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Tornadoes Tear Through The South, 23 Dead In MS, 1 killed In AL; Putin And Deputy Accused Of "Forcibly Deporting" Children From Ukraine; Trump Attorney Corcoran Appears Before Grand Jury In Classified Docs Probe; Source: NY Grand Jury Who Could Indict Trump Meets Monday; Actor Luis Guzman Talks About His Friendship With Adam Sandler; East Palestine Resident: Derailment Put "Scarlet Letter" On Town. Aired 1-2p ET

Aired March 25, 2023 - 13:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:00:39]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. And we begin with this breaking news. Just moments ago, the governor of Mississippi issued a state of emergency after a devastating outbreak of tornadoes ripping through the South. At least 23 people are confirmed dead in Mississippi and another person was killed in Alabama.

Dozens more are injured and at least four others are still missing at this hour. Many of the deaths happening in the town of Rolling Fork, Mississippi. Neighborhoods there were leveled. The mayor sharing this bleak assessment of the damage on CNN this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR ELDRIDGE WALKER, ROLLING FORK, MISSISSIPPI: When daylight comes you can get a more visual of what happened. Last night it was dark. We were using flashlights. So, now I can see what I didn't see earlier this morning. And it's worse than I saw this morning at 3:00 throughout the -- throughout the morning. It is worse. My communities, it's gone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN's Isabel Rosales is there in Rolling Fork. Isabel, I mean, the mayor saying that town is gone.

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And Fred, the constable of a nearby county who came here and saw this with his own eyes describe this as a landfill. And if you take a look right behind me, you can see why these are homes. Businesses just completely flattened. David saw a semi-truck just stripped down to its bones. I mean, imagine the power of this tornado to do this sort of damage.

Once the sun came up, we started to see much more energy, families coming out sifting through this debris. First responders going in through there through the piles. And the reason being is that they're not sure everyone is accounted for, Fred. We know that 23 people have died from the storm in the state of Mississippi. Four people are unaccounted for. Dozens of others have been injured.

But I do also want to say Fred, that there's signs of help on the way right to my left here is this major highway. And I've seen here throughout the day, just an increase in the number of resources coming heavy machinery and equipment that will help them dig through that debris a lot quicker and get help to anyone who might need it. And you mentioned the emergency declaration that Governor Tate Reeves just declared a couple of minutes ago.

That'll be huge. That'll free up resources and money to get this community the help that it needs. Also, we saw AT&T trucks coming in and restoring cell service, important communication that will happen between the first responders and we're -- also utility trucks coming in and putting new power poles. FEMA -- a FEMA team is on the way to assess the damage here and see how they can help.

What sort of resources are needed here as well. We also spoke with Tracy Harden who is the owner of Chucks Dairy Barn which if you look right behind me, that's what's left of it. Where that silver truck is, that's where the restaurant used to be. That is where Pride and Joy, a family business. She got a call from her daughter telling her to run. To run because a tornado was coming. She grabbed her employees and they ran to an industrial, a freezer, a cooler.

And as they were shutting the door her husband saw that the roof was coming apart. She knew she would not have a business anymore. But today, she also cries for her community. She's so worried about them. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRACY HARDEN, OWNER, CHUCK'S DAIRY BARN: We don't know where everybody is. We don't know who's alive love and who's gone and just trying to hold it together until we can get everybody safe and OK. Everything here can be replaced (INAUDIBLE) I want to make sure all those little babies that live back there are OK.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: Yes. It's so hard to listen to that, you can feel her pain there through her tears. Undoubtedly, the focus right now is on helping anyone who might be trapped here. But the recovery process will also undoubtedly be very long.

[13:05:04]

City Hall and the police department here have been severely damaged the mayor told me. Fred?

WHITFIELD: Yes. It is just unbelievable sight to see. And it looks like a lot of people who are walking behind you are -- many of them coming to assist in whatever way they can or they, you know, trying to see if their properties are left standing. What do you know about the people behind you? ROSALES: Yes. They're trying to just take into account of what do they have left? The most important thing is that their family is OK. And a lot of these people -- this is a tight knit community, Fred. They know their neighbors. They go to church with these people. They eat with these people. They know the names of those who have passed. It's just incredibly traumatic.

