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Days Of Violence Followed Israeli Raid Of Al-Aqsa Mosque; Tiger Woods Withdraws With Foot Injury After Making 23rd Straight Cut; Imam Stabbed During Prayers At New Jersey Mosque, Suspect Detained. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired April 09, 2023 - 15:00   ET

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

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: So you're talking some of these areas, looking at temperatures about 15 to 20 degrees above average, not just for Vegas; Boise, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Palm Springs, all of these areas still looking at that 15 to 20-degree warm up, Fred.

Again, that may feel nice. The concern here is going to be that rapid snowmelt for a lot of these areas.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: All right, thanks for the warnings. Allison Chinchar, appreciate it.

[15:00:25]

All right, hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me on this Easter Sunday from New York. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

And we begin this hour in the Middle East where Israel says it has carried out airstrikes in Syrian territory. Israel's defense forces releasing a video it says shows strikes on a Syrian military compound, radar systems and artillery posts. The strikes were launched after Israel says rockets were fired from Syria toward the Golan Heights.

And in the West Bank today, a funeral was held for two British-Israeli sisters who were killed in an attack on Friday.

Days of violence erupted following an Israeli Police raid on the Al- Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem last week.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen is in Jerusalem.

Fred, what's the latest?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Fredricka.

Well, certainly pretty big incident that happened there today on the border with Syria when you had those rockets that came flying over from Syrian territory. The Israel Defense Forces say they say that those came flying towards the Golan Heights, which of course are held by Israel and the Israelis are saying that six rockets in total were launched. They say at least one rocket was intercepted; apparently, one fell in a field on the Golan Heights, some also falling into Syrian territory, one apparently fell into Jordanian territory as well.

Nevertheless, a pretty big incident as we just saw on our screens there, some of the retaliation that the Israelis launched. They say that a drone fired at some of those places where they believe that those rockets were fired from. They also hit some Syrian military installations as well, and that's key, because the Israeli so far have not said that they believe that those rockets were actually fired by the Syrian military or by anyone else affiliated with the Syrian State.

But they do say that they hold the Syrian State accountable for any sort of violence that happens from the territory of Syria towards Israel or Israeli held territory.

And of course, in the context of what we've been seeing here over the past couple of days, it is a big deal. Israel has had rockets fired at its territory from Lebanon, also from Gaza, as well. The Israelis, of course, launching some retaliatory strikes, and then the Strategic Affairs Minister of this country, Ron Dermer, he came out earlier today on CNN, and he warned what he called Israel's enemy to underestimate Israel, despite the fact that of course you do have political divisions in this country. Let's listen in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RON DERMER, MINISTER OF STRATEGIC AFFAIRS AND PUBLIC DIPLOMACY OF ISRAEL: I think that Israel's internal divisions have been misinterpreted -- this is why I talked about Iran -- misinterpreted by our enemies, and maybe they think this is a time to attack Israel. Believe me, Israel will stand united and will defend itself against that aggression.

I have no doubt that we will stand together and confront anyone who tries to endanger our country and endanger our civilians.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PLEITGEN: That was Ron Dermer there, and you know, Fredricka, you were talking about that funeral that was held earlier today for those two sisters who were killed on Friday when their car came under fire in the West Bank, and then later crashed, that certainly was a very sad and emotional event that took place.

One of the more positive things that we did see today is that there was a fear that there could be more violence here in Jerusalem on the Temple Mount and around the Al-Aqsa Mosque, of course, on today as Palm Sunday. That certainly didn't happen. So certainly some calm here in Jerusalem. Nevertheless, we do have to say that right now, the security situation here does remain very volatile -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, indeed.

All right, Fred Pleitgen in Jerusalem, thanks so much.

Let's bring in Cedric Leighton. He is a retired US Air Force Colonel and a CNN military analyst. Colonel, good to see you.

So in your view, is this the beginning of real big trouble in the region?

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: I think so, Fredricka.

