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Tornadoes Rip Through The South, 23 Dead In Mississippi, 1 In Alabama; Crews Search For Survivors After Pennsylvania Candy Factory Explosion; Trump Rallies In Waco Ahead Of Possible Charges; California Governor Eases Some Water Restrictions After Severe Rain And Snow; Trump's Support Gap Changes Among GOP Voters; Soon: Interview With Rep. Jeff Jackson (D-NC); March Madness: No Top Seeds Reach Elite 8 For First Time Ever. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired March 25, 2023 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:00:29]

JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jim Acosta in Washington.

We begin the hour with horror and heartbreak gripping much of the southern United States. More people have been killed by tornadoes in the last 24 hours than in all of last year. This is Rolling Fork, Mississippi. One county constable says the community is gone there and what's left looks like a landfill.

At least 24 people are confirmed dead, 23 in Mississippi, one in Alabama, and all of last year across the entire country tornadoes killed 23 people, according to the National Weather Service. This is already exceeding that. Right now state and federal leaders are already mobilizing help to the hardest hit areas.

CNN's Nick Valencia is in Rolling Fork, Mississippi.

Nick, tell us what you're seeing there.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Hey, Jim. We just got here on the ground and it is just, you know, it's awful. It's striking to see these images anywhere you go in the country, but, you know, our attention was certainly grabbed by the site here and just how much damage there is throughout this town of about 2,000 residents.

We're in Rolling Fork. This is the Mississippi Delta and this here is one of the staples of the community. This is Chuck's Diner restaurant and from what we're told by local residents this is where all the kids from this one school district in the town came after school to hang out, to play arcade games and to grab a bite to eat. There's nothing really left of it but damage and debris.

You could see these cars that are flipped upside down on top of the -- what used to be a restaurant, and I'm told by one of the local residents this is actually the box Chevy here on the side is one of his friends' cars and that is usually parked about a half a mile away. So that gives you a sense of just how strong this storm was. We understand it was about a mile wide came in here through this town of Rolling Fork, about 80 mile per hour winds, and caused all of this damage.

You know, I'd heard the local official here call it a landfill and that's really what this looks like. It's just block after block after block of debris. It's not just this one section. You know, we've driven in here from Jackson, Mississippi, and we saw block after block as I mentioned, Jim, of just homes just destroyed, big, huge trees that were gutted and uprooted and put on their side.

The force of Mother Nature never ceases to impress, and this is what's left behind here of a trailer park community where local residents tell us many people died. We've yet to confirm that with the local officials here but these residents, you know, they all sort of know the names of those who have perished prior to them being released from the officials here. We're waiting to get that official announcement.

We understand the governor here has already spoken to President Biden, who's offering his condolences to those who have been affected here. We have yet to hear him announced potential trip here, but just gauging by just how terrible the situation is here and the loss of life, how devastating the storm was, it would not be surprising if the president did show up here.

But, you know, talking to these local residents. You know, they're just still sort of shell-shocked. I spoke to one just before coming on air here, and she says she just can't try to fathom right now, and trying to pick up the pieces and start over again. Many residents here say that this happened in a matter of minutes, in about five minutes this storm passed through here and caused all of this devastation.

Again we're standing in front of one of the landmarks here of Rolling Fork that is just gone. And we understand from our -- you know, from our vantage point of what we've seen that there is still recovery missions happening here from the local officials, especially here across the street at the building. Right next door was a car wash. I mean, these were all businesses. These were all standing structures just 24 hours ago.

Decimated now, Jim, and this is what's left.

ACOSTA: Absolutely heartbreaking. You can just see the devastation. We're just showing as you were speaking there a few moments ago, that aerial view of the community, and you just see the homes, the businesses, people's lives just wiped out.

Nick Valencia, from a very heartbreaking scene there in Rolling Fork, Mississippi. Thank you very much.

Joining us now is storm chaser who is witnessing or who has witnessed the destruction in Mississippi firsthand. Aaron Rigsby joins us now from Rolling Fork.

Aaron, tell us what you're seeing.

