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Supreme Court Preserves Abortion Drug Access for Now; ICRC Unable to Deliver Sudan Aid; Ukrainian Town Hoping for Counteroffensive against Russia; Manhunt Underway for South Africa Mass Shooting Suspects. Aired 4-5a ET
Aired April 22, 2023 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber.
Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, a temporary victory for abortion rights supporters as the U.S. Supreme Court says mifepristone can still be prescribed for now. We'll take a look at the legal and medical fallout from this decision.
Plus, a tentative ceasefire may be holding in Sudan, while the U.S. State Department has a message for Americans hoping to get out of the country.
And later what the Kremlin is saying about the bomb it dropped on the Russian city of Belgorod.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber.
BRUNHUBER: In a move that's being celebrated as a victory for the Biden administration and abortion rights supporters across the U.S., the Supreme Court has taken steps to protect access to mifepristone, an abortion medication that's been commonly used by women for decades.
Our Jessica Schneider has more on the ruling and what comes next in the fight over the drug.
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JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: The Supreme Court stepping in to protect full access to the abortion pill, mifepristone, while the appeals process plays out below.
That means it will be status quo for the administration of this drug. Women can continue to take it up to 10 weeks pregnant. They can continue to receive it by mail and via telehealth visits with their health care providers. And the generic version will remain widely available.
So this is exactly what the Biden administration and the FDA, what they were asking for. They warned that, if there were restrictions imposed on this drug, that there would just be confusion and chaos. So now this chaos is being averted.
So the question is, where does this go from here?
The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals will be hearing arguments on the underlying issue in this case. And that is whether the FDA properly approved mifepristone in 2000. The first briefings in this appeal actually must be filed the 5th Circuit next week. And the case will be fast tracked with these arguments set for less than a month from now on May 17th.
But really, regardless what the 5th Circuit decides, any possible changes to this drug are being put on hold indefinitely by the Supreme Court decision, so women can continue to fully access mifepristone until the Supreme Court acts again at some point, which wouldn't be for months, if at all -- Jessica Schneider, CNN, Washington.
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BRUNHUBER: In response to the court's ruling, President Biden is urging Americans to vote to elect a Congress that would restore the protections of Roe v. Wade. And he's defending the Food and Drug Administration's approval of mifepristone in a statement.
The president said, "My administration will continue to defend the FDA's independent expert authority to review, approve and regulate a wide range of prescription drugs."
So the next challenge for mifepristone comes on May 17th before a three judge panel at the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. Law professor Jessica Levinson explains what could happen then and how this could impact FDA approval of drugs down the road. Here she is.
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JESSICA LEVINSON, LOYOLA UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL: That is the full appeal on the merits, on the substance of this claim. I think whoever loses will almost certainly appeal back up to the Supreme Court, at which point they also have to consider the substance of this, not just whether or not to push pause but whether or not the district court judge was correct when he said the FDA didn't follow proper procedures when it approved mifepristone and then when it made changes to make it easier to obtain mifepristone in 2016 and 2021.
I mean, this case obviously has everything to do with abortion. But on the other hand not that much to do with abortion in the sense that we're talking about whether or not a single federal judge has the power to undermine what an executive agency -- here the FDA -- did, again, almost a quarter century ago.
Now I think in reality, we're not going to see people challenge cholesterol drugs or heart medication. But it could be other controversial forms of treatment, like, for instance, vaccines. Those could be next to be challenged.
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BRUNHUBER: Dr. Alison Edelman joins me now from Portland, Oregon. She's a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Oregon Health and Science University.
Thank you so much for being here with us.
So given what we've seen from this very polarized and right-leaning court, did this ruling surprise you at all?
DR. ALISON EDELMAN, OREGON HEALTH AND SCIENCE UNIVERSITY: Well, I'm incredibly relieved. We honestly didn't know how this was going to go. We were hoping for the best and preparing for the worst. And so, at least now while the legalities continue to play out --
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EDELMAN: -- we're able to continue practicing medicine like we should.
BRUNHUBER: But obviously the fight over these abortion drugs is far from over.
So how worried are you that this was just a temporary reprieve?