I think one of the key things to think about here is that tensions have risen steadily over the past few weeks, and you're looking at not only the Palestinians doing what they did, but the Israeli response, the Israeli raid on the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and then, of course, the military response from the Israelis after the Palestinians and Hamas and others have sent rockets there in their direction.

So this could very well be one of those moments where a lot of these things come together, and it could be the start of, you know, quite a challenging time for Israel at this point.

WHITFIELD: Israel says, you know, its strikes, most recent strikes, you know, hit military targets in Syria, and you heard that Israeli representative earlier who said there is a misinterpretation of Israeli intentions What do you believe the intentions are?

[15:05:02]

LEIGHTON: So Israel is always going to protect its sanctity as a state and that I think in this case, the Israeli spokesman is correct that Israel will come together to an extent; however, there are a lot of fissures in Israeli society at this point and some of them are quite dangerous from a security standpoint.

So if you were the Prime Minister of Israel and you've gotten into a situation where your policies are resulting in other protests, like we recently witnessed, it's going to be a lot harder to bring the country together.

But if the Palestinians, Hamas, or Hezbollah, or any of the other entities in the Middle East that's arrayed against Israel, if they overplay their hand, that could very well result in the Israelis uniting against that particular threat.

WHITFIELD: Does the US have a role to play right now?

LEIGHTON: I think it does. I think if you look at the situation from a diplomatic standpoint, and the fact that we give a lot of foreign aid not only to Israel, but also to several of the Arab nations and to the Palestinians, it is clear that the US does have a role to play.

But I think that we also have to consider the role of China in this particular situation, because the Chinese were just able to achieve a rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and they feel pretty good about that and they think that they can probably extend that effort to something like the Israeli-Palestinian peace issue.

So if that does come to pass, that could result in a bit of competition on the diplomatic front between the United States and China.

WHITFIELD: Wow, that's interesting.

Leaders from Hezbollah reportedly met today in Lebanon with members of the Palestinian militant group, Hamas. What do you think might come from that?

LEIGHTON: Well, I think the leaders of Hezbollah and Hamas are trying to figure it out how best to really forge a concrete alliance. They've had one, you know, kind of an informal alliance in many respects for several years now. But there has also been a lot of rivalry between the groups.

So if they can paper over their differences that could be a formidable threat against the Israelis, and that could also tip the balance toward more violence and escalation in violence is certainly possible as a result of this.

WHITFIELD: Okay. And then, in addition to all of that and the conflicts there, you know, we do continue to see mass protests in Tel Aviv against Prime Minister Netanyahu's judicial reforms.

Do you see in any way these conflicts kind of getting tangled together?

LEIGHTON: Yes. I think there is a distinct possibility, Fredricka, and you know, one of the key things to note about these protests is that members of the Reserve Forces of the Israeli military, of the Israeli Defense Forces, in particular the Air Force Reserve have voiced their displeasure with Netanyahu's attempt of judicial reforms. They wanted to make sure that they are continuing to fight for a democracy.

Israel has, for a long time, laid claim to the fact that it was for a long time, the only democracy in the Middle East. And if they don't -- if they can't use that anymore, in the opinion of some of these different elements, that's going to create a real problem and could result in some fissures in Israeli society and some fissures in their response to external threats.

WHITFIELD: All right, we'll leave it there for now.

Colonel Cedric Leighton, good to see you. Happy holidays again.

LEIGHTON: Good to see you, too, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Thank you.

All right, in Rome today, Pope Francis addressed the tensions in the Middle East in his Easter message.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POPE FRANCIS (through translator): On this day, Lord, we entrust to you the City of Jerusalem, the first witness of your resurrection.

May there be a resumption of dialogue and a climate of trust and reciprocal respect between Israelis and Palestinians, so that peace may reign in the Holy City and in the entire region.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The Vatican says more than a hundred thousand people were in and around St. Peter's Square for today's services.

CNN's Vatican correspondent, Delia Gallagher joining us now from Rome.

How did it go today?

