that the roof is gone, that this was a matter of seconds. She says that that cooler saved her life and that of eight employees there inside of the restaurant today. The only thing left behind is debris and that cooler, that steel cooler sitting on top of that debris pile. She's in shock.

A lot of people were telling me they just didn't expect the sort of damage that this tornado could do. Their city is gone. Right now, we know from emergency management here in the state 23 people have been killed related to this storm system. Dozens of others have been injured. Four people are missing right now. There is a concentrated focus mission here. We've seen first responders and volunteers going through the different debris piles, what remains of buildings just looking around using heavy equipment, trying to find anyone that might be trapped underneath of that pile, underneath that debris.

And in the last two hours, unfortunately, we didn't see any sort of survivors. We did see a moment where a body was discovered and then taken away inside of an ambulance. That is certainly not what anyone in this town, and it's a small town. They know each other. They know their names. They eat together. They go to church together. That is not what they want to see.

But still, the hope lives on, every second matters to find more survivors. Guys?

BLACKWELL: The sun is up now. We're getting the fuller scope of the damage from this massive tornado. Isabel Rosales for us there just outside of Rolling Fork with the latest reporting.

Let's bring in now Sheriff Bruce Williams. He's Humphreys County, Mississippi. He's on the phone. Sheriff, thank you for being with us. First, we know that there are active rescue efforts. Are any of those happening in your county?

[10:05:04]

SHERIFF BRUCE WILLIAMS: HUMPHREYS COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI: Yes, right now we have a DMA (ph) on the ground doing assessments, going down neighborhoods and checking on homes and seeing what equipment, the heavy equipment that we need to bring in at this time.

WALKER: What about the damage? How extensive is it? As we heard from our reporter Isabel Rosales there near Rolling Fork, she was saying that the mayor said, basically, everything is gone except for a few buildings are standing. Even the city buildings, the police building was damaged. How, what are you seeing there?

WILLIAMS: This whole town been destroyed like a bomb hit it. We've got multiple homes destroyed. We've got homes that are not livable. And we also just getting the heavy equipment in at this time so we can open the roads up and do more assessments. So at this time this town has been hit real hard.

BLACKWELL: Sheriff, would you say that the heavy equipment is coming in and rescues are happening. Let me try to concentrate the question here. Are authorities there aware of people who are trapped, and they are working physically now to try to pull them out from collapsed homes or buildings?

WILLIAMS: Yes, at this time, we have no missing person confirmed. We have three confirmed deaths at this time.

WALKER: What about the people who made it out with their lives but have lost, basically, their livelihoods? Are there shelters that are going to be open for them? I'm sure they're Red Cross is stepping in.

WILLIAMS: Yes, we have two places in the nearby town Belzoni that are going to be the multipurpose building is opened up for a shelter. They can go there. And also we have the Baptist Brotherhood Association building is going to be open up for shelter.

BLACKWELL: We interviewed two local officials this morning, including the mayor of Rolling Fork. Both men told us their homes were destroyed. How is your home? How is your family?

WILLIAMS: All right, I was, my home is six miles north of Civil City outside. We just had trees down, but my home's fine.

WALKER: And your neighbors?

WILLIAMS: At this time, I can't make comments on my neighborhood. I don't know. I've been on the scene here since 3:00 this morning and back out at six.

BLACKWELL: So would you say that the heavy equipment coming in to clear the road. Give us an idea of just -- I mean, we're looking at some of this video. Pop up what we're seeing in this preview monitor, please. We're seeing the extent of the damage across some of these areas. Are the roads passable at all? Can you get to these homes? Give us an idea of how encumbered the work is at this moment.

WILLIAMS: Only on feet. Right now, we have got 18 wheelers turned over, tractors, and they blocking the road. We have large trees blocking the road. Only on feet we can get to and check on the neighbor's and checking houses.

WALKER: Well, we know you have a lot of work ahead of you. Sheriff Bruce Williams, thank you so much for joining us for a few minutes. All the best to you. BLACKWELL: Thank you, sheriff.