AARON RIGSBY, STORM CHASER: Yes, currently right now, the situation from this morning to this afternoon has actually probably taking a tick in the correct direction. This morning a lot of those people were still kind of panicking. They are picking up those pieces trying to get in contact with loved ones and see who was hurt, who was accounted for, and actually this afternoon, it's been kind of a breath of fresh air to see.

There's a lot of volunteers here now handing out free food, free water, and a lot of the essential amenities.

[16:05:02]

So it's been kind of a nice change of pace today. It seems like everyone has kind of started to collect themselves and now begins the cleanup process.

ACOSTA: And, Aaron, I'm just trying to get a sense of what you're seeing on the ground there. We took one aerial view a few moments ago that looked as though the tornado really just cut a path through this community. Is that what you're -- a wide path obviously but a very destructive path. Is that what you're saying or is the devastation really spread all over the community there?

RIGSBY: The devastation is definitely spread through a majority of the community here. That tornado last night cut nearly through the center of town. There's a few small areas that are virtually unaffected. But I'd probably say, if I was guessing I'd probably say 60 percent to 65 percent of the town either has substantial damage or a severe amount of damage to either their homes or businesses throughout the entire town.

ACOSTA: Yes, and Aaron, I mean, we're just looking at some of these images here, and it looks as though, you know, some of these homes, they're just they're just completely gone. There's nothing left. There's just rubble. There's just debris. Are people being led back into some of these areas? How is that? How is that happening?

RIGSBY: Yes, a lot of the people have been allowed to come back to their homes. There are multiple checkpoints just before you get into town, trickling residents and volunteers into the town so people can get back to their homes and, you know, be reunited with their loved ones because a lot of people were being transported to the hospital this morning.

I saw several instances this morning of, you know, people in the back of pickup trucks being transported to the nearest hospital they could find because the problem was that this town was just, you know, kind of in the middle of nowhere. There's only a couple of river crossings nearby. So a lot of the emergency services had to come from Vicksburg about 45 miles away.

So now it's getting a lot more organized. And they, you know, things are looking up here for the time being.

ACOSTA: And you've chased some storms in the past. How does this compare with what you've seen in the past? And based on the accounts you've heard from other people? What was it like being in the middle of this as it was going on? RIGSBY: This was definitely one of the fastest developing tornadoes

that I had ever documented. I've seen tornadoes to this caliber before, but they had usually gone -- ongoing and on the ground for so long. This started out when we saw the initial touchdown as a small cylinder cone tornado, and within five minutes it had grown until at least a quarter mile wide wedge, very violent tornado, as it unfortunately entered the town.

And this was by far the most raw search and rescue that I have ever been a part of. You know a lot of times it's a, you know, a couple of quick checks here and there. Hey, are you OK? Yes. OK, on to the next house. This one, this was the first time that I had ever been part of a legit search and rescue where I'm pulling people out of the rubble, you know, lifting roofs, and you know, cutting my way through people to get them out of these homes and get them to safety.

To be part of that for so long, I mean, we were doing this for probably 30 or 45 minutes, getting people out of homes before emergency services were starting to trickle in and getting those ambulances through here, it was a lot to process but, you know, it comes to the territory of storm chasing and this is why it's important for us to drop the chase when communities like this are affected because we're the first responders at that point.

They aren't here yet. We're the first ones there and we're the first ones to help out with those in need.

ACOSTA: Well, the images are just devastating and our hearts go out to that community there.

Aaron Rigsby, thanks so much for your time. We appreciate it.

RIGSBY: Thank you for having me.

ACOSTA: And for more information on how you can help the victims of the deadly tornado and severe storms that swept through Mississippi, go to CNN .com/impact.

Rescue crews in eastern Pennsylvania are searching for survivors in the rubble of a candy factory after a massive explosion there leveled the building, killing at least two people. It happened yesterday evening at the RM Palmer factory in the town of West Reading. You can see some of the video right there, it's just extraordinary what occurred.

Our Danny Freeman joins us from the scene there.

Danny, what more are you seeing there?

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim, I got to say all day today the name of the game has been recovery. This community desperate for some answers, and hopefully for some survivors. First responders, dozens of them have been out here all day for almost 24 hours now since that explosion happened yesterday afternoon.