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, it was a beautiful service, a beautiful day in Rome. A hundred thousand people I have to say it was it was heartwarming, because considering that a week-and-a-half ago, the Pope was going in the hospital for we weren't sure what. There was concern.

We've been watching him all this week and his health, so it was lovely to see him, his voice is back. It was strong, suggesting that he's gotten over the bronchitis.

As at least, you mentioned we just heard some of what he had to say at the Urbi address. This is a really special address that he only does twice a year from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica.

[15:10:12]

GALLAGHER: And in addition to mentioning Jerusalem, he prayed for many places in conflict around the world, including Ukraine just to tell you some of what he said there.

He said, help the beloved people of Ukraine on their journey toward peace and shed the light of Easter on the people of Russia.

The Pope also mentioned conflicts in Syria, in Lebanon, in Myanmar, in many African countries, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan.

So certainly the message today from Pope Francis being Easter, of course, is bring the light, bring the light to the dark places of the world and be the light. So that's why he was mentioning many of these conflicts around the world today -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Delia Gallagher in Rome. Thanks so much.

Still to come: The final round of the Masters Golf Tournament is underway right now, but without Tiger Woods, he withdrew from the tournament due to an injury. We'll go live to Augusta, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:15:14]

WHITFIELD: The rain is clear, there is sunshine, and the final round of Masters is now underway, but fan favorite, Tiger Woods had to drop out because of a foot injury. You see him walking so gingerly. He was fighting through the pain on Saturday and he made the cut for the 23rd consecutive time. That in and of itself is a huge victory, but we all know Tiger. You know, he just does not quit.

CNN's Don Riddell is live for us at Augusta.

Now, this was probably really disappointing for him, but at the same time, I'm sure he is thrilled that he met that one goal of making the cut.

DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT HOST: Yes, you're right, Fred.

I think that means a lot to Tiger Woods to be a part of golf history. Of course, many people consider him the greatest player that's ever played the game, but he doesn't enjoy it as much anymore. He and I even discussed that this week: How does he get joy out of the game when it is so difficult for him to play? And he said now he gets that joy from playing with his son, passing on everything he has learned about the game to him.

And he also told me this week that when he's out on the golf course playing at Augusta National, the thought now does cross his mind that this could be the last time, and those comments from just a few days ago, have been brought into even sharper focus by the events of the last 24 hours because he was really, really struggling yesterday during the tempest, during his third round. The last three holes he played, he went bogey, double bogey, double bogey. He only just made the cut, he was literally the last guy in.

But at that point, he was 22 strokes off the lead. So he was never going to win it and he knew that he would have to come out and play 29 holes today, you know, it just wasn't going to happen.

So given that he barely played last year, and when he did play, he missed the cut in one of those tournaments, he withdrew after the third round of another. We have to wonder what the future holds.

But look, life goes on, golf goes on. The leaders are now back out on the course, Fred. They have just completed their second holes. The American, Brooks Koepka still leads. He is on 11 under par. The Spanish world number three, Jon Rahm is a couple of strokes behind him and they are all set for what should be a really fascinating duel today.

And it's interesting because these guys represent different tours. Remember, there has been a split in the professional men's game, a Civil War of sorts. Rahm represents the PGA Tour, the establishment; Brooks Koepka represents the breakaway rebel Saudi-backed LIV Tour.

I think the idea that Koepka could win is making some people a little bit anxious, so perhaps, there will be more support out there for Jon Rahm, but I'll tell you this, Koepka is a four-time Majors champion. He hasn't won since 2019, but he is a four-time Majors champion, and every time he's held the 54-hole lead, he's gone on to win it.

So Koepka might just be the favorite at the moment, but we're hoping amidst all of this warmth of the sunshine, that it is going to be a terrific day's play.

WHITFIELD: Oh, wow.

Okay, how's that Texas A&M student doing?

RIDDELL: Sam Bennett, I actually can't see him on the leaderboard at the moment, but he played in the final group in the third round. He has won an awful lot of new admirers during this tournament, just an incredible story for a guy who is still an amateur player.