So, there's first that human toll but then also going and assessing and figuring out that they might not have anything physical left. That is a hard pill to swallow, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Yes, indeed. All right. Isabel Rosales, thank you so much. Let's go now to CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar in the weather center. This isn't bad weather, but it's not over?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: No, it's not. And when you take a look at the damage that we've seen from a lot of the videos again, one thing to notice, the National Weather Service, the screws are out surveying the damage because they have a lot to figure out. One was this just one single tornado? Was this multiple tornados? And even in that regard, what type of tornado was it?

The scale goes from EF-zero all the way to EF-five. So, what they do is they look for what we call indicators. They look at the overall scope of the damage. You know, were the well-constructed and whole frame houses just leveled? Because that would be on par with say EF- four type damage. Cars and other objects thrown, basically being turned into projectile missiles. And when you look at some of the video that has come in from this particular area, again, you can see the cars being lifted up on top of buildings flipped over.

You have complete homes down to the foundation, down to that concrete platform. These are the things that the weather service will go out and they will take a look at today. But the other thing again that we talked about is was it one single tornado? Was it multiple tornadoes? When you look at where all the tornado warnings have been over the last 24 hours, you can see this pretty much straight line here from Rolling Fork all the way up through Huntsville.

They're going to have to determine if that was in fact one single very long track tornado or was it multiple tornadoes? For today, we do still have the potential for some severe weather not just in the south, where we have the severe thunderstorm watch in effect for the next several hours. But to secondary areas here, Fred, we're going to be looking at the potential for some additional severe thunderstorms throughout the afternoon.

WHITFIELD: Oh my. All right. Allison Chinchar. Thank you.

All right. A team from, Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA is in route to help in the recovery efforts. And joining us right now on the phone is FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell. Deanne, glad you could be with us. So, what is going to be the first priority for your FEMA teams?

DEANNE CRISWELL, FEMA ADMINISTRATOR (via telephone): Hello, Fredricka. Right now, we still are in a life-saving and life-sustaining mode. And we want to make sure that the state has everything that they need, as we work to make sure that no additional lives are lost. I think is you are watching the images and I'm watching these images, it's just heartbreaking to see the devastation that this community has sustained overnight.

And so, we are sending a team right now. They're in route to integrate in with the state emergency operations staff and make sure that we have any immediate needs, resources that need to come in, but also to start to plan for what the long-term recovery is going to look like here.

WHITFIELD: Yes. I mean, because when you look at this, it just looks like a gigantic steamroller just moved in. And it's hard to even discern what are the things that people need, because you're not really seeing too much life at least in these pictures right here. But then in our reporters live shot, you did see a few folks, you know, and there is the continued effort to try to find any potential survivors.

So, how do you make a decision about what equipment to bring in, what kind of manpower you know, to bring in?

CRISWELL: It really is, you know, what the state needs, right? And where they have resource gaps and we'll be able to help support some of those needs and bring in those resources. I think right now, you know, we're partnering really close with the state and our partners at the American Red Cross are standing up shelters because we know so many people are obviously displaced from their homes.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

CRISWELL: And this will give them that immediate shelter, given that that safe place to stay. And then we'll work with the governor. We know that he declared a state of emergency. We know he's going to be coming in to ask for an expedited major disaster declaration. We're going to process that as quickly as possible so we can continue to then bring in the full federal family to support these interim recovery needs. And then their ongoing long recovery needs.

[13:10:01]

WHITFIELD: Yes. So, I know you spoke with the Mississippi Governor, you know, Tate Reeves there. And when you say, you know, you are in life-saving and life-sustaining mode, what resources come with that?

CRISWELL: Yes Right. Lifesaving really is our first responders and they have been doing such an amazing job. We have additional search and rescue teams if they are needed. But right now, as we're working and talking with the state, we've got staff already embedded at the state emergency operations center, that they have the staff that are needed to conduct these initial missions right.

Those firefighters and those law enforcement officers that are out there are true heroes. Some of them probably impacted themselves, right, by these storms. But they're going out there to make sure that the citizens in their communities are safe. And we can send in additional and we're prepared to -- and we've got teams rostered and ready to go if it turns out that they need additional search and recovery assets.

WHITFIELD: And potentially, you would have conversations with President Biden after your assessment. And what's the criteria of trying to encourage a major disaster declaration?