Let me just show you what the process looks like here. You can see there is heavy machinery. They're basically clearing this lot where that building used to be. That chocolate factory used to be. It is no longer there and now debris is being pulled out of the street. And the hope is to find survivors underneath.

So let me tell you what we know so far. Again, this is the RM Palmer candy factory. We still don't know what caused the explosion that you've been seeing on your screen that is so massive and so forceful.

[16:10:02]

We don't know what caused it just yet, but we do know that two people have been confirmed dead at this point, five are still missing and eight were in the hospital.

We spoke to a neighbor, though, Jim, that really described to us what the feeling was in this area when that explosion happened. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS SUGLIA, WEST READING PENNSYLVANIA RESIDENT: The house shook and the window shook, and it was it was, you know, pretty crazy.

FREEMAN: And so what went through your mind when you heard that noise?

SUGLIA: Yes. Either an earthquake, honestly, or like I said, someone literally drove into the house is what it sounded like. And the impact of the shaking of the house and the windows. It was just very unexpected.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: Now at this point we're still waiting on a statement from RM Palmer. We have reached out and the town said that they would be putting out a statement. But we have not yet gotten that yet. Of course when we get more information on the conditions of the people who are in the hospital, and those who hopefully have survived this, and we'll bring it back to you -- Jim.

ACOSTA: All right, Danny Freeman, thanks so much. Looking at that video of that explosion. It's incredible that only two people died in that blast. Just remarkable, Danny. Thank you.

In just two hours, Donald Trump will be speaking at his first official -- what they're calling his first official campaign rally of the 2024 election season. It comes amid new developments in both the federal and state investigations into the former president.

CNN's Kristen Holmes is live in Waco for us.

Kristen, Trump's legal troubles don't seem to be an issue for his supporters there in Texas. What's the crowd like? What's the feeling like out there?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Jim, well, sorry, the music just started blasting, but, Jim, there are thousands of people here right now, so it doesn't seem to have impacted any of the attendees at all, at least hinder them from coming. And you have to note that this rally is coming in the middle of these investigations really ramping up.

You have this looming potential indictment in New York in the hush money case. You still have that grand jury investigation in Georgia into the 2020 election and Trump's actions there. And just in recent days we've seen that Trump's defense attorney Evan Corcoran had to appear for a federal grand jury in the documents probe. And on top of that a federal judge ordered some of Trump's former aides to appear before a federal grand jury in the other special counsel probe, which is the January 6th.

None of this seemed to impact any of the attendees we talked to. We asked them if these potential indictment or any of these legal entanglements could impact him negatively politically, here's what one of them had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE GILBERT, TRUMP SUPPORTER: He can still run if he gets indicted and that's happening, and if it does happen, that's going to excite the American people even more. So you know, if 100 million people are going to vote for him, if they do indict them, you're going to get 120 million people voting for them because they're just -- you know, you can't take an honest man down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: And Jim, I want to note this wasn't just one person. This was something we heard over and over again. It's something we've heard from Republicans across the board, saying that if he was to get indicted that this is something that would energize Republicans. But I will note, this is something I reported last week, a lot of advisers to Trump are really sure that's the case in the long term.

They are still very concerned about a potential indictment and what that would mean in a general election. But I got to tell you that people here do not care. They are very excited to be here and to see the former president -- Jim.

ACOSTA: All right, Kristen Holmes, thank you for that. We appreciate it.

We have much more ahead today. After a massive amount of snow and rain, a silver lining for some people in California, but the governor has a warning as well. Plus rising tensions with Iran after a deadly drone attack on a U.S. facility in Syria. I'll talk to a member of the House Armed Services Committee about that.

And later, finding my roots. I joined the remarkable PBS program, "Finding Your Roots" to dig into my own family's history, and I could not believe what we discovered. We'll talk about that coming up.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:18:36]

ACOSTA: After months of intense rain and snow, California's governor is now rolling back some drought restrictions. The reversal comes after the state reported the driest three years on record. Now rivers and reservoirs are filled again.

CNN's Camila Bernal joins us now from the L.A. River.