EDELMAN: Well, this is just a temporary reprieve. I mean, patient care and health is always adversely impacted when safe, effective care options are removed from use, based on no scientific evidence to the contrary.
So really, this is just a reprieve here. And we know that there are other legal attacks that are happening as we speak and around the corner.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, and the opponents of abortion have warned of that exact thing. You mentioned just a moment ago, you've been preparing for the worst. I mean, we've seen already some jurisdictions stocking up on these abortion drugs.
Oregon, for instance, where you are, a state that I think got a three- year supply of the drug in anticipation, perhaps, of it being restricted.
So what's going on behind the scenes from a health care practitioner's perspective as these legal battles play out?
EDELMAN: Yes, I mean, really some of it depends on where you're located and what you can do within the jurisdictions that you have. For us in Oregon, abortion is legal, and we consider it health care. And so we're able to prepare with that as a backdrop.
Whereas our colleagues in states where abortion is banned, they're really fighting to have their patients get the best care that they can. And sometimes that means having to send them out of state.
BRUNHUBER: Have you seen out of state patients coming to you?
EDELMAN: Absolutely. Since Dobbs came into effect, we've seen patients from out of state, from places that we've never seen before. Oregon's kind of off the beaten track, so it's unusual to get patients from out of state coming in.
But we've really seen patients from all over the country since the laws have changed.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, it's incredible. I mean for, you know, obviously, for many women, this has been a just a nightmare. But from a physician's perspective, I mean, the uncertainty must be very disorienting and stressful as well.
EDELMAN: Yes, it's incredible, incredibly stressful. It's just disheartening. Really there's so many legal attacks in the care that we provide at the bedside that really shouldn't be there. Really, we should be just practicing medicine and being concerned about the patient in front of us and providing the best care that we can for them.
BRUNHUBER: Yes. On the -- on the larger issue of access to abortion, I mean, we've seen across the country, Republican states tightening or eliminating access. We can see -- we're going to pop up the map here -- we can see how widespread the bans and restrictions have been.
Those orange states there on the map cover a huge swath of the country where it's been banned or severely restricted. Obviously, the larger problem isn't going away.
EDELMAN: No, I mean, we already knew that bans and restrictions don't make this kind of health care go away because it is so essential. It just creates more difficulties for patients. It creates worsening care. It creates death, harm and it creates immense confusion and fear among patients, which just shouldn't be there when they're trying to access health care.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, and some experts have said, I mean, abortion restrictions don't end up stopping abortions. They just make more unsafe abortions.
Is that sort of what you've seen?
EDELMAN: Yes, you know, we know and we have extensive literature from around the world that abortion bans and restrictions don't stop abortion care. They do the types of things that we don't want to see. They make care unsafe.
They push people later into pregnancy to access care. They create pregnancy complications. We already have one of the worst maternal health morbidity and mortality rates in the world among high income countries.
And that's just going to worsen with not being able to have access to this really essential basic care.
BRUNHUBER: Yes. Because all of -- because of all these attacks, I mean, we've heard from some doctors that, you know, in many states, it's getting harder to find doctors and nurses, you know, like yourself, because they feel that they're being targeted legally.
Many are moving out of state. They're changing specialties or giving up the practice altogether, which is making it harder, not just in terms of access to abortion but just getting, you know, maternal and reproductive health care.
What have you seen?
EDELMAN: Yes, you know, we're seeing that, too. We just had our recent numbers come out from our national match, which is how medical students choose specialties. And we saw a huge decrease in the number of individuals choosing to become OB-GYNs and we also saw a decrease of trainees wanting to go to states where bans are.
And that's because of their own health and the health for their patients. So we're going to see this affect the next generation of reproductive health care providers. And that's not only going to affect individuals that are doing abortion care but, as you say, maternal health care and other things in women's health.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, it's incredibly frightening.
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BRUNHUBER: But really appreciate getting your perspective on this important issue. Dr. Alison Edelman, thank you so much. Really appreciate it.
EDELMAN: Thank you.
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BRUNHUBER: There is little sign right now that a truce is holding in Sudan. Civilians report more fighting between the armed forces and paramilitary group despite a 72 hour cease-fire.