He has already set records here or matched records with what he has achieved in his first few rounds. And yes, he is going to be a major, major star.

I don't think his fourth round is going quite so well. But you know, absolutely brilliant Masters tournament for him.

WHITFIELD: Always fun to see the next generation -- the next generation that is now.

All right, Don Riddell, thanks so much.

All right, still ahead, an Imam is stabbed during a Sunday morning prayer service at a mosque in New Jersey. Details straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:23:28]

WHITFIELD: New today, an Imam was stabbed during morning prayers at a New Jersey Mosque. The suspect was detained, but the motive is still unclear.

CNN's Gloria Pazmino on the scene in Paterson, New Jersey.

Gloria, what are you learning?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fred, that's right.

This is a very large Muslim community here in Paterson, New Jersey, one of the largest Muslim communities in the entire country. And we are in the Holy Month of Ramadan, the most Holy Time of the year for the Muslim community, and here is what we know so far.

This morning, during morning prayers, shortly after 5:30 in the morning, officials and local people here with the Mosque tell us there was a man who had gathered to pray, there were about 200 people inside the Mosque behind me and when they were praying, this is when the man lunged in front of the congregation attacking Imam Sayed Elnakib.

Now, the Imam has sustained serious injuries including a perforated lung, a collapsed lung. He is currently recovering at an area hospital.

We spoke with the spokesperson for the Mosque, who said that it was a terrifying scene inside the Mosque when this happened. He hailed the actions of the other congregants saying that they immediately rushed to try and help to apprehend this person, and to make sure that no one else was injured.

[15:25:02]

PAZMINO: It sounds like it could have been a lot worse. He told me that this man had a knife, he was swinging the knife around trying to injure other people.

So a terrifying scene during the holiest month of the year for the Muslim community. The community here saddened and shocked, but trying to come together and looking forward to the remainder of today's prayers.

Listen to what you had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABDUL HAMDAN, OMAR MOSQUE SPOKESPERSON: When this first happened, the congregation -- we have over 200 congregants at the Mosque and we consider them to be heroes, notwithstanding that the attacker was yielding a knife. They followed him as he attempted to exit the mosque and they were able to bring him down and apprehend him and hold him until Paterson Police and Passaic County Sheriff's Departments arrived and arrested him.

I expect to, you know, come out of this and be forgiving of the attacker and continuing to deliver a message of peace and love.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO; So the community here with a message of unity and peace and calm. The Mosque behind me continues to be open, they will continue to hold prayers for the remainder of the day.

We have seen an increased security presence by local police, but from what they told me here today, they are still planning to open up and continue their prayer services today -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Gloria Pazmino in Paterson, New Jersey, thank you so much.

All right, now to South Carolina where police say six people were injured in a shooting after fights broke out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh my God.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Hard to believe on Isle of Palm, South Carolina, video capturing the chaos as gunfire erupted Friday in that coastal town. Authorities say hundreds of people were at the beach, many of them high school seniors skipping class before spring break.

Police have charged two people in the incident, but they have not confirmed if either was involved in the shooting. The investigation remains ongoing.

And now to Western Wisconsin where an investigation is underway after two police officers died in a shooting. Authorities say gunfire erupted after an officer conducted a traffic stop in Barron County yesterday. That officer, as well as a second officer were both pronounced dead at the scene. A third person later died at the hospital. It's not clear how that person was involved.

Police have not provided any details on what prompted the traffic stop or how the shooting even unfolded.

All right, still ahead: US Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas says luxury trips paid by a billionaire and Republican donor didn't need to be disclosed. Now some Democratic lawmakers are calling for his impeachment. We'll discuss straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:27:06]

WHITFIELD: US Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is pushing back against those bombshell reports that show lavish undisclosed trips with a conservative megadonor. He calls them personal hospitality. But some critics say they present huge ethical concerns.

Here is CNN's Brian Todd.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): An embattled Supreme Court Justice on the defensive over a damaging report.