Camila, why did Governor Newsom stopped short of declaring that the drought is over? What more can you tell us?

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Jim. So he says this is not a yes or no answer. He says, are we out of the drought? Well, it's really complicated because there are some areas in the state that are still in desperate need of water, where they're most other parts of the state where you have plenty of water. Of course, thanks to the recent storms. We have record snowpack. We also have reservoirs that are getting close to capacity.

And then we have water that's just flowing. You know, you mentioned I'm at the L.A. River. This is not what it looked like during those three years that you mentioned where they were the driest three years in California history. Instead you're seeing so much water in all of the reservoirs in the rivers, and the governor says, look, because you have these two extremes you have to still keep in mind that you want to conserve, but there are no rules in place.

People are not going to be told, hey, you can't water your lawn or you have to water certain days or certain hours. That's no longer the case. But you do have to be mindful that there are some years in California where we're going to have extremely dry times and others where it's going to be wet like the year that we're having right now.

Here's what the governor said.

[16:20:04]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D), CALIFORNIA: So when we talk about weather whiplash, we talk about extremes. It is incumbent upon us to recognize that and recognize that the conditions have radically changed throughout the state, but not enough in places like Klamath and around the Colorado river basin to call for the end of the drought in California.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERNAL: Now scientists are going to be watching the snowpack because it could melt very quickly and it could be very difficult to manage. So that's something to look at over the next couple of months. And keep in mind this week we're expecting another round of storms hitting the northern part of California. So that might be difficult because it's just these back-to-back storms that at this point a lot of areas just cannot handle -- Jim.

All right, Camila Bernal. Good to see California getting some much needed water, though. Thanks so much for that report. We appreciate it.

BERNAL: Yes.

ACOSTA: Still ahead, former President Trump claims he's not concerned about his attorney appearing before the grand jury as he gets more bad news and yet another probe.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:25:17]

ACOSTA: Updating our top story, the death toll from those storms in the south has risen. CNN Has confirmed that 25 people have died in the state of Mississippi. Another person has passed away in Alabama, making the death toll so far 26 total. More people have been killed by tornadoes in the last 24 hours, as we noted at the top of the program, than in all of last year. We'll have more on all of those in the next hour, so stay with us on that.

Donald Trump is in Waco, Texas, for a rally this evening. Meanwhile we have new details about a big gap in support for the former president among Republicans.

CNN senior data reporter Harry Enten joins us now to run the numbers.

Harry, what have you learned? Any surprises?

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA CORRESPONDENT: Yes, a tremendous income gap, right? I think perhaps we're used to a large education gap in Republican primaries involving Donald Trump. But take a look at the income gap here that we see between voters making under $50,000 and voters making $50,000 and over.

Among those voters, Republican voters who are making $50,000 and over, look, Trump and DeSantis are tied at 37 percent each, but look at this large gap among voters making under $50,000. That is a 29-point lead for the former president and it's that large gap and that large support among voters making under $50,000 the reason why Trump is leading in the Republican primary and why his lead is becoming even larger at this point -- Jim.

ACOSTA: And is that a big change, Harry, do you think from the makeup of Trump supporters in 2016? What do you think?

ENTEN: Yes, I think it is. You know, I mentioned that education gap, right? There really was not much of an income gap back in 2016. So if you look at the exit polls, and you basically average them all out, among voters making under $50,000 Trump got 48 percent. Among voters making at least $50,000 was 42 percent. So the fact was that support by income really did not vary much back in 2016, so the fact that we now have a large gap on income that is something very, very new. Now what we have essentially have is this income gap matching that education gap with Trump doing better among voters who are making under $50,000.

ACOSTA: And you mentioned education level, what differences are you seeing there when you look at the numbers?

ENTEN: Yes. So this to me is really interesting. I love, you know, digging down to those cross tabs, finding those interesting tabs, and this to me was quite surprising. OK, let's just look at those voters who make -- who are noncollege graduates, right? We know Trump does very well amongst them. But look at the income gap between them, so voters who make under $50,000 and do not have a college degree, Trump leads by 35 points, but among voters who make $50,000 or more and don't have a college degree, look, Trump actually trails DeSantis by seven points.