WILLIAMS: Thank you.

BLACKWELL: I just mentioned that we spoke this morning with the mayor of Rolling Rock (ph), Eldridge Walker. He said a lot of homes, including his own, were damaged by the severe weather. But he says his community is strong and they will rebuild. Here's part of that conversation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR ELDRIDGE WALKER, ROLLING FORK, MISSISSIPPI: Devastation. As I looked from left to right, that's all I see. A lot of families here are affected. A lot of families are hurting. This community is in the situation that we never expected. But right now, it's important to me that these folks are taking care of, that our families who have been trapped are rescued and taken to the hospitals for emergency care.

My city, my city is gone. But we're resilient and we're going to come back. We're going to come back strong. Houses that are torn up can be replaced, but we can't replace a life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Let's go now to CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar. The storm is still firing up across the south this morning. Walk us through what went through Mississippi and what's coming as it heads east.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, that's right, because it's not over.

[10:10:00]

We need to emphasize that. We've still had tornado warnings, severe thunderstorm warnings, numerous of them as we've gone through the morning hours. So far, a total of 12 tornado reports, over 60 damaging wind reports. You can see the bulk of those here between Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama. And really the latter two of those states where the bulk of the tornado reports have come in, you'll notice here. This one long line extending from Rolling Fork all the way back to just south of Huntsville, this could end up being one consistent long track tornado, or it could be multiple different tornadoes. You've got the weather service that's going to go out today and survey these storms to try to determine that very thing.

But as we mentioned, it's not over yet. You have the northern edge of this storm that's producing impacts in the form of snow and ice. But on the southern side, this is where we're still talking. You've got a tornado warning right now right there along the Alabama-Georgia state line, and you've also got some strong thunderstorms, lots of cloud to ground lightning and some damaging winds that could still bring down some trees and power lines from the Carolinas across the southeast.

Also, this area up here across portions of West Virginia, Pennsylvania, where you also could have some strong thunderstorms there. One thing to note, however, at least across the southeast is this front is going to become stationary, meaning more rain showers will continue to develop not only across the southeast today, but also tomorrow as well. So a lot of these same areas that could get hit multiple days in a row. And yes, Amara and Victor, the potential for isolated tornadoes and damaging winds and also some scattered hail as well.

WALKER: Not over yet.

BLACKWELL: Allison Chinchar. Thank you so much.

This morning investigators in eastern Pennsylvania are working to find the cause of an explosion yesterday that leveled a candy factory. Look at that.

WALKER: Wow. Wow.

BLACKWELL: Left five people dead, six others still unaccounted for.

WALKER: That's a huge explosion. It happened around 5:00 p.m. at the R.M. Palmer Company in West Reading outside Philadelphia. Officials say there is no danger to the surrounding area at this time.

CNN's Polo Sandoval has been following the details. Polo that was a spectacular explosion. What do we know?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That video tells you much of what you need to know and just how violent it was yesterday afternoon. Searchers and crews have been working tirelessly through the night. They're trying to find some survivors. According to our affiliate WFMZ, six people still remain unaccounted for, that station in close contact with authorities, and at least five confirmed dead that we do hope to hear from authorities here very soon for full update.

Meanwhile, we do know that at this point, there's no indication as to what may have caused this explosion at a candy factory there in Pennsylvania, some 50 miles northwest of Philadelphia. But you said something really important here. Authorities have no reason to believe that there's no immediate threat to people around the location itself.

But just an important context for you. This company says that it employs about 850 people, that's in a town of about just over 4,000 residents, so it just speaks to help big of a staple this factory is in that small town in Pennsylvania. In fact, it actually is one of the ones that's responsible for manufacturing that iconic hollow milk chocolate Easter bunny chocolate that, of course, especially as we get closer to Easter, we all know very well.

So it's certainly something that this community now is coming to terms with in terms of the people that it has lost and also those, at least, again, five people that are now confirmed dead, according to authorities on the ground speaking to reporters there, and we do hope to hear from authorities here any minute now as we get a full update on what may have caused this potentially, and most importantly, where things stand in terms of trying to find any more survivors. WALKER: Just a horrible, horrible situation. Polo Sandoval, thank you.