Clarence Thomas issued a rare statement responding to the reporting that he and his wife were subsidized for lavish vacations, and he never disclosed them.

Thomas says early in his tenure with the Court, he sought guidance from his colleagues and others in the Judiciary and "... was advised that this sort of personal hospitality from close personal friends who did not have business before the Court was not reportable."

DONALD SHERMAN, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, CITIZENS FOR RESPONSIBILITY AND ETHICS IN WASHINGTON: It's a woefully inadequate statement. It leaves more questions than it answers, both about the Justice and whichever Judges are advising him and it should be investigated.

TODD (voice over): The investigative news organization, ProPublica, reports that Justice Thomas and his wife, conservative activist, Ginni Thomas have gone on several luxury trips subsidized by Harlan Crow, a Dallas businessman with deep pockets who is a big Republican donor.

The report says they've stayed at several properties owned by Crow and traveled around on his super yacht and his private jet.

JUSTIN ELLIOTT, REPORTER, PROPUBLICA: We found this has been going on for more than 20 years and that, you know, stretches back to the 1990s, and I think what struck us in this reporting was just the frequency of these trips. You know, they seem to be traveling together at least once a year.

TODD (voice over): ProPublica posted pictures of Clarence and Ginni Thomas with Harlan Crow and others during a trip to a volcanic archipelago in Indonesia in 2019. Thomas and his wife spot shadowed in the front row at left, Harlan Crow in the back row at the far right.

Crow also funded trips to New Zealand, California, Texas, and Georgia for the Thomases, according to ProPublica.

Thomas in a recent documentary, which ProPublica says was funded partly by Harlan Crow said he had modest taste in vacation spots.

CLARENCE THOMAS, US SUPREME COURT ASSOCIATE JUSTICE: I prefer the RV parks. I prefer the Walmart parking lots to the beaches and things like that. There is something normal to me about it.

TODD (voice over): But in reality, according to ProPublica, this is where Thomas sometimes stayed, a stone lodge on the water in the Adirondacks in Upstate New York, owned by Harlan Crow.

ELLIOTT: This is like living like a billionaire for a public servant.

TODD (voice over): With the exception of one trip on Crow's jet in 1997, according to ProPublica, Thomas didn't disclose any of these trips on required filings. Watchdog groups say that could violate some laws and ethics rules.

SHERMAN: Here is this billionaire who's got lots of rich friends and can court the Justice and bring his friends who are CEOs to potentially influence the Justice with his lavish gifts and trips and other benefits.

TODD (on camera): Will the Supreme Court investigate or discipline Justice Thomas in any way? Chief Justice John Roberts did not respond to CNN's request for comment.

[15:35:10]

TODD: Harlan Crow sent a statement to ProPublica saying: "Justice Thomas and Ginni Thomas never asked for any of this hospitality." And "We never ask about any pending or Lower Court case, and Justice Thomas has never discussed one."

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, here now to talk through a lot of this, CNN political analyst, Julian Zelizer.

Julian, welcome. Good to see you.

JULIAN ZELIZER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Thank you. Nice to see you. WHITFIELD: So Justice Thomas says he didn't need to disclose all of these luxury trips. I mean, it's a good friend who happens to be a billionaire. They've known each other for many, many years.

But I know you also wrote that, you know, at a minimum, you say this is a reminder that a Code of Conduct is needed. Do you believe this will be impetus for something like that to be drafted and adopted?

ZELIZER: It might be.

There is one set of questions revolving Justice Thomas and disclosure rules that already exist and those might be examined. There's already been a congressional push by several Democratic senators, including Senator Whitehouse before this happened to implement some sort of guidelines for what Justices can or can't do. There will be pressure on Chief Justice Roberts to do the same.

So I think, it is certainly possible this story might give impetus to creating some form of guardrails in an institution that really lacks them.