So it's really an income gap that separated out from this education gap. This is something we didn't see at all in 2016, and it's a big thing driving this primary right now.

ACOSTA: And you know, obviously, his legal troubles have been in the news not just in the last week, but for many weeks, but particularly in the last week. That's obviously raised questions about his electability in 2024. How is that playing with his supporters? Do you think -- are you seeing any kind of an impact in the numbers?

ENTEN: Yes, to me the fact is unlike in 2021 when Joe Biden was winning because they thought he was the most electable, if you look at the voters right now who are supporting Trump, just 41 percent of them say electability is more important than issue agreement. So look, it could in fact drag some support from him but the fact is voters are with Trump because they agree with him on the issues not because of electability -- Jim.

ACOSTA: Interesting. All right, Harry. Thanks so much. Great to see you.

Be sure to check out Harry's podcast "Margins of Error." You can find it on your favorite podcast app or at CNN.com/audio.

Joining me now to talk about this further is CNN political commentator and host of "PBS Firing Line," Margaret Hoover, and CNN senior political analyst and anchor John Avlon.

Guys, great to see it. It's been a while. Really appreciate you being with us. Trump is getting -- we were just talking about this a few moments ago. Kristen Holmes is in Waco, Texas. We all know what Waco means. He's kicking off this campaign rally there during the 30th anniversary of the deadly standoff there between federal agents and the Branch Davidians, that separatist group where we had that clash that resulted in so much violence.

We heard from the Trump campaign on this. They're telling CNN it's just a coincidence that it's happening this weekend. You guys buy that? John Avlon. [16:30:00]

JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: No.

MARGARET HOOVER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: John Avlon, no one wants to just rip this one apart. Jim Acosta, I'm going to let you do it.

AVLON: Appreciate that.

(CROSSTALK)

ACOSTA: Look, I tried to ask that question, honestly, but it doesn't seem to - I mean, that was just does not pass the -

(CROSSTALK)

AVLON: Look, and there's a lot that happens at Waco that has nothing to do with the Branch Davidians, you know, cult compound siege.

But it's the 30th anniversary. Trump has made very few rallies. It's not like he's been barnstorming the country. And Waco was the next logical step on the tour.

HOOVER: A really red state that he's going to have to win to

AVLON: Yes, if he's going to win.

HOOVER: - win the nomination.

AVLON: Yes, so just to remind people - I mean, I wrote a book called "Wingnuts," you know, a couple of years ago that dealt with extremism, American politics.

And the Branch Davidian compound siege and the aftermath - let's not forget there were 28 ATF agents killed or wounded in that siege, in the aftermath, as well as members of the cult in question and children who had been physically and sexually abused in that cult.

This took on a major iconography for the anti-government far-right militia movement in America. This is a major event.

This is not something that's just off to the side that people you know, forget about in that strain of far-right anti-government movements, which you know, crested to some respect after January 6th.

So it's the 30th anniversary. We need to hear what Trump says, whether they're obvious dog whistles or less obvious dog whistles to this.

The town of Waco is defined by a lot more than this. But this choice speaks loud and clear about what he sees as his base, and really the way it makes a mockery of any claim for Republicans to represent law and order under his auspices.

ACOSTA: Right.

And I can't imagine, Margaret, that when they said, well, maybe we should have the rally in Waco, that there wasn't anybody in his circle on a staff anywhere, who said, wait a minute, you know, Waco, Texas, didn't they have that thing with the Branch Davidians? Maybe we shouldn't do that. And they went ahead with this anyway.

I mean, when you have this after what took place on January 6th, after what happened in Charlottesville, the way Trump reacted to that very fine people on both sides, there just seems to be this, you know, he likes to go back and push those buttons it seems.

HOOVER: Yes. No, I think it's based on - if we didn't know anything about it, Donald Trump 2015, maybe we could give him the benefit of the doubt.

But this is somebody who, after - in particular, after January, 6th and after the almost 1000 prosecutions, indictments around that act and around all of the evidence that has come out since then about Trump's direct involvement and agitation and movement towards violence and, frankly, you know, pushing people towards violence, what became a violent and dangerous day at the capitol.