President Biden is back in the U.S. After his first visit to Canada since taking office, but tensions with Iran and airstrikes in Syria are a major focus for the White House right now. So the president ordered a strike on a target in Syria after an attack by Iranian backed forces that killed an American contractor.

BLACKWELL: In a message to Iran, Mr. Biden warned that the U.S. will do what's necessary to protect Americans. CNN White House reporter Jasmine Wright is traveling with the president in Wilmington, Delaware. So what more are you hearing from the administration?

JASMINE WRIGHT, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Victor, President Biden is back stateside after his trip to Canada that was really focused on deepening the U.S. Canada relationship. Of course, it's an important ally, but in the critical backdrop, there was this Iranian backed proxy escalation.

Now, we know that it was a through line through the president's last two days. He was first briefed about the initial attack while on the flight to Ottawa, where then the Pentagon presented him response options. On Air Force One is where he ultimately authorized that retaliatory strike. Now when we saw the president Biden just a few hours later on Friday, standing next to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the press conference, we were learning in real time about a third attack by those Iranian backed proxies.

[10:15:08]

Now, President Biden at the top of his remarks at the press conference, he addressed the first attack, and he did so quite forcefully. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Make no mistake. The United States does not, does not emphasize seek conflict with Iran. But be prepared for us to act forcefully to protect our people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WRIGHT: Now, in addition to that statement, the president offered his heartfelt condolences to the American contractor that was killed and the other American servicemembers that were wounded. But it's notable here that throughout the day on Friday, what we heard from U.S. officials was exactly what the president said, that the U.S. was not looking for any escalation with Iran and that it was not really seeking out conflicts, but it would do what was necessary, or respond if it was necessary.

Now the question going forward here is what does "if necessary" mean? In the past we know that it has meant when Americans were attacked, either killed or injured. So the question is whether that's still remains the case and whether these latest attacks will draw a response from President Biden. Victor, Amara? BLACKWELL: Jasmine Wright traveling with the president there in

Delaware. Thank you so much.

Let's get some insight now from former NATO supreme allied commander and CNN military analyst General Wesley Clark. First question here, should there be a retaliatory strike after this latest attack?

GEN. WESLEY CLARK (RET), FORMER NATO SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER: Well, there probably won't be because the president said he doesn't want to escalate this thing, but it depends on whether Iran comes back with something else. Or if we do make a strike, we've got to do something more effective than what we've done so far. We did the first strike, we took out, the reports are, eight of these Iranians killed, and then they came back with two other strikes against us, not as effective, but it's very tense.

Look, this is a stewpot in this part of the Middle East. You've got our Syrian democratic forces and the us working against ISIS. You've got the Iranians coming in building supply lines to go against Israel. You've got the Russians in there. You've got the Iraqis that we're concerned about. It's a very messy situation, and the best thing is to tamp down the conflict. But to do that, we've got to protect our own forces and we've got to keep them there.

BLACKWELL: General, when is -- what goes into deciding went to respond, if not after this latest attack, when? We learned from the Cent Com commander that there have been 78 either rocket or drone attacks on U.S. forces by these Iranian back militias since the beginning of 2021. They haven't been responses to all of them. Why not this one? And how do you decide?

CLARK: It's just a matter of judgment, really, as to where you're going. It's partly a function of what the group -- who the group was that struck, what weapons they used, how effective it was against U.S. forces? What is the target list that we're keeping? How can we best deter future strikes? How closely are these strikes tied to Iran?

So the first strike used an Iranian drone. These other strikes have used Katyusha rockets. So there's a marginal difference. The United States wants to deter an escalation. It doesn't want to let indiscriminate attacks continue. We do have defenses in place around these bases, but in the first instance they weren't effective. We don't know why. We may have to beef up our defenses. But ideally, what we want to do is stay there, work against ISIS, provide a counterweight to Iran, and at the same time not escalate the violence.