WHITFIELD: You wrote an op-ed for cnn.com, saying these revelations are the last straw, it's time for Congress to act as well. Today, in fact, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has this to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-NY): It is the House's responsibility to pursue that investigation in the form of impeachment.

We need to hold our systems accountable, and I do not believe that we should be refusing to do that, for political reasons.

I believe that we should pursue the course, and if it is Republicans that decide to protect those who are breaking the law, then they are the ones who then are responsible for that decision, but we should not be complicit in that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: You've got a Republican Majority House, do you think, you know, there will be any traction to this movement or suggestion of impeachment?

ZELIZER: Probably not. I don't think impeachment is going to have easy road ahead, and we saw at the presidential level under the former President, how that played out. On the other hand, there's a different question which would affect the Justices supported by Republicans or Democrats. It's not a partisan issue, it is not even about Justice Thomas, and that's a code.

As we have in the executive branch, as we have on legislators, creating rules about what kinds of gifts you can receive, who you can receive them from and limitations on some of these activities.

So I think even with a Republican majority, there could be space for some kind of reform of this sort, or it could come from within the Court. I mean, Justice Roberts has that opportunity as well, but I think it's imperative or we're going to see more stories like this.

WHITFIELD: In the meantime, do you see Chief Justice Roberts addressing something, whether it's a Code of Ethics or something else? I mean, it wasn't that long ago that, you know, the High Court had to deal with someone leaking information, right, about that reversal of Roe v. Wade when that decision was coming. So, it seems as though Chief Justice Roberts may have to revisit how to kind of get the house in order.

ZELIZER: Look, it's a test of Roberts meaning, he, himself fashions himself as an institutionalist than many of his supporters, and even some of his critics say he is someone who cares about the sanctity of the institution, and the need to have public trust in the Supreme Court. So here's a test. What does he do?

Does he do nothing? Does he let this go and either let Congress do something or let nothing happen? Or does he take steps to protect the institution? And so we will see in the months ahead where he stands on his own reputation.

WHITFIELD: All right, Julian Zelizer, thank you so much.

ZELIZER: Thanks for having me.

WHITFIELD: All right, coming up: Violent storms this year left dozens dead and entire towns in ruins, and the number of tornadoes so far is nearly double the average. So why has severe weather this year been so destructive and deadly? That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:44:09]

WHITFIELD: Slowly but surely, the power is coming back on in Quebec after freezing weather brought down trees and power lines this week.

Currently, about 90,000 customers are still in the dark. That number are down from more than one million at its peak Thursday morning. Officials say two people were killed in separate storm-related incidents and authorities hope to have power restored by Monday and are keeping temporary warming shelters open throughout the weekend.

And in the last few weeks, the US has been hit with several rounds of violent and deadly storms. At least 26 people were killed last month when destructive tornadoes ripped through Rolling Fork, Mississippi. And a week later, another tornado outbreak across the South left more than 30 dead. And then just last week, at least five people were killed after a tornado struck Bollinger County, Missouri and all of those deaths now make tornadoes and severe storms in 2023 more deadly than all of last year.

[15:45:10]

WHITFIELD: CNN meteorologist, Allison Chinchar is joining us right now.

Allison, I mean, we are just hitting the peak months for this kind of severe weather. So why has this year been so destructive and deadly?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Fred, it has been an incredibly active start to severe weather season this year. Just since January 1st, we've had over 500 tornado reports. Normally up to this point, we would only have about 270. So you're talking nearly 200 percent of the average.

Now part of that is because we've had so many atmospheric river events that have come in along the West Coast, and that's not only triggered severe weather, including tornado reports for California, but those systems have continued to make their way into the eastern portion of the country. And with the incredibly warm air especially that we had in February and all of that added moisture from those atmospheric rivers, it has really led to an increase in the number of tornadoes specifically across the Midwest and the Southeast.

Now, the inherent problem there is that these areas specifically have a greater population density. So, when you're hitting some of these communities, the suburbs of Chicago, Memphis, Atlanta, even areas of Little Rock, the population is higher than what you're normally going to see in traditional Tornado Alley States, such as Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma.