CRISWELL: Yes. I actually spoke with the President already this morning and gave him an update on the information that I already have. I'm going to be traveling there tomorrow. So, I can get a firsthand look, right? I mean, we're seeing these images but to see it on the ground and hear what the impacts are, make a big difference so we can expedite those resources. And we are going to push this recommendation through to the President as quickly as we can as soon as we get

WHITFIELD: Yes. All right. Now, the people there will be very grateful. All right. Deanne Criswell, thank you so much. All the best in your travels there.

All right. To eastern Pennsylvania now where investigators are trying to figure out what caused an explosion at a candy factory that killed at least two people. The blast level the R.M. Palmer company facility in West Reading about 50 miles outside of Philadelphia. And right now, crews continue to search for any signs of life underneath that rubble there. Officials say one person was found alive overnight.

CNN's Danny Freeman joining us now from West Reading. What's the latest on efforts to try and find any more survivors?

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, the latest is just that this community, all the first responders here are hoping and working to see if there are survivors in this rubble, they have not stopped all morning. They've been at it all last night, as well. And again, the hope is that they can pull some people who are still missing out of that debris that we see. Let me show you what we're dealing with right here.

So, this street right here, this is where the R.M. Palmer chocolate factory used to be. But now it is completely gone. The entire building has been leveled. And you can see all the debris on the street there, you know, equipment out here, working to remove some of the debris up top. But again, all eyes and all energy has been focused on trying to see if there are survivors. So, here's what we know so far.

We still don't know a reason for what caused this explosion. That happened yesterday, around 5:00 p.m. In the afternoon. But we do know that two people have been confirmed dead. Five people at least they're still missing. There are eight people in the hospital as of the latest update. But again, everyone is focusing on the fact that overnight, we learned a few hours ago, a survivor was pulled out of the rubble.

They were able to find someone alive in this complete mess out here. And they were taken to the hospital. So that is what everyone is focused on. But I got to say, we spoke to a neighbor who lived just a couple of blocks away. His name is Chris and he said it felt like he -- the explosion was so strong. It felt like a car ran into his own home. Take a listen what he had to say about what this particular company means to this community.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS SUGLIA, WEST READING, PENNSYLVANIA RESIDENT: Palmer has been a, you know, longtime company here in this community in Reading -- West Reading itself. So, it's sad. It's devastating. We know what he expects to go to work and not come home, you know, especially for something like that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: Now we have reached out to the candy factory, R.M. Palmer for -- we're still at this time waiting for a statement as soon as we get that. And any updates on potential survivors will of course bring it back to you. Fred?

WHITFIELD: All right. Danny Freeman. Thanks so much for that. Still to come. We visited Ukrainian orphanage near the front lines that sits empty after Russian forces allegedly forcibly deported the children to their territory. The heroic actions of the Ukrainian nurses who tried to stop it next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:18:35]

WHITFIELD: In Russia is war on Ukraine. At least 16 civilians are dead and 59 others are injured after a barrage of Russian shelling across eight regions overnight. That's according to Ukrainian defense officials. The attack comes as we also learn heartbreaking new details about a Russian operation focused on allegedly abducting Ukrainian children.

Just days ago, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin and his deputy for forcibly deporting children. CNN's David McKenzie and his team traveled close to the front lines to investigate what happened.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVE MCKENZIE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Approaching the southern frontline in Kherson, in the liberated city, many have fled. It's deceptively quiet, until the relentless terror. The often indiscriminate, almost daily Russian shelling. We've come to investigate a very deliberate horror of the Russian occupations.

MCKENZIE (on camera): So, the children who stayed here were under five years old mostly, this orphanage had more than 40 children here.

MCKENZIE (voice over): Elena was a nurse here for 17 years. Not a single child is left.

I feel emptiness, emptiness, everything has just stopped, she says.

[13:20:03]

The children had everything, they were so happy, the children were happy. Now it's just silence and small reminders of them their names still on each locker. The Kherson children's home is now a crime scene.

They warned us to collect their clothes, says Elena. The Russians and collaborators called in the evening and said to prepare the children for the morning. The buses arrived at 8:00. The heart-breaking scenes captured for Russian propaganda shared on a Russian M.P.'s telegram channel.

The bewilder children taken from their beloved nurses in October, transported to Russian- occupied Crimea or Russia itself, say Ukrainian investigators. But instead of hiding this alleged war crime, Russians advertised it. Children will be taken to safe conditions in Crimea, he says.

I'll definitely go and visit. Investigators said was part of a pre- meditated Russian mission to take Ukrainian children to even targeted hospitals.