BLACKWELL: Some of the president's critics say that the best way to deter future attacks is by overwhelming response. Senator Lindsey Graham tweeted out that America's response should be a vigorous, overwhelming, punishing force. That's an escalation beyond just the proportional response that we saw earlier this week. What's your reaction to that, that assessment, that recommendation?

CLARK: Yes, in general, of course, I agree that you need to overwhelm them and deter them from doing it again. But to really look at whether you should do it and how you have to know the target list. You have to know who the assailants are, and you have to weigh all these things in the balance.

Now, if we thought we could get the exact same people who did this second and third strikes, I'm sure we would do that. But maybe we can't. Maybe we can't do it without collateral damages. Maybe we're going to wait two or three days to make sure.

[10:20:01]

Yes, we should never allow us forces to be struck without striking back. But we've got to strike back smartly and effectively. We do have the capacity to sort of ramp this thing up and do continuous air strikes, but that's not necessarily going to get us our strategic objective.

BLACKWELL: General Wesley Clark, always appreciate the insight. Thank you, sir.

CLARK: Thank you.

WALKER: The Manhattan grand jury hearing evidence in the case surrounding former President Trump's alleged role in hush money payments to Stormy Daniels is set to reconvene on Monday. Coming up, we're joined by a former Manhattan assistant district attorney for more on what the jury may be weighing as they decide whether or not to indict the former president.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALKER: Now to the latest on the investigations into Donald Trump. On Friday, a federal judge ordered some of the former president's closest aides to testify before a grand jury investigating efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

[10:25:06]

BLACKWELL: CNN national security reporters Zach Cohen is following this for us. Tell us more Zach.

ZACHARY COHEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Good morning, Victor and Amara. Yes, this is a significant development in the investigation around Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election. And a judge effectively decided that Trump cannot use claims of executive privilege to prevent some of his closest aides and former top officials from his administration, block them from testifying about certain things, including conversations they had with the former president during that timeframe leading up to January 6th.

Now, this list of names is pretty notable, topped by former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. Meadows obviously one of Trump's close advisers. Meadows was also part of some of the more dubious efforts to overturn the election. So the judge deciding that Meadows has to come in and answer questions.

It remains be seen if this decision will get appealed, but Jack Smith, the investigator, clearly ramping up the speed of his investigation, and wants to hear from the top officials and closes aides to Trump about -- who would give him a window into the former president's state of mind and what he knew about the claims of election fraud and the validity of those. Obviously, we know now there are baseless, but if he does bring a case against Trump, that will be a key part of it.

Now, Trump's spokesperson, obviously, in a statement today, slamming the DOJ, accusing them of overreach. But there is -- grand juries are allowed to be presented the information that they need to make a decision about -- an informed decision, and in this case it's no different, overriding claims executive privilege by the former president.

BLACKWELL: All right, we know that appeal is coming. Zach Cohen, thanks so much.

WALKER: All right, so let's turn now to another Trump investigation, this one regarding the former president's alleged role in hush money payments made to actress Stormy Daniels. The Manhattan grand jury investigating Trump in this is expected to reconvene next week. And this comes as Trump is escalating his rhetoric against Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, warning of potential death and destruction if he is indicted.

Let's get some legal analysis now from former Manhattan assistant district attorney Jeremy Saland. Jeremy, good morning. Thank you for joining us this morning. Let's just look back at this week. It was quite interesting, right, because first you had Trump was predicting he would be arrested on Tuesday. Clearly that didn't happen. Wednesday, the grand jury didn't meet. Thursday, they met over a different case. And now looking to Monday, the grand jury may convene to hear from an additional witness in this hush money case. So you've worked in this office before. What's your read on what's happening here behind the scenes?

JEREMY SALAND, FORMER MANHATTAN ASSISTANT DISTRICT ATTORNEY: I don't think there's anything atypical happened behind the scenes other than the fact that this is beyond high profile. This is the preeminent case probably that office has seen or any office when it involves the former president of the United States. So they need to make sure that all their i's are dotted, their t's are crossed and anything that can go wrong is addressed in advance. If there's something, an issue of law, if there's another witness, they have to take all the preparations to move forward.