He's not going to Waco - and I think it's very safe for all of us to just make this jump. He didn't go to Waco because a former U.S. president, Republican president has his ranch there. OK?

ACOSTA: Yes, this isn't about that.

HOOVER: This is not about George W. Bush. This is very clearly -

(CROSSTALK)

HOOVER: This is very clearly about him making a statement against the backdrop of the people who he knows are the most ardent supporters of him.

AVLON: Right.

ACOSTA: That's right? And it comes on the heels of all these reports about how the previous events that he's had so far in this cycle been sort of lackluster and you know - and you could just see the gears turning inside the Trump team thinking they could stoke things once again.

(CROSSTALK)

HOOVER: No. And I think, thinking that these rallies have been lackluster or that they will continue to be is there really - it's something that all of us do at our own peril as observers here.

Because Donald Trump is really back? I mean, he's back, and he's stirring up all of the forces I think that are the least productive forces in our politics.

AVLON: What I think is so significant is that he's identifying this strain of the far-right as his base that's something that needs to be inflamed. And in the context of the comments he's made around this possible indictment where he's beginning fanning these flames. Those two things need to be understood in relationship to each other, that that's the larger danger here.

ACOSTA: Exactly. And you can't ignore the danger. I mean, ignoring it doesn't make it go away.

And John and Margaret, let me ask you, the Manhattan grand jury investigating Trump in the Stormy Daniels case is expected to resume on Monday, Trump said he expected to be arrested this past week. That obviously never happened. He also warned of potential death and destruction if he's charged.

But in the end, indictment week was a lot like infrastructure week for Trump, but it just didn't happen.

You know -

(CROSSTALK)

AVLON: Pretty soon, man.

ACOSTA: How much of this was how much of this was Trump trying to just get everybody, you know, dialed up on this thing, and in his base, among his supporters.

HOOVER: What we understand, in hindsight, having actually seen that the grand jury wasn't even going to convene on Wednesday. I mean, this was I mean that - that came out later.

[16:35:00]

But you know, they're Trump is very clearly trying to rile up support from his base and try to own the narrative and try to try to make this about an opportunity to support him to fundraise off of, frankly, to make him the victim.

And I think you know, at our own peril, in the media, we fall for it sometimes.

AVLON: But it's not that benign, right? I mean, he's doing it through threat. He's both playing the ref and trying to rile up his base on that.

And look, take a big step back. No one should cheer the indictment of an ex-president. But the political implications of this should be something that don't matter nearly as much as simply following the law.

The principle of equal justice under the law needs to trump - no pun intended - everything resembling partisan politics.

And his attempts to play the ref through threats or fear or that, oh, this will benefit me politically or may it might, doesn't matter. You apply the law without fear or favor. That's what democratic republics do, and that's what we need to do as a country.

ACOSTA: The law is the law.

All right, John Avlon, Margaret Hoover. Great to see you again. Thanks so much, guys. Appreciate it, man.

HOOVER: Thank you.

AVLON: Take care, man. Be well.

ACOSTA: Good to see you again. You, too

Still ahead, Iranian-backed groups in Syria are vowing revenge after the U.S. retaliated over a drone strike that killed an American contractor, Congressman Jeff Jackson, a veteran and member of the Armed Services Committee, joins me next.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:40:30]

ACOSTA: A significant escalation in Russia's war on Ukraine. Vladimir Putin says he struck a deal with Belarus that allows for Russian tactical nuclear weapons to be stationed there.

And that special storage facility for those weapons should be finished by early July. Belarus, you recall, shares a border with NATO member, Poland.

Meanwhile, no letup in the grinding battle for Bakhmut. A Ukrainian commander calls the situation "dynamic and intense," while another Ukrainian military official says Russian forces have been pushed out of a key road.

Democratic Congressman Jeff Jackson of North Carolina joins us now. He sits on the House Armed Services Committee.

Congressman, thanks so much for being with us.

As you know. the Red Cross has the estimated 10,000 civilians still in Bakhmut are being, quote, "pushed to the very limits of their existence."

Is there anything more that can be done to protect the civilians, the innocent civilian population in that area and that war zone?