MCKENZIE (on camera): There was a lot of pressure by the Russians to take these children. Weren't you afraid?

MCKENZIE (voice over): It was scary. Very, very scary so much pressure, says Ola Pilyaska (ph). Twice a day they demanded, we show them lists of the kids to take to Russia. So, Ola and her team came up with an extraordinary deception. They had orphans in the ICU. And they forged medical assessments saying healthy children were severely sick.

But even faked and emergency ventilation, she says. We understood that the Russians and collaborators would not forgive us, she says, we knew there would be serious retribution. We understood this, but they took the risks and manage to save children. And the critical care nurse took it a step further. Tatiana (ph) says she fell in love with one of the orphan children. She worked desperately to keep the child off the list.

MCKENZIE (on camera): How are you?

MCKENZIE (voice over): Now she's adopting Kira.

MCKENZIE (on camera): Nice to meet you.

MCKENZIE (voice over): We met them at home, a Ukrainian mom with her treasured Ukrainian child. Kira (ph) is almost ready to walk.

MCKENZIE (on camera): What does she mean to you?

MCKENZIE (voice over): She means everything to me, says Tatiana. I don't even know to be honest. I can't imagine my life without Kira. This awful war has given her a precious gift.

David McKenzie, CNN, Kherson.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Still ahead, prosecutors are zeroing in on -- for President Donald Trump's inner circle in multiple investigations. What to expect this week.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:27:07]

WHITFIELD: We're following multiple developments now on the investigations into Donald Trump. Sources say a D.C. federal judge has ordered some of Trump's closest aides to testify before a grand jury investigating Trump's role in the capitol riot and his efforts to overturn the election. The ruling opens the way for top Trump officials including former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to answer questions after Trump's legal team tried to invoke executive privilege to block their testimony.

Well news of this decision rather came on the same day a key Trump attorney was ordered to appear before another grand jury probe into Trump's handling of classified documents.

Joining me now to discuss these legal cases is Renato Mariotti. He is a former federal prosecutor. Good to see you. So, let's begin with this order in D.C. forcing former Trump aides to testify. How significant in your view is this ruling?

RENATO MARIOTTI, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: It is very significant, Fred, it is expected the executive privilege was never going to override a grand jury subpoena. But now this means for example, then Mark Meadows is going to have to testify, you know, chiefs of staff are always the gatekeepers to presidents, but in particularly in the case of Donald Trump, gatekeeper extraordinaire because Trump was not using e-mail, not really texting much.

So, as we know, from the January 6 committee evidence, a lot of texts and a lot of people reaching out to Mark Meadows and of course his aide Cassidy Hutchinson, one of the key testifiers, key witnesses for the January 6 committee, likely also for the DOJ. So, definitely key witness, it'll be interesting to see if he takes the Fifth or if he ultimately cooperates or strike some sort of deal with prosecutors.

WHITFIELD: And that'll be interesting, because if he or others, you know, don't take the Fifth, what would happen if they refuse, you know, just completely disregard the subpoena altogether?

MARIOTTI: Well, they'll be held in contempt, that'll be a whole separate violation. So, very likely, I would expect him to take the Fifth which of course is itself interesting news. And then the question for prosecutors is do they compel his testimony by giving him immunity? Do they cut some sort of broader deal with him? So, very interesting stuff. Meadows is a very fine lawyer. But, you know, now the rubber meets the road.

WHITFIELD: OK. So then on a different case on the classified documents, investigations, sources say Trump's attorney Evan Corcoran will have to face more questions about what he knew about the documents at Mar-a-Lago. And for the court to once again piers that attorney-client privilege, this can't be good for Trump's team, right?

MARIOTTI: No, not at all. Very, very concerning if you're on Trump's team. I will say Fred, very unexpected on like the executive privilege motion.

[13:30:00]

I have to say I have never seen a prosecutor successfully invoke the crime/fraud exception to pierce attorney/client privilege in my entire career. And I've been practicing criminal law for over 20 years. You probably can tell by all the gray in my beard.

So very unusual and very problematic because, in my experience, clients are very candid with their attorneys, and that's because they're relying on the attorney/client privilege, right?

WHITFIELD: Right. And so you know, can Even Corcoran continued to represent Trump after testifying before the grand jury?

MARIOTTI: Very problematic, to put it mildly. And I would have to think at this point Evan Corcoran is, you know, being at least cooperative to some extent with the DOJ.