WALKER: Do you expect this case to wrap up sooner, that an indictment will come down soon, especially with Trump making this prediction?

SALAND: Well, I think you start off with that premise that the Trump prediction was maybe more of something else, maybe more self-serving to control that narrative because he might be expecting it. It could have been a campaign push. There's a lot of different reasons why he could have done that. I don't rely on anything outside. None of us are in that room. It's a secret proceeding. So there again, there could be more witnesses being called. For that matter, we don't know if they will, in fact, be an indictment. Certainly, the district attorney's office has the ability to withdraw that case if they want to before it's presented and before the grand jury votes. So could it be this week. Certainly. Could it be not at all? Certainly. But I think it if it does happen, I would assume sooner rather than later.

WALKER: Sure, sure. And on Monday, we should also mention that Michael Cohen's former lawyer, Robert Costello, he testified at the request of Trump's attorneys in an effort to damage Cohen's credibility, who, as you know, is a key witness for the prosecution. What do you think Alvin Bragg's next move might be? Will he call more witnesses, or maybe even Michael Cohen back to strengthen his case?

SALAND: Well, when your witness is challenged and there's issues of credibility, you need to find all the resources you can to bolster that and corroborate whatever that witness is saying. That very well may be call Michael Cohen back. That very well may be some other independent evidence or something. It could be documentary. It doesn't have to be a person. It could also be another party that none of us know of. And again, I can't stress enough. This is a secret proceeding, and but for the fact that it involves the former president, it's not something that would have a lot of press coverage and we would all know about.

WALKER: So this about allegedly falsifying business records, right? It's not about how many payments. Those are not illegal.

[10:30:02]

I just wanted to ask you this, because we know that no current or former sitting president has ever been indicted for criminal conduct. And I just wonder what your thoughts on -- what your thoughts are on when there are so much more, I guess, more serious allegations, for lack of a better term, that are being he's being investigated for, including overturning a presidential election, or his potential role in January 6th, or even his potential mishandling of classified documents. Do you think breaking precedent for, quote-unquote, a lesser crime would be worth it?

SALAND: Worth it is a relative term. And also, none of this is mutually exclusive. Just because you might have committed a crime in place A and done something wrong in place B does not mean in place c that shouldn't be pursued or prosecuted. It needs to rise and fall on its own merit. And I think it's critically important to recognize that there is no greater currency than the public trust, so I would assume that the Manhattan district attorney's office is not going to expend that currency on something that shouldn't be prosecuted.

That being said, that being said, while the benefit of the doubt may now be to the investigation, their burden always remains the same. Donald Trump, just like anyone else, is innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. So to say because there are other investigations and other potential crimes, this is not worth it, I don't think that's a fair analysis.

So they're doing what they think is right. A jury, if it gets to that point, will make the determination if they're correct.

WALKER: Fair enough. Jeremy Saland, appreciate your perspective. Thank you so much.

SALAND: Thank you.

BLACKWELL: Still ahead, more than a dozen Ukrainian civilians killed in Russian shelling as the battle for the key city of Bakhmut continues. We are live in Ukraine with the latest next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:36:00]

WALKER: Red Cross officials say as many as 10,000 people are being pushed to the limit of their existence as the bloody battle for Bakhmut rages on. People are spending entire days in shelters because of the intense shelling.

BLACKWELL: Houses are crushed, roofs have been ripped off. There is the danger of unexploded bombs there. CNN senior international correspondent Ivan Watson joins us now from central Ukraine. So an update on the fighting, and Bakhmut, we heard from Secretary Lloyd Austin that if either side were to lose this, it wouldn't be a strategic major loss. Why are they fighting so hard to win control here?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That that has been a big question because this was not a major city, but it has been the scene of intense fighting for more than seven months, Victor, where you've had the Russian military and Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group just hurling themselves against Ukrainian defenses day and night for months and months and months, and suffering --

WALKER: All right, I think we lost our connection there with Ivan Watson. Our apologies for that. But we do appreciate Ivan Watson for that short report.