REP. JEFF JACKSON (D-NC): The story of Bakhmut has been a story of incredible resilience by the Ukrainians. I think, as recently as a week ago, there were a lot of people who wondered whether or not it would last another week.

But Ukrainian military leadership and Zelenskyy decided to double down to make sure that the people there had what they needed, to make sure that the Russian invasion wasn't successful.

It's remarkable, that after a siege that has lasted, well, almost six months and after being nearly surrounded over the last several weeks that, frankly, we're still talking about civilians being in Bakhmut, that there is still a Ukrainian military presence there.

It does not bode well for the larger Russian offensive that we're expecting this spring.

ACOSTA: Right. And back to these tactical nuclear weapons. And I guess there might be some connections here and that the Russians aren't doing well. So Putin keeps talking about this.

He says that putting them in Belarus would not violate any nonproliferation treaty. In your view, do you buy that? And how serious of an escalation is this?

JACKSON: No, I don't buy it. But I also don't treat it as the most serious escalation because we've seen this empty threat from him over and over again.

We've seen a pattern of nuclear saber rattling, which, frankly, has become a sign of desperation by the Russian leader because he knows that his military has just been absolutely decimated.

And frankly, I think this year we're going to see the Ukrainians have a much better year on the battlefield than the Russians.

The Russians are going to have an advantage when it comes to troops and the Ukrainians are going to have basically every other advantage. They're going to have better training, better equipment, better morale and better allies.

And I think the counter offensive is going to begin here in the next four to six weeks, and we're going to see more impressive, more impressive work on the half on the part of the Ukrainian forces.

ACOSTA: And, Congressman, let's talk about the volatile situation in Syria. Iranian groups are warning the U.S. of, quote, "revenge: following the retaliatory drone strikes the us carried out this week.

How concerned are you about these threats? What's your message?

JACKSON: Well, I think the most important message wasn't mine. But it was the one that our military delivered. We very swiftly responded to the Iranian provocation to the Iranian attacks.

We are there in this part of the world in order to help support local forces. Make sure there's not a resurgence of ISIS.

It's a very important mission. It's one that the Iranians would prefer that we were not carrying out. I imagine they'll continue to test our resolve, and I think they will see swift responses like they just did.

And not to jump around too much on a lot of topics, but I want to get your thoughts on the contentious TikTok hearings this past week. As you know, the TikTok CEO vehemently denied giving the Chinese Communist Party access to U.S. user data. What do you think in its current form? How much of a national security threat do you think TikTok actually is?

JACKSON: Well, there are some concerns that apply broadly to the space of social media. But there is a specific concern with respect to TikTok because it is owned by China,.

And at any time the Chinese government can basically knock on the door of TikTok and say, hand over the data. That's a real national security problem.

And I think that's why the administration landed where it did with its ultimatum of saying, look, you can either divest you can choose to sell this app or the app is no longer going to be allowed. The app will be banned.

ACOSTA: You think banned in this country? What do you think?

JACKSON: I think it's not necessarily going to come to that. China does have a major incentive to divest.

[16:44:59]

And there's recent precedent for that. There was a dating app that was very popular, called Grindr. It was owned by China and we told China what? You've got to sell that up. You're not going to be able to have it anymore.

And they chose to sell on that app. It's still widely available. So there is recent precedent for having this work.

ACOSTA: All right. Congressman Jeff Jackson, thanks so much for stopping by this afternoon. We really appreciate it.

JACKSON: Thank you.

ACOSTA: All right. Thanks.

History at the NCAA men's tournament, a lot of history, something that's never been done in 44 years. It's been wild to watch. We'll talk about it next.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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[16:50:01]

ACOSTA: If you have a bracket that is not busted, consider yourself one of the lucky ones.

Because, for the first time since seedings began, all the number-one teams in the men's NCAA AA tournament have been knocked out before the elite eight. Both Alabama and Houston are heading home after their losses last night.

And Andy Katz joins us now. He's covering the tournament at Madison Square Garden for Warner Brothers Discovery Sports.

Andy, I was just there the other night, watching that amazing Michigan State and Kansas State game. This tournament has been unbelievable.