The U.N. says one staff member from its migration agency's he died in a clash on Friday and that, overall, more than 400 people have been killed since the fighting began last week.
Earlier, Sudan's paramilitary forces announced they were ready to partially reopen airports nationwide. He said this would allow other countries to safely evacuate their citizens. CNN's Larry Madowo joins us now with more.
So, Larry, what's the latest?
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kim, this is supposed to be day two of the three day cease-fire, that the two warring parties agreed to in Sudan. That is the Sudanese armed forces and their rivals, the Rapid Support Forces, this really powerful paramilitary group. But still, even today, the day after Eid, people have still reported
hearing gunfire and shelling and some explosions. One person telling CNN they've seen military aircraft overhead. And there still appears to be fighting in parts of Khartoum, the capital, especially around the general command headquarters, which is where the military is based.
So it's not quite the quiet day they had expected, though, to be fair, compared to the last eight days, this is a much quieter day. Overnight, we didn't hear as many reports of artillery, of bombardment.
So this cease-fire is not fully implemented. I think that's the headline here. And the bigger problem here, one person telling CNN that the food and medical situation is quickly getting out of hand.
One friend just told me they're now rationing their food because they don't think they will have much to last that much longer. And at this rate, within a week or so, even the local pharmacies and shops and supermarkets might run out of produce, might run out of the basic necessities that people need to stay in their homes until it's safe to go out there again.
And those who can are considering leaving the capital, Khartoum, where the worst fighting has been. Listen to this doctor considering it.
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DR. MAKRAM WALEED, KHARTOUM RESIDENT: Me and my family, like we're busted (INAUDIBLE) and we're considering right now, like the leaving the -- leaving Khartoum. But the risk of our leaving our house, leaving everything, like our belongings, it's just way too hard to like process.
Like even the streets, like even the journey, if it takes to have, like, like small sisters, young sisters, so it's really a risk like leaving the house right now. So we're trying to find like a good opportunity for us to try and leave.
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MADOWO: It's a harrowing situation to be in, trying to figure out if they will be safe to leave Khartoum or safer hankering down in the house, staying away from windows and hoping that no stray projectiles or bullets come into their living quarters.
And even if this does hold for another 1.5 days until the end of the three day ceasefire, then the fighting (INAUDIBLE) Monday. That just means the number of the casualties will increase. So far, 413 (ph) people have died, more than 3,500 wounded.
And that could still be an undercount because, when the guns fall silent completely and a full account is done, those numbers could be way higher.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, that's right. A harrowing situation for so many there. Larry Madowo in Nairobi, thank you so much. Appreciate it.
And the U.S. is making preparations to evacuate diplomatic personnel from Sudan but no final decision has been made yet. The White House warned on Friday that private citizens should not expect the U.S. government to get them out of Sudan. Listen to this.
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KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: When it comes to Sudan, this is a warning, a level four warning that we provided to them many months ago, basically telling Americans who were there to leave if they could and also not to travel, Americans not to travel to Sudan.
So we've been very clear on that. Again, it's not our standard procedure.
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BRUNHUBER: CNN's Kylie Atwood has more now from Washington.
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KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: We don't know any details about the death of this American in Sudan. But what we do know is that the State Department has been in touch with their family.
And this comes as there have been hundreds of Sudanese citizens who have died as a result of this recent outbreak in fighting. Now the State Department, the Pentagon, they're all watching the situation incredibly closely.
They're putting the resources in place to potentially carry out an evacuation of the U.S. diplomats who are in the country. They haven't made a decision to do that at this point. And one, of course, of the challenging factors here is the fact that there is this ongoing violence on the ground.
So State Department officials are watching closely to see if the ceasefire that has agreed to can actually be implemented on the ground. So far, that has not actually been the case.
And we know that the State Department is also not planning at this time for the evacuation of American citizens or in the country. There are about 16,000 Americans who are there. Of course, many of those are joint U.S. -- Sudanese American citizens.
And we heard from a State Department deputy spokesperson earlier today that those Americans should not be expecting any coordinated U.S. evacuation at this time.
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ATWOOD: So we're continuing to watch that space.