All right, coming up, a security guard at a Tampa strip club is being called a hero this morning after he fought off a man armed with a gun who was trying to get inside. We're going to speak to that security guard when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:41:42]

WALKER: Police say quick thinking by security guards at a Tampa strip club may have saved many lives. Police arrested 44-year-old Michael Rudman after they say he attempted to enter that club with a flashlight in one hand and a firearm in the other.

BLACKWELL: Take a look at the security footage from last Sunday night. Witnesses say Rudman was wearing a devil mask and the words "kill" and "dark one" were on his arms. Two security guards wrestled Rudman to the ground and held him until police arrived.

Let's now talk to one of the security guards, Manuel Manny Resto. Manny, good to talk to you. I just want to point out that initially it was just you. And then the other security guard came in and helped as well. When you saw this man walk up with this mask, what did you think?

MANUEL ANTHONY RESTO, MONS VENUS SECURITY GUARD WHO STOPPED GUNMAN: Well, I thought it was like a Halloween prank or something. I thought it might have been one of my MMA buddies or pro wrestling buddies, which I used to do 20 years ago, and someone playing a trick on me. So I was waiting for a reaction. Like, hey, surprise. But it was utter silence. And he started walking towards the door, and I was right beside the door.

So then I was waiting for the punch line, and it never came. And he kept on walking. And as he walked closer to me, I noticed he was a very, very large man. So then --

WALKER: At what point did you decide that you needed to wrestle him, or take him down?

RESTO: Well, like I said, I decided to stay silent. I had a little smirk on my face because I thought it was a prank. But then, as he walked towards me, he stayed silent. Not a word. Then he walked right beside me, and I noticed him draw his right arm, and I saw a firearm. And he was pointing it towards the door. I knew that this was not a robbery or a joke, and I knew what it was.

BLACKWELL: Police say that you saved a lot of lives by jumping into to wrestle him. And again, we will say there was another security guard who came in. When you watch the video, as we have now so many times. What do you think when you watch it, watching yourself jump into take this man down?

[10:45:00]

RESTO: Well, I thought automatically that I had to go for the gun. I fixated on the gun and his wrist. And I waited for him to be close enough so I can grab that gun and wrist. I grabbed it and pulled him back outside. I wanted to prevent him from getting inside of the club because I knew he would start shooting.

WALKER: Well, what you did is incredible. And I think Tampa police said that there are about 200 people inside that club.

RESTO: Yes, correct.

WALKER: And I'm sure all those people inside are extremely grateful to your quick thinking and your actions there, along with the other security guard. Manny Resto, thank you very much for your time. You are truly a hero.

BLACKWELL: Thank you, Manny.

WALKER: Well, this week an off-duty pilot jumps into action to help land a passenger plane after its captain became ill midflight.

BLACKWELL: It happened Wednesday onboard a Southwest Airlines flight to Columbus, Ohio, not long after takeoff from Las Vegas. The reason behind the medical emergency is not clear. CNN's Pete Muntean has details for us.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The scene on board the Boeing 737 sounds like something out of a movie, an off-duty pilot in the passenger cabin swooping into the flight deck after one of the original pilots fell ill.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): The captain became incapacitated while en route. He's in the back of the aircraft right now with the flight attendants.

MUNTEAN (voice-over): Southwest Airlines says the incident started on flight 6013 from Las Vegas to Columbus, Ohio. Flight tracking data shows 27 minutes into the flight, at 37,000 feet, the flight started to turn back for Las Vegas. Southwest says that's when one of the pilots needed medical attention, and a credential pilot from another airline entered the flight deck and assisted with radio communication.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): We need to get him on an ambulance immediately.

PETER GOETZ, FORMER NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD DIRECTOR: The modern aircraft, a single pilot can fly it and handle communications, but it's a very heavy workload.