But all the number-one seeds getting knocked out. That is - that is shocking. That's legitimately shocking.

ANDY KATZ, SPORTS ANALYST & REPORTER, WARNER BROTHERS DISCOVERY: It is unprecedented, Jim. In fact, there's only 12 seeds remaining, Texas, which will play Miami on Sunday, with the right to go to the final four.

So, yes, this tournament never disappoints. It did not disappoint. We had the second ever 16/1 with FDU over Purdue. We had Princeton getting to the sweet 16.

We had FAU, which plays here in Madison Square Garden, Florida Atlantic, a lot of school, but a lot of people didn't really even know existed, out of Boca Raton, having a great year, 34 wins.

They knocked off Memphis. Then they beat Cinderella and FDU. And then, of course, they take out Tennessee before this match up against K State.

And you saw it. Jim, I've been coming to this arena, the greatest place in this country to watch a basketball game, the Madison Square Garden -

(CROSSTALK)

KATE: - probably 20, 30 years, and that SMG. Goes to Little Rock and K State. Might have been the best single performance I've ever seen from a point guard, 20 points 19 assists, which was a record.

It was a phenomenal performance.

ACOSTA: It was amazing. Right in front of the hometown crowd. And I think there's NBA greats who were there on hand to watch it. It was. It was a lot of fun, just amazing to watch.

But what went wrong for Alabama and Houston? And I mean, I have to ask you, how is your bracket doing? I mean, my bracket is just in ruins. There's just no - there's no hope.

KATZ: Yes, first of all, it's easier to win the lottery than it is to have a perfect bracket. Stats back that up. And it hasn't happened.

Mine is busted. The last time I had advancing to the final four was UCLA.

And, you know, obviously, at the beginning of this, we do this for March Madness and everyone else, you know, we want to see ourselves win, of course. But I would rather see the drama and the upsets get to this point.

Look for Alabama, Houston. They just ran into the wrong teams. You know, for Alabama, your state plays a different style basketball than Alabama. Doesn't see it in the SEC.

Very physical defensive game. It was a rock fight. And they just couldn't get anything going offensively. Houston, you want to get to the Miami team that is playing his best basketball at the right time.

Second year in a row, they're in the elite eight. Again, physical defensive team. They could score with Houston scored better. Then the Cougars. So I wasn't shocked that those two went out in that round.

Of course, I was surprised with Peru like everyone else in the country and then Kansas. You know, that was an upset, too.

I mean, Arkansas has been inconsistent all year. For them to go down as the one in the second round, that certainly was surprising as well.

ACOSTA: Yes. And in Miami. I mean, Jim Larranaga, great coach from Miami. You have to take your hat off to him. I think its second straight elite eight for the Hurricanes.

But FAU, you're absolutely right. I mean, they are pretty much the closest thing left to us. Cinderella left standing.

And I watched them the other night, as well as that Kansas State/michigan State game, and it's incredible. They didn't play that well in the first half. And then, the second half, they were just on fire.

KATZ: Yes. And Tennessee makes you do that. I mean, Tennessee plays an ugly, physical game. It's going to be a low-possession game.

But Florida Atlantic, you know they they're coached by Dusty May, who was a student manager under Bobby Knight in Indiana, and has had this sort of crazy routes to this point in his career.

Five scores that can go in double figures, but no star. And yet, they sort of just get it done. They have a second gear late in the game.

Look, we all expect K State to win this one. But I wouldn't be shocked by what we've seen the last couple of weeks, if FAU can get to the final four.

ACOSTA: Wouldn't that be something else?

All right, R.I.P. my bracket.

Andy Katz, thanks so much. We appreciate it.

KATZ: Thanks, Jim.

ACOSTA: You can catch the March Madness men's tournament - if you can handle any more March Madness - all that action on our sister network, TBS, as well as on CBS. And a programming note. Don't miss the new CNN original series "SEARCHING FOR MEXICO." Actress and activist, Eva Longoria, takes us on a journey to learn how Mexico's people, culture, landscape and history have shaped its cuisine.

Here's a preview.

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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."

[16:55:00]

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.

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