They said that the State Department has been in touch with hundreds of Americans who are in Sudan -- Kylie Atwood, CNN, the State Department.
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BRUNHUBER: The leader of the Russian mercenary group, Wagner, is denying that its forces have any involvement in the Sudan conflict. Yevgeny Prigozhin dismissed a CNN investigation, which found evidence that Wagner has offered anti aircraft missile systems to help Sudan's paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces.
The RSF has also rejected the notion, saying instead that Sudan's armed forces are the ones aligning themselves with foreign groups.
All of the legal woes aren't over for Alec Baldwin but we will tell you about the major win for the actor in connection with the deadly shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
Plus a Ukrainian ballet dancer swaps the stage for a role on the front lines. That decision ends on a heartbreaking note.
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BRUNHUBER: Russia is reeling from a self inflicted injury, a massive explosion in one of its cities, blamed on Russia's own air force.
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BRUNHUBER: CNN's Ben Wedeman reports.
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BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This kind of destruction has been a common scene throughout Ukraine since the war started but this time it was in Russia.
Residents of the city of Belgorod, close to the border with Ukraine, waking up to damaged buildings and destroyed road. The culprit: Russia itself. Moscow saying one of its aircraft accidentally struck the city. CCTV footage shows a first impact as the bomb penetrates the ground.
Moments later, a large explosion.
Residents feeling lucky it wasn't worse.
"Thank God there are no dead," the Belgorod governor says.
While Russia was busy after shooting itself in the foot, Ukraine was meeting with its allies in Germany.
LLOYD AUSTIN, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: Welcome to the 11th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group.
WEDEMAN: NATO and other international partners discussing additional support for Kyiv, ahead of a highly anticipated counteroffensive.
AUSTIN: More than a year later, Ukraine is still standing strong and our support has not wavered. And I'm proud of the progress that we have made together.
WEDEMAN: But for Ukrainians, that progress has been slow. And while the front is barely shifted in months, vicious battles keep claiming lives.
On Friday, the Odessa opera announcing the death of one of its performers, artist turned soldier Rostyslav Yanchyshen, killed in battle protecting Ukraine's future, they said. He joined the armed forces on the first day of the war. When CNN visited last July, he had long left for the front, like many of the dancers there.
Those that stayed behind, like Kateryna Kalchenko, braving the stage to give Odessa a sense of normalcy, dancing in defiance but very much still struggling.
"I want the whole world to stop this horror so that innocent people and children stop dying," Kateryna says. "I ask for help and for people not to remain silent."
In silence is how they began rehearsals this Friday; amid tears, one minute of silence for one of their own -- Ben Wedeman, CNN, Kyiv.
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BRUNHUBER: Ukraine's tank forces are getting a boost out of that security meeting in Germany. Barbie Nadeau joins us from Rome.
So, Barbie, take us through what happened in that vital meeting and what Ukraine is getting out of it.
BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, there's a lot of support. This meeting comes, you know, it's not just united support for Ukraine. It shows a united front against Russia that is increasingly important as this war goes on. Let's listen to what General Mike (sic) Milley had to say on the back of that meeting.
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GEN. MARK MILLEY, CHAIRMAN, U.S. JOINT CHIEFS: As we stand here today, the Ukrainian military continues to perform very well. Intense fighting in and around Bakhmut continues and has for several months.
Russia is expending significant manpower for very little gain. Russia is intensifying indiscriminate shelling in (INAUDIBLE) and other cities and urban areas. And Russia continues to pay severely for its war of choice.
Unlike Ukrainian forces, who are highly motivated to fight for their country, to fight for their freedom, their democracy and their way of life, the Russian lack in leadership. They lack will, the morale is poor and the discipline is eroding.
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NADEAU: And you know, those are very, very strong words. Kim. Those are going to be heard in the Kremlin for sure.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, absolutely. And then, Barbie, so on Ukraine's mission to join NATO, we're now getting reaction from Russia on what NATO had to say in response.
So what more can you tell us about that?
NADEAU: Yes. You know, there is some harsh words about that, of course, the secretary general of NATO, making a surprise visit to Cuba on Thursday didn't sit well with Russia. They're calling them from foreign ministry spokesperson calling the words that, he said on the back of that meeting, both dangerous and shortsighted.