Another concern too, was that these tornadoes were occurring overnight, nocturnal tornadoes, as we call them. In States like Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky, nearly half of the tornadoes they experienced occur in that overnight timeline.

The unfortunate problem there is people are asleep, they have no way of getting the alerts to wake them up to get them to safety when these tornadoes are coming through.

One thing we've also noticed a shift in, not just this year, but in the last four decades specifically, the traditional area of Tornado Alley is now beginning to shift rather than the normal states of Kansas and Oklahoma, we're starting to see a lot of that area begin to shift off to the east, again into more higher densely populated areas.

One thing to note, the good news is in the short term, we don't really have any severe weather threats in the next couple of days. But statistically speaking, May is actually the peak of tornado season, so that number could go up in the coming weeks.

WHITFIELD: Oh, no.

All right, Allison Chinchar, thank you.

All right, what a difference a year makes in California. State Water officials now say the Sierra snowpack is among the largest on record dating back to the 50s, and now, the question is how much of all that snow will help ease the State's long running drought.

CNN's Stephanie Elam has more from the Sierra Nevada Mountains. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): From almost nothing to record setting snow depths --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One twenty seven.

ELAM (voice over): California's current snowpack in the Sierra Nevada is one of the largest ever, one that couldn't be more opposite from last year.

SEAN DE GUZMAN, CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES: This is the fourth wettest in terms of snow water contents going back to 1941.

ELAM (voice over): The snowpack which the State says accounts for about 30 percent of its water supply in an average year, measured a depth of more than 126 inches for an astonishing 221 percent of the April 1st average near Lake Tahoe. Melted down, that's the water equivalent of 54 inches.

April is generally when the snowpack hits its peak before the spring melt off and is thus the basis of the State's water supply forecast.

DE GUZMAN: There have only been three other years where our April snowpack has been greater than 200 percent of average in April. Our statewide automated snow sensor network is reporting 237 percent of average.

ELAM (voice over): In stark contrast, only two-and-a-half inches of snow were measured in April 22 containing the equivalent of just one inch of water, a paltry four percent of the April 1st average.

According to the US Drought Monitor, less than two percent of the Golden State is in severe drought, the lowest it has been in about three years. Compare that to 2022, when large swaths of the State were in severe or extreme drought.

THOMAS PAINTER, CEO, AIRBORNE SNOW OBSERVATORIES, INC.: We've never met snowpack this big.

ELAM (voice over): To get a more accurate picture of how much snow California is under, Airborne Snow Observatories flies over the mountains, providing its findings to the State's Department of Water Resources.

PAINTER: We measure snowpack, wall-to-wall over mountains from aircraft using lasers and spectrometers, and from that information, we can then know the full distribution of how much water there is in a mountain snowpack, and also how fast it's going to melt, and that has allowed us then to change forecast errors from being pretty large to very small and really dramatically changed water management in the West.

[15:50:00]

ELAM (voice over): Look at ASO's imagery of the Ptolemy Basin near Yosemite Valley at this time last year. There is barely any snow. Now look at this year, the bright yellow showing most of the same area buried under more than 10 feet of snow. That's nearly 640 percent more snow than in 2022, Painter says.

PAINTER: The Central and Southern Sierra and in particular, the Southern Sierra are just crushing the record.

ELAM (voice over): But the scientists say despite the deluge of moisture this wet season, drought concerns haven't dried up. This is proof that Western weather patterns are changing.

KARLA NEMETH, DIRECTOR, CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES: Even though we have this extraordinary snowpack, we know that the droughts are getting deeper and more frequent and that means we have to use water efficiently no matter what our hydrologic conditions.

PAINTER: God knows what we're going to have next year.

ELAM (voice over): Stephanie Elam, CNN, the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, and this quick programming note. What started with the disappearance of 20 people from a small town in Oregon ended with the largest suicide on US soil and changed the face of New Age religion forever.