There were some reports that, for example, he had handwritten notes and audio recordings that the DOJ had access to. I would have to believe that he I told them that he had those recordings and notes.

Very difficult for me to see any client continuing to use that attorney and confide in that attorney given that a judge has already found that there was a potential crime that was committed in getting between the client, in this case, Donald Trump, and that attorney.

WHITFIELD: Wow. I know you have seen a lot but for you to even say this is unusual, you've never seen something like that happening, you know? That's it really does say a lot.

So now turning to the New York case, the alleged hush money scheme to pay Stormy Daniels for her silent, sources are saying that the New York grand jury is supposed to reconvene on Monday.

Does the former presidency kind of rash of threats against the Manhattan district attorney? I mean, does that elevate the stakes for him and for his attorneys?

MARIOTTI: It does. I mean, certainly, not a wise move, a sort of thing that when you're have a judge considering bond, for example, or considering sentencing, potentially one day judges don't look very kindly on.

It reminds me a little bit, Fred, of the messages in the Roger Stone case where Roger Stone was putting crosshairs on social media over pictures of the judge, did not make her very happy and that circumstance, so ultimately there's a gag order there.

So I think you know the former president would be wise to keep his menacing messages to a minimum going forward in that case.

WHITFIELD: We shall see.

All right, Renato Mariotti, thanks so much.

MARIOTTI: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Still ahead, Comedian Adam Sandler received this year's Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. We will reflect on Sandler's career with actor and good friend, Luis Guzman. There he is. He's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:36:52]

WHITFIELD: This year, the Kennedy Center is giving its Mark Twain Prize for American Humor to Adam Sandler. And you can see the ceremony right here on CNN. The award recognizes individuals who have made an impact on American society.

And some of Sandler's closest friends were there for the ceremony. Here's a sneak peek.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LUIS GUZMAN, ACTOR: Adam is one of the coolest, realist people I have ever met in my career from the time that we did anger management. He's always called me. I've always called him. We always cursed out the Yankees when they lost a tight game.

(LAUGHTER)

GUZMAN: That was our therapy.

But I'm really proud of him. I'm proud because he's a good man. He's a good husband, a good father, a good son. And he puts a lot of people to work.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Wow. What a beautiful compliment. He must have been gushing.

And of course, that was Actor Luis Guzman. And now Luis is with me to talk about his good friend. And he's got an incredible career of his own.

Boy, you've been in everything you know. I mean, we've lost count, "Carlito's Way," "Boogie Nights," "Traffic." And currently you are playing Gomez Adams on the show, "Wednesday.

GUZMAN: Yes.

WHITFIELD: And you also appear in the critically acclaimed show, "Poker Face." The list can go on and on. Congratulations to you. And just so nice that you would pay tribute to your good friend Adam

Sandler. And I mean, beautiful compliments of just being a good man, a good husband, good father and a good friend.

GUZMAN: Oh, yes. Well, listen, I met Adam when we first did the movie, "Punch Drunk Love" by Paul Thomas Anderson. And he hit a home run with his performance in that movie.

I was really impressed. Because, you know, I always known Adam for his comedy. And he's stepped into that Paul Thomas Sanderson role.

And the beauty of it was the first five minutes, you're watching this movie, and you totally forget that it's Adam Sandler, so much into that character. And he was able to do that. And that's magical.

You know, because, like I said, when everybody knows you for the comedic genre, and, all of a sudden, you're doing this kind of comedy, but drama, and you just forget who it is, that's that says a lot about -

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: Yes. It does.

So initially, before you actually saw him, you know at work, were you, you know, a little nervous? Did you have a little trepidation that, oh, I don't know if this comedian can really transition and be a good actor?

I mean, did you - how did you brace yourself for what it would be like to work with him before you actually saw that, oh, you know, he's pretty good actor, too?.

GUZMAN: Who I'm not. I'm not going to lie to you. Every time I show up to work, and I'm just like, I'm happy to be there and, hi, good morning. How are you doing? My name is Luis and we're going to be working together.

[13:40:04]

It's a job. It's art to me, creating art. And so I don't really get nervous for some reason.

I mean, I'm not going to lie to you. When I first met Jack Nicholson, I was a little nervous. And when I first met Al Pacino, my palms were really cold and sweaty. So that to me, those words my true icons, you know.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

GUZMAN: But, yes, like I said, listen, working with Adam, he's so welcoming, he's so giving, and I am also welcoming and giving, so we kind of complement each other that way. So nice.