We wait to see, of course, what that means in real life, Kim.
BRUNHUBER: All right. Thanks so much, Barbie Nadeau in Rome.
Ukraine says it has recovered the remains of about 500 of its fallen troops since the beginning of the war. Officials say recovery teams have surveyed hundreds of locations across the country.
They also recovered the remains of more than 500 Russian soldiers and, according to Ukraine, plans are being made to send those remains back to Russia.
All right, still ahead, a manhunt is underway in South Africa. Police are searching for one of the suspects in a mass shooting which killed 10 members of the same family. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all you watching us here in the United States, Canada and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.
For now, the widely used abortion drug mifepristone will remain available to women in the U.S. without restrictions. This follows a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday. The decision protects access to the drug at least until the appeals process plays out. But the protection could ultimately be taken away again.
A lower court ruling in Texas earlier this month suspended government approval of the 23 year old drug. It's the latest in a series of moves against abortion rights. New York Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer says more must be done to protect a woman's right to choose. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY), MAJORITY LEADER: The Supreme Court simply sent its decision back to the lower court, the court of appeals. We will have to make sure that they don't do the wrong thing.
And we will do everything we can to do, to preserve the right of women to receive this drug. They deserve it. They need it and it certainly should be the law of the land.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Mifepristone is a key part of a two-drug cocktail doctors use to provide abortions for their patients. Medication induced abortions have become increasingly common over the past two decades.
CNN's senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen explains why mifepristone is so important in these situations and how doctors are reacting to the court's decision.
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ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Obstetricians and gynecologists are breathing a sigh of relief after the Supreme Court decision Friday night.
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COHEN: That decision allows them, in states that allow abortions, to keep using mifepristone. Now mifepristone is one of two different drugs that are used to treat women who are having abortions or miscarriages.
If mifepristone had been taken off the market across the United States, that means that doctors in states that allow abortions would have only been using misoprostol. That's the second drug.
Now misoprostol can be used on its own for miscarriages and abortions but studies show that it doesn't work as well. It's not as effective and there can be more complications and more side effects.
And so doctors I've been talking to over the past two weeks have said, look, why should I be giving my patients a treatment that we know isn't as good?
I want to give my patients the best treatments that they can get. So again a sigh of relief. But this is only for a certain period of time. Things could change in the future as this case winds its way through the courts. Back to you.
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BRUNHUBER: A 21 year old U.S. Air National Guardsman is due in court next Thursday after he was accused of posting classified documents on the internet.
Jack Teixeira's detention hearing was originally set for earlier this week but was postponed at the last minute. Teixeira is accused under the Espionage Act but has not yet entered a plea.
It's alleged he used his top secret clearance as an I.T. specialist to post sensitive intelligence documents in a chat room on the video gaming site, Discord. Some documents dealt with Russia's war on Ukraine.
At a meeting in Germany of nations supporting Ukraine, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he's happy with the way America's allies are dealing with the revelations surrounding the leaks.
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GEN. LLOYD AUSTIN, U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: As I've discussed this issue with our allies and partners, I've been struck by your solidarity and your commitment to reject efforts to divide us. And we will not let anything fracture our unity.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Austin added he takes the situation extremely seriously.
After saying for days they would drop the criminal charges against actor Alec Baldwin, prosecutors have officially dismissed the allegations, at least for now. Baldwin was holding the gun that fired the shot which killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the movie, "Rust," in 2021.
But he's maintained he didn't pull the trigger. The legal move comes after new evidence surfaced that the gun had been modified. The civil case against Baldwin by relatives of Hutchins is unaffected by Friday's move.