MUNTEAN (voice-over): Off-duty pilots being pressed into service has been the subject of fiction.

UNKNOWN: By the way, is there anyone on board who knows how to fly a plane?

MUNTEAN (voice-over): And fact --

UNKNOWN (voice-over): What is the situation with the pilot?

UNKNOWN (voice-over): He is incoherent. He is out.

MUNTEAN (voice-over): Just last year, a passenger without piloting experience landed a charter flight from the Bahamas with help from air traffic controllers when the lone pilot became incapacitated. In 1989, an off-duty United pilot volunteered to help wrestle United flight 232 into Sioux City, Iowa, when a major mechanical issue was more than the crew could handle.

In this latest incident, the flight made a safe landing back in Las Vegas, but the helpful pilot's identity remains a mystery.

GOETZ: That he was willing to step in and did a good job is really quite commendable.

MUNTEAN (on camera): The nature of the Southwest pilot's medical issue is still not clear. Experts tell us having two pilots is best, even though a 737 can be flown by one pilot. There is a push to get rid of the second pilot. It would be a cost cutting move by airlines. The largest union of pilots puts it like this -- the choice is between saving money, or like in this case, saving lives.

Pete Muntean, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: All right, thanks, Pete Muntean for that. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:52:49]

WALKER: All right, back to our top story this morning. CNN is on the scene in Mississippi where residents and first responders combing through debris after a night of powerful and really devastating storms. At least 23 people are dead, dozens more injured or missing. The storms flattened homes, as you can see, really knocked out cities or towns there. And tens of thousands of people are without power across Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee. The National Weather Service has confirmed at least one large tornado caused significant damage in several towns. Survey teams will be out today looking into at least 12 reports of tornadoes across Mississippi.

BLACKWELL: The L.A. school district has reached a tentative deal with the union representing 30,000 workers after a three day strike this week canceled classes for more than half-a-million students in the nation's second largest school district. The deal increases salaries, expands health benefits, invests in professional development for bus drivers and janitors and cafeteria workers and special ed employees and other support staff. Union members still need to vote on that agreement.

WALKER: And a quick programming note, join actress and activist Eva Longoria in the new CNN original series, "Searching for Mexico" as she takes us on a journey across the country to see how its people, culture, and history have shaped its diverse cuisine. Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EVA LONGORIA, ACTRESS: I don't know the secret to happiness. All I know is every time I eat Mexican food, I'm happy.

I'm Eva Longoria, born and bred in Texas with Mexican American roots.

I'm going to get a t shirt that says, "more salsa."

I'm exploring Mexico to see how the people, their lands, and their past have shaped a culinary tradition as diverse as its 32 states.

Here today we are going to be making our food pilgrimage. Look at that. I don't know if I've ever been this excited to eat anything. I was going to do this. That's why.

(LAUGHTER)

LONGORIA: The people here are so secure in who they are and where they come from.

You guys are amazing storytellers.

[10:55:00]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Appreciate it.

(LAUGHTER)

LONGORIA: Mexico is going through a major makeover to emerge as one of the world's greatest food destinations.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know what brings people to Mexico? The food culture. They fell in love with it.

LONGORIA: Viva Mexico!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "Eva Longoria, Searching for Mexico," premieres tomorrow at 10:00 on CNN.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: OK, and before we go, the best news we have been following all morning, Victor Blackwell.

BLACKWELL: I am back. Thank you.

WALKER: In true shape and form.

BLACKWELL: I am back. This is permanent.

WALKER: So happy.

BLACKWELL: I know. I know.

WALKER: That's the background cheering.

BLACKWELL: Atlanta is a special place. This show is a special show. And this is where I want to be. So here I am.

WALKER: And we are so happy to have you. I'm really excited to be with you.

BLACKWELL: Happy to be with you. All right.

WALKER: That's our time, everyone. Thanks for watching.

BLACKWELL: We'll see you tomorrow, but until then, there's much more ahead in the next hour of CNN Newsroom.

(LAUGHTER)

BLACKWELL: Fredricka Whitfield is up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)