WHITFIELD: That was so nice.

So I want to show another clip right now of some of his other friends, Adam Sandler's friends roasting him at the ceremony. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED COMEDIAN: You know, like, look at this line up. I feel like we're all here for the same reason to remind you. How much better "SNL" was in the nineties.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED COMEDIAN: Paul Pelosi is he only guy that knows how I felt all right?

(LAUGHTER)

(APPLAUSE)

UNIDENTIFIED COMEDIAN: Just me and you, Paul. Just me and you, babe.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED COMEDIAN: You know, it's amazing the career Adam has had. If you don't know this, $4 billion in movies with this much talent. It's unbelievable.

(LAUGHTER)

And he actually sucks at golf. OK? More like "Crappy Gilmore." Hey-o.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED COMEDIAN: There's something about him. You know his work, it just all feels effortless. It almost seems - I mean, I don't want to say lazy because that's not the right word and -

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED COMEDIAN: I don't have a better word. So for now, let's go with lazy.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED COMEDIAN: One of the greatest of all time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh.

What was it like being there? I mean, you know, all of you all heavy hitters, you know, and all together at the Kennedy Center. I mean, is this Mark Twain, you know, award really kind of the pinnacle of awards for comedians?

GUZMAN: I would think so. But, you know, I guess, also one of the biggest rewards is having your friends show up like they did, like we did for Adam that night, you know, just paying homage, just paying respect. I mean, I got to tell you, Steve Bushemi just kind of blew the lid off it. But you know, seeing - seeing Chris Rock and Cornyn and Jennifer and Drew and Rob and Dana and David. I mean, all of us together, there that was like really special.

And you know, Adam is the guy that brought us all together on numerous project.

And the thing is, for all of us that were there, we have worked with Adam numerous times. So it just goes to show his generosity also.

WHITFIELD: So you all are like family?

GUZMAN: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

GUZMAN: Yes, totally.

Listen, I played - I played his wife's husband in our last moving, so that's pretty generous I think of him.

WHITFIELD: That's so nice.

GUZMAN: Yes.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: You're thinking about it.

So I want to talk to you, you know, a little bit about your own, you know, film career. I mean, you've worked with both Paul Thomas Anderson, Steven Soderbergh multiple times. These are two of the world's most critically acclaimed directors.

And as an actor, you know, how do you, you know - how do you look for roles? What is it that you're looking for in your roles and, you know, in productions that you're involved in?

GUZMAN: Well for me, the most important thing really is the material of the writing, who I'm working with. Of course, who is directing.

I've been really fortunate that like all these great projects have kind of gravitated to me, or I gravitated to them.

Recently, I did "Wednesday." A huge hit for Netflix. I got to play Gomez Adams. Never in my career, in my imagination did I ever think something like that would cross my path. But I've got to tell you, I was honored to do that.

And but the writing of that show was so spot-on funny. It wasn't slapstick, but it was the style of writing that really, you know, gave that show a whole different level.

And listen, working next to Katherine Jones and General Tegan and being directed by Tim Burton and having the great writer that we had on that show, hello.

WHITFIELD: That's awesome. Yes, and you continue to shine in all things that you do.

[13:45:01]

Luis Guzman, glad to talk to you today. Thank you so much. And thanks for helping to honor your good friend -

GUZMAN: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: - Adam Sandler.

GUZMAN: Right on.

WHITFIELD: All right.

GUZMAN: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WHITFIELD: All right, peace out.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: Oh, gosh. I love the neighborhood.

Have a great -

(CROSSTALK)

GUZMAN: Have a great day. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: You, too. Enjoy.

Hey, everybody, you, too, can help celebrate and watch our friends that are celebrating Adam Sandler right here on CNN. "The Kennedy Center Presents the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, celebrating Adam Sandler. That's tomorrow night at 8:00 p.m. right here on CNN.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:53:05]

WHITFIELD: East Palestine, Ohio, resident and mother, Misti Allison, says the toxic train derailment in February has "put a scarlet letter" on her town.

Allison testified at Wednesday Senate committee hearing about what she saw following the incident.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MISTI ALLISON, EAST PALESTINE, OHIO, RESIDENT: We will never forget the night that train derailed. I could see a huge fireball from my driveway. It didn't seem real. Little did we know this was only the beginning.