The funeral for a woman shot and killed after pulling into the wrong driveway was held Friday. Mourners gathered in Schuylerville, New York, to pay their final respects to 20 year old Kaylin Gillis. She was killed last Saturday. A 65 year old man is charged with second degree murder in her death. Here's what some of the mourners are saying.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People feel like you have in a community where you could depend on your neighbor to be safe if a young girl needed help if it were for other reasons. It's very sad. It's tragic.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody's just -- they're trying to figure out why this happened. It's you know, people are just caring. They're just hugging one another, loving one another to understand why this happened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Meanwhile, a man accused in the shooting that wounded a 6 year old has waived his right to fight extradition. Robert Singletary appeared in court on Florida Friday, a day after he was apprehended. It's not clear when he will be returned to North Carolina. He's accused of shooting a 6 year old girl and her parents after a
basketball rolled into his yard. The girl and her mother had only minor injuries but her father was hospitalized in serious condition.
And in southeast Washington, D.C., police say seven people were shot and wounded Friday night.
Most of the 49 guns belonging to the shooter in the 2017 Las Vegas massacre have now been destroyed. An anonymous donor gave more than $60,000 to cover the value of the weapons in his arsenal on the condition they be demolished; 13 have been retained by the FBI.
Stephen Paddock killed 61 people attending a country music festival when he opened fire from his room at the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas. Paddock shot himself before police could reach him. The liquidation of his estate generated more than $1 million and that money will be distributed to survivors of the victims who died.
A manhunt is underway in South Africa, as police search for one of the suspects in a deadly mass shooting. Authorities say gunmen stormed a homestead in the eastern part of the country and killed 10 members of the same family. CNN's David McKenzie has the latest now from Johannesburg.
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DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Even in a country that has become somewhat numb to violent crime and incidents like this, this was a shocking shooting in KZN province early Friday morning.
Now the police say that community members told them --
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MCKENZIE: -- in the very early hours of the morning on Friday they heard multiple gunshots in that zone of Pietermaritzburg, in KZN province.
The police did go to inspect several gunmen who were suspected in being involved. An entire family, say police, were killed; 10 people in that shooting, the youngest being a 13 year old boy; the oldest, according to police, over 60.
The police minister said that the quick work of community members to give a tipoff to police led them to several suspects they think may be linked to the shootings. They killed one in a action against the police or in their firing between the police and the suspects and they managed to arrest two.
One got away. It's unclear what the motive of the shooting is and, in South Africa, there have been several shootings like this or similar to this in recent months, both in that province and other provinces.
I have to say, in recent reporting across the country and particularly in Johannesburg, where I am based, there has been a sense by community members that they feel the police cannot help them in many instances with the levels of violent crime in this country, particularly with the resources that the police have.
The leadership of the police, again on Friday, said that they are doing their best and are looking to increase resources. But the murder rates in South Africa in last year was extremely high, more than 25,000 people in murders that the police know about. This is in a country already dealing with high levels of violent crime -- David McKenzie, CNN, Johannesburg.
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BRUNHUBER: Just ahead, CNN's Wolf Blitzer and Dana Bash visit Poland to help commemorate the start of the Warsaw ghetto uprising and go on a very emotional visit at the Nazi death camp. Please stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: CNN's Wolf Blitzer and Dana Bash recently visited Poland, where they took part in events honoring the Holocaust survivors and victims and commemorated a significant moment in the Jewish resistance. Here's some of what they experienced walking through the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz Birkenau.
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DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: I've never been here.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: You've never been here?
BASH: No, I've never been to Auschwitz and never been to any of these camps.
BLITZER: Ever since I was a little boy, I knew my parents were Holocaust survivors. I knew my dad was from here.
BASH: He was from Auschwitz.
BLITZER: He was from the town here, which had a Yiddish name, Oswiecim. This is so painful for me and so personal for me because all four of my grandparents were killed during the Holocaust. And two of them, my paternal grandparents, my dad's mom and dad, were killed here at Auschwitz.
BASH: And your dad's siblings didn't survive?
BLITZER: One sister survived, one younger sister. The others were all killed.
The end of the war, they were liberated at Bergen-Belsen and they were taken on this forced march by the Nazis.
BASH: Yes, the Death March.
BLITZER: The Death March, yes.
BASH: That's how my great aunt died, we believe.
BLITZER: And that's -- my dad's younger brother died on that Death March.
BASH: My great grandparents, they were Hungarian. So they were safe until 1944 in Hungary because Hitler didn't invade there until close to the end of the war.