"Heaven's Gate: The Cult of Cults" continues tonight at 10 right here on CNN.

All right, still ahead, with egg prices still high, some are choosing not to paint easter eggs and take a crack at something else, that's next.

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[15:55:34]

WHITFIELD: All right, soaring egg prices aren't stopping folks from enjoying this Easter Holiday. In fact, many on social media are painting potatoes this year instead of eggs. It seems like an egg- cellent alternative.

CNN Business reporter, Nathaniel Meyersohn is joining us right now.

Nathaniel, tell us more about this eggs-travagant trend.

NATHANIEL MEYERSOHN, CNN BUSINESS REPORTER: Yes, Fred, so inflation has changed Easter traditions for folks. Egg prices have skyrocketed due to supply shock and egg producers padding their profits a little bit. Egg prices up 55 percent in February from a year ago. So that has more folks looking at potatoes, painting potatoes for Easter.

Potato prices are still pricey, up 13.5percent, but certainly not as much as eggs. And so potato producers, they are calling attention to this price gap and they are saying, why don't folks paint potatoes? And so we see on social media, the #EasterPotatoes has blown up.

WHITFIELD: That is a crazy look. Okay, somebody came up with a pretty good idea. It's cracking me up.

Okay, so now, do another trend we are following that, you know, people may have noticed that their cans of their favorite beverage from the grocery store or wherever they get them seem to be changing, they are slimming down, how come?

MEYERSOHN: They're slimming down, Fred. So it's not just your imagination. But we're seeing fewer of the short round cans that we're used to, the traditional ones, and more of these tall and skinny cans.

These tall and skinny cans, they are seen -- companies are trying to signal to customers that their drinks are a little bit healthier and better for them than they used to be, and so we see more brands like Topo Chico, SunnyD, Simply Lemonade, and even Coca-Cola switch to skinny cans.

And there's also a cost savings reason that companies are switching from short and slim to tall and skinny. You can fit more of them on shelves, on store shelves, and you can fit more of them in the back of trucks, so that leads to lower costs.

So expect to see more tall and skinny cans on grocery shelves. They're seen as a little bit more premium and modern than the ones we're used to.

WHITFIELD: Okay, so the cans are slimmer, but not necessarily the content. It's still -- they are still the same ingredients.

MEYERSOHN: They are still the same ingredients.

WHITFIELD: A little elegant looking, I guess. Okay.

All right, Nathaniel Meyersohn, thank you so much.

MEYERSOHN: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, singer, Taylor Swift and actor Joe Alwyn are never, ever, ever getting back together -- you don't want me to sing.

All right, the pair has broken up after six years together. A source close to Swift confirmed the news to CNN saying Taylor and Joe broke up a few weeks ago and they simply grew apart, but they do plan to remain friends.

The Grammy-winner and Alwyn managed to keep their relationship mostly under wraps, but in true Taylor Swift style, the singer dropped some Easter eggs about Alwyn through her music along the way.

Swift is currently on Eras Tour and we hope that there is no bad blood and no extra teardrops on her guitar.

All right, hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me in this Easter Sunday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

All right, backlash is mounting after a controversial ruling by a Federal Judge in Texas over how abortions are provided nationwide.

On Friday, a Judge suspended the FDA's more than two decades' old approval of the widely used abortion medication mifepristone. The DOJ is already working to appeal the decision and the Biden administration is vowing to fight back.

Today, Health and Human Services Secretary, Xavier Becerra gave his take on CNN's "State of the Union."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR AND POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: So how worried are you that this Court, conservative majority in the United States Supreme Court will agree with the Texas Judge?

XAVIER BECERRA, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY: If the role of Judges and of Justices is to apply the law to the facts and the evidence, the facts and the scientific evidence are that mifepristone is not just safe, but it's effective, and it was properly approved.

And so I don't care who the nine Justices are on the Supreme Court or any Court of Appeal, they should be able to discern the difference between inserting their personal judgment and using the facts and evidence to make a legal ruling.

[16:00:31]