My seven-year-old has asked me if he is going to die from living in his own home. What do I tell him?

This preventable accident has put a scarlet letter on our town. People don't want to come here. Businesses are struggling. Our home values are plummeting. Even if we wanted to leave, we couldn't. Who would buy our homes?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The toxic train wreck in East Palestine sparked a massive plume that burned for days, releasing poisonous cancer-causing fumes into the air and killing thousands of fish.

Misti Allison is here with us to talk about all of this. She's joining me right now from East Palestine, Ohio.

Misti, so glad you could be with us.

It's been seven weeks, but I bet it still feels like it was just yesterday. How's your family doing?

ALLISON: Thanks for having me. As of today, my family's great. They're all upstairs while I'm doing this interview. But it definitely has been quite the real-life nightmare.

WHITFIELD: Yes, a nightmare in so many ways from - I mean, you describe for me, from you know what you're able to ingest what? You're able to breathe the safety of your home. Give me kind of a thumbnail sketch of you know all the things that trouble you right now.

ALLISON: There's definitely a lot that are on our minds. Right now, Norfolk Southern is currently cleaning up the contaminated soil at the derailment site. So that is a concern right now. That's top of mind.

Many people have, like re-evacuated and getting some symptoms. So we're really hoping that that process can be completed as soon as possible.

And I would say to that we're just really hoping that all of the data that is coming out does suggest that it is safe to live here long term because, while homeowners like myself and my husband are concerned about the property values, we do love living in East Palestine.

We chose to move here to raise our children, here in my husband's hometown, and so we hope that we can stay here. But only if the data suggest that it is safe to be here long term.

WHITFIELD: So how long do you think you have to wait for that data so that you can make that determination about how long you know you can continue to live there?

ALLISON: That is a good question. There is a lot of data that is publicly available on the various EPA Web sites. Currently, all of the data does suggest that it is safe. However, there are some independent researchers that have been in town

and have suggested that maybe there are some metrics and testing that potentially like isn't being done. And so we're just really, really looking for some long term testing to be done.

We've been told by Norfolk Southern and by the government that everybody is going to be here for the long term, but obviously, the term long term is very subjective.

So from a resident perspective, we want long term to mean decades and not just a couple of months, for instance.

WHITFIELD: And so while you just testified that Senate committee hearing, you informed lawmakers about what your life is like, the decisions that you have to make, what you've been enduring for the last seven weeks, you your family and your entire community.

What did you get in return? Did you get any kind of immediate answers from many lawmakers? Any promises? Any kind of idea about what the road ahead is going to be like and for how long?

ALLISON: I do know that Senator Cantwell, who chairs that committee, did say that she would like to get a bill out there by sometime in April. So that's great.

I really hope that this never happens in any other community, so I hope that we can get some commonsense safety regulation passed that would be fantastic.

As for East Palestine, since that hearing on Wednesday, there have not been any types of concrete actions that have been announced or put in place.

WHITFIELD: Are you glad that you did this?

ALLISON: I am really glad that I did this. And I'm really glad that Senator Cantwell reached out and wanted somebody from East Palestine to shine a light on what is going on.

[13:55:04]

I think it's so important to put a face on this disaster and what everybody is going through.

I was really positively overwhelmed by the bipartisan support that we received and how so many different policymakers did reach out to me.

One thing I would like to say that I heard recently is that this is really like a nonpartisan issue, and so I think that that's so powerful.

Because I think everybody can agree that when it comes to our children's health, moms will stop at nothing to talk to everyone engaged in that process to ensure that our family's health and wellbeing really does come first.

So this does transcend politics. And I think that I witnessed that firsthand this week.

WHITFIELD: All right. Misti Allison, thanks to you. And all the best to you, your family and everyone there in East Palestine.

ALLISON: Thank you so much.

WHITFIELD: All right, in the new CNN original series, "SEARCHING FOR MEXICO," actress and activist, Eva Longoria, is taking us on a journey across the country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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

(LAUGHTER)

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

I'm going to get a T-shirt that says "More Falta."

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.

We're 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.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

LONGORIA: I was going to do this. That's why.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

(LAUGHTER)

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

Artista.

You guys are amazing storytellers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Appreciate it.

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. I fell in love with it.

(CHEERING) ANNOUNCER: "EVA LONGORIA, SEARCHING FOR MEXICO," premieres tomorrow at

10:00 on CNN.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)