So my grandparents were in the United States. And they were receiving some letters from my grandmother's parents. And as the letters came, they were getting more and more dire.
And we have the final letter that says, "Until this moment, at least I could hold myself together. But now I have to write a farewell letter to my dearest children. My heart is getting very heavy. I must stop after every word and collect myself in order to continue writing."
And they were saying goodbye before they came here.
BLITZER: They knew what was about to happen.
BASH: They knew what was going to happen. By that time, they knew. I'm looking around and I'm thinking, I don't even know if they made it into the barracks.
BLITZER: They just got off the train and then went to the gas chamber.
BASH: Yes.
BLITZER: This is where I believe my grandparents were killed.
BASH: You think your grandparents were killed right here?
BLITZER: Yes. This is -- yes, it was really terrible. There were throwing bodies in there.
BASH: Like they were nothing, not people.
There's so many people here because today --
BLITZER: It's a special day.
BASH: -- is the March of the Living. And it's called March of the Living because --
BLITZER: The Nazis took them out on the Death March. And today, we're doing the March of the Living, which is so powerful.
Tell us why you came here tonight. NATE LEIPCIGER, HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR: I came here today because I represent the 6 million people that are behind me, whose shadow follows me wherever I go. We were shaved, they took our clothes off and put our number on our arm. And I became a prisoner.
BASH: This is even more special to be here because it's the 80th anniversary of the uprising --
BLITZER: The Warsaw Ghetto.
BASH: -- of the Warsaw Ghetto. And it was the most important moment for Jews during the war, to fight back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Warsaw's Ghetto, where Poles battled Nazis for weeks.
JOANNA FIKUS, HEAD OF EXHIBITIONS DEPARTMENT, POLIN MUSEUM: The uprising began on April 19th, 1943. It was the very first day of very important Jewish holiday, Passover. Some of these weapons were -- you know, they were so primitive.
BASH: So there were 50,000 people still here?
FIKUS: Yes.
BASH: 50,000 Jews who were starving, disease-ridden. They were either taken away or killed?
FIKUS: Completely. Many people died here on the spot.
BASH: Your parents were in the Warsaw Ghetto, married in the Warsaw Ghetto.
How did they survive?
GEORGE BACALL, CHILD OF HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS: They survived by my father's ingenuity.
[04:45:00]
BACALL: In the late teens (ph) was the headquarters of the resistance organization. And they lived a block away.
When the German army came in, of course, they were knocking down buildings and burning them down, building by building from building. And the Jews were, when they were fighting, throwing Molotov cocktails at the tanks and things -- you imagine these tanks coming in. And it took about a month and they finally had to give up.
RABBI MICHAEL SCHUDRICH, CHIEF RABBI OF POLAND: My friend, Michael Berenbaum, asked Marc Edelman, who was the last living commander of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, says, "Did you fight to choose the way you died?"
And Edelman answered, "No, we fought to decide the way we would live until we died." BLITZER: We're really happy that they've kept this place --
BASH: I was thinking about that.
BLITZER: -- so that people can see it and they know it was not some myth.
BASH: What you always say, Wolf, about when your father would see you on TV
BLITZER: He said this was revenge. For him, it was satisfying, mot just to see his son TV But to know that a child of Holocaust survivors was reporting the news.
BASH: The best revenge is to survive and thrive.
BLITZER: That's why it's so important that we educate and we show the world what was going on and that's what we're doing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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[04:50:00]
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BRUNHUBER: It's a stormy weekend ahead for parts of the U.S. There's a severe weather threat for the eastern Carolinas into parts of Maryland and Pennsylvania as well as parts of Texas.
And have a look at this in Florida. Two waterspouts were spotted off the coast of Broward County on Friday.
The National Weather Service had issued a tornado warning at the time. A waterspout becomes a tornado when it comes ashore. And one of the funnels did just that and then dissipated. The other waterspout was seen churning offshore before it, too, dissipated.
There's growing concern that the Upper Midwest could see major flooding next week as several rivers continue to rise. The National Weather Service says, right now, 10 river gauges are measuring at major flood stage and another 43 are at moderate flood stage.
River flooding is fairly common in Minnesota and the Dakotas in the spring as temperatures rise and snow melts. But because of record breaking snow over the winter, flooding is expected to be severe in the coming days and weeks.
In parts of Illinois, the Mississippi River is rising and already moving into people's homes and businesses, flooding garages and exterior stairwells. According to the National Weather Service, the river levels are at moderate flood stage there and could reach major flood stage next week. More than two months since the train derailment that spewed toxic
smoke cross East Palestine, Ohio, the state's governor is pushing to make sure the railway pays for the long term impacts of the train crash.
Mike DeWine says officials are still conducting air, water and soil testing and working to improve the quality of life in the community. And he wants Norfolk Southern company to compensate residents for potential health issues.
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GOV. MIKE DEWINE (R-OH): There needs to be a fund set up fairly quickly so that people in the community, who are concerned about where they're going to be in five years or 10 years or 15 years, if they have cancer or something occurs because result of this crash, they need to be assured.
And so he did not disagree with that. In fact, he agreed with that. And so I expect there to be a fund set up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: And in southern California, seven miles of public beach had to be closed after about 250,000 gallons of sewage spilled into the Los Angeles River on Thursday. Officials say the spill was caused by an equipment malfunction, which led to an overflow of sewage about 15 miles from Long Beach.
The sanitation department finished a round of cleaning on Friday but it's still not clear when the beach will reopen.
Around the world today, more than a billion people will celebrate Earth Day, learning about environmental issues and innovative ways to protect our planet. In a new series, CNN's chief climate correspondent Bill Weir speaks with one man in Maine, who's working to restore nutrients to the ocean. Here's a preview.
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BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: While he was studying robotic engineering at Dartmouth and Earth Systems at Columbia, he realized a man-made monster was destroying his beloved Gulf of Maine, warming it up at a rate now faster than 95 percent of the rest of the world.
MARTY ODLIN, RUNNING TIDE FOUNDER AND CEO: It's a Godzilla. There's this thing out there and it's like ruining everything that we love, right?
All the good stuff is getting ruined. All the stuff that's free and fun.
It's burning forest down. It's stealing our fish. It's devastating our crops. It's hurting our farmers. Get mad and go kill that thing, right? WEIR: And right there on a docking main, Marty's metaphor is a light bulb moment for me. A whole new way to think about a giant problem that began when people figured out how to move lots and lots of carbon, that stuff of ancient life.
From the slow cycle locked and rock and under oceans into the fast cycle, in the sea water and the sky and we've moved so much carbon. That monster now weighs a trillion tons, give or take, more than every living thing on Earth.
So not only do we have to stop making the monster bigger, we have to catch it, chop it up and bury the pieces back into these slow cycle. It was something called carbon removal.
ODLIN: Removal is chopping Godzilla down. We got this 400-foot-tall lizard and we're just chopping that thing down. That's what removal is.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: And you can catch the whole episode of "How to Unscrew a Planet" on "THE WHOLE STORY WITH ANDERSON COOPER." That's on Sunday night here in the U.S. and Monday morning in Asia.
The coronation of King Charles III is exactly two weeks away today and a flower show in northern England is displaying a botanical version of the big event. The Harrogate Flower Show has a crown, orb and scepter made of natural blooms.
[04:55:00]
BRUNHUBER: There's also a coronation cloak woven from gold blossoms. Organizers say the display pays tribute to the new king's love of nature and gardening.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So this was our celebration of the forthcoming coronation of the king. And we felt as though there should be something appropriate to commemorate that in a positive and joyous way.
And what better way than a golden cloak?
Which is what we've used to really celebrate the forthcoming coronation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: This is all inspired by a floral display for King Charles II in 1660. Tens of thousands of visitors are expected at the flower show, which runs through tomorrow.
And Kensington Palace is honoring the late Queen Elizabeth II on what would have been her 97th birthday. It released this photograph yesterday of the monarch with some of her grandchildren and great- grandchildren.
In a statement, the palace says the Princess of Wales took the photo last summer at the family's Balmoral Castle residence in Scotland. That's where Queen Elizabeth passed away last September after a 70- year reign.
All right. That wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back with more news after a quick break, please stay with us.
